Vulnerable

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The day passed fairly quickly. You and the Todoroki family sat together silently eating. It was usually like this

Fuyumi sat in front of you. When she began eating, she would attempt to engage in some small-talk but it never went far. She'd always be the one to set up the low tanned table. Behind her glasses, her iron eyes held a sadness in them as she looked at her family. You tended to feel bad for her. She tried so hard to keep her family together.

Natsuo sat to your left. Natsuo would try to eat as quickly as he could so he wasn't around his father. As chatty as he was with you in private, he hardly said a word to you during dinner. His smoky eyes focused on the rice in front of him. He was plowing through it. He knew it was bad manners, but Enji knew not to scold him anymore about it.

Enji sat next to Fuyumi. His stature was always large. You wondered if he was uncomfortable sitting on the small pillow. As intimidating the fire hero was, his turquoise eyes held a lot of regret in them. You heard the stories. You knew how bad he previously treated his family. At times around the house, Enji would greet you. He seemed wrapped up with his hero work and past mistakes.

Usually, Todoroki sat to the side, between his siblings. However, this time he sat next to you. You could tell he seemed tense. He normally ate fast to avoid interacting with you. Yet here he was, eating very slowly at a snail's pace.

The awkward family dinner ended. Natsuo left first and went to his room. Enji was the second to finish and went to his study to finish up some hero paperwork. Fuyumi left third taking the rest of your dishes to clean them in the kitchen, leaving you and your husband alone in the dining room.

The two of you stood by each other not saying a word. The last thing you said to him was not to get angry at you for finding someone who loves you.

Love...

If you're being honest, no one truly popped up for you. Your first love happened to be a mistake. Todoroki let out a quiet sigh and turned his head toward you. Your eyebrows slightly furrow in confusion. He appeared as if he wanted to tell you something for once.

"(Y/n), I sincerely apologize for the way I've treated you for a year," Todoroki mumbled. You felt a smile creep onto your lips. The smile adorned on your lips wasn't one of pleasantry. It was cruel, walloping in sadness and anger. You resisted the urge to laugh. You couldn't believe Todoroki was apologizing. Did your outburst truly affect him?

"It's too fucking late for that," you answered getting up from your seat. Todoroki tightly shut his eyes as you began to walk out.

"I'm not seeing her anymore," Todoroki blurted out. You couldn't help but laugh. Was he proud of himself that he stopped seeing the person he was cheating on you with? Did he want you to praise him for his kindness?

"What do you want from me, a thank you? Oh, thank you Shouto Todoroki for not cheating on me with the woman you actually love," you snickered out. Todoroki got up. Your eyes glared into his own. His mixed-match eyes held guilt—he looked like his father. Todoroki gently laughed and looked up to the ceiling. He sighed once more.

"I still don't love you," Todoroki admitted. Now you wanted to throw something at him. Was all of this just to humiliate you further? Was this his own morbid outbreak to counter yours?

"...But I want to try," He whispered. He wasn't looking at your face, opting to stare at the ground before you. You started tearing up. A part of you was happy. After all these years, he finally acknowledged you and wanted to learn to reciprocate your feelings. Another part of you wanted to curse him out. He pushed you away to go to his first love, even when you two had rings on your fingers.

You looked down at the diamond ring. It glimmered in the light. If only someone gave you this that truly loved you. A single tear cascaded down your face.

"I don't anymore..." you admitted walking away. Your heart ached. You felt tired and a headache was pressed against your head. Once you got to your room and locked it, you couldn't help but cry. All the emotions you had taught yourself to bottle up, burst at once. You laid in your pillow hoping it would hide your cries. You didn't want his family to hear you after all.

You were walking by the hospital one day. The city was the same as usual. Since it was Sunday, and there weren't any classes at U.A. that day. You had bought some snacks for your dorm room. You usually went with some friends but opted to go by yourself this time around.

In an alleyway, you heard someone whimpering and crying. A frown appeared on your face. You followed the voice and went over to see who was making those noises. Slouched down on the grimy wall, you saw a familiar person.

He shielded his face in his arms. His half-crimson, half-snow hair seemed much more unkempt than usual. You leaned down and touched his pale skin. It was so cold. What was Todoroki doing out here? You didn't know he even went out today.

"Shouto..." you whispered. His eyebrows furrowed as he lifted his head to look at you. His hetero-chromatic eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"What are you doing here," he muttered. You sat down on the grimy concrete floor in front of him. You've never seen him so vulnerable. Todoroki was stoic and aloof in class. He hated expressing his emotions. You decided to ignore his question. You wanted to know why he wasn't acting like himself.

"Are you okay," you asked. With one last wipe of his eyes, he stood up tall and glared down at you. You give him a sympathetic smile.

"It's none of your business," he answered. You sighed. He was very private about his experiences. You stood up yourself and stared at your friend. Your hand gently wiped one of his last tears away from his face.

"Well, I'm here for you if you want to talk," you exclaimed. Todoroki slightly closed his eyes and tried to stop his lip from quivering.

"M-My, mom. I'm just worried about my mom," he whispered. You wrap your arms around his frame and hold him tightly. You gently stroked his back that was tense from the emotions he was displaying.

"Shh...I promise it's going to be okay," you whispered back. You felt his arms hold on to you tightly. He wasn't crying anymore, but he kept holding you tightly. You wondered what triggered this reaction.

You're eyes opened up to see darkness. You felt someone's eyes on your figure. You sleepily pushed your body up to look over and see Todoroki. His turquoise and stormy orbs were tearing up. He seemed shocked that you woke up. To be honest, you were shocked he was in here. You did lock the door after all.

"Why are you staring at me..." you muttered. He didn't respond. You noticed he was wearing a tank, top and some shorts. The sheets beside you, seemed as if they were used. He must've actually slept next to you. Todoroki let out a breathy sigh.

"Sorry, I just had a nightmare," he admitted. The two of you remained quiet for a while. You didn't know what else to say. You knew he had nightmares from his experiences. You wondered when you fell asleep or why you dreamed of him.

You're heart still ached.

"...You have one shot..." you whispered, turning your body away from him. You heard Todoroki sniffle and lay back in your shared bed. Your eyes remained focused in the darkness. To be honest, you were sure why you were giving him a shot to love you. Maybe it was a sick satisfaction he was beginning tormenting himself.

Or maybe you truly hoped the two of you could have a future together.

"Whatever," you thought to yourself. You could deal with your sensitive heart and rational brain tomorrow. For now, you wanted to feel the calmness of the night.

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