Affinity

Chapter 40 - Chance Meeting

Fire is a primitive resource. It is one of the first things humans learned to harness in their infancy, something that has been used for millennia to control and create. Fire quirks are, in turn, some of the most common types of quirks.

Shoto has always hated that idea. Hated the idea that there are children in the world who may have suffered the same way he had, that there were other children who were burned and branded as he was. For as long as he can remember, Shoto has chosen to hide his fire. Partially because his father is a controlling, manipulative and abusive narcissist -

But partly, in turn, because he has never wanted to be the poster child for fire quirks.

Children deserve better than to look up to someone like him.

Children deserve a role model that is whole and complete, someone who is not burnt or scarred or otherwise wicked.

Shoto Todoroki has never wanted to be a role model. In fact, he has wanted to fade into obscurity for as long as he can remember, but Shoto is burdened with glorious purpose.

For all of his self-confidence and skill, Shoto doubts himself. Doubts his ability to be a hero, a role model, or even a good person. He has been taught that all that matters is power, is strength. The grandiose nature of his quirk has been his only redeeming feature for his entire life, and until now he has been okay with it.

All of this is to say that Shoto cannot understand why he has become so consumed with the red haired girl who has been plaguing his dreams for weeks.

He can remember the first time he met Emiko - both as a child and as a teenager. Though their meeting as children can barely count as a meeting, seeing as both of them were unable to actually speak to one another. He was 5, or maybe 6? Either way, that doesn't matter. He'd been sitting in the lobby of his fathers agency, swinging his legs underneath him as he stared at the monstrous clock. Everything that was in that building seemed so huge to him back then, as if it had been made larger with the sole purpose of intimidating whoever entered.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

As a child, he had no concept as to the passing of time. He didn't know whether he'd been sitting there for hours or minutes, but it didn't matter because he was bored.

He'd begun counting the people who walked past him, and had hit 34 twice now, even though it was more likely that 15 people had passed twice. Shoto was never good at counting as a child, something that irked his father to no end. So, he practiced. Each tick of the clock was 1, and he would make it to one hundred before starting again.

He was at 64 ticks and 34 people when he saw her walk in.

Her hair was longer than he'd ever seen before, and the way it caught the light looked like it was on fire. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut in laughter, and she hung from the arm of a dark haired woman in a suit.

The woman was person 35, and she settled the fire haired girl into the seat across from him.

He repeated 36 in his mind until 35 left, and then he just stared at the girl in front of him.

Even as a child, he knew she was pretty. He'd never had much contact with other children, but he was enamored by her. The way the overhead lights caught her hair lit up a blazing halo around her face. Her hair swirled around her and rested over her shoulders, puddling across the seat and over her knees. Her skin was pale and her cheeks were flushed, blush pink spreading across every uncovered expanse of skin.