------Author's Note------

The video above is the trailer for Miss Congeniality, the movie they watch in this chapter. If you've never seen or heard of it before, I recommend watching the video to understand some of the jokes made. Either way, it's only a brief part of this chapter, so it's definitely not essential to the plot. I just thought it was amusing.

Anyways... Onto the story!!

•°•°•°•

"What's on your mind?" Ochaco asks as we head outside, trying to find Reina in the crowd. 

"Just thinking," I sign, looking around for our friend. 

"You look pretty out of it, are you okay?"

I stop in my tracks, turning to face her, though I can't meet her big doe eyes. I gulp, raising my hands again. "I'll tell you both in a minute. Let's just find Reina and get to a tea house or something."

She pauses, her eyebrows furrowing, before nodding and continuing our search. A force hits us out of nowhere, crushing us into a hug. 

"YOU GUYS DID SO GOOD!!!" Reina screams in our ears. 

"Thanks!" Ochaco and I squeeze her right back. "Hey, Koto has to tell us something, so we were gonna find a tea house and go chat."

"Oh really?" She pulls away, concern in her eyes as she looks up at me. "What's going on?"

I sigh, putting my hands in my pockets as I turn to walk down the hill. They hurry after me, falling into step on my left. They allow me to walk in silence while I sort out my thoughts. How in the world am I going to do this?

We reach a little shop in town and enter, each of us ordering a drink. I order a raspberry hibiscus tea, grab a handful of napkins and sit down at a booth. 

When they sit across from me, I look up to see their concerned gazes looking back at me. 

"I need to start off by saying…" I feel a tear slip out of my eye and they both grab my hands, stroking them comfortingly, but I pull them away. I know that if I don't get this out now, I won't have the courage to say it again. 

"My parents passed away a while ago. I lived with my grandmother until about a month before I met you guys when she passed away too. Both times, it was my fault. Present Mic is my uncle and I've been living with him ever since. I made a promise to them that I would make a good hero to repair all the damage I caused. My uncle is helping me with that. He was the one who convinced me to apply to UA, whether he realizes it or not. I just...I want to fix things."

I take a moment to wipe my nose and eyes with napkins. My friends move from their side of the table to mine, wrapping their arms around me as I clean myself up. I notice tears in both of their eyes, yet they still comfort me. I let a sob escape my lips as I clutch onto their arms tightly. 

"I'm so sorry I never said anything, I was just scared," I sign, but Reina grabs my hand and entwines her fingers with mine, Ochaco doing the same to the other so that I can't sign anymore. 

"I get it," Reina sniffles out. 

"You don't have to be scared to share your life with us. We're here," my other friend buries her head in my shoulder. 

I take my hands back from them, wiping my eyes, then signing, "I can tell you the rest, but not here. Can you guys come over to my house at 6? Mic wants to introduce himself to you guys properly."

Ochaco lets out an inhuman squeal, then quickly says, "yes of course!!"

"You can stay the night if you want. He's having a party, so we would have to stay in my room, but there would be plenty to do."

"I'll check with my parents and let you know," Reina pulls out her phone and types a quick message out. Ochaco immediately follows suit, taking her flip phone outside to call her parents. I take a pen from my backpack and write my address on two napkins.

Ultimately, they can both come, so we finish our tea and head down the road. They split off from me at the usual place, heading back to their houses to get ready before coming over. I have a lot to get ready for too. 

•°•°•°•

Eventually, we find ourselves in my room, tuckered out from moving furniture and helping Mic prepare for his party. Reina and Ochaco glance around the room, taking in my sage green walls, my cherry blossom comforter covering my king sized bed, the two giant cedar bookshelves that hold my grandmother's collection, and a large projector screen that extends between the ceiling and the wall opposite my bed. Reina walks over to my bedpost and fiddles with something. She turns to show me, lifting the chain with the ring on it. 

"It's so pretty," she says earnestly. 

"It was my mother's," I sign slowly, moving to the bed and scooting to the middle. I pat either side of me and they both sit. "I guess it's time I explain." We prop up pillows behind us and I begin signing my story. 

"I discovered my quirk a long time ago. Around the same time everyone else did. Back when I spoke. I would use it more than actual speaking because I loved it so much. There was this one girl who annoyed me so bad that one day I just snapped. It was in fourth grade on the playground. I broke the monkey bars she was hanging on and they fell on top of her and broke her wrist."

My friends gasp and I honestly debate continuing. If they are shocked by this, what will they say about the rest of it? 

"It was a terrifying sight. I swear I can still hear the sound it made when her bones snapped. I get flashbacks to that day whenever Midoriya breaks his bones. It makes my skin crawl that he does that so carelessly." I pause in my rant to go back to my story. 

"I got in trouble with the school and with my parents of course. That day, they had to pick me up. It was really icy. In the middle of their lecture, there was a car in front of us that lost control. My dad tried to go around them, but we lost control too. I thought I could use my quirk to break the ice in front of the car so we could get traction. Dad told me not to, but I didn't listen to him…" 

Reina places a tissue box on my lap and we all take a moment to dry our tears before I continue. 

"I tried to break the ice, but I ended up popping the tire. We completely lost control and crashed. I can still see...I can still see the side of the car crunched around my father. I can still see my mother who teleported into the back seat to protect me as the guardrail went through the door. I was the last thing she saw. And I was the reason she died. She could've survived if she had stayed in the passenger seat. But when she teleported, she used up so much of her energy that even with non-fatal injuries, she wouldn't have pulled through. Much less with a piece of metal cutting through her."

They try to hug me but I push them off. I can't stop now. I sign through my shakey sobs.

"I went to live with my grandmother, but I was depressed. Nothing could help the guilt I felt. After the accident, I never spoke again. I started dating this one guy, Grant. He was my only friend, but I hadn't told him about what I had done. He said he loved me and that wouldn't change. I felt so safe that I told him. I told him everything. He broke my heart. He told the whole school what I had done. And then he… He said I should just kill myself," I sob uncontrollably, the weight of these memories squeezing my heart. 

"He said that nobody would miss me. He called me a murderer. A freak. That everyone would be better off if I just died."

I reach up and unclasp my choker. They let out heaving sobs as they take in my scar. "And so I listened to him."

They attach themselves to me, hugging so tight I feel as though I might pass out. Through my sad tears, I let out a few in joy. They aren't leaving me. They aren't calling me names or doing anything mean. They really are my friends. 

"I couldn't go through with it though. As I fell...I heard my mother's voice. I don't know why it went through my head at that moment, but it convinced me I couldn't just let myself die. And so I called for my grandmother to help me, but she fell down the stairs and split her head on the banister, trying to get to me. I used my quirk to snap the rope. I felt so selfish. She would have missed me. She was family. She should've been all I cared about. At least I got to say goodbye before Mic brought me here. She passed away after I got here. Suddenly, Mic was all I had left."

I squeeze my arms tight around my friends then free them so I can sign, "and then I met you two. You actually made me happy again. You guys are my family now. I don't know what I would do without you."

I finally let my hands fall, wrapping Reina and Ochaco in as tight a hug as they've been giving me. We sit there for a moment, nobody speaking as we revel in each other's presence. 

"We'll always be here for you," Ochaco says firmly into my shoulder. 

"We love you so much. You're our family too," Reina tightens her hold even more. 

We hold each other for a few more moments when all of a sudden, rap music begins shaking the house. I giggle at the absurdity of our situation and they soon join me. 

"I love my uncle, but his taste in music is ghastly," I sign. I grab another tissue to wipe my eyes. 

"He's so cool," Reina says fondly. 

"I can't believe he's been teaching our English class this whole time and you've never said a thing!" Ochaco shoves me playfully. 

I was so scared of nothing. They really are my best friends. They're not letting my past change our friendship. Without warning I pull them back into a hug, squeezing my eyes shut tight. 

"Thank you," I illuse my mother's voice from every inch of the room. I meant to only illuse it over our heads, but my sheer emotion activates the Echolocation. For the one moment the voice fills the room, our hair floats through the thick air, falling back to the sides of our faces as I dissipate the power. 

"What was that?!?" Ochaco squeals. 

"It's a… It's a new method of using my quirk. I only discovered it recently. Honest this time. I can't use it fully yet because I'm not strong enough. But it's called Echolocation. I fill an enclosed room with illused sound and I can interact with anything. It feels a bit like being under water that I can control. It's cool… Just difficult."

They sit up, staring at me intensely. "When you get that figured out, you have to show us more." Ochaco says, eyes wide. 

"Of course," I reply with a smile. "So…movies for tonight," I stand and walk over to my bookshelves. 

"Whaddya got lined up for us tonight? Disney? Or something new?" Reina asks, scooting forward. 

I smirk as I pull down three movies and throw them onto the bed. "A trinity of Sandra Bullock movies where the main plot is that they're in America."

"Who's that?" Ochaco asks, picking up the cases. 

"You'll find out soon enough," I grab them from her hands, placing each disk in the three disk projector above my headboard. 

"It's like this room was made to watch movies," Reina says in awe as the projector turns on, displaying its logo on the screen opposite the bed. 

"Well it kind of was. Mic knows how much I love movies, so we set up my room like a theater. For example…" I open the cabinet of the nightstand next to Ochaco. There's large bags of chips on the lowest shelf, chocolate and candy on the top. 

"WHAT?!?" Ochaco exclaims. 

I point to Reina. "There's a fridge and freezer on your side."

Her glasses practically fall off as she opens the cabinet, revealing soda, water, and iced tea. "Where's the freezer…" she trails off, opening the drawer above it. "Ice cream!!"

I spread the room temperature snacks out before us as well as the pizzas Mic had bought us. Going over to a chest in the corner, I grab a bunch of extra pillows and blankets, throwing them over to my friends. They giggle, pulling the fluffy blankets over themselves, cuddling together on the left side of the bed. I grab two more blankets and put them on the right side, picking up a sweatshirt and throwing it on as I go to the thermostat and turn down the temperature. 

"So what happened with Iida today?" I ask Ochaco who looks up from the bag of chips in her hand. 

"Oh! Right!" She puts the bag down and wipes her hands on a napkin as she turns serious. "I don't know if you know or not, but his brother is Ingenium, the hero from Hosu City. Apparently something happened between him and the Hero Killer, Stain. He's still alive though!" She adds hastily, seeing my mortified expression. "Iida just had to leave and get to the hospital to see him. I can't imagine what's going through his head right now…"

I can, I solemnly think to myself. 

"But at least he's okay, right?" Reina quickly interjects, trying to lighten the mood. I nod, knowing exactly the type of fear he must be going through right now. 

I can only pray his brother is okay. I don't want to imagine what would happen if our class rep fell into the downward spiral I got caught in. 

Breaking us all free from our silent pondering, something happens that's never happened before at one of Mic's parties. 

My door opens. 

We all turn towards the sound, eyes wide. Did I forget to lock the door?!?

A two-toned figure in a striped sweater rushes in and closes the door behind him, letting out a breath as he places his forehead against the door. He turns, eyes closed and back against the wall. 

"Todoroki?!?" Ochaco exclaims. The boy jumps, his eyes shooting open in alarm. He looks back and forth between each of us, taking in the room as he quickly composes himself. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was in here." He bows his head and reaches for the doorknob, but hesitates when heavy footsteps shake the hall outside. 

Endeavor

I rush to the boy's side, shutting off the lights and putting a finger to my lips. I press my ear to the door as I listen to his father walking by. 

"What are you doing here?" Ochaco whispers my thoughts and we all turn to him. The glow from the projector illuminates the room enough to see.

He has since regained his usual composure, his blank face not revealing any of his thoughts. "My father brought me to show me off, I suppose. He wanted me to use this as a networking opportunity, but…" in the light of the projector, I see the lightest blush dusting his cheeks as he trails off. "This isn't exactly one of those parties."

I chuckle, knowing what craziness Uncle Mic and Midnight get up to at these types of parties. I'm sure Endeavor hasn't been to one of Mic's famous parties before, so it's no wonder he didn't prepare his son. I put a hand on his shoulder to make him look at me. 

Cheating towards my friends, I sign, "you can stay in here if you need to escape for a bit. We were about to watch some movies."

Ochaco translates, sending me a look that asks if I know what I'm doing. I sure hope I do. I can't send him back out there when I heard just earlier what his father's plan is. He can't possibly be happy his son got second in the competition. 

I nod at him reassuringly. He looks between us again, before stepping forward, removing his shoes, and asking, "which movies?"

I smile and grab my whiteboard next to the door, writing the same description I had told my friends, "a trinity of Sandra Bullock movies where the main plot is that they're in America." I smile once more at my thoughtfully put together joke description, but his face remains emotionless. 

"I don't follow," he says in his monotoned voice, looking back at me. The air leaves my lungs just like it always does when I see his eyes. It's like there's always a fire burning behind them, being held back. Who knows how long it's been since he let that fire out like today?

"It's okay, we don't either," Reina pipes up. I sigh, exasperated that nobody gets my joke. She stands to introduce herself to our classmate. "Reina Fujino. You performed well today. Congratulations."

He bows very slightly in response. "Shoto Todoroki," he almost whispers, as though he's scared his father has his ear pressed to the door. It's not like he could hear over Mic's music anyway. "Thank you, Fujino, though I believe I could've done better."

I walk back to my bed, opening my fridge bedside table and gesturing to the boy as I stand on the tiptoes of my left foot to reach the projector, pressing buttons until the first movie starts. I sit back down, towards the middle of the bed, while Ochaco and Reina curl up to my right. I arrange the pillows behind me and throw a blanket over my lap, opening the pizza box and taking out a slice. I look over to my left as the previews play. Todoroki stands next to the bed, holding a water bottle and watching the screen. 

This is so awkward. Why isn't he sitting? I lean over, nudging his elbow. He looks over at me and I gesture to the whole empty left side of the bed. C'mon, read my mind. You can't stand the whole time. 

He seems to understand, sitting on the very edge, not putting his feet up. I scoff and arrange some pillows up against the headboard, just in case he gets tired of perfect posture in the next two hours. He watches my movements questioningly, but I pay him no mind, pointing to the food as the movie begins. 

There is a boy in my room. Sitting on my bed. Even Grant never came over to my house. He was never in my room. In my space. But now…I'm letting this boy I've known for a few weeks sit on my bed. This boy who I had…thoughts about earlier. 

My face heats up as images from the festival enter my mind. The image of his joyful smile. Of his shirt burned off. Of his muscled chest that dripped with sweat. 

Stop it. Stop it right now. He is just a classmate. A distraction. Good thing the lights are off or he'd see how red my face is. I force my attention back to the screen and watch the movie. 

Ah Miss Congeniality, what a classic, I think to myself as I watch the opening scene. Reina and Ochaco laugh loudly throughout the film, as I was sure they would, but Todoroki remains silent, watching the movie with critical eyes. 

Around the point where Sandra Bullock begins playing the water glasses, he finally sits back against the pillows and puts his feet up. I grin triumphantly as I watch out of the corner of my eyes. Butterflies stir up inside of me, knowing he's even closer. His shoulder brushes mine and I mentally picture each one of those butterflies getting angrily thrown into a woodchipper. Why do I have to feel like this? Especially when it's because of the most closed off and distanced person in our class! He could never feel the same way. 

As the credits roll, he shifts and speaks up. "She's a bit like Bakugo, isn't she?"

Ochaco and I look at each other and burst out laughing. "He's not wrong," I sign. 

"Was that the boy who won?" Reina asks. After we nod, she says earnestly, "I can see the similarities."

Their seriousness makes Ochaco and I laugh even harder. As the projector switches to the next disk, I nudge Todoroki, pointing to the drawer next to him. He opens the freezer drawer with furrowed brows and takes out all the pints of ice cream, placing them on an empty pizza box. 

I gesture to them, but he shakes his head. "No, I'm not going to take your food."

"We have plenty though!" Ochaco squeaks indignantly. 

"I'm not hungry," he says quietly, turning back to the screen. 

"Lies," I sign. "But it's here if you want it."

Reina translates, leaving out the first part. I stick my tongue out at her for that decision. Turning back to him, I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant, but in reality, I'm just thinking, eat something already! We've been eating the entire first movie! Don't make me feel fat!

Reina chucks me a spoon from her side and I snatch it out of midair with my left hand, picking up a pint of mint chocolate chip with my right. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice movement. I look over to see Todoroki had put a hand up just barely to catch the spoon. Almost as though he expected me to miss it. I revel in the fact that I must've exceeded his expectations as I take the lid off the ice cream. 

Ochaco grabs the birthday cake flavor and Reina grabs the raspberry fudge. There are a few other flavors, but Todoroki returns them all to the freezer. I sigh, defeated and take a bite of my frozen delicacy, snuggling further down into my blankets. 

"So I'm confused," Todoroki says, looking down at my comforter. "What's her quirk? This actress?"

I exchange glances with my friends and Ochaco, thankfully, speaks up. "She doesn't have one. Koto only has movies from before the time of quirks."

I eat another spoonful of ice cream, but feel someone's eyes on me. Steeling my nerves, I make eye contact with the boy looking at me. His expression is blank, but even though I'm prepared for the sight, it still makes my heart jump to see how close we are. 

You know nothing about this boy. He isn't your friend. He's just a classmate who got stuck in your room. Don't you dare start feeling anything. You remember how this went last time. 

The feeling in my chest immediately dissipates. I feel my cheeks cooling down as my gaze becomes as blank as his own. I swallow the melted ice cream in my mouth and look at the screen, ready to watch The Blind Side. 

I nudge Ochaco and raise my hands to sign, "This one might be a bit confusing. It's about football. American football to be exact." She translates and we all settle in to watch the movie. 

------Author's Note------

Hey guys!!

These movies are some of my absolute favorites!! If you're wondering what the third movie is, it's The Proposal (another favorite of mine). I definitely recommend watching all three if you haven't already.

In case you were curious, her great grandmother who had collected all the movies is loosely based off of me. I would definitely want my future family to be able to watch the movies that made such an impact on my life.

Also, her great great grandmother, the one who collected music is roughly based off of my own mother. She loves sharing music with me from when she grew up and I have started collecting it on my phone.

I've actually made a playlist of the songs on the iPod Koto has. It's mostly classic rock, but also has some 2000's hits (and the occasional "odd find" courtesy of Koto's great grandma). You can find it on my YouTube channel, FoxyPuff18 or at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgglScWtrqch-fTAYTX7vg0EprcxS0Uw7

I'm still sorta building it up to where it needs to be, so it's only a fraction of the full playlist. But I add to it often, so eventually, it should be a pretty long list of songs.

Anyways, let me know what you think of the story so far! I love seeing your comments!

That's all for now!! Stay safe!!