she was his idea of perfect

SERENA WAS ON THE EDGE OF HER SEAT as she watched the battle between Todoroki and Midoriya. The two started big, with Shoto wanting to finish the fight quickly. Serena couldn't help but cringe every time Izuku broke his finger when using his power.

"By the way, Kirishima," Serena started, turning her head to glance at the redhead sitting next to her. "Good job making it to the second round."

A toothy grin stretched across his face, brightening up his features. "Thanks! I'll be up against you next, Bakugo," he said, leaning forward to look at the blonde that sat on the other side of Serena. "Let's have a good fight!" Bakugo rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Serena chuckled, shaking her head at the blonde. She knew that he wouldn't go easy on Kirishima. Bakugo wasn't a gentle person; it's what made him a good friend. He wanted those he cared about to improve.

He didn't sugarcoat shit.

"But man, you, Bakugo, and Todoroki can all shoot off powerful attacks that cover a lot of ground. It must be so cool to have a flashy quick like that!" Serena sighed, glancing down at her hand.

"I'm not shooting them off," Bakugo spoke, also glancing at his arm. His attack on Uraraka did take a toll on him. "Don't underestimate 'em."

"Quirks are physical abilities. There's a limit to how much power one can produce," Serena informed them, her hand slowly cooling as she activated her quirk. "Even Bakugo and I have ours."

Sero, Kaminari and Kirishima all stared at the blue-haired girl that managed to capture their heart. There was something about her that managed to entrance them.

Serena turned back to the battle in front of her, watching as Midroiya began to rebreak his fingers. Serena winced, already imagining the pain he must be in.

'Knowing Izuku, he's probably too pumped with adrenaline to even realise it,' she thought.

As Todoroki continued to exert the use of his ice quirk, frostbite began to crawl up the right side of his body. It was the same drawback as Serena's, occurring when their body temperature dropped drastically.

The blue-haired girl pursed her lips, becoming a bit pissed off as Todoroki continued to hold back his true potential. Serena could see that Shoto was getting overwhelmed; he had a look that told her he was reflecting back on his childhood — which wasn't as good as people presumed.

She clenched her fists tightly, feeling her nails digs into the palm of her hand, though she barely noticed. Serena stood from her chair, surprising her classmates that sat around her. "Serena? What are you doing?"

The goddess-like girl walked forward, leaning over the edge, ignoring the exclaims from her crushes. She cupped her hands around her mouth, amplifying her voice.

"It's your power, Shoto!" Her voice echoed, the heavenly sound making its way to the boy down below. "Not his!"

Those watching all looked at the girl with confusion, even her teachers. There were only a few who understood what she was trying to get across.

Todoroki's eyes widened, his mind clearing as his overwhelming thoughts dissipated.

His lips twitched upwards.

"Thank you, Serena."

And just like that, a blazing fire began to emit from his body. Serena grinned, watching as Shoto showed his full potential to the world, breaking the restraints he placed around himself. Her grin widened as she watched as he managed to fight back with both powers. Her eyes twitched at the sound of Shoto's yelling father. 'Didn't he realise that Shoto wasn't like him?'

Shoto used his fire power to ignite the cold (generated by his wave of ice) to create a colossal wind blast which, along with Izuku's wind pressure attack, created a massive shock wave. It blasted both of them back and destroyed Cementoss' cement wall in the process.

"Serena!" Bakugo and Kirishima both latched onto the girl, standing in front of her and protecting her from the dust that struck by them. The shock wave was felt throughout the entire arena.

After the shock wave subsided and the dust and smoke cleared, Serena cleared her throat, flashing a grateful smile to the two blushing males before stepping out of their grasps. She looked towards the arena and saw Shoto standing in the ring with a quarter of his shirt ripped off and without any major injuries. Izuku, however, was out of bounds. Serena watched as Izuku succumbed to his grievous wounds and fell flat onto the ground. Shoto was declared the winner, thus eliminating Midoriya from the tournament event.

"I'll be back," she said, sprinting out of their seating area and descending the stairs, looking for the dual-coloured hair male. Not only was she so happy for him, but she was also proud of him. Serena knew how much it takes to show the side of you that you sometimes loathed — well, at least she did. Her time quirk always reminded her of her mother, and until Bakugo got her to open up, she didn't like it very much.

When she made her way to the hallway Shoto entered after exiting the arena, Serena spotted him standing by his father, a blank expression on his face.

"For that one moment, I forgot about you."

Serena smirked, knowing that Endeavor was shocked at his son's answer. The so-called hero didn't realise that he caused his son to suffer, losing out on a childhood that would've benefited him a lot.

"Shoto," she called, deciding to interrupt the father-son duo. Serena knew Shoto didn't want to be anywhere near his father; she could see it in the annoyance that was building up in his eyes. Both Todoroki's turned to face the blue-haired girl. Shoto immediately brightened up at the sight of her, though he kept it internally. He brushed past his father, walking up to Serena, who latched onto his hand and pulled him away.

When they were away from everything, Serena stopped and pulled him into a hug, taking him by surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body close to him. "I'm so proud of you," she mumbled, holding him tightly.

Shoto's icy exterior slowly began to melt, just like his iced heart, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. The two held that position for quite a while, enjoying the others' embrace. Nothing needed to be said; both could hear the soundless words that floated in the air.

"Thank you," he said quietly as they pulled away, though neither really wanted too. They were comfortable in each other's embrace.

Serena laughed breathlessly. "You don't have to thank me, Shoto," she brushed her hands through his hair, pushing it back, uncovering his multicoloured eyes. His hair was one of the softest things she'd ever felt, and Serena had to hold herself back from running her fingers through it again. "I better get going. My battle is up next," she informed him, taking a step back. "I'll see you in the finals?"

Todoroki nodded. Serena's lips stretched into a soft smile, and she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you in the finals then."

──────✧❅✦❅✧──────

"I apologise in advance, Akari," said a slight monotone voice. The said girl stood in the arena, facing Tokoyami, who stood with Dark Shadow manifesting behind him. Serena rose a brow, her energy levels spiking as she prepared to use one of her quirks. Tokoyami crouched low while Dark Shadow extended his claws, both their eyes sharp and trained onto her.

"BEGIN!"

Tokoyami's eyes flared as Dark Shadow lunged at the girl, whose face broke out into a smirk.

"Me too," she said as she grabbed the shadow's fist, clutching it as she activated her ice quirk, freezing Dark Shadow's hand. The ice travelled up his arms, the sound satisfying yet the pain excruciating. Her grip on him tightened, and the shadow groaned as the ice managed to cover his whole body, caging him in a layer of her poisonous ice.

But the ice didn't stop when it covered Dark Shadow, it also extended to Tokoyami, who crumbled down under the pain, Serena's ice clutching the both of them painfully in its deadly grasp. They both collapsed, neither of them able to get up.

"AKARI WINS!" Midnight announced, and the crowd cheered, jumping up with excitement. Those in her year all stared at her in shock.

"She managed to take him out in one move," marvelled Ojiro as he sat on the stands with his classmates.

"She's so strong!" Hagakure awed, her facial expression invisible, but everyone could hear the admiration in her tone. Bakugo watched with a smirk, proud of the girl who easily won the battle against one of the strongest students in their class. Serena could easily defeat all the extra in their classes; he didn't doubt it. But her winning this battle meant that he and she were going to go up against each other.

Serena looked down at her classmate and extended her arm, holding out her hand. Her lips spread into a smile, one that had Tokoyami frozen in his place.

There was something about the way her lips lifted upward that sent a pleasantly strange pulsing through his body. Something about the way her one dimple crinkled and the way her teeth perfectly aligned that had his eye's widening.

"You did good,"

There was a warm glow around her, one that her happiness gave.

Serena's smile was a ray of sunshine.

"Tokoyami."

And he felt like he was a sunburn.