Echoes of Vapor (Shoto Todoroki)

02.02

PART 02

BEACON

For the remaining months leading up to the entrance exam, Ryou continued with balancing his schoolwork and his training for UA. Ryou wasn't exactly sure what UA's entrance exam would be since they rotate tests every year, but he hoped it was a combat or stealth based one.

At this point, Ryou was able to manipulate his quirk to the point where if he rapidly moves and condenses his steam, he can turn it into a physical force that he can use for damaging objects or opponents. Usually when he does this, the marks left behind show that the steam mimics a sharp edge like a blade.

With concentration, he can launch steam blasts and steam explosions, but only if he is concentrating all of his focus since his quirk control isn't the best, and he can also use the steam for blunt force damage if he gathers up enough steam for it; this also requires a lot of concentration. It is easy for him to lose focus, and it usually ends with the steam cloud either exploding or just dissipating. Both Yuzuki and Ben cheered him on the whole time, which warmed Ryou's heart, though he was too shy to admit it.

Before he knew it, it was the morning of the test. To his dismay, Ryou was woken up by Ben at 5 in the morning, three whole hours before the actual test.

Ben, who was pretending like he wasn't a bundle of nerves, insisted that Ryou get ready, despite how early it was. And still, as Ryou was getting ready, Ben was outside his door, trying to talk to him through it.

"Are you nervous? Well, you shouldn't be, because you'll do great. But it's okay if you're nervous, because anyone would be nervous before taking a test! This is a test, after all, haha..." Ben's voice was muffled as he talked into the door, "You've been training for months, you'll do great! You'll do amazingly, I bet. No, but really, are you feeling nervous?"

Ryou sighed with a smile as he looked at himself in the mirror, before he called back to Ben, "No, but I think I'll start feeling nervous if you keep talking about me not needing to be nervous, just because you're nervous." He said with a smile, chuckling to himself as Ben gasped loudly behind the door.

"I am not nervous," Ben declared firmly, and Ryou could practically see the way Ben was crossing his arms defiantly, "I'm just... worried! Worried for my boy."

This time, Ben's antics made Ryou laugh as he slipped into a compression shirt and tugged on his jeans. When he finished getting dressed, he took one more look at himself in the mirror.

He stared into his own silver-blue pupils before his eyes flitted to the earrings in his ears, before looking at his hair, which had reached down to his lower back. Slowly, his excitement seemed to die down as he got absorbed into his thoughts, combing his fingers through his blue hair.

Katashi loved his hair. He always played with it whenever they had a moment to themselves.

Ryou watched the way his fingers curled around the soft strands, his eyes dim and absent. Katashi loved his hair.

Slowly, his hands inched towards the craft scissors on his desk.

***

Ben's jaw practically hit the ground when Ryou finally opened the door.

"Your- your... you- you," Ben stammered, his eyes wide and almost panicked, "Your hair- you- What happened?!" He blurted out as Ryou nervously stared up at him.

"I- I know... it looks really bad- but I wanted to cut it shorter..." Ryou mumbled, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

Ryou had cut his hair, but it was obvious that he had no clue what he was doing. The only redeemable part of his haircut was the successful way he trimmed his bangs... but everything else...