𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 | 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗶 𝘅 𝗼𝗰

⁴ not a threat, but a warning

Rin slightly zoned out, holding an ice pack to her face.

There was a small intermission between the cavalry event and the one-on-one battles, allowing for them to heal up and rest before the biggest event of the day.

She'd decided to cool herself down, the spring atmosphere not helping with her overheating drawbacks.

"Takahashi, are you coming with us?"

Rin peered over to Jirou while Kaminari and Yaoyorozu were vibrantly discussing lunch plans.

She'd noticed how her slightly meek friend had quickly become acquainted with the two over the course of the term; Kaminari sharing a similar love for music and Yaoyorozu who was, quite honestly, a really sweet girl that was hard to not befriend.

"Sure–" Rin spotted a head of two-toned hair walking away from the crowd, Midoriya following after him. "Actually... I have to find my father. If I come back early, I'll join you."

Jirou nodded, patting her shoulder before catching up with Kaminari and Yaoyorozu.

When they were out of sight, Rin ducked under the barriers before she sprinted to the entrance of the Student and Faculty, about to walk right through the hallway until she saw the two boys in deep discussion.

She couldn't help but find the duo suspicious, especially after she saw Shoto nearly use his left side – that he so valiantly refused to use in homage to his abusive father – against Midoriya during the cavalry event. 

Rin walked backwards to the side, the palm of her hand on the wall as she heard Shoto's voice echoing from the hallway.

"My father is the hero Endeavour, you must've heard about him which means you're aware that he's the Number Two Hero." Shoto spoke. "So, if you're connected to the Number One Hero, All Might, in some way that would mean I have even more of a reason to hate you."

Rin hadn't fought Midoriya one-on-one just yet, but she could see the resemblance between his quirk and All Might's. She initially assumed All Might was just privately training Midoriya, it wasn't a big deal to her.

But seeing as Shoto and Bakugou were riled up by the sweet and nervous boy, Rin supposed there must've been more to Midoriya than she knew. He was very kind and didn't seem to have any malice behind his intentions to win the Sports Festival. When this whole festival was over, Rin hoped she could be friends with the amiable boy.

Without realising, she had zoned out because of Shoto's monotonous voice. She only tuned back in when Midoriya's voice caught her attention.

"I'm not really sure what you're getting at," Midoriya nervously responded. "What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"

Rin raised a brow, crossing her arms as she leaned in closer.

"My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk and now he's raising me to surpass All Might." Shoto's hands clenched.

Rin had her theories about the Todoroki Family, and it seemed like one of them had proven to be correct. As someone who had a serendipitous combination between her parents' quirks, Rin found Shoto's quirk a bit too balanced. In her mind, he had to have been purposefully born to have the quirk, especially with the evidence of previous children who failed to have the half and half quirk.

"I can't change the past, but I want to prevent it from happening again." Shoto exhaled. "If I fail to prove my worthiness today... I...I can only imagine what he'll do to Takahashi's family."

Rin froze, her features draining of colour.

Why had she been mentioned? Was her family in danger if Shoto failed to win?

Before she could deliberate further possibilities, Shoto began talking again.

"It's so annoying... I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag." Shoto's tone trembled. "In every memory of my mother, I see her crying."

She always felt guilty for not being by Shoto's side after he lost contact with his mother. Shoto had been closer to Rei than Enji, so Rin could imagine how heartbroken he'd been when Rei had hurt him and was forced to leave the family for his safety.

Of course, it wasn't Rin's fault that Shoto had pushed her away. But sometimes, she wished she tried harder to reconnect with him.

"Rin was there to witness it all." Midoriya let out a small gasp, "And you know what my father did to force their silence? He bought Rin from her dad just like he did with my mother."

Her breath hitched.

"B...Bought her?" Midoriya stammered. "So, she's–"

There was no way.

" – going to be in an arranged marriage with me." Rin held her head. "Her father and mine arranged it years ago. She doesn't know about it at all and that the courtship will begin after the festival if I lose. I only found out when she got into U.A., I just haven't been able to decide how to tell her."

Rin exhaled in disbelief.

Shoto had told her to give up because he knew that if she won, she'd be forced to marry him.

His words were not a threat, but a warning.

✩࿐   

Rin was in a predicament, that's for sure.

Even though she had been physically fighting against Tokoyami, she was caught up in the battle between winning to make her father proud and sling to save her and Shoto's wellbeing.

It was the worst nightmare for an overachiever; the typical work yourself to death or take care of your well being dilemma.

Logically, losing would be the best outcome. But, she trusted that there was a greater reason beyond what Shoto explained for her father to put her into an arranged marriage.

Why would she trust Shoto's side of the story when the boy had done nothing but be stoic and arrogant to her? Why would she not trust her own father who was the only person who truly had her back?

So, choosing to win or lose wasn't quite as easy of a choice as it seemed.

"Oi, Moron." Rin hadn't even realised her fight against Tokoyami was over. She had unconsciously walked off the stage after her win had been announced, halting when she saw Bakugou standing in the middle of the hallway. "Don't even think about purposefully losing in our fight – I'll kill you."

She raised a brow. Had she been talking to herself aloud or did Bakugou had some secret quirk that allowed him to read minds?

"Why would I purposefully lose?" She asked.

"I heard what Icy-Hot said, that's why." Her heart dropped. "They weren;t speaking in the most secluded area, you know?"

Rin's lips pursed. Great. Now everyone seemed to have their noses in their business.

"I have stakes here, Bakugou." She didn't care about his petty need to win. "I have to face real consequences."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I couldn't care less about your stakes and consequences. This is me you're versing, what makes you think you can win against me in the first place? If, in the slim chance, you do win, then purposefully lose against Icy-Hot for all I fucking care."

Rin's face fell as he walked off.

Strangely enough, she felt reassured by his words.

She just needed to breathe and take one step at a time.

✩࿐