BNHA x Reader Vol. #2

❄ Shouto Todoroki 🔥 (Drabbles)

A/N: Happy, Birthday Shouto Todoroki!

Drabble: "It's a deal."

The One Where It's Shouto's Forgotten Birthday. Alternatively, The One The Author Rushed Out Thirty Minutes Before Midnight.

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It was the same every year. As early as he could remember, Shouto Todoroki was separated from his brothers and sisters. His father, Enji, wouldn't ever let him associate with his elder siblings, while Shouto tried not to let this bother him, he was always reminded of it on his birthday. His birthday was never really celebrated, perhaps this was a result of the separation, a sad outcome of not being close with his elder sister ad brothers.

From the memories, Shouto could remember his mother would make him a cake. Sometimes the memories were fuzzy, he was young when his father had her locked away. The memories he did have of her were that of her scarring his face, or of her reassuring him that being a hero did not tie him to being like his father, and birthdays were a once a year thing.

Shouto didn't remember much of his brother, Touya. He was young when Touya mysteriously disappeared. What he did remember of him weren't pleasant. For some unspoken reason, Touya never liked him. Natsou and Fuyumi were all that Shouto had, while they never treated Shouto any different or horrible, they weren't normal around him. There was always going to be this unspoken barrier between them.

Shouto grew to hate his birthday and the vast barrier between him and his siblings. While his father loved Shouto-Shouto, his quirk, and his birthday, his siblings didn't seem to have the same joy. His father always gifted him something extravagant, something he was sure his siblings did not receive of the same magnitude. Sometimes he would receive money, money of a great sum. That was it. There was no cake, no singing happy birthday. No stuffing his mouth full with something sweet and cold while laughing with family.

It was a quiet and somber affair. It was a reminder to his siblings how they were failed experiments and he was not. It was a reminder he would always have their father's unconditional love, and they would not. Even if the unconditional love were to disappear should his quirk go away.

He always tried not to let this bother him. He knew what his birthday was a reminder of for them. He knew he shouldn't take it to heart, any other day and they would have loved to be around him. He tried to understand, but it hurt. He just wanted his birthday to be about him. Not his quirk, not his failed sibling experiments, him.

Checking his phone for the umpteenth time that evening, Shouto sighed at the lack of messages. He was hoping for something, anything. A call from his brother, he'd even suffice for a message from his sister. It seemed they had forgotten or resented the day as he did. All he had was a message from his father, telling him to buy himself something and work hard in class. To give Enji better credit, Shouto had originally declined the heartfelt call he tried giving him that morning before patrol.

Shouto treated his friends to lunch that day, but it seemed that they had forgotten. It wasn't like Shouto made it a point to include everyone in his own business, but after being classmates for so long he expected something. Mostly he was hurt by you and Deku. Deku, his firstmost and greatest friend, who kept everything locked down about everyone in his notebook. And you, his first girlfriend, who he tried to include in everything about his life. He never received a happy birthday wish from either of you.

Maybe his birthday just wasn't worth celebrating. He should resent it, at most times he did resent it.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Shouto gives up hope. He turns his phone off and gets ready for bed. He tosses on his pajamas and brushed his teeth. He plugs his phone in its charger and checks to make sure his alarm clock is set for tomorrow's class. Right as Shouto's about to turn his light off, there's a quiet, knock on the door.

With furrowed eyebrows, Shouto made his way to his dorm room door and unlocks it quickly. He hadn't bothered checking through the hole to see who it was, but he doubted a villain was going to have the decency to knock. You stood before Shouto, a small bag meekly held in between both your hands. Your hair was pulled up in a messy bun and you had little bunny slippers on your feet. You nervously bounced your leg as you looked up and down the hall. Undoubtedly wary of Mr. Aizawa finding you in the boy's dormitory after hours.

"Happy birthday!"

It's a light shout, barely above a whisper but spoken excitedly. You push your way inside Shouto's dorm despite not having been invited. You were a persistent one, he doubted you would've left if he had told you, you couldn't come in. He tried not to let them but tears began to gloss over his eyes.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner. I wanted to surprise you, and I burned the first two cakes!"

Your tone rises towards the end, pure aggravation and aggression at your failed attempts. You set the bag down on the table and pull the cake out of the bag, as well as a small poorly wrapped present. There were holes in some spots, but plenty of tape to make up for it. Shouto slightly wondered if Sero helped you wrap it. The cake was decorated beautifully, each word delicately placed, and he could tell you spent hours on the flower designs.

He couldn't help it, the tears just slid down. The tears slide down his cheeks and slip onto his pajamas. His little sniffles can be heard by you and you're quick to turn around with concern and knitted eyebrows.

"Do you hate it? I know, I'm not a chef... Bakugo refused to help me. He's such an ass. I swear it tastes good, it's baked with love."

You tried to keep your words down so no one would know about you breaking curfew, but your tone started breaking towards the end and your lips started to quiver out of worry you completely screwed this up. Shouto never explicitly said he liked cake, what if he hated it? Shouto wrapped his arms around you, pulling you tightly against him as he let more tears slid out freely. He didn't bother masking them or his sobs. He just holds you tightly, like his life depends on it.

"Thank you. Thank you for remembering, for remembering me."

You remembered him, you made a cake for him. You didn't resent him, and you didn't want him for his quirk. It was pure unconditional love for him.

"Of course, why wouldn't I? You're my boyfriend, you'd do the same for me, right?"

"Yes, but you'll have to show me how to make a cake first."

You cupped Shouto's cheeks and pushed his tears away with your thumbs. You weren't sure what was going on with him, and you suspected it had something to do with his father so you didn't budge on the subject. Instead, you briefly push your lips against his and smile.

"I really did rebake this three times, we'll have to learn together."

His father didn't matter, his sibling's botched attempts at his birthday didn't matter. He understood what it meant for them. They were failed attempts, but for him, it didn't have to be that. It didn't have to be sorrow-filled and resentful. It could be something happy, happy, and joyous.

"I'd like that. Then we can bake each other a cake every year."

"It's a deal."

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Edited: 1-11-2021

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