Friends? (tododeku)

Chapter 6

Third-person POV

"Do not move!" Todoroki shouted and stood up. The ice under Midoriya had begun to crack and was in danger of breaking. Todoroki cursed himself. He had overestimated the strength of his quirk, which had put Midoriya in danger. He should have been more careful!

"Todoroki! I can't-" Midoriya shouted in panic and his body began to tremble.

"No Midoriya! Stop!" Todoroki commanded with a clear and strong voice. He raised his palm toward Midoriya and tried to calm the little boy, "Calm down." Midoriya was startled to hear Todoroki raise his voice. He usually spoke to Midoriya in a very gentle voice. A raised voice frightened Midoriya and he stood in fear.

"Midoriya..." Todoroki now said in a slightly gentler voice and continued, "carefully land on the ground and stay there. I'll be there soon." Midoriya nodded timidly and squatted as slowly as possible. He placed his palm on the surface of the lightly cracked ice and slid on his stomach. He sighed as he reached the ground safely and blinked at Todoroki.

Todoroki took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had to focus. Soon Todoroki's hands began to form ice, which he aimed towards Midoriya. Midoriya gasped in fright and covered his face with his hands.

Todoroki opened his eyes and shaped an ice bridge. He laid the ice bridge just above the surface of the pond so that they would not touch each other. The ice went on and on and finally stopped just in front of Midoriya. Todoroki stepped on it. It looked stable and thicker than the ice covering the pond. The boy took the first step to the bridge and then the second. The bridge didn't break. Good.

Todoroki walked calmly but quickly to the end and descended in front of Midoriya.

"Don't worry. I'm right here," Todoroki said and held out his other hand. Midoriya looked at it uncertainly for a moment. What if the ice breaks when he tries to get up? He didn't want to get into the cold water moving below. That would be a nightmare.

Todoroki noticed Midoriya's uncertainty, and he didn't dare grab the boy's helping hand. Todoroki thought for a moment and finally came up with an idea. He gently took Midoriya's arm and slid him closer. Midoriya did not resist, which facilitated Todoroki's rescue work. Midoriya didn't even dare to raise his gaze from under his arms. A little closer and... yes! Todoroki finally got a firm grip on the boy's waist and pulled him with a strong pull to the bridge. Todoroki breathed heavily as cold sweat flowed down his cheek. He had gotten Midoriya to safety. He looked at the restless boy. This had all been an accident, but Todoroki couldn't help but feel guilty. He was the one who originally made the ice. But he meant nothing bad. Todoroki had wanted to get Midoriya in a better mood, but it made him fear more.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked and tried to see Midoriya's hidden face. He did not answer or raise his head. Quite understandable. He was still scared.

Todoroki gently lifted them. He tried to pull Midoriya by the arm, but the boy didn't move. He looked frightened at the ground, unable to move. The boy's hands trembled and his eyes were wet with tears. Todoroki sighed and squatted. If he didn't want to walk, then Todoroki would carry him. Midoriya looked down to where Todoroki had landed. He had his back to Midoriya, and he could not see the boy's face. Midoriya swallowed nervously and moved gently. He grabbed Todoroki's shoulders and wrapped his legs around his waist. He tried to take a tight grip so that he couldn't fall. Todoroki cleared his throat as his breathing became difficult for him when Midoriya almost strangled him. He moved slowly so that Midoriya no longer had to fear.

When they finally got to the land safely, Todoroki relaxed his grip. Midoriya could come down now. But Midoriya showed no sign of letting go and his face was squeezed tightly on the other boy's shoulder. "Midoriya, you can come down now," Todoroki said. "You're safe." Midoriya looked up and found Todoroki speaking the truth. They were indeed safe, far from the cracking ice.

"Oh yeah," Midoriya said, a bit startled, and relaxed his grip. Todoroki breathed deeply, inhaling as much oxygen as he could. Midoriya may look small, but he had a very tight grip.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked and checked that there were no injuries left for the boy.

"Yeah no worries," Midoriya smiled and wiped his wet pants. "I'm fine."

Todoroki sighed holding his head. "I'm sorry. I should not have frozen the pond."

"No, don't be!" Midoriya exclaimed and shook his hands. "It was an accident, and luckily nothing happened."

Todoroki pressed his lips together. Even though Midoriya had said he was okay, Todoroki still couldn't help but think about it. Certainly, his happy and kind friend wouldn't forget this for a moment. In the worst case, he could start to be afraid of ice or water. Midoriya noticed Todoroki's troubled gaze and took a step closer. He placed his hand on his shoulder and raised a smile to his lips. "Believe me, I'm fine." Todoroki looked down at his large green eyes that sparkled as ice crystals hovered around him. His smile was genuine, and there was no sign of fear on his face. Todoroki finally decided to believe the boy and nodded. Midoriya was okay and that was the most important thing.

---

"Can I go already?" Todoroki said, bored.

"No. Again," Endeavor said firmly and snapped his fingers.

It was the next day and Todoroki's father had dragged him to daily exercises. Todoroki had to change between ice and fire quirk for him to learn to change them without any problems. Every day the same thing: first ice, which is melted with fire, which is then frozen again with ice. This ten times or until he managed to do it with his eyes closed.

Todoroki was already tired of training a while ago, but he couldn't run away this time. Endeavor closely monitored every move that Todoroki did, and was able to anticipate all escape attempts.

Can you die of boredom? At least that was what Todoroki felt. He would much rather be in the woods surrounded by silence where he could do what he wanted. On the other hand, he also wanted to see Midoriya, his new perky friend. Midoriya always came up with something to say and his praises warmed Todoroki's whole body. He's always so excited about Todoroki's quirks, no matter how many times Todoroki showed them. His smile and his laughter always seemed to echo around them, no matter where they were or Todoroki just wanted to repeat it in his head. Over and over and over again. It's like a cassette that can be played as many times as you wanted, and Todoroki would never forget it.

"-to!"

"Shouto!" Todoroki shuddered and turned his gaze. He had been completely in his thoughts and had not heard Endeavor's commandments. "Focus!" Endeavor growled in annoyance and stared at Todoroki with his sharp gaze. Todoroki shook his head. He didn't do it to say no or to disagree. He just had to get Midoriya out of his head, which seemed to pop into his mind as soon as his concentration waned.

The sooner I get these stupid exercises done, the faster I can go to Midori- I mean in the silence of the forest.