Finding Me (Todoroki x Reader)

Two Heroes - Chapter 9

"They stopped him. They beat up that villain and saved our lives!"

My breath hitched as tears welled in my eyes, heart feeling full. It was as if the gravity had disappeared, for I was weightless in the sense of my emotions as I watched with blurred vision the sky become free and visible once more. They'd done it. They'd really done it.

All around me were the sounds of my friends whooping and cheering, their smiling faces indicative of their own relief. I attempted to wipe my tears away as I turned to face my friends, but couldn't stop them from flowing because damnit, we'd done it! Ocahco and Momo clung tight to each other whilst Kyoka held onto Kaminari - it seemed as though he was finally recovering from his self-electrocution. Kirishima was leaping into the air as if he still had energy somehow; even Iida was shaking hands with Mineta, who was crying and wailing like a newborn baby. 

That wasn't the most surprising interaction, though. What really surprised me was watching how the two hard boys of our class were looking up above us with soft smiles on their faces. I inwardly cooed at the sight, and suddenly wished I had a camera on hand to capture the moment. Both Shoto and Bakugou seemed genuinely happy; proud, even. Both looked exhausted - Shoto with his half-burned shirt hanging on his body by just a thread, and Bakugou holding his wrist to brace it. But they were still smiling.

Shoto turned towards the ash-blond boy, his smile still dancing on his lips as he gave Bakugo a side-long look. My aggressive classmate turned towards him in return, his smile dropping to accomodate a gaping mouth and stunned eyes. However, just as quickly as it came, his face morphed into a disgruntled scowl, turning to walk away. Hehe - the resident explosive hedgehog of the class had been caught being soft.

As I went to take a step forwards, the strength in my legs suddenly vanished, leading me to crumble under my own weight. I braced for the ground, but was instead met with strong, gentle arms winding around me to hold me up. I was eye level with a half exposed, very well-toned chest, an air of both frigid cold and raging heat radiating from it.

"Take it easy, Y/N," Shoto said, his words vibrating through his chest and into me.

My E/C eyes immediately met with his; and I was shocked to see tears hanging in the corner of them, sparkling under the night sky like diamonds. He really was stunning, and he really was here. Just to make sure I wasn't in a dream, I reached my good hand up - which was now feeling way overworked - to cup his cheek, stroking his pale skin over and over again.

"We did it," I said, allowing more tears of my own to fall. "We really did it."

"That we did, little light. That we did."

He pulled me into a tight hug, careful not to nudge my arm too much. But at that point, I didn't care. The pain was reminding me that I was still here, still alive. Breathing and moving and feeling things; and so was Shoto. And so I cried; I clung to Shoto like my life depended on it and cried, just as I could still hear Mineta crying somewhere not too far away. The irony elicited a watery laugh out of me. Now who was the one crying like a newborn baby?

The air suddenly changed, growing tenser and poignant as Shoto and I pulled apart. I tried to meet his eyes again, but he refused to meet mine, a sudden sadness falling over him.

"Shoto-"

"Y/N," he cut me off, voice soft and low.

Feeling it better not to interrupt, I closed my mouth, keeping my eyes on him to let him know that I was waiting for a response. It seemed to work, for he spared me a brief glance before turning away quickly again. And yet I still waited, knowing that he had something to say to me. Shoto closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly turning back to me before opening his eyes to meet mine. I almost flinched under the intensity his gaze brought, blue and grey pupils flashing under the night sky.