Todoroki x OC - I'll Only Hurt You

Win Those Kids' Hearts

When Mei and Momo walked into the dorms, they were greeted with a common room filled to the brim with students.

"Mei!" Ashido popped up from the couch. "You're back!"

Jirou, who was sitting beside her, also turned to look at the newly-arrived girls. "I'm glad you're both doing okay!"

"So, Shinomori, are you expelled or what?" Kaminari asked, leaning by the door.

Sero elbowed the boy on the ribs.

"Ow!" Kaminari complained. "What? She might have been!"

"No, not yet." Mei chuckled.

Both boys exchanged a look of disbelief, and Mei quirked her head in confusion. "What? Are you that surprised I didn't get expelled?"

"No- No, its just..." Sero attempted to explain.

Momo covered her mouth to muffle her laugh. "Mei, I think they just aren't used to hearing you chuckle like that."

The realization made Mei's mouth drop slightly. She hadn't noticed that her guard was already down. Her heart began beating uncomfortably fast in her chest, and she had to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "I think I'm gonna go lay down. It's been a long day."

"Of course." Momo nodded. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

With a final smile to her friend, Mei headed towards the elevator.

---------

All Mei could think about was getting out of her filthy hero suit and showering the day off.

When the warm water was finally hitting her skin and washing away the dirt and blood, she allowed herself to cry. She wasn't even sure what she was crying about - the pain she still felt from her wounds, the fear she had felt all day that was finally over, the realization that her entire life was a lie. She was angry at her grandparents, angry at her father and angry at herself.

She allowed the water to run over her for longer than she had planned, but eventually she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel. After blow-drying her hair and putting on a cami and shorts, she slid on her slippers and made her way back to her room.

When she got to the hallway, however, she stopped in her tracks. Mei didn't want to go to her room; she had somewhere else she needed to be.

Turning around, she made her way up the stairs and walked past a few doors, stopping in front of one in particular.

After her knock, it only took a moment until the door opened to reveal Shoto Todoroki on the other side. He looked surprised to see her, but did not speak.

"Can I come in?" Mei asked.

He stepped off to the side, allowing her to enter the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked, following her with his eyes.

"Yeah." she nodded, awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Mei's hands were sweating. Why was it so goddamn awkward to be around this boy?

She moved to the center of the room and sat down on the tatami. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Todoroki sat down in front of her, crossing his legs.

"I saw my father again." she began, fidgeting with her hands.

A slight frown formed in Todoroki's brows.

"He told me..." she struggled to continue. She felt breathless and unsure.

Then she felt Todoroki's hand reach for hers, his thumb gently caressing her skin. It was almost enough to make her lose her train of thought.