Anywhere but There

School Talks

Of course the media was going to be there. Todoroki Enji, number two hero, had been arrested. Of course, they were going to be there. Because of the chaos of the previous day, Shouto had turned his phone off indefinitely- because he couldn't bare to read the texts or listen to the ringing that just wouldn't stop; because he wasn't ok, and he wasn't ready to face that.

Despite it being early, there was at least 50 reporters outside the school gates waiting like starved lions- because a child's abuse was gold and demanded announcement to the whole country that (surprise) there's another dysfunctional family that received no help in an industry designed to help people.

The trio approached the hoard and Todoroki steeled himself one last time. 'No comment' And 'Excuse me' being the only words uttered from all three males. Slowly, the crowd parted, and they were behind the safety of the gates again. Once out of earshot, they relaxed a little.

"Come to the faculty office after school. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home alone today." Aizawa said. Todoroki nodded and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Will- will I have to make a statement?" He asked so quietly the pair almost didn't hear him.

"Do you want to?" Hizashi asked. He shook his head, mumbling out softly.

"No."

"Then you won't make a statement. Nobody's going to force you to do anything." Aizawa said. They entered the building and went to the classroom. Outside the room was Midoriya and Iida. Midoriya had sat down and propped himself against the wall while Iida paced back and forth tirelessly. Todoroki stopped a few meters away from the pair as Aizawa got out the key to the classroom. Jumping to his feet, Midoriya got to Todoroki with wide worried eyes, Iida just behind.

"Are you OK?" Todoroki opened his mouth, buffering for a second or two.

"I- uh." His mouth felt so dry at that moment; he couldn't help but tear his eyes away from the pair to the floor. Aizawa and Yamada glanced at Todoroki for a second before walking towards the faculty room.

"We heard on the news about your dad and-" Midoriya began to ramble.

"-I'm-" sorry, he was going to say-but he wasn't, "-I don't feel comfortable talking about it." he said quietly but coherently. The other two nodded with understanding smiles.

"That's OK. But, are you alright?" Midoriya persisted. He lifted his head and met the other boy's eyes. Those wide eyes compelled him, bringing that familiar lump back into his throat.

"I'm doing OK." He lied, trying to convince himself more than anything.

"If you need anything, just ask, yeah?" Iida said. Todoroki nodded and went inside the classroom.

"Actually, could I have your notes on yesterday's English lesson, please?" he asked as he got to his desk. Iida nodded affirmatively.

"Of course!" He said, rummaging through his bag for only a few seconds before pulling out a book and handing it to the other boy.

Slowly, more people arrived, every single one of them asking Todoroki varying versions of, 'are you ok?'. They all got the same answer. However, the more that he said that he was fine, the less alright he felt; because no, he wasn't ok- of course he wasn't ok.

Lunch approached faster than anticipated, the morning lessons passing in a blur. He sat with Midoriya and Co. at lunch; although he wasn't listening; just staring at his food the same way everyone kept looking at him. Standing abruptly, he turned to the table (only really turning to Midoriya).

"I'm going to the bathroom." He left as quickly as he could, not even noticing the small green haired friend that wasn't far behind him. Finding an empty cubicle, he barricaded himself inside and fumbled with the lock, thinking it had clicked properly. His eyes began to water and that stupid lump in his throat clawed its way out of his mouth in a wet, choked sob.

"Todoroki?" A voice called out. Suddenly, the door he was leaning against began to open. Startled, he moved away from the door, meeting the eyes of a worried Midoriya. Before he could blink, Shouto was engulfed by this warmth. Slowly, he collapsed onto the closed lid of the toilet as sobs racked his body. Midoriya stood and hushed the other boy until his breathing levelled out again, "Are you alright now?" He asked. As if turning a tap, another set of sobs raked through Todoroki as he gripped the smaller boy tighter.

"N-no. I'm sorry. I'm so-" Midoriya pulled away abruptly with a scowl. The look Todoroki gave him made him want to hug the poor boy again. It was so broken and betrayed.

"Hey, listen. You have nothing to be sorry for. Nobody expects you go back as everything was just like that. It is not your fault. None of this will ever be your fault, ok?" Shouto sniffled again and gave a small nod. Izuku kneeled so that they were eye level again, "I think you should go home. I'll send you my notes and I'll get Iida to send you his too." Izuku said in a quiet, soft voice. Shouto nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"C-can you get Aizawa-Sensei?" He mumbled. The other boy nodded and pulled out his phone and held it to his ear after a few seconds.

"... hello? Uraraka, can you get Aizawa-Sensei to come to the boy's bathroom as soon as possible please... thank you." The conversation was brief and after two minutes, Aizawa was entering the boy's bathroom. Midoriya came out of the stall to meet him, their voices were so quiet Todoroki couldn't hear them.

"What's wrong?" Aizawa asked.

"It's Todoroki. He's pretty upset and I think it'd be best if he went home for today." Midoriya said, slightly nervous. The man nodded and walked towards the cubicle.

"Go back to your lunch, Midoriya," He said. Knocking lightly, he pushed the door open and crouched to the boy's height, "Come with me, we're gonna go to the staff room while I sort out a car for us, ok?" Todoroki stood and breathed out shakily.

"Us?" He asked.

"What? I'm not leaving you alone. Come on," they slowly made it to the faculty room, managing to avoid everyone. He pointed to his desk chair, turning to Todoroki, "Sit there for a sec'," he approached Midnight and bent so that he could whisper to her. They exchanged for about 30 seconds before Midnight stood, grabbing her keys. Five minutes later, Midnight was in the driver's seat of her car and Aizawa and Todoroki were both in the back, surrounded by blackout windows. They left easily, the paparazzi not even attempting to approach the car. It only took a few minutes and they were back home. Todoroki spent a few minutes changing, before reappearing on the sofa in joggers and a loose t-shirt. Aizawa had just removed his weapon gear, graciously dumping it on the floor by the front door. He had sat himself in front of the TV, surrounded by DVDs.

"What do you want to watch?" He had ruled out a few movies like Lion King (as much of a masterpiece it was, Aizawa didn't want the boy crying again) and IT (because they were not watching IT). This left them with sappy romcoms. Aizawa held up two DVD cases- Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Todoroki wordlessly pointed to Notting Hill. He began to wrap himself in the duvet that Aizawa had stolen from one of the rooms while the other began to play the film. They watched in silence and the movie came to its happy ending at last. Todoroki wasn't ok, but he would be, eventually.