"There's no way she's okay..." Izuku mumbled, his eyes solemnly directed at the floor.

"She did the best she possibly could against Bakugou." You sighed. "Honestly, she was amazing! I can't believe she managed to lift that much debris while charging at him!"

"Mmmph..." He nodded.

The two of you walked quietly back towards the entrance hallway where Izuku would enter. You could tell from the tension in the air that he was feeling unsettled.

"Are you nervous?" You asked suddenly. "For your match with Todoroki?"

You could hear an audible gulp from him.

"I am. But I also know what to expect." He declared, a bit more confident than before.

"I gotcha. I guess it will mostly be about fending off his ice-"

Cold.

He walked out right in front of you.

Endeavor.

The man's eyes briefly were directed at you. He appeared to scoff at your presence before completely disregarding it. It was a look that made you want to shrivel up and disappear.

"There you are." He grumbled lowly.

"E-Endeavor?" Izuku stuttered. "Why are you-"

He stopped when the pro lifted a finger at him. You were just a frozen as he was. The sheer intimidation factor of the man was overwhelming.

That's right.

This is the man who...

"I saw what you did out there. That's an amazing quirk." Endeavor declared. "Creating such force with just a flick of your fingers. In terms of power, it seems on par with All Might's quirk..."

Izuku appeared to panic at that notion. He suddenly grabbed your wrist in an attempt to drag you away with him.

"W-What are you getting at?!" He said, quickly taking a few steps down the hallways. "We have to get going-"

"My boy Shouto, he has a duty to surpass All Might." Endeavor stated.

Duty.

You pulled against Izuku's grip, fist shaking slightly.

You talk of your son like he's a fucking tool of your ambition.

"His match against you will prove a valuable test, so put up a good fight." The pro added. His words tore away at your lingering composure.

"How dare you..." You muttered.

Endeavor raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" He growled.

"(Y/n), wait a sec!" Izuku insisted.

"Izuku isn't All Might..." You huffed before turning your head back to lock eyes with the man. "And Todoroki isn't you. So stop trying to live vicariously through him."

"Huh?" He grumbled lowly, not even batting an eyelash. "And who do you think you are girl?"

"No one to you... But..." You swallowed. "I am someone to Todoroki."

Endeavor's eyes widened at the notion.

"Is that so. And what exactly are you to him?"

Yeah, I wish I knew too in all honesty.

"A friend. A close friend." You said with confidence.

He laughed. It wasn't bellowing or anything, more so a loud chuckle with his head thrown back.

"Your meaningless friendship holds no influence over my son." Endeavor scoffed. You remained silent yet unwavering, eyes burning into the man. He walked away after that. "Who you are is irrelevant. Just don't get in the way of my Shouto's goal."

"Why you..."

"(Y/n), that's enough!" Izuku whispered, absolutely panic-stricken that you had in fact, just told off a pro-hero. The number two hero nonetheless.

His words managed to clear the angry haze that had fallen over you. You stood in silence as Endeavor walked away.

Powerless.

I'm so damn powerless...

Izuku placed his hand on your shoulder.

"We should go (y/n). I don't think talking to him will change his mind." He reassured.

"Yeah..." You sighed. "Thank you Izuku."

"Of course!" He grinned in the purest way. "I do think you handled yourself pretty well at least!"

"I swore at him in my head." You admitted.

"E-EH?!"

- - -

When you eventually arrived at the mouth of the stadium, there were a few more minutes left until the official start of the match. Izuku glanced over at your observably concerned expression.

"(Y/n)?" He softly questioned.

"Hmm?" Your gaze shot over in an obviously suspicious manner.

"I think you should go to Todoroki."

It caught you off guard how straightforward he said that. You sighed, brows becoming furrowed.

"... How can you tell I'm thinking about him?"

"You make that face whenever you're worried about somebody, but it's slightly different when you're worried about Todoroki." Izuku smiled. "You really care about him, don't you?"

Your mouth fell open slightly. It was beyond true, and it pained you to think about how helpless you were in the grand scheme of things. Your hand moved up to clutched your sweatshirt.

Why couldn't you do more?

"I really do Izuku..." You muttered, lips trembling subconsciously. "I just want him to know..."

"Go tell him. Make sure he knows that you're there to support him."

"Eh?" You looked up at him with puzzled eyes. "But Izuku... I just asked so much of you... To leave now would be-"

"I already have support around me." He cut you off. "But Todoroki... He's never had that. So, it has to be you (y/n)!" He insisted. "You have to be that person for him!"

The look in his eyes emitted sincerity. Knowing that someone like him would become a hero one day filled you with a sense of comfort.

"Maybe you have two quirks Izuku." You chuckled

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you've got your kickass strength of course..."

"K-Kickass?!" He stuttered.

"Mmhmm." You hummed, eyes becoming soft. "But you are also the embodiment of kindness."

He couldn't manage to get any words out, but you could tell that he was pleased by the way he shyly grinned and rustled his hair.

"I'm gonna go see him then. Good luck, you got this!" You announced, throwing your hand out, a gesture that he quickly returned.

"Right!"

- - -

GEEZ, HOW MANY TIME'S AM I GONNA RUN AROUND THIS STADIUM?! MY CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS IS GONNA BE HELLA GOOD AFTER THIS!

You arrived at the other entrance hallway just a minute or two before it was time for the match to start. And there he was; patiently leaning up against the wall as he awaited Present Mic's announcement.

Todoroki was immediately alerted to your presence from the copious amounts of panting.

"... Did you just run a marathon or something?" He questioned unfazed. Honestly, by this point, he was used to your strange behavior.

"N-No..." You gasped, nearly heeling over right there. "I... I came to say..." More panting. "... Good luck."

"You didn't have to run all the way over here just to say something like that." He sighed.

"Yes, I did!"

Todoroki grew silent from the sudden outburst, shifting slightly away from the wall. He didn't have a chance to rebuttal before you continued.

"And... I'm gonna be here the entire time! I'm gonna cheer you on!" You called out with determined eyes. "You know Todo, I want to see you walk out of that stadium and know you gave it everything you had! I want to see you become the hero you want to be one day! And I know that maybe my words mean nothing to you, that maybe they just fall on deaf ears..." Your voice grew softer, expression gentler. "But if you are moved at all... An inch... No, a centimeter..." You stepped forward, reaching out to take his left hand between the both of yours. He allowed you to do so without hesitation. "Then, as somebody who cares about you deeply, that is everything I can ask for."

His eyes widened at your words, the pain on his face diminishing slowly.

"I don't understand you..." He mumbled. "How can you... break me down like that. Are you using your quirk on me?"

"What? No, I'm not!" You chuckled. "I promised I wouldn't do that anymore without permission."

Todoroki stared at you in wonder, not that you noticed. You were too busy tracing the ridges of his hands with your fingers.

He could have stayed like that forever.

He wanted to stay like that forever.

"(Y/n)." He called out softly.

"Hmm?" You hummed.

"...What are you doing?"

"Just trying to find the fault you see. Maybe I'm just lost because I don't understand how a power so bad could produce such a comforting warmth." You smiled, rubbing a small circle in the center of his palm. "But maybe, it's just because it's in your hands."

No more hesitation.

"(Y/n)..." He called out once more. Todoroki's voice had lost any sense of coarseness. Your eyes shot up to meet his, curious as to what he had to say. But no words left his lips immediately. His free hand simply lifted to rest on the top of your head. In the background, you could hear the audience cheering as Present Mic started the next round introduction.

"It's time for me to go. Wait for me."