Restitution: The Pit In Trying [Yandere!Shoto Todoroki X Reader]

22 - Smoky Victim

"Her name's Momo, not 'some brat'. And it only works with poison inflicted from flowers", you flinched slightly as Todoroki finally let go of Dabi and let him hit the floor,"so you better hope that's the case for you too, otherwise I can't save you."

You kneeled next to Dabi. He sat on the floor while catching his breath. It looked like he was having more trouble breathing after being hurt. He faced the ceiling while trying to breathe properly, turquoise eyes observing you from the side. His stare wasn't hostile, nor calm; it was just there.

"Take your shirt off."

It was definitely hostile after that. You once again received complaints from the two men, both of them uttering the same question in distaste.

"What?"

If you didn't know any better, you'd say they were related, except you did know better and they were related. You rolled your eyes,"Oh, don't get shy on me now. How many of your shirts actually cover your chest?All you cover is your ribs."

Dabi clicked his tongue, his irritation growing visibly but he adjusted himself to do as you said. Todoroki hoisted you up softly without warning. Dabi's rustling was heard in the background as you stared at Todoroki curiously.

His bi-colored eyes held pure disdain as he stared at Dabi on the ground. He turned at you, his stare much less aggressive but unhappy nonetheless,"You're trusting him too much. The second he feels better, he won't hesitate to do anything to escape."

A weak chuckle came from the villain as he finally got through the pain of sliding his shirt off his head,"You're misunderstanding me. I'm nothin' but a harmless victim right now."

"Dabi, shut up. No one's talking to you", you shook your head,"and it's okay. It wouldn't be smart of him to use his quirk in such a small space. He'd get cooked along with us-"

"Shit. There goes my plan."

"Dabi, shut the hell up", you were well aware he was only trying to get a rise out of you,"Again...He'd get cooked along with us. I know you don't agree with this but please, can you call your dad?I won't ever ask you to go along with something like this again."

Todoroki's gaze on you was conflicted but you knew he wouldn't go against your wishes when they were so strong. You'd take advantage of that if you could. He finally sighed in bitter defeat and reluctantly nodded as he pulled his phone out. 

A grin almost overtook you at the progress you were making in this situation before he paused, bringing his unique eyes to yours again and your sense of accomplishment wavered.

You yelped at the feeling of being pulled forward and caught within seconds. The arms you were in were familiar but you were stunned to suddenly feel yourself in them, or to be pressed against Todoroki's chest so tightly out of nowhere. You were about to politely question him but couldn't find the brainpower as soon as you felt the rougher skin of his hand on your cheek. Your thoughts were pretty much unintelligable by then. 

"U-Uhm...Shoto?"

The hold he had on your waist and cheek was bringing all your blood to your face. He was holding you so gingerly and looking at you so softly in the most unpredictable setting; you were frozen from the overwhelming emotions flooding into you despite not being aware at all of what was happening. Your legs almost gave out from the nervousness when he leaned down. When he went past your face, near your ear, and spoke, you were so ashamed to have gotten carried away.

"Don't let your guard down. His weak spot's out in the open. If he tries anything, go for his stomach."

You let out a stupified mumble of affirmation as he pulled away and redirected his attention to his phone again, stepping a distance away to presumably keep Dabi from hearing the conversation. Todoroki hadn't even noticed how differently his actions could've been interpreted. And he talked about your awareness?

You pushed what just happened from your mind as you kneeled next to Dabi again. Unlike last time you were this close, you weren't scared, so your nose picked up on his scent a lot easier. It was similar to Todoroki's, except the hero's smell was gentle and calming, while the smoky smell Dabi carried served as a warning. 

His eyes were narrowed as he tch'd,"Forget it. Like I'd go after a hero in any other way than to kill."

You furrowed your brows,"Excuse me?"

"Wasn't talking to you, doll", he sent you an annoyed look as he repeated your earlier words,"But if you want me to, here's somethin': you can tell your boyfriend he doesn't need to send messages like that. I don't chase after heroes. They chase me."

"Yeah, that poison has you babbling nonsense. Let's get on with it already."

You sighed in displeasure at the thought of nursing a villain back to health but tried not to let it bother you as you put a hand to his stomach. Knowing it was his most sensitive spot, you expected to sense something there. You were surprised to find absolutely nothing.

"By the way...", he started while you cradled and felt around his forehead next,"You given any thought to what I told you?"

You paused in surprise. There was no snarkiness or arrogance coating his words. It was a very strange abscense for his voice and you thought about his question until it clicked. You shifted in your spot uneasily, continuing your movements,"What would I need to think about?"

In truth, there was a lot for you to think about. There was no doubt Endeavor would question why Dabi looked to you for help. It may or may not be a chance to come clean about what you knew.

"Nothing at all. Just curious about you calling my brother by his first name. I call you nice things, do I not get to be called by my first name too?", he grinned with a derogatory tone.

Ah. The arrogance was never actually gone. You rolled your eyes but didn't get to make a smartass remark back before finally sensing something when your hands went to his chest. You could've screamed.

"You- holy shit. Dabi, you...holy shit, this is a plant, but how did you even get poisoned like this?!?"

Dabi's eyebrows rose in interest,"Finally found something?Can I expect your hands off me now?"

You couldn't even find it in yourself to joke,"No, Dabi, seriously. I know I gave you shit for coming here but if you hadn't I don't think you could've survived any other way. In short, you saved yourself a very painful death by looking for me."

His eyes shot wide open, eyebrows furrowing as he took your statement in. He opened his mouth to retort, likely a habit with how chatty he was, but it didn't seem like his brain was processing your words so easily. You took it as a chance to elaborate.

"You're poisoned by an oleander. It looks harmless but it's toxic root to petals. My question is, how the hell did it get in your lungs?I doubt you've been sniffing flowers. Or--dear god, of course. It's smoke. Let me guess, you decided to burn some flowers for fun today?"

You looked at Dabi in exasperation as you waited for him to explain himself. He kept his stare at the ground and you realized--the fucker hadn't even been listening to you. You waved your hand in front of his line of sight in slight offense and it seemed to be enough to break whatever train of thoughts he was having. 

You repeated your question,"Did you decide to spend your free time today by burning flowers?"

Dabi shot you an unamused look,"Sweetheart, I don't give a damn about flowers. No, I didn't spend my free time burning them."

"Good."

"I was burning corpses. The flowers were nearby."

You grimaced in absolute disgust, shooting Dabi the most repulsed look you had and he had the nerve to be offended at your accusing stare,"I didn't say I killed them. They were dead when I found them."

"Right. Nice try."

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Wack ass ending but the chapter ended up being way too long to publish at once, so I had to split it :/

Published 1/21/2023