Happy Ending ((TENYA IIDA X OC))

Chapter 12

I left Iida's house early the next morning.

U.A. was relatively empty all for the early bird students and the few teachers who prepped for the upcoming classes. I walked down the quiet halls hastily, figuring that I could apologize to Iida later as I pulled open class 1-A's door.

As expected, it was empty and illuminated with natural light filtering in through the large windows lining the walls. Despite that, I pressed the lights on as strolled up the the podium at the head of the room. I stood motionless while yanking a file out of my bag, but before I could turn to the board and write out my notes, a soft knock emanated from the doorway.

I turned to see Todoroki standing there, which was shocking since I've never seen him get to school before me even when I was still a student. I blinked at him, and when I didn't say anything, he stepped in and slid the door shut behind him.

"Hey," he greeted stiffly, slipping his hands into his pockets. "You're here early."

"I always am," I informed him, turning my attention back to the board. "I could say the same to you, by the way."

"I wanted to catch you alone," he confessed. I listened as he shuffled across the tile next to the podium. "The only way to do that was to come to you before classes."

"What is it, then?" I inquired. My interests had piqued, but I didn't turn to look at him.

"Everyone wants to," he began. I assumed he meant everyone wanted to talk to me. "They may not say it, but I can tell."

"They can speak to me during class if they have any questions," I deadpanned. "You seem to be able to tell a lot just by looking at someone."

"Call it a sixth sense," Todoroki suggested blandly. "Anyway, I have something to ask you."

"Then ask it."

"I get why you came back," he went on. I stopped writing. "But why did you leave in the first place? You had people to help you here."

"I'm surprised that you care enough to ask." I replied humorlessly, tapping the end of my chalk against the board.

"Then give me the courtesy of an answer."

His tone was demanding, yet it was discreet. A long silence went on before I slowly set my utensil and folder down on the podium.

"I left thinking it would give everyone in Japan peace," I replied curtly, looking at him with a straight face — one that matched his own expression. "I was lucky enough to find a place where no one knew who I was."

"Where is that place, exactly?"

"You only wanted to ask one question."

I turned away from him again and continued what I had previously been doing. I could feel the heat of his stare on the back of my neck. His presence was irritably importunate; openly or not.

"I told you that I understood how you felt," Todoroki began again after a prolonged silence. I bit down hard on my cheek. "About the 'hating one side of your quirk' thing, at least."

"I remember."

"I may not seem very approachable," he said. "And if I think about it, you aren't either, but I'm someone you can go to who'll understand; even if it is weird for two impersonal people to 'vent' to each other."

"The things that go on in my head are things you can't comprehend," I dismissed bitterly, narrowing my eyes as I wrote. "You may hate your quirk for who your father is, but I hated mine for what it did to me and what it made me do to other people. It's not nearly the same."