Keeping You (Todoroki x Reader)

'You'd think, after all this time, Bakugou would learn to reign his anger in a little.'

Shoto and I were walking through the halls of the dormitory towards the elevator that would take us down to dinner. After the drill with the Big Three this morning, Mr. Aizawa had tasked us with even more training, both physical and mental. My body still protested with each movement I made, but the hot shower I'd left behind had eased the pain slightly.

'This is Bakugou we're talking about,' Shoto answered, typing out and sending a message on his phone to someone before dropping it in his pocket and continuing. 'To never stop until he's the last man standing - that's just who he is, Y/N.'

I let out an exasperated sigh. 'I know. But he knew it was drill. And he nearly blew off Tamaki's face, anyways!'

To my irritation, Shoto chuckled, causing me to pout. 'These things take time. He'll come around. Besides, Amajiki is fine.'

I snorted. Yeah right. I'd visited the indigo-haired third year directly after school in the infirmary. He'd been taken there with Ojiro after the drill, and was covered in bandages head-to-toe last time I checked. Fine, my ass.

I voiced none of this however as we approached the elevator, seeing no point in carrying on when the damaged had already been dealt. All I could do was wish Tamaki a speedy recovery - and that him and Hado weren't coerced into anymore drills involving a certain fiery hedgehog.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence as I pressed the button that alerted the elevator it was needed. In that silence, I spared Shoto a glance. He was on his phone again, the heterochromatic eyes I admired very much focused on the small device within his hand. It got me curious. Shoto wasn't the type of guy to be latched to his phone, ever.

His fingers furiously typed over the screen, and it was then that I couldn't hold back my curiosity. 'Who are you texting?'

Either he didn't realise he was doing it so fervently or was surprised I was paying him attention, but he froze mid-type as if he'd been caught doing something illegal. He finished the sentence quickly, the whooshing sound of it sending off fading as he closed his phone and dropped it back into his pocket.

'Just my sister,' he said, finally looking my way. 'She wants me to come over for dinner tonight with her and Natsu.'

'Really? That sounds like it'll be a nice night-'

'My father will be there, too.'

'Oh.'

The elevator's ding of arrival rang through the silence, opening its doors but we didn't step inside straight away. I stared at Shoto, a slew of emotions no doubt present on my face, while he stared at the elevator. That... wasn't what I was expecting. The underlying meaning behind that one key detail was heavy upon Shoto - I could see it in the sagging of his shoulders.

It was then I noticed he was wearing nicer clothes than usual. A navy, long-sleeved button-up adorned his chest, with black trousers and black sneakers covering his legs and feet respectively. Suddenly, I became more conscious of my sweatpants and oversized-tee attire, insecurity causing me to rub my slipper-covered feet together.

After a moment, Shoto stepped inside the elevator just as the doors were done waiting for us and started to close. I quickly followed, slipping through the crack between the doors and settling in beside Shoto once more.

'The doctors released him from the hospital this morning, Fuyumi says,' Shoto finally said once the doors closed. 'She thinks we need it. Our family.'

'Maybe you do,' I said without thinking, drawing Shoto's wide eyes to mine. 'I mean, maybe it'll be good for all of you to enjoy a meal together. Your dad is miraculously alive after that fight, and maybe she thinks that is cause for celebration. As a family.'