𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 → todonasa

one.

the stars wanted to suffocate todoroki.

midoriya and iida were sat on either side of him, words of what were likely wisdom spilling like saccharine from their lips, but they didn't feel sweet or kind when they fell upon the boy's ears. he wanted to curl up in a tight ball, but showing such a weakness in front of his friends... didn't seem very heroic.

a fist met with his shoulder, very gently however. without turning his head he met midoriya's gaze.

"cheer up, todoroki!" the green-haired boy exclaimed. his hand dropped back to where it had been originally resting at his side. "you'll pass your provisional exam eventually, i promise. don't let it get to your head."

it had already gotten to his head. he had already wanted to carve the memory of it into his skin - it would be the only way he would forget it. he didn't want to remember that he was only known as endeavor's kid, that his eyes looked like his father's, that he was hated or uncared for because of that reason. it made him angry, the feeling boiling up until it was squeezing his lungs in a tight fist.

his friends didn't understand, and they never would.

people, hero or villain, experience hardships differently. todoroki's life had experienced a different roller-coaster than midoriya or iida. a different shadow loomed over him, and though it may not have been larger in size, it remained there. it was always there. refusing to leave, even for just a second, todoroki was being hidden by his own shadow.

he lifted his hand to gnaw at his fingernails, his seventeenth bad habit, though it was first in the list of bad habits that weren't a secret.

"i know. can't be a hero without 'em," he grumbled against the tips of his fingers, letting out a soft grunt of frustration. midoriya gave him a sad smile of understanding. though he didn't say a word after that, todoroki knew what the shorter had been thinking. 'we're here for you, to help you succeed, if you want it.'

iida lifted his hand stiffly, knuckles refusing to bend despite how uncomfortable it must have been. "we're here for backup support! if you just need someone to vent to, in order to get your frustration out, i'm not far away. you also have my phone number, but i personally prefer face to face."

todoroki hated any social interaction, but iida was a nice guy. if he offered to meet up with him in person, it would be hard for the other to deny - that's just how kind the wide-framed male was. he would likely have been scary, given his sternness, if it wasn't for how utterly soft he really was. it was like watching a teddy bear throw a tantrum.

the two-toned boy thanked them, before excusing himself to his dorm room. he dreaded leaving them, not wanting to see what texts from his father were awaiting him, but the stars were dancing around him in a teasing manner. they laughed and giggled and begged for him to show his friends his scars.

they'd be disgusted at what hid beneath your sleeves.

they already don't like looking at what's disgraced your pretty face!

they would only think it was all for attention.

you'll only be given the easy way out, out of pity.

shut up.

the door to his dorm room clicked shut, and a gentle sigh escaped from his lips. his window had been blocked off. the stars couldn't reach him here. and with the door locked, nobody else would either.

it was just him and the object that had been craving his attention since he had woken up that morning

and it was becoming unbearable to live a second without it.

- 

inasa's shoulders felt weighed down with guilt.

he slumped over his notebooks, idly doodling on the half-blank page with a frustrated pout. a tiny stick figure with half and half hair stared sadly up at him. it was the same look he had been given at the exams after inasa's harsh words. he didn't mean to come off as rude - it only made him seem hypocritical.

camie was staring at him with wide, curious eyes. she blinked slowly and took a slow sip of her drink. "you're drawing the little man again?" she asked, tapping her finger against the darker side of the hair. "you never tell me why you keep drawing him! did you dream about him? did he-" she paused, and took in a quick gasp. "is he the guy who kept attacking you in your dreams with the american fruit juices?"

"he was at the provisional exams. you didn't see him there?" inasa asked, before scribbling a little tie on what was stick-figure-todoroki. "i told him something really mean, and i feel bad because he looked really sad. because of me, we both failed the exam."

camie shrugged. she didn't feel like announcing quite yet that she didn't remember the exam. "if you both failed the exam, you'll get to see him again won't you? or do you both just give up on being a hero at this point? that would be a really bad outcome, but as a bully you might deserve-"

the male hushed her with a quick glare, before focusing his attention on giving little todoroki a cute pair of tiny ears, even if they were abnormally small. he hadn't thought about the fact that they'd both get to see each other again after they both had failed.

 due to the guilt that had been weighing him down, making him move slowly and sluggish in his average life, inasa had completely forgotten that they had a second chance. he would get to make up with todoroki, they would get to be heroes, and he'd make a new friend in the process. he decided to talk with whoever he could to find out when he'd get to have a second chance.

he needed to mark it in his calendar. making friends was important.

besides, it's not like he was thinking of shoto todoroki for any other reason.