{Discontinued} 𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨

- F O U R -

The first night in your cement dungeon was less than pleasant. The erratic periods when slumber had graced your weary mind hardly counted as they were brief and dissatisfying. Against your mental pleads for rest, sounds of shuffling were the final awaking disruption.

Your eyelids, heavy from the influence of fatigue, lifted just far enough to see your new roommate pacing. Though he was mute, you could practically hear the monologue playing. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even notice your presence until his name was called.

"Todoroki?" you spoke gently.

His movement ceased abruptly as his eyes anxiously whipped in your direction. They were whirling with agitation, tenseness overtaking his body.

"Todoroki."

The word was no longer a question but, rather, an expectation. He couldn't continue like this, leaving you in the dark when he was severely perturbed.

"Please, tell me what's wrong."

He hesitated, contemplating the request momentarily, but ultimately decided not to. You didn't need to know about his dismal past, something he preferred to contain. He barely knew you. Though, he couldn't completely ignore how amiable you'd been in the previous months.

He'd witnessed how kindly you'd acted toward the other classmates, gaining many friendships in effect. Sincerity and care were two traits you exemplified freely. He knew you were smart. It was unlikely that your intelligence excluded emotions. In comparison to his remaining acquaintances, he was less reserved at the idea of opening up to you. The current situation was also worth considering.

Perhaps the truth wouldn't be so harmful.

You patted the ground invitingly, causing him to sit. Your anticipating eyes awaited his explanation.

I can still refuse. I don't have to do this.

He would've continued talking himself out of it had you not placed a reassuring touch on his shin, only for a few seconds. After swallowing hard, his lips parted to inhale deeply.

"When the dormitory system was established, and I no longer had to live under the same roof as my father, it finally felt like I'd escaped his tyranny. I was no longer stuck" -he spat the sentence- "being a tool for a cause I wanted no part of."

His voice was low in volume, pausing frequently as he chose his phrasing. You understood that this was a sensitive topic, so you listened intently without interrupting, doing your best not to make him feel awkward.

"Now, I'm here, trapped in this- this box!" The anger that had been at bay was now manifesting. He stood, reverting to striding across the length of the perimeter repeatedly. "Just when I think I'm free, that I can live my life on my own accord, I find myself in yet another prison against my will!" His fist pounded the door furiously on the last note.

He suddenly spun to look at you, a fierce snarl taking over. You held your composed demeanor knowing that his outrage wasn't aimed at you. Reacting with offense would be unnecessary, and it would surely worsen his state.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be tortured into cooperation, degraded until you don't even think you deserve to live?" he shouted. "I did everything I could to make that bastard happy, everything! It was never enough!" His finger jabbed at his chest. "I was never enough!"

He went quiet, terror seeping into his expression. His lip began to quiver while his weight hit the wall to slump onto the floor. All of the aggression disappeared, realization washing across.