Shadowfire - OC x Shoto Todoroki

Chapter 13 - Choke

Kaida had learned that Shoto had been in Hosu at the same time as her, somehow getting wrapped up in the capture of the hero killer. She had called him instantly upon finding out, demanding to know whether he was ok, and if he was going to be arrested for unsolicited use of his quirk.

It was a yes to the first question, and a no to the second. When he had satisfied Kaida with his answers, he began his own interrogation. He had seen Hawks during the fight, and scoffed when Kaida had tried to tell him she had been sent home, away from the action.

"Yeah right, even if they had tried to send you home, you would have just snuck right back in." He laughed softly.

Kaida rolled her eyes. "Ok fine, I may have come across one Nomu...also the leader of the league of villains."

There was silence, and she furrowed her eyebrows. "...Sho?"

"By yourself?!"

She snorted, never having heard him talk that loud. "No, no. um..." She licked her lips. "Bakugou was there."

"Oh. Well that's good, I suppose." He said flatly.

"Yeah...no." She started. "It wasn't good."

She could practically feel his mood changing over the phone, from angry to confused to worried.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered, and she sighed, shutting her eyes.

"Yeah."

He didn't say a word as she spilled the details of what had transpired between her and Bakugou. Truthfully, she didn't really know what had happened. He had just...exploded.

"Are you going to say something to him?" Shoto asked when she was done talking.

"No, I don't think so. I think it's probably best to just stay away from him for a while." She had decided.

She had avoided Bakugou like the plague ever since then. But even with Shoto's constant company at her side, she couldn't change the fact that she sat only one seat away from him in class. But it seemed like he didn't dare talk to her, keeping his glare constantly glued to the ground as he stalked through the halls of UA.

Her stomach was in a constant state of uncomfortable nausea, and no amount of painkillers could seem to rid her of her never ending headache. Every night was hours of sleepless tossing and turning, and her skin always crawled like she was both burning and freezing at the same time.

The only time she didn't have Shoto at her side was outside of school. The only time she felt exposed, vulnerable. The only time Bakugou could-

"Kisaragi!"

Well, shit.

She walked faster, twisting her fingers together in front of her. The front gate was only a hundred metres ahead of her. If she could just get around the corner she could shadow travel home without having to disappear in front of Bakugou's eyes.

Eighty metres, seventy, sixty.

A strong hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks and spinning her around. She flinched violently, taking a wide step backwards, her gaze shooting down to her boots.

"S-uh...sorr-" Bakugou tried, sighing frustratedly.

Kaida watched her hands begin to tremble, and she picked at the skin around her fingernails. "I don't want to talk to you." She forced out, her words shaky and strained.

"Yeah, I uh- I'm not surprised." His voice was far quieter than usual, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

There was a moment of silence, and Kaida took the opportunity to take another step away from him.