CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
LEVEL OF CONCERN.
The moment (Y/N) had woken up, she knew that something was off. Her cheeks were hotter than usual, and her head was swimming with a strange dizziness.
Her room was going in circles, throwing off her centre of balance. She blinked a couple of times to get rid of the sensation, only for it to come back with a vengeance.
A small groan escaped her lips.
(Y/N) isn't the type to get sick easily. Nothing can set her off; but these past few days have been nothing but stressful to her, mentally and physically, and to top it all off, her whole body got soaked in the rain for a very long period of time just last night.
But mostly, she assumed that the main contributor here was the stress. Chronic stress and exposure to emotional events can cause a psychogenic fever. This means the fever is caused by psychological factors instead of a virus or other type of inflammatory cause. This also means that it's not necessary for her to take any kind of medicine.
...Probably.
It wasn’t an ideal way to start the day, but she can't afford to miss class, so she does the next best thing— ignore it until it goes away.
━━
Time went by slowly, every second weighed her down. (Y/N) felt like she's steaming in a sauna and locked in a freezer at the same time. Her body felt too hot but the cold air irritated her skin that it made her crave for warmth, and if someone were to push her the wrong way, she would surely hit the ground.
Only a few more hours, and she can finally go back to her room to rest. The reward of home dangling in front of her is what keeps her going.
Yaoyorozu glanced at her for a split second, and commented, "Is everything okay? You look kind of... sick?"
Laying her cheek against her propped hand, (Y/N)'s eyelashes fluttered tiredly. "Really? I'm fine though."
"Oh, okay then..." The ravenette gave her one last look of concern before turning away, and (Y/N) internally breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Alright class, listen up," Aizawa said as he walked inside, dragging his yellow sleeping bag along behind him. "Today's lesson plan will be a little different. I know I said we'd be doing the same training but something came up that I forgot about. As you all heard in principal Nezu's speech, some villains are now attacking just for the sake of it. Now that All Might is retired, villains won't think twice about pulling larger stunts. We have to prepare you for dealing with situations like these. Of course, the most practical way to improve is through experience, so that's exactly what we're going to give you. In a month, you will be embarking on another field shadowing with a Pro Hero. In other words, an internship again, but more intense than last time. Since most of you have your provisional licensees you can now legally engage in combat outside of school. Those who haven't will attend remedial courses next month so there's no need to worry about not catching up."
Excited chatter filled the classroom as the black haired man announced that.
"Usually these internships are only offered to third years, but we don't have time to wait around for you to get older and wiser." Aizawa said. "And thanks to the Festival quite a few of you have offers still withstanding. However, the fact remains that you lack practical experience in a serious but non-life threatening scenario. To help you with this, there's some students I want you all to meet."
The door slid open and everyone's eyes went wide.
(Y/N) blinked lazily, the initial surprise sinking into her at a slow pace. She recognized the indigo haired boy and blue haired girl that she had bumped into in the hallway.
The periwinkle haired senior smiled brightly at her and waved. (Y/N), being too tired to return the gesture, opted for a curt nod instead. Her gaze travelled to her left which led to a very tall, blonde student with upswept hair and a muscular frame. To her right was the nervous looking boy with dark hair and eyes. His figure was hunched over and he still looked like as though he wanted to sink into the wall and never come out.
"These third year students are known as the Big Three," Aizawa introduced. "In terms of power, application, and overall reliability, they reign at the very top of not only UA, but all of Japan. As it stands they are well beyond the pro level and will all likely go on to make top ten in the first year of their debuts."
"Already above the Pros?" Jirou echoed nervously.
"Awesome," Kaminari said in awe.
"Let's get right through it. How about some introductions?" The Pro suggested. "Starting with you, Amajiki."
As soon as he said that, alarmed gasps left a lot of the Class 1-A's students' lips as the dark haired boy suddenly became more intense and bloodshot.
Even this made (Y/N) raise an eyebrow, interested at the sudden change of demeanor her senior was displaying.
"It's no good, Mirio... Hado..." He started, his form starting to shake along with his voice. "I was going for potatoes, but they all still look like people from the neck down. What do I do? Having trouble... speaking. My mind's gone blank... It hurts...!" Not being able to handle all the stares anymore, he did a 180 spin, pressed his forehead against the wall and declared in a defeated tone, "I want to go home!"
"WHAT?!"
"But you're the Hero Course's best of the best, right...?"
Though it may seem strange, even in her tired state, (Y/N) can't help but pull gaze at him with her half lidded eyes. 'He's got an uncanny personality, he doesn't look much, but he's somehow in UA's Big Three. Interesting...'
"C'mon, Amajiki! You're supposed to have a heart of a lion, not a kitten— even though you're human! Get what I mean?" Hado teased before facing the front and gesturing towards her anxious friend. "This is our kitten, Amajiki Tamaki. And then, I'm Hado Nejire. We were asked to talk to you guys about work studies. But wait..." It was then that she walked up to Shoji and pointed at his mask. "Hey, hey, what's with that mask? You got a cold? Or is it just fashion?"
"A long time ago, I—"
"Ohh, is that Todoroki I see back there? Hey! How'd you get that burn anyway?" The third year interrupted before hearing Shoji's response and immediately jumped at Todoroki, asking him, and most like Shoji as well, personal questions.
"Well, I—"
"Ashido, if your horns break off, will new ones grow in? Can you move them? Well?"
At the suddenly asked question, Ashido couldonly touch her horns, not able to even utter a word in response.
"Mineta, are those balls of yours hair? How do you get a haircut?"
Mineta only blushed in response, obviously focusing on the fact that a pretty girl said the word "balls".
"Asui, you're a tree frog— not a toad, right?"
The frog-like girl simply tilted her head, also not managing to get out a response before Hado then dragged her finger over to the (H/C) haired girl and she spoke her mind carelessly.
"Oh, (L/N) your face looks even more stiff today, what's up with that? How'd you even manage to do that?"
Her eyes drifted away, a small groan escaping her lips in exasperation. 'She's still as obnoxious as the day I first met her.'
"There's so much I want to know about all of you! It's so strange!"
After hearing this, Kaminari started doing a little dance, finding it cute that Nejire had a "natural airhead thing going", which Ashido agreed with, comparing the older girl to a kindergartener.
"She wants to know about my balls? Wait a minute, that's sexual harassment, you know!"
Yaoyorozu could only look on at Mineta in horror, absolute horror, until Sero and (Y/N) interrupted.
"Don't you have no sense of shame?" She voiced out in disapproval.
Sero added in a deadpan tone, "That's not what she meant."
"Hey, hey, Ojiro, can you support your whole body with your tail?"
"U-Uhm..."
"Hey, hey, tell me! I wanna know!"
With Hado's questions continuing, Aizawa quickly got impatient with the speed that the Big Three where taking to complete their introductions and so he turned to Togata, his eyes red and his hair defying gravity. "She's not the most rational person, is she?"
"Not to worry, Eraserhead! I'm going last to wrap things up, right?" The blonde guy reassured, repeatedly pointing at himself proudly with his thumb. "The future's gonna be...?" He chanted, but nobody in class knew what to finish his chant with.
"Gonna be what?" Sero asked, the rest of the class agreeing with his question.
"Awful! That's what you were supposed to say, right? All right, my call-and-response was a huge fail!" He then laughed like a maniac while Class 1-A whispered to each about the Big Three and how weird they were.
(Y/N) seriously want to bang her head on her desk if it wasn't for her migraine giving her pain already.
"Well, you guys look like you're not sure what's going on, right? We're third years who suddenly appeared to explain about work studies that aren't even required. That's confusing, right? You guys got your provisional licenses as first years, right? This year's first years are really... Energetic, right? Besides, it looked like my jokes didn't work earlier, right?" It was then that the atmosphere in the classroom shifted slightly, alarming Hado and Amajiki who both turned their attention towards their friend in wonder of what he would say next.
"Why don't we fight?"
"W-What?!"
"Fight you...?"
"Out of the blue?"
"How?"
"Simple," He replied. "You fight me. All of you, at the same time."
"WHAAAAT?!"
"Dude, are you out of your mind or something?" Kaminari asked. "That's like one versus twenty, there's no way."
"Careful what you say," Amajiki said, speaking up loudly for the first time that day. "He's the most powerful person I know."
"You're not serious," Kirishima stated.
"I am," He grinned. "Since you all have your licenses you're at liberty to engage in combat with me. Right, Mister Aizawa?"
Aizawa simply looked over to him with a disinterested look and nodded. "As long as you don't destroy the school again, go for it," he permitted.
With that foreboding message, the class all found themselves in Gym Gamma. Mirio didin't seem concerned at all. That same smile was still on his face as he stretched on the other side of the gym.
"This will be a good experience for you all." Aizawa said. "Humbling, for some of you." Then he turned towards the (H/C) haired girl. "(L/N), come here for a moment," he said before walking towards the side, expecting the teen to follow him.
Together with heavy footsteps, she followed the black haired man, burying her hands in the pockets of her blazer in a pathetic attempt to keep herself warm.
"Go back to the dorms and rest. Go see Recovery Girl if needed." He ordered, and although his tone sounded bored, she could tell with the way his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes scanned her face that he was concerned.
(Y/N) blinked, her mind was slow due to her poor state. "Huh...?"
The Pro narrowed his eyes and poked the girl's forehead slightly, eyebrows knitting together even more when he felt the hot skin. "You're clearly not in the right shape to fight. Don't make things worse for yourself. Go now, (L/N)."
A few second of silence later, she finally managed to let out an, "Okay..." before bowing her head slightly and leaving the room.
━━
(Y/N) felt horrible.
She was so, so cold; every slight movement trying to adjust the nest of blankets around her only sent shudders wracking through her body.
The room was dim and quiet, that much she was glad for, the feeling nobody could see the terrible state she was in right now made her slightly at ease. She was an absolute wreck, and her miserable nose was dripping and everything was just slightly too loud— not a good way to spend a day.
She buried her face deeper into her pillow.
Maybe if she just closed her eyes long enough the world would go away.
There was a knock, the knob jingled a few times before the door creaked open.
"What the hell—"
"(Y/N)?"
She froze.
It couldn't be.
"(Y/N), it's me."
Yet it was.
Shuffling slowly onto her other side to face the doorway, (Y/N) rubbed both of her eyes, trying to determine whether the hulking silhouette in the door frame was just a hallucination. Her discomfort was momentarily replaced by overwhelming confusion.
Todoroki waddled slowly into her room, a concerned look on his face replacing the usually blank and listless expression splashed across his features.
"What are you doing here?" (Y/N) asked, trying to force her hoarse voice out her throat.
"Are you okay?" Todoroki walked over to the bedside. "Mister Aizawa sent me to check up on you since I'm the only one currently free."
(Y/N) fell silent, the painful migraine kicking in once again in her head.
That fever, that Satan's rollercoaster, appears to have peaked.
"What's happening to you?" His hands flew to her face as he took in the (H/C) haired girl, who lay curled up on the bed miserably. "Are you dying?"
She managed to weakly roll her eyes.
"I'm not dying, Todoroki."
"Good, good." He said, stepping back and heaving a sigh of relief.
"Are you going to just sit here and watch me be sick?"
"Of course not." His mismatched eyes blinked. "I brought soup."
"Soup," (Y/N) echoed.
"Chicken soup, or chicken broth actually," Todoroki explained. "I was supposed to ask my sister to cook it but that would take too long so I got that from Lunch Rush."
"Ah," (Y/N) uttered, not knowing what to say. "Thats... Nice," she said, feeling another wave of throbbing in her head. Flopping over, she clutched at the sides of her head, trying to will it away.
"Do you need any help?" Todoroki hurried to his side, trying to steady her.
"No, no." She swatted his hand away. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
The half and half haired boy nodded, his face fastened into a concerned frown. "You don't look fine, (Y/N)," he mumbled.
"I don't need you to tell me that," (Y/N) snapped.
Todoroki blinked.
"Sorry, I'm... just cranky." She apologized, trying to get up on her elbows to face him. It was the least she could do after that sudden outburst.
"Don't get up," Todoroki urged. "Just rest if you need it."
Worry was written all across his face. It was a strange look on his visage, one of concern and fear and uncertainty, one that (Y/N) was unfamiliar with. Those furrowed eyebrows and the pursed lips burned deep into her mind, but the haze of discomfort clogging her brain kept her from harping on it.
Had she caused that worry? Had she made Todoroki worried? Everything was so unclear.
The heterochromatic boy stood there, unsure of what to do with his hands.
"I'll take the soup," (Y/N) wheezed out.
"Really?" Todoroki asked, voice quiet now.
"Yeah."
He uncapped the thermos and gingerly placed it in her (S/C) hands, his own hand wrapping around (Y/N)'s own and closing his fingers around it.
The smell of warm chicken broth drifted out of the light blue thermos and filled the room, enveloping her in warmth. It was a pleasant and tasty smell, even to her poor blocked out senses. She sniffed its contents tentatively, very aware of Todoroki's eyes staring at her anticipatorily.
And then she took a sip.
It was rich and warm and flavorful, and (Y/N) found herself taking another sip, and another. She hadn't even realized she was hungry until she was practically inhaling soup, the warmth flooding her chest with a satisfaction that wasn't there before.
"Is it good?" Todoroki asked.
(Y/N) nodded, tipping the thermos further.
He offered her a small smile.
"...Thanks."
A warmth bloomed in her chest— and it wasn't just from the soup. The air had gotten calmer and easier in the room, the hunger having eased.
Her (E/C) eyes looked over at Todoroki, who had sunk into a chair by the bed, (Y/N)'s heart twinged.
She could feel her eyelids drooping heavier and heavier.
(Y/N) was just warming up to the idea of Todoroki being there. She could feel herself slipping away deeper into the dark, a fuzzy film closing over her eyes and shutting down her mind as she fell into an uneasy slumber.
━━
When (Y/N) awoke, the room was significantly darker than before.
She tried to claw her way over the bedsheets over to the light switch, a sinking feeling that she had slept through the day, but she found an arm reaching out to catch her.
Todoroki. Todoroki was still there.
"Careful," he warned, softer than ever. "You've been asleep for almost an hour. Are you feeling better? I tried putting a wet towel on your forehead but you keep removing it." He said, frowning little.
(Y/N) rubbed her eyes blearily. "I feel a little better."
Todoroki was really still there, staring back at her.
"Water..."
"I got you." Todoorki stood up, grabbing a bottle off the bedside table. He carted it to her side, hand resting around the nape of her neck as he lifted the bottle to (Y/N)'s lips and tipped her head upwards just enough to drink.
(Y/N) was barely conscious enough to register the tender movements the heterochromatic teen was using. Todoroki was being so gentle with her, as if one little move might break her.
She clutched her head in distress, a low frustrated growl bubbled up in her throat. The affliction her migraine was producing was so severe that she wished she could just rip her head out.
"(Y/N)..."
Todoroki's voice sounded so far and distant, but she didn't register it until she felt something warm and heavy pressing against the top of her head. He was stroking her hair, petting it, in hopes to ease the pain she was currently feeling.
"Go away..." (Y/N) tried to push him away.
She hated how weak and little her voice sounded. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. So helpless and vulnerable and downright pathetic.
His right hand was on her face, a brush of shocking cool against her searing skin, trying to relieve and make her feel a little better.
(Y/N) was far too gone to even refuse the warmth offered to her, the welcoming touch of Todoroki's hands cooling her down as she sunk into its depths.
"I hate it," she blandly said after a few moments of silence, causing Todoroki to hum in question.
"Hate what?"
"You..." (Y/N) added slowly, "You seeing me like this. You having to take care of me when I'm like this."
Todoroki exhaled softly, carefully. "It's okay. I'll take care of you."
"It's gutter work." She insisted, eyebrows knitting together, trying to focus on the cooling sensation on her cheek instead.
"Not to me." Todoroki countered, nestling his cold hand in her cheek and another on top of her hair.
"...Okay," she breathed out and just accepted, not wanting to argue and deal with his stubbornness.
(Y/N) no longer tried to push Todoroki away.
It was time she let him in after all.
AUTHOR'S NOTEㅤ⌗
I don't know why but I feel like changing the reader's costume again. And by that, I already skecthed it lmao. I just feel like the costume's a little plain? Please tell me what you think— is this a little over the top? Are you guys satisfied with the original, or?
Anyway, thank you all for the wonderful fanarts!
@Kimio_chi
@siIvertear