There have been a number of things said about fire and ice, about opposites.
Rei is certain that she has heard, if not every single one a dozen times, then at least every single one teenagers could conceive of.
There’s something absolutely infuriating about it.
Todoroki sits at the front of the room next to the window.
Himura sits at the front of the room next to the door.
Todoroki and Himura swap places in exam results so often it’s hardly worth checking the first two places on the rankings.
Todoroki’s temper runs hot (just like his quirk!).
Himura’s temper runs cold (just like her quirk!).
Todoroki and Himura can beat nearly anyone in quirked sparring, except each other.
They’re rarely matched up because it takes too long. Himura’s ice isn’t strong enough to extinguish Todoroki’s fire. Todoroki’s fire isn’t strong enough to overpower Himura’s ice. Mostly, it just creates a lot of water.
Todoroki is stronger but Himura’s faster. Without quirks their matches can be determined with a coin flip.
Opposites attract! They’re perfect for each other! Isn’t that funny? They can’t stand each other! Isn’t that hilarious?
If he’d been a year older or a year younger none of this would have happened. She could have been the top of her class, content with her ice quirk and her success. He could have been the top of his class, content with his fire quirk and his ego. Not stuck together and compared, fire and ice, how fitting.
Instead it’s always Todoroki and Himura, Himura and Todoroki.
Really, she should have seen this coming. Their homeroom teacher’s speculative looks and disapproving frowns should have told her.
“I said left!” Todoroki yells. “Left!”
Rei doesn’t bother to respond. He isn’t her boss. She dodges the incoming teacher’s attack with a sigh. She’s been focusing on precision lately, a useful skill and one he’s probably never bothered to put any effort into. A little focus and time and she’ll have their opponents taken care of, no Todoroki required.
Todoroki growls with frustration and starts off running headfirst into danger again. At least he makes a good distraction.
She sends more and more ice out of the teacher’s view, ready for her moment.
Todoroki takes a heavy hit to the chest and flies back into… her trap.
The ice crumbles and he slips as he tries to stand. Their opponent slides over and cuffs him without a word.
“Alright,” the teacher sighs. “You’re done.”
“I had a plan.” He sneers. “Why won’t you listen?”
“Well, you’re infuriating for one thing.” She snipes back.
“If you’re looking for advice.” Their teacher looks up from the clipboard he’s been using for notes. “I recommend working together, next time.”
Todoroki rolls his eyes.
“Finals are in two weeks.” He raises his voice. “Study hard everyone. Plus Ultra!”
Todoroki doesn’t say anything further. Neither does Rei.
Todoroki organizes another team to spar outside of class, probably by glowering at them or something. He doesn’t ask if she’s free and a part of her wants to lie and say she’s too busy to come.
Fortunately, for Todoroki that is, Rei wants to pass more than she wants to prove a point.
She arrives early, he’s already there.
“Todoroki.” She acknowledges.
“Himura.” He nods.
“We need a plan.” She announces and has to look up to make eye contact, he’s far too tall.
“I agree.” He nods again.
She waits for him to announce what they’ll do. Between the two of them, she does better in strategic exercises but it doesn’t matter if he won’t listen.
“You…” he pauses for a moment, half shuffles on his feet, continues. “I may have been… hasty, before. You have a plan?”
Rei looks up, surprised, and for the first time since Todoroki and Himura met at orientation… smiles at him.
A real smile, ruthless and toothy. Her mother hates that smile, not proper or gentle at all.
He smiles back just as viciously.
Oh, perhaps she underestimated him.
They don’t destroy their practice partners.
The other students are close friends with compatible quirks who regularly spar together for fun. Even Rei’s best plans would have trouble overcoming that with a partner she shares no chemistry with.
Or maybe not. By the end of the arranged practice time she finds herself stepping back as Todoroki steps forwards without even a signal or shout, and notices him doing the same. It sends a thrill up her spine, the potential in it. They could be something.
He trips over his own feet as they leave and Rei snorts at the sight. She closes her eyes as she does so and nearly runs into the door frame.
Well, she thinks as she watches him suppress a smile of his own, it’s only fair.
“Do you think sensei set us up to fail?” Rei asks the night before finals.
Enji grunts from his place leaning against the wall and glaring at a textbook. She stopped paying attention to the written word around ten minutes ago.
“Would it kill you to talk?” She pokes at him with a bit of ice.
“I don’t know.” He answers, which means maybe.
She sighs and considers the smug face their homeroom teacher will make if this was all a ploy to make them get along. Really though, the expressions on their classmates’ faces will more than make up for it.
“It doesn’t matter.” Enji announces. “We’ll crush any challenge.” Before, she might have chalked it up to arrogance. Now, he’s Enji and she’s Rei. She’s not sure how it happened but somehow they stopped being Todoroki and Himura.
“There was never any doubt.” She agrees, her grin sharp and dangerous.
They don’t quite “crush any challenge” but Rei meets Enji’s triumphant expression with exhausted glee from the ground and can’t bring herself to care about the details.
He offers her a hand up and she takes it instead of scoffing or waving him off.
“Are you alright?” He asks and she doesn’t hear derision anymore.
“Fine.” She brushes at a small scrape and doesn’t lie.
“We did good.” He says quietly, like it’s a secret he doesn’t want anyone to know.
“We make a good team.” She smiles, this one genuine and not at all thirsty for blood.
They really do, for all their quirks are opposites. He lets her hand go and awkwardly rubs at his neck.
“Congratulations.” Their instructor announces, they both startle. “You passed.”
They walk back to their classmates in silence and it feels like an ending, almost. Todoroki and Himura, against the odds, managed to pass their practical finals.
That’s that.
Except, Rei looks up at Enji, she doesn’t want to go back to Todoroki and Himura.
“Enji?” She starts and almost jumps at how quickly he turns his attention to her.
“Yes?”
“Do you, that is…” Rei doesn’t fidget, no matter how badly she wants to. “Would you like to get ice cream? Or, something…” She blushes bright red as soon as she says it. It was just the first thing she thought of!
“I would.” He doesn’t look her in the eye but she can tell he’s blushing too.
She smiles as their scores are announced, top of the class amid groaning from their peers, Enji and Rei are here to stay.