Preydator || Todoroki x OC

•18: Teasing•

Two weeks after the USJ incident, Aizawa and I finally left the hospital and are allowed to go back to UA. Although my broken ribs can heal at home, I was forced to stay in this hospital since there isn't anyone at home to supervise me. The police had also dropped by several times to check up on me- not that they care about my health, but more of a way to gauge how much I've changed since being at this school and if I had any information to share with them. I relayed everything I had gotten out of Carnal about her boss and the boss, but most importantly, the fact that she knew my mom. The police seemed a little relieved to hear about my mom as it appears they have zero leads at the moment and were thinking of how they could keep up their end of the bargain about finding my mom. They also informed me of whatever they told the rest of my class. They told me about the League of Villains and the Nomus. I feel as if I've heard the name before, but I can't quite place my finger on it. 'Probably from the news.' I thought and brushed it off.

Despite all this chaos, my hospitalization was no excuse to miss school. In fact, Todoroki dropped by almost every day bringing my textbooks or any work I missed. Although I did end up finishing it all just because I didn't have anything better to do. That Peppermint-head also kindly filled me in on anything I'm missing at school. Apparently, our class is getting some attention (most of it unwanted) for getting involved with villains. 'I hope that died down before I get to school today.' I frown, not exactly wanting to interact with a bunch of strangers today.

"Ready to go?" Aizawa asks through the bathroom door. I emerge from the bathroom dressed in my school uniform and crack a small smile at the sight of him wrapped in so many bandages and casts he might as well have been a mummy.

I trudge down the stairs. Although I had gotten the heavy cast off of my foot, but I'm now weighed down by a different type of weight.

We stand in silence as we wait for Present Mic. Because of Aizawa's state, he's unable to drive so he asked Present Mic to drive us to UA instead.

"Are you okay with showing your face at school?" Aizawa suddenly asks.

I bite my lip. The idea of hundreds of people in that building seeing my face makes me shiver with anxiety, but I guess there isn't a point to hiding behind it any longer. This entire time, I hated heroes for being fake, hiding their true natures under the facade of a saint, those who are weak pretending to be strong. However, I didn't realize that I was being a huge hypocrite. 'I'm just a little rabbit hiding behind the mask of a fox.' In a way, I'm a little grateful that my fight with Carnal knocked some sense into me. 'But now I really don't know what I want.' I frown in uncertainty. 'What can I do when I'm weak other than wait to be eaten by the strong?'

"If you need to say something, then say it." Aizawa states. "Don't keep it to yourself."

I shake my head. "It's nothing."

As Aizawa opens his mouth, a flashy yellow car pulls up, music blasting from the inside. The window rolls down, letting the music be heard more clearly. "Hey Shota and kid! Let's get the show on the road!"

"Hizashi, lower the volume. It's only seven in the morning." Aizawa groans as he gets in the passenger seat. I open the car door and slide into the backseat.

My own reflection startles me in the car window as we drive towards the school. Even though I don't want to hide behind the fox mask anymore, I feel a little too vulnerable like this. I let out a tired sigh. 'I'm never going to be able to face my mom like this.'

-----

I take a few deep breaths as I walk down the hallway to my classroom. Aizawa had left me to go with Present Mic to the teacher's lounge. Thankfully, nobody has even noticed me as I speedily walk past the groups of people walking to their respective classes together. I didn't think walking around without my mask would be this nerve-wracking, but given the fact that only a few people including Dabi has seen my face in the past year, maybe I should've expected this.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest as the thought of facing the twenty other people in my class without a mask. My hand grips the strap of my bag tightly.

"Rin." I freeze and turn to see a certain bi-haired boy catching up to me.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Since Todoroki had visited me so often in the hospital, I got used to talking to him without my mask on.

"I was calling your name for a while." He says as he walks alongside me, matching his steps with mine.

"O-Oh." I reply sheepishly.

He frowns. "Are you okay?"

I huff out a frustrated sigh. "Is that the only thing you know how to say? That's like fifty-percent of everything you ask me." I steer the subject away from me.

"Maybe you should stop making me ask that. I swear, every time we see each other, you're in some kind of trouble." He states in a matter-of-fact tone and I know he's right. "And I happen to care about your well-being." He adds, making me blush. He raises an eyebrow at me. "Do you always turn this red? Was I just never able to tell because of the mask?"

This only makes my face redder. "D-Did you always talk this much?! Maybe if you stopped making me blush, I wouldn't be this red!" I stammer.

He cocks his head at me and asks bluntly, "I'm making you blush?"

'Damn it! Why did I say that?!' I scold myself mentally. "S-Shut up!" 'Maybe I'm the one who needs to shut up.'

His face stays stoic as ever. Again, I can't tell if he's teasing me on purpose or if he's just naturally dense. "Well, we're here." I turn my attention away from him to see that we've reached the door of class 1-A. I had been so distracted by our conversation, my nerves had calmed down. "Are you ready?" He asks and I nod, taking a deep breath in and out.

"Thanks." I say as he slides open the door and walks in ahead of me. From the corner of my eye, I spot his stoic expression shift slightly as his lips turn upwards into a small smile. 'He was totally teasing me on purpose.'