Shot Through The Heart (Shoto Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter 44

"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

♥♥♥

♪Listening suggestion: Holding On and Letting Go by Ross Copperman

----------

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."