Dearil

Chapter One; From Zero to Hero?

Chatter filled the halls of U.A High School. It had only been six months since the students had started, but the halls were always buzzing with activity, excitement somehow always making its way to each passing student. Six months ago, Shoto Todoroki became one among many to join the ranks of future heroes. Due to several professional references, it didn't take much for Shōto to become a crowd favorite both with male and female students alike, yet for different reasons. He was a very popular and strong student, being the youngest son of the #2 pro hero Endeavor. This wasn't something Shōto was particularly proud of, though, as he had held a grudge against his father for as long as he could remember. They never got along.

"Excuse me." A soft voice sounded, and a soft nudge followed, easing Shoto a step or two away from where he was walking. "Sorry, so sorry." The same voice, almost hurriedly, slipped away into the crowd. Shoto had only seen a small glimpse of a boy with green hair, before he had disappeared. Weird, he thought, as he continued down the hall. I wonder why he's in such a rush. The thought didn't stay long, as the school bell rang, causing the students to start pouring into their respective classrooms. With a swift turn of his heel, shoto emerged from the hall, past the door frame of his usual class; 1-A. As he entered, he stopped for a moment to breathe the classroom in; the scent of old books and stacks of paper filling his nostrils. He sighed softly, and started for his seat. It hasn't taken long before he sat himself down, getting comfortable, before his teacher emerged. Shouta Aizawa. He was a tall, lean, quiet and oddly calmed gentleman, with piercing white eyes and a mean-streak. He always looked like he could nap right where he stood, if he truly wanted to, considering he was too scary for anyone to say otherwise. "Alright class, lets' begin."

Class seemed to drag, almost excruciatingly. But it wasn't anything different than any other day. As the hours ticked by; the bell for lunch finally sounded, and Shoto immediately started to pack his things to get ready. He noticed that most of the room was quiet, as a tall blonde male proceeded to kick his seat back, stand up, and stretch his arms. No one said a word, as he moved forward, kicked a pencil out of his way, and headed for the door. The blonde was the number one bad boy of class 1-A; Katsuki Bakugou. He had a die-hard attitude, so much self indulgence that it could kill a man, and always loved picking fights to prove he was better than anyone else. No one messed with him, except for a select few students in 2-B. Shoto however, didn't flinch or seem phased at all. It was normal at this point.

"Move it, nerd." A sharp intake of breathe followed, and Midoriya, the sweet young freckled boy with green hair, moved to the side. "Midoriya. You don't have to do what he says." Shoto returned the gesture, as soon as he got to his feet. "You aren't his boss, Bakugou. Stop trying to act like it." Everyone stayed dead silent, frozen where they stood. It wasn't the first time Shoto had confronted Bakugou, and it wouldn't be the last. Bakugou smirked, throwing his bag over his shoulder and looking back at Shoto. "shut up, icy hot. Just mind your own damn business." He wasn't playing games. It was as though he knew Shoto would step back. Or at least, any other student would stop antagonizing. Shoto smirked, shaking his head, as he took a step forward. "Your mother must be so proud of the little monster she created." He retorted, adjusting his bangs with one hand, almost daring the blonde to make the next move. "Todoroki, don't-" Midoriya started, but was stopped abruptly by Bakugou giving him a scowl. "I said shut up, nerd. Someone like you doesn't deserve to speak to me." He snarled, but stopped immediately when he noticed Shoto starting to visibly shake, but only slightly. Todoroki balled his fist, holding it against his school uniform pants. "walk away." He mumbled, softly, but sternly. "I don't want to have to fight you. Stop picking on Midoriya." He made it very clear he had no interest in having anyone harass Midoriya in any way. The poor kid was born quirk-less, with nothing special to work with. Picked on by students too often. Especially Bakugou. However, only recently had he gained a special ability, with the disadvantage of broken bones if he used it. But that didn't seem to slow down his determination to become a hero, and that's what Shoto came to admire about him. He looked up, and shook his head. Bakugou smirked, turned his head back to where he had started walking, and tsked. "Whatever, Icyhot. It would be a waste of my time anyways." He lifted his arm, waved the two away, and disappeared out into the hall, a couple of students flowing after him.

"You didn't have to do that, Todoroki." Midoriya mumbled softly, rubbing the sleeve of his uniform toward his elbow, looking sheepishly at his semi dirty shoes. "You don't have to stick up for me." He added quickly, almost shy. He was trying to hide a blush with his words. "I know I don't need to do that. But I do it because we are friends, and he's annoying." Shoto replied, throwing his bag over his shoulder. "Do you want to go sit outside for lunch? It's nice out. I need fresh air." Midoriya nodded, smiling; as he collected his own things quickly and followed Shoto out the door. It would be easy to escape the halls flooded with students, and it was too nice out not to enjoy the day.

The sky was tinged a bright blue, very few clouds littered the view, and the sun was bright, beating evenly down on the long green grass surrounding the school grounds. Shoto had chosen a cherry blossom tree close to the front of the school, where there would be shade, but the smell of the flowers would overpower the air. Midoriya sat himself in the shade, pulling out his bento box and organizing it, while Shoto proceeded to sit across from him and pull out a book. He had the idea of reading, however that motivation started to slip away. "Are you going home today?" Midoriya asked, almost conflicted on whether or not to Speak. "I don't have much of a choice. But I'm going to stay out as long as I can. I need to be better. I need to be stronger. I don't want to be like him." He muttered, adjusting his hair out of his eyes again. Midoriya nodded, quiet. "Would you like me to train with you?" It was a nice gesture, but Shoto needed to do this on his own. "Thank you, but it's better if I do it alone today. We can train together another day." He almost felt bad turning down Midoriya, but he knew it was probably for the best. He needed to focus, and he couldn't do that when the freckles on his best friend's face distracted him so much. He could just imagine reaching out and touching each one, counting them, enjoy- what the hell are you thinking! He stopped dead, staring at nothing. His own thoughts? Betraying him? What was that feeling just now? A throb in his heart? Was it anger? No, it couldn't be. Distress? Maybe. There's no way I like him like that. There just isn't a possibility. He shook his head, and blushed slightly when he realized Midoriya had been studying him. You're an idiot, Shoto. Stop thinking such nonsense. It's not even supposed to be a possibility. Midoriya lifted his eyebrow. "What are you thinking, Todoroki?" Oops! He'd been caught red handed. "I...I...it's...it's nothing!" Shoto quickly spat out the words, stumbling on them. "really it's..not a big deal. Just. Training stuff." He added quickly, lifting his arm to rub the back of his neck, trying to hide a blush. Midoriya smirked, fiddling with a pencil he had pulled from his bag when todoroki was too focused on his own mind. He chewed gently on the eraser, laughing softly. "Yeah, okay. I'm sure that's what it was. Whatever the reason; it must really be bothering you. You haven't even opened your book, and you love reading. " he pointed the pencil toward the book in Shoto's hand, to prove his point. Shoto sighed softly, lifting it, opening it, and then closing it again. "I guess I'm just not feeling like myself today. It hasn't been easy at home." He admitted, almost embarrassed. "I get that." Midoriya returned, giving another soft smile. "Everything is fine. It's your power, and your's alone. He can't take that from you." He mumbled, looking back down at a notebook he had snagged from his bag. He tapped the pencil a few times on the notebook, before he started to scribble. Shoto watched him for a moment, before lifting his book and opening to the dog-eared page, and started to read.

Something just wasn't adding up. But Shoto had a bad feeling, and it wasn't going to end up well.