Arthur POV
I finally moved from my spot, walking over to Todoroki who still couldn't get his legs to stop wobbling.
"Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?" I said sheathing Excalibur.
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
Yet as I looked at his face, the ice covering the left side, a part of it, broke. Revealing his face.
It was scarred.
I panicked.
Had I done that?! I was sure I had controlled myself. I had hit him across the ice part of his face because I thought it would protect him more against the blow. The scar looked old though, plus it looked like a scar that came from a burn. Still, what if I had made it worse? What if my strike had reopened an old wound?
My grip on Excalibur's hilt tightened unconsciously.
Todoroki seemed to notice my panic, as ice covered the left side part of his face once more, the frozen mask reforming in a matter of seconds.
"I'm fine really."
"I think I should take you to the infirmary," I said, stepping closer.
"I said I'm fine."
With that he began to walk away.
"What's his problem?" Toru asked now at my side, her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed.
"I do not know," Shoji replied, still with us, the black tape across his wrist stark against his skin. His multiple arms gestured helplessly, as if wanting to reach out but not knowing how.
"He needs someone to talk to," I muttered, watching Todoroki's retreating figure.
"Hmm, are you going to do it?" Toru asked, her invisible head cocking to the side in that characteristic gesture I was learning to recognize.
"No, I don't think I'm the right person, especially after today. I do think I know someone," I said, looking towards Shoji. "You're okay right?"
Shoji stumbled at my words, straightening himself, like a cat that just got spooked. His mask covered most of his expression, but I could see his eyes darting to me.
"Phys-sically y-yeah," he stammered at first, which made me wonder all the more about what had shaken him so badly. "My pride is in the dirt though."
I felt bad, well worse. Hitting your scarred classmate across the face and then hearing fear in your other's classmate voice wasn't exactly a good sign.
"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it.
"No worries, you just give me something to work towards. Isn't that what our school motto says, plus ultra, surpassing yourself?"
"I guess so," Toru said, her hand moving to her chin as if thinking hard on his words. The gesture was barely visible, just the slight displacement of air and the faint outline I could perceive, but it was becoming familiar.
"Oh and you make a scary good villain, Arthur," Shoji added with what I suspected was a smile beneath his mask.
With those parting words, Shoji began to walk away from us, his pace quickening to almost a run.
"I do?" I asked Toru, genuinely surprised. I'd felt ridiculous the entire time, forcing out those theatrical villain laughs and dramatic pronouncements. It had felt like a poor imitation of the over-the-top villains I'd encountered during my vigilante work.
"Scary good," she said joyfully, raising a thumbs up at me. "You finally got the villain laugh down."
"Yeah..." I said, trailing off. The praise felt hollow somehow. Being good at playing a villain wasn't exactly something I wanted to excel at.
"Oh Arthur."
"Hmm."
"My feet are cold."
I looked down at her boots, they were slightly covered in ice, probably from the aftermath of Todoroki's quirk during the fight. Small crystals clung to the rubber soles, and I could see how the cold would seep through even insulated footwear.
"Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?" I asked, concerned. Frostbite was no joke, and I'd seen enough cold-related injuries during winter rescue operations, and while it didn't look like she was going to get it, I couldn't help but worry.
"No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if you could take me back to the basement, because it kind of hurts walking like this. I mean I didn't mind since it was part of the trial, but now..." she trailed off, shifting her weight from foot to foot in obvious discomfort.
"Oh sure," I said, immediately moving to pick her up in a princess carry. It was an automatic response, during my vigilante work, this had been the safest and most efficient way to transport injured or vulnerable people at high speeds. The position allowed me to protect their head and spine from the whiplash that came with my movement.
"You're gonna feel a lot of wind though," I warned, positioning my arms to cradle her securely.
"Hey Arthur," she said as I prepared to run.
"Yeah?"
"Can you see me?"
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. With that, I began to run. We flew past Shoji and Todoroki, who were still making their way down the floors at normal human speed. The familiar rush of acceleration, the way the world blurred around us, was invigorating.
"Wait, wait, what do you mean by somewhat?" Toru asked, her voice slightly strained against the wind.
"Well I can't see you per se, but I can see the minute differences between you and the surrounding environment, so it's more like I can make a very, very good outline of you." It was hard to explain.
"Oh," she said, and I could feel something in her voice, something I had felt countless times in the voices of countless people I'd met before.
Disappointment.
I didn't have time to ask, as we were already in the basement along with the other students from our class.
I placed her down gently, then looked around at the class. They were staring again. I really didn't like being the center of attention, it reminded me too much of the times reporters had tried to corner me during my vigilante work.
"Young Arthur, that was an excellent display! Same with you Young Toru!" All Might boomed, his voice filling the basement space. "You kept the heroes away from the nuclear bomb at all times, the ice only damaged the surroundings! I have no critiques!"
"Thank you," I replied.
"Thank you," Toru echoed, and I could sense her straightening with pride.
"What about the fact that Arthur didn't move from his spot?" Yaoyorozu asked, from behind All Might.
"I was wondering about that too," a short boy with purple balls for hair chimed in. I remembered him from the physical tests, Mineta, I thought. "I mean you're supposed to be this super fast guy and you don't move. It's weird to me."
"Uhm." I wasn't sure what to say. The truth? That I had wanted them to perform well on the trial, that I had deliberately handicapped myself to give them a fairer chance? A lie? Something like I had wanted a challenge? No, that would sound condescending, like I was making fun of them.
"Oh," Toru said at my side, jumping in before I could formulate a response. "That was part of our strategy, to destroy the heroes' morale!"
I looked at Toru, grateful for the save. That explanation made sense within the context of the exercise, didn't it? Yeah, it did.
"Great plan Young Toru!" All Might exclaimed, his enthusiasm genuine.
She nodded enthusiastically, a motion probably only I could see, she was clearly pleased with the praise.
We moved past All Might and rejoined our group of classmates, but as we did so, I heard her mutter beside me, her voice barely audible above the general chatter.
"So you really can't see me, huh."
Again that disappointment. I really wish I could tell her that I could, but I wouldn't lie to someone like that.
"Not in the conventional sense, sorry," I replied quietly.
"It's fine..." she said, a little sadly, which made a familiar ache settle in my chest. It was the same feeling I got when I arrived too late to prevent someone's injury, when I could do nothing to help because it was too late. "Besides, you can still kind of see me."
Her voice brightened slightly at the end, and I could see a small smile. That made the ache lessen somewhat, though it didn't disappear entirely.
We finally made it back to our group of friends. Kirishima immediately jumped onto my shoulders with his characteristic enthusiasm.
"Dude, we have to have a manly fight sometime!" he declared, his sharp-toothed grin visible in my peripheral vision.
Mina, on the other hand, crossed her arms and shook her head with mock exasperation.
"I really should have gone with Unfairquirk for your nickname, cause what you just did was totally unfair," she said, her voice only being able to be described as cheeky.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of more battle trials. Tsuyu teamed up with Tokoyami on the hero team, and their quirks, her frog like abilities and the giant bird shadow's power, made for a formidable combination that secured their victory.
Mina and Aoyama also won their match as heroes.
But not everyone was so fortunate. Kirishima had teamed up with Sero on the villain team against Kaminari and Jiro on the hero side. Sero seemingly countered Kaminari with his duct tape, leading to the hero's loss. Now Kaminari sat with the rest of us, sad at the fact that he had been the only one of us to lose.
"It's just one exercise," I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll have plenty more chances to show what you can do."
Gradually, Kaminari's spirits lifted.
As the day wound down and my classmates began heading back to their homes or the dormitories. I decided to have my usual talk with my usual person. It was turning out to be a habit now. A daily occurrence, which I couldn't think of not doing anymore.
I launched myself into the air, landing softly on the familiar windowsill of Nezu's office. The window was open as always, and I could see the principal's silhouette against the warm light of his desk lamp.
Nezu swiveled in his chair to look at me, his button-black eyes looking into my own.
"We really should stop meeting by entering each other's spaces without the other's consent," he said, but there was no real reproach in his voice. "But if you do keep doing this, I maybe should start putting out crumpets or something similar, Lunch Rush says you have quite the appetite."
"Todoroki," I said without preamble, my mind still focused on the image of that scar.
"Kind of rude, but go on."
"Is he okay?"
"Why do you ask?" Nezu tilted his head to the side, his mouse-like features expressing genuine curiosity.
"I saw his scar."
"Oh, you did."
"Do you know how he got it?"
"Why, look at you, all invasive about someone else's past," Nezu said with a slight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"I don't want to know how he got it," I clarified, frustrated by the misunderstanding. "I want to know if you know."
"I have a rough idea, yes."
"Do you think he needs help?"
"From you?" Nezu's voice carried a note of skepticism.
"No, not from me. Psychological help, you know, from a therapist."
Nezu paused at that, his small paw moving unconsciously to touch the scar that ran across his own right eye. The gesture was brief, but it still spoke volumes.
"You believe in therapists," he said, and it wasn't quite a question.
"I think scars almost always leave their mark not only on the body but on the person's psyche, and I believe talking it through with someone always helps."
Nezu continued to scratch at his own scar as I spoke, his expression growing thoughtful.
"Hmm, just like you or myself, if Todoroki wants to talk about his past and his scar, then it's his freedom to do so," he said finally. "Anything else you want to tell me? Something about your suit perhaps?"
I grabbed at my scarf, and after the latch released, it returned to its normal blue fabric form, the technological enhancements deactivating with a soft click.
"The suit, it's perfect," I said, meaning every word.
"I knew it would be. I was low on time, so I could only really integrate tech into the scarf, but I'm glad it worked as intended."
"It's perfect, Nezu. Really."
As we sat there in the quiet of his office, I found myself looking at his scarred face in the lamplight. The mark across his eye was old, deeply healed but still prominent.
I looked out of the window. The moon hung full in the darkened sky, bright and clear through the still office window, which let out a chilly air in. The night looked exactly like another full moon night.
I looked back at Nezu, who was enthusiastically explaining the technological specifications of my suit's adaptive fabric system, his voice animated with the joy of someone sharing their passion. I really didn't understand anything.
I released a tired sigh. I guess I was going to do this.
"Nezu," I said, interrupting his technical exposition.
"Yeah, lad?"
"How about I tell you a bit from my past."
A/N: Told you guys I would upload today, cut it a little close to the six hour mark though. Now onto this chapter. It was kind of hard to write for me believe it or not. However I did it nevertheless and next chapter we getting into the juicy stuff. Some of Arthur's past.
Sorry about the cliffhanger though (not really, muahahahaha). Expect one of the bonus chapters tomorrow since I have a free day, in fact it's so free, I may even upload thrice, the keyword there being may, don't up hold me to that.
Thx for reading. Author out.