Peppermint || Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 18

'What are you guys doing? What is this?' Y/N deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow at the rest of her female classmates who were wearing cheerleader outfits. 'Mineta tricked us.' Momo sighed, glaring at the purple haired boy. 'Why is it I always end up falling for that little pervert's stupid schemes? I even used my quirk to make these outfits!' She whined, collapsing on the floor. 'Ah. Well, just so you know, I'm not going to be part of this.' The brunette sniffed glumly as she kicked at the ground.

'Ugh! I hate that guy!' Jiro snarled, throwing down her pom-poms and crossing her arms to cover her exposed stomach. 'Why?' Kaminari asked from behind her. 'You look amazing.' He murmured huskily, snaking his arms around the dark haired girl. 'Y/N L/N, you come back this instant and suffer this torture with us!' Mina screeched, chasing after Y/N who was leaving. But the girl barely spared her a glance, listlessly glancing ahead of her.

Sensing that something was clearly very wrong, Y/N's friends immediately stopped in their tracks and paused their antics. 'What's wrong? Are you okay?' They asked as a tear slid down Y/N's cheek. 'I... I'm...' She tried desperately to get her words out but couldn't and looked to Shoto for help. 'She's just had her childhood destroyed by her irresponsible father.' He snarled, glaring at his father, who was standing with Riku in the stands. 'I'm the result of a quirk marriage...' Y/N whispered, staring at her slim hands. 'My family isn't what I thought it was.' 

'And now...' She took in a rattling breath. 'I have to marry at eighteen and my father expects grandchildren by twenty-two.' More tears dripped down her chin. 'This isn't the kind of life I want to lead, Yao. I don't want to have a quirk marriage. I want to become a pro and save people, not stay at home and raise children.' 'You poor thing...' Momo gasped, hugging Y/N as the shorter girl sobbed into her shoulder.

'Please don't tell me you're engaged to a sixty year old paedophile.' Jiro muttered, rubbing Y/N's back soothingly, concern and sympathy in her eyes. 'Thankfully, no.' Shoto interrupted, still glowering at the two men in the stands, while they glared right back. 'What do you mean? Do you know who Y/N's engaged to?' Momo raised her head.

Shoto jerked his head in the direction of his father. Following his gaze, Momo's eyes landed on the flame hero and the skinny, frail man beside him. Realisation dawned on her face and her eyes widened. 'Oh. How are you so calm about all of this though?' 'Someone has to stay strong.' He replied shortly. 'The first match is about to start. If you're still doing your cheer routine, do it. I'm bringing Y/N to the washroom to freshen up.' He transferred Y/N's weight onto himself and brought the teary brunette girl away.

...

Y/N splashed water onto her face, catching a glimpse of her distraught expression. She glared at her reflection in the mirror, hands gripping the side of the basin tightly. A girl with messy, dishevelled hair and puffy, broken eyes stared back at her, a girl that looked nothing like the bubbly, fun loving and cheerful girl she was just less than an hour ago.

'All it took was a ten minute conversation to make me fall apart completely.' She thought, yanking at a frizzly lock of brown hair sitting just above her waist. A knock jolted her out of her thoughts. 'Y/N, are you done? We have to go and draw lots now.' Shoto's muffled voice rang out in the silence. 'Coming!' She yelled back, hastily splashing her face with water again and swinging open the door.

'You look horrible.' Shoto noted, taking Y/N's hand in his. 'I know. Just half an hour ago I was a completely different person.' Y/N sighed, brushing her bangs to the side to prevent them from covering her eyes. 'But I'm done crying.'

'Come closer to draw lots and see who you're up against.' Midnight held up a lottery box just as Y/N and Shoto reappeared in the arena and joined a still sulking Momo and an angry Jiro huddled in Kaminari's PE shirt.