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I don’t know what made me snap. I don’t know how it happened. All I know is, before I can stop it, I’m on my feet and wrenching open my bedroom door. I’d heard him screaming at Mom for what felt like hours. It was the middle of the night, and I’m sure none of my other siblings are able to get any sleep either with all the thuds, stomps, and screams. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m stalking down the hall, up the stairs, past Natsuo’s room, straight toward Mom and Dad’s. My body is moving before I can stop it. I’m filled with white-hot rage and frustration.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
“LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I slam my fists against the door. Suddenly, the house is eerily quiet, and it instantly strikes a deep fear in my heart. Fight or flight kicks in, and I immediately run down the hallway, slipping into Natsuo’s room and closing the door just as I hear my father fling open his bedroom door. My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest, and, when my eyes focus, I see Natsuo sitting on the bed with a blanket over his head, staring at me with wide, horrified eyes. I’m breathing rapidly, and I put a finger to my lips, silently shushing him as I hear my father storm past our room and down the stairs, presumably to my room. I reach for the doorknob, and Natsuo incessantly shakes his head.
“Toya, don’t,” He pleads, his voice shaking. My hands curl into fists as I feel my palms get clammy. I take a deep breath, swallowing my fear and attempting to calm my erratic heartbeat…before I wrench the door open and shut, jumping out and sprinting straight for the gaping doorway where I can hear my mother crying. Immediately, I slam the door and lock it before turning around to see my mother staring at me, eyes bulging and mortified.
“TOYA TODOROKI!” My father’s voice reverberates throughout the house, “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!”
Tears start streaming down my face as I run to my mom, clinging onto her (whether for her safety or my own is anyone’s guess).
“Did he hurt you?” I choke out, pulling back to look for any bruises on her arms or face. I almost dissolve into the carpet with relief when I find none.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
My dad is coming back up the stairs.
“Toya, you shouldn’t be in here,” Rei whispers urgently, but her eyes look unfocused, like she’s in a trance. The doorknob jiggles.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM ME, BITCH!” Enji Todoroki screams, and his words ignite a rebellious, angry flame within me.
“You’re right. I’m not supposed to be in here,” I mutter to my mother, wiping away my tears aggressively as my eyebrows furrow and I grit my teeth. I spin on my heel and stalk toward the door, puffing out my chest and summoning every ounce of bravery and audacity in my body.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“OPEN THIS DOOR, NOW!”
In one swift motion, I unlock the door and jerk it open, coming face to face with my father. His furious expression wavers for a moment, like he’s surprised to see me staring up at him with such intense defiance.
Ssssssss.
I grit my teeth as I feel my Quirk burning. I hold a small but bright blue flame in my palm, sending flickering shadows on my face.
“Stop. Fucking. SCREAMING!” I growl, shouting the last word in his face as I breathe hard. He looks from me to the flame in my hand.
“Are you threatening me, boy?” Endeavor snaps, glaring at me; it’s such an intense stare that I’m surprised I haven’t melted. I remain silent, simply leering into his soul and standing my ground.
“We all have school tomorrow, and no one can sleep with you throwing a temper tantrum!” I exclaim, making my flame burn brighter. Endeavor looks down his nose at me.
“Oh, so it’s not just you who wants to pick a fight, huh?” He snorts, crossing his thick arms over his chest. I blink. My siblings have nothing to do with this.
“N-no. I’m just the only one who will do anything about it,” I stutter, losing my resolve.
“Why would you say we ?” My father spits, and I ball up my fists, making the flame dance over my closed fingers.
“NO ONE COULD SLEEP THROUGH THIS BULLSHIT! NOT EVEN A DEAF PERSON! YOU’RE SHAKING THE FUCKING HOUSE!”
SMACK!
I stare at the ground, my head forced to the side from the slap.
“DON’T YOU DARE TALK TO ME IN THAT TONE! WATCH YOUR MOUTH, BOY!”
I turn my head and look him dead in the face.
“I LEARNED IT FROM YOU!”
SMACK!
“Enji, stop it!” My mother’s voice cries out, and I silently wish she would stay out of it.
"It's the only way he's going to learn discipline, Rei," Endeavor says flatly. My flames flare up before I can stop them.
"MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE DISCIPLINED!" I retort, reeling back my fist.
Everything after is a blur...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey...uh...are you okay?"
My roommate's chipper voice stirs me out of my trance. I'd been staring at the wall zoned out for who knows how long. I'd managed to drive back to the Private Hero Training Academy in the middle of the night with a black eye, and Keigo was already sound asleep. Class was canceled due to the roads icing this morning, so some of the teachers couldn't make it to campus.
"Why do you care?" I snap bitterly, pulling the hood of my hoodie up in an attempt to hide the bruises on my face. I should be going to the nurse, but I'm tired of her recognizing me.
"Because you're my friend," Keigo Takami says matter-of-factly.
"No...no, I'm not okay," I gripe, shoving my hands into my pockets and turning to look out the window. The snow is lightly falling from the sky, and fog pours out over campus.
"Have a bad weekend?" Keigo asks, and I hear him putting his guitar back in its case.
"Understatement," I sigh, and I feel Keigo sit on the bed next to me.
"Wanna talk about it?" He offers, but I don't look at him.
"You won't believe me...or...at least...you won't want to," I sniff, cracking my knuckles. This isn't the first time I've come back from home with bruises. Keigo hasn't ever brought it up before...then again...it's never been a black eye.
"You always say that...," Keigo murmurs, almost irritated.
"Because it's true," I retort, turning to face him. Keigo's eyes are full of concern and pity. Two things I don't want. Especially from someone like him.
"Fine. You wanna know so bad? My dad gave me these," I snap, feeling tears well in my eyes as I aggressively point to the marks on my face. Keigo freezes, as if his worst fear has been spoken into creation. His face pales, and he swallows hard.
"Yeah. Endeavor. Your idol. The 'coolest guy ever' fucking hits his wife and kids. And yells at them. All the time. Until we snap...until I snap...there...happy?" I grumble, looking back through the window.
"...why?"
Keigo's voice is a choked whisper, and it makes my heart ache.
"I've been asking that question for years," I sniffle, wiping my eyes on my hoodie sleeve. Silence envelops our dorm room, and I can feel him staring at me.
"Does anyone else know?" Keigo mumbles, and I vigorously shake my head as the tears start flowing freely.
"No one gives a fuck. He's untouchable. Number Two Hero. No one questions a thing. And no one usually ever sees it," I sigh, trying desperately to pull myself together. I feel Keigo's hand on my shoulder, and I flinch out of reflex.
"I...I'm so sorry," He murmurs.
"You're not the one who should be sorry. I don't want your pity," I scoff, scooting away from him. He's tried so hard to break my walls down...but...when I get like this...I prefer to be alone. The bed creaks as Keigo gets up, and I close my eyes, focusing on the darkness behind my eyelids.
Creeaak.
I open my eyes to see Keigo opening the window, before unceremoniously chucking an armload of his Endeavor merch out of it. I blink, almost in disbelief as Keigo claps his hands together before strutting back to his closet. He grabs shirts, memorabilia, and posters; anything Endeavor, he scoops up and throws out the window. His expression is dark and spiteful; I don't know if I've ever seen him make that face before.
"What are you doing?" I blurt, taking off my hood.
"Taking out the trash," He promptly replies, and something deep inside me stirs.
"Just like that?" I snort, astonished at his reaction.
"He's not the person I thought he was. That's not who I want to be. Besides. He hurt you. Anyone who hurts you has a bone to pick with me, too," Keigo declares, puffing up his wings. He closes the window and extends his hand to me.
"C'mon. Let's go to Nurse Mei and get those bruises treated."