Prodigies - My Hero Academia

Everything but Prepping for Finals

March first on the calendar marks the day classes are officially dismissed for one week, allowing students to dedicate time to studying before finals. Hero students will be expected to complete a physical exam at the beginning and written exams for their respective classes near the end of finals week. 

Yawning and rolling over in bed, Midoriya reaches for his phone to check the time and for any notifications. Sunlight pools in between the curtains that cover his balcony door. Dirty blender bottles and school documentation for the next academic year litter his desk. A pile of clean, unfolded clothes sits at the end of his bed. His closet door is closed, backpack unzipped and on his desk chair. Sitting up, he pulls off the covers then leans over to pick out a pair of athletic shorts, t-shirt and a sweatshirt. He collects his notebook, laptop and pens to pack into his bag then walks out of his room with shoes in hand, locking the door behind him. Heading toward the elevator, his eyes are glued to his phone. He shoves an earbud in while he searches for a song to listen to. 

"Midoriya."

He pauses, looking up to see his classmate, "Hey, Todoroki.", Midoriya's eyes light up, "Are you heading for the library too?"

Todoroki nods, following alongside Midoriya and entering the elevator. In their silence, he recalls his father's lecture related to the lack of teamwork in their internship practice. His father insists that this is a problem that he will have to fix considering he wanted his classmates to join the agency. 

Turning to Midoriya, "What would be the best way to approach conversing with Bakugo?", he asks, "I want to set aside our differences."

Midoriya gasps out of excitement, "You want to be friends?"

Todoroki doesn't have an answer for that. If allowing Midoriya to believe that friendship is the answer and will help him based on that idea, then he won't openly disagree. He has tried claiming Bakugo as a friend in front of their peers and his father before, but it never ends well for either party. For the sake of their careers, it would be best to at least be able to communicate with each other. That is, without sparking an argument or taking hits at one another's pride. 

Reaching the library, they walk up to the second floor and coincidentally find Bakugo sitting alone at a table. He appears to be content, reading a passage in his book with his glasses on. Midoriya and Todoroki stand behind a bookshelf to formulate a plan of action. 

"Alright, I think the best course of action here is to talk to him directly." Midoriya encourages.

"What do I talk about?"

"Be transparent. Kacchan respects brutal honesty."

"Any topic?"

"Any topic! Go for it. I'll be right behind you."

Todoroki walks up to the table, taking a seat next to Bakugo without warning. 

Uncomfortable and annoyed, Bakugo side-eyes his classmate. 

Without care to meet his gaze, "My mom poured boiling water on my face because she hated my left side."

Bakugo slams his book shut, picks up his bag, then stands from the chair to leave Todoroki behind and search for another secluded place to sit. 

Todoroki spots Midoriya leaning out from behind the bookcase. 

Midoriya gives him a double thumbs up and an awkward smile, 'Kacchan didn't threaten him. We're making progress.'

***

As the evening settles, Sero digs out pineapple candy from the care package box on his dorm room table. He takes a bite out of the bar while getting into a comfortable seated position on his floor. Beside him is Kaminari, focused on the intense match in session. The game on screen comes to an end rather quickly because Kaminari dies early in the round. For the next round, Sero decides to pick up a controller and join his friend.