It was still a bit awkward training with Todoroki those next few weeks; A couple offhanded glances here, a few quick pull-aways there. The strangest thing was that you seemed to be much more shaken up than he was. It was almost as though he didn't even hear you to begin with, or maybe he didn't quite process what had transpired. It bothered you to still be around him all the time, but you still stuck with it. After all, you wanted to be a hero.

And after those tedious weeks had passed, it was finally the morning of the sports festival.

You stood before the mirror in your bathroom, your favorite pump up music blasting in the background.

"Today's the day..." You exhaled gently before slapping your hands on either side of your face. "LET'S GO (Y/N), IT'S TIME TO GET PUUUMPED!"

After washing your face and brushing your teeth, you took a few laps around the apartment to wake yourself up. Kuro meowed in confusion.

"That's because the UA sports festival is today Kuro!" You grinned while stopping for a moment to pick him up. "You're gonna watch me right? Just wait! I'm gonna make you proud!" He meowed in delight.

Shortly after, you ate breakfast, grabbed your freshly washed UA sweatsuit and headed for the door, but not before flipping on your small TV and leaving so extra cat treats out for Kuro.

- - -

"You nervous (y/n)?" Ochaco questioned.

"Hmmm, I actually feel pretty good." You smiled. "I've been training a lot. If anything, I'll do the best I can possibly do!"

"You're so enthusiastic!" She cheered. "I have to say, I'm a bit nervous myself..." She mumbled, tapping her fingers together in an adorable fashion.

"DON'T BE!" You encouraged, slapping your hands on both of her shoulders. "YOU'RE GONNA BE AMAZING!"

"Shut up." Bakugou growled from his seat

The atmosphere in the waiting room was tense. Most of your classmates were nervous and you could feel it.

"Everyone! Are you ready?!" Iida yelled after flinging the door open. "We will be entering soon!"

Your heart rate quickened at just the thought of walking out there to the crowds of roaring people. Izuku took a deep breath.

"Midoriya." Todoroki called out to the boy.

"Todoroki?" Izuku echoed back a bit confused. "What is it?"

The room stirred, directing their attention towards the two of them. You were no exception.

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you." Todoroki claimed.

Damn. Where did this come from?

"Huh?... Y-Yeah..." Izuku timidly replied.

"But All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he? I'm not trying to pry about that..." Todoroki's gaze only intensified further. "But I'm going to beat you."

Izuku's eyes widened at his words. Your jaw even dropped slightly.

"Oh? Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?" Kaminari nervously muttered.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?" Kirishima questioned in concern, placing a hand on the stoic boy's shoulder. "Not now, we're about to start!"

"We're not here to play at being friends." Todoroki scoffed, elbowing Kirishima's hand from him. He turned and walked off towards the door. "So what does it matter?"

Cold.

That was the first word that came to mind. You remembered the look Todoroki gave you on the first day of school. There was an uncanny resemblance between the glares.

Why are you so cold?

"Todoroki, I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me..." Izuku's words caused the half-and-half boy to stop for a moment and look back. "But of course you're better than me... I think you're more capable than most people. Looking at it objectively-"

"Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively..." Kirishima insisted.

"But everyone-" Izuku continued. "The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got! I can't afford to fall behind..." His gaze shifted from the ground back up to his challenger. "I'll be going for it with everything I have too."

There was a moment of lingering silence across the room.

"Yeah." Todoroki replied simply before heading off on his own.

You contemplated going after him. But was it really your place to do so? Every ounce of your being screamed to take action, but your mind told you no. But still, there had to be something you could do.

"Izuku." You stood from your seat and peered at the boy. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

He looked a bit confused but agreed nonetheless. The two of you exited the room into the hallway.

"What is it (y/n)? Y-You're not gonna challenge me too right?!" He nervously swallowed.

"What? Pfffttttt no silly." You laughed. Izuku visibly became less tense. "I mean, I'm gonna try to win just like anyone else. I'm just not nearly as edgy as mister half-and-half edge lord over there to make an open declaration of war."

"Oh, I see... What did you wanna talk about then?"

"Well..." You muttered quietly, a bit hesitant in your words. "Has Todoroki said anything to you really prior to this? Or did that just seem to come out of nowhere?"

"Honestly, he hasn't spoken to me much before all this... It seemed to come out of nowhere." He responded.

"I see..." You felt a bit defeated. There were still so many mysteries surrounding the boy.

"You don't know where it came from either? I thought if anyone would know, it would be you (y/n)." Izuku insisted.

If only...

"I guess even I'm not close enough for him to share with." You sighed.

"I see... I'm sorry I'm not much help."

"Don't say that. Taking the time to talk to me shows that you care as I do." You smiled. "Truth be told I'm worried..."

"Eh? What about?" Izuku questioned. "It's normal to be competitive with classmates? Just look at Kacchan."

"Hmm, I wouldn't say that Bakugou is necessarily competitive. It's more like he's so set on his goals that others aren't even relevant at this point." You inquired, leaning up against the wall with crossed arms. "Todoroki wants to be a hero, there's not a doubt in my mind about that... But I think..." Your brows furrowed thinking back to the boys' expression. "I think what he said back there was out of spite..."

"Spite?" Izuku's eyes widened. "Spite of what?"

A million thoughts raced through your head. You bit your lip and threw your head back against the wall.

"I'm not sure, but I intend to find out."

- - -

The walk into the stadium was as nerve-wracking as you thought it would be. Thunderous applause boomed over the crowd as Present Mic announced your entrance. You were there in that moment and excited at that.

But now you really had your work cut out for you.

Two goals: Dominate the sports festival and discover the truth about Todoroki Shouto.

At this point, it was less about having a crush on him and more about your deep-rooted concern for his wellbeing. You wanted to help. And in return, you expected nothing.

You averted your gaze to the back of Todoroki's head in front of you. The long walk to the center stage gave you plenty of time to think. You reflected back on the few clues you had gathered from your time together.

Todoroki Shouto and his mother... It appears that something happened in his childhood as suggested by that brief glimpse I got into his past on the roof. She had white hair and grey eyes, just like his right side. It's probably safe to assume they're related...

Unsightly... He emphasized that in the library. It was an oddly specific choice of words.

He also emphasized the fact that All Might had his eyes on Izuku. But why would that be important to him? All Might it's the number one hero so it makes sense that praise from him is influential. And then there's Enji Todoroki, more commonly known as Endeavor. He's the number two hero and Shouto's father... But every time I brought him up, Shouto had that cold expression on his face so it's obvious that he's not calling out Izuku because he's upset that his father is number two-

Before you could spend any more time trying to piece the puzzle together you had walked straight into the back of boy you had been so deep in thought about.

"What are you thinking about(y/n)? Shouldn't you be focusing?" He stated plainly back at you.

"Oh... yeah... My bad." You awkwardly laughed. He turned away and you waited patiently with him for the ceremony to start.

Dummy...

You huffed quietly to yourself.

You're the reason my head is such a convoluted mess.