Your eyes narrowed at the sight of an extra pair of shoes at your home's entrance - women's low heels, black, part of some work attire. Adjusting your collar uneasily, you jumped to a conclusion. Your father had invited someone over to help him clean the house, since your uncle had gone missing.
But, as soon as you made it to the front room, you wished you had never come home.
While your dad sat up and brought his crutches closer to him, the lady still faced away from you. But you knew it had to be her.
The last time you had seen her was for your eleventh birthday when she had taken you to watch a family-friendly film and pampered you to make up for her absence.
Try as you might to ignore your hunch, seeing your mother after all these years could only mean one thing; bad news.
And that sense of impending doom only grew stronger as you spotted the frown cutting into your dad's expression.
Without so much of a welcome, your mum's gentle voice broke the deafening silence. "Sorry for dropping in out of the blue, but (y/n)... we need to talk."
---
Todoroki's shoulders slumped as he made it to the entrance of his large, traditional house. He knew it had only been a few hours since he last saw you, but something about returning home without you, left him feeling so... lonely?
Aimlessly wandering the halls, his steps nearly silent except for the occasional creaking, he shoved his hands in his pockets. His attention drifted, and he began thinking about you until he found himself in the lavish guest room you had stayed at the start of high school.
His long fingers traced the window sill, and his eyes scanned the room, as he tried to imagine what you would be up to at this very moment.
You'd be at home, too, most likely. Either taking care of your dad or, as he hoped, allowing yourself to rest to speed up your recovery.
But you could be in danger.
Todoroki rubbed his temples, trying to dismiss those worries, as he unconsciously sat on the bed. His eyes snapped open as he noticed that the ghost of your sweet scent still lingered in the air.
After running his palm against the bed covers, he brought his nose close to a pillow to inhale whatever perfume had been sprayed on it, but none of it remained.
For the faintest of seconds, his chest tightened in regret as he tightened his grip on the soft pillow. Was this inappropriate of him? To be imagining that you were here, in his arms?
Not that he had become entirely dependent on you, but the happiness you brought him had no match.
If only his father had never got involved with the two of you, he would have been so pleased to invite you over.
Even then, Todoroki struggled to admit to himself that, if you hadn't been thrust into his life, he would probably not know you as well as he did now. And further than that, these feelings he harboured for you wouldn't-
A pang struck his heart, making him shake his head sideways so that he could forsake such pessimistic thoughts.
Todoroki would have waited for you as if he was waiting for a stone to stop. But, how could he put you off when you were a matter of urgency?
Unbuttoning his formal, white shirt, he lied down on the bed, staring at the low ceiling. He would have given anything to have you here by his side.
---
Your mum's hands trembled underneath the tap, and instead of filling that glass of water to help you process what she was about to say, she dropped it.
As it shattered in tens of pieces, you stood up from your place and offered her to clear the mess up.
Nodding, she plodded back into a corner of the kitchen, next to your dad, who stood there with the help of his crutches.
"You've raised her well on your own," she said with a melancholic tone, observing you as you disposed of the broken glass.
"Are you sure about this? It's not going to hurt you any further, is it?" your dad whispered, but you stood as still as you could to catch wind of his voice.
You pressed your hand against your left index finger, only a tiny bit of blood from your accidental cut trickling out. "Hey, you know, can we sort of get this over and done with? Why... um... why are you here, mum?"
With her gaze focused on the white, tiled floor she had scrubbed clean this morning, she opened her mouth, but the words got caught at the back of her throat.
Not again.
"Please," you said. "Please, just tell me. Everyone's always telling me that I wouldn't understand, or that I shouldn't get involved, and it's honestly getting really tiring. Whatever it is... if it's about me, then I want to know."
Both of your parents exchanged a worried glance. Perhaps, it would soon hit you, that even though you had spent the better half of your life searching for the truth, you weren't prepared to hear it first-hand.
You mum shifted in her place before she gave a few steps towards you. "I'm so sorry, (y/n). They told you that strong emotions affect your quirk at school, right?"
You nodded, your stomach twisting into an anxious knot as you bit your tongue to let her finish her point.
But your mum caught a glimpse of the cut on your finger, so she approached you quietly instead.
You tensed up a little when she extended her hands towards you and drew some blood from your cut, which she then used to mark a circle around your finger.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie," her voice cracked.
"Mum?"
"I don't want you to go through what I did, too." A dim light shone from the blood she had touched, making the cut heal on its own. "His name is Shoto Todoroki, isn't it? Your first love?"
You swallowed as you furrowed your eyebrows, confused as to where this conversation was heading to.
"And you have collapsed when you least expect it to? Your father tells me you did at that school training camp, and also... after your first fight with..." She stopped herself as she noticed you tightening your fists, your knuckles turning white.
Your dad gulped when you shot him a pointed look that, to him, screamed nothing short of betrayed.
"(y/n), this... this drawback to your quirk. It'll only get messier if you keep experiencing these strong emotions." She paused, gathering the courage to say something she had been avoiding for years until this rotten mess that had led to their divorce came back to bite. "You'll have to give up your relationship with Todoroki if you want to be a hero. It's your choice."
You held your breath, rooted in your place as your world caved in.
No. No way. This can't be happening.
If this was not a nightmare, your worst fears had materialised right in front of you in the shape of the crushing words that still hung in the heavy air.
You pinched your wrist, hard, leaving marks in the shape of your nails. Gritting your teeth, you came to accept that your mum had meant everything she said.
But how could you? How could you choose between Todoroki or becoming a hero?
Although they called out for your name, you kneeled with your hands at either side of your head, trying to make sense of your jumbled thoughts.
So, they've both known all this time? And they've been lying to me all that shitty time I cried myself to sleep, hoping that mum would come back for good?
Though you attempted to steady yourself, all you could see was red at the unfairness of it all. "When did you find out?"
"That day Chi-" Your mum cut herself off as your dad tapped on her shoulder to let her know that making those childhood memories resurface would prove too much for you to handle.
However, he was much too late.
Those echoes of the past stomped through all corners of your mind, making your throat tighten. Chiharu's small body lied lifeless as you tripped over your own feet and hit the ground, powerless to meet her vacant coral eyes under her strawberry blonde bangs.
And the sheer proudness you had experienced the week before, when you discovered your quirk, only made it worse.
Until, deep within you, something snapped, unleashing a new kind of storm. "Then, why didn't it occur to either of you to just tell me this before?"
Their lack of response led you to picture Todoroki extending his hand towards you with care, unable to reach you as you sank even further into this sea of uncertainty.
"Say something, please. Why?" you choked out.
"(y/n), sweetie." Your mum tried to pat your shoulder, but you moved away from her. With a lump in her throat, she continued, "I... I still care for you and your father very much, but starting again in a new country where no one knew I used to be a hero, was the only way to help me move on."
Is that why dad never talked about mum? You propped yourself up from the ground, rubbing the sore skin on your wrists. And why he always avoided the subject of me wanting to become a hero like the plague?
A chill ran both their spines as your hands began glowing with a breath-taking light, brighter than ever before. As if your life energy had a will of its own and had decided to playfully dance around you as opposed to staying within you as it should.
And when you looked up to them, the fear that flashed in their faces drove you over the edge. You needed to get away from here. To run as far away as possible so that the truth could not catch up to you anymore.
---
Fuyumi's arms embraced you as tight as ever as you two stood before the gates to the Todoroki household, your puffy eyes devoid of any of the shock and anger which had washed away with your tears on the journey on the train back to Musutafu.
Standing back, Fuyumi grabbed hold of your arms again. "(y/n), I haven't seen Shoto around since this morning, but you're more than welcome to come into our house, okay? We all care a lot about you. Even Natsuo won't stop asking Shoto about you, but," Fuyumi waved her hand in front of her face in dismissal. "Anyway, that's beside the point, let's go inside."
With your shoulders still shaking as you made an effort to regain control of your breath, you followed Fuyumi up the steps towards the entrance.
But you froze as you imagined what would happen if Endeavor saw you entering their house after Todoroki had told you that he wanted him to cut ties with you.
"It's okay, (y/n)," Fuyumi reassured you as she adjusted her the red frame of her glasses before she opened the door with her key. "Dad's at work. Feel free to hang around in your old room while we wait for Shoto to come back."
You nodded, finally toying with the idea of calming down, but then it hit you that you would have to relive all the hurt and pain that had made you run away from home in the first place.
As you headed down the hall, the late afternoon sun seeping through the windows, you told yourself that you had some time before facing Todoroki, so you shouldn't worry too much.
But, perhaps, that's why when you opened the door and switched the lights on, your soul almost left your body as you covered your mouth to muffle a squeal.
You could have recognised his broad back under that black tank top and distinctive, now messy hair anywhere, but seeing him napping on the bed you had slept in the past was the last thing you expected.
And though this day had been filled with surprises, you were glad that this was a pleasant one, until Todoroki mumbled something as he turned around, narrowing his eyes at whoever had dared to awaken him from his slumber.
In a daze, he repeated, "Are you lost, babygirl?"
Jolting in your place, you veered away from him, but his strong hand got hold of your wrist and pulled you in.
Todoroki's mismatched eyes widened as he noted how realistic your soft, warm skin felt to his touch, but the realisation that this wasn't another one of his dreams crushed him a second later. Literally, with your whole weight.
"Huh?" Bewildered, he moved further up the bed, yet still held on to you tight, preventing you from standing up.
"I'm sorry, I-I didn't know you were here!" You met his blown wide eyes with your own.
Your heart rate sped up so much at the proximity of his hot breath that you tried to pull away from him, only to flinch as a sharp pain shot up your arm.
Todoroki let go of your wrist but then spotted the purple markings on them. "No, (y/n), stay. Who did this to you?" he said, sitting up and pointing at where you had dug your nails into so you could regain a sense of reality earlier today. "I swear I will beat them up so that they never dare to lay a finger on you again."
Shaking your head, you averted your gaze from him. "No one did," you muttered.
Gritting his teeth as he noticed the dry tears under your eyes, Todoroki took hold of the sides of your arms. "It wasn't me when I pulled you in just now, was it?"
"Sho, trust me, I'll tell you everything in a bit... just... can you hold me close one last time?" you said, softening your tone until the last few words in your sentence became almost inaudible.
Although he couldn't fathom what you had meant by 'one last time', he complied with your request.
Todoroki lied back down on the bed, gently bringing you closer to him, a waft of your inviting scent filling his lungs as your hair tickled his nose.
Having Todoroki's well-built arms wrapped from behind you made you take a deep breath in and let the turmoil within your chest subside. Yet, it didn't stop you from casting your mind back to the crux of the matter: you needed to make an impossible decision.
Either Todoroki, or becoming a hero.
Though he soon understood that you were in no condition to tell him what happened immediately, he couldn't help but to try and find a way to link it back to something he had done - an old habit of his.
For a long time in his childhood, he had grown to blame himself for the way his father treated him. As if the only explanation for the daily abuse he was a victim of was that he deserved it.
He could almost taste the bile rising in his throat as he remembered himself whimpering on his knees with his mother's arms around him, as she cried out for his father to stop pushing him to train so hard.
But Todoroki couldn't change any of that. And, though his hatred for Endeavor had only increased since, he had learned to take a step back and watch those upsetting thoughts go by. None of that had ever been his fault.
So, when words made their way to your mouth, he encouraged you to turn around so he could give you his undivided attention.
"Sho, I'm sorry. I really am." You squeezed your eyes shut, your chin dipping to your chest, as you forced yourself to continue explaining to him.
Todoroki drew circles on your cheek with his thumb, listening intently.
"My parents told me something today, and I think a little part of me died."