Shelter [Reader x Shouto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou, Izuku Midoriya]

Chapter 8 ~ A Dangerous Rivalry

'I wonder if every school day will be like yesterday,' I thought as I dressed for the morning. I got up super early so that I could get to school before Izuku, even though, once I woke up, I felt like a square trying to roll its way around.

As a student in U.A., I go to average classes that most schools in Japan have as well as special classes specifically for heroes in training. Even though most classes can get a bit boring, it's still better than junior high!

Our core classes meet in the mornings, which are English, Mathematics, and Modern Literature. Most kids look half dead during the mornings, so only the brightest and most dedicated students really care about answering questions. I, unsurprisingly, was never one of them.

Midday, we take a break for lunch in the main cafeteria.

The bell rang at the very end of third period. Most of us just followed the crowd to find out where the lunchroom was, but some, like Tenya, came prepared with a full-blown map of the building.

I was one of the last people still gathering their things in the classroom, along with Shoto.

'This is my chance to meet him!!' I thought, speedwalking over to him.

"Hey, my name is (Y/n) (L/n), but I prefer people call me (Y/n)," I said, making him to look up and notice me.

"Hey," he responded, returning to pack his things.

"Yours is Shoto Todoroki, right?"

"Yeah."

"I heard the food here is some of the best!" I smiled, feeling a little embarrassed that this was such a one-sided conversation, "It's even cooked by the pro hero Lunch Rush!"

"I don't really care about the food," he said, avoiding eye contact as he began to walk out of the classroom.

'I'm not giving up!!' I thought, racing after him.

"So, do you know anyone here from junior high?" I asked, trying to walk slowly so I had more time to chat.

"No."

"Our teachers are pretty awesome so far, huh?"

He stopped and looked over at me like I had ten heads. "They're pros working in the world's number one hero academy, of course they'd be good."

'I got more than seven words!!' I thought, beaming. He looked at me with an even more puzzled expression.

"What's your favorite class so far?" I asked as we continued to walk. This time, though, he was watching my eyes.

"I don't have one."

"What about your favorite subject?"

"I don't have one."

"Okay, well if you had to specialize in any non-quirk-related field, which would it be?"

He looked forward for a moment, considering his options. "Chemistry."

"Really? You must be smart; that's a complex subject," I said, giving him a warm smile. "For whatever reason, you seem like you'd be a good astronaut to me."

"An astronaut?"

"Yeah, don't you think it would be cool to see the entire Earth at one time in person? It's so massive; it would be breathtaking to watch it slowly spin - not to mention that you could float in the air!! You could even be one from a handful of people who get to see the ever-expansive galaxy firsthand!! I could definitely see you working an elaborate job like that."

The tips of his mouth, along with a tiny bit of the middle, curved up the slightest bit. I could see his eyes light up. His smile was sweet and gentle. "Sounds like you want to go more than me." Something about him just reeled me in, it was strange.