will you wait 'til it all burns down? || hxh x mha

Shōto Todoroki 2

Shōto didn't really feel comfortable among the other participants. It was as if some of them had something threatening around themselves, even if the UA student couldn't quite put his finger on it. It also didn't help that he had likely unintentionally caught the attention of the number 44.

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Despite the fact that Shōto's nature was not quite as offensive and aggressive, he could only silently agree with Bakugou in this particular instance. The almost unambiguous expressions of the fellow participants had also not escaped his notice. What struck Shōto as particularly suspicious was the fact that the individual, Tonpa, was taking this exam for the 35th time at this point.

What kind of test could this possibly be, and how challenging would it be to take? If someone continues to come here with such joy even after the 35th attempt... Shōto personally would not feel the same level of happiness for that considerable period of time. However, he also didn't believe that there was any kind of test that he himself couldn't pass.

"What? Please wait...-" Tonpa, visibly sweating and nervous, averted his eyes from the two UA students, instead concentrated on retrieving three orange drink cans from his brown shoulder bag. Questioningly, Shōto tilted his head, and his fellow classmate also seemed to put on a rather puzzled expression. "Let's drink, shall we? Here's to passing the exams!" Tonpa happily held out one of the cans to each of them. Shōto accepted the can held out to him, but inspected the drink can's pull-tab with wary, narrowed eyes. Bakugou next to him did not even accept the can but only gave number 16 a mean look, which seemed to suffice as a rejection.

In fact, Shōto failed to discover any indications that the beverage can had been opened previously. So, he meticulously opened the beverage container and held it directly beneath his nose. It smelled about as neutral as an orange-flavored drink could. Bakugou, next to the younger one, just raised his eyebrows silently, rolling his eyes with annoyance, almost resulting in making Shōto smile in mild amusement. Almost.

"Hm. Not even the slightest hint whatsoever." Shōto muttered in a low voice, barely audible to anyone but the blonde next to him. He waved the can back and forth slightly, causing the liquid inside to shake from left to right. It smelled surprisingly invigorating, nothing out of place. Perhaps the two UA students were exaggerating the situation, and it was just a typical friendly gesture here?
"Don't even think about drinking that shit, Icyhot. It's 100% got some kind of fucking poison in it." The blond growled in heavy annoyance, knocking the can out of Shōto's hand with enough momentum that it didn't touch the ground again until a few feet away from them. A small puddle formed, leaving the ground covered in the sticky neon-orange liquid. Shōto watched the can with emotionless eyes until it came to a final stop before turning his attention back to Bakugou, who had risen from the ground and was looking down at the younger man with his cold, crimson-red eyes.

"I had no intention of doing so." Shōto eventually clarified, a bit justifying, because he really hadn't thought about drinking the brew. In fact, why should he even consider it? He wasn't thirsty.

Shōto also straightened up from the floor and knocked the dirt off his dark pants. He didn't quite know where the blonde was going; however, he had quickly decided that it would probably be best to simply follow Bakugou silently. Bakugou was not weak, and it would definitely be easier if the two of them would cooperate, even if only as a temporary solution.

The circumstances were not exactly in their favor. The physical performance of their bodies was higher than in their actual world; Shōto would even go so far as to describe his current endurance as immeasurable. However, this meant that there was a high likelihood that they were in a dimension where combat and survival would play an even more significant role. Therefore, he decided to put up with his classmates' rudeness and insults for the time being.