Heartbeat (Todoroki X Bakugo X Reader X Midoriya)

Chapter 54

It was painful, sitting in my seat as all my classmates' names were on the white board-except for mine. They all looked battle ready, as if they had been preparing for this their entire lives. The whole situation itself was pressuring me, and I have never felt so insignificant in a long time.

Aizawa was speaking up in front, but I was zoned out the entire time as I thought about the battle that they would all soon face. I too wanted to help, but at the same time, it was terrifying and made me feel numb.

"(Y/N)!" I blinked as Deku's hand waved in front of me, Todoroki beside him. Everyone left, and it was just the three of us.

"Oh... where's Bakugo?" I asked, standing up and shouldering my backpack on. 

"He said he had something to do. Anyways, would you like to train with us?" I looked at both of them before averting my eyes.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I... I think I'll go and rest for a bit." I walked away, stopping at the doorway when Deku called my name.

"Are-are you okay? What's wrong?" The tone of worry in his voice was genuine. I didn't want to burden them with my feelings, but at the same time, I wanted to let them know that there was no reason for them to risk their lives.

I spun on my heel with a heavy feeling in my chest. "Why are you willing to throw your lives away like that?!" They were both caught off by surprise by my sudden outburst. "Do you not remember what Aizawa said during the assembly? He said the heroes couldn't guarantee your safety! That basically means you guys could die!"

Deku and Todoroki stepped forward, ready to comfort me before I slammed my hands down on a desk, angry tears streaming down my face. "I don't want you guys to risk your lives! The heroes are doing this wrong, all wrong! I can't- I can't let that happen..." By now I shrunk to my knees, gripping the desk as I trembled.

A warm feeling embraced me as both of them crouched beside me, their hands in my shoulders. "(Y/N)... I never knew you felt like that." Deku said, his breath tickling my cheek.

"Just please... please don't go. Keres is dangerous, I know it."

Todoroki's hand squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. "We'll be safe. After all, we're strong and we'll have the strength and guidance of the heroes who will fight with us too. You don't need to worry, am I right Deku?" He nodded and smiled gently.

"Did you hear that, (Y/N)? We'll be okay." The tears stopped, and I raised my head just enough to meet their eyes.

They sounded so sure of themselves as if they were guaranteed to live."...okay. I, I trust you." The green-haired boy smiled in relief and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You can train with us to get your mind off of everything. Training helps me feel better whenever I'm sad, and maybe you can let off your emotions through training too!" I smiled at his bright energy and stood up, brushing my tears away as I walked alongside them and to the gym.

***

"(Y/N), make sure to have that 360-degree awareness while fighting- and twist your torso a little more to boost your momentum!" Todoroki instructed, letting another fireball loose at me. Deku was right, my negative emotions were practically non-existent as I trained with them, and it was fun, to say the least.

While I was dodging Todoroki's attacks, Deku snuck from behind me and swung a kick at me. Thanks to the reflection of the ice wall that Todoroki unleashed earlier, I managed to catch sight of Deku in the reflection and dodge it. I should have gone to the right instead of the left because I got caught in Todoroki's ice attack which trapped my leg and tripped me.

It was so cold it felt like it was burning me, and I used my free leg to kick at the ice, breaking free and rolling on my side to narrowly avoid a punch by Deku.

I crossed my arms and lifted them to my face as another fireball was shot at me, and since I was wearing my hero costume the flame-resistant material managed to keep the fire from scorching my skin. A sharp pain shot in my lower back as one of Deku's kicks hit me. I clenched my teeth, trying to stay in my feet and not fall to my knees as the pain lingered.

"(Y/N)! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry!" My vision went fuzzy, and I blinked multiple times to get the tears out of my eyes.

"De-Deku, I'm okay." I stuttered out, hunching over and gripping my knees.

"Would you like to go to the infirmary? I can carry you there if you can't walk." Todoroki offered, which I immediately shook my head too.

If I said yes, then Aizawa would know and he wouldn't let me train for who knows how long. He was strict that way, and I didn't want to risk it. I had to take as many shortcuts as possible to get my provisional license as fast as I can.

"Let's just- let's just take a break. I just need to rest, that's all." I limped over to the wall and pressed my back against it, sliding down until I sat.

"(Y/N), listen to me." I looked at Todoroki, surprised by his serious tone. "Don't push yourself. I know you want that license, but you don't have to break your body to get it. Take it easy, it's not going to go away."

I frowned, staring at my hands. "Yeah, but I want to help you guys and fight Keres beside you all as soon as possible. I don't want you to be in this alone, and I want to be useful- even without a Quirk. I just want to help..."

A cold water bottle landed in my lap, and I looked up to see Deku passing another one to Todoroki. "Thanks, Deku."

"No problem, but (Y/N), you doing your best is more than enough. Even if you can't fight Keres with us, you're still useful. Don't belittle yourself like that, you have so much worth, more than you think." He paused, chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. "That was a little cheesy, wasn't it. Sorry."

I let out a breathy chuckle and ruffled his fluffy hair. "It's okay Deku. Thank you, both of you for cheering me up. I owe you guys a lot." My back was feeling a lot better, and I twisted my body to relieve the tension in there before I stood up, jogging to the centre of the room with a lingering thought as I readied the first battle once more.

It was the fact that no matter how many times I begged and protested, I still couldn't fight alongside Deku, Todoroki and Bakugo because of my provisional licence. It bugged me, and I figured I'd just have to work harder to reach that.