Mr. Aizawa, while definitely being very skilled at what he does, was not particularly a hard opponent to face due to Weiss' lack of a quirk, especially with those weights that he had on his arm and legs. She was faster than him, stronger, and if it wasn't for Weiss trying to keep up appearances, the exam would have been over quickly. If he had access to aura to enhance his body, Weiss was sure the fight would have ended with his victory, or at the very best, been a close win for her team, but then again, Weiss had been holding back in order to hide her secret.
She stood in the far side of the observation room, away from Midoriya, watching the next match with bored eyes. Uraraka and Aoyama's win had come as a surprise, capturing Thirteen by what seemed to be a complete accident that caught the Space Hero off guard. Mina and Kirishima's loss to Principal Nezu was much more disappointing, but not unexpected. He was the principal for a reason, and a hero with who knew how many years of experience. Each exam being personalized for each student didn't help, and Mina and Kirishima had the lowest grades in the class, especially with Principal Nezu's cute and furry intelligence.
"Most of the class is done with their exams." Weiss heard Iida speak as he walked into the observation room. His own exam had just finished a few minutes ago after being partnered up with Ojiro against Power Loader. They had been satisfactory, especially since Iida still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries in Hosu City. The speedster walked over to Midoriya and Ochako, completing their trio.
Mina was recovering in the infirmary, and Momo and Kyouka were busy preparing for their exam against Hound Dog, her annoying but entertaining therapist. She usually spent their sessions working on the lyrics for the movie soundtrack, and playing cards whenever she had writer's block. It was both relaxing and a complete waste of time.
Even with her own test over, Weiss was still nervous when she watched her friends exams.
"I like your music." Todoroki's words burnt Weiss' train of thought. He was standing only a few feet away from her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
Weiss tore her eyes away from the screen just as Mineta and Sero walked out onto the field, facing off against Midnight, meeting Todoroki's own mismatched pair. She was a bit annoyed by him, instead of running away like she told to during their fight against Mr. Aizawa, he 'saved' her. That had ruined her plan of subtly overpowering him then and there, or playing hard to get while Todoroki looked for the exit.
Still, Todoroki had been the one who captured Mr. Aizawa in the end with his ice, which was sure to get him plenty of points, and his ice wall had gained them enough time to fall back to a better position. After everything was done, aside from being briefly captured by Mr. Aizawa, Todoroki had performed better than her.
"What?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. He had been silent since their arrival to the observation room, and that was a weird way to start a conversation with someone, but it did make sense. She shouldn't be surprised that some of her classmates were fans, there was Mineta after all, and Momo had also mentioned being a fan when they first met. In fact, it seemed that the majority of the class recognized her.
Todoroki looked away. "I like your music." He repeated himself, shifting his weight from leg to leg. Oh, that could explain why he was always staring at her like a creep, and those family conspiracy theories that he basically shouted to the entire class.
"Oh." Weiss formed a small smile on her face, with practiced ease. "Well, I'm glad. Music is supposed to be enjoyed after all."
"Your White Album, it's a masterpiece." Todoroki uncrossed his arms, letting them fall by his side, his hands clenched into fist. "It's like you're taking the words out of my mouth, like you know what I'm feeling."
T-That wasn't the compliment he made it out to be. All those tears, sweat and pain that Weiss poured into each and every one of those songs contained rage, and anger towards her Father. This Life Was Mine was her magnum opus, one of the last works she made before her escape from Atlas, and one that she made sure to sing at the charity concert Father held for Vale.
The entire album was an act of rebellion, and for them to speak to Todoroki the way he claimed it did…
"Family issues?" The two words escaped Weiss' lips before she could stop them. She regretted it as soon as Todoroki looked away. It made sense, he was the son of Endeavor who was one of the strongest heroes in Japan, second only to All Might. Todoroki's loss at the Sports Festival probably added fire to whatever issues their family was having.
Weiss turned her attention back to the screens. Huh, Mineta somehow managed to pass? She had to admit, she was proud of the little annoyance. He had proved himself to be competent several times.
"You don't have to answer that." Weiss said softly. His reaction was the only answer that she needed, and she knew what it was like, not wanting to share. It had taken a while for Weiss to even open up to Ruby about her issues with Father.
"Thank you." Todoroki replied breathlessly. It must've taken some courage to even just mention it, especially in front of someone who wasn't his friend.
"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here." Weiss turned back to Todoroki, placing a hand on her hip. Why was she doing this? She didn't like talking to others aside from her friends, but a part of Todoroki reminded Weiss of herself. Arrogance, white hair, and issues with their parents. Plus, she was trying to be a nicer person, which helped.
Todoroki blinked a few times. "Really?"
Weiss nodded once and placed a finger on her lips. Nobody else should know what she really meant. "Of course, you should've guessed by now that I'm an expert when dealing with family problems."
Being kind wasn't going to kill her, hopefully.
A/N This chapter was delayed because I was working on another story that I had writers block on, which killed any inspiration to write, but I'm back now!
Now I need to work on the Frozen omake.
And enjoy the art donated by DO7 from FFN, who commissioned Alex Kellar on Deviantart to draw the hospital scene with Weiss and Yu!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
