The Emerald Prince

Chapter 11: Breaking the Ice

The rest of the day was uninteresting - compared with discovering your genetic dad is an evil mastermind.

Izuku wanted to talk to Endeavour's son, Todoroki. But he couldn't shift the group of people around him.
He did finally escape at lunch though, excusing himself to join Shinsou who clearly hadn't done as well friend wise as he had, sat alone at a table to himself, low key brooding.
Izuku noted Todoroki in a similar position.

The canteen was a huge room, two storeys high, and large enough to seat 700 students at a time, with 7 tables of ten, per row, and 10 rows, with the Hero Lunch Rush, at the head of a vast kitchen annexed on.
The hero was a mysterious character, Izuku had no idea what his quirk was. He wore a clean white cooking apron, and a chef hat extended to cover his face, alone with a blue tube that covered his mouth and looped over his shoulder down his back.
He seemed like a cheerful guy though, and seemed to know exactly how Izuku liked his Katsudon, so he rose up Izuku's favourite hero rankings substantially.

He and Shinsou sat at the corner of the table nearest the exit, whilst Todoroki had chosen a table the other side of the hall, nearer the teacher's tables. The bicoloured teen emitted such an intimidating aura that not a single student had braved sitting at his table. Izuku had also scared off students but for...different reasons.

"Toshi?"
"Yeah?" Shinsou looked up from his meal.
"You see the guy with the red and white hair?" Asked the greenette and Shinsou knew, just from that warm look in those vibrant green eyes.
"You want to bring him over." Sighed the taller teen, it wasn't surprising really; Izuku had gift for spotting problem children after all.
Izuku flushed at being so obvious, but nodded. "Yeah, I can tell there is a lot of pain behind his eyes...He needs friends."
"Fine... go ahead."
Izuku nodded again gratefully to Shinsou, and got up, clearly trying to ignore all of the eyes on him around the hall.

Shinsou breathed out in relief as the blood lust that had been directed at him ever since Izuku had joined his table finally let up a little.
It was worth it, but he appreciated the break anyway.

Izuku wound through the tables, bags scattered on the floor and crowds of overly energetic and positive teens to the melancholy corner where the bicoloured male sat, gazing absently at his food.

He stood awkwardly opposite him, stole himself and spoke up. "Hi, Todoroki?"
"Yes?" Came the emotionless response, as heterochromic eyes slowly rose to meet his.
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me and my friend at our table?" He asked, giving his best Izuku smile.
"Yes." ...and an identically monotonous reply. He'd hoped his smile would effect the teen slightly, but a yes was a yes. Izuku had thought the guy would need more convincing. He was so blunt...it was kinda refreshing.

Todoroki got up gracefully with his tray and made his way back towards his and Shinsou's table, unintentionally giving away he'd known where Izuku had sat the whole time.

Izuku moved to follow Todoroki back across the lunch hall but a strong hand grabbed his elbow. Turning, he found an older student he didn't recognise smiling at him, and holding his arm with a vice like grip.
"You're a new first year, yes? Why don't you sit with me cutie? I can teach you a lot."

Izuku wasn't aware of it, but almost the entire hall had stilled, apart from Todoroki who was moving back toward him, and Shinsou and Bakugou who were both standing, though the latter clueless as to what he planned to do.

Memories crashed down on Izuku. But he couldn't let them come, not here, not with everyone watching. He bit his lip slightly, hoping the pain would draw him back to the present. It did enough.
He wasn't at home, he wasn't at school either. This was just some obnoxious guy trying to pick him up at a club. Izuku knew how to handle those. A kick in the balls normally...but there was CCTV and witnesses, plus he wanted to spend as little time in Nezu's company as he could.

He raised his eyes, making them wide and innocent in the way that guys like this - who like control and power find irresistible.
"Really, senpai?" He asked, faking a little awe and excitement.
Clearly, the student hadn't quite expected the excuse to work, and like approximately half the room, he flushed at the way Izuku said 'senpai'.
"Y-yeah." He managed gazing into those admiring eyes.

"Like what?" Izuku asked, internally relieved when the student's grip loosened. He forcibly ignored his desire to pull away and moved closer to the teen.
"I'm a third year," he grinned confidently down this clearly stupid but sexy first year. "I know everything."
Izuku was smiling but now it shifted into a puzzled frown. "Do you know if someone can die of constipation?" He asked, still holding his innocent look.
The student looked slightly disturbed. "What... why?"
Izuku let his real smile return, "I'm worried, senpai... you're just so full of shit."

He extracted his arm from the 3rd year and it was only then, he realised the entire hall had watched their exchange, and everyone was laughing. He took a deep breath, made a small bow, grinned at the third year and turned around to find himself face to face...or more accurately face to chest with Todoroki.
He looked up into those blue and grey eyes. They looked so protective, so intense...he melted slightly under them.
"N-no problems here, Todoroki, let's get to our table okay?"
He kinda felt like he was calming down a wild beast.

Todoroki hesitated. For some reason he very much wanted to kiss Aizawa Izuku. And if Izuku's reaction was anything to judge, the guy wasn't causing it with his quirk.

He reluctantly backed off, turning away from the greenette to see if that would break the effect. It didn't. And the feeling only faded slightly, as he and Izuku moved back to their table.
When they sat down, noise gradually returned to the room.

"Izuku, are you alright? That was savage." Asked Shinsou, not sparing the other guy a glance.
"Yeah, it's happened before. Thanks for worrying though Toshi!" Izuku brushed it off swiftly but he could still feel that hand gripping his arm. Not now. He rubbed his own hand over the spot to erase the phantom touch and focused on the present.

"Shinsou Hitoshi, meet Todoroki Shoto. Todoroki Shoto, meet Shinsou Hitoshi."
Izuku smiled encouragingly at the pair and they reluctantly turned to face each other.
"Hello."
"Hi."
'Not a great start' thought Izuku.
"Hitoshi is in the Department for General Education, but his quirk is really powerful so I think he'll move to join the hero class soon." Continued the greenette cheerfully.

"Really. What's your quirk?" Asked Todoroki monotonously.
Shinsou nervously glanced at Izuku, the greenette nodded encouragingly.
"Brainwashing."
Todoroki's eyes widened a fraction before nodding much to Shinsou's surprise.
"I can generate ice. I understand what it is to hold a dangerous power."
"You can generate fire too, no?" Asked Izuku very carefully.
"I do not use that ability." Was the stony reply.
Izuku smiled. "Fair enough."
Shinsou also smiled. Izuku had been right, this guy was complicated, but he was their kind of complicated.

Todoroki was surprised to say the least, his eyes barely widening in his otherwise expressionless mask, but Izuku noticed.
"Is it that much of a surprise that other people at this school can understand you?"
The way Izuku looked at him made Todoroki tremble slightly. He kinda wanted to cry. He'd found people who got it, or at least respected his boundaries.
"I think we could get along, how about it, Todoroki?" Asked Shinsou with a grin.
"I'd like that." He said quietly, and for the first time of many to come, he smiled.

———

Bakugou had completely frozen up when Izuku had been grabbed. It looked so different from a third person view. He doubted most had noticed the sheer terror that had flickered across Izuku's face at the touch.
Had... had he caused that. No fucking away. He couldn't be responsible, right?

"Baku-bro! BAKU BRO!"
"What shitty hair?"
"You've been staring for the last twenty minutes."
"Just cuz you fucks are so damn boring."
"...sure." Said Kaminari, raising an eyebrow.
Kirishima, Bakugou noted now, was also regularly glancing toward Izuku's table, Kaminari and Sero too.

Izuku.

When had he stopped seeing this teen as Deku?
From the moment he entered the classroom, and he'd realised this was a completely different person. Not completely.
For the life of him, Bakugou could not work out whether he felt happy or sad about that. But he was relieved that it wasn't the empty emotionless Deku who had existed during their middle school days. That had been terrifying.
He'd hurt Deku then even more in the desperation for a reaction. At least there was light in this Izuku's eyes.

He scowled and attacked his lunch.