Ethereal ◆ Shoto Todoroki x Reader

20.5 | Not Alone (2k reads special)

The ground is damp and hard. He grunts, shifting on the pathetic excuse for a bed. A thin blanket; the only thing they give you in the dungeon.

Not only that, but the air smells like mold, contrary to the sweet smell of the palace above. He'd never been to the dungeons before, not even for training, but he sure was glad he didn't have a post here. 

And the worst part? It's freezing.

He activates his quirk, warming his body like an oven, emitting heat through the small prison. A soft glow lights up the room, allowing him to see, although very little. They don't even bother putting lanterns down here.

He sighs, finding himself bored in the cramped space. He doesn't deserve this; at least, he doesn't think so. 

The king overreacted. How much harm could a trip to Moyasu really do? The prince handed out food and the princess boosted morale a bit, which could only do good things for the kingdom. As much as he tried he just couldn't understand. 

That man sure was strange sometimes.

He sighs again, louder this time, hoping to fill the silence. He never liked silence.

"Can you shut up already?"

A woman's voice, from the prison beside his. He didn't even realize she had been there.

"Sorry. Thin walls," he laughs, attempting to joke about the lack of walls. Just bars, of course. 

When he looks closer, he can see her huddling in the corner, as if she'd tried to get as far away from him as possible. She's wrapped up in a thin blanket, a replica of what he's laying on currently. 

"What're you in for?" He asks, not really wanting to think about how spiders were crawling up his arms. Plus, again, he never liked silence. Or spiders. 

The woman grunts, ignoring him. 

He doesn't recognize her, but she seems about his age, from what he can see. The only light is the soft glow from his quirk. 

He decides she must not want to talk, so he curls up, swiping the spiders off his arms. The silence hammers at him.

So he starts to hum; a simple song, one Rei used to sing to him. She used to say she wrote it herself, although he never believed her. She was sort of unstable, the poor woman. 

He remembers the words all too clearly.

I will try to fight for you, darling,

Until the end of my life comes, too, 

and then someday I'll join you, darling,

and we'll both get to start anew...

It was sad, how she used to cry while singing it. Maybe she did write it for someone. That was his favorite part about being her guard.

Getting to sing with her.

"Gosh, man, you must be really lonely."

The woman's voice again. She sounds agitated.

"Just need a distraction," he says, telling the truth. It's been two days since he'd been sent down here, which means two days with no food.

His stomach has been eating itself, grumbling and begging for food. But at least he wasn't cold anymore. 

"I'm Takahashi," he says, trying to start a conversation. 

"Hitoka."

"Nice meeting you, Hitoka," he grins, "hasn't the weather been nice lately?"

"You're annoying."

"Harsh words from someone in a dungeon."

"Look who's talking."

He chuckles. 

"What? Hope you're warm over there," Hitoka snaps, clutching her blanket tighter.

"Only thanks to my quirk. What's yours?" Takahashi asks, not wanting silence to consume the small space once again.

"Don't have one. Don't need one," Hitoka grumbles.

He feels sorry for her. 

"Come here," he says, gesturing through the bars separating them.

"Why?"

"Just do it. Trust me," he smiles.

She scoots over to him, back leaning against the bars. He lays against her back, pressed against the cold metal, activating his quirk again. 

With the only thing between them thin bars, she can feel his warmth as if its her own. 

"You're like a warm glowstick," she retorts, thankful.

"My friends used to call me Lightbulb."

"That's a sucky nickname."

"Yeah," Takahashi laughs. Hitoka laughs too.

They're both silent for a few moments, then Hitoka speaks.

"They arrested me because I caused a commotion at the Farmer's Market. Been here ever since," she sighs, "they've probably forgot about me. I don't even know what's been going on in the outside world."

Being quirkless is like being useless in this kingdom. That's probably why Hitoka has been down here so long; nobody cared enough to release her, even if her sentence is over. Takahashi's heart aches for the woman. He doesn't want to tell her, but she deserves to know.

"Wait, at Moyasu?" Takahashi says as Hitoka nods. "Moyasu...burned down a few days ago."

Hitoka is silent. She doesn't make a sound; he can't even hear her breathe.

"It was awful," he says, "Some guy burned it with his quirk."

"Stupid quirks," she says, almost growling.

"Well," he sighs, "I think its more like 'stupid people'. If quirks weren't a thing, I probably would've frozen my butt off by now."

"Yeah," she leans her head back, "people are stupid."

They're both silent. But Takahashi hates silence.

"I'm in here for a pretty stupid reason," he sighs, "but if I said anything else, that'd be disrespectful towards the king, which would probably land me more days trapped in this hell."

"It's not that bad," Hitoka argues, "it's much worse when you're alone."

"Well, then," he smiles, "good thing we're not alone."

"Yeah."

And for the first time in the twenty minutes Takahashi has known her, Hitoka smiles.

◆

Thank you guys so much for 2k! It means so much to me that people enjoy my story!! 

I love reading your comments and hearing your theories, so don't hesitate to leave one!

I hope you enjoyed! There will be more Hitoka in the future!