CHAPTER ONE
❛ the breakup ❜
"I CAN'T DO this anymore, I'm sorry, (Y/n)." Standing outside your door was that familiar face you loved so much; Shoto Todoroki, and he had just broken up with you. He stood outside your door, unable to meet your teary-eyed gaze. His two-toned orbs were glued to the floor. The atmosphere was tense, and it took you a few seconds to gather your thoughts before responding back.
"... Shoto, I know your father expects you to be focused on becoming a hero and all, but we worked through things before and—" He shook his head, interrupting your rebuttal.
"It's more than that. I just can't, (Y/n). I don't expect you to understand. Becoming a hero is the most important thing as of now. I can't let him down. I can't afford any meaningless distractions—" He paused. The pained expression on your face made him immediately regret his poor choice of words. You weren't meaningless. It was far too complicated for him to explain. He was at war with his feelings, and he didn't want to drag you down into the chaos that was his life. It was out of his hands. Before he could correct himself, you spoke.
"Fine," It was evident in your voice that the situation was far from fine, yet you continued. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, Todoroki." With that, you slammed the door in his face, not interested in hearing anything else he had to say. He stood motionless, staring blankly at the door.
A defeated sigh escaped your lips as you turned your back against the door. You had enough stress dealing with the exams, so the last thing you needed was to be broken up with right before the final. Things have recently been rocky between the two of you, but you never expected him to end it so abruptly— without even trying to fix things. Todoroki's father wasn't too keen on him being in a relationship, and he never particularly liked you— or anyone for that matter... Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, as much as you wanted it to be.
You covered your mouth with a shaky hand and squeezed your eyes, the tears finally spilling from your (e/c) eyes. All those months, all those moments, none of it mattered anymore. It was all for nothing. Your stomach felt tight, almost queasy, and your heart was aching. Everything was hurting.
You loved him— so much. Yet, he let you go. That was the end of your relationship.
☆彡
THE STUDENTS OF Class 1-A were geared up in their hero costumes, gathered in the Center Plaza to complete the final exam. Amongst them stood Aizawa and various other teachers that came to, what you assume, was to spectate the exam. For what reason, you weren't exactly sure.
"What's with all the teachers?" Mina questioned, nudging your shoulder. You shrugged, not giving much of a response. You noticed your friends interacting with you a lot more than usual today. They did your best to include you in the conversation despite you not adding much. They were suspecting of something, but they didn't want to pry into your life too much.
"Now then, let's begin the final exam," Mr. Aizawa began. "Don't forget, it's possible to fail this exam. If you want to go to the training camp, don't make any stupid mistakes." He stepped aside, revealing Principal Nezu. The class began to whisper amongst themselves in confusion. It was unusual for the amount of pro-hero's present, but the Principal of U.A. caused a whole different level of confusion.
"Wait a minute," Uraraka blinked, confused. "What is he doing here? What's going on?"
"Hello, students! For this exam, we want to focus on person-to-person combat, hero work, and basically anything under the category of a real fight!" He smiled, but his demeanor felt serious, "For the final exam, you all will be forming teams to battle against a teacher!"
"We're battling against the teachers?!" Denki exclaimed, the blondes reaction mirroring those of the entire class. This wasn't something anyone had expected, or was prepared for. Was it even possible to win against a teacher?!
"The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes!"
Nezu held up a pair of handcuffs. "Your objective is to either to put these handcuffs on the teacher, or to escape the stage! The choice is yours!"
"In addition," Aizawa continued to explain. "The teams and who they'll battle against have already been decided. These were determined at my own discretion based on many factors. Including your fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. So, here they are; First up, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are on one team," a sadistic smile then graced his face. "And they're fighting me."
For a moment, you glanced toward the duel-haired male, your eyes meeting his. You locked eyes, but only for a second. Immediately, you broke contact, your heart beginning to race. You couldn't stand looking at him. It made you feel so much worse about what had taken place yesterday.
"Next, Midoriya, Bakugou, (L/n)." Both boys
gasped and turned to look at each other in shock. You sighed, knowing you'd most likely have to be the middle-man to keep these two in check. Midoriya was fine, but you weren't too excited about working alongside Bakugo. You too weren't exactly the best of friends. Your history wasn't too great either. The few words that you've exchanged over your time in UA were nothing but arguments. "And their opponent..."
All Might suddenly appeared out of nowhere, landing in front of the class with large boom that shook the ground, causing many students to lose their footings. "I will do it!" All Might tightened a fist, raising it in the air. "I expect a great performance from the three of you!" All Might declared proudly. Midoriya and Bakugo exchanged conflicted looks, dreading working with one-another. The freckled boy then turned to face you. You offered a comforting smile, to which he returned. He felt a bit of relief knowing you'd at least be on his team. You were always friendly toward one another, and had enjoyed the few times you were paired together during school.
"Wow, All Might?!" The class began to chatter excitedly at the presence of their favorite hero. Many of them were thankful they didn't have to face off against him. Must be nice, you thought to yourself.
"All right, all right," Aizawa began, quieting the class down. He continued to list off the teams, before finally finishing. "Each team will take the practical exam in order on the prepared stages. The first team to battle will be Kirishima and Sato against Cementoss. Start heading to the arena to prepare." With that, the teachers had began heading to their various stages, leaving Aizawa behind to give the next instructions. "Now, those up next can head to the practice room to prepare. Those waiting for their turns can watch the exams or think of strategies to defeat the teachers as a team. That's all for now." He said, before he turned to follow the other teachers preparing for battle.
You began walking alongside your friends to the waiting area, until you felt a hand grasp your shoulder. Stopping in your tracks, you turned around, meeting the eyes of the one person you dreaded to see. Shoto Todoroki, your now ex.
"(Y/n)..." Todoroki hesitantly began, not sure where to begin. "I just ... I wanted to wish you good luck." You hesitantly nodded, fiddling with the sleeve of your hero costume. Glancing back, you saw Mina and Uraraka watching closely, curious as to what the problem could be. It was obvious there was tension between the two of you. You know you'd have to explain what happened to them eventually, but for right now, you wanted to avoid the topic at all costs. Turning back toward Shoto, you lowered your gaze. You couldn't bring yourself to hold the eye contact.
"Let's stick to surnames, Todoroki." He slowly nodded, pulling his hand from your shoulder. You felt your heart break once again. You didn't want to be so distant, he was your best friend after all. He was your person; the one you'd go to when you were sad, or had a funny joke to tell. Nonetheless, he chose to end things. Not you. You'd have to remember that.p
"I apologize," He spoke softly, before brushing past you, heading to join his teammates side— Yaoyorozu. You headed toward your friends, who gave you the side-eye as you walked.
"Is everything okay?" Uraraka tentatively asked. Mina nodded in agreement. "You've been down in the dumps all day, did something happen between you and Todoroki?" You sighed, knowing it'd be best to come clean. If you didn't tell them now, they'd keep asking about it. Offering a weak smile, you nodded.
"We broke up yesterday, but don't worry about me. I'm doing fine." The two girls let out a gasp, before bombarding you with a plethora of questions. This was the last thing you wanted; to be interrogated about Todoroki. You just wanted to forget anything happened. It's not like you could lie about it, though. They would have found out eventually. It was best you got it over with now, and moved on later.
Once you reached the waiting room, the exams had breezed by faster than everyone expected. Kirishima and Sato had failed, being knocked out in less than a few minutes. Tokoyami and Asui had won, strategizing beforehand to catch the teacher off guard. It was quite impressive, if you were being honest. As each team went, you took a mental note of each performance, and every strategy used to win or lose. Since your team was the last up, you wanted to be prepared for absolutely anything. All Might wouldn't be an easy opponent to go up against, so you'd have to do your best if you wanted to pass.