A Song of Ice and Fire

~Ch4: hE wHaT?!~

"She's waking up!"

I groaned and took in a sharp breath.

"Y/N... Y/N! Can you hear me?"

I cracked my eyes open, trying to ignore the pounding in my head.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I took in my surroundings. I was laying in a cot in well lit an infirmary of sorts. Medication bottles and first aid equipment littered every shelf and cabinet in sight, but the air smelled of honey and lemon.

I finally glanced to the side, seeking the source of the voice.

"Momo?" I whispered sluggishly, recognizing my friend's messy black ponytail.

She smiled reassuringly. "It's alright Y/N. You're okay now."

"Wh-" I coughed, somehow still finding it hard to breathe.

"Shh... Rest your voice, steady your breathing." She suggested soothingly. "That last challenge took a lot out of you, but you did great." She added encouragingly.

My mouth stretched into a small smile.

"I suppose you want to know what happened when you blacked out, right?" 

I nodded.

"Well, you were unconscious, and you weren't breathing, which ultimately leads to CPR." Momo started. "So your Partner, Todoroki I believe, tried to save you while we waited for Recovery Girl to arrive."

I paled slightly, shocked at the revelation. "C... C.P.R.?!"

Momo laughed. "Don't worry, he didn't do mouth-to-mouth. Basic first aid advises against it when helping strangers. He just used chest compressions."

I sighed, relieved. "Where is he now?"

"I'm pretty sure he left. He looked pretty irritated about something though." She shrugged. "By the way, what happened during your challenge? Things got weird half-way through."

I scowled, and told her about the fight and Todoroki's betrayal, interrupted only by my occasional cough or wheeze.

"He betrayed you, just like that?!" She exclaimed. "It's pretty hard to believe... Maybe he had a plan and just didn't tell you what it was?" She pondered.

I shook my head, my scow easing into a tired frown. "I doubt it. He'd been giving me the stink eye since the very beginning of the exam, and he probably hates me." My voice dropped to a mutter. "It's because I controlled him during the race. I just know it. I'm never going to get anywhere with a quirk like this..." I sniffled.

Momo shook her head. "I doubt he 'hates' you, but whatever it is that angered him, you controlling him or otherwise, he had no right to take it out on you like that! He might have cost you the exam!" She threw up her hands, exasperated.

I slid back under the covers. "I don't want to see him ever again."

"Now, now. Don't be that way. You didn't even hear the whole story!" A new voice intervened.

I peeked from under the sheets to see who had joined the conversation. It was a short, white-haired, full-cheeked nurse, clothed in a pristine lab coat. Her eyes had smile wrinkles that complemented her warm smile. She wobbled slowly with a cane to support her, hands outfitted with large yellow gloves, her left arm behind her back.

I gasped in recognition. "You're Recovery Girl, right? The healing hero?" I sat up again, fidgeting excitedly.

The kind-eyed hero chuckled. "That's me! But don't change the subject, dearie. And for goodness' sake, stop fidgeting! Your asthma is already bad as it is, don't make it worse!" She scolded.

I took a deep breath, coughing lightly, and stabilizing my movements with the hopes of containing my excitement.

"Better." She nodded. "Now, as I was saying, you're being too hard on Mr. Todoroki. He saw to it that you made it to me safely, and didn't leave until he had properly clarified and explained the whole story. And believe me, it was quite enlightening."

She picked up a steaming pot from a small stove hidden in the corner of the room.

Huh, I hadn't even realized that was there.

"He never meant you any harm, you know? It was all but a misunderstanding," she continued.

She poured the boiling water into 3, beautifully painted, porcelain cups and mixed some dried tea leaves with them. "The whole time, he was simply trying to protect you from Present Mic's screams. He's really quite a clever boy, figuring out that the numbness of the cold emanating from his ice would dampen your hearing, but only if done unexpectedly so that your body wouldn't have time to react. If you'd known what was coming, the cold wouldn't have been as effective." She looked up at us. "Sugar, dears?" She gestured at the cups.

We both nodded, not daring to interrupt her narration. She also nodded in reply.

"However," She mixed some sugar into all 3 cups. "He never got the chance to go through with his plan, because you used you somehow managed to brainwash him."

She offered Momo and I a cup each, then claimed one for herself. I took a sip, and it was exquisite! The sweet taste of jasmine and green tea danced across my tongue, and the warm drink soothed my aching throat, quenching the thirst I hadn't even noticed. I drained the cup, not minding its hot temperature, then set the mug aside.

"I'm glad to hear he wasn't acting out of selfishness or wrath... But I still don't want to ever interact with him again, or even be in proximity of him." I shook my head. "Not after that freak show, and definitely not after I controlled him." I diverted my gaze. "My quirk brings nothing but misfortune and malice to others."

Momo shot me a look, silently scolding me for my irrational insecurities. I just shrugged, sighing in denial.

Recovery Girl sipped at her tea serenely, ignoring our not-so-subtle exchange "His attitude wasn't necessarily caused by your actions, he could've simply been in a bad mood." She stated, matter-of-factly. "So how could you judge if he hates you or not? Do you know what's going on in his personal life?"

"Well, no but-"

"Did you even bother asking him if or why he 'hates' you?"

"Why would I ask though? Of course, he hates me after I brainwa-"

"Recovery Girl is right you know." Momo interrupted. "Now that I think about it, we have no idea what he's dealing with in his life. We might be taking this the wrong way."

I crossed my arms. "It still doesn't mean that what I did to him was okay."

Momo sighed. "You know, sometimes you can be really stubborn."

I laughed nervously. "So I've been told."

She giggled. "Let's just forget about this and worry about the results."

"Fine..." I sighed. "But don't expect me to get over all this anytime soon."

Momo swatted at me, shushing me with a quick change of subject. "Supposedly, they'll send us a list of the accepted students next week."

"I heard you both have pretty decent scores." Recovery Girl winked at us, and we giggled.

"Can't wait!"

***

A/N

Early update dedicated to the best friend I've ever had. 😔❤️

You know who you are.🙏

سوف تمرّ هذه العاصفة.