Cheating ShinsouxReader (Completed)

Chapter 21

Over the next few days, Todoroki has been quite attentive to me. He made sure I ate proper meals instead of snacks and that I got plenty of rest. Lately, Todoroki hasn't been eating meals without me and even offers to cook for me sometimes. Now that I really think about it ... Shinsou's never did that for me. He made sure I ate, sure, but Shinsou never offered to cook for me or bring me food. I'd always do that for him though. It's strange, to be honest. I feel cared for and special in a way I didn't feel before. Of course, I've been caring about him too. Todoroki is a master at hiding his own emotions and bottling them up, so I've been slowly building up some trust between us so he could release some of it. He's barely mentioned some of his past, but just by the look on his face when he mentions his family ... I know there's so much to unpack. It's obvious that he's suffered a lot, I mean just look at his family dynamic now; it's a mess.

I'm currently in my room reading a book when I heard a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" I called out from my bed.

"It's me ... can I come in?" Todoroki's voice was muffled coming from the other side of the door and I put my book down.

"What's up, Todoroki?" I asked as soon as I opened the door. I invited him in and he sat down beside me on the desk.

"You're the only one," he said softly. Only one? The only one ... what? I blinked a few times and tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the only one who hasn't asked about my scar. Or even mentioned it ...." Todoroki sounded mystified and I shrugged.

"Sure, because it's really none of my business," I answered, "I figured that if you ever wanted to talk about it, you'd be the first to mention it. I'm not going to ask about something like that," speaking softly, I responded and that seemed to confuse him even more. It's like he didn't understand the concept of someone respecting privacy.

"I ... uh thank you," Todoroki was stunned and I giggled at his flabbergasted reaction. I smiled at him and giggled when he looked more confused than before.

"Of course," I shrugged off his thanks and his expression softened. He even had a small smile on his face. Wow ... he looks so cute when he smiles. I know I've seen his smile a few times now, but I'm amazed every time I see it. Because he usually wears an emotionless expression, when he shows genuine emotion ... It feels almost surreal. Not everyone gets to see his smile, so the fact that he does smile around me so often ... I can't help but feel warm and special.

"So ... can I talk to you about it?" Todoroki asked as he met my gaze. My eyes widened at his question and it took me a few moments to actually comprehend it. Does he really want to talk about it with me?

"Only if you want to. I'll never force you to talk about something personal," I assured him.

"I-I want to," He was quick to respond and there was no sign of hesitation in his eyes.

"Okay," I replied softly. I adjusted myself on the bed so that I was facing him and crossed my legs. Todoroki appeared nervous and he didn't say anything for a few moments.

"My family ... is beyond dysfunctional, but you already knew that," he started off softly, looking at his hands that were placed delicately on his thighs, "The day I got my scar ... I caught my mom talking about how my left side reminded her of Endeavor. She was upset ... crying, but angry."

"I was only 8 years old ... I didn't understand why she was so upset. So when she saw me ... she reacted by pouring boiling water on my face," Todoroki clenched his hand into a fist as he relived the memory and my heart ached at the pain clearly displayed on his face.

"The water wasn't how I got the scar though ... she tried to fix it by using her ice but it only made it worse. The next day, she was gone. Endeavor sent her away because she hurt me," he relaxed his hand and I leaned forward, inching myself closer to him. He was so young ... he had his mother taken away from him when he was just a kid. Not just that, the most prominent memory he has of her, is when she hurt him.

"I thought she hated me ... that visiting her in the hospital would make her hate me more, but I decided I had to see her if I was going to overcome the past and move forward. When I did ... she was so happy to see me," his voice softened and the pain on his face that was there a second ago seemed to have melted away when he talked about seeing his mom again. When he finished talking, he looked over at me and let out a nervous breath.

"Thank you ... for telling me. I'm proud of you for reliving a painful memory," I spoke up as I put a gentle hand on his back. In response, his cheeks turned a soft pink color and he looked away. However, he made no move to brush away my touch.

"You're easy to talk to," Todoroki admitted bashfully. That made me smile and I felt the same way. I feel like I can talk to him about anything and I'm really glad he feels the same way. Right now, I feel so much closer to him than ever before and I have a feeling we're only going to get closer. I'm pretty sure I can call him a close friend at this point and the loneliness that's plagued me for so long is fading away.