Fighting Fears

Chapter 24

WARNING! EXTREMELY VIOLENT/GRAPHIC SCENES DEPICTED BELOW. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU AREN'T COMFORTABLE WITH SUCH. THIS CHAPTER WILL NOT AFFECT THE OTHER CHAPTERS IF SKIPPED! Thank you!

Todoroki's POV

"I am SICK of the same question! God, it's just OVER and OVER!" I paused, hearing an oh-so-familiar voice. Turning towards it, I noticed Winter pacing in circles around the living room. It was late, the sun had long gone down. Carefully, I walked towards her, in hopes of not startling her. "Winter?" Her head shot up, ears perked. "Oh. Todoroki. What're you doing up so late?" Her tone of voice quickly changed, becoming calmer and more collected. "I could be asking you the same thing..." I muttered. Winter grunted, tail twitching. "Fine. I couldn't sleep." I sighed, giving in. "Lemme guess. You want to know when this fight's gonna happen, huh?" Anger again. I looked at my friend. "Is something bothering you?" I asked quietly. Winter paused for a moment before her ears flattened, averting her gaze. "Yes. Everyone keeps asking me when we're supposed to fight, and I tell them the same thing. I don't know. It's not like I'M not worrying about this! I'm just as worried, okay?! I might not have a family, but I've made a promise. I'm trying to do my best, but I'm not clairvoyant. I can't predict the future, or see it, or change it. I don't know anything more than anyone else, yet everyone's... expecting me to know! I want to answer, I want to reassure people that we're going to win, but I can't! A-And-" "We're not taking your feelings into consideration..." I interrupted her. "Huh?" "Winter, I... sit down." I walked over, sitting on the couch. My friend slowly sat by my side. "I... I understand how you feel... sort of. My father expects so much from me. He always has, from the second I was born. It feels like you're carrying the weight of the whole world, with no one to support you. It's... it's scary. You don't know what's going to happen. You don't know if you'll be able to live up to the expectations people put on you. Granted, what was expected of me, what I've gone through, is nothing compared to y-" "Todoroki, don't you dare downgrade your history. We've both gone through terrible things. No, they aren't the same, but that doesn't make your background any less important than mine." Winter interrupted. I nodded. "I know. But I'm serious. You've dealt with a lot. I think... if everyone could just... see, they'd understand." I fell quiet, trying to think of what to say next. I was terrible with words. To have gotten this far surprised me.

"I do not wish anyone to see what I saw." Winter shuddered. "But they'd understand!" I repeated. "Don't you think that if they understood they'd be more determined? Less afraid... sort of? They'd know how serious this is..." I trailed off. "You really think it'd help?" Winter muttered. "Probably. People say they understand how someone feels, but, unless they experience it for themselves, they won't." I replied. "That's true. People might feel better, knowing sort of what to expect... that's it! Todoroki, thank you!" Winter's eyes lit up, some emotion sparking deep within them.

Before I could process what was happening, Winter had risen, hugged me and ran off. As I sat there, slightly dumbfounded, multiple thoughts were running through my mind, many of which I was not proud of owning. Shaking my head, I sighed, lying down on the couch.

What's she running off to do now? And what exactly did I do?

~~~

Midoriya's POV

"Um... Winter, n-not to be rude, but uh, why'd you call the whole school to the auditorium, exactly?" I stuttered, standing close by my friend. She looked at me with a sense of anxiety. "Please, Izuku, please trust me on this. Just... promise you won't run away." Winter's current voice was something I had never heard from her before. Quietly, I nodded, walking over to the rest of the class, who were sitting in the front row. I sat between Kacchan and Ururaka. Our teachers and principal all stood to the side, muttering to themselves. I knew the hero course students were further to the front, where Winter was standing, while general studies and the other classes below them were further back. Suddenly, the whole room fell quiet. Winter stood in front of the screen. "Thank you all for coming. For those of you who don't know what's going on, and for those of you who do and want answers, please allow me to start from the beginning.