Everlasting Winter

One small step

He takes my old bloody shirt to the laundry room before the blood could stain.

"Hey Shoto, Natsuo. It's time to go," Fuyumi calls.

"I'm coming," I call back.

Natsuo helps me get ready. I put my shoes on, grab my side bag and open the door.

On the way to the train station Fuyumi tries to distract me.

"Are you ready?" Fuyumi asks.

"Yes and no. I know I need to try but I am still nervous" I say fidgeting with my hands.

"How about your friends' dog? What are they like?" Fuyumi questions.

"Benelli isn't just a regular dog she's a service dog in training. That means she can get distracted if someone pets or talks to her," I explain.

"Wow, I didn't know that. Have you been doing some research?" Natsuo asks.

"I have. I wanted to be ready when I finally met Midoriya in person," I reply.

When we finally made it to the train station, we get our tickets, board the train at the same place we did during the practice runs two weeks ago. Like clockwork, before the train leaves the station the conductor came around to punch our tickets. It wasn't the same person as before. This conductor had a special guest. It was a service dog. I quickly notice she has a prosthetic leg, it was visibly under her skirt. I am amazed at how well the dog is behaving, all the dogs focus was on the handler. It has a red service dog vest with several patches. One catches my eye it says, dog on duty do not distract.

"Oh, are you a U.A student?" she asks.

I wanted to answer but I just couldn't open my mouth.

"Yes, he is. Hey Sho hand her your ticket," Natsuo says saving me.

"Not much of a talker I see," she jokes handing us our tickets back.

When the train finally starts moving, I pull out the yearbook. I run my finger over the picture of Midoriya with a service dog. He wasn't on the list Midoriya gave me so he must already be a working service dog.

When the train arrives at our stop, we get off the train. I step off the train, look around and see a bunch of U.A students walking up the mountain. I turn around to get back on the train but Fuyumi and Natsuo were blocking the door. I start to back away before a gentle, yet strong hand grabs mine; it was Natsuo.

"Hey, I'll walk you to the door," he smiles.

I nod letting him guide me up the mountain. Once U.A came into view I start to get even more nervous. My legs were shaking, and it felt like there was an iron band around my chest making it hard to breathe. Natsuo notices this, he just gives my hand a gentle squeeze and continues to guide me towards the school. There were so many people, my heart begins to really race. My head begins to spin, the noise around me grows with every passing second. It feels like there is something pulsating inside my ears. My hold body feels numb, and I can barely stand. I was about to bolt when I saw Benelli come around the corner with Midoriya. I let go of Natsuo's hand and start to walk towards Benelli. My legs stop shaking and I was able to finally take a deep breath. When Midoriya notices me, he gave me the same kind smile as he did the first day.

"Good morning, you must be Todoroki," Midoriya smiles.

I nod.

"Nice to finally meet the person behind all those amazing emails," he smiles. "Oh, I almost forgot this is Benelli," Midoriya reaches over and pats the chocolate lab.

"Nice to meet you both," I say back.

"Would you like to walk Benelli to the door," he asks.

I look back at my siblings and they both gave me a thumbs up.