𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 ↳ shoto todoroki x reader

43 | Ghosts

A heavy silence settled over both of you, only interrupted by the occasional gusts of wind and the ruffling of the trees.

Todoroki stayed in his place, looking down at the grass. No matter how much he tried to concentrate, he still couldn't get a break from his thundering thoughts. Just when he thought he had managed to keep his father away from interfering with you, Todoroki had to go and hurt you more than he ever had before.

Worst of all, you still took a few measured steps towards him, though you needed to keep two metres away from him. The social distancing measures only lingered at the back of his mind. Yet, this encounter wasn't due to chance nor fate; he went out looking for you to make sure you were safe. According to the girls in your class, you hadn't been yourself since the end of the Provisional Licensing Exam.

You stopped right in front of him, though you wanted to run away. Not addressing conflict head-on had backfired too often in the past, so you had tried your best to understand him and make him feel comfortable. But you hadn't managed to do that in the least.

How can I talk to him after he decided to push me away?

With Todoroki, you either got brutal honesty or outright avoidance of your questioning. Even if you felt like he would reply with the truth if you asked him if he meant what he said earlier that day, you were afraid. The mere thought of hearing that answer escape his lips made your throat tighten, and shoulders tremble.

Fretting to meet your eyes, Todoroki noticed your bare feet come into his field of vision. But what took him back the most was seeing a myriad of flowers dotted around your (h/c) hair. Chiharu had just made them for you, like you had told Todoroki she would when you defended her from your primary school bullies.

He clenched his jaw, the memory of his outburst earlier today playing in his mind over and over like a broken record to the point that he likened himself to a bully.

With your eyes brimming with tears, you made a fist in front of you and gave Todoroki a fleeting bump on his chest with it. I want to break it down, but an ice wall like this...

Todoroki looked down at you as you continued to strike his chest with very little force, becoming increasingly concerned at your lack of words. He wanted to grab you by the shoulders and shake you so you would snap out of your trance, but he kept his hands to himself as he attempted to process your unusual actions. Was this what you felt like when he blocked you out of his inner struggles?

When he wouldn't tell you how Endeavor tried to manipulate him to get him to avoid you - the only person he had ever felt so close to in his entire life?

When he felt like crying, but tears almost always refused to come out after years of enduring this load on his own?

I want to break it down, but...

Todoroki grabbed your wrist, bringing you back to this dreaded reality. His skin felt warm against yours, probably giving away the fact that you were cold, not only physically, but also internally as a frost had chilled your bones in fear of losing him.

Todoroki tightened his grip on you to stop you once and for all. "Why? Why are you doing this?" His soft tone made your heart wrench. "It's so strange, (y/n)."

You lifted your head, reading yourself to apologise to him. "Sho..."

But as you brought your other hand near his chest to nudge him to set you free, he almost fell on his knees out of sheer guilt, realising that he had accidentally used more force on you that he wanted.

Because Todoroki lost his balance for a second and still held onto you, you stumbled forwards in surprise.

Todoroki took an unsteady step back before giving a peek behind both of you. You would both slide down the slope if he didn't do something about it. "Hey, look-"