Silver and Gold // BNHA OC

Fifteen

Ichika was still sitting with her friends when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"Sakurai."

She turned to the sound of the voice and saw Todoroki standing quietly behind everyone else.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked timidly.

She was nervous after the way he had spoken to her before the festival; he had been so... well, cold to her.

"Can I speak to you in private?"

Todoroki seemed just as uncomfortable as she nodded in agreement and stood to follow him.

They made their way out to the empty hallway and he leaned against the wall as she stood across from him, crossing her arms in front of her as if to make herself seem smaller.

His eyes trailed down to her crossed arms. "Are you cold?" he asked, seeming concerned. "I would give you my jacket, but..."

"No! No, that's okay," Ichika's cheeks burned as she was reminded of his half-burnt sports uniform. "I'm... not cold."

She let her hands rest at her sides now, although it made her more uncomfortable. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize," Todoroki stated matter-of-factly. "You have been nothing but kind to me since I've been here. You extended your friendship to me when no one else bothered, and I thanked you by throwing that back in your face at the beginning of the sports festival."

He looked down. "I... heard you cheering for me, despite the way I acted. I have a lot to think about right now, and I'm still not sure where I stand, or exactly what I'm going to do from here on out. But as you have been honest and open with me, I think it's only fair that I'm honest with you."

Ichika couldn't help but smile at how formal he was being right now. It reminded her of Annya, in a way. "Thank you for apologizing, Todoroki. Of course I forgive you."

She stepped towards him. She knew he wasn't very comfortable with affection, and she wanted to give him a hug, but she didn't want to push her luck either.

She simply reached out and took one of his hands in both of hers.

Ichika beamed at him. "You'd better get to the preparation room! You don't want to be late for your match. Go knock it out of the park!"

Todoroki seemed confused. "What park?"

"Oh," Ichika smiled sheepishly. "It's an American expression, like in baseball. It's like a home run, when they hit the ball so hard it flies out of the park! Sorry, sometimes I forget that American sayings don't translate very well to other languages. Anyways go... do your best! Plus ultra!"

Todoroki nodded seriously. "I will. Thank you, Sakurai."

"No problem! And I told you to call me Ichika," she put her hands on her hips.

"Okay. Ichika, then," he dead-panned.

Wow. He's a lot like Annya. Or maybe it's just because they're both so stoic... Ichika thought as she parted ways with Todoroki and joined her other friends.

"Brr, that wasn't a very warm greeting you gave ol' Roki," Denki said as Ichika sat down. "So, you two kiss and make up or what?"

Ichika blushed furiously. "It's not like that, Denki. We're just friends."

"Good to hear," Denki winked at her. "That means I've still got a shot."

"Yeah right, Kaminari," Jirou snorted. "Ichika probably wants a guy with some brains, not... well, you."