Turning the Tables [Shoto Todoroki X Reader]

As Black As My Soul- Teaser!

As Black As My Soul [Mei Hatsume X Villain!Reader] won the vote, so I'll be writing it first! Read the A/N at the end for more details!

I yawned as I walked down the sidewalk. Even though it was mid-morning I was absolutely exhausted.

Sleep hated my guts, obviously.

Soon I was in front of a familiar shop, Mr. Shimizu's coffee shop.

Caffeine fix, here I come.

The bell jingled as I walked in, and I was immediately surrounded by quiet chatter. Glancing towards the counter, I was surprised to find somebody already at the cash register.

It wasn't Mr. Shimizu, or his son, or even Shinso.

The girl who stood there sent me an anxious —but friendly— smile, tilting her head and waving in a slightly stiff "come over" gesture.

I approached somewhat hesitantly.

Before greetings could even occur, Mr. Shimizu was out from the back, his familiar kindly expression helping me relax a little.

I wasn't even sure why I had been so uncomfortable.

"Hello again, (L/N)! This is Giselle, a new employee here! It's one of her first days on the job." He looked around conspiratorially, before leaning in to whisper to me. "Be extra nice to her. We want her to stay— she's really good at the more complicated drinks."

With a wink, he straightened again. "I'll leave you two to it."

He disappeared into the back room once more.

I could feel the nerves coming off of Giselle in waves as she awkwardly adjusted her employee uniform shirt.

Those are new... they must really be doing well.

"Nice to meet you, Giselle."

There was a second of confusion that came from her, even as she responded. "Nice to meet you as well. What would you like to get today?"

"A (F/C/D) please."

"Of course."

There was the clack of the keyboard that I could just barely hear over the murmurs in the shop, before she looked up for the register.

As she listed the cost, something fluttered in my stomach.

And not the good kind of fluttering.

"Hello? Are you listening?"

The annoyance flooding from her was like a bucket of cold water, even though her voice was good-humoured and polite.

I blinked, and shook myself off, meeting her eyes.

Her eyes were warm and genuine... but her emotions didn't match the set of her face.

"Right, right. Sorry about that." I laughed sheepishly, fighting to keep my unease out of my voice.

With an attempt to keep my swirling thoughts at bay, I drowned myself in the noise and emotions that filled the room, using the cozy atmosphere to clear my mind as I pulled out a bill.

It worked well enough, and I stayed that way until I had left.

Then the thoughts returned.

What was up with that girl? She acted so oddly, and wore a mask that could fool anyone.

And that barely noticeable accent... it was familiar somehow, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

You're really overthinking this, (L/N). She was just trying to do well in her job. And... maybe she does acting in her spare time, and takes acting classes? Yeah...

I took a long drink from my (F/C/D), wincing for a second as the cold liquid hit my teeth.

It succeeded in grounding me like I had hoped it would.

I was seriously overreacting. Nowadays, everyone hides something about themselves.

It hit me, then.

She has a slight English accent... like Elena!

That was why I had such a bad feeling about her.

A leaden feeling still settled in my chest as I glanced back at the small shop.

I'm sorry if you were hoping for this to be a story update! That's coming in one or two days!

I hope this was good too, because the first chapter of "As Black As My Soul" will be posted in the next couple of days as well!

This is part of the Prologue, however, in the story it will not be in Solatium's POV, and it will be longer.

Just to give you a small explanation, the Mei Hatsume X Villain!Reader will tie into this story a little. Mainly... with Elena!

In "Turning the Tables," you'll get one narrow perspective of Elena and her past, but "Giselle" will give a much deeper look into it— with the truth!

You'll understand what I mean if you read the book.

But now... some questions to get you thinking!

1. Why would Elena have left England? She never explained!

2. Why is Elena's Japanese so crisp and formal? If she had learnt it from her father at home, she would have slang— but she doesn't?

3. Why is she such a perfectionist? Everything has to be perfect— with her it's almost obsessive!

4. Why does she have such a two-faced, barbed personality? I once heard that the persona you present to others and your personality are built up of  all the defensive mechanisms you've accumulated...

"Giselle" and Elena have very intertwining stories...

Feel free to ask questions! (No spoilers)

Anyways, hope that got you curious! Till next time, bai Marshmalløws!

-Cøcøa-Malløw

P.S. Giselle is obviously a code name. I'm sorry if your name is actually Giselle! (That's a very pretty name btw)

P.P.S. "I'll Fix You" is still something I will be writing... but after this one. I'm so excited for these!

[Edit: Book is up on my profile now! Feel free to check it out!]