I'm Okay

Chapter 2 - Nightmare

"...I know it's not right, but I can't do it anymore. The children, they're... Like him more and more every day. And Shoto... His left side, sometimes I look at him and hate what I see—I can't raise him anymore—I shouldn't raise him..."

"Momma?" Upon hearing a familiar voice coming from behind, she gasped. Slowly turning her head the opposite way, her terrified eyes met her son's worried gaze.

*kettle starts whistling*

Shoto jolted upwards from his futon as he gasped for air, immediately regretting the sudden action when pain surged throughout his body. Damn it—Just my damn luck... He cursed, placing his right hand over the area that hurt the most.

The boy eventually calmed down, but that tragic memory continued looping in his head.

'Sometimes I look at him and hate what I see.'

As the teen rummaged through his futon in search for his cellular device, he noticed the sky getting progressively lighter when looking out his window.

"It's pretty early" He thought out loud, debating if he should get a few extra minutes of sleep, or stay awake until his alarm goes off.

The teen sighed as he looked through his phone, reading through his father's unread message.

OLD MAN: No training today. I have work to do, but be prepared tomorrow.

Relief was what he felt when reading. He finally gets to have a full day of rest after a full week of training. If he were being honest, the young hero was afraid of going back to that house, going back to the hellhole he called 'home', and going back to that monster he called 'father'.

Although he hated going back, Shoto didn't have much of a say in the matter. If he chose refused, Fuyumi will be his target and god only knows what he'll do to her.

What if one day he comes home angry, and he's  not there? What would happen if he chose to be selfish and runaway from his problems? What will become of his only sister?

A loud knock interrupted his thoughts. Ignoring the pain, Shoto quickly got up to put a on a sweater to hide the bandages wrapped around his arms.

"Todoroki, I had a feeling you were awake" Aizawa said. "Aizawa-Sensei? What are you doing here up at this hour?" Shoto asked, confused.

"Here's the list. Get it done quickly." The pro hero replied, handing the teen a sheet of paper before leaving.

What was that about? Plumping down on his futon, Shoto read the list.

Punishment for breaking the rules:

1. Vacuum the halls.
2. Wash dishes.
3. Clean the kitchen windows.
4. Take out the trash for your classmates.
5. Written apology and an explanation on why you broke the rules.

Written explanation—I'll have to come up with a good excuse...

The written explanation part worried the younger more than the rest of the tasks. He may be a little worn out from training, but cleaning doesn't seem too bad right now.

I'll think of an excuse while doing the chores. He concluded, getting up to take a quick hot and cold shower. The teen then replaced his old bandages, and got dressed before leaving his room to begin.

—

Just moving around became a bit too painful, but he could endure. Endurance training. He called it, vacuuming the carpets and some of the furniture before moving onto cleaning the windows, making sure to not leave a single speck of dust.