"We can't go back to how things were. How you thought they were. All you really have is...now." ~Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why
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♪Listening suggestion: Holding On and Letting Go by Ross Copperman
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Some time earlier, Shoto's POV
I watched (Y/N) as she dashed out of the dormitory and down the path. I don't think I even blinked until she was completely gone.
Afterwards I collapsed on my bed, staring at the ceiling with my eyes that were moistening.
I was overwhelmed, with everything. Half of me wanted to call her right now and apologize, telling her I didn't want to break up. But the other half told me otherwise, that she went behind my back and kissed another boy, and didn't bother to tell me about it. That was what hurt, and the throbbing feeling urged me to choose the latter.
So I did.
Eventually, there was a gentle knock on the door and more than one voice whispering outside of it. I could easily distinguish Midoriya, Kirishima, and Iida's concerned voices.
I slowly got up, and walked to the door. I unlocked it carefully and opened it just a crack. My friends were all standing there, suddenly falling silent. They all looked at me with anxious eyes.
Kirishima was the most impatient for details. "Dude, what happened?! We got home from school and we walked past Bakugo's room, which was a steaming mess! He was trying to clean it up, so we asked how it got like that."
Midoriya continued for him. "He said you picked a fight with him over what Taega said, and then that you broke up with (Y/N)! What the heck are you doing?!"
"It is unwise to hear of one instance and be all upset about it," Iida stated as-a-matter-of-fact. "If you love (Y/N), you should know that there's trials in every relationship. It is best to sort it out and move on."
". . ." I didn't know how to respond to that. I wasn't trying to play the victim in this; what kind of boyfriend would I be if I was? Accusing (Y/N) of anything was the last thing I ever wanted to do, if anything, I'd take the blame in any other situation. But I couldn't just forget about this.
"You do love her, don't you man?" Kirishima suddenly asked. "And she loves you?"
I looked down at my shoes, finding the words. Of course I loved her, and I still did even after all of this. However, I was trying to protect myself, too. How did I know she wasn't going to do this in the future? If she had only told me when it had happened, I might have been more understanding. It would have shown me that she was truly sorry and that she didn't want to give up what we had. It would have convinced me that she returned my feelings for her. But, she tried to keep it a secret and I had to learn through Taega. I was sure that feeling of shock was something I'd never forget.
"Todoroki . . ." Midoriya's large eyes searched for an answer.
I looked up at them again. "Yes to both, I think. But it's not that simple."
Iida began gesturing wildly with his hands, as if he were about to physically try to knock sense into me. "You can't just say that! What do you even mean by that?!"
"Yeah, man! I think you're throwing away a lot more than you think." Kirishima turned to Midoriya.
Surprisingly, Midoriya sided with me out of the blue. "Actually, I think I understand now. If I had a girlfriend and found out she kissed another boy from someone other than herself, I'd feel a little unsure. I'd be torn up inside, and I wouldn't know where her heart really was. I think I'd want time to myself, too."
Iida and Kirishima only stared at Midoriya, their features falling as they realized their chances of helping me and (Y/N) stay together had just taken a nose-dive.
I nodded slowly at Midoriya's words. "Thank you."
Kirishima tried letting himself in my room. "Wait, you can't just let her go like this. She's probably crying over you terribly right now-"
I pushed him back, gently. "Can you all just leave me alone right now . . ."
Midoriya set a hand on Iida and Kirishima's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."
I closed the door before they had even turned away.
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The agency, Kaito's POV
The team of four members wheeled my unconscious friend away, leaving Taega and I alone.
Taega looked at me, with fear in her eyes that she tried to hide with a scowl. A valiant effort, but I could see right through. Her insides could be shaking for all I knew, she was so scared.
I took a step nearer. "You know, I hate plastic sluts like you."
Her jaw dropped, and her eyes began brimming with tears. "W-what? Kaito!"
"Don't you even think about playing dumb with me. You told (Y/N) you wanted to be friends, and even apologized about the way you treated her when you were dating Shoto. You only did that to make this victory that much sweeter, didn't you?!" I was walking closer now, my hands balling into fists.
Taega was speechless. She was backing away from me, her tough face falling like a mask.
"Do you remember what I told you?" I reminder her. "I said the next time you hurt (Y/N), you weren't going to have it easy with me."
She shook her head rapidly. "No, no, Kaito! (Y/N) already beat me up, can't you see?! This black eye, my bruised cheeks, and she sunk her fangs into my shoulder . . . look!" She touched the bloody wound on her shoulder, then showed me the red on her hand.
I didn't listen. With one sweep of my hand, a grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground, holding her close to my face. "This was long overdue."
Without hesitation, I flung her far and hard so that she crashed into the giant mirror shattered at the sudden impact. She landed on the other side of the sink island with more than a few cuts and the whole onslaught of glass shards raining down on her. She cried in pain.
For a second I stood there, not believing what I just did. Was that too much?
It was only a fleeting thought a moment later, when I found myself walking over to her and dragging her to where there wasn't so much glass. I kicked her to the wall before climbing on top of her and holding her down.
Against me, she was completely helpless and she was bawling like a baby. However, I couldn't find it in me to show her mercy.
I let my fist crash against her jaw, her nose, and the sides of her face. I went on and on, half-afraid that I wouldn't be able to stop.
Bruises were forming everywhere, some dark and some a pussy yellow. Taega was becoming weaker and weaker, and eventually she stopped resisting me altogether. However, she was still crying and through it all she found her voice.
"You'll get fired . . . you know that? They'll kick you off the squad, out of the agency. Where will you go then? You and (Y/N) . . . they'll get rid of you for violence. You'll be wandering around in the streets like homeless people."
I shook my head. I stopped punching her, but still maintained the painful grip I had on her. "They won't release us because we know too much. They won't trust us not to tell. And I'm not letting (Y/N) get in trouble for this. You're gonna tell them all your injuries came from me."
Taega started coughing, but nodded. I believe I had finally intimidated her into submission.
I relieved the weight I had pressed upon her and crawled off, standing shakily to my feet. I turned to go. "Tell them whatever you want. They can punish me any way they want."
After that, I left.
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So I'm kind of a sucker for writing violence, just in case you haven't realized :)
Don't forget to vote/comment and be looking out for chapter 45!
Thanks☺