smiley bandages; todoroki shoto x fem! reader [BNHA]

Chapter 4: Sea Of Faces

It's that time of the year again: visit sessions. Your parents are busy most of the time, but every year during fall, they make time to see you. Your friends are on break as well, so it's no surprise to you when a crowd slowly starts to mill in.

"y/n! I've missed you so much!" Your best friend, Chiho Kusaka, leaps towards you, wrapping her arms around you.

Following her are various classmates and acquaintances, some holding small gift bags, others with their hands behind their backs. They stand near the door, politely watching.

"I've missed you too, Chiho!" You grin at her after she pulls away. "How are things at school? C'mon, there's got to be drama!"

Chiho tucks a strand of hair behind her ear; she has thick, dark hair that's impossibly straight and shiny. It matches her Quirk in a way; she can create small bursts of multi-colored light from her arms. She once said it was a useful party trick, but nothing of hero material.

"No drama, y/n, just the same old crap," she pouts, resting her elbows on your bed and placing her head in her hands. "So how're you doing? When can you come back to school?"

"The doctor said it would take at least another two months." Now it's your turn to pout. "But I'm guessing it'll be five or six before I can get out of this place."

"Aw, bummer." Chiho's mouth droops into a frown. "Hey, here's something to lighten the mood though!" She vanishes for a second before popping up with a cute bag. Before you can ask where the hell it came from, she opens it up and pulls out several items.

"Okay, here's the boring stuff," she says, gesturing to the new workbooks and textbooks that you're probably missing in class. "Here's the slightly less boring stuff, but I know you like to read so this is probably gold for you." She hands you a poetry book and the newest book from your favorite fantasy series. "And finally, here's some cute stuff because... why not?" Chiho dumps a pile of phone charms into your hand, intermixed with random bits of stationary.

"Chiho, thank you!" You squeal, pulling her into a hug.

"No problem, y/n!" Something starts to buzz, and she pulls out her phone. "Oh, it's my dad. Guess this means I have to go now. I miss you, y/n! Bye!"

And just like that, it's over. You wave goodbye, and even though you're smiling, you can feel yourself falling apart inside. The other students step forward, and you fall back into the rhythm of conversation. Your two other close friends couldn't make it today, so you make small talk with the group of acquaintances instead. They hand you your gifts and you wave goodbye, smiling once again.

You wait patiently for your parents. They're always the last visit; if they are able to make it at all. Ten long, aching minutes pass, and then you hear someone walking towards your room.

"Mother? Father?" You call out. When there is no response, you brush aside the gifts and get out of your hospital bed.

You make your way to the door and stick your head out, craning your neck to look for the source of the footsteps. Your eyes widen.

It's him, the ethereal boy. Todoroki Shouto. His name washes over your mind like a lackadaisical wave. And then he's staring right back at you, his eyes fixated on your face. Your cheeks flush, your heart pounds, but you can't look away.

"y/n?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"H-Hey, Todoroki," you stammer. "Um... are you here to see your mother?"

"No, actually. I'm here to see you."

For a tiny blip, your heart explodes, and you almost fall backwards. You're sure your cheeks are as red as tomatoes when you stutter, "M-Me?"

He nods, looking perplexed for some reason.

"Uh... um... so, what do you want to talk about?" Your voice wavers and you try to smile weakly. Lame, y/n!

Todoroki steps forward, and suddenly takes your hands in his. Your breath hitches, and butterflies swarm your chest. You can feel a comforting warmth on his left hand, and a refreshing cold on his right.

This. Can't. Be. Happening. Todoroki Shouto... holding my hands?!

"They're so... bandaged," he murmurs.

"Um... yeah, the crash was pretty bad." Augh! He's so close!

He lets go of your hands after a moment. "You said you liked to look at the sakura trees, so I got this for you." He reaches into his bag and pulls out a bouquet of cherry blossoms. "Sorry, I couldn't find a vase."

Your head is spinning as he holds them out for you. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming! That's got to be it! This is all some unrealistically romantic dream! But as the seconds crawl by, you don't wake up. Holy fuck, this is actually happening. You accept the bouquet, awkwardly holding the flowers as best you can with your bandaged arms. "It's fine," you mumble. "I can find a vase elsewhere." A long pause follows, and you try to hide your blushing face behind the flowers. "These are beautiful, by the way. Thank you."

His face softens as he gives you a little smile. "I'm not good at giving gifts, so I'm glad you like it."

"Y-Yeah, they're great!" You grin awkwardly. God, how can I want something to end yet last forever at the same time?!

He opens his mouth to say something, but you sense the footsteps of another person walking up the stairs. "I think one of the nurses is coming," you whisper. "Quick, go visit your mother! They'll kill me if they find me out of bed!"

Todoroki closes his mouth and nods before striding past you and knocking on his mother's door. You slip back into your room and set the cherry blossoms down next to all your other gifts. As you settle back into your hospital bed, you can't help but sigh, and a dreamy smile works its way onto your face.