word count: 4.5k
summary: todoroki had been your best friend since childhood, but as of late, he's been pulling away more and more. but you make a terrifying discovery when you find yourself locked in a room with the newly turned vampire.
...
"your eyes are weird."
the small boy looked up from the book he was reading, seeing a girl no older than he was; she had (hair color) hair and shining (eye color) eyes, twinkling in the sunlight. she was in a light blue sundress, a pair of sneakers on her feet.
"i like them." she sat down next to him, little hands grabbing at the blades of grass idly. "do you want to play with me?"
"uh, i—"
"great! wanna play prince and princess?"
he gulped, eyes downcast, "i-i don't know that one."
"it's easy! you be the knight in shining armor, and i'll be the pretty princess!"
you'd been five years old upon meeting todoroki shouto; he was quiet and kept to himself, usually reading underneath the single tree in the playground at recess. you were quite the opposite. if he was the darkness, you were the light. you talked to anyone and everyone you could, always going on and on about dreams or disney movies you watched.
his father was strict about friends from a young age—they were mere distractions from his studies, and he wouldn't tolerate them. so he was a bit hesitant to befriend you at first.
it took nearly a month of your pestering to play games or talking his ear off until he finally—slowly—accepted your friendship. he would nod at your wild stories, and he would play your knight in shining armor, rescuing you, the pretty princess stuck in a high tower being held hostage by a ferocious dragon (who was really your classmate kirishima eijirou).
the friendship continued through your school years, you two stuck together like glue. you were there when his own mother was so disgusted with him that she powered boiling water over his left eye. you held on to your friend with all your might, and you were the first one to hold him, to tell him it wasn't his fault, that his mother had swan dived off the deep end into a pit of despair. and he was there for you when the family you had lived with growing up was crumbling.
"todoroki-kun," you mumbled, lying in the grass as you looked up at the clouds. shapes would appear and disappear, and you both had been trying to name what you saw. a cloud could look like an elephant to one, and a lion to the other.
the boy hummed, eyes looked over his eyebrows. you two were laying against each other, the tops of your heads touching.
"will... will you stay with me? will you be my best friend forever?" the memories of your parents fighting flashed through your mind. how they'd lost all fondness of each other, how they'd lost all love for one another, how they'd left you behind in the chaos as your developing mind tried to process the family you once cherished was breaking apart.
he sat up; he twisted around to face you.
your eyes were closed, chest rising and falling steadily. but he wasn't a fool, he knew you like the back of his hand. he knew you were panicking internally. he could tell by the slight twitch of your lips and the faint tear-stains lining your temples.
"(name)," he started. his cool hand touched your shoulder, and your eyes opened. cool (eye color) meeting turquoise and silver. "i'll never leave you, and we will always be best friends, forever and ever."
you sat up, turning around and sitting across from todoroki with your legs crossed. "do you pinky promise?"
he nodded. "i pinky promise."
you two locked pinkies, and that was the end of the conversation. you didn't doubt him; a pinky promise was the strongest form of affirmation to the two of you, something neither of you could ever break.
and as you two went to different middle schools, you still managed to talk to each other on the phone or meet up at the park, your houses were close enough to each other. todoroki's father had wanted him to attend an all-boys private school on the opposite side of town, and your mother had enrolled you in an all-girls school near her work. so your meetups were far and few between, the only comfort coming from his pre-pubescent, constantly-cracking voice over the phone.
"todoroki-kun?"
"yes, (name)?"
"what do you want to be when you grow up?" you asked, your legs dangling off the side of your bed as you stared at the ceiling; little glow-in-the-dark stars created constellations, constellations todoroki helped you create.
there was a pause on his end. he didn't speak for a moment as he thought of an answer. "i... i don't know. my father wants me to follow in his footsteps so i can take over his company, but-but i don't know. what about you?"
you shrugged your shoulders despite the lack of him being visible to you. "i don't know either."
another pause.
"todoroki-kun?"
"yes, (name)?"
"i have something to—"
"shouto, who are you on the phone with?"
"no one, father—i gotta go," he rushed out. "talk to you soon."
"oka—"
the line died. tears pricked at your eyes.
it was two years of hell after that. two years you were cut off from your best friend, two years alone as you went through the last years of middle school. two years that had changed you. and it was apparent when you finally saw todoroki again.
you were once the sun; you dressed in bright, colorful dresses and were never found without a smile on your face. you had once resonated light, your happiness spreading unto other people around you. you used to be talkative and friendly to all those you came across. but as todoroki spotted you in the mall with your mother, he only saw an empty shell of what used to be.
but, it wasn't like he was any different. as he went through his changes, his father's teachings and beatings became more brutal. his phone access was cut off after his father found out he was talking to you, a friend, a girl, a distraction. and if he had enough time to talk to you about silly, trivial things, he had more than enough time to learn more about his father's company.
so when he saw you in the mall, he hadn't called out to you. he simply watched from afar as your mother whisked you away into another clothing outlet.
high school was going to be different, you told yourself. high school was going to be better, you were going to be better. you were sure of it. after all, you'd been accepted into yuuei, the best high school in all of japan, excelling in almost every course available. whether it be business, or economics, or even engineering.
you had forced a bright smile on your face as you introduced yourself to your new classmates. there were a few familiar faces, like kirishima from your elementary school and ashido from your all-girls middle school (she'd always stood out with her self-proclaimed natural pink hair). but most were new. there was an explosive blond who claimed he was going to be top of the class, a green haired boy who looked to be quivering with nervousness, and—your heart skipped a beat.
sitting in the back row was a boy with red and white hair, his turquoise and silver eyes staring dully at the board ahead of him. he'd changed since you last saw him almost three years ago; his jaw sharpened, his shoulders broad, his height stretching a foot or so.
"todoroki-kun?"
the said boy snapped from his trance, eyes wide as saucers as he saw you. "(name)...?"
quick as lightning, he'd sprung into action, and you found yourself securely in his arms as he enveloped you in the tightest hug imaginable. "i-i can't believe it."
"i can't believe you're here," he mumbled.
your bottom lip quivered as your body shook, "wh-what happened? you were gone for so long...?"
"i'll explain at lunch," the boy replied. "we have a lot to discuss."
you nodded, pulling away from him. "lunch, yeah, that works for me."
your sensei had entered shortly after, calling attention to the class as you all took your seats.
"i didn't mean to abandon you," was the first thing he said as you two found yourselves on the rooftop. the air was cool with the spring breeze rolling in, smelling faintly of cherry blossoms. "my father, he... he took away my phone after that last call, and i didn't know how else to contact you."
"it's okay, todoroki-kun," you mumbled.
he shook his head, obviously upset with your immediate acceptance. "no, no it's not. you should hate me right now, i've been a terrible friend. and i'm sorry (name). i made a promise to never leave you, and that's exactly what i did."
your lips pressed into a thin line, knowing in your heart that todoroki would feel guilty no matter what you said. "todoroki--"
"please call me shouto," he interrupted. "i... i no longer want to be referred to with his name. please."
hesitantly, you nodded, "o-okay, shouto-kun, i... what exactly happened with him? he didn't hurt you again, did he?"
but his silence was all you needed to answer that question.
"i swear, i'll kill him when i get the chance," you muttered to yourself. "todo-shouto-kun, please know that i don't hate you, or even resent you. i... i understand what it's like with your father, and right now-right now, i'm just glad to have you back in my life. i missed you, i missed my-my best friend." your voice cracked, and your eyes burned as tears began to surface.
he silently pulled you into him, letting you cry on his shoulder. "i saw you, you know."
"what are you talking about?" your voice was muffled in the sleeve of his blazer.
"you were at the mall, with your mother," he said. "i-i wanted to say hi, but... but i didn't know what to say. i was a coward, and you looked so sad. i know i wasn't there for you, and you already knew what had probably happened with me. but, (name), what happened while i was away?"
you sighed, releasing yourself from the heterochromic-eyed boy. "you know how my parents were starting their divorce?"
he nodded, watching you closely.
"well, throughout middle school, i was dealing with that at home, and... and they were so awful to each other, you would have never known they used to love and care for each other," you replied. "school wasn't any better."
"how so?"
"you weren't there."
"oh."
"yeah."
you two were silent for a moment, but you grabbed todoroki's hand, "does... does our promise still stand, shouto-kun?"
he didn't need you to elaborate, he knew exactly what you meant. and so he nodded. "i'll never leave you, (name)."
todoroki shouto wasn't sure what was happening to him; the world felt different to him all so suddenly, he didn't know which was was up or how to get down from so high up. it was like he was walking down a straight sidewalk, and then it was like the world had began to tip over. his fingers were grasping at the cracks to avoid falling, fingernails chipping and blood pooling at his fingertips.
the only thing he was sure of, was that he wasn't human.
he'd woken up with a start in his bedroom; his body was drenched in sweat, mismatch colored hair plastered to his forehead and chest heaving up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. his throat was incredibly dry, it felt like it was burning, like he hadn't had a single drop of water in the last sixteen years of his life. there were new noises hitting his eardrums.
the ear-piercing squeal of tires from the street, children's laughter sounding like nails on a chalkboard, the faint tip-tap of a keyboard from what he knew was the next door neighbor.
his body moved to fast for his mind to keep up, and he hit the floor with a thud against the hardwood. his body ached, each breeze from the air conditioner rubbing his skin the wrong way. what the hell was happening?
the boy gripped his bedpost as he struggled to stand up again. his feet felt like they were stepping on pins and needles as he approached the bathroom door, leaning on everything he could to reach it. his breath was rattling as he finally held himself up with the bathroom counter; he turned the cold water on and ran a few handfuls over his face. his body felt hot and cold at the same time, and he thought idly that maybe he was just getting sick.
he looked up in the mirror.
a strangled scream came from his lips as he flew back. his butt landed on the tiled floor, and his back his the edge of the bathtub. his entire body was shaking now; he was scared, so fucking scared. what... what he saw in that reflection, it shouldn't be possible. it was like a nightmare. an actual fucking nightmare.
"shouto?" there was a pound at the door--or maybe it was a soft knock, he couldn't tell. "are you okay?"
he choked on his words, the reply getting caught in his burning throat. there was suddenly a pleasant smell that seeped through the cracks of the door, something sweet and wonderful that made him remember when his mother would make breakfast for him while his siblings were at school.
"shouto?"
"g-go away," he grumbled. "i'm fine."
he could practically see fuyumi's frown through the door. "okay, be careful."
he didn't reply.
shouto clambered back into his bedroom and plopped down on his bed, his eyes trained on the ceiling above him, mind whirling. one thing was for sure; until he knew what was happening to him, he would have to postpone the study session with you. he hoped this was all some messed up nightmare, and he would wake up in the morning and be normal, not... not a whatever this was. there was a sickening thought in the back of his mind, one that was telling him vampire.
you frowned as you read the text message from your best friend. he was cancelling on you again. you were supposed to hang out at the mall this afternoon, and he'd promised you he would stop flaking. he'd also promised that he'll never leave you, especially not again after middle school... no, you were most definitely not upset about that.
he had been distant the past month. you knew something was going on with the boy, but what it was, you weren't too sure. he was off, more aloof than usual, which was saying something. he seemed the glare and growl at anyone who dared approached him, and it reminded you of bakugou. though, even the blond had been more warm to you than your cold friend. should you even call him a friend anymore?
you tossed your phone into your backpack, slammed your shoe locker shut, and turned down the hallway.
"hey, (name), wait up!"
you glanced back to see kirishima running to catch up with you. you smiled at the redhead, "hey, kiri-kun."
"are you busy today?" he asked.
you shook your head, "shouto-kun and i were supposed to be studying, but...."
he nodded; he was well aware of the strange distance between the two of you. he'd gone to grade school with you both, he knew you'd been inseparable even back then. so for todoroki to just cut off his interactions with you so sudden, it was definitely weird.
"why?"
"oh! ashido, bakugou, kaminari, sero, and i were heading to watch the new movie that just came out," he replied. "you know, the vampire one."
you hesitated, thinking it would actually be a great idea, but all you wanted to do was go to your dorm and do some homework, take your mind of todoroki and his weird distance. "thank you, kiri-kun, but... but maybe next time."
he gave you a reassured smile, "sure. if you change your mind, we're leaving after dinner."
"thanks again," you replied.
"no problem!"
you continued back to the dorms, heart heavy and a gut-wrenching feeling in your torso.
"shouto-kun, you can't keep doing this!"
you gripped your phone tightly, having it on speakerphone as you heard your best friend cancel once again. this time it was for a study date, one you desperately needed as your grades started to slip. your mother was pestering you about finals coming up, your teachers were getting on you about the lack of homework you've been doing, and todoroki had even offered this time! so, why the hell would he cancel on his own plans?!
"you said you could help me, and-and i need this!"
"i'm sorry, (name), but i can't today. something's come up," came his apology from the other end of the line.
you bit back bitter tears, and you hoped to whatever higher power todoroki wasn't going to hear you cry over something as pathetic as a study date with the friend you hadn't hung out with in months. "fine, you know what, i-i can't...," your voice cracked, and you cursed to yourself, "i can't keep doing this with you. i'm... i'm gonna go study with baku-san and kiri-kun. call me when you get your head straight and you wanna be friends again, todoroki."
you pressed the end call button and let out a frustrated cry.
you found yourself at bakugou's bedroom door not even twenty minutes later, having washed your face of all tears and grabbed the textbooks for the subjects you needed help with. the blond opened the door; he simply scowled in your direction as he let you in. to your surprise, ashido, kaminari, and sero were also piled into the small room.
"h-hey," you mumbled.
they greeted you warmly, and kirishima pulled you into his lap, nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck. "cancelled again?"
you gave a solemn nod. "he even made the plans this time," you admitted in a small voice.
"should we take a walk before starting?" the redhead behind you asked.
"huh?" you brows knit together as you took a glance at him.
"to clear your head," he said simply.
you paused and thought it over, but then you nodded, "uh, sure. feel free to start without us."
"don't start without us," kirishima pleaded, and before you knew it, you were whisked out of the room and walking down the hall, approaching the side of the building with the empty dorm rooms and utility closets.
you two walked in silence for a few minutes; the only sounds down the hallway were the sounds of your feet hitting the floor and your steady breathing, along with the occasional mutter or mumble here and there. you had your hands stuffed in your pockets, not paying too much attention with your eyes on the ground and your thoughts tumbling together like a train crash.
if you were paying attention, even the slightest, you would have noticed a certain green-haired boy standing outside of a certain door containing a certain childhood best friend. you would have noticed that kirishima had nodded to midoriya in a silent confirmation as he placed his hand on the small of your back. you would have noticed that midoriya unlocked the supply closet he was guarding.
but you didn't. you weren't paying attention.
so when you were suddenly thrust forward and were shoved into a dark space, there was a strangled scream from your lips. you turned, watching the door shut and all light leave the closet.
"kiri-kun, what the hell?!" your fists pounded on the door.
"we won't let you out until you two sort everything out!" he yelled back. "i'm tired of seeing you two so far apart! so, have fun, don't kill each other!"
"two?" you echoed to yourself. "who the--"
"(n-name)?"
a chill ran up your spine, and your body went rigid. your hands blindly felt the wall for a light switch, finally finding one and having a single bulb dangling above you light up the room.
"todo-todoroki," you gulped; you turned to face the person locked in the supply closet with you. "i-i had no part in this, i swear."
for some reason, your friend looked pained to be in the same small space with you; his hand was hovering over his mouth and nose, shoulders rising and falling quickly. "no... no, no, no. i-i can't be here, i can't be in here, can't be in here with you."
you scrambled away quickly as he took your place in front of the door. he was twisting and turning the knob and another hand banged on the door, causing it to shake under each fist.
he could already feel the dry burn of his throat, the one that was telling him he couldn't pull away from the inevitable.
the boy had finally pieced everything together, a couple weeks ago. it was on one of his nightly walks around the campus to clear his head. there was a woman who'd fallen and needed help getting back up. he foolishly did so, not knowing it was a trap, not knowing when she'd started to drink him dry, not knowing he was about to pass out of blood-loss, not knowing that the woman would take pity on such a "pretty face," not knowing that this woman had turned him into what she was, a vampire.
you placed a small hand on his shoulder, his body going rigid. he whipped around quickly, throwing your hand off his shoulder. his eyes were wide and fearful, something so unlike the boy you'd grown up with, and it made you worried.
"shouto-kun...?"
"i-i can't be in here, i can't," he replied in a panicked voice. "you-you need to stay away from me, (name). please, please." he was losing what little sense of control he had; his body kept pulling at him, pushing him closer to you, but he was fighting it. he was trying to fight it. he would kill himself if he ever hurt you, despite the fact he'd tried multiple times in those last few weeks.
"i-it's okay," you murmured. you thought maybe todoroki was scared of small spaces, after all, the smallest space either one of you had ever really shared was your bedroom to hang out. "j-just breathe."
but he couldn't. no, not with you here. not with your sweet scent that sent him on overdrive, not with your sweet scent that was pushing and pulling him to sink his new fangs into your soft flesh. no, he couldn't. not with the painful burn in his throat, the one he knew would go away if he just let into his carnal desires.
a cool hand touched his cheek, and he jumped. his bottom lip was quivering, bangs hanging in front of his eyes as his body shook from his internal battle.
"shouto-kun, it's all right," your eyes were searching his for any sort of recognition with the words you were softly speaking to him. "just breathe, in and out. we-we'll be out of here soon." you tilted your head slightly and pulled your hair to the other side of your neck. it was getting quite stuffy in the small room, two warm bodies creating too much body heat within the space.
the sweet scent strengthened tenfold as you brushed your hair to the side, and todoroki wasn't sure how much longer he could take of this. every fiber of his being was itching to grab you and bite you then and there. he could feel the fangs lengthen in his mouth, poking his tongue and drawing a bit of blood. he gulped; a bead of sweat slipped down his forehead as he watched you carefully. he couldn't take it anymore.
"hey, it's--"
you gasped as you felt yourself suddenly pressed up against the wall on the opposite side of the room, your world reeling as you tried to make sense of what just happened. todoroki holding you tightly, pressing you against the wall; each hand on either side of your shoulder. you were trapped. one arm wrapping around your friends body, the other grabbing onto his arm.
you were whimpered as you felt his hot breath fan over your neck, eyes wide and tears beginning to dribble down. "shouto-kun? shouto-kun?"
his tongue glided up your neck; god, you smelled like absolute heaven right then. his mouth watered, fangs aching to dig into the soft flesh of your neck.
"i'm sorry," he murmured, the words tickling your skin. "please forgive me."
"what are you--" you gasped, hands balling around todoroki's shirt as you fist the fabric. you could feel two sharp points entering your neck, the horrid feeling of blood being sucked out registering in your mind.
todoroki took greedy gulps, your blood tasting ever so sweet in his mouth. he could slowly start to feel the burn in his throat dull out, his humanity returning to him with every sip he drained from you. he could feel the hands fisted around his shirt loosen and your body start to slip beneath him.
"shou...," you whispered meekly. your fingers and toes were starting to feel tingly, your body no longer able to support itself as you suffered from the effects of blood-loss. your vision was hazy, and you hadn't even realized when you'd let go of your childhood friend.
suddenly, he was pulled out from whatever sick trance he was in, and his fangs left your neck with a sickening pop, a few drops of blood following and dribbling down his chin onto his shirt. he gentle guided the two of you onto the floor, and he cradled your form into his chest. he was a mumbling mess of apologies and regrets as he held you tight.
you looked up at the boy weakly, "your eyes are weird."
he stifled a sob upon your comment, the faint voice of a smaller you saying those exact words to him in kindergarten. "i-i'm so sorry, (name)."
"it-it's fine," you mumbled, feeling tired and drained, eyes shutting.
"are you okay?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper. "i-i'm sorry, for leaving you alone for so long. i was so scared that... that you would run off if you figured out the truth."
"m'okay," you replied, your eyes fluttered open, hand reaching up to touch todoroki's cheek. "and... and, shouto-kun? you know, we-we made a... promise. i'll never leave you, we're best friends forever."
he sighed, wiping away stray tears and the splatter of blood on the lower half of his face. "still, i'm sorry. are... are you hurt?"
"just... just need to sleep." and he felt your body go limp in his arms.
somewhere deep within him, he knew he hadn't taken enough blood to kill you, not enough blood to end his supply forever. he found it strange, you were the only one he was drawn to, the only one whose blood smelled appetizing to the boy with eyes of turquoise and silver. and something within him knew when to stop, but the human part of him knew he would have a lot of explaining to do when you woke.
and that he would have a lot of explaining to do when kirishima and midoriya came to check on you both.