*Note: For simplicity's sake, (y/n) kinda replaces Ojiro in the tournament. I still love you precious tail boi.
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So next is a cavalry battle... That means we'll have to create teams...

Your eyes almost instinctively turned towards Todoroki.

No no no (y/n)... The more you follow him around, the harder you'll make this for yourself...

"And the point value for first place is... TEN MILLION!"

... Ten million?!

"That's right~" Midnight snickered. "It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!" She shifted her attention towards the frozen boy beside you. "Izuku Midoriya, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points!"

You shifted your gaze over towards him as everyone else had.

So basically whoever takes down his team, gets an instant win... Well, I sure dodged a bullet on that one.

He was clearly shaken up by the sudden pressure. Midnight proceeded to explain the remaining rules of the cavalry battle.

"Now! You have fifteen minutes to build your teams!"Midnight announced. "Start!"

Students began gathering in various groups. Todoroki and Bakugou already had a big group around them due to their placement and flashy quirks. You, however, didn't have that luxury. Your quirk, powerful as it is, was something that couldn't be seen. Nobody had any way of telling what you were capable of. You sighed, resting your fingers against your chin, and peered at the surrounding crowd.

Hmm let's see... I'll walk around and see what my options are. Maybe I'll join Izuku's team? After all we worked together pretty well befor-

"You're (y/n) from class 1-A, right?" A stranger called over to you.

The voice brought you out of focus. You turned to face it, eyes falling upon a pale, purple haired boy who you hadn't met before.

"Eh? Oh, yeah that's me!" You smiled. "And you're..."

"Hitoshi Shinsou, from general studies. I don't expect you to know me." He grinned back. "How about joining my team?"

"Join... your team?"

It was odd for somebody to just randomly ask for you to join their team. From the looks of the other group, people were mostly teaming up with their own class or at least those in their same department.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you that well. Maybe if we talked about a plan for a bit-"

Blank.

Your mind went numb out of nowhere, your words ceasing instantly.

What? What's going on? I can't... Speak... Don't tell me... Is it his quirk?!

"(Y/n)." Todoroki called out from behind you. "My team's looking for another person if you want to..." He stopped upon locking eyes with Shinsou who it looked as though you were engaged in conversation with.

Todoroki?! Oh god, what do I do?!

"Shouto Todoroki from class 1-A huh? Sorry, but (y/n) is already on my team." Shinsou scoffed.

Todoroki didn't address him, instead averting his gaze back towards you.

"Is that so?" He calmly questioned.

"It is." Shinsou retorted. "Go on (y/n), tell him it is."

Without the consent of your mind, your head nodded forward.

NO NO NO THAT'S NOT IT! WHAT'S GOING ON?!

"And there you have it." Shinsou walked to your side, slinging his arm over your shoulder as if to keep your facing away from Todoroki. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a plan to discuss." He smirked.

Todoroki's fists tightened at the sight of you being led away like that. His brows furrowed subconsciously, and his voice remained stuck in his throat.

"Todoroki, did you ask her?" Yaoyorozu questioned.

"Yeah..." He huffed. "She already has a team..."

"I see." She sighed. "Iida is asking Kaminari in the meantime. Shall we discuss the plan?"

Todoroki turned once more and eyed you before finally resigning himself to the reality that maybe you didn't want to be around him at all.

"Yeah..."

- - -

"In third place, Tetsute- Huh? What, it's team Shinsou?!" Present Mic announced, absolutely shook. "When did you come from behind?!"

The boy smirked and glanced back at you, Aoyama, and a short boy from class 1-B.

"Thank you for the hard work."

Huh?

What... what happened?!

You placed your hand against your forehead.

I can't really remember...

"Hey..." You muttered towards Shinsou. He didn't falter.

This boy...

Typically you weren't very aggressive. But someone messing with your head at such a vital time did actually manage to piss you off.

"Listen here!" You growled, hand grasping the boys shoulder and forcing him around to face you. "I think you owe us some kind of explanation!"

"My, you're quite forward aren't you?" He scoffed, swatting your hand off of him. "Just thank me for getting you into the last round."

"You jerk..."

Shinsou departed for the stage once more after giving you one last cocky smile. It was a bit unsettling that somebody with such a powerful quirk was in general studies. You shook your head and turned your attention back towards the screen.

Todoroki's team managed to get the ten million points huh? Bakugou's team next, and Izuku's team managed to stay in after that. Then team Shinsou in third. He probably put me on his team to maintain a high point value... He's a jerk but I have to admit, that was really clever.

"Congrats on getting into the tournament (y/n)!" Ochaco grinned. "I'm surprised you paired up with someone from general studies!"

"Yeah..." You chuckled awkwardly. "Same..."

Your head was in quite a muddle as you attempted to recall the past few minutes. You followed the crowd out of the stadium.

"(Y/n)." Todoroki called to no avail. "(Y/n) wait a second." He followed after you, not realizing that you were simply lost in the confines of your mind. Suddenly, he grabbed your shoulder. "(Y/n)-"

"W-WHA?! HUH!" You jumped.

"Are you okay? You seem shaken up."

"Oh uhh... I guess a little bit..."

"Are you perhaps nervous for the tournament? Would you like to sit for a bit?" He questioned sweetly.

"No thank you." You sighed. "I think I'm just gonna go for a walk..."

"Shall I accompany you?" He insisted.

"I'm alright, I just want to be alone for a bit."

"I'm worried about you. What if-"

"Listen Todoroki." You huffed, stoping firm in your tracks. He stopped as well, allotting you enough time to create a coherent sentence. You peered back at him with pleading eyes. "I like you, a lot. I already expressed that to you, remember?"

"... I remember." He nodded softly.

"I want to keep being your friend. I care about you so much." You smiled painfully at him. "It may be selfish, and I promise I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty for rejecting me... But you have to understand that I need some space. You're giving me too many mixed signals, and it's driving my head in circles."

He was silent, yet his face signaled that there were a million things he wanted to yell out. It was obvious from the way his lips pressed together and his eyes shifted towards the dirt.

Maybe that was too harsh?

"Tell me what you're thinking honestly Todo..." You insisted softly. "It's okay."

The smile you gave him was gentle, genuine in every sense of the word. It was just a brief look, yet his frown tormented you. It made you forget about your own problems in a mere instant. This was more than just about a crush. There was a deep-rooted pain within Shouto Todoroki, a pain you pledged to free him of however possible.

He turned away and released a deep sigh.

"Follow me."

You didn't hesitate and agreed instantly.

"Alright."

Shouto Todoroki, just what are you thinking?

- - -

The place he led you to was dark and secluded. It was an entrance hallway a ways from all the commotion of the sports festival. He rested his back against the wall, you doing the same against the opposing side. Once again he remained silent, hair casting shadows over his eyes as he directed his attention to the ground.

You swallowed the lump and your throat, tempted to break the resounding stillness.

Yet you resisted.

You were done interrupting him.

If Todoroki wanted to talk, he could talk. If he wanted to stay quiet, he could do so as well. You would listen to everything, and if that just meant the distant rumbling of the stadium, so be it.

It all meant something.

You knew all too well that at times, the silence spoke louder than words.