One by One

Lies of Omission

The dual haired boy ignored Aizawa has he walked towards his room, his right hand slowly being consumed by frost and his left hand creating small sparks. Todoroki looked around his room, finding the urge to burn it all down. Instead of listening, Todoroki placed his right hand on the floor, the frost from his hand shooting outwards until his entire room was covered in a thin layer of ice.

Someone started knocking on the door, and Todoroki repressed the urge to shout at the person to leave him alone. Instead, he calmly grabbed the door with his left hand, the sparks melting the ice to free the door from the icy prison. A dark haired man stood their, the lower half of his face buried in his scarf.

"Why did you freeze your room?" Aizawa asked, shivering as the cold came up against him. Todoroki didn't answer, his monotone gaze peering into Aizawa's permanently dry eyes. Aizawa released a sigh, realizing that Todoroki was in one of his moods where he reverted back to his beginning of the year state. Back when Todoroki didn't have friends, he was cold and bitter, his expressions dull and empty. Aizawa knew that when Todoroki got worked up, it was the same fate. Todoroki wasn't like other kids, throwing tantrums when he was upset. This kid simply froze, his emotions tethered to a numb feeling that encased him like ice.

"Fine, you don't want to talk. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu are in their rooms, and I'll be in the living room if you want to talk to anyone," Aizawa let Todoroki go. Normally, Aizawa would be present until one of his students calmed down, but kids like Todoroki and Bakagou required solitude to gain control over how they were feeling.

Todoroki shut the door, his entire left half exploding with red hot flames. A hiss filled the air as the ice jumped off the walls as steam. Todoroki opened his window, the water vapor dispersing into the forest beyond Heights Alliance. Todoroki took a deep breath, deciding that he wanted to see what Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were up to. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want to he with an adult. Not after Endeavor, not after his mother.

Todoroki found Yaoyorozu's room first. When he knocked, she was studying. She smiled at Todoroki, inviting him with polite and lengthy words. Todoroki accepted, but something felt off to him about her. She wasn't hurt since she was favoring any side of her or wincing, she hadn't been crying, though she could have been masterful at hiding it, and the room didn't feel any different, not an odd smell or out of place detail. Todoroki didn't know what was wrong, but it made his skin crawl.

"What brings you here, Todoroki? I thought you informed the class that you would be with your siblings?" Yaoyorozu asked, remembering when everyone was discussing where they would be going. Todoroki mentioned his siblings, and Yaoyorozu knew that Midoriya had said his father was returning home after being away overseas. Yaoyorozu couldn't understand why the two would ditch those plans in favor of coming to Heights Alliance.

"My siblings had different plans," Todoroki shrugged, but that wasn't entirely true. His siblings did have plans, but that wasn't why he left. Yet Todoroki couldn't say anything because Endeavor was a highly respected hero. Who would believe Todoroki? "What brings you here?"

"My parents had a few business meetings, and I didn't want to study there. I decided to come here," Yaoyorozu told the truth, but there was many details she herself left out. It wasn't that Todoroki and Yaoyorozu didn't have a good enough relationship to he completely honest with one another, it was that neither wanted to share their troubles.

"I suppose I should leave you to that. I will go see Midoriya," Todoroki said, almost glad to leave. It was nothing against Yaoyorozu. She was fine. It was the atmosphere of the room that pushed Todoroki away. The lies of omission, and the bitter secrets neither kid was willing to give up. What happened behind closed doors wasn't meant for the light, and neither teenager wanted the spotlight on them. If they uttered any word, everything would crumble beneath them. They were the recommended students, it was only natural that they helped everyone put themselves on pedestals, becoming out of reach of everything, including each other.

Todoroki found himself by Midoriya's door, but another unsettling aura gripped him as he raised his hand to knock. Todoroki swallowed, the feeling of not wanting to he alone overriding the waves of dread that held him. The knock was slow but purposeful, and Todoroki could here shuffling and a toilet flush. Todoroki assumed it was Midoriya using the bathroom, but something made that hard to believe for Todoroki.

Midoriya opened the door, a smile on his face. He kept the door only open enough for Todoroki to see him, and not anything else in the room. Todoroki found that odd, but something else bothered him about Midoriya's appearance. He was a bit disheveled, and panting slightly. Something red dripped down from lips to his chin, staining him red for a second. Todoroki reached to touch it but Midoriya wiped it off quickly. "Sorry, I was drinking some juice and I guess I didn't keep it all in my mouth. That was disgusting and I'm sorry."

Todoroki shook his head. That couldn't have been juice. It was way too dark, and it flowed slowly, a thicker substance than plain juice. Todoroki wanted to elaborate, but Midoriya clutched his stomach, closing the door in Todoroki's face. Todoroki opened his mouth, but only a strangled noise came out. Todoroki looked around, the darkened hallway becoming even darker as he stared at it. The feeling of loneliness ate at his soul, causing panic to erupt in his brain. Why now?

Todoroki fell to his knees. The uneasiness from Yaoyorozu, the worry for Midoriya, the suffering of his mother, the pain his father caused, and his need for someone to be there for him collided into a single force, making Todoroki fall completely back, dark spots coating his vision.