Suicidal Todoroki x Midoriya | What it Means to Love

1 | Scorched Fragments

Izuku Midoriya

BEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEEP!

I split my eyelids apart to the obnoxious blaring of my alarm in my ear and roll over in bed to slap my hand on the Snooze button before flicking the switch to Off. When I finally register that I have to manually pick myself up from my bed and attend school again after the weekend, I stagger out from under my warm covers and slide onto the cold floor. After showering and pulling on my school uniform, I glance around my room, which is decked out with All Might merchandise as far as the eye can see. Posters of All Might are strewn across all four walls, and figurines of him are lined up on my desk. He is both my idol and the one who entrusted me with One For All.

When I walk out of my room and head for the front door, I realize that my mom, Inko Midoriya, left me a still-steaming plate of taiyaki on the dining table with a small note beside it. I tilt my head and pick up the note, holding it between my thumb and index finger. "Have a great day at school, Izuku! I'll be out at work by the time you come home today, so I made you some taiyaki to make up for it," I read aloud. "Love you!" An ardent smile materializes on my mien as newfound confidence swells up in my veins after putting the note down. "I will!" After curling my hand into a fist and staring at the wall like an idiot for a few seconds, I realize I might find myself marked tardy on the first day of school if I allow myself to linger at home any longer.

Scooping up the mildly hot taiyaki into my hands, I bolt out the door and begin cramming the fish-shaped mounds of deliciousness into my mouth while internally pleading that I don't choke. Luckily for me, I end up diving into my seat a minute or two before the start of class without having choked on the taiyaki. I pant perfervidly and earn a plethora of queer stares from everyone in the classroom—everyone, with the exception of Kacchan and the perpetually stone-faced Todoroki, as usual.

"Midoriya!" Iida vehemently shouts while swiftly springing up from his seat and pointing at me with all five of his fingers pointed in my direction. "You should make more of an effort to make it to class at least ten minutes before it starts!"

Ten minutes? That's ten less minutes of sleep!

Kacchan crosses his arms at Iida. "Tch. Shut up, Four Eyes!" he growls indignantly while practically turning his nose up at Iida.

"Haha! No need to get so worked up about him, Bakugou," Kirishima chuckles, to which Kacchan glares at him like he's about to go in for a killing strike.

Fortuitously, I find my eyes briefly scanning the astringent expression of Todoroki. Although this endures for merely an ephemeral moment, I can't help but subliminally question why it is that the remote rings of silver and turquoise which ensconce his onyx pupils look almost as though they've been surfeited with seeing the world at all.

"Midoriya-kun still made it here on time, though," Asui notes, placing a finger on her chin.

Not long after Asui finishes her statement, Mr. Aizawa walks into the room and announces that class is officially starting. He looks absolutely exhausted, as always, but he nonetheless informs us that today will be a day to accompany one of the pro heroes in groups of four. He explains that everyone will be simultaneously receiving lessons from the heroes and taking up a duty to watch for villainous acts. It seems exceedingly out of the ordinary, but I don't argue as I witness as Present Mic, Midnight, Cementoss, and All Might enter the classroom.

"The five of us will be your pro heroes today," our phlegmatic homeroom teacher states with a mundane tone. "We've put you all into random groups, and we will announce them now. Those with Present Mic are Bakugou, Kirishima, Iida, and Ojiro. Those with Midnight are Kaminari, Tokoyami, Koda, and Jirou. Those with Cementoss are Asui, Shoji, Aoyama, and Mineta. Those with All Might are Uraraka, Sato, Sero, and Yaoyorozu. Finally, those with me are Todoroki, Ashido, Hagakure, and Midoriya."