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it's loud at herocon, but shouto doesn't mind.he's more concerned that after the next panel they're going to, he's going to meet the author of his favorite webcomic. sero recommended the purple sky to him around six months ago, and he's been obsessed with it ever since. it follows the story of a young vigilante, riku, who escapes their abusive household and uses their non-combatant quirk to save other kids like them. it explores the different kinds of abuse, and the effects of a corrupted hero society. the author is somewhat of a mystery, known only by their handle: @HITOCCHI. there are a lot of fan theories about their age, gender, quirk, etc, but nothing has been confirmed. fans mostly use they/them for hitocchi, and they don't seem to mind. something about it drew shouto in, and it's the closest thing he's ever had to a special interest.so when he opened his twitter one day to see this:ready for herocon !! @HITOCCHI • 2wi'm gonna have a booth at herocon !! i'll be selling some signed prints and trinkets so keep an eye out join tonight's livestream to see the process behind some new official art (ㅇㅅㅇ❀)
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shouto was ecstatic.luckily, he'd already agreed to attend herocon with izuku, and it wasn't hard to fit into their schedule. shouto tried his hand at fashion design, throwing together a decent cosplay of echo, a side character in the purple sky. izuku decided to stick with the running theme of cosplaying every single one of all might's era's, and it had turned him into a social butterfly.five minutes ago, someone in a miruko cosplay approached him for a picture, and it quickly evolved into a full-blown conversation about their favorite all might eras. "yeah, i liked the darker theme of the bronze age too, but i prefer the bright yellow in the silver age! it just seems like it matches his vibe better, and it matches his hair too! and his cape looked really awesome when i saw him on tv! i had this little figurine of silver age all night and it was my favorite when i was a kid!"shouto waited patiently until izuku paused to take a breath, and gently reminded him that if they didn't leave soon they would be late for the next panel.izuku startled, looking at shouto like he'd forgotten he was there. "oh! right, sorry sho!" he grinned sheepishly, apologizing to the person and quickly typing in their phone number.as they're leaving, izuku exhales. "wah, i love cons so much!"shouto hums in agreement, analyzing izuku's expression; flushed cheeks, wide smile, flappy hands. he's happy. he can't focus at the next panel. he keeps zoning out, mind caught on meeting hitocchi. no one's ever seen their face. when they do livestreams, their face is always out of shot, the camera only focused on their hands or on their virtual canvas. their voice is really nice though, super soft and rumbly. shouto keeps wondering what they'll look like, if they'll sound as nice in person as they do on streams. when he tunes back in, people are filing out of the room, and izuku is standing, animatedly conversing with the person next to him. shouto waits for a few minutes, bouncing his leg and getting more and more restless the longer izuku goes on. he doesn't want to miss hitocchi.he tugs impatiently at izuku's sleeve, and he quickly brings his conversation to an end. as soon as they leave the room, shouto is pulling izuku through crowds by his wrist, hurrying to the spot he marked on his map with a purple x. "slow down, sho!" izuku giggles as he trips into shouto's back. "they're not gonna leave."shouto puffs out his cheeks. "i'm just..."he trails off, unsure of what he's feeling. izuku waits a bit, and when his brows only furrow more, he prompts, "excited?"
shouto gives a sharp nod. they step onto an escalator, looking out at the other cosplayers crowded around them. izuku tries to strike up a conversation about the previous panel, but shouto doesn't answer, too busy staring intently at the crinkled map in his hands.the second they step off of the escalator, shouto is picking up speed again, muttering the room number beneath his breath."305, 305, 305..." he repeats, scanning each door as they pass. izuku struggles to follow behind him, weaving between people and keeping his eyes locked onto red and white hair."305!" shouto halts in front of a doorway, practically vibrating with excitement.izuku slows to a stop behind him, huffing out a tired breath. "sho?" he asks, after a few seconds of silence. shouto is bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, picking at a loose thread on his shirt. "you okay?"shouto hummed. then suddenly, he took in a sharp breath, and turned to izuku with a smile. "i'm really going to meet them."izuku smiled fondly. "yeah, you are!""i'm going to meet hitocchi. i've never loved anything like–" shouto made a high pitched noise, flapping his hands. izuku grinned, joining him in a little stim break. "i know, i know! let's go in already!"he linked their arms together, and they entered the vendor hall. it was a large room with several booths of artists and merchants selling their products and meeting fans. they approach hitocchi's booth right as another group is leaving. it’s a small table with little trinkets and art prints organized in piles, and a deep mauve blanket draped over the table’s surface. there’s a handwritten nametag propped on the edge of the table. it says hitocchi in purple calligraphy, surrounded by little doodles of cats and stars. hitocchi themself is sitting behind it, head bowed over something they’re signing.as soon as shouto laid eyes on them, his pre-planned script flies out of his head, and words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them."i knew you had purple hair."they look up from their print, a little startled. their eyes are purple too. "oh- uh...how'd you figure that out?""uh, well you have a lot of purple in your streams and it seems to be your theme color." shouto explains. his eyes dart from their eyes to the table, unable to hold their steady gaze for long. "i thought it might just be your favorite color, but in one of your q&a's you said it was black, so i figured it must have something to do with your physical attributes...""sho is very smart!" izuku chimes in from his side.they quirk a brow, the corner of their mouth twitching. "sho?""todoroki shouto.""my name is shinsou hitoshi.""um..." shouto mumbles hestitantly, glancing at izuku for a moment. "what are your pronouns, if you don't mind me asking?"shinsou bites back a smile, and instead of answering, they just point to the pin attached to their sweatshirt that reads HE/THEY. shouto flushes in embarrassment for not noticing sooner."what about you?""we're both he/him at the moment!" izuku answers.shinsou hums, observing their outfits with an appreciative gaze. "i like your cosplay, todoroki. is echo your favorite character?"shouto preened. "thank you, and no, styx is, but i didn't think i could pull off a cosplay of them."shinsou tilts his head to the side. "i think you could. you're quite pretty."shouto blinked. pretty…? shinsou’s eyes darken with something unreadable. shouto’s cheeks flood with warmth. he looks towards izuku, unsure of what else to say. “oh, um, i brought my sketchbook…” he rifled through his bag. “i started drawing because of you. i tried to draw some fanart of styx and riku.”“cool! can i see?”shouto nods, sliding the small blue book across the table. he watches as shinsou flips through it and tries to gauge his reaction. he hums at some of them, smiles at others, and when he gets to shouto’s favorite page, he stops to read the little comic there. and then he laughs.he likes it, shouto thinks, ducking his head to hide his smile.“i love it. do you mind if i give you some drawing tips?”“i don’t mind,” shouto answers, a little breathless.shinsou gestures for him to come closer, and their heads almost touch when he bows his head over the table. shouto does his best to listen, but his mind is stuck in how pretty their hands are. his nails are painted purple, with cute little cat doodles on his middle fingers.“…does that make sense?” shinsou asks, looking up. their noses almost touch.“yes.” shouto says, despite not processing most of it.“can i draw something in it?” shinsou smiles.“yes.” he repeats.shinsou bends over an empty page, quickly sketching a cartoon version of shouto. it’s adorable, and the real life version of shouto blushes.
is this how he sees me?
it’s almost too much for his heart.the conversation lulls while shouto gathers himself.“so, why do you like the purple sky so much?”shouto paused, unsure of where to start. “my friend sero introduced it to me, and it was my first time reading a webcomic. the first thing i liked about it was the art style, it’s very unique. i love your use of color to express the state of mind. that was what, initially, drew me in, but then i got really into the storyline. actually, i really relate to the story. it’s really cool how riku helps people, and it’s quite reminiscent of current society.” shouto’s smile slowly grows, and he starts flapping his hands subconsciously and bouncing on the balls of his feet. shinsou’s eyes linger on the movement. “i’ve never seen anything that so blatantly criticizes our current societal system. i just…i suppose, i love it so much because i relate to it. the character yuna and the complicated dynamic she has with her family, it reminds me of my family. she’s like my sister, the way she constantly tries to fix what was always broken, and her desperation to be loved by her brothers, it’s so much like how—um—and the main character, i love how you portray his self destructive complex and his inability to forgive those who have wronged him. his anger at the world, it’s refreshing in a way. i especially loved the part when he finally confronted his older brother, it was a lot like when i spoke to my brother for the first time in—and styx’s mother and her psychotic break, i found it incredibly accurate, nearly identical to my mother’s—i just, i’ve never felt so…about anything before and i…um.”he trails off, realizing with a growing horror just how much trauma he just dumped on shinsou. but he’s smiling, eyes wide in what might be endearment. “wow, sounds like you might know more about it than me.” shouto’s brows furrow. “you’re the author, i doubt i could ever know more about it than you.”izuku giggles, nudging him with a gentle elbow. “sarcasm, sho.”“oh,” shouto startles, embarrassed. “i’m sorry, i’m still learning to understand sarcasm.”there’s something indecipherable in shinsou’s eyes again. something knowing.“i get it.”just then, a group of people approaches hitocchi’s booth. they’re all decked out in impressive and garish hero costumes, and they must have just come from some sort of panel, as they were speaking rather erratically, exclaiming and squealing over an incoherent topic. they were very loud. todoroki didn’t blame them for being loud, they were just excited, and people got loud when they were excited, but their squeaky, shrieking laughter was hurting his ears. “i actually, uh, have a theory about vale and i…um, usually characters have a certain– a certain color, but– he, um, ch-changes–” shouto furrows his brows, huffing out a frustrated breath. he can’t focus on what he’s saying, and his tongue feels heavy in his mouth.izuku squeezes his hand, and the warm contact grounds him a little. “shouto? you okay?”“loud.” he mutters, shoulders tensing. shinsou glances between them and the other group, seeming to get the gist of the situation.“hey, um,” shinsou gets their attention, smiling gently. he speaks quietly, and shouto is grateful. “do you guys want to meet later? for lunch, or something?”“wha– you want– with–” shouto stammers, going speechless.“that sounds great!” izuku steps in, pulling out his phone to get shinsou’s number. “here, put your contact info in my phone.”shouto stands in shocked silence as they exchange numbers, and before he knows it, they’re bidding shinsou farewell, and izuku is dragging him out of the vendor hall.he stays limp and quiet as izuku leads him somewhere quieter. they sit down against a wall, and izuku passes him a water bottle.“i’m going to meet hitocchi.”izuku laughs and rocks into shouto’s side. “you already did! and they like you!”“they like me.” he repeats.“and we’re going to meet them for lunch!”shouto squeaks, hiding his face in his hands. “we’re going to meet them for lunch.”it all felt so unreal. when shouto came to herocon today, he absolutely did not expect this. he’d thought he would meet his favorite webcomic author, and worst case scenario; he’d completely embarrass himself, buy a print, and rush home to eat soba with izuku. but instead, he’d been gifted with the best case scenario; they thought he was cute, they wanted to hear his theories, and izuku has his phone number.shouto gasps, jolting up and launching himself across izuku’s lap to grab his phone. he pulls up shinsou’s contact and immediately sends it to himself.he has hitocchi’s phone number.