A/N: Okay, we now return to our regularly scheduled chapter. :)
Melina was in the kitchen pouring orange-honeysuckle lip balm into the tubes when the intercom chime rang signalling the security guard was calling her. A visitor? She set the pot on the burner to keep the mixture warm and melted. Pressing the button on the call box by the door, she responded to him.
"What is it, Yamada?" she asked. She had learned the names and shifts of all of the security guards.
"You have a delivery. Flowers," he informed her.
"Flowers?" she muttered to herself. Who sent her flowers? "Can you bring it up?"
She waited what seemed an inexcusably long time for what should have been a simple answer.
"Yamada?" she called into the intercom. "Just tell them to leave it there. I'll get it later."
"They insist on making the delivery in person." He sounded nervous about giving her that answer.
"Ugh," Melina groaned impatiently. She needed to get back to the lip balms. The sooner she received the delivery, the quicker she could return to her make up making. "Send them up."
In the meantime, she poured three more tubes. Not much left now. Almost done. She tipped the pot to pour another. There was a knock on the door.
"Dammit," she grumbled irritably.
Opening the door, she saw a massive bouquet comprised of at least one of every single type of flower sold in the shop. Looking down, she saw the bouquet had a pair of jean clad legs and red converse shoes underneath. Where had she seen those shoes?
"Where can I put this?" the delivery boy asked.
Wait...that's not Nana's usual delivery boy. But I know that voice, Melina thought to herself.
"Todoroki?"
"Yeah, it's me," he returned. "Can I bring this in? It's really heavy."
"Oh, sorry," she apologized, standing to the side so he could come inside with the bouquet. "Right there on the counter."
Todoroki placed the huge cut crystal vase that must be at least a foot tall on the counter. The vase alone probably weighed twenty pounds. He was wearing the same outfit as when she had first met him in the florist's shop: faded blue jeans, white button down shirt, and red converse shoes. Standing back to admire the bouquet, he placed his hands on his hips. Obviously he was in no hurry to leave.
"Okay," she murmured, closing the door she had been holding open for him to make his exit. Going to the bouquet, she plucked the card from the plastic pick stuck in the middle of the garden in a vase. "What are you doing here, Todoroki? I certainly didn't expect to see you."
"I had stopped by the shop to grab a tub of your moisturizer for a girl from school when the owner asked me to deliver these to you. She said she knew I was a friend so - "
"We are?" she questioned him, opening the card.
"We are what?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Friends?" Melina watched his face crumple into a pensive expression.
"Aren't we?" he queried in return, his questioning eyes catching hers briefly. His brows drew together over his nose and his ghost of a smile turned upside down into an unmistakable frown.
"I suppose we are," she replied, pulling the small square of plain white card stock out of the envelope.
Her eyes went to the card to read it. She recognized Nana's handwriting, but the words were definitely a message given to her by someone else.
I will lavish you with flowers while you are living because I cannot express my feelings for you after you die. Every breath you take is numbered, and I will count them all.
Melina began to tremble. Without the context of the current events in her life, the threatening tone of the words would not be noticed. The sinister statements could be construed as romantic, expressing love instead of a warning. Someone knew the masked figure at the bar was her but who? Shigaraki? Kurogiri? Maybe even Dabi? She imagined he would be pretty pissed at her had he figured out she was the intruder clad in grey.
"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Melina jumped from the unexpected physical contact. His hand felt extraordinarily cool, almost cold as ice. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it.
"I'm fine," she responded, flashing him a quick smile. She turned away, throwing the card into the trash can located under the sink.
"Who are they from?" he inquired tentatively.
"Secret admirer," she responded.
Her answer wasn't too far from the truth. Secret, definitely. Admirer? Not so much. Stalker would have been a good description because stalkers often allowed their obsession to slip into murderous intent. Surely Dabi wouldn't do such a thing. He would be angry, come yell at her, but not threaten to kill her. Then again, how well did she really know him?
"Don't you have somewhere you need to go? Were you on the way to visit your mother at the hospital?"
Melina went back to the stove to pour the remaining few lip balms. The wax would burn soon if left over constant heat no matter how low the temperature. That was only half of her motivation for ignoring her surprise guest who had unwittingly delivered a death threat to her. She needed something to distract her racing mind in order to get herself under control and quell the fear so she could plot her next move. As she tipped the pot, her hand shook causing her to spill a little of the mixture on the new brown and white marble countertop.
"Are you sure you're all right? You're awfully pale, and you're shaking," he said.
Duh, she wanted to snap at him with a snarky attitude. She refrained from being mean since he had no clue what was going on.
"I'm fine," she insisted.
Suddenly, she felt his body close to hers, his chest grazing her back. Before she could protest, his hand covered hers that gripped the handle of the copper pot. She couldn't very well tell him to go away because he was assisting her with filling the rest of the plastic tubes. She needed his help to prevent wasting any more of the product.
The rhythmic beating of his heart against her back vibrated through her chest calming her. Her breathing pattern eventually matched his. both of them taking slow, deep breaths. There was a familiarity in his touch she didn't understand. So many things about him reminded her of Dabi. His touch wasn't exactly unwanted for that reason. However, her relationship with Shoto Todoroki could only be platonic; a friends or sibling type relationship.
He was only helping her, being a friend. That's all. Nothing more. He was a hero in training, and he was trained to assist those in need. She did need his assistance with steadying her hand.
"Thank you," she said when they were done, quickly sliding from between his body and the counter.
"You're welcome," he responded dutifully, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Was there something else you needed?" she inquired, washing her hands.
"I wanted to invite you to the festival at my school. We're allowed to invite family members and friends so I thought I would invite you," he said, rocking back and forth on his feet. His face turned red, blotting out the scar.
"Okay. When?" She leaned against the counter, observing him as he floundered in front of her.
Although she would be loathe to admit it, she rather enjoyed watching him squirm at the moment. His being cute and adorable warmed her heart replacing the icy fear. He acted as if he was asking her out on a date.
"Tomorrow. Will you come?" He avoided looking directly at her, preferring to avert his gaze to the tips of his shoes or just about damn near anything else in the kitchen rather than her face.
Tomorrow!, she wanted to shriek but refrained. Instead, she plastered her most elegant smile on her face while keeping her true emotions hidden. Her grandmother had taught her to smile when she needed to hide what she was really feeling.
"Of course I will," she agreed.
"Great!" he exclaimed, a smile creeping across his lips.
The way he smiled hinted that he was not very comfortable with the expression. God...he reminded her so much of Dabi. It was disconcerting.
"I can meet you here at eight and walk you to the school," he offered.
"Why don't I meet you at the school at ten?" Melina suggested.
She was not an early riser. Especially since she seemed to always have a late night guest who overstays his welcome. Not that she minds him staying. An all night sleepover would be perfectly fine with her. However, he had not come around lately. Tonight completing an overdue order would be keeping her awake.
"Oh, okay," he murmured, staring at the toes of his shoes.
"Hey," she said, poking him in the chest. Holy hell his pectoral muscle felt incredibly firm. Only his skin gave way under her fingertip. "I'll be there. Okay?"
"Okay." But he hesitated, not moving.
"You should go. If I don't get these cosmetics done, it might be later than ten. Or not at all," she added.
"See you tomorrow at ten!" he called out, heading straight for the door. "I'll meet you at the front gates of the school."
As she watched him leave, Melina wondered how she had the good luck of finding men who had a way of making themselves part of her life whether she invited them in or not. But she liked them. Both of them. The most recent visitor as a little brother, the other - a lover. She was having sneaking suspicions that there was more of a connection between the two men besides her.
Melina leaned against the wall, staring at the bouquet. The malicious but veiled threat on the card ran through her mind again. She might have to pay another visit to the bar soon. Perhaps Shigaraki required a bee sting. How the hell would she take down the portal user?
She missed Dabi. She wondered if would come visit her tonight. Almost a week had passed since the incident, and she had not seen him. Although he had warned her about his possible long term absence, she was hoping he would show up anyway. He was doing his best to protect her, staying away from her as not to draw unwanted attention to her. Then she decided to go on a suicide mission and make things worse. However, she could not bear idly standing by, living in fear.
With a despondent sigh, Melina pushed off the wall. Time to get back to work. Standing around feeling sorry for herself would get nothing accomplished. Suddenly she felt so utterly alone.
Sinking down onto the floor, she drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. The urge to run after Shoto was incredibly strong. She could probably catch him in the lobby of the building. She wanted to ask him to stay a while which she knew he would. However, she also knew that would be a horrible mistake.
Another lover was not what she needed, and that was not what she wanted him to be. She needed him to be her rock, her safe place, someone to lean on. But she also needed to be there for him. Expecting anything more and giving him anything less would be unfair to him. She wanted him to be the little brother she never had, the friend she didn't know she needed, until now.
Having one lover already was one too many. At least she thinks she still has Dabi in her life. As things stood presently, she honestly did not know.
~\..'../~
True to his word, Shoto Todoroki waited for her at the front gate of the school. He leaned against one of the giant brick columns. The tall iron gates had been thrown open wide to welcome family and friends into the school their student attended. Wearing his school uniform without the jacket, he didn't look quite so formal, but he sure appeared uptight. His finely boned cheeks still round with youthfulness were flushed from the heat of standing in the sun.
Melina smiled at him. It was really warm today. She had made the correct clothing choice by wearing her white chiffon dress covered in tiny pink embroidered rosebuds. Remarkably, she had found a dress reminiscent of what she referred to as a 50's style housewife dress. The idea of doing housework in a dress like this and high heels was not only ridiculous but downright offensive. She had worn her pink canvas platform heels to give her a little more support, allowing her to walk around for hours without having aching calves and sore feet.
"Hi!" she called out, waving to him.
Although she was almost there, Shoto ran across the street to meet her. He jogged to a halt in front of her.
"You came," he stated, his voice rising an octave as if he were astonished she actually showed up.
"You sound surprised. Did you think I wouldn't?" she asked, feeling a twinge of hurt.
"Well, things were a little bit weird last night so I wasn't sure," he admitted.
Melina couldn't argue. They had been a little bit weird. The air had been tense, uncomfortable. That was mostly her fault as she struggled to get her emotions under control. She could tell he had wanted her to ask him to stay, to allow him to do more than hold her hand to steady it. Thankfully, she had not given into the worst kind of temptation.
Taking her by the wrist, he led her across the intersection like a boy scout aiding a little old lady across the street. She giggled despite herself. He was so incredibly sweet, thoughtful, and kind.
Leading her through the gates, his hand glided seamlessly from her wrist down into her palm, his fingers flexing around her hand. Very smooth. His hand was impossibly cool as if he had been holding ice. The same chilly hand that touched her shoulder last night.
"Todoroki - " she began, intending to protest his affectionate gesture.
"What do you want to do first?" he interrupted her.
He pointed to the row of booths on the left lining the the long open entry way shaded by trees and surrounded by bushes separating the cement walk from the buildings. There was a row of booths on the right as well on the opposite side of the large corridor between the buildings.
"The games? Or maybe you want to see the crafts? Are you hungry?"
He pointed down the sidewalk to their right where there was another row of booths. Food. Delicious aromas drifted their way from those booths. Fried and roasted meats. The savory scents were definitely enticing since she had not yet eaten.
"There's also things to do inside. There are skits to watch, a maid and butler cafe, and a haunted house. You can even meet our teachers who are professional heroes. Endeavor is also making an appearance here today. For the fans," he muttered sounding none to pleased about that fact. The frown on his face reflected his than thrilled attitude.
Did he seriously think she was an Endeavor fan girl?
"Why would I want to see him?" she asked, squeezing his hand that held hers.
She didn't have the nerve to try to pull away from him after that negative reaction to his father. He didn't seem to hate the man, but he definitely didn't revere him either - as a parent or a hero. She doubted he even liked his father, but one can't choose their parents. However, if she had been able to choose hers, she would pick the same ones without a second thought.
They had been regular old humans, but they were her beloved parents. Her mother was a teacher during her life before motherhood. To other people, her father was a genius. He invented things to help the quirkless survive in a world where everyone seemed to have a special gift of some kind, most being a hero of one sort of another. When she was little, her father constantly reminded her that not all quirks were amazing like super strength or shooting lasers. Some quirks were strange or plain useless. He assured her all the time being born without a quirk didn't mean she was worthless. It just meant she had to be better in a different way. She should strive to be smarter because a strong mind was as important, if not more so, than a strong body. He was her dad who loved his little girl with all of his heart.
"There's so many things to do, I don't know where to begin," she said, using the excuse of taking off her pink to sweater to extract her hand from his. "Food first?"
"That's a great place to begin," he agreed.
Todoroki bought her Takoyaki first. As they were eating the octopus filled fried dough balls, he introduced her to two of his classmates. One was an angry looking blond boy and the other a red haired young man who smiled and blushed a lot. When he smiled, she couldn't help but notice his teeth resembled shark's teeth.
She repaid the favor by buying Yakitori for two next. At that booth she met two more classmates, Denki Kaminari and Hanta Sero. She was glad she was eating as he explained their quirks to her. One wielded electricity but could easily overpower his brain and short circuit it leaving him a drooling idiot. The other basically had the power of being a human tape dispenser. Of course there was a deeper level and more useful nuances to the quirk, but the way he described it made it funny.
While waiting in line for Taiyaki, he introduced her to five extremely cute girls who were also classmates. She tried to remember their names: Ochaco, Momo, Mina, Sue, and Kyoka. She was thankful he had used their first names while making introductions which would be easier for her to remember.
The girls studied her with suspicion in their eyes, probably wondering why Todoroki was there with an older woman they had never seen before. Then he explained who she was and how he had met her. When they discovered she made their favorite lip glosses and skin creams their attitudes changed completely. Suddenly Todoroki was pushed out of the way as the girls gathered around her asking a dozen questions at once.
Melina stood above them on her stacked heels so she was able to glance over their heads to see him standing patiently to the side, holding her uneaten fish shaped pastry in his hand. Promising them she would come for a demonstration, showing them how she makes the cosmetics and leaving the samples with them, enabled her to escape the clamoring crowd of girls.
"Where to now?" Todoroki asked her, handing her the dessert she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into.
"I don't care as long as it's somewhere quiet," she replied, her voice harsher than she intended. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You just have to remember, I'm accustomed to spending most of my time alone. They are very sweet girls, and I do intend on fulfilling my promise."
"No. I get it. I spent a lot of time alone when I was a kid. I wasn't allowed to be around my brothers and sister much. It took me a while to get accustomed to being around people...to having friends," he said.
Melina followed him into one of the buildings. There were just as many people in the hallway as there had been milling about outside. It was quite a bit cooler in here with the fans and air conditioners despite the throngs of chattering students and their guests. She slipped her sweater back on.
Todoroki opened a classroom door, peeking inside. The room was dark and deserted, but he slid the door open further, signaling for her to go inside with a wave of his hand. After closing the door behind them, he went straight to the bank of windows and lifted the shades covering three of the windows to allow in the light.
Melina hung back at the door, apprehensive. Her stomach tightened, wondering what he intended to happen by bringing her here.
"I don't have ulterior motives," he swore, raising his hands palms up. "You requested a quiet place. I'm sure you could use a rest."
Todoroki pulled one of the chairs away from a desk for her to sit in it. She crossed the room to the chair. He remained standing a few feet away from her. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he half sat on top of the low bookcase built against the wall below the windows.
"You're right," she responded, sitting down. "Thank you, Todoroki."
"This might sound really weird and a little bit crazy, but I feel this connection to you. Like you would understand so many things about me. I have since the first time I met you."
"It's not weird. I get it," she assured him, using his own words to show she really did understand. "I believe we do have a few things in common. I'm sorry you were forced to spend so much time alone as a child. However, I don't have any siblings so I had no choice but to be alone."
"I had my mom. What about your parents?" he inquired.
"They're dead. They died when I was about your age. I'm assuming you're fifteen," she guessed.
"Sorry about your parents. I turned sixteen a few months ago," he answered.
A few months ago, she repeated in her head. Funny how at this age one is quick to make the distinction between whether they're fifteen or sixteen - as if it really mattered.
"Do you mind if I ask you a very personal question...about your oldest brother?" she asked, not wanting to overstep bounds. She honestly wasn't sure where the boundaries lay in their relationship because they shifted constantly.
"What do you want to know? I don't remember much."
"Will you tell me what you do remember?"
Todoroki thought for a minute then began speaking.
"He has a fire quirk. He's a lot older than me. He was a lot like our father. He looked like him, acted like him. Loud. Short tempered. I remember them yelling at each other, always arguing. Maybe they were too much alike to get along." He paused, inhaling a deep breath. "When I was about five, there was some kind of accident. He was badly injured. I'm not sure what happened, but he had to go to the hospital and stayed for a long time. I wasn't allowed to go see him. None of us were. After that, he never came home. He just kinda...disappeared," he said, his voice trailing off. "I'm pretty sure he's not dead. But I don't know where he is."
"What's his name?" She hated to ask but just one last question.
The pained expression on his face made her want to hug him. However, she stayed put in the chair, clenching her fists on her knees.
"Toya," he replied, pushing off of the bookcase to stand up straight. "Do you want something to drink? I'll go get drinks."
Melina did not tell him no since he was already walking toward the door. Obviously he needed a moment after the uncomfortable conversation, and her throat was parched anyway. She could use something a little stronger than water, soda, or tea, but that would have to wait.
Standing up from the chair, she strolled aimlessly around the classroom. She picked up books left on a few of the desks, distractedly flipping through them before placing them back down. Her eyes skimmed over the pages attached to the bulletin board. Mainly lists of student names and announcements of upcoming exams. She recognized a few of the names from the kids she met today and found Todoroki's on the list as well. This was his classroom. No wonder he walked in here so self-assured as if he belonged.
The sliding door scraped along its track as someone opened it to enter the room. Pivoting on her toes like a ballerina, she expected to see Todoroki. Instead, she saw an extremely tall, remarkably skinny man. Even though his emaciated frame was hunched over, he was still incredibly tall. Two long locks of his thick yellow blond hair hung alongside each his gaunt cheeks down past his pointed chin. His black sclera was punctuated with two small, icy blue irises. Despite him being a mere, almost a quite literal, shadow of his former self, she would still recognize the hero All Might anywhere.
"Can I help you, young lady? Are you lost?" he questioned her, making her feel like a little girl who wandered into someplace she shouldn't be.
Although shrunken, he still cut quite the imposing figure. When she was about seventeen, still mad as hell at heroes and life in general, All Might had made an appearance near her, drawing droves of people as if he were a famous rock star. Out of morbid curiosity, Melina had gone to see him. She came armed with rotten tomatoes and other half decayed fruit. She liked making her opinions of heroes known.
Working her way up to the front row of the auditorium through the crazed fans was no easy task. When she got there, she could not help but be awed by the hulking mass of a human being on the stage. He was literally ten feet tall and most likely bulletproof. His irritating declaration of "Never fear, I am here" set off something inside of her like a bomb of rage and resentment. She lobbed the disgusting fruit at him, making a mess of his big smiling face and his pristine costume. For the first time in her life, she was arrested and taken to jail but not before she was forced to face the man and apologize. Surely he wouldn't remember her.
"Fruit girl!" he announced, his voice as deep and strong as it had been back then. He made his way across the classroom to her in what seemed like three giant steps.
"Oh, shit," she mumbled under her breath. "How - "
"You made quite an impression, young lady. How could I not remember you?" He laughed, loud and resonant, like his bold voice. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I've never had anyone throw decaying food at me before or after you. You have the distinct honor of being the only one."
"I don't know if I'd call it an honor. I really am sorry, sir," she apologized, bowing deeply with her head down. At the time, she had not been sorry. Not one iota. Her apology was genuine this time.
"So you finally mean it after all these years," he said.
Wow, this guy was good. He could read people extremely well. At the time she had assumed he was too caught up in himself to notice anyone else around him. She had been wrong.
"I can't believe I was able to see you again after all this time," All Might commented.
"I can't either," she agreed wishing she had an invisibility quirk.
Melina couldn't believe her luck. It didn't seem like particularly bad luck, but it was bizarre meeting him so many years after the fact and him recognizing her. She had actually forgotten about the incident. All things had been forgiven but not forgotten on his end. Judging by his laughter, he looked back on the memory fondly of the crazy American teenager who pelted him with rotten fruit.
"Oh, All Might. Hello, sir," Todoroki greeted the man upon entering the classroom.
"Todoroki, is this young lady your friend?" he inquired.
"She is," he returned, a hint of pride in his voice. "Her name is Melina Zusa."
Melina could not help but blush and smile. Although he recalled her face, he had forgotten her name. She was shocked he remembered her at all.
"Well, Miss Zusa, it was lovely making your acquaintance. Again. I would like to speak to you sometime. Visit our school one day," he encouraged her. "I'll tell Principal Nezu to be expecting you."
"O-okay, s-sure th-thing," she stammered nervously.
"Please enjoy our school festival. Treat her well, young man. And be careful. She has a killer throwing arm," he warned Todoroki before leaving the room.
"What was that about?" the extremely bewildered boy questioned her.
Melina felt her blush deepen, her face feeling as if it were on fire. She told him about the infamous fruit incident which made him laugh. His laugh was soft, low and smooth like his voice, rumbling in his chest.
"Oh, my god...so you went to jail for assault?" he chuckled.
"It was only for one night."
"You threw rotten fruit at All Might. Really? Who does that? I never would have believed you capable of such a terrible thing." He wouldn't stop giggling.
"Can I have that drink now?" she snapped, holding out her hand for the can of green tea he held hostage while he laughed at her.
"It's amazing you know All Might. I guess we really do live in a small world." He passed over the canned drink.
"I met him once. I know him only in a manner of speaking. Life has a funny way of dropping unexpected people into my life." She raised an eyebrow at him. He totally missed the hint, or most likely ignored, that she was referring to him in that statement.
"You certainly know how to make an impression. I know I'll never forget you." He took a sip of his tea.
Melina nervously played with the tab on the top of her can after drinking half of it in one gulp.
"You do understand we can only be friends, right?" Her eyes caught his when he looked straight at her.
"I know, Melina. I'm still a kid in your eyes. I can be the best friend, hell I'll be your little brother, if that's all you want."
Apparently they had taken yet another leap in their relationship since he called her by her first name. She sighed in relief, leaning against the chalkboard behind her. He moved to stand right in front of her. His finger traced the line of her jaw from her earlobe to her chin.
"But one day, I'll be older," he said in a way that made it sound like a warning. He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger so she could not escape his intense eyes.
"I'll be older too, Shoto," she reminded him.
She pressed her back against the board in an attempt to create a little bit of distance between them. Heat, much hotter than typical body heat, radiated from his hand into her skin. Maybe it was just her, but she was pretty sure it was him. Him possessing a fire quirk was a given, but she suspected he was doubly gifted with an ice quirk as well.
Fire and ice. White and red hair. One blue eye, one gray eye. Innocent teenage boy and sexy aggressive man. There was two sides of him in everything. This part of him needed to stop before mistakes were made.
"It won't matter. Then maybe you can finally see me as a man," he murmured, holding her eyes captive.
Fuck. The way he was staring at her, the firm but gentle way he held her chin, she could already see the man he would become. Oh, my was he a sight to see.
"For now, I'll back off...friends only, I swear," he promised, dropping his hand and stepping back from her. "Give me four or five years years. Then I'll come after you with everything I've got."
Melina inhaled deeply to give her lungs the air they clamored for since she had been holding her breath. She didn't know if she would be here in four or five years - or even four or five months. If she was here when he reached his early twenties, she believed she might really be in serious trouble of a romantic kind. He didn't forget a thing, and he kept his promises.
"Why don't we go play some games?" he suggested, acting as if the last five minutes never happened. "You can win me a prize at the ball toss." He winked playfully, not flirtatiously. "Put that killer throwing arm of yours to use."
Melina groaned in embarrassment. Yes, indeed. He didn't forget a thing.