His Hero | Tododeku

Chapter Forty Six

Todoroki's POV:

I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off shortly after I drifted off. I felt around my bed with my right hand, trying to find my phone without having to open my eyes. My eyelids still felt heavy, just like the rest of my body.

I heard myself sigh as I sat up, being careful with my ribs. I turned off my alarm and walked over to my bathroom, my feet dragging on the floor. I turned on the bathroom light and wandered over to my medicine cabinet. I pulled out a bottle of Advil, taking a few before rinsing it down with water. I knew training would be painful, so I hoped the Advil would take the edge off. I stated at my pathetic looking reflection, my eyes catching on the bags under my eyes. They weren't as bad as they have been, but they definitely weren't great. I turned around and left the bathroom, turning out the light behind me.

I was still wearing the t-shirt and sweatpants Fuyumi brought me, which was good enough for training. I left my phone on my bedside table, plugging it in the charger. When I walked out of my bedroom, I headed for the kitchen to get a cup of water. Fuyumi and Natsuo were both at the kitchen table, Natsuo on his phone and sipping from the coffee cup he had earlier and Fuyumi reading the newspaper, a bagel hanging out of her mouth. As soon as I got into the kitchen, however, their attention was on me.

"Did you manage to sleep at all?" Fuyumi asked.

"It didn't feel like much, but I did sleep a little." I responded as I walked over to the cabinets, grabbing an empty glass.

"Well at least it's something."

"Do you feel any less tired though?" Natsuo asked, setting down his phone.

"Not really. I think I just need to get a good night's sleep instead of a nap."

"Makes sense." Natsuo responded.

I nodded and filled the glass up with tap water, taking a long sip before looking up at the clock. 8:57am. It was definitely time for me to get to the training room. Once I finished the glass of water, I set it in the sink and headed for the training room.

I got there a few minutes early and let out a breath of relief. Endeavor was already waiting for me. He was sitting on the floor and looked like he was deep in thought. When I shut the door, however, that expression quickly left his face.

My eyes remained on his face, curiosity keeping them there. I searched his face for an explanation to his expression, but only saw the hardness in his eyes that he always had. I felt a sudden feeling of desperation wash over my body. This emotion felt like it came out of nowhere, but maybe it was because of him. When I saw Dabi for the last time, I realized how truly broken our family was.

I felt myself suddenly longing for a dad, not a Pro Hero biologically related to me. I felt a heaviness in my chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment. I kept my left arm close to me as I stared down at the ground. My stance was wide and defensive, as usual in this room, but I was suddenly longing for something. Something... A warm embrace from a father. I wanted him to tell me that he was proud of me, or that I was strong.

But when I looked up at him, I remembered that I would never have a dad. I would have a Pro Hero, the number 2 hero who thought I was weak. Who thought I was stubborn and weak and stupid. It took everything in me to keep my tears from falling out of my eyes. By now, Endeavor was standing up and looking at me.

I let out a quiet breath, the emotions leaving my body with the breath. I looked at Endeavor, and realized that the Advil I took earlier was finally starting to kick in.

"You were almost late." He said, his voice colder than ice.

"I was still early. I had a few minutes." I told him.