#todoroki oc

[fandoomerrising]

okay todoroki family photo yayyy, enji and his mama and papa and his baby sister i grin really big and evil, i mean whimsical

[dojimanoryuu]

Frostbite | Overhaul/Kai Chisaki

Core themes: Haunting grief, Control vs. surrender, The truth will set you free.

Tropes: Slow burn, touch starved x touch starved, He falls first, Villain gets the girl, Mutual obsession, Possessive love interest, Praise kink, Secret relationship, virgin x virgin, Found family, Emotional intimacy before the physical.

10. Sublimation

-------------------------

She stayed the entire weekend.

It wasn't planned. She had only meant to sleep off the exhaustion from what they found at the clinic. To rest for a few hours and then go home. But when she woke up on Sunday morning, there was a cup of tea on the nightstand, still warm. The blue cup. Her cup. 

She found him in the kitchen, attempting to cook eggs. Key word being attempting. The pan was smoking. The eggs were. . . she wasn't sure what the eggs were. Something between rubber and charcoal.  "Kai." "Yes." "The eggs are ruined." "Also yes."

He turned off the stove. Stared at the pan like it had personally offended him. "I'm beginning to think the universe doesn't want me to cook for you." She laughed. He snapped his head in her direction. "You," he said, "are not taking this seriously." "You're right. Burnt eggs are a very serious matter." "They were supposed to be sunny side up." "I don't think the sun has ever been that dark."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he laughed too. The sound was so warm she forgot how to breathe.  She had never heard him laugh so. . .unguarded before.  "Come here," she said.  He crossed the kitchen. Stopped in front of her. His expression had softened, the frustration melted away.  "You stayed," he said.  "You asked me to." "I didn't think you would." "Why not?" "Because people always leave," he said.  "I'm not people." "No," his hand came up, brushed a strand of hair from her face "you're not."

_____________________________________

They spent the day together. 

Not doing anything in particular. She read on the sofa, he worked at the table. He made tea when she wasn't looking, always in the blue cup, always at the perfect temperature. They ate lunch on the engawa, shoulders touching.  It was domestic. Ordinary. The kind of day she'd never had with anyone. The kind of day she stopped believing she could have. 

"Tell me something," she said.  He looked up from the laptop, "what would you like to know?" "Anything. Something I don't know yet."  He considered the question. His expression was thoughtful.  "I've never had a friend," he finally said.

She blinked. "What?" "A friend. Someone I spend time with voluntarily. Not because of business, or obligation." He gestured at the space between them. "This is the closest I have ever been. And I don't know if that makes us friends or something else. But I wanted you to know you are. . . unprecendented." The words warmed her heart. "What about Kurono?" she asked.  "Kurono is my subordinate. He's useful. I trust him to execute my orders," A pause, "I don't trust him to care whether I live or die."

"That's not friendship?" "It's loyalty. That's not the same thing." She placed her book down. Turned to face him properly.  "Then what is friendship?" she asked, "if not loyalty?" "Friendship is. . . " he trailed off. Frowned. "I don't actually know. I've never had the opportunity to define it."

"It's this," she said softly, "What we're doing right now. Being together without needing a reason. Caring about someone because you want to, not because you have to." He was quiet for a long moment. "And if I said I wanted more than friendship?" Her heart stuttered, "what do you mean?" "I mean that when I look at you, I don't feel friendly," he said, his voice low and rough, "I feel like I'm standing on the edge of something I can't control. And I have spent my whole life controlling things, Reiko. But I find with you, I don't want to." She couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.

"What do you want?" she managed to ask.  "I want. . ." he stopped, swallowed. "I want to touch you. Not just your hand, or your face. All of you. I want to know what it feels like to hold someone without being afraid of what I might do." "You're not afraid of me." "I am terrified of you." HIs amber eyes held hers. "I'm terrified of how much I want you. I'm terrified that I'll ruin this the way I ruin everything. I'm terrified that one day, you'll see me clearly and realise I'm not worth staying for."

"I already see you clearly." "You see what I allow you to see." "Then show me more." She reached out, took his hand. "Show me everything, Kai. I'm not going to run." He stared at their joined hands. His bare fingers against hers.  "Come with me," he said quietly.

_____________________________________

He led her to his bedroom.

She had never been inside. The door had always been closed. A boundary she had respected without question. But now he was opening it, inviting her across the threshold. The significance of it wasn't lost on her. 

The room was like the rest of the townhouse - minimal, clean, aggressively ordered. A bed with grey sheets. A single night stand. A window overlooking the garden. Nothing personal. Nothing soft. Except for the lamp on the night stand. It cast a warm glow.  "Kai-" "I'm not going to do anything you don't want." His voice was steady, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his hands curled and uncurled at his sides. "I just wanted to be somewhere private. Somewhere I can--" He stopped, and she waited.  "Somewhere I can take my time."

He stepped closer. His hands came up to frame her face. The same gesture he had made before. Careful tenderness. But this time, his fingers slid into her hair, tilting her head back.  "Tell me to stop and I will," he said, "Anytime. Any reason." "I know."

He kissed her. This kiss was much different than the others. Slower. Deliberate. Like he was savoring every second, cataloguing ever sensation, memorising the shape of her mouth against his. Her hand came up to rest on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat - rapid, unsteady.  "Your heart is racing," she murmured against his lips.  "I know." "Are you okay?" "I don't know." He pulled back, his eyes searching hers. "I've never done this before. I don't know what okay feels like."

She understood. He wasn't just talking about the kissing. He was talking about all of it. The intimacy, the vulnerability. Letting someone close enough to hurt him.  "Then let's find out together," she whispered. 

He started with her face. His fingers traced her features like he was learning them by touch - the line of her jaw, the slope of her nose, the curve of her cheekbones. His touch was feather light, and she found herself leaning into it without thinking.  "Your skin is cold," he murmured.  "Does that bother you?" "No." His thumb brushed her lower lip, "it feels like you."

She shivered. His eyes darkened.  "Can I. . ." he stopped, swallowing, "Can I take your hair down?" She nodded. His hands moved to the claw clip keeping her hair in place, fumbling slightly with it. When it came free, her hair spilled over her shoulder in a white wave.  He stared. His expression was something she'd never seen before - wonder.  "Beautiful," he said quietly.

"Kai. . ." "You're beautiful." He said it again, more firmly this time. "I've never told anyone that before. I've never wanted to." Her eyes stung. She blinked rapidly, trying to contain the emotions that were threatening to spill over.  "I want to touch you," she said softly, "can I?" "Where?" "Anywhere. Everywhere." He closed his eyes, breathing shakily. "Yes."

She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her palms again. Still too fast. She slid her hands upward, over his shoulders, down his arms. Learning the shape of him through his shirt.  "Can I take it off?" she asked.  His eyes opened. He nodded once. 

She unbuttoned his shirt slowly. One button at a time, revealing pale skin inch by inch. He was lean but not thin, there was muscle underneath. A scar on his ribs that she didn't question. Not yet. The pushed the shirt off his shoulders, watching it fall to the floor. He stood before her, bare from the waist up, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. His eyes were on her face, watching for signs of disgust or rejection. He saw none. 

"You're beautiful too," she said.  He made a sound, "I'm not." "You are to me." She reached out. Placed her cold hands on his bare chest.  He flinched. Not from the cold, but the sensation of being touched there.  "Too much?" she asked.  "No." His voice was strained. "Don't stop." She didn't. 

Her hands explored his skin. His shoulders, his arms, the planes of his chest, the ridge of his spine. She mapped him with her fingers, learning the landscape of his body, discovering the places that made him shiver and the places that made him gasp. He was trembling by the time she finished. Not from the cold. From want.  "Your turn," he said hoarsely. 

His hands shook as he undressed her. From the overwhelming, terrifying reality of what they were doing. Of what she was allowing him to do. He had never seen a woman like this. Never touched one. Never wanted to. The thought of physical intimacy had always been repulsive - the mess, the sweat, the biological processes he couldn't control. 

But this was Reiko. And nothing about her was repulsive. Not her cold skin or her careful silences or the way she looked at him. He unbuttoned her blouse with clumsy fingers, slid it off her shoulders. Stopped. She was wearing a simple white bra. Her skin was pale in the lamp light, and he could see the faint blue veins beneath the surface. She was shivering too.  "Should I. . ." he gestured vaguely to the bra.  Reiko laughed softly, then reached behind her back and unclamped it herself. The bra fell away, and he stopped breathing.

"You're staring."  "I'm observing," he corrected, "Intently." She smiled, then took his hand, pressing it to her chest.  "Feel that?" she asked. Beneath his palm, her heart was racing. Fast, matching his own.  "That's you," she said, "you did that." "I don't understand." "You don't have to." She stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the cold radiating from her skin. "You just have to feel it."

He did. His hand moved from her heart to her shoulder. Down her arm. Along the curve of her waist. Every inch of her was cold. He traced the line of her collarbone, the hollow of her throat, the soft skin behind her ear. She shivered, her eyes fluttering closed. "Kai. . ." "Tell me what you want." His voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't know how to do this without instructions."

"I want you to touch me." She opened her eyes. "I want you to keep touching me until we can no longer think." He made a sound - something desperate, and pulled her against him. Skin to skin. Chest to chest. Her cold against his warmth, her softness against his hardness. It wasn't too much. It wasn't enough. He buried his face into her neck and breathed her in.  "I've never wanted anyone like this," he said, "I've never wanted anything like this." "Neither have I." "Is it supposed to feel like this?" "Like what?"

"Like I'm dying." His arms tightened around her, "Like I can't live without you. Like if you walked away right now, I would follow you to the ends of the earth and beg you to come back." She pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. And I'm not leaving." He kissed her.  Not gentle this time. Desperate, hungry. She kissed him back with equal ferocity. His hands fisted in her hair, her body pressed against his. They stumbled towards the bed. Fell onto it with tangled limbs. He braced himself above her, his eyes dark, his breath coming ragged. 

"I don't want to stop," he said. "But I don't know if I am ready to go further." "Then we don't go further." She reached up, touching his face. "We just stay here. Like this. That's enough." "Is it? For you?"  "It's everything." She pulled him down. "You're everything, Kai. Just being here with you . .. it's everything."

He buried his face in her shoulder. His body covered hers, warm and solid and trembling with the effort of holding back. She held him. Stroked his hair. They stayed like that for hours.

_____________________________________ 

They didn't have sex that night. 

They came close. His hands on her bare skin, learning her shape. Her hands in his hair, pulling him closer. The heat building between them until it felt like they might combust. But when she reached for his belt, he froze. "I can't," he said, "not yet. I'm sorry." "Don't apologise," she whispered, "pressing a kiss to his jaw, "We have time." "What if I'm never ready?" "Then we'll figure something else out." She smiled against his skin, "I'm not with you for that, Kai. I'm with you for this." She gestured at the space between them. The tangled sheets, the discarded clothes, the warmth of their bodies pressed together, "For the touching. Being close. Then falling asleep in your arms."

"You make it sound simple." "It is simple." She pulled back. Looked at him. "I want to be with you. You want to be with me. Everything else is details." He stared at her. The woman who had walked into his study and shattered everything he thought he knew about himself. Who looked at his walls and saw doors. Who touched his fear and called it trust.  "I don't deserve you," he said.  "You're stuck with me anyway," she grinned. He laughed.  "Come here," he said. 

She curled up at his side. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Her cold skin against his warmth, her head on his chest, her breath slow and even. He held her through the night without gloves. Without barriers. Just skin to skin, breath against breath. Two people who had never been touched learning what it meant to touch. It was the most intimate night of their lives. 

And they hadn't even had sex.

_____________________________________

When she woke, he was gone. 

The sheets beside her were cold. The space where he had been was empty. For one terrible moment, she thought he'd left. That he had woken up and realised what they had done and fled before he had to face it. Then she saw the note on his pillow. His handwriting was neat.  I'll be back. Don't leave. 

She pressed the note to her chest and smiled. 

She wasn't going anywhere. 

[almaadst]

Commission for @renrenardine (✿◡‿◡) Other: Commission info Kim Dojka and Choi comic Anderson and Santana comic

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT MY or OWNER’S PERMISSION!

[zo0rua]

Sun & Moon

Oh, look... it's Mafuyu again. You can really tell that my MHA phase is coming back. So, since the last time I did a drawing of these two, I've since started rewatching My Hero from the beginning instead of starting from season 4 like last time.

Also, Hawks is still a pain to draw, I still hate drawing his hair.

[ashiioi]

starfire

a snippet of my bnha oc fanfic i’m trying to write

lemme know your thoughts :)

The atmosphere felt light that evening as Hoshiko walked the halls of the Todoroki abode, a cookie in hand. Her mother started to make dinner as her older siblings were in their respective rooms. She went to take a bite of her sugar cookie but stopped midway as she heard a deep voice come from down the hall of her father’s training room.

None of her older siblings were allowed to be there and especially not Hoshiko. She’d only been in the room a couple times, and each ended worse than the last.

She slowly walked down the hall, stopping in front of the room where she heard the voice. Cautiously sliding open the paper door, she poked her head in.

“I AM HERE!”

Leaning forward on his knees was Shouto watching All Might, the number one hero, on the TV with bright eyes. Hoshiko didn’t get to see her little brother often due to a supposed accident that occurred when she was too young to remember, but this was the happiest she’d ever seen Shouto.

Stepping foot into the room, Hoshiko walked up beside him, “You like All Might, huh?”

Shouto’s head whipped to the side, not expecting anyone to come in. “Hoshiko!”

“Don’t worry, it’s just me,” She giggled and sat beside him. “Cookie?”

She noticed the hesitation on his face as she held out the soft cookie, “Go on,” A smile made its way to her face to try and ease the tension. “I promise I didn’t drop it on the floor.”

Hesitantly, Shouto gently grabbed the sugary treat from his sister's hands. He went to look at her face, but she was already watching the TV. All Might's laugh filled the air as he saved dozens.

It was rare for anyone to consume All Might media in the Todoroki house. Even speaking his name was risky.

No one wanted to piss off Endeavor.

Thankfully, the number two hero was called out for an emergency, so he wouldn’t be back till after dinner.

From the corner of her eye, Hoshiko watched Shouto’s eyes light up as he bit into the cookie. It was the first time he’s ever had one. Endeavor had him on a special diet compared to the others.

A minute passes before Shouto speaks again, “He’s gonna get mad at you if he finds out.”

Hoshiko’s face scrunches for a moment before replying, “He won’t find out.”

‘And if he does, I’ll yell at him again.’

Quietly, the half-and-half boy finishes his cookie as they watch the screen together.

“Why?” Shouto speaks so softly that Hoshiko almost misses it. “Why are you doing this?”

Hoshiko looked down at her little brother’s confused face and gently placed a hand on his two-toned hair.

“‘Cause I care about you, Sho.”

She watched his eyes widen in surprise as if he’d never heard that before. Grinning, she placed her arms behind her head. “And I’m securing my position as the best sister in the family.”

Laughs escaped Shouto’s mouth as he moved to hug Hoshiko, “Thank you.”

[starshineandbooks]

I make ocs becuase I want to not bc they're good. Saying that- Dabi's twin ... just imagine.

No not to fall for Hawks or steal Dabi's life.

Just, a twin who has their mother's power. The only person who went through the same training Dabi did. Becuase endeavour wanted to train them to be a team yes. But also becuase the ice would help keep the flames at bay when needed.

(Until they fail)

She became a hero becuase society failed her and her twin and her siblings and mom. She resents her father, she lives at home though to help care for her siblings.

She goes by Cryo maybe? But she's a morally grey hero, she's known to let crimes go when she sees they're for a cause. She's let a woman get off with a chain stores entire cash reserve becuase she knew the woman was broke and has two kids, she replenished the money for the store herself.

She changed her name, her looks, and endeavour is happy to let her cut ties becuase she isn't a "proper" her.

But dabi meets her again and imagine the hatred he feels as he realizes she's just like his sister?

Imagine dabi thinking his flame blast /killed/ his sister becuase she begged her father to keep her from news. She stayed hidden becuase she needed time.

Imagine this girl helping Fuyumi. Fuyumi still becomes a mom figure, she still forces her way to it to prove her worth and her love.

But she has help. It's safer. She has a person to look to.

Todoroki has another pillar of support, and he's still him, but he has proof he can survive his father.

Natsuo has a second sister, he has another buffer between him and his father. He has a positive rolemodel that shares a spiteful view of endeavour!

[mederi-art]

A Redesign for Mederi and a new OC: Hibana Chinoike.

[dojimanoryuu]

Frostbite | Overhaul/Kai Chisaki

Core themes: Haunting grief, Control vs. surrender, The truth will set you free.

Tropes: Slow burn, touch starved x touch starved, He falls first, Villain gets the girl, Mutual obsession, Possessive love interest, Praise kink, Secret relationship, virgin x virgin, Found family, Emotional intimacy before the physical.

-----------------------

8. Frost Heave.

Shoto wouldn't speak to her.

Not silence in the usual way - not that comfortable quiet they had developed over the years of living together and navigating each other's grief. This was different, it was deliberate. He ate breakfast at different times. Left for patrol before she woke up. Came home after she'd gone to bed. When they passed in the hallway, his eyes slid over her like she wasn't there at all.

Like she was invisible again.

Of course, Fuyumi noticed. She had spent her whole life reading the silences in their family.  "Did something happen between you and Shoto?" she asked over dinner, her voice carefully neutral. "No."  "Reiko--" "We had a disagreement. It'll pass."

Fuyumi studied her face. Whatever she saw there made her frown deepen, but she didn't push. She never pushed. It was one of her greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses. Reiko wished, sometimes, that someone would push. That someone would demand the truth and refuse to accept anything less. . . but no one ever did. 

______________________________________

She went to the townhouse. She didn't call ahead. Didn't think about it whether or not it was a good idea. She just got on the train and went, because the house had become suffocating and Shoto's silence was a wound she couldn't stop picking at. 

She needed him. 

He was in the study when she arrived, working at his laptop, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked up when she entered. Something in his expression softened.  "You've been crying." She touched her face, dry now, but her eyes were probably red. She had cried on the train, couldn't help it. 

"Shoto knows," she said. "About you. About everything. He followed me last week and confronted me last night." Kai closed the laptop. Stood. Crossed the room to where she stood in the doorway.  "What did he say?" "That you're using me. That you're dangerous. That he'll kill you if you hurt me." She laughed - a bitter sound. "He also said he might go to the commission about what is in dad's files. I think I talked him out of it, but I don't know. He won't talk to me now."

Kai was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Your brother is right." "What?" "I was using you. Initially. And I am dangerous." His amber eyes held hers. "You should stay away from me, Todoroki. For your own safety." "Don't." The word came out sharp. "Don't do that. Don't push me away again." "I'm not." "You are. Every time something real happens between us, you find an excuse to create distance. To remind me of all the reasons I shouldn't trust you." She stepped closer. "I know what you are, Kai. I've known since the beginning. And I'm still here."

His jaw tightened. "Why?" "Because I--" she stopped. The words caught in her throat, too big and too terrifying to say out loud.  Because I love you. She couldn't say it. Not yet. Not like this, standing in his doorway with tears drying on her face.  "Because you see me," she said instead. "And I see you. That's worth more to me than all the reasons I should stay away."

He stared at her. His expression was unreadable, controlled.  Then it softened.  "Come here," he said quietly.  She crossed the remaining distance between them. Stopped when she was close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin, close enough to see the faint scar on his forehead he'd never explained, close enough to count his eyelashes if she wanted to.  He reached up, his bare hand cupped her cheek.  "You're cold," he murmured. 

"Always." "I don't mind." His thumb traced the line of her cheekbone, "I've never minded." She leaned into his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed.  "Kai. . ." "I know." His voice was rough. "I know, Reiko. I feel it too."

His other hand came up to frame her face. He was holding her like she was something precious. Something he was terrified of breaking.  "I have never done this before." "Me neither." A breath of a laugh. "You? You're beautiful. You must have-" "No." She opened her eyes, met his gaze. "Never. There has never been ayone who. . ." Saw me. Who wanted to. Who made me feel like it was safe to want back. 

She didn't have to say it. He understood.  "Can I-" he stopped, swallowed hard, "May I kiss you?" The question was so earnest, so formal, so him that she almost laughed. "Yes," she whispered. 

He leaned in. Slowly. His lips met hers, warm and soft. Tentative. Nothing like she had expected from a man who controlled everything with iron precision. He kissed like he was asking a question. Like he couldn't believe this was happening. Then she kissed him back, and the question became a conversation. Her hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt. His fingers slid into her hair. The kiss deepened. Still careful, still learning, but with an edge of something hungry underneath. She could feel the tension in his body, the effort it took him to keep in check. 

She didn't want him in check.

She broke the kiss just long enough to whisper, "kiss me again." "Reiko-" He did. This kiss was different. Deeper. More certain. His mouth moved against hers like he was memorising the shape of her, the taste of her, the way she gasped when his teeth grazed her lower lip. 

She was drowning in him. In the warmth of his hands on her face, the pressure of his body against hers, the soft sounds he made when she kissed him harder. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard.  "I've wanted to do that for weeks," he said against her lips.  "Me too." "I didn't think you'd let me." "I've been waiting for you to try." 

He laughed. A real laugh, bright and unguarded. She had never heard him laugh before. It transformed his face. Made him look younger, happy.  She wanted to hear it again. She wanted to be the reason for it.  "I should go," she said reluctantly. "Shoto will wonder where I am." "Will you tell him? About this?"

She considered the question. "I don't know. Maybe. Eventually." "Eventually." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I've never had an eventually before." "Me neither." They stood there for a long moment, breathing the same air, sharing the same space, existing in a bubble that felt beautiful and fragile and impossible.  Then she pulled away. Took his hand. Squeezed it once.  "Saturday?" she asked.  "Saturday." he confirmed.  She left the townhouse with tingly lips and a racing heart and her whole body humming with hope. 

______________________________________

She was floating on air when she got home. Couldn't help it. Every step felt lighter than it ever had, every breath felt easier. She was smiling when she walked through the door. 

That smile died when she saw Shoto waiting for her. 

He was sitting on the steps, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. He looked up when she entered. His expression was not angry. Not cold. Worse. Broken. "Shoto? What's wrong?" "I went to see Dad." Her stomach dropped. "W-what?"

"I went to his agency. I asked him about Touya." He stood. His movements were jerky, unbalanced. Nothing like his usual precision. "I asked him if he knew what happened that night. If there was anything he hadn't told us." "Shoto, no--" "He lied to me, Reiko." His voice cracked. "He looked me in the eyes and told me Touya died in that fire. He said there was a body. He said it was confirmed. And I believed him. I believed him my whole life - and he was lying."

She crossed the room. Reached for him. He flinched away.  "Don't." "Shoto, please--" "How could you not tell me?" The words came out raw, hurt. "How could you know and not tell me?" "Because I was afraid!" she shouted, "I was afraid you'd do exactly what you did - go to Dad, confront him, tip him off that we know. And if he realises we're looking into this, he'll destroy whatever evidence is left. We'll never find Touya!"

"So you decided to handle it yourself? With a villain?" "He's not--" she stopped. Took a breath. "He's complicated. But he's helping me. He is the only one who's helped me." "At what cost?" Shoto asked, stepping closer. His eyes were bright with unshed tears. "What is he asking for in return, Reiko? What are you giving him?" "Nothing I don't want to give."

The words hung in the air between them. Shoto's expression shifted between confusion, then understanding, then horror. 

"You're involved with him. Romantically. That's why you keep going back. That's why you're defending him." "It's not like that--" "Then what is it like?" He grabbed her shoulders. His hands were warm, too warm ,the heat of his fire quirk simmering beneath the surface. "Tell me. Make me understand why my sister is sleeping with the head of Shie Hassaikai!"

"I'm not - we haven't -" she pulled away. "It's new. It's complicated. It's none of your business." "You're my sister. Everything about you is my business." "That doesn't mean you get to control me!" she shouted, the frost spreading now, creeping across the floor, climbing the walls. She couldn't stop it. "You don't get to decide who I love or how I live or what risks I take. That's not your choice to make!"

Who I love.

Shoto's eyes widened. 

"You love him," he said quietly.  She didn't deny it. She couldn't.  "Reiko. . " he ran his hands through his hair, "He's a villain. He has killed people. He's--" "I know what he is." Her voice was steady despite the tremor of her hands. "I know what he's done. And I know that he looks at me like I'm the only person in the world who matters to him. I know that he bought me a cup and makes me tea and touches me without flinching even though he can't stand to be touched. I know he's helping me find our brother because I asked him to. And I know that none of this erases the bad things."

Shoto stared at her. The anger drained from his expression, replaced with something like grief. 

"I don't want you to get hurt," he said quietly.  "I know." "He could destroy you." "He could." She stepped forward. Took his hand. "but he won't." "How can you be sure?" "Because I'm not the only one who's scared." She squeezed his hand. "He's terrified of losing me. I can see it every time he looks at me. And that fear isn't something he can manipulate or control. It's just there, it's real. It means more to me than any promise he could make."

Shoto was quiet for a long time. Then he pulled her into a hug, sudden and fierce and tight.  If he hurts you," he said against her hair, "I'll kill him." "You already said that." "I mean it." "I know." She hugged him back. "I love you, Shoto." I love you too." His voice cracked. "Even when you make it impossible."

______________________________________

Once Shoto left, she broke down. 

She made it to her room, closed the door, leaned against it. Then her knees buckled and she slid to the floor and the tears came. 

She cried for Touya. For the boy who'd braided her hair and held her hand and promised they'd escape together. For the brother she'd lost and couldn't save.

She cried for her mother, locked away in a hospital because her father had broken her. For Fuyumi, who held everything together with nothing but willpower and love. For Natsuo, who couldn't stand to even come home to see them. For Shoto, who'd grown up in the wreckage of their family and still somehow became so good. 

She cried for herself. For the years she'd spent broken, alone, invisible. Forgotten. For the cold that lived inside her and the fear she'd never be anything more than a ghost in her own life. 

And she cried for Kai. For the boy who'd been thrown away. For the man who couldn't bear to be touched. For the way he'd looked at her when she had kissed him. Like she'd given him something he didn't know how to hold. 

Her phone was in her hand before she realised she had reached for it. 

She called him. Didn't text. It rang twice before he answered. 

"Reiko?" his voice was sharp with concern, "what's wrong?" "Can you come?" she asked shakily, "I need you. Please." "I'm on my way." The line went dead. She stared at the phone. He hadn't asked where she was. Hadn't asked for an explanation. Just said I'm on my way. 

She went downstairs to wait.

______________________________________

He came to the Todoroki estate.

She didn't know how he got past the gate, or the security system. She didn't ask. When she opened the back door and saw him standing in her garden, she didn't care about anything except that he was there. 

He was wearing his mask and gloves. The armour he always wore when he was afraid.  She crossed the garden in three steps and threw herself into his arms. He caught her, stiffening for a moment. She felt the tension in his body, the instinct to pull away, and then his arms came around her.  "What happened?" he asked her quietly against her hair.  "Everything. Nothing. I don't know." She pressed her face into his chest. "Shoto knows about us. He confronted our father. He's falling apart and I can't fix it and I-I just need you." "I'm here." His hand came up to cradle the back of her head. "I'm here, Reiko."

They stood like that for a long time. The garden was quiet around them. Someone had come.  "Thank you" she whispered.  "For what?" "For coming. For not asking questions. For just. . . being here." He pulled back slightly, his hands coming up to cup her face, tilting it towards his. His amber eyes searched hers, looking for something.  "I will always come," he said quietly, "you need to understand that. Whatever happens between us, whatever comes next. . . I will always come when you call."

"Kai--" "I've never said that to anyone before. I've never wanted to. But you. . . you make me want things I've never wanted. I don't know how to handle it, but I don't want it to stop." She reached up and tugged his mask down.  "Then don't stop," she said.  She kissed him. Not questioning this time. Certain. She kissed him like she was making a promise, like sealing a vow. 

I see you. I choose you. I'm not going anywhere.

He kissed her back. His hands tightened on her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw, his mouth moving against hers with a desperation that made her ache. When they finally broke apart, he was trembling. From want. From the overwhelming, terrifying thing that had taken root in his chest and refused to let go.  "I should go" he said. But he didn't move.

"Stay." "Reiko--" "Just for a little while." She took his hand, "please."

He stayed. They sat on the engawa, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist. They watched the moon cross the sky, neither of them speaking. When he finally left, just before dawn, before anyone could find him there, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.  "Saturday. My place. I'll make you dinner." "Dinner?" she smiled, "you can cook?"

"I'm learning," he said, his mouth twitching, "for you." He left before she could reply. She watched him go, a dark figure disappearing into the shadows like he belonged there. Maybe he did. But he also belongered there, with her. In the garden where she had spent so many nights alone. She went back inside, climbed the stairs. Passed Shoto's bedroom. His light was on. He was still awake. Probably couldn't sleep. 

She didn't knock. She didn't know what to say. Tomorrow. She'd talk to him tomorrow. 

She crawled into her bed, and pressed her face against the pillow. 

She fell asleep smiling.