Edge of Insanity - Yandere!Todoroki x Reader

5. Slow Burn

/* hi! new chapter! it's a bit long this time and I totally went over my self imposed word limit but what happens is important so I had to write it well. And 'well' means detailed and not rushed. Also, I feel guilty for the lackluster last chapter so I need to make it up. Enjoy! */

You hadn't shown up for your last class. Even when Todoroki tried to take his mind off that fact, your seat, which was so glaringly empty, pulled his thoughts back onto you. On any other day, he wouldn't have been so worried. But after the events that transpired today, he felt his fear was well warranted.

The building frustration with himself only made it worse. If only he had decided to follow you and Shinsou earlier today, he could have comforted you, he could have protected you from all those staring eyes, he could have been the first to find you, he c-

He let out a sigh of frustration. He wasn't even there for you during lunch. While his friends managed to find and comfort you, he was on the other side of the school searching, which made him feel like an utter failure.

After lunch, when he saw you again in class, he had promised himself that he wouldn't let you out of his sight. And seeing how relieved you looked when he offered to walk you from class to class was enough to make his heart ache. He relished the feeling of helping you, relished the feeling that he was needed by you.

And the day had passed smoothly, with him staring daggers at anyone who let their gaze linger too long, until just minutes before the last class when you excused yourself to the bathroom, urged him to go ahead without you, and just never returned.

He felt like it was his fault. Did you slip and knock yourself out? Were you locked in a stall? Or at the very worst, did someone attack you? Another drawn-out sigh escaped his lips. Maybe he was overthinking it and you just had a stomach ache.

"Todoroki? Are you alright?" Kirishima whispered on his left. "You're biting your fingernail."

Todoroki nodded absently, a bit irked that Kirishima broke his train of thought. He glanced at the clock. 25 more minutes until class ended. He really just couldn't wait any longer. He raised his hand and waited impatiently for his teacher to call on him.

"Yes? Todoroki?"

"May I use the bathroom?"

His teacher let out a sigh and waved for his go-ahead. Todoroki needed nothing more to bolt out the door. The moment he was out of sight, he whipped out his phone and sent you a quick text. Eyebrows furrowed, he waited impatiently for you to respond, but as the minutes ticked by, he decided that it would be better to just go look for you.

He first checked the bathroom, fighting back a flush of embarrassment as he cracked open the door, averting his eyes in case there were any girls still inside. Luckily there weren't any there to witness his shame. However, no one responded when he called out, which made him all the more concerned. A quick peek under the stalls showed no bodies or feet (which quelled the fear that you had hurt yourself) and he quickly left the bathroom, hoping that no one saw him and assumed that he was nothing more than a shameless pervert.

He wandered the halls, a bit more frantically than before, searching for you. It wasn't likely that you went home, since you always had work after school...

He walked from floor to floor, shoes making loud squeaks that echoed down the empty halls. He peaked at any empty classrooms and courtyards, but you were nowhere to be found. His lips pressed together into a thin line as frustration and restlessness settled in. Walking slowly back to class, he passed a storage cabinet, but froze when he heard the quietest of noises coming from within. Tiptoeing closer, he leaned against the door, half expecting to hear crying or something akin to that, but instead, soft music sounded from within. Something so quiet he must have missed it the first time he looked down this hall. It had to be you.