(Todoroki Shoto x Reader x Midoriya Izuku.)
Poly!
-BOOK ONE of the Lush Life series!
*Please point out grammar errors, English isn't my first language.
•
I had known of the rumors, he was supposed to be a cursed being--something unwanted and maimed...
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—First Person POV.—
I've been taught to open whatever is locked.
The wind whips past me in a blur, carrying fragments of the story I've lived and the ones I've only brushed against.
The air shifts as I stay stagnant, my surroundings changing and carrying me into somewhere else entirely—familiar faces flicker past in the blur of memory.
My father, bent over the bakery counter with Sato standing nearby—happily dusting flour from his hands as he chattered to the cranky old man.
Hikari walking alongside Itadori, tucked away somewhere where no one can disturb them—their peace so complete it almost hurts to witness.
Kinoko kneeling in a shaded grove, hands delicately cupping mushrooms like fragile jewels and Itsuka walking the cobblestone streets of her hometown—a soft smile resting on her lips.
A rush of warmth blooms in my chest as the next few memories play out—Izuku's mouth on mine, the lingering taste of longing in the kisses we'd shared.
Shoto's lips gently pressing to my skin and the way he'd reverently brushed the back of my knuckles to his forehead so many times before.
Freedom's never handed to you: You have to find it and take it.
I follow the thread of memory until I see the light far off at the edge of the forest—it's not just bright, it's inviting, harrowing a feeling that promises rest and no more hardship.
My feet carry me toward it without thought, and the next second brings me to Kyushu's manor—Hikari and I are children again, darting through its sunlit halls.
Another blink, and I'm back in the bakery, brushing past my father and Sato as they work.
The bell over the door chimes and something in my heart aches somberly, but my smile comes unbidden—I sink toward the light like a swimmer easing into warm water.
I find comfort in the thought that each lock has a weakness, every cage possesses an exit, and all paths can lead somewhere you may not expect.
"(Y/n)!"
The voice slices through the haze.
I turn, and just outside the display window, I see them—they're so close, but neither makes a move to break through the glass and chase after me.
Both Izuku's and Shoto's hands hang at their sides, fists clenching and unclenching—as though they're holding themselves back from breaking the glass and dragging me out.
Throughout my life, I've never been given a choice—the idea of them offering it to me despite their clear desperation feels odd.
Izuku's calloused hand lifts slowly, trembling just enough for me to catch "Please," He breathes, and the sound is raw enough to pause—mind pulled taut in two directions at once.
