Ethereal ◆ Shoto Todoroki x Reader

23 | Relax

She's frail and skinny, her arms crossed and face rigid. Her hair hangs loosely around her shoulders, blonde, almost white, greasy; it seems she hasn't had a bath in weeks.

Her eyes dart around the room, adding to her cat-like appearance. She looks a little older than you.

"What's your name?" You ask her, glancing at Takahashi. He smiles like he always does.

She eyes you up and down before answering. "Hitoka."

"Hitoka...?" 

"Just Hitoka."

You nod. She seems uncomfortable, although that's probably due to the abundance of guards in the room. 

"Guards, please leave us," You say, looking around. A few hesitate and protest, but Takahashi glares them down, knowing you don't mean for him to leave. 

Just you, Takahashi, Shoto, and...Hitoka.

She seems calmer. Relaxed. 

"I heard that you were falsely imprisoned?" You say, not exactly remembering what happened but trying to sound regal. 

"No," she grunts, "but I've been in that dungeon for days, ever since the Market. All for what? Stealing a measly piece of bread and trying to escape the guards."

You nod. You can guess what happened, of course. With the whole City of Ash thing and the king being...injured, the guards probably forgot she was down there. But was she that whole time without food? Water? Surely someone had been down there...

Strange, but not impossible. 

As much as you don't want to, you can't help but want to get this out of the way. A commoner complaining? Surely there are more important things, right? But Takahashi seems to have grown attached, so you offer her your apologies.

"I apologize for our lack of regard. Would you like compensation? A night at the palace, perhaps?"

If even possible, her face grows even more angry, creased eyebrows and all. 

"That won't make up for what I've lost," she whispers, clearly not intending for you to hear. You do, though, and it makes you wonder.

You step forward and grab her hand. She flinches, but doesn't pull away. 

"Listen, I really want to fix this. If I am ever going to be a good queen, you must tell me what I can do to help."

The words good queen  taste fowl on your tongue, but you don't know what else to say. She looks you in the eye and laughs, her voice cracked and dry.

"You can't reverse what's been done, no matter your position or power. The past is irreversible, and the future is uncontrollable."

Her whisper shouldn't bother you, shouldn't faze you as much as it does, but it reminds you of something Hiro would say, and your heart lurches. You stumble backwards, letting go of Hitoka, and turning to Shoto.

"She will be staying in the palace until she is healed," you say to him, "I want her in the closest room to mine. Violence will not be tolerated any longer."

Shoto looks confused. "Healed? I don't see sign of injury...?"

You look at Takahashi, then back to Shoto. "This whole time she has been favoring her right arm. I want her immediately treated. I know a broken bone when I see one."

You don't mean to sound harsh, but the thought of what happened makes your blood boil.

Takahashi looks worried. You look at him, nodding. He immediately goes to Hitoka's side, careful not to hurt her more, and leads her out of the room. You hear them bicker as they leave.

"It's my arm that's broken, not my legs stupid," You hear Hitoka snap, "I can still walk."

You can't hear Takahashi's reply, but you know he wouldn't just leave her alone. You turn to Shoto, suppressing a laugh. 

"She's feisty," You say, "Maybe she could help with some of the problems around here."

Shoto clears his throat, finally understanding what you're implying. "You really think the guards did that to her?"

"Oh, I'm sure they did more than just that," you sigh, shaking your head, "After all, she was the only one in the dungeon at the time, and a woman at that . . ."

Shoto is quiet. 

"It's not your fault," you assure him, "It's because of the king's loose commands towards his soldiers. He always seems to direct his anger at the wrong person."

You remember the incident you heard. The glass breaking. The shouts.

"I don't want it to happen again, but I don't know how to stop it, Shoto."

You sit down, tangling your hands in your hair. You stay like that, breathing. In, out, in, out. Soon Shoto takes your hand.

"I have an idea," he says, "something to get rid of all this stress. Something to commemorate all you've done."

"What?" You laugh, despite feeling worn down. 

"Then we can sort all of this out," Shoto smiles, "Let's just have fun, for once."

"Wow," you smirk, "never thought I'd hear that from you."

"Well, nether did I," he says, helping you stand, "but ever since you came here, I feel different. Not like the normal me."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" You joke.

He leads you out of the door, holding your hand gently. 

"I guess we'll find out."

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A/N:

Hey guys

First, I want to apologize for being gone so long without a warning. So much has been going on (as I'm sure you know) and then my laptop broke and I had to take it to get it fixed...let's just say Wattpad was the last thing on my mind.  

Thank you for reading and sticking with me this whole time!