Preydator || Todoroki x OC

•3- Peppermint Head•

'I can't pass out!' I tell myself as I force my blurry eyes to at least stay open. 'I need to leave before the police catch me.'

In the next few seconds, the pink hues start to dissipate and I feel myself coming back to reality. I blink as my eyes adjust. I gasp and my eyes widen when I come face-to-face with the boy's chest. I realize that the reason I hadn't felt the ground when I fell, was because he had caught me. Heat rushes to my face as I flush with embarrassment.

He looks down and sees that I'm awake. He stays expressionless. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah." I mutter and I turn my head to look at the police officers. They're taking away the woman and man in handcuffs. I now realize that she's wearing a flowery, pink kimono that I couldn't see when we were inside the vent.

"Do you mind putting me down?" I say, crossing my arms.

His eyebrows raise up slightly. "Aren't you hurt?" He nods towards my very swollen and bruised ankle.

"O-Oh...." I mumble. "I'll be fine after I get some rest."

He shakes his head and sighs. "It looks really bad. You should go to a hospital."

"No, I'm fine." I retort. 'I can't afford to go to the hospital.' I add mentally. "I don't want your pity."

He uneasily sets me down gently. I wince as my foot makes contact with the ground, but thankfully, my mask is covering my expression.

"Wait." A police officer stops me.

'For the love of God.' I turn to face the officer, cocking my head questionably at him.

"You're a witness. You need to come with us to the police station." He responds.

'Ah, fuck.' I panic as my palms start to sweat. I rack my brain to come up with an excuse, but I draw a blank. 'I'm totally going to get caught if I go there!'

"She needs to go to a hospital first." The bi-haired boy states. "She sprained her ankle pretty badly."

The police officer hesitates for a moment before replying, "Okay. I'll tell your dad where you're headed." He then walks over to speak with Endeavor.

'This kid's the son of the number two hero, Endeavor?!' I stare up at the boy in shock. He resembles his father somewhat, but he seems to be a lot prettier compared to the number two hero.
"Let's get going." He says as he scoops me off my feet again, holding me bridal-style.

"H-Hey, put me down! I can walk to the hospital myself!" I demand, flustered by his actions. "It's only a few blocks away."

"You'll be too slow." He says bluntly. I grimace at his honesty.

I heave a sigh in defeat. "You're right." Hey, if he's offering pain-free transportation, I'll be glad to oblige. 'I guess it's better than hobbling in pain all the way to the hospital.'

I suddenly feel something cold press against my wounded ankle. I glance over and see his frosty hand applying some relief for the swelling.

We exit the grocery store and walk down the street towards the nearby hospital. The other people walking by spare us strange glances at the eye-catching male carrying a girl dressed equally as eye-catching. However, I don't care and he doesn't seem to, either.

"Are you a Pro Hero?" I ask him. 'He's far too young, isn't he?'

He shakes his head. "Not yet. I'm a student at UA just walking past, and I decided to step in. Police just had to bring my stupid old man." He mumbles the last bit.

"UA, huh....." I mutter. I wanted to go to UA as well and become a Pro Hero like my mother. 'What a foolish dream.'

"You're Endeavor's son?!" I exclaim. 'Does he also look up to his parent like I once did.'

I see his jaw clench. "Unfortunately." He grumbles through gritted teeth.

'Okay, family-talk is off-limits.' I mentally note, seeing his reaction. 'He must not be on good terms with his father.'

"We're here." He states as we walk into the large, white building. It's not as crowded as I remember since the last time I came a few years ago.

"Thanks." I reply.

He sets me down on a chair in the waiting area. "I'll go sign you in." He says as he walks over to the front desk.

'He doesn't even know my information, how is he going to sign me in?' I roll my eyes as he walks away. I get up from the chair while his back is turned and hurry to the exit. 'I'd be much faster if this stupid ankle wasn't causing so many issues for me.' I bitterly remark.

A hand suddenly grabs my wrist. I turn to face the boy. "Where do you think you're going?" He asks.

"Away from you." I state. "I was headed right for the exit, as you could tell."

"I don't think so." He drags me back to the front desk, my ankle protesting as I limp behind him. "Don't think I forgot that you need to head to the police station later, and I'm pretty sure you're a wanted vandal."

'He knew?!' I think with shock. 'He's a lot smarter than I thought.'

"I need your name." He says as we approach the front desk.

"Rin." I reply.

He deadpans at me. "You know this is a hospital right? They typically need more than just 'Rin'."

I roll my eyes at his sass, although it seems unintentional. I sigh, "Fine, it's Rini Utano." I feel displeasure as I utter the pathetic name. He nods and relays the information to the lady sitting at the reception desk.

"You can head to room seven in the x-ray hall. It's just two rights and a left." She replies cheerily, pushing her silver glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose.

He grasps my hand in a tight grip to ensure I don't try to escape again as we walk through the hospital. "How do you expect me to pay for this hospital trip?" I snap, annoyed.

"I'll pay." He states.

"W-What?" I'm taken aback by his offer. "You don't even know who I am! You're going to pay for some complete stranger?" I quirk an eyebrow at him skeptically.

He nods as if his response was that simple.

"I don't want to be indebted to you." I state. "Don't do this out of pity. I'm not a pathetic weakling."

"Of course not." He replies.

I feel my stubbornness start to show. "But st-"

"We're here." He cuts me off and we enter the hospital room.

I sigh. "Well...thanks, peppermint head." My thoughts slip out into words, but I don't regret calling him that in the slightest.

"Shoto Todoroki." He states.

"I like Peppermint Head better" I reply with a smirk.