Solar Eclipse (TodoBakuDeku)

~11~

If I didn't already have enough questions about Shoto Todoroki, I definitely did now.

He could read minds.

He could probably read minds.

As soon as I got upstairs I went straight to my computer, pulling up a search engine.
I spent about twenty minutes just looking up as much as I could find on "mind reading", "mind readers", and "psychics".

To no one's surprise, I didn't find much useful information. It was mainly just ads anyway.

Next I grabbed out the book I was almost assaulted to obtain. Flipping through it didn't seem too promising and I almost threw it across my room.

But then I found exactly what I was looking for. The wolf legend.

It told me pretty much everything Kacchan had already covered, with one difference.
Instead of the Aizawas being in the story, the enemy clan was simply referred to as 'the cold ones'.

Bingo.

With that one term in my search bar, I got instant results.

The next half hour seemed to go by in a blur, only key words and phrases standing out to me.

Immortal.

Cold-blooded.

Blood thirsty.

Everything was flashing past me as my fingers moved almost too fast for my computer to keep up with.

Then I found my answer.

With a gasp, I slammed my computer closed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I barely slept that night, my mind racing with that one word.
There was an urgent need to speak with Todoroki that forced me to wait outside for him that fateful morning.

It was like he was expecting it. We made eye contact and that was all it took for him to follow after me into the woods.

With the knowledge I had at that point, most sane people would think I was the biggest idiot on the planet, even more so than a white girl in a horror movie.
I would even agree under any other circumstances, but this was different.
It was Todoroki. For some God forsaken reason, I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

I trusted him.

"You're incredibly strong," I started once I knew we were far enough from the school.
"Impossibly fast. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. Your eyes change color."

I could hear his footsteps behind me, getting closer. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"You never eat or drink, or go out in the sunlight. You only said no to the beach trip after you found out where it was. Because of the treaty."

The last reason must have surprised him, because he took a final step, closing the gap between us. I could feel him there, just barely pressed against my back.

"How old are you?" I asked in a murmur.

"Seventeen."

"How long have you been seventeen?"

A brief pause.

"A while," but the words were strained.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. I was about to cross the line. I knew everything would change after this.

For better or worse.

"I know what you are."

He leaned even closer to me, he could have rested his chin on my shoulder if he had wanted. Instead I could feel his cold breath against my cheek as he ordered, "Say it. Out loud."
I swallowed hard.