It was a wild request with a slim chance, but Todoroki held his ground, not wanting to let you go. "Mr. Aizawa, can (y/n) join you later?"

Aizawa sighed, narrowing his tired eyes at the half-and-half boy. "Make it quick."

Todoroki took hold of your hand, making you jolt in surprise. "Can we talk later? Please, meet me by the school gates when you're done."

Your words got caught at the back of your throat. Just when you thought that you were finally facing your fears, unchecked ones came back to bite you. You looked up to Todoroki in a daze.

Todoroki studied you, noticing the sudden change in your mood. He gave your hand a gentle squeeze, nudging you back into reality. "Hey, (y/n). I promise everything will be fine."

How can he say that? You thought as you nodded, not in agreement but mere acknowledgement. "See you later, Shoto."

As you plodded towards Aizawa, Todoroki hoped that you would turn around and smile at him as usual, but he found himself feeling dejected when you didn't. He sat on his chair once you were gone, resting his head on his arms.

Todoroki wanted to protect you. He knew that his feelings for you had nothing to do with his father, nor your powerful quirk. He was now confident that you felt the same way about him, even more so since you had moved out of his house when you found out about his father's plans. He hated them. Even when he wished that he met you in different circumstances, Todoroki couldn't get over you. He had decided to approach you after fretting that he couldn't spend anymore time with you; he was the one who reached out to you.

While most of the time he acted reserved and distant, he crumbled every time he lost hold of his emotions. Todoroki clenched his fists, recognising that your presence always calmed him down at such times. He recalled that even when he pushed you away from him, you remained strong. Guilt corroded his chest as he realised that in trying to save you some suffering, he had still hurt you.

With his head in the clouds and a tinge of pink on near his cheekbones, he sat up straight and put a hand to his forehead. "Look what you've done to me, (y/n)," he mused, a wistful smile breaking on his lips.

---

Principal Nezu stirred his tea as he invited you and Aizawa to take a seat next to All Might. Nezu was calculating as he spoke, not missing any of your microexpressions. "Thank you for trusting us with such a delicate matter. In reality, it is difficult to deal with cases such as these, but please be assured that we are all here for you should you need the support."

You maintained eye contact with the Nezu, feeling as if that 'plan' was not enough. In your eyes, it was far too passive: standing back and seeing how things went was not an option. Not when you had caught on to so many red flags. "I'm sorry, but I think we should tell the police to investigate and get to the bottom of it."

You looked at All Might, who stood up from his leather seat with some blood in his mouth. "Excuse me," he said as he used a handkerchief to wipe the blood away.

Your eyebrows knitted in confusion. Is All Might injured?

However, Nezu brought you back to the subject at hand, aiming to finish this meeting as soon as possible for All Might's sake. "There is no need for you to worry. We have informed the police."

You nervously gripped your skirt, making Aizawa and All Might exchange a concerned glance as they saw your knuckles turn white. What about dad? And what about me? Isn't it dangerous to have uncle live with us when we don't know what he's up to?

Nezu placed his fluffy hands on his desk as he leaned forward to reassure you. "That is all for now. Please, do keep us informed if you find anything else."

As you walked down the corridor and headed outside, a fresh breeze ruffled your hair. Todoroki stood tall by the gate, with his bag over his shoulder and yours in his hands. You stopped right on your tracks as he took a few steps towards you, remembering the note you had left off before Aizawa interrupted you.

"Here you go." Todoroki handed you your school bag.

You forced a smile to hide the aching pain tugging at your heart. "Thanks. Good luck with next week's exams, Shoto. I'm still gonna beat you, so you better watch out."

For a moment, Todoroki wondered whether it had to do with your exchange earlier and if it was best to talk to you at another time. He didn't want to be a burden on you, especially as you seemed to be working through something far darker in your mind, as you waited for his response.

You decided to walk away before the silence turned awkward, so you waved him goodbye and turned towards the U.A. dorms. You tried telling yourself that it didn't matter if he didn't respond to your feelings, but deep down, you knew that was a lie.

Todoroki tilted his head to the side as he watched you grow further away from him. He looked down to his hand, the same one that had held your smaller one earlier, reminding him of how you had told him that he could never be a burden. He fixed his gaze at your figure walking further along the gravel path before deciding to catch up to you, running at a steady pace until he was near enough to shout your name. "Wait, (y/n)! Hold up!"

You glanced over your shoulder, taking in his now disheveled appearance as he gave out a few short pants. Todoroki dusted off his blazer, no longer stunted as to what he would tell you. "I never thought I would hear what you said earlier from you. I'm surprised you want to talk to me after all I have put you through."

Taking a sharp breath in, you noticed Todoroki give a few measured steps towards you. You flinched a little when he bowed down, resting his forehead on your shoulder. "(y/n), I meant everything I said. If you think I am a terrible person, don't hold back. Go ahead and punch me."

"Oh, okay."

Todoroki's eyes widened as you turned your face away from him, holding back a laugh. However, memories of your conversation about his traumatic childhood popped into your mind, making you want to take your words back. "I'd never hurt you on purpose. You know that, right?"

You had known him for long enough to understand that sometimes some things went over his head; for instance, you often had to explain your jokes, though he was catching on to your humour recently. You needed to be as clear and direct as you could so that your message would reach him.

"I like you," you stated, plain as day.

Time seemed to stop as Todoroki pressed his lips in a line, deep in thought.

I can't even begin to express the depth of my feelings. I don't know how to put it into words except those three.

You could feel Todoroki's warm breath leave your neck as he lifted his head and met your gaze, "I want you to understand that I am not saying this because of my father, nor your quirk. I will care for you, always."

Always?

You held on to your sleeves, that welcome warm feeling filling your chest as Todoroki gave you his undivided attention. You looked down as you nodded. Todoroki gently lifted your chin with his hand, staring deep into your (e/c) eyes. "Please, let me make amends for the time I've wasted."

Even as you waved him goodbye, you couldn't believe what had just happened. You felt relieved, like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. It didn't seem like your confession would make things awkward between the two of you, if anything, you were closer than you had ever been.

Perhaps, that's why when you looked up to the wispy clouds, you appreciated why he had promised you that everything would be fine. He wasn't dismissing your worries, but reassuring you that he would do anything in his power to keep that promise.

---

The alarm went off, soon followed by the familiar sound of paper turning, signaling the end of your last theoretical exam. You stretched your arms as most of your classmates started chatting amongst themselves. Your neck and hand ached from so much writing, but you were so glad you were done that you almost forgot about your bet with Todoroki.

Bakugo scoffed at you, as he stood up to talk to Kirishima. "I bet you're gonna fuckin' regret not accepting my help in maths, (y/n)."

"Shoto helped me, so I should be just fine. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Tsk, as if I gave a damn about your opinion."

As someone tapped on your shoulder, you whipped your head to face him, thinking Bakugo wanted to insult you again. Todoroki's gentle smile greeted you. "I've decided what prize I want."

"Really? We don't get our results until after the practical exam, so you might be disappointed if you plan too far ahead."

"Is that so? I gathered that you would have decided what you wanted from me by now."

You rested your chin on your hand. "Not yet. So... what would you like in the nearly impossible case that you beat me?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell you later."

"That's not fair. How come you get to be all dark and mysterious, but not me?"

Todoroki placed his hands in his pockets. "Because it suits me, and you would never guess what prize I am aiming for."

You burrowed your head into your arms, admittedly embarrassed by Todoroki's sudden forwardness. Not that you didn't like it, but it did take you by surprise, as you wondered what prize you would like from him. Shaking your head, you glanced at him, who still studied your peculiar reaction.

You still had so much you wanted to tell him, so many more precious moments you wanted to share with him. But you felt insecure, afraid that what you built together might not last, confused as to what you meant to each other after last Friday's emotional rollercoaster, but unwilling to bring it up as it might push Todoroki away from you. And those weren't even the worst of your worries. You let out a heavy sigh, as you remembered your last formal meeting with your teachers and the principal.