Preydator || Todoroki x OC

•19: Desperate for Hope•

"Rin!" Mina pounces on me as soon as I step into the room. "Welcome back!"

The others greet me warmly as well. Thankfully, nobody has mentioned my face yet and they're all treating me the same, even though I feel completely upside down.

"Aizawa is coming back today, right?" Ochako asks me.

I nod, taking a seat at my desk. "He looks a little worse for wear, though." I mutter, recalling his mummified body.

"It's nice to see you're okay, though." Kaminari says. "I haven't even gotten your autograph!" I roll my eyes at him, but crack a small smile. Kaminari's easy-going personality never fails to cheer me up. "And maybe I can get your mom's autograph once we find her. You're looking for her, ri-?" I flinch.

Todoroki drops his pencil case loudly, interrupting the yellow-haired boy. "Kaminari!" Yaoyorozu hisses and Jiro sticks one of her earphone jacks into his ear, giving him a shock. "We obviously don't know the whole story, but clearly she's not on good terms with her mom." Yaoyorozu scolds him.

"It's fine." I reply. "It's not like he knew." 'And sometimes that easy going personality is a little insensitive.'

"We won't pressure you, okay?" Ochako pats me on the back reassuringly.

I smile. "Thanks."

The classroom door slides open and everyone rushes to their seats. "Glad to see you're all at your desks." Aizawa mutters through his bandages as he takes a stand in front of the classroom.

The mood shifts almost comically as everyone realizes what I meant by "worse for wear."

"Aizawa-sensei, are you sure you shouldn't still be recovering at the hospital?" Iida asks in concern, his hand stiffly raised high.

"My well-being isn't important." Aizawa replies. "More importantly, the fight isn't over yet."

'What?!' We all look at him in shock. 'The villains are back?'

"The UA sports festival starts in two weeks." He states. A mixture of relief and enthusiasm fills the room.

I feel a jolt of excitement run down spine. 'One of Japan's largest events. I used to dream about this when I was younger.' Of course, before I gave up on the idea of heroes.

"What a totally normal school event!" Kirishima exclaims.

"But is it okay to host such a large event when villains snuck in recently?" Jiro asks.

"Apparently, it'll be a good opportunity to show off UA's crisis recovery skills." Aizawa explains. "The Sports Festival won't be cancelled just because of some villains." He says. 

'Recovery skills...'

"This is a crucial event for aspiring heroes, pro heroes will be watching to scout for sidekicks and internships." Aizawa continues. "If you want to make it, you need to put in the work and make preparations." He states. "That's all. Homeroom dismissed."

Surprisingly, a newfound determination ignites within me. 'Recovery skills. That's what I need. If I can beat even a single person, I can prove that Carnal, my mom and I were all wrong. I can prove that I'm not weak and ready to face my mom. If I can make it past even just one event, I can recover from my little tumble at USJ.' As the lunch bell rings, everyone pours out of their classes. 

After grabbing my bento from my bag, I poke my head out of the classroom door and my heart drops at the sight of the student-filled halls. More specifically, the crazy amount of students passing by our classroom. 'What that peppermint head said about all the attention was no joke.'

I look around for Aizawa, wondering if we can walk to the teacher's lounge together for lunch, but he had already left. I sigh. Although he allowed me to eat in the cafeteria with the other students now, I don't exactly want to show up in such a crowded place without my mask.

"Are you eating in the cafeteria or the teacher's lounge?" A voice suddenly asks from behind me.

I jump in shock as I thought everyone had left already. I turn to face a peppermint-haired boy. "The teacher's lounge. And that lethargic old man left me behind." I snap in annoyance.

"I can walk you there." He offers.

"N-No!" I reply quickly, feeling a little pathetic that he constantly comes to my rescue. 'How am I going to prove myself at the sports festival if I can't even walk to the teacher's lounge by myself?' I think. "You're always saving me. I think I can manage on my own." I take a step out of the classroom and freeze. I feel as if the hallway is already ten times louder than it was a few seconds ago. The bustling flow of people move past me like a white rapid river flowing to the cafeteria. Without my mask on, it feels as if everyone can see me. Not only see me, but see Rini.

I feel a hand suddenly grab onto mine, snapping me out of my thoughts. Todoroki lets out a sigh. "You should accept help when you need it." He states, pulling me behind him protectively to somewhat hide my face as we walk through the crowded halls.

I feel my heart skip a beat, sending a tingling feeling throughout my stomach and all the way to the tips of my fingers. 'How many heart attacks is he going to give me in a day?!' I think as my cheeks turn warm. 'At least he can't see me blushing from behind him.'

"So...the Sports Festival, huh." I  as we walk towards the teacher's lounge.

"Tch." Todoroki clicks his tongue. "My stupid old man is going to be watching." He says bitterly. "I'm planning to win without using my right side at all. Maybe he'll finally realize that I've rejected him once I win without his help." His expression has changed completely. Compared to how he looked at me earlier, his eyes are now cold and sharp. It's enough to send shivers of intimidation down anyone's spine.

"I think I want to participate this time, too." I respond and he peeks at me in curiosity from the corner of his eyes.

"I thought you wouldn't want to since it's basically a huge, public event appealing to those heroes you hate so much." Todoroki remarks.

"It's a good opportunity for me to train especially after USJ." I lie- well, it's partially true.

He hums thoughtfully. "Well, if you're going to take training seriously, I better as well." He states. "I lost to you during combat training and you dragged me into the girls' bathroom. You also kicked me in the face when we first met." He adds. "Now that I think about it, I have a lot to get you back for."

I stifle a laugh as I remember the day of the robbery at the grocery store. I had kicked him square in the face while trying to crawl up the vent. It seems like that was forever ago even though it's only been over a month.

"Maybe you should just get good." I sarcastically joke.

He scoffs, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Am I not good enough for you?"

I blush. "T-That sounds really bad without context." I can't tell if he's joking or just being direct as usual.

"You're red again." He says bluntly.

"Oh! There's the teacher's lounge haha!" I sputter out and quickly walk past him, not looking back. "Thanks, Peppermint-head." I quickly slide open the door and shut it behind me.

"Took you long enough." I glance up to see Aizawa and Present Mic seated at a small coffee table. 

I walk over and take a seat in front of them. I quirk an eyebrow at the sight of Present Mic feeding Aizawa since he can't exactly move his arms and hands under those casts and bandages. I open my own bento box as I drown out Present Mic annoying Aizawa and the latter snapping back. I feel a small smile creeping onto my lips as I think of the Sports Festival. 'A new hope.'