Frozen in Time: S. Todoroki x Fem!Reader

11.5 - Training!!

- Todoroki Shoto -

Monday evening, April 22nd, 16:34. A training hall right off the U.A. campus, one which most students passed on their way home. He was familiar with the area, as many great heroes invested in it. However, until this morning, he wasn't aware that your family owned the hall. 

He'd quickly gone to a nearby store to buy some food while you went in to set up the hall already. Truth be told, he was a bit nervous walking into the hall. Not only was the building huge, but there were also many rooms with expensive equipment so that a larger number of people could train simultaneously. 

"Hey I'm ba-" Shoto began, opening the door, only to feel something whiz past. "What was that?!"

"Oh darling, I'm so sorry!" You gasped, hands clasped over your mouth in shock. 

Shoto just stood in shock, reaching his hand up to his left cheek. When he brought his hand back down, he saw his fingers stained red with fresh blood. 

"Huh?" Shoto asked. 

"Knife throwing," you explained, walking off to retrieve the weapon. "It helps me practice timing and impact, especially over distance. Have a seat sweetie, that wound of yours has to be cleaned if you don't want it getting infected."

"Okay," he nodded blankly, sitting down on a nearby bench. 

He watched you walk off to a separate room on the side, before coming back with a small box - presumably a first aid kit. You dug through it before picking out the supplies you wanted to use. 

"Do you want to do it yourself or should I do it for you?" You asked, looking at him. 

Shoto glanced up at you, eyes still wide from shock. You were in a similar state, but there was something far more enchanting behind your clouded eyes. Something which he could only decipher as worry, though even then, he wasn't sure if that was truly it. 

"Todoroki-kun?" You pressed. 

"Can you?" He mumbled. 

"Sure," you smiled, crouching down in front of him. "It'll sting, but we need to disinfect the area, especially since it's right on the scar tissue."

Shoto could only nod, mesmerized by your voice as he watched you clean his wound. Your face was scrunched up in concentration, frowning as you dabbed the antisceptic onto his cheek. It was such a gentle action, one which almost reminded him of the happier moments with his mother. Except where those moments were always laced with an undertone of contempt, the way you cradled his face showed anything but that. 

If someone were to ask Shoto what love is, he wouldn't be able to answer it. He'd never been in love himself, and he'd never been loved either - not healthily, at least. 

He had three siblings, of which one died young while the other two were isolated from him. His father trained him to the bone until he vomited blood, resorting to physical violence if he didn't comply. He'd been dragged through the house more than once for not going along with Endeavour's training regime. 

And then of course, there was his mother. His darling mother, whose love was what hurt him the most in the end. That fated night, when Rei had poured boiling water onto his face, she was just as shocked as he was. Her darling child, now screaming and thrashing because of her actions for once, instead of the actions of her husband. In a state of panic, she iced the area to soothe it, only to end up making the wound far worse. 

When people think of the things that burn, they tend to think of fire. Fire burns large, and is unmissable. But ice burns too, far more subtly and often far more dangerous. His scar went to show that sometimes, even a mother's love could create deep burns. Since then, he'd avoided the idea of love and friendship entirely.