Turning the Tables [Shoto Todoroki X Reader] - PART 2

Chapter 91: Thank you for shopping here!

After hours of tossing and turning, I finally gave up, and straightened in my bed.

Sleep had decided it wasn't coming, it seemed.

How annoying.

With an exasperated sigh, I headed over to the mini fridge, opening the door to get something to snack on.

Nothing.

Of course there was nothing in there. Of course.

Chai jolted, her sleep disrupted as I shut the door of the fridge with more force than necessary. She arched her back, stretching, before taking a cautious step onto the floor.

"Sorry, Chai," I whispered.

She seemed to accept my apology, trodding lightly over to me.

I gave her a couple strokes, before lifting her up and placing her at the end of my mattress. I encouraged her to lie down, then quietly apologized as I drew away.

She settled down easily enough, still sleepy from just waking up and eager to get back to sleep. She adjusted herself, rotating slightly to curl, and tuck her nose underneath her tail.

I almost let out an "aww," but stopped myself, instead going to my dresser to pick up some pants to change into and a jumper to pull on.

With that done, I carefully snuck out my door, went down the stairs, and snuck out into the night for a walk.

~

My path had been completely random, turning down whichever road I fancied, so it was quite a surprise when I realized that I recognized the road I was on.

I could buy a snack if I wanted...

I pulled out my phone —which I had tucked into my pocket— and checked the time.

1:24.

That was fine.

I jogged the last couple of blocks, to where I knew a convenience store was— not that it was ever hard to find one.

The bright lights of the store greeted me as I entered the small store, and I paced up and down the narrow aisles, quickly grabbing the snacks and drinks I wanted and bringing my armful to the checkout.

I was the only one there, and the cashier had been waiting for me.

I smiled weakly at the familiar face, carefully organizing my things on the counter. "Hey, Elena..."

She only gave me a brief nod, immediately beginning to calculate my final bill.

This wasn't the first time I had seen her working here. I had first seen her on a late night/early morning snack run, and seeing her had completely caught me by surprise.

Who would've thought that someone that they had so much dislike for would be working the night shift at the convenience store that they liked to frequent (because it carried one of the rarer flavours of a drink they liked)?

I hadn't expected it.

She hadn't either, but neither of us said a word about it.

I hadn't expected her to look so visibly drained either— not when she always seemed so put together, not when she was always "above" everyone else.

When she was working, she was never rude. She was polite, subdued. She always looked pale, almost shaken, but when thanking the customer for shopping, a smile always appeared on her face.

I had so many questions about it then.

I got answers, but not the sorts I'd been expecting or hoping for.

~

A year ago, the club I was in had a small after school "field trip" to Meikakuna Kokoro Mental Hospital, a well-known, highly praised facility. We were there to learn a little about psychology, and to talk with the doctors, nurses, stable patients, and other staff.

It was during the tour that I noticed her, sitting in a chair outside of one of the doors.

There was a nurse standing in front of her, with a clipboard, a couple pages flipped over the top. They were obviously talking, and since we had stopped nearby, I found myself listening in with curiosity.

I had only caught snatches, with phrases like "very little recovery," "resistant to treatment," "long-term patient," "severe PTSD," "self-destructive tendencies," and more.

Elena had sat there, her eyes glued to the hands she had folded in her lap, as she nodded.

But the most concerning word, and the most eye-opening, was "bill."

On its own, the word wouldn't have meant too much.

But the sharp slice of fear and desperation that cut through the air spoke volumes.

And I couldn't help but feel guilty.

~

She stopped again, and unpeeled the tape.

I had gotten used to the way she did this while packaging my stuff— or, more accurately, it didn't bother me.

She undid everything, starting again with her taping of my bag.

I didn't know why, but it had to be perfect. With Elena, it always had to be perfect.

This time, she was satisfied with her packaging, and pushing it gently towards me. "I'm done. Thank you for your patience. Your bill will be—"

"Wait!" I cut her off. She stopped.

For a moment, I considered taking a snack from my bag; but she had worked hard to painstakingly perfect the wrapping, so instead I asked, "What would you like? I'll buy you a snack."

She frowned. "It's against our—"

I chose to ignore her, and grabbed one of the granola bars from near the register. "Add this to the bill."

She didn't object, simply listing out the new cost.

I pulled a couple bills from inside my phone case, and handed them to her.

"Here you go. Have a nice night." Once again, I gave her a weak smile— seeing her like this always made me sad.

Seeing the other way she acted did too. Her actions never matched the shaky anxiety that always seemed to roll off her.

"Thank you for shopping here!"

The rest of her practiced thanks was cut out by the door shutting behind me.

~

Back at the dorms, I carefully shut the door behind me, sneaking down the hall and ready to do the same up the stairs.

But an odd, flickering orange-yellow light coming from the kitchen caught my attention.

Tell me what you think!

I don't have much time at the moment, so I'll just end this A/N here!

Hope you enjoyed! Till next time, bai Marshmalløws!

-Cøcøa-Malløw