"You have a twin, Shoto."
...
"You have a twin, Shoto."
...
"You have a twin, Shoto."
For a moment, it was as if time had frozen. The clink of the spoon on porcelain faded, the soft hum of conversation from the other rooms dulled, and all Todoroki could hear was the thundering of his own heartbeat.
Those words were echoing in his mind...
He didn't look at them. He couldn't. His gaze remained fixed on the surface of his tea, the liquid trembling ever so slightly in the cup.
"What did you just say?" he finally asked, his voice flat, emotionless.
Fuyumi took a deep breath, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. "I said... you have a twin."
Todoroki's grip tightened on the cup. The heat from his left side began to seep into his palm, but he ignored it. He swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"That's... not possible," he said quietly, though his voice wavered. "If I had a twin, I would have known. Someone would have told me."
Fuyumi hesitated, her lips parting as if to respond, but no words came out.
Todoroki finally looked up, his mismatched eyes locking onto hers. "Why are you saying this?" he asked, his voice sharp, edged with something he couldn't quite name. "Is this some kind of... joke? Or—"
"It's not a joke," Fuyumi interrupted, her tone steady but tinged with regret. "I wouldn't joke about something like this."
The room felt colder now, the warmth of the tea forgotten entirely. Todoroki's chest tightened, his breaths shallow.
"Then explain," he said. "Because this doesn't make any sense. How could I have a twin and not know? How could you keep this from me?"
"It's... complicated," Fuyumi said softly, avoiding his gaze.
"Complicated?" Todoroki repeated. He set the tea down on the table with a sharp clink. "That's not an answer, nee-chan. That's an excuse."
Fuyumi frowned. "The truth is, we three never knew...we only found out recently...," she said, her voice trembling.
None of them knew...?
"None of you knew...? Even you...?" Todoroki asked as he looked at his father, who was silent as ever
"Don't mess with me! What did you do?!" Todoroki growled angry at his dad, unable to understand what he was feeling right now
"Shoto...we met with mom, he truly didn't know...mom kept it from all us...from him because of what he had already done to us..." Natsuo's voice now echoed in his mind
"Huh...?"
Mom did this...?
No...
Why would mum do this...why...?
I... I don't understand," Todoroki finally forced out, his voice low and tight. His chest was tight, as if there was no room for air. His mind was frantically searching for some logical explanation, something to make sense of this. "Why...?
That was all that he could think of...
He wanted to say something. He wanted to shout or demand answers, but his mind was too scrambled to find the right words. He could feel the heat rising in his chest, a mixture of confusion, frustration, and something darker—a growing sense of betrayal. Why didn't I know?
Fuyumi's voice came again, as if sensing his turmoil. "Mom...things were complicated back then...with Dad's pressure, her worry for your safety...it was all too much for her...she did what she felt was right..." Fuyumi's voice cracked slightly, Natsuo put a hand on her shoulder
Complicated?
I don't get it...why?
Why?
His hands curled into fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms as a surge of anger and hurt swept over him? Was that supposed to be some kind of explanation? Was that supposed to make this easier for him? All these years, he had thought he was alone—alone in the struggle, alone in carrying the burden of his father's legacy. A twin? It didn't make sense. It couldn't.
His eyes locked on Fuyumi, searching her face, as if hoping for some clue that this wasn't true. That maybe she was mistaken, or that this was some kind of cruel joke. But no, her expression was sincere. The truth hung heavy between them, and it weighed him down.
"No..." Todoroki whispered, shaking his head slowly. "No, this can't be right. How could she—how could she choose that? How could she keep me in the dark all this time? Why didn't you tell me?"
He stood up suddenly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, his pulse quickening. He felt suffocated, like the walls were closing in on him. His thoughts were a jumbled mess—Why wasn't I told? Why did no one say anything? He could feel the anger rising in his chest, and yet, in the same breath, a strange ache began to grow too—a deep, gnawing pain that was harder to ignore than the fury.
Todoroki stepped back, running a shaky hand through his hair. A twin? He repeated the words in his mind over and over again, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. How could I have a twin? How could I not have known?
The room seemed to spin as his thoughts collided with each other. He wanted to scream, to demand answers from his family, to ask why they never told him. But as the anger rose in him, there was another feeling creeping in—a suffocating emptiness. His mind was struggling to make sense of everything, but there were too many conflicting emotions. He was angry, confused, hurt—and worse yet, he felt betrayed. Betrayed by his mother for her silence, betrayed by his family for not telling him sooner.
"You kept this from me." His voice was barely above a whisper, raw with the sting of betrayal. "You kept this from me all this time. Why? Why didn't you think I had the right to know?"
Fuyumi's eyes were full of sorrow, and for a moment, Todoroki could see the deep regret in them. "Why? Just when I thought things were sort of getting better for us...for mum...do you know how happy I was when she spoke to me...after so long of been in pain...?!"
"Just when I thought it was going to be okay...that maybe you can finally change the father we needed you to be...just when I thought I finally...I finally found a place..."
"You and mum...you all...decided to stab me here...keep me in the dark..."
"What did you think was going to happen...?!"
Todoroki shook his head, his chest tightening further, a mix of anger and confusion welling up inside him. "I don't need your protection," he said, the words sharper than he intended. "I needed the truth. I needed to know this."
His heart hammered in his chest, and the weight of the truth seemed to crash down on him all at once. A twin. A sibling I never knew about, a part of my past I was never allowed to have. Where are they now?
He could feel the anger bubbling inside him, but it was almost secondary to the pain. The pain of realizing that for years, he had been living in a half-truth, never knowing that he had a twin, never knowing that someone else in his family had shared his burden. That deep, gnawing pain twisted his insides, and suddenly, his legs felt weak. His mind could barely keep up with the storm of emotions that were crashing through him.
Fuyumi looked at him, her voice soft. "Shoto... please, try to understand. She did it because she thought it was the best thing for you. For both of you."
He clenched his fists tighter, his body trembling with the weight of his emotions. The best thing for me? The words sounded hollow in his ears. How could this be the best thing for him? How could anything about this make sense?
Todoroki turned away abruptly, his heart racing in his chest as he tried to breathe through the confusion and hurt. His mind was in turmoil, still trying to catch up with the truth. He didn't know how to process it, didn't know how to let it all sink in.
Todoroki's footsteps echoed down the hallway, a rhythmic pounding that matched the frantic beat of his heart. His mind was a whirlwind, thoughts colliding, emotions churning within him. His hands trembled as he pressed them to his temples, trying desperately to focus, to make sense of the chaos in his head. A twin. The words were still raw, still like an open wound that he couldn't stop poking at. Why didn't they tell me sooner?
He needed to escape.
He needed to breathe.
The walls around him felt like they were closing in, and no matter how fast he walked, he couldn't outrun the suffocating weight of the truth. He didn't understand it. He didn't know how to process it. A twin. His chest tightened with every step he took, and the more he thought about it, the more the pain twisted inside him.
The hallway stretched on endlessly in front of him, but his mind kept circling back to that moment in the kitchen—his family's faces, the weight of their eyes on him as they told him something he couldn't begin to comprehend. Fuyumi's soft voice. Natsuo's tight-lipped silence. Endeavor's stiff, uncomfortable presence. And yet, through it all, there was one thing that stood out. One thing that still echoed louder than everything else.
The silence about their mother.
Todoroki's mind flickered back to Fuyumi's words. She made the decision. She thought it was for the best. But how could that possibly have been the best choice? How could keeping him in the dark for so long, separating him from someone who shared his blood, ever have been right?
His footsteps faltered as the anger flared again, hot and blistering. He clenched his fists, the pain of his thoughts becoming unbearable. Was I not enough for her?
Todoroki's mind was spiraling now. His mother, who he had always looked up to, who he had always tried to understand, had made this decision without ever once considering how it would affect him. How it would destroy him. She had chosen to take that part of his life away from him without ever even giving him a chance to know. And for what? To protect him? Was he so fragile that the truth couldn't be revealed to him?
"Shoto, please..."
The voice broke through the fog in his mind. It was Fuyumi's, soft and tentative, calling out to him from behind. He didn't stop. Didn't turn around. The last thing he wanted right now was more of her pity, her soft words of comfort that he didn't need. They all had their explanations, their reasons, but it wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough.
"Shoto!" Fuyumi's voice was firmer now, a tinge of desperation creeping into it.
He couldn't look at her, couldn't face her yet. His chest felt tight, his breath shallow as he walked faster, each step a desperate bid to escape. But escape from what? The truth? From his own family?
From himself?
A low, frustrated sound left his throat as he turned a corner sharply, his body moving almost without his command. He didn't want to face anyone, not yet. He wasn't ready to confront the reality of this—of them.
"Shoto!" Fuyumi's voice came again, and this time, there was a crack of concern beneath it. "Please, just talk to me."
Todoroki stopped, but his back was still turned to her. He couldn't face her just yet. Not when his mind was still in chaos, not when every fiber of his being screamed at him to run. "What do you want me to say?" His voice was sharp, clipped with an edge he hadn't intended, but it was the only thing that could escape his mouth right now.
Fuyumi took a hesitant step closer, her tone softer now. "Shoto... I know this is a lot, but we're here. We always have been."
He closed his eyes, shaking his head as if trying to shake away the words, the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. The suffocating weight of it all was almost too much to bear. He didn't want her pity. He didn't want her sympathy. He wanted answers. He wanted the truth, even if it hurt.
"You don't get it," Todoroki whispered through clenched teeth, his fists still tight at his sides. "How could she... how could she keep this from me?"
Fuyumi stood there in stunned silence. She wasn't sure how to respond, how to ease the pain that was clearly radiating from him. She had never seen her brother like this before. But she couldn't pretend that she understood what he was going through either. She just wanted to help him, to make him understand that none of this was anyone's fault.
But in that moment, she realized something she hadn't considered before: Shoto didn't want her comfort. He didn't want her words. He wanted her to understand—to understand his pain, his confusion. He wanted to make sense of a life that had been shattered in the blink of an eye. And Fuyumi, no matter how much she loved him, couldn't give him that.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice filled with regret. "I didn't mean to make this harder. I just wanted you to know the truth."
But the truth felt like a weight Todoroki couldn't bear. He turned then, his eyes burning with a fire he didn't know how to control. His voice came out harsh, a mixture of frustration, confusion, and raw, unfiltered pain.
"The truth?" Todoroki's voice cracked slightly, and his eyes searched her face for something he couldn't find. "You think telling me this—now—makes it easier? Makes it better?"
Fuyumi's expression faltered, but she held her ground, knowing she couldn't back down now. "It's not about making it easier, Shoto. It's about you knowing. About us being honest with you."
The words cut through him like a blade, and for a moment, Todoroki's anger exploded in a way he had never allowed himself to before. His breath hitched, and the words spilled out faster than he could stop them.
"This—this—this is the lie I've been living for years. I don't want of see any of you! Just leave me alone!" Todoroki's voice was sharp with anger
Todoroki's chest heaved with the intensity of his feelings, and Fuyumi stood there, stunned into silence as the rage bubbled over him. He wanted to say more, wanted to shout until the words were gone, until everything he felt poured out of him. But there was something else, something deeper than the anger.
A deep, aching sadness that he had never allowed himself to feel.
"Just leave me alone...like I always have been..."
——————————
Todoroki's heart was pounding in his chest, each beat like a hammer against his ribs. The hallway stretched out in front of him, dark and empty, just like the hollow feeling that had taken root deep within him. His steps were mechanical, automatic, the rhythm of his walking matching the numbness that seemed to take over his entire body. It felt like he was moving through a fog, each step he took more distant from the people behind him, from his family, from the truth that was still swirling around him, suffocating him.
He heard the footsteps behind him. Fuyumi's voice still lingered in his ears, a soft whisper calling him back. But he couldn't turn around. Not yet. He wasn't ready to face any of them. Not when everything inside him was fractured, splintered by the words they had just dropped like bombs. His chest felt tight, as though it was being crushed by an invisible weight, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.
How could they do this to me? The question burned in his mind like a jagged shard of glass. How could mom keep this from me for so long?
His mother's face flashed in his mind, and the anger began to rise once again, hot and blinding. He had tried for years to understand her, to understand her decisions, her silence. But now, the truth had shattered that understanding, torn it apart piece by piece.
He had thought he understood everything. Thought he had a grasp on his past. But now?
Now, everything felt like a lie.
Todoroki's steps faltered for a moment, and he swallowed hard, the bitterness of it all rising up in his throat. His mind was racing, but the emotions—the anger, the betrayal, the confusion—drowned out every thought. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think. What am I supposed to do now?
And then, the voice broke through the haze of his thoughts.
"Shoto!"
It was Natsuo. His voice was laced with frustration, but underneath it, there was something else. Something sharper, something more urgent. Todoroki's body tensed at the sound of his name, and he stopped in his tracks. But he didn't turn around. He couldn't. Not yet.
"Leave me alone..."
"Shoto wait!"
"Stop it...go away..."
"You need to know this..."
"Don't push us away...please..."
"No...leave me alone..."
"My heart hurts..."
Natsuo was at breaking point now too, he clenched his fists. His voice broke out .
"Your sister is Y/n, for God sake!" Natsuo's voice rang out, louder now, like a whip cracking in the tense air. "She's your twin! She's our baby sister! The same Y/n in your class!"
The words hit Todoroki like a sucker punch to the gut. His blood ran cold, and for a long moment, the world around him seemed to stop. He froze, his breath catching in his throat as the revelation slammed into him.
Y/n.
His twin.
The words reverberated in his mind, a slow, torturous echo. He stood there, numb, his hands shaking at his sides, unable to process what he had just heard.. He couldn't
But he could.
Because it made sense, didn't it? The way you looked at him sometimes. The way you always seemed to understand him, without words. The strange, familiar bond you had, like an invisible thread that connected you without either of you even realizing it.
"Stop lying..." His voice was almost inaudible
"I'm not lying, Shoto...Y/n truly is our sister, your twin sister..." Natsuo's voice trailed off, a small frown on his face
Todoroki's heart skipped a beat as the truth sank in. She's...my twin. My sister?
He felt dizzy. The world around him blurred, the edges of reality fading in and out of focus. He wasn't sure what was real anymore. Everything felt like it was slipping through his fingers.
The numbness inside him deepened, settling in his bones like a cold, creeping fog. He didn't know what to feel. Anger? Yes. Confusion? Absolutely. Pain? More than he could possibly express.
But above all, there was emptiness. A vast, empty void where his sense of self used to be. A feeling that he had been walking through his life with one eye closed, unaware of the missing piece that was Y/n. A piece of him that had been kept from him. A piece of him that was his sister. His twin.
It felt like a cruel joke. It didn't make sense. How could he have gone through his entire life, believing that he was alone, that his only family was the one that had shaped him into what he was today? How could he have been so blind?
His head spun. His thoughts were fragmented, scattered. His heart hammered in his chest, but it wasn't from anger. It was from something much worse: the crushing weight of his own isolation.
He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes.
Todoroki's heart dropped as the answers seemed to escape him, slipping through his fingers like sand. He couldn't grasp them. He couldn't make sense of it.
Todoroki's legs shook, and he finally took a step forward, then another, each one feeling heavier than the last. He didn't know where he was going, didn't know what he was supposed to do now that everything had changed. He just knew he couldn't stay there. He couldn't stay and face them. Not when the truth had shattered everything.
And as he walked away from his family, the emptiness that had settled in his chest grew, and all he could think was: I'm alone. Alone with this truth. Alone with this pain.
The only sound in the empty hallway was the soft click of his footsteps, echoing through the silence. He kept walking, not daring to look back.
"Stop him please..." Fuyumi's voice cracked as she broke down.
"Leave him be...he needs this time to be alone..." Was all Endeavor could say before he turned around and walked away with a heavy heart.
——————————————
(With Todoroki)
The world felt heavy.
Todoroki's footsteps were slow and aimless, the weight of his own body too much to bear as he wandered through the quiet streets, unsure of where he was going. His mind was a tangled mess of confusion and hurt, each step carrying him further from the family he felt so betrayed by. The numbness had settled into his bones, turning his limbs heavy, making him feel as though he were walking through mud.
Why?
The question repeated itself like a mantra, endlessly spiraling through his head, but there was no answer. No comfort. No sense of resolution. All he had were pieces of a broken puzzle that refused to fit together.
And then, as if the world itself was mirroring his internal turmoil, the rain began to fall.
At first, it was just a light drizzle, but the sky quickly darkened, and the rain became heavier, drenching him to the bone. But Todoroki didn't care. He didn't have the energy to seek shelter or to move faster. His hair, which had been perfectly styled earlier, was now plastered to his forehead. His clothes clung to him, cold and uncomfortable, but it wasn't enough to rouse him from the haze of grief he was drowning in. He walked on, lost in the deluge, each droplet of water washing over him, blending with the tears he refused to acknowledge.
Y/n.
It felt like a cruel twist of fate. Like a joke played on him by the universe, mocking him for his inability to see the truth that had been right in front of him for so long.
Y/n.
He stumbled to a stop, his feet carrying him toward a small lake he hadn't noticed before. The water rippled under the heavy rain, a stillness to the surface that mirrored the stillness inside him. He leaned against a nearby tree, his hands finding purchase on the rough bark as he slowly slid down to the damp ground. The coldness of the earth seeped through his clothes, grounding him in the reality of what had just unfolded. His mind raced, but no coherent thoughts came. Only flashes of anger, confusion, and sorrow.
His chest tightened with the question, but it was a hollow one. He already knew the answer. He had been kept in the dark. By everyone he had trusted. Everyone he had loved. And now, as the rain fell harder, he realized the gravity of what that truly meant.
The loneliness he had felt all his life suddenly felt amplified, suffocating him. The people he had thought he could rely on, the family he had always been a part of, had kept him in isolation. And now, the truth was tearing him apart.
A tear rolled down his cheek, mixing with the rain as he sat there, unmoving.
"Y/n..."
——————————————————————————
(At at the dorms)
The rain pattered softly against the roof of the dorm, a comforting sound that usually brought you a sense of calm. The rhythmic drumming of droplets on the porch was something you often found soothing. But tonight, it was different. Tonight, the rain felt like an unwelcome companion, an oppressive presence that sat heavy on your chest, as if the sky itself was holding you down. You couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled deep within you. Something was wrong.
You were sitting on the porch with Bakugo, the warmth of his presence next to you contrasting with the cold air around you. He was quiet, as he often was when he wasn't being bombastic, but his eyes were still sharp, watching you. It didn't take much for him to notice when something was bothering you.
"Pom Pom..." you mumbled, your voice trailing off, barely above a whisper. "My chest feels heavy... like something bad is happening."
Bakugo didn't respond immediately, but you could feel the weight of his gaze on you. He studied you with that ever-so-intense scrutiny of his, but there was something softer in it now, something that seemed to understand. He knew you weren't just speaking casually, that something was gnawing at you.
"Is this about Todoroki?" he asked, his voice a bit softer than usual.
You nodded without saying a word. The weight in your chest was growing, more pronounced with every second. You had been trying to ignore it, trying to distract yourself, but it was impossible
"I don't know why I feel this way, I need to call him..." Your voice wavered, uncertainty clouding your words. You hated how small and helpless you felt. There was something in your gut telling you that Todoroki wasn't okay. You couldn't explain it, but the sense of something breaking was undeniable.
Bakugo looked at you for a moment before reaching out and gently stroking your hair, his fingers brushing through the strands in a soft gesture that only he knew how to offer. It was a moment of tenderness from him, but it did little to ease the tightness in your chest. His touch was comforting, but your mind was elsewhere, fixated on one thing.
You need to reach him.
Taking your phone from your pocket, you stared at the screen for a long moment, unsure of what to do next.
You hesitated for just a moment longer before you clicked on his contact, the screen lighting up with his name.
"It may be nothing, but I just have to make sure..." You sighed heavily
To be continued...