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His heart was beating faster than the drums of the rock band who had performed before him. Leaving the stage behind, the crowd was still cheering at him. What he did was incredible, he hoped no one had noticed but he was still shaking. He didn’t think he could do anything of that sort. First of all, he didn’t believe he would ever agree with one of Denki Kaminari’s ideas.
“You should definitely sign up for that contest, man” he said loudly slurping the last tapiocas’ pearl from his boba. “I heard you singing, and whether you like it or not, you’ve got talent... Still can’t explain to myself why you didn’t tell anyone back at the School Festival.”
“Nobody asked me” was Shouto’s quiet response. “Also, I didn't think I would be able to get our classmates to agree on a musical performance in the first place.”
“Yeah, I guess that proposal, coming from you, was pretty shocking, cuz sometimes you really seem to live out of the loop...” said the blond lightning boy distractedly, trying to collect the last slippery pearl at the bottom of the cup with the spoon-straw. “I never could have imagined you knew what a rave is” he added shrugging but giving him a bright smile.
“I don’t live under a rock, Kaminari, I know what a rave is, I’ve just never been to one.” he sighed. That was the main reason why he never told anyone he could sing and play the guitar. He'd never told anyone about any of his hobbies, actually. He found it difficult to express his own emotions, he was quite reserved, and for that many people perceived him as... bland. That’s why they were usually caught by surprise when he finally opened up about his interests. And he found it pretty annoying, because he could be very passionate even if he wasn't the most talkative person in the world. The “Icy-Hot” nickname he was given by Bakugou had never suited him so well, because he was in fact both hot and cold about matters like that.
“The point still stands” claimed Denki, now waving in his face the flyer of the music competition that would be held within a few days, in the same café they were in. “C’mon duuude, I know you are too humble to admit it, but you’re reeeally good, and it would be a shame to waste your skill keeping your voice hidden!”
Shouto put an elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face. It was true that his voice was pretty tuned, but until then he had really thought he was nothing special, just average good. Out of curiosity, he had learned how to play a few chords on the guitar following some Youtube's tutorials and could play them without any big mistakes. However, he had never sung on stage, let alone in front of an audience, he had happened to hum softly sometimes when he didn't have to keep up with his homework or while doing his chores, but it had always occurred when he was alone or in the privacy of his dorm room.
Then Denki found out, because that boy had the extraordinary ability to always find himself in the right place at the wrong time (for the others, clearly) and he eavesdropped him on one of the first spring's evenings, when the weather was nice enough to leave open the window on the balcony of his room. So, the electric blonde stormed into his room to let him know that he heard his singing and to pump him full with compliments, stressing the hell out of him because of this contest he heard about, happening to be in Shouto's favourite café.
And the morning after, well... it wasn't a secret anymore, because his sparkly friend could not keep his mouth shut for dear life. Especially when he was distracted - and that happened pretty much all the time, since Shouto suspected Kaminari had an undiagnosed ADHD - or high, and he always let his mouth run free when on Sero’s herb. But that time Shouto didn't mind, because his friends and classmates were cool and extremely supportive about it.
"Do you really think I can win that?" he asked bluntly in his naturally calm voice.
"Don't know about winning, I know about gettin' popular with the girls! It will surely get you laid" he mimicked the gun gesture with his fingers, smirking. "Jokes aside, just trying it will not kill anyone! You’re a natural, you can handle it, ‘Roki."
Shouto hummed quietly.
He really could not. But Kaminari’s enthusiasm caught him up and when he thought about it, it was already too late: just after they finished filing the necessary papers to enter the contest Denki was already handing them to the lady behind the counter, with a lot of smiles and encouraging pats on his shoulder. So, he decided to just roll with it.
He was still panting a bit, while trying to loosen the grip on the guitar’s strap as he walked the few stairs leading down to the backstage, an expression of disbelief on his face he couldn't quite hide this time. Because he just sang, while playing a beautiful song, in his favourite coffee shop, in front of at least 20, maybe 30 people he had never seen before. Well, among those people were also some of his closest friends, but still, he had just recently gotten used to opening up to them. And he was feeling like he had just bared his soul, showing that side of himself so passionate and burning.
He was pleased when the cooler backstage air began to slither into the collar of his jacket and down his back, because he felt hot. The light there was soft, of a greenish shade given by some neon lights hanging on the walls, and the sounds coming from the stage and the bar were muffled in the chatter of busy assistants and artists who had just performed.
Then two sets of arms wrapped around him from the sides, almost making him fall. Reflexively he tightened his hold on the two bodies that were now embracing him.
"OH, MY GOODNESS TODOROKI-KUN, YOU WERE AMAZING" a feminine voice squealed from his right. When she let him go, he noticed Ochaco's big eyes were teary, but the large smile on her rosy cheeks overshadowed them.
"Yeah, Todoroki-kun, that was awesome!" said the small figure on his left, still hugging him, all unruly green hair made even more vibrant by the neon lights. Izuku released the embrace while leaving one arm on his friend’s shoulders. "You conquered everyone! I wonder if the judges felt that thrill too, you have a very good chance of winning at this point of the competition."
"Come on, Midoriya, we are not here to make predictions, but to support our friend and classmate Todoroki, so that he can keep high the honour of the UA even in extracurricular competitions AND help him discover that sharing his talent with his friends can be a source of fun and happiness, indeed” towered Iida, leaning protectively over his friend.
“Waaah! You’re right Iida! I didn’t want to put that pressure on you, Todoroki-kun, I'm sorry!” panicked Izuku, starting to apologize, bending his whole torso forward in a sort of mechanical bow that made them all chuckle.
As a swift flash cast itself between the group, Shouto suddenly got caught in another hug, this time was the slim figure of Denki, who was loaded like a gun as usual, and didn’t stop talking at lightning speed. He seemed to have dressed up for the occasion wearing makeup: a thin line of eyeliner already smudged under his eyes, noticed the half and half boy impressed. Probably Mina’s work, he thought, like the rest of his outfit: a tight black shirt, arm band stripes of leather, a set of black earrings in his pierced ears made visible by his hair held in a small ponytail on the top of his head. He looked like he came out of an Instagram’s post under the hashtag "Rave Aesthetic".
"What's up with that face, dude?! You did great, I'm surprised no pretty lady threw her bra at you! Maaan, I guess it wasn’t that kind of event... does anybody know of other music performances we could go tonig- OUCH!!" Ochaco just nudged him on one side "Joking, I’m joking, Jeez, yeah, yeah 'Roki, I knew you could do it and you were outstanding!" stated Denki rubbing at his hit side. “I bet you had a good time, after all!” he added.
He exhaled a breath; he didn't know for how long he was holding it. It was true, he was now feeling the thrills kicking in, he felt a nice, tickling feeling of warmth coming from within his chest. He found himself smiling, feeling a bit proud.
Someone offered him a coloured can. It was Izuku. He was holding two cans in his hands. "Thought you would be thirsty!" he smiled brightly, bringing his now free hand to the back of his head.
"Oh. Thanks, Midoriya." For how long he'd been staring at him? Did he see him proudly smiling at himself? Now his face flushed, and he found it hard to swallow.
He didn't realize that his mouth was dry, and his throat was sore, until that moment. He opened the lid and took a few gulps, closing his eyes. He then stared at Izuku who was now chatting with his overly excited friends. Ochaco kept bouncing from one foot to the other, holding onto one of Denki's hands while he was pretending to play some invisible instrument with the other, an over dramatically concentrated look on his face. Izuku sipped from his can, then stared again back at Shouto turning his head, flashing him with one of his smiles. Next, he reached for his arm, engaging him in the conversation. Izuku often did that, and he was thankful, because he would just stay behind, watching and listening to a chat about him going on and on, without participating in it. It was in fact Midoriya the one who convinced him, giving him a prep talk hoping to help him to calm down, to go on the stage earlier before. When his heart was racing inside his ribcage, and he felt his knees like jelly.
"You can do it, Todoroki! No need to be afraid, because I'm here for you... I mean, we all are! We're rooting for you, can't wait to hear you singing!" He took his shoulders in his hands and squeezed them, reassuring him.
"What if I can't? What if I panic and my voice won't come out?" He asked, in a serious tone, looking down at the floor. He was starting to second guess his choice. ‘Damn Kaminari and his contagious overconfidence’ he thought.
"It won't happen, you were never the kind of person who froze against a challenge. I know it’s not easy to face something that scares you, but trust me, you can do it. I saw you doing it before. Plus, you might realize how good you are - if us telling you so isn’t enough - once everyone in the room will be cheering for you. And maybe you will even find out that you enjoy it!" he said, almost beaming. He always had the right words to say to encourage his friends, Shouto recognized. He believed in him, perhaps he should have started to believe in himself, too.
“Huh... I guess you’re right, Midoriya.” He knew Izuku was right, he wouldn’t know until he tried. So, when his name was called from one of the assistants behind the scenes, he put on some confidence and walked on stage, where, just like Izuku said, his anxiety turned to determination. And after he sat on the tall stool, adjusting the mic and the guitar's position, he proudly presented himself as just "Shouto" and started singing his song.
After a few minutes of commenting on his performance and the ones of the other artists in the competition, Shouto cleared his voice to speak, adjusting the guitar on his back.
"Guys, I wanted to thank you for coming with me tonight... I'm... glad... and happy... to be here, together with you." He was sincere, he may not be the greatest at expressing his feelings, but he meant what he just said, and his friends must have known that, because they all were smiling at him and seemed all ready to celebrate him, regardless of him winning the contest or not.
And about that "Well... I'm way too nervous to stay here and just wait for the results, what about we just... erm... go outside for a bit?"
"Yeah, I'm starving! There's a place around the corner who serves this craaazy good cheddar fries..." Denki started rambling.
They all laughed, and headed to the back door, all lined up with Shouto at the centre of their group. He now felt relieved, his mind finally at peace, and his heart filled with content and pride. He kinda still felt a bit overwhelmed, but he truly believed he was very lucky to have shared a night like that with the people he loved the most.