Chapter 10: Sick Day

Shoto was released two days later, his wounds were safe enough that he could be let go. When Shoto got out Sophie was waiting for him down in the lobby. He stopped suddenly when he spotted her and his eyes were wide with awe. Sophie sighed and approached him turning off her new phone and stuffing it in her pocket. She had been very tired lately, dealing with the press and his father who acted like she didn't threaten to kill him. She even had to get a new phone which Endeavor attempted to pay for as if money and things would appease her, she won that argument and lost the other.

"Do not say a thing." She ordered him.

"I won't." He snapped his mouth shut.

"Good, now Endeavor is finishing up with the press for the millionth time, I managed to escape saying I had to get you. You were just released so I would suggest you take it slightly easier and maybe play up the 'my father is a great hero' bit if anyone with a camera and microphone appears." She whipped out a notebook with strange writing on it that he recognized as English and a mix of Ojibwe, the one he had found and given to her. "Have you eaten yet?"

He shook his head. The hospital food was not appetizing.

"Okay, I found a nice little noodle shop we can sit in quiet at. Unless you want something rich?" She gave him a look that suggested he not ask for something rich unless he wanted to get hurt.

"I like noodles." He stated solemnly. "Do they have soba?"

"Good, this way then, of course, they do. I will go over the details while you eat." She stuffed the book back in her bag and lead him out.

"So…"

"Don't." She stated. He wants to get smacked.

"But why- "

"Todoroki, if you value your life you will say absolutely nothing." She growled without looking at him.

"Okay." He raised his arms up in peace. "Just wondering if you passed by a preschool before coming here." He began to smile.

She stopped and sighed deeply. "Couldn't help yourself, could you?" She asked turning around.

"I honestly couldn't." He admitted chuckling. "Sophie it's so colorful and bright." He covered his mouth with his hand.

He was not used to seeing her in things, not her uniform, her sleepwear the other day, and now this very brightly colored shirt. It was not flattering, it had so many colors in swirls and loops that it was almost painful to look at. That she was wearing it was even more shocking, which seemed to make him giddy. She folded her arms, tapping her foot while waiting for him to finish with his laughing fit. Truth was, she rarely saw him doing that so in a way it was a bit of a win for her, just a bit.

"I know, your idiot father purchased this disaster of a shirt and I am forced to wear it because he started to actually sulk! It was blackmail. Does he always act like this behind closed doors? Because it was damn awkward and earth-shattering for his image." She rolled her eyes. Yes, a grown man buying crappy clothing for girls, huge headlines. It angered her more that she couldn't say no, because people were watching and she had just won the cellphone fight.

"My father did what? I have never seen him ever sulk a day since I was born. I'm really sorry Sophie." He showed true repentance.

"Never mind, and never mention this ever to anyone. I mean it if even a single person snickers about colors to me I will ruin your image." She turned back and lead the way. It was so awkward to deal with Endeavor after her outburst. She didn't feel guilty, she just…did not want to talk to him.

"Not a word." He promised; how would she ruin his image? "How did you find this noodle shop?" He didn't really want to know how she would ruin him; he was afraid it would not be pretty.

"I was out and about the last few days. While you and your father rushed around trying to find Stain, I was managing everything else. It wasn't easy." But it was fun. She turned a corner and quickly turned back and headed straight.

He looked over and saw reporters and quickly followed her before they could see him. It didn't take much longer to reach the noodle shop; it was not far from the hospital. When they sat down it was quiet and she simply ordered the usual which made him wonder how often she came here in the last few days. She also ordered him Zaru Soba, which surprised him that she knew how he liked it. Didn't she hate him? Why would she know about him if she did?

"I love the ramen here. You are a magician Akira!" Sophie called out. Or all the cookies. The man cooking grunted but Shoto could tell he was smiling. Sophie seemed to know how to please everyone it seemed.

"You came here a lot it seems."

"Yes, I found it the first day we arrived, turns out most of the local officers visit here and it was a really good spot to pick up some gossip. They like me at the station. But that is only one reason why I like it, the noodles are to die for." She placed a napkin over her lap and arranged her bag.

"I see." Shoto took a moment to think about what to say. "Why would Stain not have hurt you?" He finally asked.

Sophie was so startled by that question asked so pointedly that she stopped breathing for a full five seconds. When she did breathe it was in what was suspiciously sounding laughter and her hand came up to cover her mouth. He sat there with his face heating up more and more while she snorted and snickered behind her hand, not letting him see what she hid. The noodles were served and he felt his stomach curl the longer she choked on the laughter she fought to contain. When she finally calmed down, she was breathing hard. He had wanted her to smile around him, this was not exactly what he had in mind but it was a start.

"I'm so sorry. You just startled me." She breathed and then brought her hand up to rub at her scars. "Ouch." Faker.

"Does it hurt bad?" He asked truly concerned.

"Pain is a good thing; it reminds you of how stupid you are." She felt bad for the lie she told him now. The scars had stopped hurting a long time ago, she just hadn't laughed so much in a long time.

"So, your answer?" He was not letting his question get sidestepped. Though he found her philosophy about pain quite interesting, he would need to ask her later.

She sighed. "It isn't something you need to know." She told him, she didn't want him to know the gory details, nor what her true reason being here in Japan was.

"So, let me get this right? You won't tell me why you hate my father; you won't tell me how he knows your mother and you won't tell me why a known killer would never kill you?" He asked her annoyed.

Her eyes went wide as the heat started to enter his voice. He stood and she watched him throw his napkin down in a dramatic fashion that she dared not smile at.

"This truce was pointless if you won't speak to me, I have no reason to sit here and attempt to earn your respect if you cannot give me a small shred of trust." He grabbed his bag and turned to leave.

She slowly clapped as he started to walk away, the sound caused him to stop in the middle of his rage-filled stride. She stood up slowly and tilted her head, he turned halfway to look at her, his eyes angry. Tell him something, he did nothing wrong. Yes, he had done nothing to her, in fact, he had suffered as much as she had, different, but similar.

"That was marvelous, perhaps I was being facetious. Please, sit back down. I will tell a few things, but not everything." She held her hand out to the chair he had vacated.

He returned warily. "Tell me something at least." He mumbled sitting down.

"Thank you." She sat as well and took a moment to pull out an older notebook to set between them. "This whole week has been nothing but craziness and I think I learned more about you than you did about me if possible. I know we talked about my people but we did not talk about me. I'm…a very guarded person when it comes to my past because certain instances are…my own to know. I am sure Midoriya told you that your father fought my mother, I'm sure he was simply trying to help a friend. But I won't talk about that." She tapped the notebook. "This was my mother's; my uncle, Migizi, gave it to me when I first learned to read, he told me it was her future. She had dreams to run a world-renown Hero Agency, to bring back the true age of heroes and usher in a new better world. Her dreams were quite large, in fact, this is only one of her many notebooks my uncle managed to locate, she was good at hiding things. I want to make her dream reality, which is why even though I took the hero exam and scored ridiculously high I requested my record be changed and chose to be in Hero Management." She slid the book over.

"You want to follow your mother's dream?" He couldn't fathom it as he took the book and opened it up. He hated the dream his father had for him, so he was forging his own. But she was willing to follow in her mother's dream specifically.

"Yeah, it's a good dream." She seemed to glow again. It was an amazing dream. It's over now.

He was starting to find she was not that hard to judge. He flipped through the pages as she ate her noodles quietly, his bowl was left untouched as he read all the plans that her mother had. What she wanted to do, how she wanted to do it. While Sophie ate, he flipped through pages of someone else's life and found he was fascinated by this woman. Sophie's mother. He flipped to the last page that had been written on, the others were bare and yellowed from age.

"Is there more?" He handed Sophie the book.

"This was the last. Shortly after she graduated Highschool mother returned home…and I was born." She put the book away. "She was never the same, that was her last notebook that I know of, Migizi found two others so far." And they were treasures she kept in her nightstand. "This one was her plans and hopes for the future." The others were about her life, about the people she met and friends she loved. Endeavor…his name was there.

He did not press, she told him more than enough for today. His father did something that was probably still hurting Sophie to this day. It did not surprise him in the least, Endeavor was a man who only saw what was before him. After they had paid and headed back to where his father was something still nagged at him. Sophie was quiet for a long time, not even texting on her phone.

"He never would have hurt me because he is my Godfather. He was friends with my mom, and he was kind to her. When I was born, without explaining her relationship she named him my Godfather, I don't know why either. But I know she trusted him." Sophie gripped her hands tightly in fists.

He was also the only one who kept looking, after Namid returned, the only one who sought to make things right.

"Is that a thing your family does? I heard they do it in America." He looked ahead.

"The Ojibwe don't really do that kind of thing, but mother loved all sorts of cultures and things they did, it's why my name is Sophie and not Ojibwe." Like her name.

"Why did you take the Exam if you planned to become a Hero Manager?" He asked quietly.

"To prove I could do anything…anything other than that. To prove to myself…that I had what it took to be a hero. They allowed me to take a special test, different from the general and from the recommendation one. But I did not want to be a hero and in deference to my wishes the principle removed my scores." She did not mention that if she had allowed herself to be added to the roster, she would not have been placed in first-year hero courses, she would have been given senior lessons.

"You could be a hero then. Maybe even better than All Might." Shoto tilted his head confused, to be better than someone even his own father hated.

"No, All Might is a hero in more than ability, he is a beacon, a bright light in the darkness of this world. I could never be a hero like him, but…Midoriya, I see potential there, his desire to help others even at his own detriment… it's beautiful. He has the drive to be a true hero, thoughtful and kind, quick to run into danger for others!" She started to glow and her eyes were excited. "I want to see him cultivate that! I want to see his strength grow and then I want to stand in that glow as he raises his fist to the sun." Like All Might.

"I thought you were sponsoring Bakugo." Shoto smiled.

She paused as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Do not ever tell him I said that. He does not really like Deku very much." She shook her head. "Too bad too, I'd love to see them work together to fight a villain. I bet they would be amazing…" She turned to look up at him, he looked down at her confused at first and then slowly in awe, she looked at him like he was a man of his own just then. Not his father. "With you too, I would love to see that again." She looked ahead again and walked away.

He was certain he had just been given the highest honor possible. But that was strange because she was just a classmate, less even, an acquaintance. She usually would be saying something mean to him or belittling, she just expressed he had potential, and not even just that but stood on the same level she put Midoriya on just now. He would try not to let that get to his head; with her, he never knew. Though truth be told he was a little more than confused by her sudden change of heart, it had been less than a week since their agreement and he had already become close enough to see her mother's journal and be praised by her. What caused this drastic of a change?

They returned to his father's Agency and he continued his training, at least that was the plan anyway. He did train but something was strange to him, he had not seen her since their ride back. Endeavor had insisted she ride with them again and she had simply stared out a window, refusing to converse with either of them. Shoto had been unwilling to force her to talk in front of his father…part of him didn't want to let his father see the happiness she could express. He sensed something was different, his father kept sneaking curious looks at her, confused and even concerned. Like he was trying to figure her out.

Good luck. Shoto thought smugly.

"Father, where is Griffin? Did you let her go?" Shoto asked, trying to decide if he should be angry on her behalf, she had given him her trust and he felt that he needed to prove he deserved it.

"No, I was informed this morning she called out sick, something about not feeling well. She is either in her hotel room or she decided to return home, I hope she didn't travel all the way sick." Endeavor grunted, Shoto wondered about that, since when did Endeavor care about anyone?

Shoto did not ask anything more but when training was done, he rushed over to her hotel to check up on her. Being alone and sick? He knew he had always loved when his mother took care of him…and missed her when she was gone. He knocked on the door, there was silence and then the lock was opened and slowly the door opened, he was certain death himself had appeared right then and there for all he could see was darkness and two shining eyes inside it. He was surprised he had knocked on the wrong door. He was informed this was her room after all.

"I apologize. I have the wrong room." He bowed and started to turn; something caught his arm.

"Cold…" A croak came from the darkness.

With eyes wide, he looked down at the hand, it was shrouded in darkness.

"Um… I think I…"

"Warm…" It started to tug him into the darkness and he was helpless as he was dragged with a great deal of strength into the room.

"Wait, I'm looking for a friend…" He tried to escape.

"Cold…Shoto…warm…" The croak became more of a moan of distress.

He finally saw the shape dragging him in and closing the door. It was Sophie, her hair was a mess, her eyes were bright with fever and she weaved on her feet as if she could not maintain her stance for long. What had been behind her then? All that darkness? He turned towards her just as she locked the door and fell down towards it. He narrowly missed letting her head slam against the knob. Shoto swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

"You need a doctor; I will call for an ambulance at once." He reached for the phone after he laid her out carefully.

"No." Her hand slammed on his and then her other grabbed the back of his shirt, dragging him to the side. "Can't help me." She let out a breath of frustration, rolling back letting him go after a short struggle with him.

"Sophie, you are burning with fever, you need to be regulated." He told her leaning over her as he sat beside her on the bed.

As he considered her face, he saw the sweat beading down her temples, her mouth was partly open and her breathing labored. His hand came up to press against her forehead, she let out what sounded like a gasp of something other than pain. The smile that curved her lips was more natural than he cared to see on this woman who was always so stern. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the pillows; his hand started to freeze over to protect him from the heat of her head. No wonder she looked like she was in bliss, his natural coldness eased the heat of her fever. So that was what she meant.

"I really shouldn't be doing this." He told her removing his hand and causing her to whimper from the loss.

She was totally out of it; she would never had let him see this side of her. If she knew he was here she would probably not be letting him near her.

"Sophie, I cannot lay in this bed with you." He told her quietly. "It would not be proper."

Her eyes opened and she looked at him like she did not know him. Damn he was right, she didn't know who the hell was sitting next to her she was so out of it.

"Cold, please!" She reached out to grab him and tug at him.

"Sophie, you would not want me to go so far as to hold you in bed. I will get you a washcloth with some ice in it." He tried to stand.

With an animalistic growl, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, holding him down with all her strength which was surprisingly a lot. He watched with rising alarm as she moved first one leg over his own and then her other. She was sitting in his lap, with her arms wrapped around his neck. The side of her face pressed into his cold half, her legs hooked as much under his knees as she could manage and then she relaxed with a sigh of contentment. He sat in abject horror as she fell asleep and he realized her state of dress. She was wearing a very thin tank top and another pair of her highly inappropriate shorts that were not possibly shorts.

"Sophie, I swear it's like you are deliberately trying to tempt me. I know you think I'm a gentleman and I try hard but… come on we are still young, I'm only human and you are beautiful…" He tried to be reasonable but everything he could say made him blush before he could say it. Beautiful? Did he find her attractive? Yes, very much so.

She didn't move.

"I won't be able to get married now." He sighed in defeat, deciding to just make a joke out of it.

"I'll take you." She mumbled against his neck.

He blushed darkly; she didn't know what she was saying.

"I thought you were going to marry Tokoyami?" He brought his arms up to hold her reflexively.

She smiled against his skin just a little and he felt himself warming up, when she frowned, he adjusted his temperature again.

"Just a friend…" She sighed contentedly.

"So, you would marry me huh? Even though you hate me?" He was amused by this conversation; she probably would never remember it.

"Don't hate you." She told him simply.

He was surprised by that admission, up to their agreement she had done nothing to suggest she liked him and everything pointed to her hating him. Perhaps it was the fever speaking, he would try to take what she said in stride. Though the level of severity in the situation was confusing, that she was this sick concerned him. After a while of sitting with her in his arms he eased her onto the bed to lay out and carefully surrounded her with ice before moving away. There was a ring of ice around her, only an inch thick but letting off enough cold for her to stay asleep happily. He sat in a chair by the door and frowned, she really should see a doctor. But if she didn't want to, he would not force the issue.

"You confuse me Sophie Griffin." He commented to the silence.

He fell asleep in the chair watching her sleep, when he woke up it was to her rolling off the bed and cursing. He jolted awake, leaping to his feet to help her. She snapped her head towards him and glared at him as she rubbed her abused hip.

"Oi, why are you in my room?" She asked him. You were a fool that is why.

"I came over to see how you were and fell asleep." He answered honestly, leaving out a huge chunk of information.

"Hm. Why is the bed wet?" She stood up and rubbed her messy hair while yawning.

"You were hot, so I put a ring of ice around you, it seemed to relax you so I tried to maintain it as long as I could." He rubbed his face trying to get the sleepiness out of the way.

"Hm. Want to take a shower?" She stared right at him; her eyes unfocused but clear as she shuffled towards the bathroom.

"No, I will take my leave now since you seem better. I'll see you later." He headed for the door quickly.

"'Kay! Later!" She waved, rubbing her eyes with her other hand.

He was gone quickly, his heart racing. That woman had absolutely no damn shame. But at least she was already better, that was okay. Images of her sleeping ran through his head, she was a completely restless sleeper when she was sick, and her clothes had been little help. He smiled; she was turning out to be quite the interesting person. Sophie raised a brow as he ran away quickly and her hand reached for her notebook, why had she let him in the room?

xXx

Sophie gave her report to Endeavor the next day, she was annoyed while he sat there with his arms resting and head sitting on his steepled hands. It was annoying that he requested it from her as her last day thing and it was annoying that she couldn't just give it to him. He insisted she read the report and explain everything thing to him as she reported it. Shoto to be fair, looked as annoyed as she did as he was forced to stand beside his father and listening to this.

"Sophie, you have left out your thoughts on the Stain situation and Shoto." Endeavor stated.

"I did not think you would want any written record of what actually happened. The deal was that you would take the credit and the others would back that. Having proof that it was all a lie would only work against the situation and make heroes out to be villains." Sophie raised a brow.

"Very well, in your own words, off record. Tell me what you think."

She let out a long sigh. "The actions of the U.A. Hero class 1-A students were inappropriate and ill advised. They went up against a villain of serious skill and could have been killed." Shoto grimaced and she finished what she was saying. "However, they were brave in the face of danger and despite their unrefined skills they managed to do what no one else could." She nodded.

Shoto smiled thankfully at her, to hear her say the words cleared his insecurity about the issue.