The stuffy air in the bus felt almost as heavy as your eyelids did as you drifted off to sleep. As you rested your head against Todoroki's shoulder, he looked down at your troubled face. That nightmare haunted you too often nowadays. In it, people always got hurt because you didn't answer their call for help. You hated it. While Todoroki stroked your hair, your face became more serene, as if even while you slept, you knew that he was there to comfort you.

Todoroki restrained himself, as he realised that someone had whipped up a phone from the row of seats before yours. The blatant flash gave it away. Todoroki narrowed his eyes, making the Kaminari's blood run cold.

"I couldn't help myself. Look!" Kaminari whispered.

The dual-haired boy grabbed Kaminari's phone more abruptly than he should have, and examined the picture wearily. He would be lying if he said that you didn't look cute. Yet he would not allow the electric boy to save that picture, let alone anyone else to see it.

"Come on, man. No fair! I was gonna send them to you," Kaminari raised his voice. Todoroki deleted the photoshoot stored in the phone.

What's with all the noise? You rubbed your eyes before you became aware of your surroundings. Todoroki looked unusually flustered as he placed a finger to his lips to quieten Kaminari.

"Good morning, (y/n)!" Kaminari said with a playful grin plastered on his face. He turned around and sat back down to his seat.

You gave Todoroki a questioning look, but he shook his hand in front of his face to dismiss the subject. You nodded before realising how close you were to him. Your back stiffened as you noted that this might look a little too friendly to the rest of your classmates.

Once the bus parked at the viewpoint, Todoroki helped you get your bag, and you followed him down the aisle. You could hear the excited cheers from the rest of your class outside, as Aizawa stopped you.

He cleared his throat, letting Todoroki walk past. "(y/n), we are aware of what happened to your father, but your family is in safe hands. Don't let it distract you from your training."

But is my family safe to be around? You thought as you nodded. "Yes, Mr. Aizawa."

You hopped off the bus, walking up to Todoroki. He tilted his head, questioning you about why Aizawa wanted to talk to you.

"Nothing much."

Noticing that you weren't relying on him as much as usual, Todoroki placed his hands in his pockets. "Please, tell me if anything's bothering you."

"Yeah, will do. Thank you." You looked to the side, where you spotted Aoyama's twisted smile as he shuffled in his place. You furrowed your eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

You swore you could've seen glitter surrounding Aoyama's face. "Mm-hmm."

Suddenly, two women wearing cat-like costumes and a small boy appeared. They introduced themselves as the professional Hero Team, The Pussycats. While you had heard of them, it surprised you when they told you that you must reach the training camp at the base of the mountain by midday. Otherwise, you would miss your lunch.

---

Later on that day, you splashed warm water on your face at the hot springs. Your mind faded into dullness, and everything was a foggy illusion, to the point that you missed out on the girls' conversation.

"I'd say that, like, Todoroki's definitely the hottest boy in class!" Mina said.

Yaoyorozu scrubbed her arms as she replied, "Yes, I do see it. He was also a very supportive partner during the practical exams."

"What do you think, (y/n)? You're quite close to him, aren't you?" Hagakure asked.

Your ears turned bright red, and you were ever so grateful that Ochaco helped you out. "They're good friends."

Mina scratched her chin as she remembered that time when the whole class (except Bakugo) went to the mall. You had gone missing with Todoroki for a long time. "You're, like, a bit more than friends, right? Do you think he's the hottest boy in class, too?"

While her cheeky grin and words were both well-meaning, you struggled to find a way out. The girls had cornered you.

"No, really?!" you heard a screech as you sank into the warm water, regretting not uttering words of denial. Most of the girls erupted into loud, teasing cheers. You hoped that the boys hadn't heard this conversation on the other side of the screen. But you realised that it might be too late while you told the girls to be quiet. Would this upset Todoroki?

---

As you made your bed and put on your pyjamas, you thought about Todoroki. You remembered how you had given away to the girls that you liked him and shook your head, guilt-ridden. You would need to be more careful next time.

Even then, you didn't manage to fall asleep, tossing and turning as you thought about how you could fix the mess you had created. At your side laid Ochaco, with her mouth hanging wide open as she snored. You stood up from your bed, the floor creaking as you headed to the toilet.

You stopped right on your tracks as you spotted Bakugo further down the corridor. As he looked down at the ground, he adjusted his black tank-top further up his shoulder. He huffed when he noticed you, ready to punch a wall.

However, he did not say a single word as he walked past you. In his eyes, all he had ever done was taunt and insult you, so you would have never suspected that he cared. Not in the same way Todoroki cared for you, but in his own way - one that was rough around the edges. He wanted you to see him as a proper rival, and not some distasteful bully.

---

The next day, the cleaning rota was set out, so you and Asui picked up some of the dishes off the table. Todoroki studied you with care, as usual, until Kaminari elbowed him on his arm. "So, did that date work out?" Kaminari asked.

"It's none of your business."

"Come on, man. Are you and (y/n) going out yet?"

Bakugo's ears perked up at Kaminari's remark, while Todoroki slurped the last of his cold soba with a respectable calmness to him.

Kaminari's jaw dropped, baffled that this seemingly cold boy had his soft side, too. "No way! Did you actually tell her 'go out with me' in those exact words?"

Bakugo scoffed, placing his arms behind his head. "You can read it in his face. He fuckin' hasn't, huh? You sure like to beat around the bush, Icy-Hot."

Todoroki decided that the most rational solution would be to ignore Bakugo.

The ash-blond smirked as he slammed his hand against the table. "So you wouldn't bloody mind if I asked her out myself then, huh?"

Todoroki pursed his lips, his anger threatening to overtake him like a wildfire. "Don't you dare, Bakugo."

"That dumbass is all fuckin' yours. You said that at the Sports Festival, remember? Now, fuckin' do it before I change my bloody mind."

Although Bakugo had not meant it to come out that way, he noted that a switch inside Todoroki had turned on as he stood up from his seat, glaring at him.

For the slightest moment, the half-and-half boy pictured Bakugo's coarse arms around you, which left him with the bitter fear of becoming second best, like his father. Never. He would never allow that. Todoroki rubbed his temples as he walked away, with no intention of following any path Endeavor had created for him. Only he could decide his future.

Once you rinsed the last dish, you dried your hands with the kitchen towel. Had Asui not been by your side, your shoulders would have probably relaxed when you saw Todoroki. "Hi, there. Are you good?"

Todoroki bowed his head a little. "Yeah, but I guess there's something I didn't understand, and I want to make myself clear."

"Excusez-moi, Tsu?! Mr. Aizawa is calling you!" you heard Aoyama's voice from the other side of the wall. Asui told him to stop shouting, but soon followed after him.

Todoroki gave a step closer to you, struggling to decide what he should say at a time like this. It wasn't what he imagined, starting to doubt himself about being too hasty. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Yeah, go for it," you said with a small voice. "There's something I want to tell you, too."

Todoroki took it down a notch when he noticed your concerned expression. "Perhaps, that was a bit too serious. There's nothing to worry about. You go first."

"I messed up, Sho. I didn't outright tell them, but I think the girls know that..." You took in a deep breath, as you puckered up some courage, although it came more naturally to you as this was the second time you said it. "That I like you."

Todoroki looked down at you as he shook his head, putting into perspective the tough situation he had put you in. "I don't mind. I can't lie if someone asks me about you, though I'm better at hiding my feelings than you."

"You don't need to hide them around me. You know that, right?"

Todoroki's lips curled up into a guarded grin as he acknowledged how nice it felt when he managed to express his bottled-up feelings to you. "(y/n), I haven't explained myself for far too long. I want us to make a path of our own. Will you go out with me?"

As you looked up to him, you didn't hesitate to reply. "Yeah, I would love to. I'd be so happy."

"Good. Because I want to make you feel that way," he said.

You took a step forward, the soft wind ruffling your hair. "You do that already. Every single day." You tilted your head to the side, almost sure that you had heard a muffled laugh over the wall. Now that you focused, you could sense their presence as well. "Wait, I think there might be someone listening in."

Todoroki shook his head, far too overwhelmed by his own emotions to care. "For now, (y/n), come closer, please." He whispered into your ear, so the others around you couldn't hear. You fidgeted with your fingers, as you felt his warm breath so close to your face.

"You bring the best out of me, (y/n). This... has been full of surprises, and you've helped me come a long way. "

"I'm glad that we can talk like this. You bring the best out of me, too. And you've always..." you trailed, not wanting your rambling to detract both of you from this precious moment.

"May I?" he extended his hand towards your face, and gently cupped it.

You felt your heart thumping as you placed your hand over his, staring deep into his heterochromatic eyes. Your whole body tingled as Todoroki's frame leaned on yours, which felt almost forbidden. You tilted your head up to meet his lips, melting into that soft kiss as much as Todoroki. As if time had stopped right there, as if you were nothing but a picture. As if no one else existed, and there was no risk of anyone finding out.

For Todoroki, it was as if he had never dampened his love towards you. While for you, as you felt his hand run through your hair with all the care in the world, it felt like finally, nothing could drive him away from you. All the ice had melted away; you had broken through in the best of ways.

Your breath hitched as you took a step back. You admired Todoroki's flustered face, a marvelous sight that you were yet to grow used to.

"I want to do that again, soon," he said.

As you looked up to him, your heart skipped a beat. "Me too."

Crap, I know I shouldn't be thinking about this right now, but Mr. Aizawa's gonna kill me if I'm late. "I need to leave for the extra lessons now, but I'll see you around, alright?"

---

You placed your hands on your knees as you panted. Looking up at the clock, you realised that you had made it to the classroom on time to the cost of leaving your schoolbag behind. Mina skipped towards you before hugging you, rubbing her pink cheek against yours. "You're amazing, (y/n)! You've landed the Shoto Todoroki."

You blushed a deep crimson, never having felt more embarrassed than now. "Wait, Mina? Was it you who was watching?"

Mina flashed you a cheeky smile. "And Kaminari! Rumours, like, couldn't match you two. You'll be the hottest couple at U.A. Too bad that Kirishima and Sero didn't come and see as well."

Kirishima and Sero burst through the door to the classroom in uncontrollable laughter. Kirishima clapped his hands. "That stupid idiot got a nosebleed, so he's gonna be late."

Sero shook his head. "Mr. Aizawa's gonna get so mad at Kaminari."

You shrank into your seat. Though Todoroki had said that he didn't mind the rest of the class knowing, you couldn't help but clench your fists. What kind of backlash would these news bring if they got to Endeavor? "Hey, guys. Can you please keep this on the low?"

Kirishima nodded. "Bakugo mentioned it. It's not like the rest of the class didn't have a gut feeling about it. We understand that you two don't want your parents to know and stuff."

You sighed in relief, for the first time appreciating Bakugo's actions. He would never admit his mistakes, but you felt like this formed part of an apology of its own. A smile broke on your lips, reminding yourself of how happy you felt a few minutes ago when Todoroki told you that he wanted you to become his girlfriend. You would never, in your life, forget this day.