"I Love You."

"When will my suffering be over?"

Todoroki's POV

As usual, my sleep was littered with nightmares.

There were strong hands around my throat, squeezing and cutting off my oxygen, and I was gasping, the heat of white-hot flames licking my skin –

I woke up with a small scream, sweat covering my body as I shook violently, images of my father's furious flames burning my skin flashing through my mind like bolts of lightning.

I swallowed and huffed, trying to steady my breathing because it is weak to panic –

I shook my father's words from my head, because no, emotions are allowed, and it doesn't make you weak.

I opened my mouth, my eyes slowly opening.

"I-Izuku?" I mumbled, sleepiness seeping into my voice.

My heartbeat fastened as silence met my call, because no, I can't be alone, I can't be alone, I can't be alone –

As tears streamed down my face, I coughed violently, my breath catching in my throat as I let out a sob.

My coughing continued painfully, and I covered my mouth with my right hand, not surprised to see small specks of blood painting my palm.

I breathed in deeply, slowly moving to my side where a tissue box was sitting. I grabbed a tissue and wiped the blood from my hand and some that had tricked down my chin.

Should I call someone? I thought, because surely this wasn't normal –

Nah, a deep voice in my head replied, startling me a little. You don't want to burden them.

Yeah, I thought, giving in to the voice. It's not that serious.

I was pulled from the conversation in my head when the door to my room opened quietly, and there stood Aizawa, still in his hero outfit from his patrol last night.

"Good morning, Todoroki," The teacher greeted, stepping further into the room and sitting on one of the guest chairs. "How are you today?"

I sat up straighter and reached for the notepad and pen, writing a quick reply because I didn't want to use my voice, and if I did then I might cough, and if I cough then Aizawa might see the blood . . .

I'm holding up fine

Aizawa nodded at my writing, quickly handing the notebook back to me and glancing to the side of the bed.

My heart stopped when his gaze wandered towards the bloodied tissue, and I prayed that he didn't see it.

But then again, god was never on my side, was he?

Aizawa reached forward, his eyes scanning me for any sudden or alarming movements, but I knew how to hide my emotions well. It was the only thing good that came from my father's training.

My teacher picked up the tissue with his fingertips, not wanting to get any blood on his hands. He fiddled and studied it for a second before meeting his gaze with mine again.

"What's this?" he asked, his voice dark and cold, making me instantly nervous.

I took the pen and notepad, deciding that I might as well write everything down. What bad can come from it?

I accidentally spoke and then started coughing really bad, and eventually I began to cough blood. I'm fine now, I just scratched my throat a little.

Aizawa nodded once he gave me back my notepad, sighing.

"Do you need a doctor?" he asked tiredly.

I shook my head, because no, I was fine.

"Okay," Aizawa said, eyeing me cautiously. "Anyway, I came here to talk about your father."

My blood ran cold at the mention of him, and suddenly I was back there, in the training room with strong hands choking me, flames burning, burning, burning.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I realised that I was shaking, my breathing picking up pace.

"I know that this is a very sensitive subject, Todoroki, but I need to get an alibi from you that states the things your father did to you." He informed.

I closed my eyes, taking a steady breath before nodding in agreement.

"Good," Aizawa said, standing from his seat and turning towards the door.

Before he could leave, I quickly grabbed his hand, successfully gaining his attention.

I motioned with my hands to wait, and then I snatched the notebook and blue pen from my lap, frantically writing something down.

Please, I have to know. Where is Endeavour right now and what will happen to him? Will he go to jail? For how long?

Aizawa sighed, rubbing his bloodshot eyes as he read over my questions.

"Yes, your father will be going to jail, however, the sentence of his jail time has been reduced since he has done a lot of good work as a pro hero."

I took the notebook again, frantically circling my last question, because I needed to know –

"15 to 20 years." He answered, and my heart broke.

Tears flooded into my eyes, blurring my vision as they streamed down my cheeks.

I took the notepad again, quickly righting something down.

It's not fair! He deserves longer!

My breathing was everywhere and I pushed a hand to my chest, my breaths coming out as heated wheezes.

I felt two hands grasp tightly to my shoulders, the grip painful but grounding.

"Todoroki," Aizawa called, attempting to calm me. "You need to slow your breathing; I don't want you to end up passing out."

He took me through a breathing exercise for a few minutes, which I was highly thankful for.

Once I calmed, Aizawa sighed tiredly.

"I know that it's not fair, kid," he empathised, rubbing my back. "But I promise that you will never, and I mean never, see him again. Once his jail sentence is official and the court files are sorted, there will be a restraining order on him against your family, and if he decides to continue his work as a pro, which is unlikely, he would be sent to work in a different country."

I nodded, grabbing the paper again and writing something else down.

What about my mother? Will she be released?

Aizawa pinched his lips together in a straight line. "We're not sure about that yet, because she might not have fully mentally recovered," he stated, beginning to shift away and walk towards the door. "I will go there and talk to her nurses myself to see how she is going and if she is stable. If she isn't, then she would have to stay in the hospital."

I nodded, waving goodbye as he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

I laid back down against the uncomfortable pillows, sighing.

When will my suffering be over?

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