Secrets [Todoroki]

*Chapter Eighteen*

Miri had accidentally slept through everyone's fights. Not that she didn't designate people to wake her up, they all rather let her sleep in.

She was roughly shaken awake by none other than Bakugo. In a sleepy haze, she glared up at him. "What the hell do you want?" She grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"It's your turn to fight, Shitty-Moto." He glared down at her. Yet another nickname. "I was told to go wake you up, so don't catch an attitude with me!"

She sighed and sat up. "I slept past all the others?" Her voice held a hint of sadness.

"Get over it. Nothing can be done about it now."

"Bakugo?" Miri watched him start to turn, but he faced her once more. "Why do you keep switching nicknames for me?"

His eyes narrowed. "That's a dumb question, and I'm not going to answer you."

"Do you just forget them and have to come up with a new one quickly? Or are you indecisive?" She pushed, giving him a shit-eating grin.

Scoffing, he turned his back once more. "How about...you're so annoying that one singular name could never be enough for you?"

"What about the 'Frost' ones? I'm just curious about those. How you came up with them, I mean."

"You ask so many damn questions. You have white hair and you're always talking to IcyHot." He started to walk away, but suddenly stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "About earlier? Don't think you can shed a few crocodile tears and I'll suddenly be your best friend. I have no interest in you beyond watching you fall on your face" He craned his neck up, staring at the top of the door frame. "And don't go crying again. It's weird." He then walked out of the room, leaving Miri alone.

Her mouth opened and closed. She stared at the door, baffled. Sighing, she got up to leave. She opened the door only to run into the chest of someone.

A pair of hands, one hot and one cold, gripped her arms to stop her from falling backward. Her face grew red. It didn't take much to know who held her.

"What are...you doing here?" She continued to look at her hands, which were pushed up against Todoroki's chest. She almost didn't want to move back.

Not because she enjoyed being close to him, but she didn't know if she could control the blush on her face.

His hands traveled down her arms to grip her hands on his chest. He pushed them to her sides and took a step back from her. Miri's heart throbbed deep in her chest, the emotions running through her were confusing.

"I just wanted to come in here." He stated. He refused to look at her face.

"But..." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and now she really looked at him. "I'm getting ready to fight?"

"I'm aware." He then stepped around her and walked into the room.

Miri stood in the doorway for a moment. Did he not want to watch her fight? Her mind flitted with things to say, and her heart was doing somersaults. Why was he like this? What was she doing wrong? What was she missing?

"I don't..." Her words failed her. Why couldn't she ever say what she wanted? Why did she worry about saying the wrong thing all the time? She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her beating heart. "I don't understand what is going on anymore." Her voice was strained, alien almost. The unfamiliar tone caught Todoroki's attention, and he stared at her back.

Miri felt his eyes on her like two hot coals burning through her skin, which was ironic. But she was getting something going now. She felt it building up in her chest, waiting to explode much like Bakugo's quirk.

Bakugo never worried about pleasing others. Bakugo always spoke what was on his mind, regardless of the consequences. She would never admit to admiring that about him, however.

"One minute...you're nice." Her voice was softer now. She was aware of her fight. However, it can wait. "You'll tell me I'm brave...and determined. You'll make me feel...butterflies and all these stupid little happy things." Her face burned, but she couldn't stop herself. "Sometimes I can pretend everything is...alright around you. That I don't have burdens on my shoulders." She took a deep breath. "But then...other times you make me so sad. You hurt my feelings if I'm honest. Like nobody ever has. You can be...cold. Short. Rude. You make enemies out of people who never deserved it." She thought about Midoriya and how Todoroki had approached him this morning. "You confuse me. I don't understand if we're friends...or...?" She rubbed her face.

Todoroki stared at her back for a moment longer. "You're not the easiest person either." His words were sharp, and Miri flinched. "You told me at the very beginning of the school year that you weren't the type of person for me to get close to. What do you mean by that? You mope around like a kicked puppy with the saddest look on your face." At that, Miri started playing with her knuckles. She wished she said nothing. "You hold yourself back from everything. Nobody is stupid. We know how powerful you really are. Otherwise, you wouldn't have placed first place in the entrance exam. So why are you holding back? Or is that another secret of yours? You're so secretive about every minor thing, and you walk around as if you don't want people to notice, but I do." He paused for a moment. "And it's not just me you look familiar to anymore." His voice was quieter. "The students notice it. The teachers. All of them say you're familiar to them. Why is that, Mirianne?" Miri felt her heart hammering in her chest.

Miri stood in the doorway, her face awash with terror. Her chest hurt fiercely and a few stray tears cascaded down her face. She couldn't open her mouth in fear that he could hear the tears in her voice. It was already bad enough that Bakugo had seen her cry. But Todoroki?

"If you're not going to answer, then just go. Hope you win your fight, but who knows if you'll give your all in it." He said dryly.

"That's not fair." Miri's voice cracked, and she cringed.

"You get used to it." He looked away from her, having said enough. His hand curled into a fist, and he brought the knuckle to his forehead to rest it there.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Miri wiped her eyes and grabbed the knob on the door, ready to close it. Keeping her face hidden from him, regardless if he knew if she was crying or not, Miri whispered. "I wish things were different."

Todoroki very well heard but didn't look up again from his position until long after Miri had left the room.