Author's Note: I had went back and forth for a bit on whether I wanted this scene to happen in the second chapter or if I wanted more character build up before now... but then figured we could just jump right into the issue at hand. I hope no one is TOO out of character, but I'm not quite sure. I really liked the idea of playing on a female Todoroki's insecurities, and it also gives a reason for the romance side of the story. So this is the direction I went. That said, I'm starting school back up tomorrow. It's my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE! Yay! Updates might come slower, but they will still come. I hope you enjoy and continue to stick around for the following chapters!
Chapter Two
Something had been wrong with Todoroki all day. Izuku hadn't really noticed it at first. She had been quieter than normal, but otherwise seemed fine. During lunch, he overheard her talking to Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, and Jirou. He couldn't hear what she had been saying, but she sounded angry. He had made a mental note to ask her about it when they trained later after class. He realized he wouldn't need to, though, when he walked into class after lunch to Mineta and Kaminari talking about the girls and their "voluptuous figures" in their uniforms for the Sports Festival. Normally, no one would pay them any mind.
Today, however, Todoroki was immediately at in front of them, anger flickering in her eyes.
"Our uniforms aren't any different from yours." She growled, looking between the two boys. "They're not sexual. We're not there for you to stare at."
Kaminari furrowed his brows and put his hands up, "Sorry, Todoroki, we didn't mean to offend any of you."
Todoroki grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his face down close to hers, snarling. "Oh, so you don't think we're sexy in our uniforms, then?"
Kaminari glanced around the room, trying to find a right answer from anyone. Everyone else was just watching the scene unfold, unsure what they could do since Todoroki never lost her temper like this. Izuku bit his lip and walked over to them, putting his hand on Todoroki's shoulder. She turned towards him, the same fire in her eyes now focused on him.
"Do you agree with them, Midoriya?" She hissed. "Are the school uniforms sexy on the girls?"
He frowned. "You should calm down; they're always like this."
She glared at him before pushing Kaminari out of her grip and walking back to her seat. She pulled her notes out and sat back in her seat, almost huffing as she crossed her arms and stared at the front of the room. Izuku glanced towards Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, but they seemed just as confused as everyone else. He sighed as he sat in his own seat. What in the world was going on with her today? She had been in such high spirits when they trained yesterday and when they left to go to their separate rooms.
He covered his mouth with his hand as he chewed at his lip. He would definitely have to talk to her to see what was wrong, especially if she was attacking him as well. She knew that he respected her and the other girls in class. Basically accusing him as only seeing them sexually meant something had happened yesterday after they trained.
Todoroki said nothing when they met up for training. Her eyes met Izuku's in a cold stare before she turned to walk towards where they always did their sparring. He had greeted her when he arrived, but she ignored him completely as she turned her back on him. He frowned as he followed her.
"Todoroki," He started, trying to gauge her body language before continuing. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"
She only continued to ignore him as they finally found themselves in their normal area, stretching out her arms before finally turning to face him. Her eyes staring almost inquisitively at his. Both grey and blue then dropped towards his feet before slowly moving up his body to find his eyes again, this time her expression shifting into something he hadn't seen on her before. Izuku shivered. He wasn't sure if he should be aroused or if he should feel like he was her prey. She raised a brow at him, crossing her arms.
"I'd rather just fight." Her voice was flat.
Izuku sighed and nodded at her, taking his stance. She hadn't been this distant in years, and even when she was distant she was never outright cold. Kaminari and Mineta hadn't said anything different from normal, so he wasn't sure what the issue was. Maybe she'd talk more after they trained some and she got some of her frustration out.
Izuku started first, running towards her. A wave of flames shot at him, causing him to dodge to the left. He started rounding around her. His left hand reached up towards her as he tried to pull her off her feet with his quirk. An ice wall formed between them causing him to frown. Todoroki never took to defense like this.
He focused One for All into his feet and jumped towards the wall, aiming for the top. He grabbed it as he catapulted over, examining the ground below for the girl he was fighting. She was standing there, almost calmly. He reached out with his left hand and shoved her with his quirk. Her body flew backwards as Izuku let go of the wall. He landed and immediately ran towards her, left hand pulling her close. She slid across the ground towards him, feet first. As she got closer, she pushed her upper body into the ground, forcing her legs up to kick him. He jumped sideways, grabbing her leg before she could go on the offense. She flipped her body around, her other leg connecting with his side. Izuku grunted as he let go of her.
Todoroki crouched down before launching at him. Izuku side stepped, barely getting out of the way of a wave of ice aimed towards him. He shifted his weight, lifting his left hand to pull her back towards him. Flames licked at his hands instead, forcing him backwards. He quickly put distance between them, only to have a sheet of ice blocking him from moving backwards any further. He glanced back at it before looking towards the girl advancing on him. He smirked.
She knew better than to back anyone into a corner, especially him.
He kept his left hand by his side, palm up towards her. Once she was within ten feet of him, he kicked off the ice wall behind him and launched himself towards her. He pulled her closer with his quirk.
They collided roughly, rolling across the ground as they grappled for dominance. When they stopped, Izuku was on top. She bucked her hips as she shoved her elbow into the bend of his arm, knocking him off balance. She flipped him over, pinning him as she landed on him.
Izuku faced his left palm towards her, pushing her back just enough to destabilize her grip. He forced her down onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head and sitting on her thighs to keep her from getting enough movement to buck him off. He went to grin down at her and call the match when he saw the tears rolling down her face.
"T-Todoroki?" He stammered, using his free hand to reach towards her face.
She flinched when his fingers met her cheek, refusing to look at him. Her expression was somewhere between defiant and anger. He wiped the tears from the one side of her face as he stared at her. A layer of sweat had formed across her forehead, her nose flared each time she inhaled, her cheeks were red. Other than the tears in her eyes, she didn't show any hint of sadness.
He frowned as he moved off of her, pulling her up into a sitting position next to him by her arm. She jerked her arm out of his grip and wiped at her other eye to remove the tears.
"Todoroki?" He questioned again.
His hand reached out to her for a second before he hesitated. He bit his lip and touched her hand that laid on the ground next to him.
"You can talk to me…." His voice was hoarse as he spoke.
He didn't know what to do. Todoroki was normally so collected. This wasn't something he had ever seen since they had started at UA. She had lost her temper a few times and would become distant at times. But he couldn't think of a single time he'd ever seen her cry. His chest throbbed with uncertainty.
"You guys are all the same." She muttered before turning to face him head on. "It's just like my father says. None of you guys are interested in actually fighting a woman. You just want to see her body as she fights."
Izuku could feel his eyebrows shoot upwards the moment the words left her lips, his own mouth falling open in shock. Something…something like that had been bothering her? He shook his head. Even though she was an amazing fighter and had such a tough background, she was still a woman. Of course something like this would bother her sometimes.
"That's not true." He declared, meeting the resilience in her expression with his own.
She raised a brow. "No one disagreed with Kaminari and Mineta in class."
"That's because everyone knows that's how they are. Kaminari has a thing for Jirou and only Jirou. He just talks like that." He defended. "Mineta has just always been that way."
Todoroki frowned, glancing away. "You didn't disagree with them."
It felt like someone had shoved a spear into Izuku's chest as he watched the girl in front of him. Her body seemed to become so small and frail with that one sentence and he wasn't sure he could form words with such a vulnerable girl making such accusations towards him.
"I…I don't…." He paused and took a deep breath, studying her face as she kept her sight on something away from them. "I didn't disagree with them because that's how they are. I don't agree with them either. There's more to finding a woman attractive than how she looks in her clothes."
He leaned back on his hands, looking to the sky. He could hear Todoroki shift her bodyweight as well, but he refused to look at her. He was almost hoping that not making eye contact would keep her from breaking. A frail Todoroki was something he wasn't sure he could face head on.
"Some guys are going to always look at the physical side of things. But girls do, too." He started. "I don't know why Endeavor put this idea in your head, but anyone who is working to be a hero isn't fighting to see women's bodies. We're focused on getting strong, to save people. Some might have different motives, but none are like that."
Todoroki snorted. "That might not be their reasoning, but they sure hold back when a woman in a revealing uniform comes around. Otherwise Midnight wouldn't be so successful."
Izuku glanced over at the two-toned girl. She was frowning at her hands in her lap, chewing on her bottom lip. Tears were no longer in her eyes. That was good, at least. He smiled and looked back to the sky, watching the clouds passing overhead.
"I've never heard of anyone holding back against Midnight. She's scary, even if her outfit is revealing." He chuckled. "Bakugo didn't hold back against Uraraka in our first sports festival, and he didn't hold back against Yaoyorozu during our finals last year, either."
"But that's Bakugo." Todoroki interjected, annoyed.
Izuku nodded. "True. But Kirishima didn't hold back against Ashido even after they started dating, and he still puts in his all when he fights against any of the other girls. Iida never held back against Tsu during our villain-hero drills last semester. Mineta still fought hard against Midnight our very first year, even though it was his dream to be held by her."
Izuku paused, looking over at the girl next to him. His eyes met mismatched blue and grey. He blinked as he realized she had been watching her, but he quickly smiled at her to cover up his shock. She frowned lightly at him but continued staring into his eyes.
"And I don't hold back against you." He finished. "Ever."
Pink dusted Todoroki's cheeks as she snorted at him. "Whatever. You hold back against me all the time."
Izuku laughed at her, shoving her shoulder lightly. "I could never hold back against you. I'd never win if I did."
She rolled her eyes, sniffling a little. He smiled and scooted closer to her until their shoulders touched. Her body went rigid at the touch. He watched as some birds took flight from a nearby tree before sighing.
"We've been pretty much evenly matched since the end of our first year. I really can't afford to hold back against you." He admitted quietly. "I've always wanted to be number one, but you're my biggest obstacle because you're always right there with me. If I get better, so do you. It's been a huge power struggle between us. Especially this past year."
He could feel her relax next to him, her head leaning onto his shoulder.
"You act like you're not the only one trying to reach number one." Her voice was almost a whisper. "But how can I be number one when no one will focus on my strength because they are so focused on how I look?"
He smiled, ruffling her hair and shifting away from her when she moved to smack him. She glared at him as she pulled her hair out of his ponytail and ran her fingers through it to even out the areas he tangled.
"People working to be number one don't care how others view them." He stated matter-of-factly. "Usually that's meant towards those who don't approve of you, but it is just as true for people who only watch you because you're a female."
He watched her face soften as she looked towards them ground. He stood and dusted off his shorts, offering a hand to her. She glanced up at his hand then to his eyes. He smiled at her, unmoving.
"Keep working towards number one." He reassured her. "I wouldn't rather fight anyone else for that title. Yes, you're pretty. But your strength is more inspiring."
A smile tugged at her lips, but she pressed them together. She grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. She dusted herself off before taking a few steps backwards.
"You must be full of yourself." She grinned. "Thinking you can call me pretty, and all."
Izuku furrowed his brows at the statement. It wasn't like she didn't know she was pretty, and he thought that what he said about her strength was more important than her looks.
Todoroki started running towards him, then slid across the ground to trip him. He jumped sideway to avoid her, landing in a crouch and steadying himself with his right arm. Flames engulfed her left side as she turned back towards him. Her face was bright, none of the doubt that had been there previously clouding her features. Izuku grinned to himself. Maybe he had been able to help her.
"But don't think you can win again by using flattery on me." She shouted, running towards him.
Both Izuku and Todoroki were panting when they dropped to the ground as they finished their last round of training. They were both exhausted, somehow putting more energy into today's training than they had the last few weeks. Izuku's cheeks were sore from how much he had been smiling after their talk after their first match. They had taunted each other the entire time they trained. It had been different, but fun. Even though they were giving it their all, they had still made different remarks to each other the entire time. It didn't matter if it had been about their fighting technique or their face looking stupid when they got surprised…it had been fun.
He could feel his chest flutter as he recalled her growling that his biceps had to be a huge turn on to the other girls in class when he tried to put her in a choke hold. It had caught him off guard just enough for her to wiggle out of his grasp and put distance between them. He glanced over at her and wondered if maybe that was something she personally thought. Even if they weren't romantically interested in each other, he had always found her attractive. Did she think the same about him?
A sigh escaped Todoroki's lips as she forced herself up and offered Izuku a hand. He nodded and took it, pulling himself up.
"Thanks." He grinned. "That was fun."
She smiled at him, nodding as well. "It was. I always thought training had to be serious, but…." She trailed off, looking as if she was caught in her own thoughts.
"But laughing and throwing insults while trying to dodge and attack is hard in its own way." Izuku finished, grabbing his water bottle and taking a drink.
Todoroki nodded, wiping her forehead with a towel. "Yeah."
Izuku passed her the water bottle she brought for herself. She mumbled a thanks before gulping down a few mouthfuls. Some water escaped her lips and trailed down her jaw, dripping onto the edge of her shirt collar. Izuku could feel heat prickling his cheeks as he realized how low cut her shirt was. He glanced away for a moment to collect himself before looking back to her. She was rubbing the remnants of water off her chin with her wrist.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked.
She nodded as she started walking towards the exit of Ground Beta. "Yeah. I don't know why I let what my father said get under my skin like that. I haven't done that in a long time."
"Old habits are hard to break." Izuku said thoughtfully as he fell in stride beside her. "Especially if it's something we're self-conscious about."
Todoroki choked on her water. "I'm not self-conscious about men finding me attractive."
Izuku laughed, then shrugged. "If you say so. It's nothing to be ashamed of, though. We all want to be accepted in different ways."
She snorted, refusing to answer him. He smiled as they continued their walk in silence. Training with her the last few weeks had definitely been interesting, but emotions were high with the last sports festival coming up in the next few days. Her crying today and rebounding with playfulness must be her nerves about it. He hadn't pried about what Endeavor had said to put her on edge, but he knew that the pro hero was playing on her insecurities in an ill attempt to harden her back up before the festival. He was probably invested in her winning her last sports festival. It had backfired, though, because she had been more open with her emotions the last year or so. But it had also worked in a way since she had been learning to use her emotions to her advantage in a fight.
Izuku could feel his chest swelling with pride. She had grown so much since their first year. Not only did she change physically, but her entire demeanor had as well. She still came off as blank or cold to most people, but she wasn't distant anymore. The conversation they had earlier today was proof of that. Since they had started training here recently, she had opened up to him even more. Her conversations were more personal, and it wasn't unusual for her to laugh in front of him.
His heart stuttered when he thought back to her cheeks turning pink when he had told her he doesn't hold back against her. He hadn't ever seen her look like that. It had taken him by surprise, but it was an expression he really liked on her face.
He wanted to see it again.