Savior (My Hero Academia: Todoroki x OC)

Chapter 24: Figuring it All Out

I woke up Thursday morning feeling refreshed. I had, uncharacteristically, taken the whole day off from extra training yesterday. I found I was more introspective after learning about Todoroki's childhood.

After he told me his story, it was time to go down to dinner. The two of us sat quietly as our classmates chatted with each other. It wasn't that unusual from what we normally did. Except, this time, we sat a bit closer, his knee occasionally bumping mine, our arms brushing every now and then. I knew he was doing it intentionally, and if anyone else were to realize what was going on, they would think we were flirting.

But we weren't. I knew this was his way of cementing our friendship and every time he brushed against me, I wanted to smile. It was a nice feeling to know my touch comforted him. But there was a part of me, a very small part but a part nonetheless, that wanted those little touches to mean something more. I think it was safe to say I had developed a bit of a school girl crush on Todoroki. It was bound to happen with the amount of time we spent together. Add in the fact that he was gorgeous and I really didn't stand a chance.

But I was a realist. Todoroki would never be interested in me like that...he was way out of my league. And honestly, I was so happy with the state of our friendship at the moment, I wouldn't dream of doing anything to change or ruin it.

That was part of why I was so introspective. It was surprising that two people with such messed up family histories had managed to befriend each other. We came to the realization last night that we both had been abused in very different ways. Todoroki's father heaped praise on him now, but he had physically crossed the line when he was younger. I had never been hit or seen my father react violently toward anyone. My family's abuse was verbal, emotional. No less damaging but the impact on both of us presented differently. I'm not sure which of us had it worse, but it was safe to say that neither of us should have grown up the way we did.

I had a quick breakfast after getting myself ready for the day and was preparing to leave for class when Todoroki approached me from the boy's side of the dorm.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked.

I nodded and was pleasantly surprised when he held out his arm.

"Allow me to escort you."

I linked my arm through his and smiled shyly up at him. "You're quite the gentleman this morning."

His face remained expressionless but he used his arm to pull me closer as we walked to class. "I'm not being very gentlemanly. I missed you and this is a good excuse to be close to you."

I gave his arm a squeeze as we continued our walk. As we neared the classroom, he lowered his arm allowing me to walk in first. As we settled into our seats and prepared for the day, I once again felt lucky to have him as a friend.

The day progressed normally until hero training. I was once again doing speed training, trying to grow a tree as fast as possible while the seed was midair. I had definitely improved from where I started but there was still about a second delay in my timing. I had adjusted my tactics to transforming the seed as soon as I threw it instead of waiting, but the timing was still off. I could feel my frustration rising with each failed attempt and with each time I was knocked down. The loud explosions and excited yells coming from the successful student on the platform above me weren't helping either.

I made another attempt, but quickly let out a loud groan of frustration. "Ugh, why can't I do this!" I sunk down into a crouch with my hands covering my face. I could feel my frustration begin to turn into despair. It seemed like everyone else was making strides but I was standing still. Why wasn't I good enough to figure this out? Why was everyone else so much better than me? Why was I such a waste of space, such a failure? I heard a strange sound and looked up at the tree I had just created. It was crumbling, literally disintegrating, before my eyes. The once majestic tree was now nothing more than a pile of dust. I took a deep breath trying to calm myself but the sight before me was making it more difficult to calm down. What just happened?