Chasing a Memory ( Shoto x Oc )

Spiderverse Au part 4

Cassie began the long emotional journey of grappling with her feelings. Every step of the way was hell because she didn't know if she could be with him now that they were from different universes, wouldn't this effect the canon aka what had killed her Todoroki in the first place. What if when she finally let herself fall for him, the canon would kick in and he would vanish from her life again. She refused to let that happen but a part of her knew she would never be able to not love him.

Todoroki was a part of her, someone she loved and was loved by in return. He was her first kiss, her first date, her first and only relationship, and he was her first heartbreak. She wanted to tell herself otherwise because it felt so wrong but she knew that no matter the world, no matter the version of him, she would always come running right back into his open arms. She was always meant to fall for him time and time again for as long as she lived, and now she was worried that she was always meant to lose him.

" He would have wanted you to be happy, you know? " Gwen spoke up, breaking Cassies concentration and putting the poor pancake she had been absentmindedly jabbing with her fork out of its misery. Gwen was a newer recruit to the spider society, Cassie had been there for several months and and Gwen had just joined about three weeks ago. The two girls had became fast friends over shared interests and their inability to accept their feelings for their respective spidermen.

Cassie glanced over at Gwen in confusion as she was snapped out of her thoughts. " wha-" she asked dumbly and Gwen chuckled. " You've been staring at him for the past ten minutes, Your Todoroki wouldn't want to see you like this... from what you've told me, he loved you more than the multiverse... which he wouldn't have known about but thats not the point, okay! He would want you to be happy, your allowed to move on Cassie. Just because you're opening up your heart to someone well technically new, it doesn't mean your betraying your Todoroki." Cassie blinked processing her friend's words as she quietly chewed on her mutilated pancake.

After swallowing her food she opened her mouth to speak. " But... but what if-" Gwen gives her a look and Cassie shuts up. " Cassie you don't even effect the canon anymore you know this, Miguel and Lyla had a whole meeting about it last week so why are you using it as an excuse?" The pinkette looked at her hands shaking her head and sighing, she closed her eyes not wanting to look at her friend out of shame. " Because I'm scared. He... His world had a me. He lost that me years ago, he wouldn't want another version of me."

Gwen groans in frustration. She had noticed Todoroki looking at them and pointing to his watch which had a portals coordinates and Gwen immediately got the message. Once Todoroki had disappeared she grabbed Cassies arm and typed something into her watch. Before Cassie could even comprehend what what happened she was pushed through a portal.

The next thing she knew she was perched on the Empire State building. She wasn't alone either, next to her was Todoroki staring out at the cityscape peacefully. " I figured you'd want to talk, you've always liked the view from here right?" His voice, the same one that made her breath hitch and her skin tingle every time she heard it, rang through her pointed ears.

" I- Yeah I do..." she mumbled quietly not returning his eye contact. " I lost you... at least a version of you three years ago, I've had time to grieve but I know my Cassie, and if your as stubborn as she was then you've been beating yourself up about all this for months now. How long has it been since you lost him?" Todoroki asked and Cassie finally looked at him with tears in her eyes.

" Eight months ago... I lost you eight months ago." She whispered hating how she instinctively leaned closer to him. Todoroki nodded and shifted his attention back to the sunset. " I also know that if your worlds me was anything like I am, he wouldn't want you to to never love again. He wouldn't want to see you in so much pain... I don't want to see you in so much pain either, Cassie."

Him saying her name made Cassies heart pitter patter in her chest and she looked at him with wide eyes. " B- but I can't... I don't deserve t-" her words were cut off by the stern look he gave her. " Cassie Fox, you deserve the world. Miguel showed me the footage of the aftermath when I asked to see it. You buried everyone in that city and mourned them all by yourself. You made a mistake but everyone does that. You are worthy of love."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and Todoroki used his thumb to wipe them away. " In every other universe Cassie Fox falls for you... and in every other universe, It doesn't end well." She whispered more to herself than to him but of course he heard it. " But the difference between them and you was that they died... not me. But here you are alive." The boy next to her retorted calmly as he gently pulled her into his warm embrace.

" Todo..." she mumbled after a few minutes of silence only interrupted by the faint honking of cars and traffic down below. " Todo can you kiss me?" She asks her voice muffled against his shoulder where she had buried her head. She feels his shoulders shake as his chest vibrates with a low chuckle.

He ran his fingers through her hair and gently lifts her head using his thumb and forefinger to keep her from shifting her gaze away from his. " Are you sure you want that?" He asks leaning slightly closer but still giving her time to think about her request. Cassie's breath is shallow as she nods her head slightly. " Yes please... please Todoroki, kiss me."

This was the confirmation he had been waiting for as he slowly leans in brushing his lips against her in a soft tentative kiss. Cassies arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer to her as Todoroki peppers her lips and face with quick but loving kisses. Ever so slowly Cassie could feel bits and pieces of her heart rearranging themselves into a semblance of what they were before she had lost him.

A small smile graces her lips, and for the first time in what felt like forever she didn't feel guilty, she didn't feel scared, she didn't feel lost. Instead she felt content and loved, she felt almost whole again. Todoroki pulls away from her lips smiling down at her. " I love you." He murmurs as he ducks down resting his chin on top of her head. Cassie doesn't reply right away she needed a bit of time to process everything but eventually she does. " I love you too Shoto Todoroki." She replies as she hesitantly gets comfortable in Todoroki's lap. " I love you in every universe."

The two quietly enjoyed watching the stars in each others arms. Cassie leaned back against Todoroki's chest her fingers woven through his as she closes her eyes just savoring the sound of his steady heartbeat. She was still healing obviously but now she didn't have to do it alone, and now she had finally allowed herself to love again. He may have been from a different universe but he was still her Todoroki and she was still his Cassie.