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'I would have expelled everyone here.'
Shoto sits on the floor of his new room, staring at his feet. He had expected this. He knew that the consequences were likely to be dire. Regardless, he would make the same choice if he had to do it over, even at the risk of expulsion. No way was he going do nothing with a classmate in the clutches of those villains; even Bakugo. What kind of hero would he be then?
Still, the pit of his stomach feels so unsettled...
'I trust in Todoroki's judgment.'
Shoto's eyes flash shut at the memory of the uncertain look on his classmate's face. She didn't want to come. She didn't want to do any of it. The only reason she did...
Shoto sighs loudly and rubs roughly at his face. He doesn't want to think about this anymore. His tired eyes re-focus on the boxes at the far side of the room. Fortunately, he has plenty to do to take his mind off of it.
Fortunately for Shoto, the time and energy it takes to prepare his bedroom to his liking causes him to blissfully forget all about Aizawa's ominous warning and his guilt over dragging his classmate down with the rest of them.
That is, until Uraraka gathers the Kamino gang together to hear out Asui, who was apparently quite upset after hearing about what they'd done.
Shoto joins the group in saying comforting words to her, but his attention is quickly diverted elsewhere. His gaze lands on Yaoyorozu's face and he watches with a pang in his chest as tears collect in the corners of her eyes.
Is she crying because she feels bad for her friend, or does she truly regret what happened?
Shoto doesn't think she would regret saving Bakugo. The villains nearly escaped with him yet again and they might never have seen him again after that. Not to mention that getting Bakugo out of there seemed crucial for All Might's fight against All for One.
Shoto's hands clench. If only he'd been faster, stronger...if only he'd tried harder to reach Bakugo back at camp...none of this might ever have happened... Bakugo would have been safe. They wouldn't have gone after him and put themselves in danger. And All Might...
"Hey, Todoroki?"
Shoto jumps. His gaze snaps upward and he finds Midoriya and Iida watching him closely. Behind them, the others look concerned as well.
Shoto scans his classmates until his eyes meet hers. "Yaoyorozu, can I speak with you for a moment?"
Yaoyorozu simply blinks back at him for a few seconds. Her eyes grow wider as she seems to process what he said. The others look on at the exchange (or lack thereof), just as confused as she seems to be until Midoriya urges them all to continue back inside.
Shoto eyes their retreating backs and takes a few steps closer to Yaoyorozu.
"Uhm, yes, Todoroki?" she asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What is it?"
Shoto slips his tongue out to moisten his lips. "I wanted..." he begins, eyes trailing off of hers as shame wells up in his stomach. "To apologize."
"Apologize?"
Shoto musters the courage to look her in the eyes again and finds her brows furrowed in confusion.
"You said that you trusted my judgment," he explains. "That's the reason you agreed to support and join our mission to rescue Bakugo."
Yaoyorozu's eyes widen and she staggers slightly, as though taken aback. "I - I suppose I did say that," she carefully replies.
"I'm sorry," Shoto adds. "You were only there because of me. You could have been injured, or worse. All because you put your faith in me."
"Todoroki..." Yaoyorozu frowns. "I'm not... I'm not upset with you or anything, if that's what -"
"I know you aren't," Shoto intervenes. "But I feel...bad," he finishes lamely, unsure of how else to put it. "Honestly, I don't know what I did to earn your trust. And I guess what I want to say is... You're probably better off putting your trust in other people instead."
Yaoyorozu frowns at him again, a hand clutched in front of her chest.
"Anyway..." Shoto averts his gaze. He automatically reaches up to the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh...goodnight, Yaoyorozu." He makes to walk past her back to the dormitory, but a hand at his shoulder stops him.
"Todoroki."
Shoto looks over to see Yaoyorozu's eyes on him, her gaze hardened.
"Let me be clear," she says, her eyes locked onto his. "I didn't go to rescue Bakugo solely because of your judgment. My trusting you was probably a factor, I'll admit, but I made that decision because I believed it was the right thing for me to do at the time. When it came down to it, I wanted to save our classmate just as much as you did. And besides, you only asked that I make another receiver; you never said anything about me joining you. So, the responsibility for my being there is mine alone."
She gives him a stern, confirmatory sort of nod, drops her hand from his shoulder, and then turns away toward Heights Alliance.
Shoto remains rooted to the spot and wonders whether he ought to say anything in return before she leaves. He almost feels like he may have offended her by suggesting she did what she did only because of blind trust in him. He supposes it was foolish of him to assume such carelessness from her of all people.
Yaoyorozu suddenly comes to a stop a few paces away from him. "And if you think that I regret trusting you," she says, rousing his attention once more, "Then you're mistaken. That won't ever happen."
That won't ever happen.
Shoto raises his eyebrows slightly at the finality in her voice. He has half a mind to challenge such absolute thinking, but decides he better not.
"Goodnight, Todoroki."
This time Yaoyorozu doesn't stop as she makes her way to the dormitory and inside. Shoto can't help but grin a little as he watches her go. A strange warmth replaces the anxiety that had been holed up in his gut.
Shoto's gaze stays set on the spot where Yaoyorozu disappears, even after the door closes behind her. The grin on his face doesn't waver either; if anything, it grows. And he doesn't know why, but all of a sudden he feels like he could do anything.
I can do it. I will be a hero worthy of your trust. Shoto lifts a fist in front of him and clenches it, as if making a silent promise, all the while buzzing with newfound confidence.
Thank you, Yaoyorozu, for putting your trust in me.