Boku No Hero Academia One Shots [Book 2]

☃ Shouto Todoroki ☃

Never again would you agree to participate in this particular festive tradition.

Secret Santa was truly a high-stakes game, and some simply refused to lose. Everyone had drawn a name (supposedly at random), and lo and behold, you had discovered your beloved's name written upon the paper. The contact exchanged between you was practically non-existent, so you hadn't the faintest idea as to his interests. What's more, your classmates were treating this entire ordeal with the strictest confidence; you had attempted to hint here and there, but achieved nothing. Your brain danced around every possibility - perhaps something related to All Might? A scarf? - This was swiftly dismissed, as you remembered his quirk. Soba? He definitely liked Soba...maybe a little too much.

As the month trudged along, an unyielding anxiety settled within your core. What if you couldn't find a suitable present in time? Surely, it would be an incredible blow to his morale. Although the emotions he displayed presented themselves at irregular intervals, he could still experience sadness, disappointment, pain. If he became the sole individual to receive nothing, how would his features contort? Would his brows furrow, would his plush lips turn downwards, all as the product of shock and woe. And what of the shame? Would he feel it? You couldn't allow that most distressing image to grace your mind, for your concentration would falter, and then the bi-coloured beauty certainly wouldn't be unwrapping any gifts.

That pure, innocent candy-cane deserved the sun, the moon and all the stars. Letting him down just wasn't an option, especially given the bells which echoed love through your veins.

Ah, perhaps a basket of miscellaneous items, like weights, packets of soba and some other, Christmassy bits? You decided to add some candy-canes, not only as they seemed an accurate representation of him by appearance, but also because they were sweet! Todoroki's heart had been thawed, melted even, and a gentle, compassionate character was ever-unwinding. When you really considered it, the similarities between him and that peppermint treat were truly uncanny. The candy was saccharine and sticky, and...oh, your imagination had pirouetted into yet another dimension.

At the time, you didn't realise that Todoroki was suffering through the same deliberations. It saddened him to consider how little knowledge he actually had of you, as the chorus of his infatuation thundered throughout his chest. He knew practically nothing of your life, so could he claim, sincerely, to love you? And...how would his heart fracture, facing the prospect of rejection? It was horrifying, so he gazed at the stars for an escape. He saw you within those most enchanting constellations, twirling amidst deep space. Your form glinted brighter than any other star, for you arrested more importance than even the universe.

If you would retain a foothold on his tree, at the summit, your grace and splendour melting into the pines...that would serve him the ultimate happiness, on a silver platter. If he confessed...if you accepted...that joy was sure to consume him. A tender smile played at his lips, but he refused to become complacent. If he confessed...if you rejected...his heart might shatter, and he wasn't at all prepared. Monotony engulfed his features once more, swallowing that tiny hint of a smile. He wandered the town, searching for something which would encapsulate his love - something to bestow a kindly grin upon your face. Oh, how he adored that precious gem.

He wanted to carve it into his mind, immortalise it. If he failed to court you, then at least the memory of your fairy-touched smile would command a degree of jubilation...until he remembered your harsh rejection. But...it wasn't prophecy just yet! Perhaps wooing you was still an option. After all, he didn't really understand the concept of Secret Santa, even despite it being explained to him. So, he decided on a card to accompany your gift. It would set out his emotions, crystal clear, and of course include his name.

Completely oblivious to the background manipulation, the rigging of the game, the two of you readied both presents and hearts. You would bequeath each, allowing the other to interpret and respond according to their own inclinations. Neither of you expected positive responses, but the rest of your class understood the truth.

Love was a sickness, and it was smothering you. 

[Word Count: 719]