Blossoms of the Dark

LXV Selene: Deal

I'm half expecting a warp gate to open in my bedroom.

But as each minute passes, my hope fades little by little.

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I was astonished when I saw Todoroki-kun waiting for me outside the locker room. I had expected him to leave without me, ashamed. After all, I did make a pointed barb not just at the students and faculty of U.A. but at him, too. I had seen the flashes of pity in his eyes when he saw me in pain and when he looked at my cane. Those same pitiful faces appeared in the faces of the students and teachers. Some of them didn't even bother hiding it. I hated it. I had experienced a lifetime of pity from strangers already; I didn't want more. They all thought that I was so unfortunate to have ended up like this. That I deserved better. I needed to be taken care of, pampered, kept safe from all the horrors of this world.

Yes, I deserved better. I deserved a better life. I deserved a family who loved me, the ability to walk normally, a quirk that hurt me more than help me, and a healthy body. But people rarely get what they deserve. I got a family which abused me; I got a cane to assist me with every step I took; I got a quirk that gave me scar after scar; I got a disease that has no cure to this date.

What will you do about it? You want to hide me from the horrors? How will you accomplish that when I'm living through a horror every second of my life! You want to keep me safe? How will you do that when my own foster family forces me into prostitution every night!

I was seething as I changed out of my costume and showered. Bakugou-san and Midoriya-san didn't think much differently of me. They pitied me too, despite my feats. After all, I was a cripple who couldn't walk without a cane and supposedly fainted before the battle truly began. So when I left the room in my school uniform, I had expected the hallway to be empty. Yet there Todoroki-kun stood, leaning against the door to a classroom, arms crossed, gaze focused on something in the distance.

He heard the click-clack of my cane but didn't face me immediately. He was trying to find the right words to apologize, I realized. Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. I should have tried a different approach.

We opened our mouths at the same time to say the same words: "I'm sorry." We blushed and averted his eyes from each other. A long moment of uncomfortable silence passed.

"You can go first," he says.

"Are you sure? It seems you have something important to say."

"It's fine. You first."

"I apologize. I was vexed by our encounter with Bakugou-san and Midoriya-san. They were pitying me in their own way, and it made me angry. I had noticed that you pitied me, too. Since the day we first met, every time you helped me during my arthritic flares, visited me in the infirmary, or even spared a glance at my cane, I saw pain in your eyes. Pain that was pity for me. I didn't like it all, but I kept quiet, thinking that with time you would come to respect me by yourself. You do respect me, but the pity is factoring into that respect. All of those emotions culminated and made me act rashly. I indirectly insulted you. I should have been more forward with what I wanted from you. And kinder as well. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Will you please forgive me?"

He nodded his head wistfully. "It's alright," he whispered. "But I understand how you feel now. If I were in your shoes, I think I'd hate all that pity, too. I'm sorry for not looking past your arthritis and bandages. I'm sorry for thinking you were weak and needed protection at all times. I'm sorry for how I glossed over your brilliance and focused instead on your handicap. Really, I do respect you. But you deserve more than I'm giving you right now. I promise you, I won't underestimate you again. Your charms, your interests, your wittiness. There's a lot more to you than just unique hair and eyes, a cane, and a pair of gloves. And if you'll let me, I'd like to try this all over again. I won't look at you as a helpless girl anymore; I'll admire you for your strengths. You're a student at U.A. You're here to become a hero. And there's no reason you shouldn't be."