You looked at the pink plastic mannequin lying down on the bed. Recovery Girl used her quirk on it to no avail to prove her point. Of course, it remained lifeless, as no trace of life had ever emanated from within it. "Do you understand, young (y/n)? While my quirk helps patients use their own vitality, when you try to heal people, the vitality is coming directly from you."

You nodded. "Does that mean that I can hurt myself pretty badly if I give out too much?"

Recovery Girl took off her latex gloves, and broke the news to you. "Even worse than that. You know that you collapse when you overstrain yourself. Simply put, if you push yourself any harder than that, you could die. Therefore, you need to learn how to better control the influx and output of your vitality."

You tightened your bandaged fists, aiming to stop some harrowing memories from seeping back into your mind. Ever since one grim accident that had scarred you for life when you were young, you had an intuitive feeling as to when to stop, borrowing just enough life energy to make yourself stronger.

Though now that you were in the bigger leagues, fighting against your powerful classmates instead of those cowardly bullies, you needed help. This was one of the many lessons you would have with Recovery Girl, at least until you managed to gain some more command over your power.

You rubbed your arm to calm yourself down. "I understand, Recovery Girl. I promise I'll be more careful."

"Another thing you need to be aware of is that every time you use your quirk on someone, their life is on your hands," Recovery Girl continued. "I do not have to tell you the moral code of heroes, as I am sure you are well aware of it. Be mindful that depleting someone's vitality could make them pass away."

Those words were like a dagger to your heart. You couldn't fathom the fact that in trying to train to save others, you might deeply hurt your classmates. It was hard to accept that your quirk had the potential to be more villainous than you ever imagined. People tended to be wary of you when they first learnt about your quirk, but you never thought that fear was justified until today. This sent shivers down your spine; you didn't want to follow in Endeavor's steps, after all.

---

Later that afternoon, you glanced down at your phone. Noticing that Chiharu had texted you lifted your gloomy mood, but only slightly.

Lying on your back, you sent a quick reply, knowing that if you didn't do it now, you would probably forget to later. Given that you had lost contact with your childhood friend since you joined U.A., you wanted to catch up with her.

🌸Chi🌸

🌸Hey, (y/n).
Long time no see :(

Yeah. I miss you, Chi.
How's fashion design school?

🌸It's hard work,
but good fun.
I've got something to tell you.
Do you want to meet up sometime?

That's good.
Yeah, I'm free this weekend.
Everything okay?

🌸Literally 10x better than okay.
I'll tell you all about it if you meet me at my fav cafe on Saturday at five ;)

After leaving your phone on the wooden nightstand in your room, you eyed the old music box under your bed. You still kept it, even though you'd never heard its tune. It reminded you of better times, when there wasn't so much to worry about. As you picked it up, a wave of nostalgia washed over you.

You went on to seat at the steps of the outdoor training ground. It was a nice place to watch the clouds go by, you noted. A few raindrops fell on you, so you brought the music box closer to your body.

That was when you sensed a presence behind you.

Through your eyelashes, you stole a glance over your shoulder, confirming that Todoroki stood there.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the sky, just like you were before he arrived, as if he couldn't bring himself to say something unless you addressed him first.

"What's up, Shoto?"

Earlier this afternoon, he noticed that you were quiet as you walked home together. Most days, you were a bundle of energy. He studied your hunched shoulders and the silver music box you were holding on to. "I was surprised to see that you weren't training. Have you got a cold or something?"

He's pulling theories out of thin air, as usual. You smiled as you thought this. "Nah, I'm good, really."

"The Sports Festival is coming soon, and yet you're not overworking yourself," Todoroki pointed out.

Wanting to divert the attention from you, you tightened your grip on the music box for reassurance. "How about you, Shoto? Does it bother you that I'm here?"

He walked down the steps to stand in front of you, now taking in your face properly. "No, it's fine. I was going to ask you if you wanted to fight against me again, but you seem tired."

"Well, I suppose it's not every day I learn that my quirk could kill me, and the people I cherish." You looked down, away from his concerned heterochromatic eyes.

"Huh, I see." Todoroki's mind fogged as he made an effort to find the words to make you return to your usual zestful self.

After giving you one of his unsparing once-overs, he bent his knees and he leaned forward.

I'd tell you why Recovery Girl's reminder has taken such a big toll on me. But... I don't want you to think of me as if I'm damaged or anything. You squirmed under Todoroki's intense gaze, awaiting the question that would put you on the spot to reveal the crux of the matter.

However, with a half-shrug Todoroki straightened his back, reminding himself that he shouldn't pry, even if he wanted to. Pulling his ear, Todoroki asserted, "Maybe, this... what's happening with your quirk is your body's way of telling you to take a break. I once read this alternative medicine book, which alluded to some pressure points you can press to help you relax."

As a profound hit of joy rattled you, you couldn't help but let out a small laugh. You still couldn't work out how he managed to be so funny without even trying, let alone being aware of it.

But you knew that he didn't see you in the same way. He probably would never even consider you as anything other than a nuisance.

Discreetly rubbing a tear from your eye with your sleeve, you embraced the delicate raindrops landing on your face. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks again, Shoto."

---

You stood by the window of the nurse's room, observing the rest of your classmates doing their hero training. Bakugo explosion's sent Sero flying back, while Midoriya dodged Mineta's sticky purple balls. Some of the girls stopped practising as they looked up to you. You waved back to Ochaco, who gave you a thumbs-up as she mouthed something. You gave her a thumbs-up back to let her know that you were well.

"What are you doing here?" You heard Todoroki's distinct voice.

Pursing your lips, your shoulders sagged and your chin dipped to your chest. Of course, you should have known that Todoroki wouldn't be amused to see you in the slightest.

Nevertheless, you forced an untroubled expression as you turned around to face him with your hands behind your back. "I'm here because I took a short rest, and I was forced to drop out. Mr Aizawa doesn't want the same thing happening to me as last time."

Todoroki nodded and proceeded to walk into the room, limping a little. His eyebrows twitched in frustration with himself as he tried putting more weight on his bad leg, not accustomed to getting injured during training.

He had managed to space out when your classmates began chatting about you. And beyond being curious as to what they had to say, he had found himself feeling relieved that they had moved past fearing you due to your quirk.

You glanced down at the wound on his knee. It was bleeding. "Shoto... Were you injured?"

"Yeah, some stuff happened. Nothing major," he said, shrugging it off.

Knowing that Recovery Girl was busy healing a second-year student, you watched Todoroki open the nurse's cupboard. You pursed your lips as he fished out a bandage - one way too large for his graze.

As an idea popped to your mind, your eyes sparkled, allowing you to dismiss your frustration over your suddenly messed up quirk. "Wait, I can help you!"

Todoroki shook his head. "I can do this much myself."

"Please, sit down. I've seen Recovery Girl do it plenty of times. Will you please let me take care of it?" You inched closer to another cupboard, and took some disinfecting spray and a bandaid.

Scrunching up his face and then releasing, trying to regain his calm when faced with your insistence, the half-and-half boy sat down on the bed nearest to you.

You brought a chair to sit close to him, put some spray on a piece of cotton and cleaned his knee with a few gentle dabs.

Todoroki gritted his teeth as he looked down at your (h/c) head. "It stings, you know..."

"Of course, it will. It's disinfecting the wound. It's only natural that it will be effective on you, Shoto."

He rolled his eyes as he placed his hands on the bed. "Let's stop treating people as if they're germs, okay? They might get offended."

"That's a weird way to put it. All done," you said as you lifted your gaze, meeting Todoroki's icy eyes.

Both of you stared at each other in awkward silence, studying each others' faces from up close for the first time. While Todoroki appeared as impassive as ever, the corners of your mouth quivered.

Your heart pounded in your chest, your hands becoming sweaty due to Todoroki's intense eye contact not wavering in the slightest. Perhaps, in that room where only some light shined through the window, the future was shining, too?

To your surprise, all colour drained from Todoroki's cheeks and he averted his gaze from you. "It was a joke," he muttered, a little sheepish.

You tilted your head before bursting into laughter. Yet again, Todoroki had managed to do something you weren't expecting.

"I'm sorry, Shoto," you began, holding on to your belly in a futile attempt to quell your laughs. "You know, your face was way too serious to think that it was a joke."

He held back a smile of his own, but his expression hardened as he reprimanded himself for letting such a pleasant exchange with you happen.

The light mood vanished as he stood up and strolled towards the door. Without facing you, Todoroki grimaced. "Thanks for this."

Though you swore his bleak, glacial tone could have frozen you on the spot, you finished organising the equipment you had borrowed without agitation. "Not at all. It's really not that big of a deal."

Your eyes followed his muscular figure exiting the room. Life without your crush on him was like a tree without blossoms. One of the most beautiful feelings you had ever experienced was receiving his tacit support. You hoped you could be there for him as well, which helped you regain your determination. You would work hard to get through this hurdle and master your quirk.