TWO POWERS (Todoroki Shoto x Reader)

Chapter 25: Out

The nauseating feeling in your stomach spreads to the rest of your body, making it slightly numb. Your mouth is salivating in a way that makes you feel like if you were to cough, you'd throw up. In short, you have lost all appetite.

"Oh no, I won't be able to finish my rice," you say, looking at the bowl, still full.

"You're full already? You hardly ate!" Iida protests.

"I guess the exhaustion finally got to me. I don't feel so good. I'm going to get some fresh air," you say. "But what will I do with the rice... I don't want to waste it."

"I'll eat it, don't you worry."

"Thanks!"

Instead of going outside for fresh air, you go to the girls' room and open a window. It feels less burdensome this way. Letting the fresh air refresh you, you look at the forest and think back on the day. There was a lot of Iida in it and you barely got to talk to Shoto. Something tells you he already figured out that you got control over your birth quirk, but you want to tell him that personally anyway.

As you look out of the window, you notice Shoto, talking on the phone. He notices you waves to you. You wave back. He finishes his phone call. "Shoto, have you seen Tsukauchi by any chance?" you hear Iida ask. You quickly hide behind the wall. "No," he replies. Phew.

You lie near your stuff on the floor, thinking back to the time you've spent with Shoto. It's been too long since you talked, but why do you miss him so much? Is it because he has helped you so many times that being with him feels safe? Perhaps. But he still wants to surpass you probably.

You lie there for some time. You can't bathe with the whole class there anyway, so you need to wait until you can go in and hide your scars somehow. Knowing that Iida and the others probably went to bathe, you go back to the cafeteria to see if you could help with the cleanup. The cats have already done most of the work. Aizawa is there too.

"You're still here? Well, it makes sense. You want to go in alone later, right?"

You nod.

"Did you eat properly? There won't be breakfast, you know."

You didn't know. "I ate a little bit but then I felt sick."

"Maybe you used too much of your quirk too suddenly?"

"No, I don't think it's that. I have a pretty good guess. It's more personal. I'll have to solve it myself."

You turn to leave but hear one of the cat girls whisper, "I bet it's boy trouble." You sigh and pretend you didn't hear that. On your way outside, you happen upon the freshly bathed Iida. My luck!

"Ah, Tsukauchi, are you feeling better now?"

"A little bit," you say.

"You wanted to take a walk, right? Let's go together," he invites you and gently pulls you along by the hand. Surprised, you follow and Iida continues to hold your hand.

"Oh, the stars here are truly beautiful, aren't they?"

"They are. Actually, Iida, I haven't bathed yet, so I'd like to go now. I think I feel well enough now to go."

"Oh, of course. I hope you enjoy it."

"Thanks," you say and quickly go back to your room, grab your stuff and go to the onsen. The girls you didn't see in the room upstairs are finishing up. When you are done showering, you have the whole bath of sweet hot mineral water to yourself. You are wondering if the cat-heroes would show up, but in the end they didn't.

You examine the scars on your arms and remember that you forgot to have Recovery Girl check them out before you left. But it's not just your arms, you have scars around your collarbones as well, but these are easy to hide. You just can't wear anything with a revealing neckline, not that you'd ever want to after how much attention Iida paid to you today. Maybe Shoto would like it, he knows about the scars anyway. But if they don't fade, how could I keep hiding them forever?