I stared at my reflection, satisfied with the progress that I had been making lately. Long runs and secret training had helped me stay in shape, and I had gotten used to the hunger pains. I was starting to feel better about myself, and that was good, right?
I left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, where Todoroki was eating dinner. We made small talk for a few minutes, not really about anything specific, but I noticed him start to become less engaged in the conversation as time passed. I sat down with my bottle of water and unscrewed the lid--with a bit of struggle.
"Are you gonna eat anything?" He asked, gesturing to the pasta on the stove. I shrugged.
"I will in a little while. I'm not hungry right now."
He sighed, not sounding surprised by my answer. I expected him to object to this, as usual. However, he simply got up and walked away. He didn't even look at me as he sat down on the couch, turning on the tv.
"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling the obvious tension in the room.
He didn't say anything at all. Concerned and confused, I walked over to where I could see his face more clearly. Though it was somewhat dark, I could see the tears built up in his eyes as he bit his lip.
"Hey, talk to me. Please, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting down next to him.
As soon as I sat down, he stood up, tossing the remote onto the couch. He lingered there for a moment, clenching his fists.
"You know exactly what's wrong." He spat, almost angrily.
"I really don't, just... please talk to me about it."
He stayed silent again, and started to leave again.
"Hey, that's not fair." I said, standing up and rushing over to him. I grabbed his arm, but he instantly yanked it away from me.
"Not fair?!" He asked, bitterly. "You think this isn't fair to you? What about me?! Am I just supposed to sit here and just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing. Just..."
He grinded his teeth and went back to the bedroom.
"When you decide to stop killing yourself, let me know. We'll talk then."
"No matter what I do, it's never enough. It's killing me slowly with each passing day, and at this point, it's practically taken everything from me. Despite that, I can't stop. I just can't stop..."
Shouto Todoroki develops an eating disorder that quickly consumes his life, and as his depression only worsens, more and more of his repressed trauma begins to bleed through old wounds. Unwilling to burden those around him with the thoughts and habits plaguing him daily, Todoroki feigns his happiness and dons a facade. But when Katsuki Bakugou starts to unravel Todoroki's lies, Todoroki's world also begins to unravel. What happens when Todoroki and Bakugou uncover each other's darkest secrets?
⎯ Trigger warnings ⎯
▪︎ Eating disorders, purging, body dysmorphia
▪︎ Suicidal thoughts/actions/ideations
▪︎ Suicide attempts and threats of suicide
▪︎ Self-harm and self-destructive behaviors
▪︎ Abuse, murder, gore, violence
▪︎ Toxic, manipulative, and abusive relationships
▪︎ Substance abuse
▪︎ Dehumanization
▪︎ Gaslighting and victim blaming
▪︎ Homophobia
⎯ Notes and disclaimers ⎯
▫︎ Triggers not limited to those listed above.
▫︎ Read at your own discretion.
▫︎ This fic is not intended to promote/encourage any of its dark/sensitive themes/topics.
▫︎ I do not own BNHA/MHA. All credit for the series and its characters goes to Horikoshi Kohei.