Finding Me (Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter 43

"Hurry up, Y/N, or you'll be late!"

"Coming!"

I threw my school coat on while simultaneously grabbing my half-opened school bag as I went. I'd slept in after the late night I had, dreaming about the scrumptious food that I had been so very blessed to taste last night, if only for a moment.

'Why does my mind taunt me so? ' I thought, trying my hardest to pull myself together before I reached the ground floor of my house. Once I did, I ran straight for the kitchen, slipping and sliding around as I sprinted full pelt towards the fridge.

"Top shelf, behind the fruit," Mum instructed me from her spot at the sink, and I could hear the amusement in her words - I didn't need to see her smile to know she was laughing at my expense. I reached on my tippy toes to reach behind the platter of fruit that sat in my way to the lunch I'd prepared with Mum last night. Although it was late after we'd gotten home, I'd wanted to make my own lunch so that I wasn't spending money on the cafeteria at school.

That, and I felt bad for worrying my parents, so I decided to make lunches from now on for them too.

"Thank you!" I called, zipping the little lunch box into my bag, and running for the door. I scrambled to get my school shoes on, only half-tying the laces up as I ran out of the house.

"Y/n, hold on!" I stopped as I heard Mum's voice cry out from behind me, halting to turn and face her as she came out to meet me at the front gate.

"What is it, Mum?" I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet in anticipation. "I've got school soon, and if I don't leave soon, I'll be late-"

"I know." Mum smiled at me, using a hand to brush away some stray locks of H/C hair. As she tucked them behind my ear, her other hand came up to cup my cheek, forcing me to look her in the eye. Mine were wide with confusion, while hers held a scary seriousness that I'd never seen before.

"I know," she repeated, this time softer, and she lost the smile. "But just remember what we talked about, okay? I mean it."

I nodded, not daring to tear my eyes away from my mother's steely gaze. The usual kindness I saw shining in them was gone, and in its place was fear. True, genuine fear, and seeing one of the strongest people I knew look like that made me slightly scared, too.

However, just as quickly as the air tightened, it loosened once more, and Mum's radiant smile bloomed back on her face. The dimples in her cheeks, I noticed, didn't seem as stretched as usual, though.

"Good," she said, letting her hands drop away from my head. "Now, go have some fun at school, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, see ya Mum!" I numbly opened the gate to our yard, and started jogging down the street towards school.

"Just remember what we talked about, okay?"

'Right, that...'

My mind wondered back to last night as we sat at dinner. I thought that the dinner - like Dad had said - was to celebrate me coming back. I was thrilled, and thanked my parents endlessly as they took me to my favourite take-out place in town. I was so excited to jump into my meal, that that's all I could think of, but my parents had other plans.

{Last Night}

"We're not sure we want you at UA High, anymore, sweetie."

I dropped my fork at that, my mouth hanging open as my eyes flickered between the two people I cared about the most. The looks on their faces told me that they felt bad, but the look in their eyes showed me otherwise. Their eyes were dead serious. Was this how they truly felt?