Ordinary - (Dabi x OC)

End Of The Rocky Road

Violet POV: - present day -

I felt utterly sick to my stomach by the time Akio's story came to a close.

It makes me realize his situation was more messed up than I ever could have imagined. It hurts and makes me second guess all the times he put on a smile...all the times he showed up at the front door of the Todoroki home, shoveling food down his throat like he'd never get another chance to eat....all the times he'd joke around with me...

He was really going through hell. A literal hell he couldn't tell anybody about.

Fifty-minutes had passed on the jail wall clock, yet it felt like seconds. No amount of time would ever be enough to describe his pain and heartbreak.

He started crying awhile ago, face blank and emotionless with tears running down his face silently. Just how he described the way he'd cry in front of Midas. Just how I imagine he probably cried as Tsuyo. This is the only way he's learned to release emotions, and even after six years, it's still a habit he can't break.

Me, on the other hand, I was a snotty, red eyed mess, sniffling and wiping the endless tears that went down my horrible attempt at a poker face, wishing for nothing more than to reach out to him. But, the glass panel was still in the way. It seems that some form of barrier always existed between us, whether it was glass, or a wall of the sick truth that only he knew about.

He chuckled softly at the awkward contrast of our cries, wiping away his tears quickly and anxiously out of habit before smiling reassuringly, "Hey, it's okay, Vi. Don't cry. Not over me."

'Not over me,' as if he's any less of a human being than others.

Inhaling deeply, I wiped my tears and pressed my hand to the glass, looking at him with a soft shake of my head. "Stop making it sound like you don't matter." I uttered, taking the tissue the security guard handed me.

I can't imagine the hit Akio's self esteem has taken over the last eighteen years. Being told you're consistently worth nothing hurts, but being told this as a child? It leaves a mark on you that's hard to clean, especially when that culprit was someone as manipulative as Midas.

He looked down at his lap with a million thoughts I'd never be able to guess, smiling wryly before I had to ask...

"What happened after graduation?"

Because his story stopped there. And while it's hard to stomach the rest of it, no doubt, I want to know. I want to feel the pain he had to, even if it's a dulled version that won't ever compare to having to live it. He sighed softly, glancing up at me with guilt he shouldn't even be holding.

"I don't want you to cry anymore-" He started out.

"Please. Tell me—if you're comfortable." I pressed, curling my fingers atop the glass and wishing it wasn't between us.

Sensing my desperation, he caved and nodded, readjusting in the uncomfortable plastic chair before continuing.

"After graduation, I just kinda...gave up. I stopped trying to run. I listened to him and didn't put up a fight. I hung out with you and the Todorokis, then went back and reported everything to him, trying to bring you...'home,' as he always called it." He explained, grimacing at the memories.

"It wasn't until you came to the mansion yourself that things started to change for me. My fighting spirit had been revived. The reality of it all and the high stakes of your life were too much for me to ignore. I knew exactly what he was capable of, and the possibility of having to see you go through what I went through. I...." His words trailed off.

Looking down at the quirk restraining handcuffs around his wrists, he attempted to light his quirk anyways for the first time in six years, already knowing the brightness he emitted would never show.