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Class 1A were just preparing for dinner all together when Mina raised her voice, “Has anyone seen Todoroki? I need him to light these candles.” She gestured to the large cake infront of her that Sato had baked.
“Can’t you just find some matches?” Jirou piped up from across the room, she was ‘holding’ the ladder that Denki was standing on to hang decorations. In reality, she just stood there twisting her ear jacks in her fingers and giggled when the ladder wobbled and Denki pleaded for her to help.
“Well yeah I could… but he has to be here anyway, y’know?” Mina’s expression was a mix of guilt and cheer when she realised that she may have been exploiting her classmate for the use of his quirk and tried to mask it by coming up with an actually adequate excuse.
“I could go look for him if you’d like”, Momo, who was standing close to the elevator holding a tray, offered. She was met with a large smile and thumbs up by Mina, “Thanks Yaomomo!” Momo placed the tray down on the closet table to her and made her way back to the elevator.
She had only been to the boys dorms so many times: once when touring everyone’s dorms and a number of times studying in Iida’s dorm with a few others. She recalled how each of the boys’ rooms had such different styles. It’s weird how contrasting people can become such unlikely friends.
As she approached Todoroki’s door she felt her hands begin to get clammy. It was weird. She had talked to Todoroki many, many times before and considered him one of her best friends and classmates, why would she be nervous talking to him?
She rapped lightly on the door with her knuckle, but was met with silence. She knocked again, this time a little louder, perhaps he didn’t hear it the first time. But yet again, there was no response. Momo thought he might be asleep or maybe he wasn’t in his dorm to begin with. She opened the door an inch and called his name, “Todoroki?”
She let the door drift open and saw an empty room; he was neither at his bed nor his desk. Momo was about to leave and tell everyone he wasn’t in his room when her attention was caught by the partially open balcony door. She walked toward it, on her way noting the excellent state of his room. The door was open enough that she wouldn’t have to move it to get through.
When she peered out, she saw Todoroki. He was standing with her elbows on the railing and was looking off into the distance. She noticed that he was holding a flower; one of deep violet, almost blue colour. He spun it in his fingers, wearing his usual indistinguishable expression. Momo’s body started moving before she could stop it, placing herself diagonal to his shoulder and behind him enough that he still didn’t notice her. Her hand reached up to his shoulder, lightly grazing the fabric of his shirt.
He was startled, oblivious to her presence and if she remembered correctly, she thought she felt his body quiver under her touch.He spun around rather quickly but not fully defensive possibly because of her light and tender touch. His brow was furrowed, but that changed when he saw the familiar face beside him. “Oh, Yaoyorozou, you scared me.” For a scared man, his voice was as monotone as ever.
“I’m sorry! I should have called out louder.” Her face flushed with embarrassment when she reviewed her previous actions. Why didn’t she call out? Why had she placed herself beside him? Why had she touched his shoulder?
His eyebrows knit together, returning his confused expression. “You called out?” He asked, he mustn’t have heard her. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I must’ve been a bit spaced out…” he turned from her, looking out at the city again. Momo considered herself pretty good at reading people, but Todoroki always presented a challenge. Yet here, as she stood watching him and his face, she felt like she finally understood something about him.
“What were you doing out here, if you don’t mind me asking?” Todoroki was a closed off person with most of the people in 1A, except for Midoriya, of course, he seemed to have a way with people. But, she never truely knew what was considered crossing a boundary with him. His mindset was straightforward, determined and decisive and he reminded her of nothing like herself. She strived to be someone like Todoroki rather than constantly having thoughts of doubt.
“Not at all, I was just getting some air.” She noticed how he looked down at the flower in his hand as he said the words, it obviously had some special meaning to him. Her view returned to him when she heard him sigh, it wasn’t one of annoyance or impatience but one of nostalgia, like he was revisiting a fond memory.
She didn’t want to pry as it was none of her business, but she was sensing that Todoroki might want to talk about this something. “That’s a pretty flower.” She said as to not directly ask him to share with her but giving him the opportunity if he was interested.
“Yes. It’s my mother’s favourite, a Rindou.” Ah. Momo hadn’t known much about Todoroki’s past with his mother, but that she didn’t live with him and his father, Endeavour. He visited usually throughout the week and always seemed eager to see her, she thought it was cute. “She left home a while ago on this date.”
Oh. That’s why he’s this way.
She walked toward the rail and stood next to him, a silent invitation to continue. They both looked out over the horizon, comfortable in each other’s company. Then he spoke again, “We never had what some would consider a conventional family.” She watched as he subconsciously raised his hand to his face and mapped the scar around his left eye. “My mother was a sweet woman but she was surrounded by people who didn’t care for her: her parents, him.” She immediately assumed he was talking about Endeavour.
“She was emotionally and physically abused. It forced her into a manic state where she couldn’t even stand the look of his face. Lucky for me I guess…” Her eyes widened at that. She had assumed that his scar was from a quirk mishap which was why he had refused to use his fire for so long, but maybe it was because he didn’t want to be reminded of his father who did such terrible things to him and his family.
“When I was old enough to talk, he started training me to be his successor; his masterpiece as he would say.” Her face contorted into an ugly grimace. To be considered a work, something to improve by your own father must have been terrible. “I was pushed to my limit, I would throw up, collapse but he wouldn’t care, he just wanted me to be stronger, better than he had ever been, to beat even Allmight.”
“My mother would try to intervene at the sight of her own child being treated like that, but it was no use. He would yell, he would hit, we would cry and scream.” Momo felt tears welling in the corner of her eye. “In the end, it was too much for her and she decided to leave. She was on the phone talking about when I heard. But at that stage he had traumatised her so much she couldn’t take it.” They began budding against her eyelashes as he continued.
“I remember how the kettle was whistling when she saw me there. Her face was terrifying, full of rage, disgust. It was unhinged, she had finally given up. Then she poured the water on my left eye.” She felt the tears finally stream down cheek. “I remember screaming. I remember her screaming. But, I remember her apologising once she realised what she had done. My mother was never a threat to children, that’s just what he told them to get her out of the way. He never really loved her, he just wanted her for her quirk, to make his masterpiece.”
She stood there, salty tears staining her cheeks, half of her wished he’d continue and the other wished it would end. He stood there, his eyes on the city again. She followed his line of sight and landed on a hospital, most likely where she was now. Turning back to him, she wiped her face and placed her hand on top of his. For the first time since he started sharing, he looked at her, really looked at her. He stared at her glossy, tear filled eyes, her slightly quivering lip, her cheeks with the trails of tears.
Then he said the most stupid thing, “Sorry.”
Her brow furrowed and she quickly wiped her eyes and sniffled. “What do you mean you’re sorry? I should be saying sorry!” She watched his expression contort into a similar one to hers.
“Why would you apologise? You didn’t do anything.”
“Neither did you!”
“I made you cry.”
She sighed and wiped her face from tears again. “No, you didn’t. Your stupid dad did.” She heard him chuckle and he turned to the city once more. The next few moments were filled with silence, but one that was comfortable, one that Momo felt she could fall asleep in.
“I think she would like you.” He said disrupting the peacefulness but not removing it. Then she watched as he twisted the Rindou between gentle fingers. He froze some of the end, then snapped it off, leaving the stem to be around a fingers length. She stiffened when he tucked the hair curtaining her face behind her ear then placed the flower behind it as well.
Smiles bloomed on their faces and he gestured for her to walk back through the balcony door. They enjoyed the elevator in silence but were met with the loud group of students when the doors opened. They seemed to be arguing over something to do with pro hero’s, Midoriya and Bakugou being the main two in the brawl.
When they stepped towards them, Mina seemed to notice them first. “Oh my gosh, finally! I thought you guys would never show up, why took so long?” The rest of the group ceased the quarrel to welcome them back to the room.
They glanced at eachother before turning back to them.
“We were just getting some air.”