Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Pure fluff
Word Count: 2.6k
(I might expand on this in the future, but I make no promises!)
In their second year, Izuku and Shouto started dating. For Shouto’s birthday, Izuku booked them a lesson with a master soba-maker, after hearing his boyfriend wishing he knew how to make his favorite food himself. Shouto was absolutely elated by the gift, even though their classmates wouldn’t have known it if it wasn’t for the absolutely filthy kiss he gave Izuku as a thank-you.
The day of their date, Shouto woke Izuku up at 6am, too excited to sleep in any longer despite their lesson being at 11 and less than an hour away by train. Thankfully, Izuku had expected this, and was ready to go when Shouto knocked on his door (and Shouto instantly fell in love with him a little more for that). The trip there was mostly a blur; Shouto finally understood why his boyfriend would shake from excitement, although Shouto’s version of that was just him shaking his foot. He was so nervous he thought he might float away, but Izuku’s fingers intertwined with his kept him grounded and present. He hadn’t even mentioned his nervous excitement, but the fact that Izuku could tell and knew exactly how to help made Shouto feel like he could float away for entirely different reasons. Their train arrived at their stop and Shouto practically dragged Izuku out, worried that they’d somehow get stuck in the car and miss their reservation if they didn’t run there. But, judging by Izuku’s cheerful laughter, he didn’t mind a bit; it wasn’t like it was hard or anything, not with their extensive training or Izuku’s quirk.
Thanks to his insistence on running, they reached the soba classroom with plenty of time to spare. The exterior looked like a modest, traditional home, with a design rather similar to his home, but even from the outside, Shouto could tell how much warmer the atmosphere was. It made him feel like he shouldn’t go inside, like his presence alone would destroy the pocket of peace inside; he didn’t get long to stew in his own insecurities, not when Izuku grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside, his shining smile vaporizing any hints of self-doubt in Shouto’s mind.
When they met the soba master, Shouto's first thought was that he was a very grandfatherly old man, and he welcomed the boys warmly, saying how he was absolutely delighted to see that "the younger generation is still interested in traditional cooking techniques." His appreciation for the couple signing up for his lessons only encouraged Shouto to work even harder, all because he wanted to make the man proud. Shouto and Izuku paid full attention to the small lecture the master had for them, all about the different ingredients, how to make the soba, the different ratios used for it; Shouto felt like Izuku with how much he was writing in his notebook. But he loved every minute of the lecture, loved learning every little detail of what made his favorite dish so good.
After the lecture, they were led into a different room with cooking stations where they would be making their own attempts at soba. Shouto executed each step with as much care and attention as he possibly could, not wanting to disappoint the soba master. The first time the master stopped him to point out something wrong, though, Shouto felt his face flush in shame. But before he could apologize for messing up, the master began correcting him with gentle words, even assisting Shouto so he could feel the proper motions for kneading and shaping the dough.
Shouto had never had someone teach him so softly before; he was used to Endeavor's harsh correction, being told to figure out what he did wrong on his own, and each failed attempt was met with more punishment. But the soba master never once treated him like that. It was always soft correction, detailed explanations of how to do better, and encouragement for each improvement, even when it wasn't perfect. His physical correction was even gentle, and Shouto never felt bad letting him take over. Several times Shouto felt himself tearing up and looking over to Izuku for comfort; and each time, Izuku would get concerned and silently ask if he was okay, nodding with a smile when Shouto said he was more than okay, this was happy crying.
After the very long process of making the dough, shaping it, and cutting the noodles (Shouto had accidentally made his too wide, but the master had simply laughed and said to tell everyone "you like bigger noodles!"), the master finally showed them how to cook the soba noodles. It only took 60 seconds to cook the soba, but Shouto watched with barely contained excitement the entire time, tightly clinging to Izuku's hand to keep himself calm. And then, after the soba was plated, the boys were seated, and the soba sauce was made, they were finally allowed to taste the product of their labor. Shouto had to take deep breaths before tasting his soba, but when he finally did, it was like he felt complete. It didn't matter that the noodles were uneven, that he would prefer his soba to be thinner, or even that the noodles were cooked more in some places, Shouto swore he had never tasted better soba in his life. There was something about eating something he had worked so hard on that had him tearing up, and with the soba master in a different room preparing more soba, Shouto felt no shame in burying his face in Izuku's shoulder to silently let his tears fall.
"This was the best birthday gift ever," Shouto mumbled, his voice muffled and barely intelligible through his croaky throat, "Thank you, Izuku."
“You’re welcome, Sho. But why are you crying?”
“I…I don’t know. I think, I think I like making something on my own. It makes me feel…like I did something worthwhile.”
“Oh, Shouto,” Izuku sighed and tilted his head up, placing a soft kiss to Shouto’s forehead that had him tearing up more. “I’m so happy you liked it. And you’re really good at it too - Sensei did say that you could be a soba master yourself with some practice!”
“Practice…” Shouto muttered, discreetly drying his eyes on Izuku’s shoulder before lifting his head. He could feel something flooding through him, something that made him want to work hard - something like the way he used to feel about being a hero, when he was 5 and watching All Might with his mother. It was…he wanted to try making soba again, he was determined to make a perfect bowl of soba, one that would make Izuku and the soba master proud. He had never felt so determined in his life, but, well…when Todoroki Shouto wanted to do something, he went all out. Like, he completely remodeled his room in a single afternoon - it'd be foolish to think he wouldn't give something as important as soba his all.
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“Shouto-kun, you’ve perfected the cone-shape of the dough. And you almost managed to roll the dough out perfectly flat - remember, use the top part of your knuckles and really practice that V-shape when rolling.”
A wave of pride surged in Shouto’s chest at the soba master’s praise. Ever since that fateful day, Shouto had scheduled lessons twice a month with the soba master. He would practice several times between lessons, so much that Bakugou had threatened to “wrap these limp noodles around your throat and strangle you with them” if Shouto attempted to feed him another serving of soba. Shouto had scolded him for even thinking of disrespecting the craft of soba like that, but it seemed like Bakugou understood his disrespectful actions if the scream he let out was anything to go by.
But Shouto respected his friend’s boundaries, and it would be better to get feedback from a larger sample group anyway, so he scheduled days of the week where he would give samples to different classmates. Sato and Yaoyorozu gave the best feedback thanks to their culinary expertise, so he paired them with classmates that were just excited for free food (Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, and Uraraka). Asui could only tolerate so much soba due to her frog biology, and Tokoyami due to Dark Shadow bursting out to argue that apples should be put in soba - such a heathen. Aoyama was heavily restricted after he tried putting cheese on his. The rest were given soba at least once a week, but Shouto enjoyed cooking for Izuku the most. His boyfriend was given soba every day, and he was never put off by it, always trying it and offering Shouto praise, constructive criticism, and a kiss (which made it worth it every single time). Izuku was the only one to have ever seen or tried his very first attempt at soba, all those weeks ago with the soba master, so Shouto trusted his word as much as he trusted the opinions of the soba master.
“Thank you, Sensei,” Shouto said, meaning it honestly and not just as a formality, “This one was better than my last attempt. My classmates said it almost looked like pre-packaged soba.”
The man chuckled warmly, almost like the grandfather Shouto never had (but wished he did). “It sounds like your friends have good judgment. You’re almost at a noodle with a perfect, uniform thickness, which means they’ll be cooked more evenly. They're still a bit wide, but you know what we say about that.”
“I’ve got a big appetite and need larger noodles to complement it.”
“That’s a smart boy!” Sensei laughed, lightly pinching Shouto’s arm in a way that couldn’t be anything but fond, “You’re very talented Shouto-kun. I wish my grandchildren were as interested in soba as you are - if you were my grandson, I’d have kept my restaurant and given it to you!”
Shouto blinked, his mind reeling from the man’s words. “A restaurant…? Sensei, I don’t think I could ever be good enough to compare to your skills, much less enough to have a restaurant.”
“Do you not trust your Sensei’s words? I tell you, with a little more practice, you’d have the best soba in all of Japan, and I’d have the honor of telling everyone I was your Sensei!”
“Y-You’re too kind,” Shouto felt heat radiating from his face, not sure how to respond to this level of praise, “I’m happy to just learn from you, Sensei. I love soba, and I want to make the best soba for the ones I love.”
“Well, that’s a lofty goal - cooking for loved ones is a serious matter. Food is how men like us show our love, so the special ones in our lives only deserve the best. But I know you can do it - with a bit more practice! Now, how long should we cook these noodles for?”
The lesson ended as usual - Shouto staying until it was nearly dark, and the soba master insisting on giving him extra portions to give to his teachers as payment for staying out so late - but Sensei’s words had stuck in his mind, following him like a shadow and coming up without any warning. It was much harder to pay attention to class when daydreams of running a restaurant danced around his head - he’d have a quaint restaurant, a small space that didn’t stand out, one that was only known to people “in the know”. He wanted a peaceful place that made people comfortable, where they could de-compress and be free from everything weighing on them. And once they were relaxed, Shouto would quietly serve them their soba. It would taste so good, it would make them forget all their worries, letting them feel completely at peace as they enjoyed their meal. No one would ever leave hungry thanks to Shouto’s rather wide-cut soba, and he’d have portions big enough to even make Fatgum feel full. But he would also have considerably smaller portions too - he wanted everyone to feel comfortable, and that included catering to different-sized appetites.
Maybe his siblings would come by to eat, and he’d make soba just the way they liked it; he’d include two extra servings too, one for them to bring back to their mother, and the other to deliver to Touya in rehab. He would try to refuse their money, but he knew how his siblings were: Natsuo would hold Shouto back while Fuyumi forced the money into the cash register, and if he tried to give it back, she’d coerce their mother into calling him and coercing him into taking extra payment. And then, right before the end of the day, a customer would come through the door. Shouto wouldn’t even be annoyed to be cooking for someone when it was almost time to close, because he would know exactly who was gracing his doorstep: Izuku, finally finished with his patrol, coming to see Shouto before they went home together. He’d be hungry - with a quirk that burned as much energy as his did, it would be more shocking if Izuku wasn’t hungry - and Shouto would be more than happy to make a special soba for the love of his life.
The thought of cooking for Izuku alone was enough to nearly make Shouto burst into flames, but the rest of his daydreams made him feel warm and fuzzy too. He liked the idea of creating a space for people to enjoy themselves, he liked the idea of making something that made them happy, and that was something he rarely ever felt when he was thinking about his future as a hero. And that was concerning to Shouto. Being a hero was his dream, had been his dream for as long as he could remember, but he never felt that rush of excitement and fulfillment when he was training for heroics. In fact, the more he thought about it…Shouto wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be a hero, or if it was an expectation he had convinced himself that he wanted.
“You know, it’s alright to want to do something else,” Izuku said once Shouto voiced his worries out loud, when the two of them were in the privacy of Izuku’s bedroom, “Being a hero isn’t for everyone - not that you wouldn’t be a good hero! I think you’d be an amazing hero, definitely in the top 10 before you’re 25! But…Sho, you look so happy when you’re making soba. And you glow when you share it, especially when they like it. I’ve never seen you that happy during training, or on patrols, or anytime we’re doing hero work!”
Shouto knew that his boyfriend was trying to make him feel better, but all he felt was guilt. Was it really so obvious that he was losing his spark for heroics? What if he was rescuing a civilian, but they could tell he’d rather be anywhere else? It would be such a waste to throw away all of that specialized training for a soba restaurant…
“I can see you overthinking,” Izuku giggled, cupping Shouto’s face in his hands, kissing his nose to distract him from his spiraling thoughts, “You don’t have to completely stop being a hero. You could be a hero on some days, and run your restaurant the other days! One of my childhood favorite restaurants is only open 2 days a week, you could do something similar!”
“Would it even be worth it? What if no one comes?”
“I know they’ll come. I’ll come see you every day, and I’ll bring people with me - then I can brag about how good my boyfriend is at making soba! You don’t have to actually do it, but just think about it, okay?”
“Okay,” Shouto whispered. He wrapped his arms around Izuku and pulled him down in a silent request for cuddles, one that Izuku was more than happy to grant him. He would think about it later, but right now, he was content to spend the afternoon with his boyfriend, dreaming about the soba he’d make for them later that evening.
And, one day in the future, when he thought his week couldn’t possibly get any worse, he’d get compared to Endeavor one too many times and snap. Shouto already had his eye on a tiny little storefront tucked away from the main road, but after what the reporter said, he realized that dreaming about his soba restaurant before he fell asleep wouldn’t cut it anymore. Once the papers were all signed, Endeavor’s credit card was liberally used for purchases (it was what Shouto deserved, he told Izuku while typing in the number from memory to order kitchenware), and the restaurant was furnished, Shouto finally opened the doors to his little soba shop.
The place quickly became a hit among his fellow heroes - turns out that Shouto’s wide-cut noodles were “hero sized”, according to Kirishima. Heroes loved the ambiance of the place and recommended it to all their closest friends, making it the top "if you know, you know" spot. Shouto’s Soba became exactly what he always dreamed it would be: a quiet place for people to de-stress and relax, with no worries out the outside world and a perfect serving of soba to top it all off.
But what topped it off for Shouto was the picture hanging on the wall of his first-ever customers: Izuku, his wonderful perfect boyfriend (almost fiancé), and the soba master that taught his everything he knew - who, at the man’s insistence, Shouto was happy to call his ojiisan. It took a while after opening for Shouto to finally realize that he truly loved running the restaurant, even longer for him to overcome the guilt he felt for it. He liked being a hero, but…maybe not all the time. Just when he was needed.
After all, there were plenty of heroes out there, but definitely not enough certified Soba Masters.
+ Versions of each one separately if you want to take a closer look at them ⬇️
I apologize if someone has already imagined them in a similar way, I did not try to steal anything from anyone, this is just my fan vision of already created (and not mine, of course) character's looks.
I don’t know, maybe I should stop publishing something here and forget about any career in social networks… Anyway, no one cares about my pieces of colored pixels…
Okay, let's forget about it, everything is too bad for ya'll to know about it :)
I wish everyone to have a good day/night ^3^
— With all the best, Stump.
And there some of chars that I have in my silly mind :33
I'm really sorry if they look like someone's existing characters, I just made them from my head and didn't copy anyone qwq
Yep...
Another character from my seemingly endless supply. Although, in fact, he is one of the "main" group of chars I use. I just didn't want to introduce him because, like, nobody want to see something about my own things that I published.
After all Tumblr absolutely most for fandoms (Although I don’t have any success even in fandoms lol).
Okay, now I'll shut up about my problems and tell you a little more about who I drew...
I hope you enjoyed seeing art that isn't related to any fandom. Have a nice day/night! <}
— with all good things, Stump.
+ Versions of each one separately if you want to take a closer look at them ⬇️
I apologize if someone has already imagined them in a similar way, I did not try to steal anything from anyone, this is just my fan vision of already created (and not mine, of course) character's looks.
Also, if you want to see my versions of other Dandy's world characters, then offer your options, I will try to fulfill them all in the shortest possible time :)
And, I think, that's all for today, have good day/night and be sure to take care of yourself ^3^
- with all good things, Stump.
kaleb my beloved ..
Anyway, thanks to @normystical for that :3 Now we have a Freaky Kaleb X3 - With all love, Stump 💙
Okay, I have another new hyperfixation... And that's Dandy's World. I even made my own oc/sona for this, I got so involved in the game... This happens to me often...
So... Here it is! My character for DW fandom (somebody kill me already :"D)
Yeah, I'm a real disappointment, I know. But I'll tell you right away, TF2 hasn't gone anywhere, I just can't bring myself to draw anything worthwhile. Sorry about that qwq
I also apologize for disappearing unexpectedly and returning just as unexpectedly, but now I will definitely try to do at least something to share this with you all
And... Well, that's all for today. Have a nice day/night and bye! <3
— Best wishes, Stump.
— ⚰️👍
!!PLS DO NOT DRAW ANYTHING BACK! NO FANARTS NO NO NO! PLS FOR ME DONT DO ART ART ART BACK !!
@fusemelt - tradesman,
@tacoshellc5458 - fish man fish fish,
@sad-boy3 - junitor (holy god i thought i lost ya forever! Btw sorry for naming ya wrong on this paper!)
@magpye-xio - amsel ludwig,
@ruthytwoshakes - glider,
@shyartistscorner - showman,
@the-treefort-au - woe (is this correct?),
@ranger-la-criatura - ranger,
@bucketofjaybirds-bucket-emporium - chemist,
@dumbhomestump - trower,
@thestrangelyalwaysconfused - priest/exorsist,
@insanityloss - nurses,
@tf2occontest lol just miss P. ,
@hachixb - Trickster,
@asleepingsunflower - beawler,
@officiallygrapesoda - broker
Love yaaa!!
Hey there good looking person. Are we having a great day? Bc if not i god i hope your day gets better bc you DESERVE IT!! MVA here is kiss and now go and have fun!!
(Yep, Dee is still alive!... Well, probably-)
— Stump that still alive... Somehow...
- With love and care, Stump.
Yeah, it doesn't look the best because I'm not the best artist here and I don't want to be. I just suffered over this piece of pixels for 2.5 days.
Here's a split version of the final outcome.
And with gore contents. (I can't draw blood, sorry-)
Thanks for seeing this shit thing, I hope it gets lost in all the good content other people are making about this game.
– Stump.
A lil art of Lil Pootis!🐥
Lil Pootis series by @quazies
I'm probably the only one so weird (and stupid) that I downloaded TF2, but at the same time, I'm afraid of online games (+ my laptop is not made for this, but at least the game starts, albeit with minor lags due to the load).
Maybe someone has similar problems? Or am I really the only one that dumb? I literally don't know what to do, I feel like worthless nothing right now, although I haven’t had time to do anything yet.
And yes, I'm still trying to find my style. I think I should switch from something too anatomical to a more cartoonish style, but that's just difficult for me too. I wanna destroy myself for my useless...
— just... Stump.
As an apology for this, I drew a Medic and a Sniper in costumes that I found on Pinterest.
Yes, it looks simple and even without shadows, but I didn’t have enough for more, sorry :")
I hope you will enjoy.
- with love, Stump.
Seriously, I don't know why the hell I did this, but I'm tired.
I hope you at least like it, because I myself became disillusioned with this world a long time ago.
– With love, Stump.
Out of every TF2 characters who is your favorite?
(You can pick more than 1, i know it's hard)
I'm a pretty banal person, it shows. But I don’t know why Demoman is my favorite among all the mercenaries...
... Although, perhaps this is just a reflection of my future and the fact that I will also get drunkard like him :D👍
And, foreshadowing any jokes, YES, I have a plush mini Demo.
Yeah, he doesn't look great because I sewed it at the beginning of the year. Sometimes, looking at everything I do, I want to rip my arms off, but it's not that important, heh!
Thanks for the question @aniolleq! It's nice to know that someone is interested in knowing such things :3
👋
I'm serious. I have a lot of drawings that I drew just because, without publishing them anywhere. Maybe someday I will show them, but obviously not today :D
But thanks @oldbirdwithnobrain sharing with such a cute picture (and I apologize for not answering right away) :3💕
Sooo... Eah, I still I'm doing some shit.
This time it's a damn mini-comic with a self insert (and I regret that I ever did it. I hope you understand me).
I had to copy the ax throwing pose from the training drawing, because I myself suck at making poses. Although I can’t even draw movements, let alone the rest.
But, for your entertainment, I will publish this, because, after all, it took me a lot of time and the suffering (probably) should pay off at least a little.
And yes, for the Blue Spycrab I didn’t have enough felt of the same color and had to use the remnants of what I already had, that’s why it’s so strange.
And now the Red Spycrab lives with my brother, and the Purple one was custom-made (for my ma and she liked it).
My (Blue Spycrab) one now has the name "Loaf" because look at him, he looks like a damn bread loaf. And, in the future, I plan to make some accessories for it, but oh well, that's not the point.
Yep, I also made MEEM and Demoman out of cardboard and now they are on my desk and condemn me for existing with their gaze lol.
Ugh... I want to burn this. I couldn't even make a damn spycrab properly. I only spent a sheet of red felt...
If you're interested, I sewed everything by hand, without using a sewing machine. Plus, I made the pattern by eye, so it looks even worse.
Sorry you saw this, I just want you to laugh at my crooked craft. I hope you find it funny.
In my vision, he may have a little blindness in his right eye and slightly retracted hearing due to frequent accidents with explosions on the field and in training. But, you know, this will not stop a real patriot from performing his service!
Now I will try to come up with something worthwhile for the other members of the BLU Team and maybe even touch on the RED Team... If I survive the exams :")
Blue Medic, instead of a flock of pet doves, has one pet crow (why is it so difficult to draw freakin' birds-)
All that's left is to come up with a name for the crow... I can't choose between Galileo and Hippocrates...
But in order not to leave my account empty (like I did with Instagram), I’ll just leave here something like a redrawing based on someone else’s work (please don’t beat me up for this, I’m already poor-)
Later I will attach the original work, because I lost it somewhere in the phone gallery. I'm not such a bastard that I won't show the original if it exists (or if I found it) :")
+ My state while drawing this art:
I'm really sorry, but I was trying to make some sort of meme... I think I screwed up again.
(And yes, I'm still trying to find my drawing style, but even here I can't come up with anything original.)
(I didn't mean to offend anyone's opinion about the Medic, I was just trying to be funny. I apologize in advance.)
- Stump.
I've did a quick sketch of my favorite character from Undertale Yellow.
In fact, I think he's unfairly overlooked compared to one star sheriff and a kitsune furry (I mean, they're nice and charismatic too, but it's just not fair to him).
Yes, I made a reference of him, although no one is interested in this.
Well, okay, as they say: “the barn is on fire, so is the house,” so let it be so.
I hope that someday I will be noticed, but what's the point in deceiving myself, right?
He is Cupid who decided to come down to earth and help people find love!
Of course, so far he hasn’t been very successful at this, because he’s quite strange to everyone, but he’s trying and wants to be the mascot of this account.
<< He thinks you'll like his Furby collection. >>
Yes, I like Kinger, he is a very cool and interesting character with a tragic story, just like I love - AHEM! Sorry about that, but... um... Yeah, I'm strange person, I know, eheh^^
Honestly, I don't know why I did it, but I'm happy with my result and I hope you like it too <3
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Да, мне нравится Королёр, он очень классный и интересный персонаж с трагической историей, как я люблю - КХМ! извините за это, но... Эм... Да, я странный человек, я знаю это, ехех^^
Честно говоря, я довольна своим результатом и, надеюсь, что вам тоже понравится <3
And... Yes, I draw on my phone and on my graphics tablet in two different styles, lol :D
Redraw attempt #1
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И... Да, я рисую на телефоне и на графическом планшете двумя разными стилями, лол :D
Попытка в перерисовку #1