Yaoyorozu was worried about something; Shouto could tell from the taut tenseness of her shoulders and the slight crease of her eyebrows. The raven-haired girl let out a weary sigh, rapping her fingers rhymatically on her desk. As Aizawa-sensei droned on and on about the various responsibilities of heroes, Shouto observed his seatmate with probing eyes.

Yaoyorozu was biting her lip again: it was a habit she often did when anxious about something, like an exam. (Personally, Shouto never understood why she felt nervous before exams: Yaoyorozu consistently scored top in the class, a testament to her hardworking nature and commendable intellect.) Although her eyes remained firmly trained on the board, Yaoyorozu's mind was preoccupied with something other than their studies.

Shouto sighed, setting down his pencil. The bell rang, signalling the beginning of lunch. Immediately, students began streaming out into the hallways, chatter filling up the relative silence of the classroom. In the midst of it all, Shouto turned to her, expression placid. "Yaoyorozu," he called, drawing her attention before she could finish packing up her belongings.

The raven-haired girl blinked, setting down her bag and turning to face him. "Yes, Todoroki-san?" she asked, uncertain; although Shouto genuinely enjoyed talking with Yaoyorozu, he rarely sought her out during lunch hours. The surprise that flashed across her features was warranted.

He bit the bullet: it was better for her to learn about it from him than learn about it later herself.

"Do you need my notes?" Shouto gestured at his plain, royal blue notebook. He had never been one for elaborate, showy school supplies, especially not flammable ones. Sometimes, when he studied, Shouto would accidentally set the corners of his notebook on fire; he hoped that if she accepted his offer, Yaoyorozu would be kind enough to ignore the singe marks.

Confusion shone clearly in her eyes. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Todoroki-san," she apologized honestly.

"You were writing chemical formulas in your notebook the entire period," Shouto explained, gesturing to her violet notebook. Unlike the notebooks of his other female classmates, which proudly displayed all sorts of sparkly floral prints on the front covers, the only decoration on Yaoyorozu's notebook was an elegant fleur de lis. Shouto personally thought it suited her.

Yaoyorozu glanced down at her notebook, then let out a squeak of embarrassment. "Oh my, I didn't realize!" she gasped, wringing her hands nervously. She looked utterly mortified, red splaying across her cheeks. Hope danced in her eyes as she glanced at his notebook. "May I, Todoroki-san?"

Shouto inclined his head, handing it over without hesitation. "Of course." He paused, unsure of how to broach the subject. His movements languid, he crossed his arms over his chest, peering at her through his red-and-white bangs. "Is...is there something bothering you, Yaoyorozu?"

His seatmate hesitated, but caved under the weight of his heavy gaze. "It's just some silly nightmares," she admitted, averting her gaze. Her bangs fell before her face, shielding her expression from him. "Ever since the cultural festival finished without a hitch, I couldn't help but think that something might go wrong soon; we're always attracting so much trouble. A-ah, it's not like I want anything to happen! It's just that my mind feels a bit uneasy…"

"I understand," Shouto responded unflinchingly.

"Y-you do…?"

"The League of Villains has been a bit too quiet lately," Shouto agreed, his eyes narrowing. "That can only spell trouble."

Yaoyorozu deflated, her shoulders sagging. "That's true, huh? Ah...I just hope our class won't be caught in the crossfire again…"

Shouto contemplated the notion for a sheer second before deadpanning, "Considering our previous encounters, that's doubtful."

Yaoyorozu laughed softly. "You really don't mince with your words...do you, Todoroki-san?"

He stared at her, wondering if he should have spoken more tactfully. Shouto was never particularly good at social niceties. "Am I not supposed to?"

"No, it's fine!" Yaoyorozu reassured him, waving her hands around frantically. Her voice rose in pitch. "I-it's something I admire about you, really! You always state your opinion as it is, regardless of what others think. I wish I can be that straightforward, but sometimes my nerves get the best of me."

Shouto frankly doubted that. Although the heroine-in-training tended to hesitate, she always came through when necessary. He opened his mouth, about to say as much, but was interrupted by the arrival of a familiar shock of emerald green hair.

"Say, Todoro—" Midoriya paused, then registered Yaoyorozu's presence. His eyes flickered back and forth between Shouto and Yaoyorozu for a few seconds before realization sunk into his features. "O-oh, am I interrupting something?"

"E-eh? No, not at all!" Yaoyorozu reassured him hastily, glancing at Shouto for validation. Her face was flushed again, for some reason. "Right, Todoroki-san?"

Shouto tilted his head. "Actually, we were in the middle of an important conversation, Midoriya," he responded, his voice somewhat monotonous. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yaoyorozu blush a bright, fire-engine red. When he caught her eyes, though, she quickly looked away.

Shoto frowned.

Strange. Did I say something wrong?

"Ohhh, I see." Midoriya nodded comprehendingly, shooting an apologetic smile at Yaoyorozu. He fidgeted awkwardly, then offered generously, "I'll go, then?"

Yaoyorozu's cheeks turned an even darker shade of scarlet. "I-it's not like that!" she defended, her voice strangled and unusually high-pitched. "We were just discussing a few matters. They aren't that important."

Shouto almost opened his mouth so say, "But they're important to you, right?" At the last second, he decided against it, realizing that his seatmate was much too kind to worry others about her personal matters. Yaoyorozu wouldn't appreciate him spouting off her problems to the world.

Instead, he moved to face Midoriya; sometime during their conversation, he had shifted himself quite a bit so that he was facing Yaoyorozu completely. "Is something the matter?"

"No...it's just that...well, we were all sort of wondering if you were coming to lunch with us?" Midoriya gestured over towards the patiently waiting Iida and Uraraka. Shouto's eyebrows creased in confusion, then he turned to stare at the wall clock.

"Oops," slipped out of his lips before he could stop it. Immediately, he regretted it, glancing at a mortified Yaoyorozu.

"Oh my gosh, there's only ten minutes left?" Yaoyorozu realized at the same time he had. Immediately, she bowed a perfect ninety-degrees, clasping her hands together in apology. "I'm so sorry, Todoroki-san! I didn't mean to trouble you or the others," she rambled, then turned to Midoriya. "This was all my fault, Midoriya-san: please don't blame Todoroki-san. I'm extremely sorry…I'll definitely make it up to you..."

"I-it's fine!" Midoriya dismissed, obviously flustered by the girl's tearful apologies. "Please don't worry about it, Yaoyorozu-san. All of us have gotten distracted talking with someone at least once, you know? Time flies by when you're hanging out with someone you enjoy talking to."

Yaoyorozu stared at the green haired hero with such intensity that the boy (who had faced off plenty of Villains in his short time at Yuuei) squirmed. Then, a brilliant smile appeared on her face, lighting up her features. "That's a very astute observation, Midoriya-san!" she exclaimed cheerily, reinvigorated. "But as vice president, I should be more mindful of others' time, no? Todoroki-san, thank you very much for letting me express my grievances to you."

"I was happy to," Shouto mumbled under his breath, too quiet for her to hear. Midoriya, who caught the reply, beamed at him. Louder, Shouto replied, "Don't worry about it, Yaoyorozu."

"I'll return the notebook to you tomorrow morning," Yaoyorozu promised.

"Mm."

His seatmate didn't seem bothered by his succinct nature, bounding off with a wave and another deep bow. Shouto tilted his head, then turned to face Midoriya. The hero in training wore a goofy, wide smile as he stared at Shouto.

"...is something the matter, Midoriya?"

"O-oh? It's nothing!" he blabbered, sneaking a glance at Yaoyorozu's retreating figure. "Come on, let's hurry before lunch ends."

"...alright," Shouto allowed. Hopefully, Yaoyorozu would resolve whatever troubles were plaguing her. Just in case, though, he made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her as he followed Midoriya to lunch.

sobs you guys are too kind; also, these dorks are too cute