Keeping You (Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter 15

'You don't have to worry about him. He's in jail,' Shoto said.

I shook my head. 'I know, but... something inside me says he won't stay there forever. That he'll break free, and bring chaos upon us all.'

Shoto squeezed my hands, determination steeling his eyes. 'You don't know that he will.'

'And you don't that he won't.' All the stress, all the fear, all the worry I'd been keeping inside all day now spilled out in the form of tears pooling in my eyes. One slipped, then another down my cheek. I didn't care to wipe them away. 'I know I've been told I'll be a great hero, but I can't help wondering if, one day, I'll just end up like him.'

Fire danced in his eyes. Rage. It steamed off him with every twitching muscle, every erratic beat of his heart beneath that broad chest of his. But not at me. I realised it would never be at me. 'You won't. You won't become like him.'

I protested. 'You don't know that-'

'You won't, Y/N.' His hands left mine to cradle my face, his fingers gently pressing on my jaw so that I looked him directly in the eyes. So I couldn't look away from him. Not as his eyes softened and he spoke softly. 'You won't. And you want to know how I know? Because you are Y/N L/N, and I have never known you to give up just because something seemed impossible. You are strong. You are light. You are everything that is good in this world. Do not let some cowardly bastard hiding behind a mask and a few fancy quirks define who you are and will become.'

His thumbs brushed away the remaining tears that slid down my cheeks, a small, boyish smile brandishing his lips. 'You're my little light. You do not fear the darkness. It fears you.'

I stared at him for the longest time, the mere seconds it took feeling more like eternity. Sincerity and truth rang in his words; honesty and love shone clear in his eyes. He truly believed in his words. In me.

But my first instinct after the moment had passed... was to laugh.

An uncontrollable giggle bubbled in my throat, though I tried (and failed) to contain it. Shoto sighed after a brief second of shock at my reaction, a breathy laugh of his own escaping him. 'That was cheesy, wasn't it?'

'Immensely,' I said, calming down, positivity restored. I brought my hands up to hold his, still cradling my face, turning my head to press a kiss to one of them. 'Thank you.'

'Any time.' He dropped our hands into my lap and turned to the door, releasing a sigh. 'I guess we should go to dinner. The others will be waiting.'

I groaned. 'Do we have to?'

'We do if you want to be fed,' he said, giving me a side eye.

'Can't we just stay here and cuddle?' I slowly traced my fingers up his black-clad arm, inching closer and closer to my target.

He wasn't oblivious, his eyes darting down to my travelling finger with narrow but playful eyes. 'Cuddles won't fill your belly, Y/N.'

'I know.' My fingers danced upon his shoulder. I suppressed a grin at the way he shivered under my touch. 'But cuddles will keep me warm, and that's what food does. So it's close enough.'

'Y/N,' he said lowly, his eyes smouldering with an emotion I couldn't quite pick. 'If you want to kiss me, you don't need to ask.'

'Good.' Finally, my fingers slipped behind his neck and brought him down to meet my lips in a loving, adoring kiss. His arms immediately hugged behind me pulling himself up from the floor and level with me. His momentum pushed me to lay on back, and Shoto naturally crawled on top, our lips still locked. His legs straddled my waist, and, at that moment, something inside me snapped.