Chapter 3

Silence: One of the greatest gifts to this world. The tranquility before the storm of words that threatens to tear your mind to shreds, piece by tragic piece. It's a moment to process everything that is happening. The ebb and flow of time, the connection to insecure and vulnerable thoughts, and the epitome of serenity.

This one thing is a delicacy to Shoto. He barely gets time to be in peace. He's constantly summoned by his father, as well as being called to the many hero agencies that want to take him under their wing. All he wants is a little silence, just a tiny amount of alone time to himself.

At the time, this seemed virtually impossible. However, meeting a certain individual changed his mindset on the world. He also unexpectedly broke the string attaching Todoroki to the misery of life. The anger that welled up inside the boy's heart was all but gone now, thanks to a person they call Tamaki Amajiki.

"S-so...uh...do you want a drink?"

"...no...I j-just want...to t-talk."

Amajiki was still sitting cross-legged in front of Shoto. His eyes were planted on the ground, yet his hands were extremely restless. He kept fidgeting with his shirt, trying to calm his muddled emotions.

"Right. So, what do you wanna talk about?" Shoto attempted to break the unwelcome silence. He stood up and walked to his kitchen. Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, he poured Tamaki a glass of water, then returned to his spot on the floor.

"Here, take it, please."

"T-thank you." Amajiki took the cup that was offered to him. It felt warm and smelled sweet. "Um...what...is this?"

"Oh, it's mineral water. I placed a mineral tablet in it after I poured the water."

"...Ok..."

The two sat there for a while, savoring each other's company. But no matter how you look at it, one question was still itching at Todoroki. He'd asked Amajiki what he wanted to talk about, but the boy had moved around the question entirely. Almost like he didn't want to speak about it, even though he's the one who brought it up in the first place.

"Amajiki?"

"Yes?"

"Do you need something? Don't get me wrong, I like talking to you, but I still don't know what you actually wanted to address. You said you'd been needing to speak with me, although you never mentioned why."

"I..." Amajiki sighed before continuing. "I need t-to know how to t-talk to s-someone."

"Talk to someone?"

"Mhm...I've l-liked someone s-since middle s-school...a-and...you're popular with t-the girls...so...I-I was hoping that y-you could h-help."

Shoto's eyes widened.

He likes someone? A crush? A childhood friend? What...why am I worried about it?! It's none of my concern! Damn it, Shoto, stay out of crap like this. None of this will help you in the real world.

"I'm not that popular with girls. Anyway, who is it that you like? Do they go to UA?"

"U-uhm...yes..."

"Mm...cool. What's their name? If I know that, then I can help more."

"Um...N-Nejire...she's in the B-Big 3, too..."

Nejire...That chick from the school festival? She has an energy quirk, if I remember correctly. So, he likes her, huh? Kind of mismatched, but I guess they'd work.

"Todoroki?"

"Yeah?"

"...nevermind... I'll go now."

"Uh, yeah. Ok."

Todoroki stood up and walked Tamaki to the door, closing it behind him as he left. After his mind was calm again, Shoto walked back to his bed, unable to comprehend what just happened. Here he was at 2:24 in the morning, talking to a member of the Big 3, and yet he still doesn't quite know what the boy wanted. It was making him dizzy.

Nejire...really? Her? But...why? She's so...boring...not to mention annoying and loud...I mean, she's a nice person, but her personality is garbage... I should stop thinking about it. He chose her, so who am I to say she's a bad person. If he thinks she's good enough...I guess I'll have to endure...

Over the next few days, Shoto had met up with Tamaki several times. Each time, their meetings becoming longer. One day it was 30 minutes, the next it's 1 hour, next it's 2 hours. All the attention was making Todoroki lightheaded. He wasn't used to kindness, nor did he know of affection. To him, everything was overwhelming, but he wouldn't change a single thing. He was enjoying the time with his friend, and all was well until she showed up to one of their afternoon hangouts.

The streets were bustling with people, and the scent of flowers and coffee filled the afternoon air. Shoto was reading a book while he patiently waited for his friend. The air was warm today, and Todoroki didn't want to be cooped inside, so he asked Tamaki if he wanted to go to their normal coffee shop for a drink. When he'd talked to Amajiki over the phone, he seemed nervous, as if he was reluctant to come, but he eventually agreed to the plans.

Todoroki turned the page in his book, then glanced up once he noticed Tamaki. There was just one little hitch. The boy wasn't alone, he was with a girl. A girl that Todoroki really didn't want to see.

Nejire.

Hi! I'm back again. Happy to see me? Anyway...I know it looks like I'm hating on all of the girls in BNHA, but I promise I'm not. The only ones I don't like are Momo and Uraraka, but that's just because they're both massive cockblocks to my gay ships. Okie, bye! ;)