As students are issued dorm rooms, Todoroki, an apathetic and paternally scorned boy, is overwhelmed by a seemingly fictional admiration for a fellow classmate, Midoriya. The foreign warmth the two share is something that Todoroki has come to distru...
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"Today I am assigning you your semester project," Aizawa Sensei bluntly stated, suddenly redirecting my attention from the window to his cocooned form at the front of the classroom. I heard my fellow peers collectively sigh as he said this, causing him to roll his eyes at their reluctance. "Listen, class," he grumbled sternly. "You are expected to write an essay on the importance of heroism and the origins of its predominance around the world," he stated. "The definition of hero work, of course, shouldn't just state the obvious. Try to actually put some thought into it." The class had started to buzz with inquiry as the students were expressing ideas from one to another. As Aizawa Sensei cleared his throat, abrupt silence ripped through the room. "I have also decided to incorporate this assignment with that of your physical training. Some of you have still yet to grasp the idea of teamwork when it comes to the practicalities of being a hero, so I have assigned each of you a partner for this project," he said. I listened as sighs of relief rang throughout the class along with a high five between Kaminari and Kirishima. "I will allow you and your partner to begin working on the project for the rest of the class period, so pay attention so you know who you're paired with." As he boringly read out the groups, my mind entered a state of panic. I fear that I would only upset my classmates if I were to work alongside any of them. "Kirishima and Bakugou, Yaoyorozu and Jirō, Todoroki and Midoriya, Tsuyu and Shoji..." he continued to drone on. I felt my heart skip a beat at the call of his name. Though we had spoken on only a few occasions, I didn't want to destroy anything I already had with him. I couldn't risk ruining such a fragile thing that we shared. I know that there's not much to me, but I was afraid that what was there would scare him. Even though I didn't express it often, I couldn't face losing someone else who had put themselves out for me. I didn't want to call this a friendship because that word seemed too demanding and audacious for me to handle, but rather to call it a mutual understanding. Calling it a friendship would only bring some unwieldy, fearsome comfort, that in the darkest of moments would lull me to a state of calmness with a noose tied to it. A peace that cannot be trusted. The metal scraping of a chair next to me signaled my attention. Midoriya had made his way to my desk, bringing a smile along with him. "Good morning, Todoroki," he said politely. I gave a nod in return and shifted in my seat to better face him as we began our project. *** As I packed my bag at the end of the school day, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to only see the anxiety-ridden face of Midoriya standing behind me. I stood for a moment, perplexed as to how the once confident and persevering boy working on the term project with me had vanished. Uraraka and Iida hung closer to the classroom door as they waited for their green-haired companion. "I was wondering if you wanted to work on the project after school sometime," he mumbled out. "I m-mean it's perfectly fine if you d-don't want to though," he said, raising his hands slightly as if to surrender. I heard a slight chuckle emit from Uraraka at his awkward stature. "That would probably be the best thing to do if we want to have enough time to consider every aspect of the assignment," I said, swinging my backpack over my shoulder calmly. "I'm free anytime." "O-oh, well, then we can meet tomorrow since I have to meet All Might this afternoon," he stated, placing his thumb on his lip in deep concentration as he continued to mumble to himself. "Deku! We'd better get going if we're all going to study together," Uraraka called, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Yes! It would be rather rude of us to keep our classmates waiting," Iida added. "Ah, yeah, hold on," he turned to me, "tomorrow then?" I nodded as he softly smiled and hurried to catch up with his friends, walking out into the hallway. It was then in the silence that I found myself thinking. The ringing of his tender voice echoed through my head. The friendly, relaxed nature of his smile and how easy it was to bring one to his lips left me awestruck. Why was it that I always felt like this after being near him? I know I shouldn't, but it's within these unspoken feelings that are the most unfathomable, the most unforgettable, the most undeniable.
