Chapter 2: A speck of dust in this crazy ocean of fate

A slowly melting heart searching for a new path, the sunset giving way for the start of a connection unseen before.
An introduction to Yaoyorozu Momo.

He'll be okay, he had said.

Shouto sighed.

Just deciding that he was going to make his own decisions didn't suddenly give him the power to talk to his classmates. What was he even supposed to tell them? He knew he behaved like a real ass since joining class. That was when he had decided not to care about anyone who was around him – He just wanted to prove to his father that he was wrong. That he didn't need his fire to become number one. Well, that wasn't Shouto's goal anymore.

He wanted to become a hero. And a hero wouldn't just imprison himself. A hero needed to be able to cooperate with other heroes. That meant that Shouto would have to be able to cooperate with his classmates. If he got along with them, that might also mean he would be able to do teamwork. Teamwork, he thought. Who would want to work in a team with him after all?

It was easy to understand why exactly they wouldn't want to talk with him. He did nothing except boast his ego, declare war to someone he had only met a few weeks prior and then pick a fight with Bakugo.

Yeah, he guessed he didn't come off as the nicest person to be around. Okay, that's an understatement.

But now he had the resolution to change that. All he thought he knew to be true was shaken up in a day, just with a few words.

You see, Shouto was never an optimistic person to begin with. So with his new determination and his bag packed with schoolwork, he went on his way to school. Only to be stopped by Fuyumi calling him back and handing him money for lunch. Perfect start.

He had also finished the field training application. At Endeavor's hero agency. He would've never believed this to happen. But he decided he would not let anything hold him back, so he would use his father's knowledge as the number two hero to become a better hero than his shitty old man could ever be.

There was only a week left before the field training started, so he's got to try to better his relationship with everyone.

On his walk to school his mind wandered again.

He really didn't know what to do. He told his sister he'll be fine, yet he had no idea what he was supposed to do. 'Making your own decisions' sounded a lot easier than actually deciding something.

The sun had already risen, even though it was still a little chilly in the shadows, which didn't bother Shouto since his body was used to regulate his temperature in any weather. Now that he used his flames again he was even more resistant to harsh weather. (The cold never bothered him anyway)

How was he supposed to form his own path when he was already trapped in one? All of the decisions he made for himself always ended up at the same place his father wanted them to lead anyway.

He also hadn't made up his mind on his sudden engagement. Which wasn't even sudden, but he only found out yesterday, so he'd call it sudden. He hadn't really considered a relationship for him, but not even getting the chance to try was hard.

Maybe he'd get her family to hate him, so they'd cancel the wedding. That sounded like a good and easy plan. Most people hated him, he'd manage to pull that one off.

He didn't know how to work out his plan to make friends with people. It's not like he hated them – Okay, he kind of did, but he wasn't as bad as Bakugo. He'd at least have the control to not scream at everyone.

Most of the time.

Shouto was so in thought that even though he realized that he went inside the classroom, he still didn't think about what he was doing. So he took place in his seat, like always. Without saying hello or acknowledging anyone in the room. Congratulations, you already failed the friendly greeting, he thought.

He wanted to facepalm. Maybe he also wanted to cry a little? Taking a deep breath, he just sighed instead.

Looking around, he realized almost everyone was here already.

Why was change so difficult?

They were all in their usual groups, talking about the places they chose for their field training. Should he try to engage someone in conversation? But he hadn't heard the beginning, what was he supposed to say? Maybe someone would ask him something? But why would they, when he never really bothered to answer before? How was he even supposed to say hello now when he already missed his chance? Even Midoriya seemed unapproachable while he was talking to Iida and Uraraka.

This was so much harder than he thought it would be.

"Good morning, everyone!" Yaoyorozu said when she entered the classroom. Her dark hair was put up in a spiky ponytail again, like it always was. She greeted the girls while walking up to her seat next to him in the last row. He only realized he was staring when she put her bag down and looked at him.

"Good morning, Todoroki," she then said smiling.

He knew this was his chance.

"Morning," he answered. She stopped taking her textbooks out of her bag to stare at him. Why did she look so…shocked? Was it because it was the first time he answered back? Was it bad? Should he not have said anything? Her stare quickly turned into a smile again which further confused him. What? Why?

"Did you get home safely yesterday?" she asked then. She was trying to engage in a conversation with him? How did that happen? Maybe she really just was that smart and understood what he was trying to do. But how could she? She didn't know of the circumstances in the first place.

"Yeah," he answered. She blushed a little and he didn't understand why. She then averted her gaze and mumbled something along the lines of 'of course he did, he's here after all, nice try, Momo', which he obviously heard. When she looked back at him and saw him still looking at her, she blushed even further, understanding that he had heard her. "Sorry for mumbling," she then said.

Before he could answer, the bell rang and Aizawa entered the room, his yellow sleeping bag already in hand.

She smiled at Shouto for a last time before taking place in her own seat. The dual colored boy looked at her for another while before looking to the front of the classroom when Aizawa started talking tiredly.

The next challenge was lunch. Everyone had already handed in their internship applications. Shouto directly went to get himself some cold soba, which they luckily almost always had.

Now was the question…Where was he supposed to sit? He usually searched for a place isolated from the rest of not only his class, but pretty much everyone. Like the rooftop for example.

He saw Midoriya, sitting with Iida and Uraraka. Would he disturb them if he asked to sit with them?

What…What if they said no?

What should he do if that was the case? It's not like he was scared-

Okay, maybe he was a little scared. In general. Not knowing what to do was damn nerve-wracking. He just wanted to go home again.

Why did he want to make friends again?

Because of teamwork? Or because he was jealous of their friendly interactions now that he realized he would've had the same chance if he hadn't behaved like the antisocial wreck he was?

He could do this.

He would do this.

Slowly he walked up to them. Every possible outcome playing in his head. He became nervous, even though no one else was able to see it. He was trained not to show any emotion that would give his enemy the upper hand.

In one swift motion he put his food tray on the table next to Iida. All three of them looked at him.

Time seemed to stand still as he stared back.

"Uh… Is this place still free?" he asked them.

Wow, that was great. Of course it was free, he had just placed his tray there after all. He should have asked if they were okay with him taking place there. They probably thought he was completely crazy. But then he looked at their reactions.

Uraraka started beaming at him, Iida nodded vigorously while pointing at the place he had already placed his food.

"Sure, sit down!" Midorya answered with his typical bright smile where his eyes close completely.

While taking place nodding there was only one thing in his mind. He did it. He would spend his first lunch with classmates!

Not that he knew what to do now.

Why was interacting with people so difficult?

They at least made the topic of the conversation easy.

"You're sure you're fine, Iida?" Midoriya asked him. Shouto understood what it was about. He'd heard about pro hero Ingenium's bloody encounter with the hero killer. Iida's big brother was lucky he was still alive, even though Shouto did not know how badly he was hurt and if there would be lasting damage.

The news reporter had said it was probable he wouldn't be able to work as a hero anymore.

"I'm fine, just a bit worried," Iida said. Shouto did not completely believe that. And Midoriya didn't either.

"Are you sure? Is there anything new about your brother's condition?" he tried.

Iida did not answer for a while. He looked at his rice for a while before smiling sadly at Midoriya again. "He's stable. But…" Iida did not finish the sentence.

…But he was not going to be fine, Shouto completed the sentence inside his head.

Midoriya looked at his noodles, deep in thought.

Shouto looked at Iida again. He tried to analyze his behavior. His facial expression. And he was shocked to see one he knew all too well. Shouto was indeed able to understand other's emotions, he was just bad at showing them himself. He could see hatred, he could see determination.

He could only conclude one thing which he'd seen in himself many, many times before.

Iida wanted revenge.

Shouto thought he'd use the chance he had while sitting with them, so he asked:

"Iida, which agency did you choose for your field training?"

The dark blue haired boy looked at him. "The Hosu city hero office," he answered smiling. So that's why.

His motive was now clear to Shouto. He chose Hosu to get closer to the hero killer. But why? Did he want to fight the hero killer? That was both reckless and dumb, especially if he was fueled by emotions. Well, Shouto thought about it, if something happened to Fuyumi… or his mother…

It wouldn't matter. He'd do it no matter how dumb it was.

"I understand," he replied before starting to eat his noodles.

He just hoped Iida would not get himself killed. But what was he supposed to say? 'Don't be angry, it's going to be fine'.

He couldn't say that because it wasn't true. Shouto was not a liar.

"Todoroki, you had the most agency proposals, how did you choose?" Midoriya asked then. Shouto did not stop eating his noodles as he contemplated what to say. All three of them were looking at him again.

He swallowed before deciding he would just say it.

"I chose Endeavor's," he started, "so I could witness the number two hero in action."

Midoriya gasped, since he didn't expect that - as Shouto and his old man weren't on the best terms. Uraraka was excited and said that she'd absolutely do the same. Iida just smiled at him.

"Is that okay?" Midoriya asked baffled. "Of course it's fine, Deku! Wouldn't you do the same if you had the connections?" Uraraka reasoned fast.

"Yeah, it's fine," the heterochromatic boy answered, to which Midoriya nodded.

The green haired boy now knew that his classmate finally tried to approach his life differently. And he was happy to see it happen.

"Hey, do you have everyone's phone numbers for emergencies?" he then asked.

Shouto was shaking his head in denial. Midoriya then held out his hand. The dual colored boy just looked at it. "Give me your phone," he then explained as he understood that his classmate did not understand the clue.

Shouto nodded and moved to take out his phone, unlocking it before handing it over.

Uraraka gaped at the background.

"Woah, who is that? She is so pretty!" she asked way too loud, so the table next to them turned to them.

…Which were their classmates as well. What a coincidence.

Kaminari was sitting with Sero and Kirishima on one end of the table, while Hagakure, Ashido, Yaoyorozu and Jirou were sitting on the other, leaving two seats in the middle free.

When Kaminari figured out that it was about a picture of a girl on the phone he almost teleported next to Uraraka, wolf whistling as soon as he saw his background.

"Wow! That's a real babe! Is that your girlfriend?" he then asked way too loud for Shouto's liking again. Midoriya was almost crying from laughter. The phone never reached his hand, as Uraraka had grabbed it to look at it better.

Shouto was not happy at that comment.

Kaminari read his facial expression and realized he might have just dug his own grave.

And on the mention of the word girlfriend, he felt the whole table next to them crowd over at theirs.

"Uraraka's right! She's soooo pretty!" Hagakure dreamily said.

The other girls totally agreed with her, even Sero gave him a thumbs up.

If only they knew. This situation was so uncomfortable Shouto wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Todoroki, do you have a girlfriend?" Yaoyorozu asked smiling.

Now Shouto didn't know what to say. He couldn't just blurt out that he was freshly engaged.

But that wasn't even the question.

He then watched as Jirou smirked at Yaoyorozu, who blushed again and said a silent 'that's not what I meant!' while shaking her head and waving her hands in denial. Shouto did not understand why she was embarrassed.

Should he tell them whom they commented on? Should he play a joke on them? He knew he had absolutely no chill (at least not temperamentally, pun intended), so they would probably believe it if he played angry.

While everyone was still gathered around his phone, he stood up. That got everyone's attention as the metal chair creaked on the floor.

Kaminari looked like he was about to cry, while Kirishima patted his back sympathetically. Sero stopped laughing and Midoriya wiped the laughing tears from his eyes.

Shouto did not know what they expected him to do, freeze all of them to death? Well, that wouldn't be too far off; he did freeze half the stadium because he was upset before. But he wasn't really angry at the situation, they had no way of knowing whom they are talking about.

He decided that he would say the one and only truth.

"That's my mom," he said.

It was a picture his sister had given him, it was probably even older than him, but it was beautiful so he made it his background yesterday. She looked so happy, wearing a light flower dress while laughing widely at the camera. He didn't remember ever seeing her like this. It must've been from a time before she met his father.

And while half the group burst out laughing, Kaminari was begging for forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know! But your mom really is a pretty woman!" he tried to justify his earlier comment. All Shouto did was look at him directly, not wavering in his gaze.

The blond electricity user flinched.

Shouto smirked for a moment. He definitely owned the dangerous gaze.

"I was just adding my phone number, as Todoroki hasn't gotten any of our numbers yet. Should I add yours as wel-" Midoriya started, but couldn't finish his sentence as Ashido had already stolen the phone from Uraraka, saving her contact info. Shouto just hoped no one saw that he only had four contacts up until now. His sister's, his brother Natsuo's, Endeavor's and his mother's hospital since yesterday. He didn't even have the teacher's numbers since he thought he wouldn't need them. He'd save those later today, the paper with the contact information lying on his desk at home.

When the phone lastly reached Yaoyorozu she added her number solemnly smiling before handing it back to him. She smiled at him and he didn't know what to do. Should he smile back?

"Thanks," he answered instead, loud enough it would count for everyone.

"It's fine! Took you long enough!" Kirishima answered, his statement supported by nodding heads around him.

Shouto did not understand his classmates. But he realized something.

Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

What was that warm feeling in his chest? He didn't understand what it meant but he guessed he'd like to feel it more often.

He noticed both Midoriya, as well as Yaoyorozu staring at him while smiling. Maybe they realized something he didn't.

And maybe it was okay like this.

It was a start.

For the first time in his life, he believed in the words he told his sister the day before.

Maybe everything was going to be fine. Maybe he would be okay.

He looked around, saw all of his classmates standing around him. Took in all of the colors, the smiling faces he'd ignored for weeks before. Could it be that he wasn't alone after all?

Just one interaction. It was just one real interaction he ever had with his classmates outside training. Why did they act like he was one of them from the beginning?

Could it be that he started to believe in the good of people again?


Momo sighed as she packed her school bags to leave for the day. She looked outside the window, realizing that the sun was already setting. She had spent way too much time studying today.

Still she couldn't remember her studying to be so… slow.

Her mind was full; she was sad and didn't know who to talk to so she could get this off her chest.

Her loss at the sports festival hit her a lot harder than she'd thought at first.

She couldn't tell her parents about it as they weren't that happy she wanted to become a hero in the first place. They'd rather see her take over the family business as she was an only child. But since Momo was little, she wanted to become a hero. Her parents were so happy when she'd made her first Martryoshka doll.

Creation. Her Quirk could be powerful, she knew that. When she created the right things at the right time and was able to use them properly.

And she failed at all of these as she faced Tokoyami.

Sure, a shield wasn't the worst idea. But she didn't even realize she was out of bounds before thinking about attacking. Her on the spot thinking had failed her completely. The match was so short and her resistance not enough at all. She wondered how she even ended up in the top sixteen.

Probably because she was in Todoroki's team. Of course it was because of him. He was smart, having put together a team that had defense, offense and speed at the same time, successfully getting the ten million. So it was pure luck that she got selected, wasn't it?

She didn't understand it, they were both recommended students. They should've entered school with at least similar levels of power.

But that boy… was a force of nature. He froze half the stadium in his fight with Sero. He was smart enough to figure out the thermodynamics of ice and fire, cooling the air down before letting it explode. Long and short range attacks, strong defense and durability, as he took Midoriya's bone breaking hits but could still fight on.

She didn't completely understand why he didn't use his flame side against Bakugo. He would've had a fair chance against him, might've even won.

But she didn't beat herself up about not knowing. No one really knew Todoroki Shouto.

Like during lunch break today. No one had seen him sit with other people before. Maybe something happened during the sports festival? The viewers couldn't hear what Midoriya said to him that made him release his flames or why he didn't use them in the first place.

Now he even started to get invested socially.

She was so jealous. She admired him on so, so many levels.

They should've been the same but still… he seemed so much better.

Momo sighed again, her self-esteem obviously suffered. And she didn't know how to get it back up.

She tried talking to Jirou about it, a girl she was really close with, but she only told her she was smart herself, she was strong herself. But that wasn't what she wanted to hear. Jirou always said that, talking about her grades and all.

Momo just didn't know what could get her spirits up again.

Many times she tried to tell herself that she was in no way jealous of Todoroki and his abilities, but still she was comparing herself to him. Just why were they so different in the first place?

Shaking her head, she took her backpack and put it over her shoulder. When she left the classroom and looked out of the hallway windows she saw how the world was wrapped in beautiful sunset colors. The bright oranges and reds gave her a sudden feeling of warmth, even though she did not completely understand how that was possible. Was it something about how colors influence the feelings of people? She had read a book about that when she was young.

She took another moment to marvel at the last moments of the sun touching the horizon, realizing that it would be dark very, very soon, before quickly walking down to the lobby, where she changed her shoes. She was now headed for the parking lot, already taking out her phone to call her driver to pick her up. Gladly she told her mother in advance that she'd stay at school to study late today, in case Momo forgot about the time. Which she did.

Walking down the stairs while searching for her driver's contact she almost collided with a person before her but stopped at the last moment, wiggling in the air for a second. Stairs were not there for people to sit on, she thought a little annoyed.

She was already taking a breath to scold the student in front of her when she realized who it was.

How could she not recognize him faster?

The dual colored, red and white hair was so obvious after all. And he didn't even realize she almost tripped over him?

Taking another breath she took a step back, mouth pressed together in a thin line. She went down the next two steps so she would stand on the one he sat on but with a little distance. Again she wanted to speak but had to marvel at the sunset.

Okay, not directly the sunset – How the beautiful, now deep red color resonated in his hair and let him look so peaceful, so…so beautiful was the only word she knew and she started blushing at her lack of words which was so untypical for her.

He still looked as deadpan as he always did, but there was something about the situation, the warmth of the picture that made him look content.

And because that wasn't enough he looked up at the darkening sky above them, which let his hair fall back so she had a view of his scar again. Suddenly it didn't remind her of burned skin anymore – It reminded her of the last moments the sun had, before the moon took her place.

She wanted to know how it came to be.

His hair looked so soft she suddenly felt the urge to touch it.

No, Momo, you're not doing that. Don't be silly, she told herself.

She shakily let go of the breath she hadn't noticed she held.

Speak, before he realizes you stared at him for a whole three minutes, she thought while looking at the clock on her phone.

"Todoroki? Why are you sitting on the stairs?" she then asked carefully and his head snapped towards her. He had totally spaced out before. His mind had been somewhere far away. He then looked around, realizing where he was sitting but not getting up. "Why are you here this late?" she then tried.

"Not sure," he answered unaffected, locking eyes with her. Momo swallowed hard. Why did she have to feel so inferior to him now when she never had a problem talking to him before?

She furrowed her brows at his statement. How can you be 'not sure' about sitting in front of the school for hours? Even though all of her taught manners spoke against it, she awkwardly sat down next to him, still at least an arm length away.

"You have a lot on your mind?" she guessed. He nodded but that didn't tell her anything at all. Maybe she shouldn't even care, maybe she should just get up and leave, but something inside her told her she should stay.

His gaze wandered again, up to the now dark blue sky. The first stars were visible and Momo could point out at least ten formations by that time of the year.

When she thought he wouldn't answer anymore and she had no idea what to ask anymore either, she put her arms on her knees and used them to rest her head on. All of her etiquette was already thrown overboard when she sat down on the dirty stairs, so she guessed it wouldn't matter anymore. She inwardly apologized to her mother.

"Do you believe in fate?" he suddenly asked.

She looked at him again and saw that he was not looking at her. What? Fate? Why did he ask that? Momo had never really thought about it. Was everything that happens a coincidence? Well, scientifically, it was. But maybe there was something above everything else – That made everything end up at one point without anyone being able to change it?

"I honestly don't know," she stated and he looked at her.

"Do you?" she then asked.

Again, he didn't answer for a while and she started to get chilly since it was still getting rather cold at night.

She analyzed his face again, memorizing everything she could see. That was mostly his left side, the red scar seemingly disappearing as it got darker. The only lights were coming from behind them as the school entrance was lighted. She realized she couldn't really see his face as the deep shadows hid most of his features.

Was he contemplating what to say? Should she ask something different?

"I do," he answered. She didn't expect that. Shouto Todoroki believed in fate?

"Even though I hope it can be changed," he then added while turning to look at her again. She had to hide a little giggle behind her hand, but then quickly apologized for laughing.

"If it could be changed, why would it be called fate?" she explained her humorous reaction.

Then he did something she wasn't sure if he was even capable of doing.

He smiled.

Shouto Todoroki just smiled at her.

Momo blushed again and hoped the lighting would not let him see her slightly red face. She could see the contours of his face even more through the strong lighting but it disappeared before she could even take it in completely.

All she did was blink and then it was gone. She wanted him to do it again. It was wonderful. Even though it really got cold at the moment, she realized her heart getting warm again. For a second she was sure his smile could end world hunger, or cure cancer, or whatever wonders where needed at the moment.

She wanted to hit herself for thinking something so silly again. They weren't even really friends, just what was she thinking about?

Maybe Jirou was right with saying that she was actually crushing on him a little. But that wasn't possible, Momo knew. It was silly.

She was so, so silly.

But then another thing she asked herself came to her mind.

"Todoroki, why did you choose me for the cavalry battle?" she asked. Did he have a reason or was she just a person that was available at the right time?

He looked confused for a second before answering.

"Because you're smart," he started and she blinked, "Your Quirk allows you to create almost everything. No matter the situation; you'd be able to help out some way."

He thought she was smart? His reason for choosing her seemed logical. His planning had been great again. She admired him again. She wanted to sigh again, but let it be as she knew he wouldn't understand her struggle at all.

A soft wind caught them, but she quickly shuddered. When did it get so cold?

"Come closer," he noted and she looked at him dazzled. She should do what? Why would he want to get closer? He sighed when he realized that she didn't understand and moved a little closer to her. They didn't touch, but she still felt awkward being close to him. Her blush returned. That's when she realized. It was warm. He was warm. He had wanted her to come closer because he realized she was cold. She was sitting on his left side and could feel his warmth. She stopped shuddering.

"Better?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Yes, thank you. That was really observant of you," Momo said quietly, "You actually realize a lot more about people than you want to admit, do you?"

Now he looked at her again and Momo registered just how close he was. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but something about it seemed so wrong yet she didn't pull away.

After a while she realized that he didn't answer.

"Something changed, didn't it? I know I don't know the details but you… are different from before the sports festival," Momo then told her observation. Of course she had watched him, he was the other recommended student after all. Nothing more.

Shouto nodded.

"Has it got something to do with you sitting in front of school this late?" she asked.

"I actually came back here," he admitted and she furrowed her brows.

He noticed her expression. "I argued with my shitty old man and wandered around. Somehow ended up here," he then reasoned.

"Your father, Endeavor. You don't like him that much, do you?" she observed again. He eyed her for a while.

"Understatement," was all he answered.

Momo didn't dare to ask why. Sure, Endeavor wasn't the nicest hero out there, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know how it would be to have him as father.

But Shouto didn't talk about it like it was only that. Something must've happened.

He probably expected a lot.

Just like her parents did.

Always use the proper etiquette, greet people and be nice.

Meet those people, listen to that business partner. Her parents just didn't understand her want to become a hero. She wanted to save people. She didn't want her Quirk to be useless.

It had so much potential - she just had to use it to do good for the world.

Momo loved her parents and she'd do almost everything if the reasons were right, but they sometimes didn't understand her at all.

There was an awkward silence between them. She didn't know what to say anymore. She looked at her phone which told her it was already 9pm by now.

"Yaoyorozu? What exactly are friends?" he then suddenly asked. Momo was a little confused.

"Friends?" she thought for a second before answering, "Real friends are people that support you, people that you can tell anything. You just feel really comfortable with them," she tried explaining but couldn't quite catch the words to explain.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Yeah, like, you can hug them or cry in front of them without being embarrassed!" she finally got a grasp of what to say but got embarrassed by her terrible examples.

"Are they not friends if you don't feel like that around them?" he sounded a little different than usual while saying that. Kind of…sad?

"What do you mean?" she asked. She made a horrible guess. Todoroki Shouto didn't really have friends, did he? Just why?

He didn't answer her. It seemed like he was thinking deeply about the question.

It was silent again. Momo wondered if her mother was waiting for her. Or being anxious about where she was that long. But she didn't want to leave yet. She couldn't go now with the knowledge that Todoroki didn't know what friends are. And she hoped, she really hoped she was wrong with her guess.

"Todoroki?" she then asked and he looked at her again.

"Do you not have anyone to talk to like this? Like we do right now?" she asked while observing his reaction. She already knew he was brutally honest, so he would say the truth, right? If he even answered.

Her heart sank when he shook his head.

"Not really," he said, while putting a hand on his chin, mimicking a thinking pose, "Maybe Midoriya but I don't know 'bout that either."

Momo took a deep breath. She realized that just because she admired him for his skills, he did have his own problems as well. That didn't lessen her admiration for him at all but it still bothered her. He did have everything; he was the son of the nr. 2 hero, he was a brilliant fighter and smart as well. How could it be that he had no friends at all?

"Why?" was all she could ask. Did it have something to do with the question about fate earlier on? Well, it didn't have to since he was extremely difficult to read.

He looked at her again.

There was a silent sound of something vibrating as Shouto took out his phone and looked at the caller's ID. He answered the call and held it to his ear.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll come home soon," he said and hung up.

"My sister. I guess I'll have to get going. How are you getting home?" Momo was disappointed that they'd already have to leave but took out her phone.

"My driver'll pick me up. Do you want a ride?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm fine," he started, "Call. I'll stay till he's here."

Momo nodded and quickly dialed the number.

After she hung up she looked at the clock again. She had maybe seven minutes until the driver would be here.

She knew he wouldn't answer her question anymore.

Instead she thought about what to say.

"Midoriya…I think he'd like to be your friend," she said surely.

"You think so?" he asked and she couldn't help but note how tired he sounded.

She nodded while smiling at him.

"I'm sure."

Time passed too fast and she could already see the headlights of her driver's car. They both got up and he walked her towards the parking lot. She suddenly had an idea.

"Todoroki. If you want someone to talk to…You can call me," she said grinning. His eyes widened for a moment and she had to giggle again.

"You have my number," she explained.

She was about to open the door of the car that lead to the backseat, when she paused and looked him over again.

"I think most of us would like to be your friends. You just have to open up to us a little," she said, still smiling.

He leaned his head to the side a little, before looking to the ground and then looking at her again. The motion seemed like he was pondering her suggestion.

She was caught on his heterochromatic eyes, openly staring.

"Yaoyorozu," he said and she blinked to get out of her daze, "Good night."

"Good night!" she replied while waving and entering the car.

She watched him through the darkly toned car window until she couldn't see him anymore.

"Who was that?" her driver, Kori, asked interestedly.

"Just a friend of mine," she replied without thinking before she blushed again. So she already considered him a friend anyway.

She suddenly realized how cold she felt as his warmth wasn't there anymore.

Yes, she thought, he was warm. The icy shell he showed them even through most of the sports festival slowly melted. And she was happy to witness it.

When she got home there was a single message from an unsaved number on her phone.

'Home?' it said.

She knew only one person that would ask her, and knew she was at school late, if she came home safely by only using one word.

She shook her head while grinning and saved the number.

She didn't realize her mother staring at her like she was a complete lunatic and didn't really care either. Neither that she couldn't even remember what she tried to study that day.

She just stared at her new contact.

Todoroki Shouto.