Words To Live By

Chapter 12

And he wasn't going to concern himself with the others

It wasn't his problem

He didn't know them

... ok he was a little worried about Midoriya

He remembered he had said he had a strength quirk yet there was no evidence of it. He struggled at the bottom of each event. Occasionally coming on top when someone's quirk failed them famously.

He shouldn't care... but he was confused

All the training for nothing. A waste. Watching him flounder like that. A few whispers went around about it but one stuck out.

"Well considering how much damage he took during the entrance exam I could understand why he's not using it."

Does his quirk have that much backlash? Something he can only use once or he hasn't learned to control yet? He was curious, he had to admit. The boy had managed to clean the entire beach by himself. Granted... anyone probably could with enough time.

Then he saw it. Just a peek. He could feel his eyes widen a fraction at the amount of force he managed to send behind the ball with simply a finger. It broke his finger. Which would explain why he hesitated on using it. The backlash was too much to handle. He was a liability to himself. To others trying to be a hero. A powerful quirk was no good if he couldn't handle it.

Shame

The loud blond yelled at Midoriya about the quirk. Something about holding out. Could he do more? Was he possible of more power than what he just showed?

Todoroki refocused. Ignoring Midoriya and finishing the tests. He finished second. Yaoyorozu finished first. Midoriya was last. Today would be Midoriya's final day at UA.

Except apparently their teacher had lied. He was safe to go on another day. A warning was all he got.

Todoroki pushed down any thought he had of it. It wasn't his issue. That wasn't why he was here.

But was it rude?

Todoroki could feel eyes lock on him as they were dismissed for the day. He moved quietly out of the room and out of the school's walls. Staring at the family car waiting for him just outside. He could keep walking. He was tempted to... but if his classmates spotted him on the train and tried to talk to him...

He sighed and opened the door and ducked inside. Luckily just the driver. He let himself relax a bit giving a small tilt of the head in greeting glancing out the window. He could see the others exiting the building chatting with each other. He could feel eyes glance at the car and leave it.

He hated it.

Their eyes. All of them. He could feel it crawl across his skin. Focus on his scar. Shift across his hair. Lock onto his eyes. He hated it. He hated the way people seemed to study him. He hated that he didn't know how to react to them.

All the time and training with Endeavor and yet he didn't know how tired react with people. Maybe it was why Midoriya had thought him weird the first few times. The kid seemed a bit weird himself but then again... what did he know.

He was grateful for the lack of conversation as they drove home. Carefully checking the schedule. The first day being a half day he only saw a small bit of what the school was to be about. He was curious about one thing though. All Might as his heroics professor.

Endeavor was sure to find out sooner than later but it wasn't going to be from him that's for sure. It would mean All Might was stepping out of the main spotlight. Sure he could do hero work and teach like the others but it was weird that he shifted. Why now? Why this year?