Volunteering at clinics was your favorite past-time. You found that something as simple as giving patients the chance to smell something other than the sick-ridden air of hospitals was enough to lift their spirits. Some were even happy to talk to a hero but even though the recognition was nice, it wasn't the reason you did it.
"Flora!!", a familiar voice rasped out as you came into view and you smiled. You'd left your favorite patient visit for last.
"Good evening, Mr. Kiyoshi. I hope you feel well?"
"As well as an 80-year-old buffoon in a psychiactric hospital can feel. Definitely better when I have such a bright girl visiting me all the time."
"You're too kind", you smiled as you focused on letting a soft pleasant fragrance out. The old man immediately relaxed his stance as he took a deep breath. His body language showed relief at the change of smell and you took a seat by the window, letting the aroma fill the room properly before you left so it could last a while. You'd need to remember closing the door on your way out.
"I mean it, young lady. You bright up the whole room whenever you enter!!", he gave you a kind-hearted laugh that was too contageous. He hadn't said anything funny but you found yourself laughing too.
"I'm flattered you think so. I actually don't hear that often so it means a lot, especially coming from you", you shared. Mr. Kiyoshi looked apalled to hear that. He shook his head in dissapointment.
"What this world is coming to. Do no boys come up to you just to tell you that?"
You smiled. It made you happy that the old man believed that was something that would happen to you but you laughed it off,"Not at all but it doesn't bother me. I don't think people are as brave about those kinds of things as they were before."
"'Course not. All this damned technology. People don't see what's in front of them."
"It's okay. I'm more focused on my hero work than men these days", you scratched the back of your head sheepishly. It wasn't a lie, though thinking about the lack of a dating life you had wasn't something that necessarily made you happy.
"Ah, yes. The All-Mighty Flora. Fitting name."
"I never included All-Mighty. I'm still unsure why you call me that", you laughed.
"Because you remind me a lot of All-Might when he was in his prime."
You flushed in embarrassment. That compliment was way overboard,"Oh, no way, nuh-uh. All-Might? You think way too highly of me."
"Not at all!!Look at you, helping others out during your free time!!Also, when the nurses turn on the TV for me, I see you on the news sometimes. I saw footage of you taking down a criminal once. It was amazing to see your vines sprout from cement to catch him. You didn't even lift a finger!!And the big tough guy was covered in flowers by the end of it!!Hah!!", he slapped his knee like it was the best joke he'd ever heard. You sweatdropped.
"To be fair, that villain was weak, so it's definitely not enough for me to be compared to the previous #1 hero. Still, thank you for your praise. I think your room is good to go so I'll be on my way now. Take care of yourself while I'm gone, okay Mr. Kiyoshi?"
"Eh. It's better when I don't because the beautiful nurses get all over me."
"Mr.Kiyoshi...please", you sighed. It wasn't the first time you heard a comment like that from him.
"I'm messing with you, Flora. Go out these and kick some villain butt. And don't forget about me!!", he laughed yet again. You long stopped wondering what parts of what he said would make him laugh so much and instead joined him. You gave him a short wave before closing the room of his door.
Your quirk was very-plant based, to the point where using it for a long period of time gave you the need for sugar. It wasn't like you hated it though. Sweets were awesome and they happened to replenish your energy--literally. You grabbed a few candies from a nearby vending machine and started making your way to the exit, stopping in surprise at a the familiar figure standing at the main desk.
You were used to seeing Todoroki at clinics, especially after particularly difficult villain scenes in which you'd both worked in, but this was a psychiatric ward. What business did he have here? You wanted to know more but stopped that train of thoughts. You promised him you wouldn't snoop into his personal life. A realization clicked in your mind.
Oh, wait. I already did.
Now you had an idea of who he was here for. A part of you wanted to go in there and give him some encouraging words but it didn't seem like the right thing to do. The best thing for you was to sneak past him and-
"(Last Name). What are you here for?"
Your hopes of being stealthy were gone. Todoroki looked down at you with a blank expression. He didn't look shocked to see you; again, encounters at clinics weren't too rare, so you weren't sure why he was asking what you were doing at one when he'd seen you do this so many times.
"Same thing as always", you smiled at him. Your intentions of becoming friends were still there and your vague answer a silent way of questioning why he was bringing your activities up.
"I see", he nodded. Of course he wouldn't actually answer. His eyes stayed on you as you tried to come up with a way to respond. What do you even say after an 'I see'? Thankfully, he acted on it.
"Are your methods effective?"
That was...an odd question. You completed the entire hero course with him so it was weird that he doubted your quirk's effectiveness. Not that you had a high ego, but there was a reason you ranked third at U.A, beating even a certain nasty blond whose quirk should've been a disadvantage for you.
"They are...?why...?", you asked uneasily.
"I'd like to see whether it helps my mother."
Oh. That was actually pretty sweet of him. Then again, Midoriya had told you that Todoroki was a caring person underneath his apathetic front. The good nature of his request was putting him in a good light for you.
"I'd love to help in any way I can", you smiled at him. You still wanted to thread lightly since this was a part of the past you didn't have the right to know about but Todoroki didn't look to concerned about that. He nodded as silently led you a part of the ward you hadn't gone to yet.
It was interesting you'd ended up coming to the ward that his mother was in. Almost a coincidence. You hoped he didn't think you were still snooping around but he probably knew about your tendency to visit hospitals. It reminded you.
"Oh, Todoroki!", you pulled out a couple of sweets from your pocket. You extended it over to him as you walked beside him,"Here. Sweets are the best way to get into someone's good side, right?"
Todoroki looked at the candies on your hand for a moment before taking them.
"I suppose."
You grinned. It wasn't a straight yes but it wasn't a no either. It felt like a small little victory but your smile vanished soon enough. Instead of eating them, he gently placed them into his pocket.
"You're not going to eat them?"
"I'm not a fan of candy. Still, it would be rude to turn them down, so I'll probably give them to my mother."
"Ah."
At least he was honest on why he took them?You wondered if him taking the candies for his mom meant that he hadn't actually taken them for the purpose you offered. Asking would probably raise some awkwardness. There wasn't a need to ruin the happy mood you had from the chance to meet and help his mother.
"Stay here."
"I'm sorry?", you asked in confusion. You were both in front of a door, presumably the one to the room his mother was staying in. His words confused you. Wasn't you going in there the whole point of bringing you along?
"You said your methods were effective and I've seen it myself. You can waft your aromas into places at your own will. There's no need for you to go in so I'll leave the door slighty open. I'd still like to have privacy when I talk to my mother."
You winced. You knew his words weren't meant to be a stab at your previous actions but it felt like it. You'd also gotten yourself excited for seeing the person you'd help, even moreso knowing they were someone important to your peer.
Todoroki was right though. You were aware of the issues that drove his mother to this place but they still deserved privacy. You smiled,"Of course. It shouldn't be a problem. I'll wait out here until you're done but take your time."
Todoroki nodded and went into the room. You took a seat nearby and used your quirk the way he asked you to, snacking on your leftover snacks as time went by.
Todoroki did take his time but you didn't let yourself get upset about that; he deserved time with his mother. However, it was getting hard to ignore the hunger growing in your stomach the longer you used your quirk. You fought it as you kept waiting on Todoroki. It felt great when he finally came out.
"Oh,awesome!!", you stood up immediately when he came out and cringed at how your excitement might be taken,"Sorry, I meant for my quirk. I need some food asap."
The man didn't look offended by your small outburst. He nodded.
"That's okay. I've seen how it works. Thank you for your help. My mother liked it", you couldn't help the bright smile that came onto your face at that.
Todoroki looked pensive for a second before digging into his pocket. He pulled out one of the sweets you gave him earlier and offered it to you. You greedily took it into your hands and indulged in it, loving the immediate effect it had on your energy.
"Did your mom like the candies?", you tried making small talk. The atmosphere wasn't too tense and it gave you confidence to talk despite your greedy munching.
"I didn't give them to her. She said she was full so I ate them."
You tilted your head at that and covered your mouth as you spoke,"You said you didn't like them."
Todoroki looked back at the room's door before returning his gaze on you,"I thought my mother would appreciate the candy. I ate all but one when she said she'd try them next time. They were very good. Thank you."
That was the second time he thanked you in the same day. He wasn't making a big deal about it and on the outside, you weren't either, but that looked like progress. You tried not to beam too visibly in excitement and instead focused on his words to stay grounded.
"All but one? Were you saving this one for later?"
"No. Like I said, I've seen how your quirk works."
You were stunned. The man was great at delivering his messages without saying anything; he'd saved one of the candies for you because he knew your quirk's drawbacks and how you dealt with it. You let yourself continue eating as you spoke.
"That's really observant, Todoroki. We never even talked so I'm surprised you know something specific."
"Aside from Midoriya, you were my biggest threat. You almost took my rank as second several times. It's only logical I'd keep an eye on you."
You were immensely flattered. Praise from Todoroki was usually more of a declaration of war, but it wasn't like that here.
"I'm glad you thought so highly of me", you smiled,"But no more threat talk, okay?Like I said, I plan on being friends now."
Todoroki stayed quiet. He was undecipherable as always but it wasn't intimidating. For one second, as he spoke, his face looked slightly troubled.
"Is this abou-....Forget it. Thank you for helping out my mother."
You were curious what the question would have been but asking him things still made you nervous. He was hard to figure out so you never knew where exactly the lines you couldn't cross stood.
"It's not a problem at all. For the candy and helping out with your mother. You should let me know if you want me to come do this again."
Todoroki nodded,"I probably will. I'll get your number from Midoriya when I visit again."
"Awesome", you smiled. Todoroki spoke up again.
"Do you walk home?"
Yet another question you didn't expect. You stared up at him in silence and he elaborated.
"I told my mother you were the one who was making the room smell good. She insisted I walk you back home as a favor."
You weren't sure whether that was a good sign. Him offering to walk you back home would be considered a good sign if it weren't only because his mom asked him to.
"If it's only because of that, then it's fine", you smiled reassuringly,"I do this all the time so walking back home alone is the usual for me. Besides, even if I'm not a threat for you anymore, I'm a threat for anyone who tries anything with me, right?", you puffed out your chest, trying to look macho as a joke. Of course, Todoroki didn't laugh but he seemed satisfied with the answer.
"I thought so. I'm leaving now too. Also, please don't tell anyone about my mother."
You softened with the request,"Of course not. Your secret's safe with me. Because that's what friends do, right~?", you were probably annoying him with your sly reminders of your goal but then again...you liked annoying all your friends so it was fair game. To your immense surprise, there was a microscopic upturn of his lips at your silly tone.
Your jaw dropped. When you blinked to make sure your eyes were working properly, it was gone. Todoroki was looking at you the same he always had. Had you imagined it?
No, you assured yourself. You were actually making progress. Very, very slowly, but progress nonetheless.
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Disclaimer: This story (and my other one) doesn't follow the canon plot to the dot. In case anyone's wondering why Rei isn't out already :)
Chapter Details:
Written 12/22/2022
Published 12/23/2022