⚠️Abuse, mental breakdown⚠️

Todoroki's PoV:

It creeps up on me, ready to pounce at any second. It lurks in the shadows like an evil spirit. It is an evil spirit. I'm being followed by paranoia 24/7. I don't know how to rid of it. Dad and I got into another huge fight. He didn't let me go this time without some form of traumatic experience. I shake the memory out of my mind and warp at Aizawa-sensei's door. I really hope he lets me in. I can feel his presence behind me, ready to drag me back under. I look back down the hall. The door swings open and my head snaps over to face Aizawa-sensei's.

"I was wondering if I could take you up on that offer?" I ask, hopeful for a positive reply.

"Todoroki, what are you doing here?" he asks, shocked.

I make up the best lie I can, "My Dad is really stressed and needs me to stay at someone else's."

Aizawa-sensei sighs heavily and moves off to the side, letting me in. I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room with my brown duffle bag at my feet while he talks to Yamada-sensei who occasionally glances over at me with worry.

"OK kid. You can stay. Only for four days. We have other people coming over after," Aizawa-sensei informs.

I bow and thank them even though four days doesn't suffice and fit Dad's needs. "Thankyou so much. I promise not to get in the way."

"It's all good, kid." Yamada-sensei half-heartedly laughs. "It's getting late. You should head off to bed now."

I nod my head and scurry off to the bedroom. Once I turn the lights on and close the door, I see the familiar white sheeted double bed. I'm ready to collapse straight onto it and sink into the comfiness. I unzip my bag and pull out my pyjamas. I slowly peel my shirt over my head to reveal the realities of having an abusive father. Cuts and bruises layer my skin. A massive burn is located right in the centre of my abdomen. No other injury can compare to that one and how I got it is something I don't ever want to relive. I cover up the damage and do the same with my pants. When I look at my shin, I see the wound that I covered up as it just being a torn muscle to Aizawa-sensei.

I hurridly prepare for bed. I don't have the energy to brush my teeth. Today has been full on. I turn out the lights and crawl into bed. Closing my eyes was a poor decision. Instead of seeing blackness, I see the tank lid being closed and the water rising. Unable to shake the memory from mind, I let it play out, knowing it'll pass (I'm not sure if that is actually how it works. Someone please let me know in the comments).

The water reaches my knees and fear rushes through me. I bang on the glass tank. "Let me out!" I scream at the flaming male with a horrific smile plastered on his face.

"This is your punishment for swearing. I can't let the public know I have such a disobedient son," he replies sinisterly. I feel the water creeping up, inching closer and closer to my head. I know what's going to happen. The tank stops filling up just before my mouth. Dad takes broad steps towards the control panel. "I say we go for 20 volts, shall we?"

"No, Dad, I'm sorry! Please, anything but this. I'm begging-" My pleas for help are cut off by a painful rush of electricity hitting my body. I scream so loud that I give myself tinnitus. The same, consecutive pain doesn't leave my body for what feels like hours. When he finally turns the machine off, I feel lightheaded, sick and weak. My face is stained with tears.

"I want you out of here for a week." Before he makes a drastic leave, he presses the button that opens the hatch to the tank.

Sweat drips into a puddle beside me on the fresh clean sheets. I sit up and pull at my hair. 20 vaults. Tears breach my eyes, and spill over. My body shakes violently. I just want this to be over. "Please..." I whisper.

~~~~

Aizawa's PoV:

Hizashi and I return to our bedroom and lie awake, staring into darkness. "Todoroki smelt like he was burnt," I say suddenly.

"Yeah, I got a bit of a whiff of that too," Hizashi replies.

I cuddle up to his side and rest my head on his chest along with my arm. "I don't believe Todoroki. I don't think his dad is stressed. Crime is lower than usual."

"Yeah." He runs his fingers through my hair, soothing me.

"I'm worried, Hizashi. I've noticed things and I think there might be abuse going on."

"Take a deep breath. It's Sunday tomorrow. We'll ask him some questions then."

I nod and we plunge back into silence.

***

The best thing about weekends is that there is no alarm blaring at you to wake up. You can sleep in as long as you want. On this Sunday, my worries for my student were high so I ended up waking up around 9am, 4 hours earlier than usual. I virtually roll off the bed and grab a baggie hoodie, throwing it over my head. I drag myself into the kitchen and see Todoroki cooking up a god damn feast.

"What the hell?" I ask through my morning sleepiness and start brewing some coffee.

Todoroki looks up at me with fear and then back down at the fancy breakfast. "I'm sorry. I got hungry and I thought I should cook for everyone. I tried to keep the mess to a minimum but I'm sorry if there is too much mess," he says messily.

"I'm thankful that you're cooking. I don't have to do it for once! You are amazing, Todoroki," I praise. The nicer I am, the more he'll open up and the closer I can get to knowing the truth.

He blushes and lets a small smile play across his face. "Thankyou, Aizawa-sensei."

"What do you want to do today?" I ask simply.

"I might just chill in the spare room if that's OK. I'm really tired. I've had a rough few days," he says sadly.

"Rough few days?" I question.

"Uh, schoolwork has me on edge, that's all," he tries to cover up his slip.

We fall into silence once more. I feel like it's my duty to help Todoroki. I need to know what is going on in his life. I really do. I know I'm probably jumping the gun, but I don't care. I'll do anything to understand the situation and to help this young boy. "Todoroki, after breakfast we need to talk. Just you and me, alright?"

Todoroki freezes and the room falls silent. The eggs sizzle on the pan, asking to be taken off but they are ignored. Finally, he says, "Yeah, sure..."

After breakfast is ready and I go to wake up Hizashi, Todoroki heads back to his room to change into day clothes. It was a close call. When we returned, Todoroki was halfway out the door.

I bolt for the dual-haired boy who's trying to run as fast as he can. I capture the young boy in my scarf and don't dare to let go. "Let me go," he growls. I cancel his quirk quickly.

"Todoroki, you said you needed a place to stay," I reply back.

"Well, I changed my mind. I'd rather feel my Dad's wrath and deal with his bea-" he cuts himself off as though he was about to expose a secret.

"We're going back."

After a small battle, we're back in the apartment, sat at the dining room table and about to eat breakfast. "This looks like the yummiest, tastiest, bestest meal ever! Yeah!" Hizashi shout excitedly.

Todoroki plays with the food with his fork. I take a bite of the egg and immediately fall in love with this young boys' cooking. "Where did you learn to cook like this?" I ask before stuffing my face full of food.

"My Mum," he mumbles.

"Well, this is so good. You could become a chef," Hizashi comments, also stuffing his face with food. "I know I'd visit your restaurant a lot."

"I'm not hungry," Todoroki grumbles.

"I'll eat yours," my greedy husband offers.

"If you'd like to."

Hizashi grabs the plate and scoffs the food down. "Eat slower or you'll choke," I say.

***

I close the bedroom door behind me and walk to the bed where Todoroki sits facing the window. "Is it comfy in here?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says despondently.

I take a seat next to him and catch a glimpse of his saddened face. "Will you tell me the real reason why you are here?" I ask gently.

"I told you. My dad is stressed s'all," he replies with a hint of sharpness in his tone.

"Todoroki, I've been around long enough to know that you're lying."

"Well, I'm not!" he snaps.

I pause. "OK then... at least tell me why you smelt like you were burnt when you arrived."

His eyes widen. "Oh shit," he mumbles so quietly I know it wasn't intended for my ears. He falls silent.

"If you tell me then I can help you." I give a comforting pat on the back.

"Don't touch me," he snarls and snaps his head towards me. Tears prick the corners of his red rimmed eyes.

"Sorry," I say quickly. We sit in a long agonising silence, both of us staring out the window. Todoroki sighs and stands up from the bed. I watch him as he walks towards the door. "Todoroki, you aren't allowed to leave," I say, ready to stand up.

He ignores me and finds his way to the chest of draws and rests his hands on it shoulder width apart. His head dips and his body weight is spread out onto his hands. He takes a deep, shaky breath. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" He asks airily.

"No, you are not."

His hands tense up along with the rest of his body. "It was my dad..." he begins. "Everyone knows that he wants to surpass All Might and be the number one hero but because of his poor personality and tolerance for others, society doesn't want that. But being the number 2 hero has brought him lots of fame and with his poor attitude, he's gotten obsessed with his public image and when he gets set on something, his attention does not waver." He takes a break and turns around to face me but still doesn't make eye contact.

"About yesterday, It was partially my fault. I called Dad 'a motherfucker' and he flipped." There's a long pause. "He uh, he doesn't have the best way to deal with situations. I think it was because he was scared that if people found out the number 2 hero's son swore at their father, it would ruin his reputation." Did he beat Todoroki? No, that doesn't explain the burning smell. Todoroki's hands start to shake and he slowly sinks to the ground. "H-He locked my in a water tank and-" he cuts himself off to gain as much composure as he can. Fear runs through my vains. "And he... he electrocuted me," he manages to say before completely collapsing to the ground and letting out chocked sobs.

I jump off the bed and race over to his side. As I contemplate whether to bring him into a hug or to just sit there and tell him everything is going to be alright, Hizashi walks in, in a state of panic. I give him a cold stare and he leaves immediately. I turn back to Todoroki. He's attempting to calm himself down but to no avail. He starts pulling at his hair and I grab his wrists to stop any potential injury. Todoroki immediately goes into panic mode, kicking his legs in any which direction, one manages to hit me directly in the stomach. I groan and let go of his wrists so I can clutch onto my stomach. He scuttles backwards into a corner and I watch on with disbelief, concern and fear.

He chants 'breathe' on repeat like it's the word that summons Satan. I watch as my 15 year old student tries to calm himself down from something brought on by me. It's my fault...