RENEGADE [Izuku Midoriya x OC]

Chapter 20 - Mask

"Shoto, I need to talk to you. Alone... Please."

Leaning in the doorway of Shoto Todoroki's corner office, Izuku was surprised at his own outward level-headedness. On the inside, he was freaking out, completely losing his mind about confronting one of his best friends about this years-old letter problem, but... he needed answers. And Shoto had them.

The two sidekicks at Shoto's desk looked up at the uncharacteristically stoic Deku in front of them, and then to their other boss, the dual-haired, calm man beside them. Shoto crossed his arms over his chest as he tilted his head, eyeing his friend that lingered in the doorway. "Sure, Midoriya," he said coolly. To the sidekicks, he merely told them to come back later, and shooed them away with a wave of his hand.

Shoto had taken the day to catch up on paperwork, so he was dressed in office attire: slacks, polished dress shoes, and a button-up shirt with a dizzying striped pattern that made most onlookers want to throw up. Three interns and Mina already had tossed their cookies that morning, just from passing him in the hall. But Izuku said nothing about his friend's choice in clothes, partially because he had more important things to talk about, and partially because he knew Shoto was still figuring out what he liked and disliked and how to make his own choices now that he was on his own.

...Plus, Izuku thought that if he opened his mouth, he might barf everywhere. Both from nerves and from Shoto's interesting outfit.

Lucky for him, Shoto pulled a black cardigan over his horrid shirt, toning down the nauseating effects. "What can I help you with, Izuku?" he said, straightening out the collar of his shirt over the cardigan before leaning back in his chair.

"I, uh, need to ask you a question," Izuku started, stepping further into the office and closing the door behind him, feeling sturdier and a little more confident now.

"And it couldn't have been an e-mail?" Shoto asked, hiding a yawn behind his hand. He stood and crossed to his coffeepot, pouring himself a fresh, steaming mug, and asked Izuku if he wanted some by lifting the pot toward him.

"N-no thanks," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Why was he so nervous? It was just Shoto! His best friend!

No reason to freak out prematurely! Absolutely none!

But the anxiety gripped Izuku's lungs nevertheless.

"And uh, no, the question isn't work related," Izuku added. He started pacing Shoto's office, hoping the movement would make him feel better. "It's about... Noriko Ikeda."

Shoto froze. It took him a few long, awkward seconds, but he finally said, "What about Noriko Ikeda?" His voice came out strange. Forced. Tightly wound.

The response he'd gotten didn't tell Izuku anything. He wasn't sure if Shoto remembered their underclassman, or if he was simply repeating the name back. But the tone Shoto used turned Izuku's stomach and switched on that gut feeling. Something was weird. "Do... do you remember her?" he prodded, turning away from the floor to ceiling windows to look at Shoto. Izuku hoped that Shoto would give something away in his body language or briefly lift the mask of his emotions.

"Of course I do," Shoto said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "She was your mentee, correct? You made us all meet her on multiple occasions, if I remember correctly."

"Right." Izuku nodded, still pacing as he watched his friend move back to his desk. "Well, I... I recently got back in touch with her. We bumped into each other at Sato's café."

A lie, but not entirely. They bumped into each other because of Sato's café... and had met there multiple times since then.

A beat of silence passed, in which Shoto stared into his coffee before responding with, "I thought she disappeared."