Rescue // Shoto Todoroki x OC Fanfiction

Chapter Nineteen

The next day, Ochaco was there first thing in the morning, along with Midoriya, and even Bakugo. 

Ochaco fussed over Katsumi, showering her in hugs and kisses, glad to see her friend again. Midoriya was equally as happy to see Katsumi in good shape, but Bakugo hung back with a scowl on his face like normal. Though his being there at all spoke volumes. While Katsumi and him weren't very close, she was friends with Minoriya, who was dating Bakugo. He was always wherever his boyfriend was, which meant Katsumi saw more of him than either of them probably wanted. 

Katsumi was discharged later that evening, and she was glad to be back in her own apartment. Ochaco assured her that she wouldn't have to return to the agency right away, but Katsumi honestly couldn't wait to get back to work. She wanted to find the bastard Mind Maker and put him away for good. She didn't want to waste one more second than she had to. 

Her mind was still a little bit of a mess, and even though she was home, going back to her normal routine was going to take time. As she stood in the middle of her apartment, a barrage of bad smells hit her nose. The food in her fridge was most definitely spoiled, and the trash that had been piling up before her mission was now stinking up the place. She sighed, not wanting to deal with any of this. 

Coming home from the hospital after shit went sideways was always one of her least favorite things. Her apartment was always cold and quiet, and all she wanted to do was lie down and take time to recover, but there was always a list of things waiting to be done. She wasn't even home often enough to have a pet or anything, so it was always just her, by herself. No roommates, and no partners. It was always just her. 

She flopped down on the sofa and let out a deep breath, deciding to let her to-do list fester for just a bit longer. She could get to all of that tomorrow when she had more time and energy. But as she sat down and started to finally relax, her phone rang. She frowned and picked it up to see who was calling. It was the police department, which meant she couldn't ignore it. She accepted the call and put the phone up to her ear. 

After a short conversation with the detective on the other side, she now had to go down to the station first thing in the morning so they could question her. She'd expected as much, seeing as she was the only person who fully knew how Mind Maker's quirk worked. They would want all the information they could get. 

Not long after she set her phone down, it began to ring again. After letting out an audible sigh, she picked it up off the coffee table. It was Todoroki. She accepted the call and once again put the phone up to her ear. 

"Hello?"

"I heard they're bringing you in for questioning tomorrow," Todoroki said. 

"Yeah, it's to be expected." 

There was some shuffling on the other end of the call. "I want to go with you," he finally said. 

"Why?" 

"I just want to be there for you," he said. "I wasn't there for you last time you needed me, and I want to be there this time."

"It's just questioning, Shoto, I can handle it," she sighed. 

"I know you can handle it, but it doesn't change the fact that I want to go with you. I can pick you up and bring you there. I know you're probably tired and want to relax, so it's the least I can do." 

She fell silent for a moment, thinking about his offer. That did at least keep her from having to rely on public transportation. That would mean less walking and standing. While she'd been released from the hospital and there wasn't anything wrong with her anymore, she was still weak and tired. "Fine," she said after a small silence. 

"Okay. Just let me know what time I need to come by."

"Alright." 

* * * 

The next morning, Katsumi woke up, still feeling stiff. After all that time of not being in control, her movements still felt a bit stiff and forced. She walked over to the full-body mirror and eyed her reflection. 

There were deep bags under her eyes, and her body still looked too skinny. A few weeks of better eating and decent sleep would fix that, but she still hated the way she looked. She hadn't really looked at herself in the mirror since she got back. She wore a long-sleeved shirt, and she was afraid to lift it up and look at her body--afraid that the bite marks would still be there. The hero was no stranger to scars, but those marks were different. More intimate. 

Hesitantly, she peeled the shirt off and over her head, leaving her bare from the waist up. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, and she prepared herself for what she might see. Opening her eyes, she looked at herself in the mirror. 

There were a few deeper marks around her collarbones and on her chest, but for the most part, it looked like they were going away. No scars. She relaxed a bit as she ran her fingers over the marks, knowing that none of them were deep enough to remain. Give it a week or so, and they'd be completely gone. Then, she could start to forget about everything. All she wanted to do was move past all of this and put the man responsible behind bars. 

After getting herself ready, she sat down on her sofa, waiting for Todoroki, who had just texted her that he was on his way. She wrung her hands together nervously, trying to mentally prepare herself for the questions they would ask. They would want to know everything, and she would have to answer honestly. They needed to know what kind of man he was and the kinds of things he did. 

A quiet knock sounded at her front door, startling her a bit. She stood up and headed for the front door with her phone and keys in hand. As expected, Todoroki was on the other side. "Ready to go?" he asked her. 

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." 

She followed him to the car and was a bit annoyed when he tried to help her into the passenger seat. "I can do it myself, you know. I'm not helpless." 

Gods, she hated feeling helpless, especially after everything. 

"I know you can, I just want to help. Don't be such a butt about it," he bit back as he held her arm while she got in. She rolled her eyes and buckled herself in, ignoring his slight jab. 

They drove in silence to the police station, and Katsumi kept her gaze fixed out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. Todoroki let her sit in silence and didn't say anything else until they'd arrived. Just like before, he tried to help her get out of the car, but she declined his assistance and got up herself. While she was feeling stiff, she was completely capable of moving on her own. 

"You're mother henning," Katsumi grumbled. "I told you I'm fine." 

"I'm not 'mother henning'," he said as he took her arm while they walked. "I'm just looking out for you." 

"Same thing," she said, though she didn't remove her arm from his grasp. "Let's get this show on the road."

They entered the police station and checked in at the front desk before one of the detectives came and collected them. Katsumi tried to leave Shoto in the sitting area at the front, but he shoved off her requests and followed her back. She sighed and relented, letting him have his way. She didn't have the energy to fight him right now. 

They were led to a small sitting room that held a table and chairs. There was already one detective seated at the table, who was shorter and rounder than the other one but had a generally warm expression on his face. He had a beard and a bushy mustache and introduced himself as Keiko Sato. The other one seated himself at the same time Shoto and Katsumi did. The second one was almost the complete opposite of Sato, being tall and nearly hairless, with a surly expression. He only introduced himself as Ito. 

"Thank you for coming down on such short notice," said Detective Sato. 

"It's no problem," Katsumi said. "I'm glad that I can be of assistance." 

"Let's get right down to business," Detective Ito said, shuffling a stack of papers in front of him. Katsumi sucked in a breath and prepared herself as best she could for the questions that would follow.