The day everyone returned to the UA campus after internships was a frenzy of chatter. Todoroki sat in his usual seat, watching idly as his classmates shared their experiences. He saw Midoriya and Iida surrounded by a small circle of students excited to hear about their runin with the hero killer. Questions and statements were spewing from them like rapid fire only to met by vague responses that only the three of them really understood.
Todoroki glanced outside, the memories coming back to him easily, just as they had each time he had allowed himself to get distracted in the past few days. The ending of his internship had not been a pleasant one. Despite the surge in fame his father received from allegedly capturing the hero killer, Endeavor was not pleased, and was quick to take it out on the son who actually had. For all of his father's faults, he believed wholeheartedly in deserving what he received. It was a notion that Todoroki had been instilled with, and perhaps the only sympathizing point that he felt towards a certain hothead in the class.
"Hey, Todoroki man! You were there too right? Ah man! It must have been so awesome to know that you're father caught that guy!" Kirishima.. He meant well, but the words still caused a bitterness to swell inside of Todoroki, and the gaze that met the redhead was sharp.
"Yeah." If Kirishima was affected by, or even noticed, the daggers being glared at him it didn't show, the ever present cheer not fading from him. Todoroki didn't miss the worried glance from Midoriya though, and chose to turn his attention back out the window in hopes of avoiding any more of them. He understood the green haired teens concern, appreciated it even, but it wasn't something he could handle right then. He had enough on his mind.
Class began, and ended, without much excitement releasing the students for the day to go prepare for their finals. Another event that inspired a frenzy of chatter amongst his classmates as everyone spent the next few days of preparation trying to figure out how best to pass. It was concluded that as in the many past years, robots were likely used just like the entrance exam, a fact which Todoroki was both grateful and disappointed by. If that was to be the case then it made everything easy, too easy, especially after everything he had faced in that single semester alone.
Todoroki attempted to keep up with the conversations in class, and at lunch. He was grateful for his newfound friendship with Midoriya and Iida which grounded him into the present moment, but he still found himself easily distracted.
Ever since taking the internship at his father's agency, he felt as if everything he did was one step forward, and two steps back. He had come to accept using the advantages his father had given him, but the satisfaction his father displayed over it was like slap in the face. He tried to remind himself of his motivations; be a hero, save mom, but staring up at the face of the man he hated most, smirking down at him with the same flames that burned inside of them both, it chipped away at his resolve and left him conflicted. Todoroki knew what he wanted, and he knew why he wanted it, he just wished that it didn't mean giving his father exactly what he wanted.
In an attempt to clear his mind before heading home Todoroki found himself in a hilly area towards the edge of the academy grounds, staring down without much thought about what time it was. Words and faces shifted behind his eyelids, clenching his heart and his hands as he struggled to cope.
'I want to be just like him...in order to do that I have to be strong enough to be number one.. I know my motivation might seem stupid compared to yours…'*
You're wrong Midoriya, our motivations aren't so different at all. Todoroki startled as he heard footsteps coming up behind him, his heart slamming into his chest and he cursed himself for being so distracted that he allowed himself to be snuck up on. No one had been able to get the jump on him in years… he was typically too on guard, constantly prepared for an attack, borderline paranoid even after all the years of surprise training and impromptu rages.
He relaxed slightly when he saw who it was though, giving a curt nod in greeting as Midoriya sat down to his left. Todoroki was surprised to see how late it had gotten. The sun was already receding beneath the horizon, warm colors shooting across the sky in it's last efforts to cling to it.
"What are you doing here?" Todoroki asked as Midoriya settled down beside him, curling his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees.
"O-oh! I was just having a conversation with All Might, that's all!" Midoriya gave Todoroki an awkward smile but Todoroki just gave a hum of acceptance. He already knew there was something odd going on between the two of them, and he had already decided not to push for any more information. Not everything that went on in someone's life was everyone's business, he knew that better than most. "Actually…" Midoriya continued, and Todoroki turned to look at him more clearly, focusing his gaze on the smaller teen, which seemed to make Midoriya more nervous, his green eyes focused on the ground in front of him. "He's the one who told me you were out here."
"Oh." That made sense. It would have been suspicious if Midoriya had somehow found him out here by himself, when he was nowhere near anywhere that the smaller teen needed to be.
They sat in silence for a minute, neither knowing quite what to say though Todoroki didn't feel pressured to fill the silence. He rarely did. He chose instead to study Midoriya, feeling the familiar pang of guilt whenever he saw the scarring on the other's right hand.
"Are you alright Todoroki? I mean..you obviously don't have to tell me but...you've seemed distant lately. Well, more than usual I mean. Not that its a bad thing! I just mean..um, I'm sorry." Todoroki raised an eyebrow at the mumbling, Midoriya cutting himself off with a nervous laugh. A small smile tugged at Todoroki's lips, amusement and something warm spreading in his chest. He had never known anyone else to be so prone to rambling. He was used to scripts, and carefully chosen words for the press. It was a relief in a way for someone to be so entirely not in control.
"I'll be fine Midoriya. I just have a lot on my mind." This didn't seem to quell the other's concern any, the same worried eyes turning on him that he had felt like a weight on his shoulders for days. Somehow no matter how good his act, how perfect his wall, this boy seemed to see straight through him and it was as disconcerting as it was exciting. "I should thank you again though." Todoroki looked away then, memories once again tugging at his conscious mind. 'It's your quirk! Not his!'*.
"Huh? For what?" In other circumstances Todoroki would have been amused by the honest confusion in the other's tone. No matter how meddlesome Midoriya could be, he still didn't see how much help he actually was to everyone around him.
"After the Sports Festival, I went to see my mother for the first time since I was a child. All that time I was avoiding her, because I thought it would be best if she never had to see my face. I thought...that I was providing her some sort of mercy after everything she had been through. That was selfish of me though. The truth is, I just didn't want to accept that all this time she has been wasting away because of me...and my father. You reminded me Midoriya, of something I had forgotten a long time ago. For the first time I forgot all about my father and the things he wanted from me, and seeing my mom again after all of these years only made me more sure.
I want to be a hero. Not because of what my father wants, not because of what I was made to achieve, but because it is my dream. I want to save people, I want to save her. So, that's what I am going to do, if it is the absolute last thing I do, and I will do it for myself. You reminded me of what I forgot, so thank you." Todoroki's left hand was curled into a fist, heterochromatic eyes trained on it as it lit ablaze, flames dancing in his eyes as they stared with determination. It was the first time Midoriya had looked at Todoroki and thought that his dual nature went deeper than his appearance and quirk. It was always apparent to anyone who looked that there was a large wall of ice between Todoroki and the world, that even his heart seemed to have been frozen in his chest. Yet now, Midoriya saw that there was passion burning deep inside the other teen, and it was inspiring.
When Todoroki doused the flame, and looked over at Midoriya again he was filled with an unusual feeling of anxiety. He was more than aware of how embarrassing his whole speech had just been, and suddenly wished he could just reign it all back into his thoughts where it had been before.
It didn't help that when his eyes finally reached Midoriya's, the green-haired teen was staring up at him with wide eyes and a dominating smile.
"What?" Shit, why does he have to wear his heart on his sleeve like that? Todoroki's hands clenched into fists again, willing himself to maintain control against his stuttering heartbeat.
"Oh...just, you're amazing Todoroki!" Midoriya had the sense to feel bashful under the piercing gaze, glancing away before looking back again, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Despite everything you've gone through, you're still fighting to do what is right! It's a real testament to how strong you are! And I don't mean physically...although you're that too of course but.." Midoriya was stopped by a chuckle so soft he almost convinced himself he hadn't heard it at all.
Todoroki was staring down the grassy hill in front of them, a soft blush dusted across his cheeks and he was grateful for the growing darkness that would hide most of it. He rested his head on his knee, and tried to focus on cooling his face.
"It's not really like that…" Midoriya blinked at Todoroki in confusion, and he sighed before continuing. "I was raised to be a pro hero, and no matter what my asshole father did to get me there, it still involved raising me to believe in protecting people."
"Sure but…" There was a moment of prolonged silence, Midoriya picking at the grass beneath them, and Todoroki turned his face to look at the smaller teen, watching the wheels turn in his head as he considered what he wanted to say. "What Stain was saying, about false heroes being about the money and glory...I think if anyone had a reasonable excuse to believe in something like that, it would be you. Heroes are meant to protect people, but your father...he didn't really protect you." He just protected his investment, the words hung heavy and unspoken in the air between them.
Todoroki opened his mouth to respond, to possibly even deny it, but Midoriya would never know what he was going to say because right at that moment a teacher walked over to them, lecturing them about staying on campus without explicit permission and essentially escorting them out. They gave a quick nod of goodbye to one another before setting off in opposite directions. Todoroki sighed and looked up at the sky above him those last words echoing in his mind, clenching down on his heart like a noose. Just one more thing to add to the growing of inner dialogue.
When finals turned out not to be what they had come to expect Todoroki accepted the challenge with both excitement, and disappointment. He was grateful for Momo, who he knew to be both cunning and capable. As he glanced over at Midoriya, watching the smaller teen stare after Bakago, he knew he could have gotten off much, much worse. He had gotten off lucky in their partnership, but it was not going to be easy going up against their homeroom teacher. He knew why they had been partnered against Aizawa, Stain's words echoing in his mind. 'Has anyone ever told you? Relying too heavily on your quirk makes you sloppy.'*
He was resting off to the side, using the quiet of the outdoors to calm his nerves and focus his mind. He needed to have a good strategy in place if they were going to pass this exam. Yaoyorozu was relying on him. He looked up at the sky with unseeing eyes, going over every angle of the battle. He had just about settled on a plan when a loud explosion tore him from his thoughts.
He frowned, looking over to see smoke rising steadily into the air and he stood. Part of him thought that maybe Bakugo was just going after Midoriya for trying to talk strategy. So, it wasn't until he got closer, and noticed the strangers on the university grounds that he began running forward.
There were six or seven villains spread out around the grounds. Todoroki looked around for the teachers they were meant to be battling, but found the area to be mostly void of people. Everyone had already begun getting ready for their finals… He turned his attention back to the villains, his lips pressed together in a tense frown. These weren't like the ones who had attacked the USJ. It looked like the League of Villains changed tactics…
The villains were all spreading outwards, a heavy fog rolling over them making it difficult to see. Some off in the distance were making a show of themselves, distracting the teachers who were rushing to the scene.
Todoroki didn't bother looking at any of those though, his eyes trained one particular villain. He wasn't moving, wasn't doing anything more than standing in the center of the chaos looking perfectly at peace. He was tall, with long black hair tied back into a braid that fell down his back, and dark eyes staring at everyone as if he were watching a movie and not in the middle of a combat zone.
Todoroki decidedly hung back, watching the mayhem with caution. With the teachers here, and with all of this fog, there was little he could do other than get in the way. So, he rested behind a tree just to the edge of it all, his eyes never once leaving the villain before him. He noted that he seemed to be glancing over each person who entered the area, noting too late that an easy smirk had twisted his features as another loud explosion rang out around them.
A villain was advancing on Bakugo expertly maneuvering him deeper into the fog. The villain dodging each attack and leading the chase through, until they were near the center right in Todoroki's line of sight. He straightened up, raising his right hand to prepare to put up a defense wall between the two, when he noticed the villain smirk and turn tail.
"Hey bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing!" Bakugo yelled after. Todoroki tensed as the villain he had been watching sauntered forward, obviously saying something because Bakugo had turned his attention towards him and was practically shaking with rage. Todoroki lowered his hand in aggravation. No way he'd get his ice through this way, he'd end up piercing straight through Bakugo.
So, he did the only thing he could do, and as the villain raised a hand toward Bakugo Todoroki grit his teeth, and rushed forward at the same time that another explosion shot off. A sudden surge of wind dispersed the explosion just as it should have blown up in the villain's face as well as the tornado of fire that had lunged for him.
It couldn't have taken longer than a few seconds, but it played out in front of him in slow motion. The flames from both explosion and fire were pulled apart, and in their wake was a swirling vortex. The villain was standing calmly in the center of it all, that same lazy smirk across his face. He heard Bakugo growl, heard the sound of multiple voices calling after them as if through water. Then, the world quite literally blinked out of existence.
Notes:
All sentences in italics followed by * are direct quotes from the anime/manga and therefore I take no credit for them. I do not own bnha, or any of the characters.
Sorry if this chapter is boring...it's mostly meant to serve as a starting point, and I promise it gets more exciting! This fanfiction is already completed, so you have my guarantee it won't just be dropped midway. :) All I am really doing at this point will be editing each chapter before posting it. I hope to have updates posted weekly on Fridays. Since this is just the prologue I will also post the technical first chapter this Friday!
Since it's already written out, not much will be changed plot wise, but if there's ever a scene you want a different POV for, or you have questions I can always edit it to reflect something that wasn't made clear enough. Like all authors, I implore you to leave me a comment. It lets me know how I am doing, and overall makes all the effort I put into this piece worth it.
Feel free to follow me/contact me on tumblr/twitter at wrylyghoast. Links are also in my bio. I always love interacting with my fellow tododeku shippers! 3 Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Title for this fanfic based on this quote: "Pain is a pesky part of being human, I've learned it feels like a stab wound to the heart, something I wish we could all do without, in our lives here. Pain is a sudden hurt that can't be escaped. But then I have also learned that because of pain, I can feel the beauty, tenderness, and freedom of healing. Pain feels like a fast stab wound to the heart. But then healing feels like the wind against your face when you are spreading your wings and flying through the air! We may not have wings growing out of our backs, but healing is the closest thing that will give us that wind against our faces."
― C. JoyBell C.