Ethereal ◆ Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Not Today

◆ Part 2: Chapter 20 ◆

Not Today

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"My Love?" Toga says with his voice, "Isn't that what he calls you?"

She laughs with his voice, telling you that she loves you, with your husband's lips.

"I love you, so much," Shoto coos, "I will always protect you, my Love."

Even as you see your own blood, covering the face of your beloved, you can only think one thing.

I can't kill him . . .

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. . . but that's not him.

That's not Shoto.

As Toga brings down the shard, you jump to the side, and instead of stabbing your stomach, she slices your collarbone. The cloth of your dress rips, exposing your shoulder and the cut.

Blood drips down your chest, flowing down your arm, but you don't feel the pain.

For Shoto.

For the baby.

For myself.

You clench your teeth, thinking of your husband and your future child. 

You run forward, putting everything into your fist. All your anger, frustration, worry, and nerves. And you sock Toga in the face, trying not to see your husband's eyes. 

She stumbles backward from the blow, but recovers instantly, grabbing your hair and jerking you back.

You have one second to decide.

Use your quirk, and become a murderer.

Or fight with all you have, and risk your child's life in the process.

You make your choice immediately, shoving Toga in the chest with both of your palms, pushing her down and straddling her with your hips. 

Hiro may not be able to handle a sword, but he knows hand-to-hand combat like the palm of his hand. And luckily, you're a fast learner, but you've never gotten a chance to use it.

You don't look at your husband's eyes as you pry the shard from the struggling girl's hands. She scowls with Shoto's face, kicking you in the back, again, and again, and again, knocking the breath out of you.

You gasp for air, grabbing her face and readying your quirk.

Shoto looks at you, his face, his eyes, but you remind yourself that it's the league. It's Toga. She's trying to kill you and your baby.

You frown.

Not today.

You bring your lips to the ones she stole, clenching your eyes shut. You can't look at him. 

It's not him.

It's not him. It's not him.

You let your quirk loose, focusing on stealing her energy instead of lending her yours. Focusing on the negative emotions: anger, frustration, nerves.

Life flows between your lips, the villain kicking and punching underneath you. 

It flows.

God, it feels good.

Your mind screams for more, more, more. You won't hold back.

Should you kill her?

That doesn't matter. Who cares if she lives or dies? You need more. Your body wants more. You want more.

More energy, more power.

More life, gone from this girl you just met. This girl that stole your husband's face and attempted to kill your child. 

You open your eyes, just for a brief moment, taking in the look she's making. Shoto's eyes are wide, pupils dilated. His skin is pale and his brows are furrowed.

He looks like he's going to die.

You pull away, pushing Toga across the room. She stands for a moment holding her head and staring at you. 

She glares, with Shoto's eyes.

They turn back inside of her head, and she falls to the ground, a choking sound coming from her mouth. She curls up, a disheveled mess on the ground. You didn't kill her, but you can tell she's on the brink of death. For a second, you think about killing her.

Ending it.

Then you remember Shoto.

They must have him.

You tie up the imposter, bounding her mouth with sheets and securing her hands. You keep telling yourself: it's not Shoto. It's Toga.

You pull your dress back over your shoulder, planning on running out of the room. What happened to Shizukana? 

You grab the door handle, the click telling you it's unlocked, but it doesn't budge. You kick the frame, jiggling the knob. Still, it doesn't move. 

You clench your fists, adrenaline and Toga's energy still pumping through your body. You feel powerful. Indestructible. 

You kick the door once more, grunting from the effort. It doesn't move.

You turn to the back of the room, where the window overlooks the courtyard. You take a deep breath, your heart pounding in your ears. 

Smashing the window, you jump down into the branches of a tree. Falling to the ground, you run back to the front gate of the castle. A branch scraped you on the way down, but you can't feel any pain.

The gate is open.

There are no guards.

There are no people at all. No sounds.

You look around, heading inside without as much as a word or retort. No one stops you. 

What happened to everyone?

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