Deku

"Okay class, in today's English lesson, we're going to be going over cool noun clauses-"

Present Mic continues his lecture, and I jot down notes in my notebook here and there. I already know about English noun clauses, but one can't be too sure when it comes to studying for exams. Speaking of studying...

I sneak a small glance to the back of the room, where Todoroki was scribbling in her notebook, her face a picture of extreme concentration. I see her long red/white hair pulled back into a French braid, which was resting over her right shoulder. The red and white strands crisscrossed over each other, until they came to an end at the hair tie. I look at her for a bit, then I see her dual-toned eyes dart back up to the board. I quickly glance away, hoping no one saw I was staring. I see new notes on the board as well, and hurriedly scratch them into my notebook. Confusion and anxiety can wait- I SAID THEY CAN WAIT GODDAMMIT- I need to focus on my lessons if I want to be the next number one hero.

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"Wait, you're going to be studying with TODOROKI this weekend?!? I'm so EXCITED for you!!!"

At the lunch table, Uraraka looks like she's about to burst with happiness. I can feel my face turn bright red, and I hide my head in my hands. Why is she so excited?!? "Not so loud, please? It's not like we're doing anything special..." Iida chuckles. "Please, Midoriya. Uraraka and I figured that something was going to happen between you two for quite some time now. Uraraka is just showing on the outside what I'm feeling on the inside." My jaw drops, and I look back over to Uraraka, who was squealing and waving her hands like she was trying to fly. "HUH!?! What's THAT supposed to mean?!?" We must've been talking pretty loudly, because Mineta, the grape-headed idiot (not that I'd say that out loud... probably) creeps up behind me, and I only know he's there because of his heavy breathing.

"Oh, is Midoriya a ladies-man now?" He moves in an attempt to sit next to me. "That's surprising. Well, I guess Todoroki would like you, and she is pretty hot. But to get her in bed, remember to-" before he could finish, I shove his head under the table with one hand. Indignant anger rises within me, and I can hear something within me snap. "Not NOW, you GRAPE HEADED IDIOT! Or, in fact, EVER! NEVER COMPLETE THAT SENTENCE IN FRONT OF ME- or I SWEAR on ALL MY ALL MIGHT ACTION FIGURES-" I broke off, eyes widening. The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I see out of the corner of my eye Mineta climbing out from under the table, and running from the room after glancing back at me. But I didn't care. Not at the moment. The cafeteria was practically silent.

"Dude, did Midoriya finally snap?!? That's POSSIBLE?!?"

"The shitty nerd had to break at some point-"

"Wait, ALL of his All Might action figures? Do you know how many he HAS!?! He must've been really pissed..."

"What was he gonna swear!?!"

I hear the quiet murmurs, and finally realize what I'd done. I flush a deeper red, whimper, and hide my head under my arms, my forehead on the table. "Deku..." I can hear the concerned voices of Uraraka and Iida as they try to comprehend my out-of-character outburst. Usually, I'm a polite person. BUT...

I flinch when I feel a tap on my shoulder, and hesitantly look up. I immediately want to hide again. The last person I want to see at this moment.

Todoroki coolly looks around and takes in my distressed expression, the gaping people in the room, and my best friends' shell-shocked faces. She blinks once, twice, before finally saying something. "Do you feel it is best to leave at this moment? If so, I can accompany you," she asks with a silent question mark at the end of her sentence. I still sit there, but I'm staring at nothing, wondering WHY life hates me so much...

She heaves an annoyed sigh, and yanks me from the lunch table. With my head down, and in her eyes a challenge for anyone who dares cross our path, we leave the cafeteria.

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Todoroki leads me outside, where the cool breeze lifts some of the heat off of my face. We sit down under the shade of a small tree, and say nothing. I'm too embarrassed to start any form of conversation, and I HOPE to GOD that she didn't hear what Mineta was about to say-

"So, I caught what Mineta was saying to you-" GREAT. "And..." Her face was turned away from me, so I couldn't see her expression, but her voice was level and clear. "While I appreciate you standing up for me, I noticed it caused you a great amount of distress. If I'm a bother to you, please tell me- and-," her sentence falters, but she still continues. "-and I'll leave you alone." Shoko stands up to leave, still not facing me.

"Wait!"

I catch her hand in mine, and her head snaps around. I can see the fallen tears now, and more still glistened in her beautiful dual-colored eyes. As I took in the shock on her face, I enunciate every word clearly. "I'm not in distress because of you! I'm in distress because I know I could have handled the situation better, but- but I do not regret what I did. I don't want you to leave me alone, because I... I..." Why is it so hard to get the words out? She stares at me, and I take a deep breath. I finally manage to say what I've been feeling for some time. "I like you, Todoroki."

She sees the determination in my eyes, then plops back down next to me. Todoroki hurriedly tries to wipe away the tears from her eyes with her free hand. She pauses, her sleeve still covering half of her face, and she looks at me and smiles softly.

"I like you too, Midoriya."

My heart stops as she whispers this quietly into her damp sleeve. She takes her hand away from her now-dry face and leans her head on my shoulder, which causes me to stay perfectly still. It was as if the slightest movement could scare her away. "And I'll admit, I was pretty happy with the way you handled things. God knows how many other things you could've said besides 'grape headed idiot'." I snort, then finally become aware of how close she is to me. Her head is on my shoulder, and I'm still holding her hand...

But she doesn't tell me to let go, and so we stay like this for a while.

Finally the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

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[intermission- did I finally manage to write a longer chapter? Yes?!? WOOP! Hope this is a bit better, chapters should start being longer than previous ones. Sorry if this chapter feels a bit cheesy, but hey, I posted it, so... yep.

FlamingSkyDragon and DreamingSpace, thank you for the support! I'm glad that you enjoy what I've been writing- I've been enjoying this experience too. Sharing stories are much more fun than having it sit in my notes, gathering metaphorical dust. And to all the people who favorited and followed this, thank you for making my day! I wonder if you guys know I'm not a fan of Mineta? Eh, you've probably figured it out.

Okay, next chapter! The next update will either be tonight at the soonest, with latest being Wednesday, cuz I got exams. Well, 'til next time, dear reader!]