Chapter Text
“Today marks… one month…” Kaida Yumeno said to herself as she woke up in a room that both felt like home and not at the same time.
After spending so much time with the Midoriya’s, the room she was given started to smell like her and everything from the place she stayed with her father had been moved over. The past month had been a long one. Long and… overly tedious.
Following the arrest of her father and her stint at the hospital Yumeno had so much to do that she barely had room to breathe. There were so many doctors appointments and healing sessions she needed to go to. At least now she could walk, with a bit of a limp. Putting too much weight on her leg still hurt her. The cast was taken off her arm, too. She still had to keep the sling on though. Except for what she was sleeping.
Between the doctors appointments, she was called down to the police station every other day. They wanted to get her statements and confirm information that they dug up from his files or things they've learned from Sojiro’s interrogations. No one really admitted it down at the precinct, but they were also trying to put her under severe stress. They wanted to see if she was truly quirkless.
The first couple of times, Yumeno was too scared to talk. She would stare silently down at the table, sightlessly as she waited for the okay to leave. They thought bringing in her guardian, Inko, would help and make her feel safe, but it had the opposite effect. It made her feel ashamed. Yumeno didn’t want the one adult who was kind enough to accept her and take her in to know about all the awful things that happened to her. She didn’t want Inko to think less of her or look at her pityingly.
It took her nearly three weeks to even say a word during those interrogations and it was only to say “yes” and “no” answers to the same questions they always asked. Yumeno saw it as a pain and just wanted the whole thing to be over with. She hated sitting in that small brick room as the kind-faced police woman asked question after question. She knew that it was necessary to build a case against her father, but she was still afraid that he could come after her, even from prison.
A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned her head toward it as it opened.
Izuku Midoriya's green head of hair poked through the door. “Kaida-chan,” he said. “Breakfast is ready. You should eat before you go to your appointment.”
Yumeno nodded. “Yeah, all right. Mido-Izuku-kun,” she said. A whole month and she still had trouble referring to Midoriya by his first name. But she was trying at least. “Thank you.”
Midoriya smiled before she left the room, closing the door quietly.
Same thing. Every morning. And again at dinner because Midoriya was at school during lunch. Inko had asked Yumeno if she wanted to attend high school, but she refused. Too many people. Besides, she was already too old. She was the age of a third year but she would have to start in her first year. The idea didn’t sit well with her so Inko dropped it.
After school, though, Midoriya would sit with Yumeno and teach her some of the things he learned while he did homework. And then after dinner, he would leave again. Yumeno knew where he went. It was the same routine, every day. Day in and day out. He would go off to patrol Tokyo with Uraraka, Iida and… Todoroki.
Just the thought of his name sent a rush of emotions through her. Anger, hurt, pain… but also longing, happiness, and comfort. Despite everything, she missed him and wanted to see him. But at the same time, she didn’t. Being near him hurt and only made her conflicting emotions that much more confusing.
Still, though, she sat up and pulled out her phone. She opened the drawer to her nightstand and pulled out the slip of paper Todoroki had given her when she was leaving the hospital. Yumeno, then, opened up a blank text message and plugged into the number. But then… she stopped.
What would she say to him? She ran out of things to say the second he broke her heart and left. It was so much harder to connect with him now. And that morning… what could she even say? That she had a nightmare, like she did so often now, where her father was released from prison and came after her? That in the dream, the world she found herself in, the comfortable yet not family feeling with the Midoriya’s, was shattered and she found herself alone?
Even before Todoroki knew her secret, she still wasn’t super comfortable with going that deep into her own problems. So how could she even do it now?
She couldn’t. And that was that. So she closed her phone. Another morning where she couldn’t keep her promise to Todoroki.
Yumeno put her phone on the nightstand again and stood. Before she left her room, she got dressed for the day and put on her sling. Then, as she let out a breath, she used a bit of her quirk and a small little bat materialized in front of her. With a cute little squeak, it flew to land on her shoulder. Yumeno smiled slightly as it nuzzled her neck while she left the room.
The second she walked into the joined living room and kitchen, Inko greeted her.
“Good morning, Kaida-chan,” She said. “Help yourself. Kiba can have a little, too.”
“Thank you,” Yumeno said. “And Kiba doesn’t need to eat, remember? He’s just… my quirk manifest.”
“Oh, right, right,” Inko said and then smiled when Kiba flew over and landed on her head.
Yumeno sat down across from Midoriya and put some food on her plate.
Breakfast was as it usually was. Small talk, Yumeno observing her new family, and then, Midoriya left. Once he was gone, Yumeno helped Inko clean the kitchen before those two left as well. Another checkup today along with an added flare. Physical therapy started for her as well. That was going to be a whole lot of fun.
All in all, another busy day. No time to think about Todoroki and sort through her feelings about him.
❖
Todoroki paced around his room after getting ready for school. It had been a whole month and he hadn’t seen Yumeno, much less talked to her. She promised she would text him when she could but… it had been practically forever. He understood that she had all those doctors appointments and her first physical therapy started today. Midoriya had been keeping him informed. But he couldn’t stop worrying, even though he knew that with Sojiro out of the picture, there was nothing for him to be worried about.
His phone buzzed and immediately snapped his head towards it. Was it her? God, he hoped so. Going over to his nightstand, he picked up the device and checked it.
Blinking on his screen was his “Time for School” alarm. Sighing in disappointment, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his slacks and grabbed his school bag. He’ll talk to Midoriya when he got to school. He had a question anyway. Actually, two, that he needed answered.
So, with his bag in his hand and phone in his pocket, he left his room and headed off to school. He did his best to keep his mind off Yumeno as he walked, but it was difficult. She was always on his mind recently. Probably because he hasn’t seen her. It was funny. It was harder to see her now than it ever was when she was still living with her father.
“Todoroki-kun!”
Todoroki’s head snapped up when he heard someone call his name. Looking around, he just then realized that he was on campus. Just as he was about to turn toward the voice, Midoriya appeared next to him.
“About time,” Midoriya said. “I called your name like, three times already.”
“You did?” Todoroki asked. “Sorry. I was… distracted.”
“Still worried about her?” Midoriya asked.
Todoroki nodded. “I heard she still isn’t really talking to the police,” he said.
Midoriya shook his head. “Not really. I think she’s still scared,” he answered. “They mentioned trying to bring in her brother but… when they mentioned it to her she got… violent.”
“She didn’t use—”
“No. But she freaked out, screamed and begged them not to bring him in,” Midoriya said.
“I see,” Todoroki said and sighed. Even he was unsure if it was a sigh of relief or not. “Her optometrist appointment was yesterday,” he noted, trying to change the subject. “How did that go?”
Midoriya blinked. “She didn’t tell you? She told me she would.”
Todoroki shook his head. “I haven’t talked to her. Why do you think I get my updates from you?” he said in a deadpan voice.
“Heh… I guess that’s true,” he said. “Well, um… it wasn’t great news. Turns out the damage to her eye was worse than we thought.”
“How bad?” He asked. He already knew it probably wasn’t going to be good, but he still feared the answer.
“She’s mostly blind in that eye,” Midoriya said sadly. “We kind of expected it when she turned corners too sharply and hit the wall but still… having it confirmed…” Midoriya sighed. “She’s acting like it’s okay but how could something like that not bother her? Now she has a constant reminder of the hell that man put her through.”
Todoroki sighed and his own hand reached up to touch his scar. “I know how that must feel,” he said.
The two boys were silent for a moment, calculating what to say next. Finally, Todoroki stopped walking through the halls, right in front of their classroom.
“I want to see her,” he said and looked at Midoriya. “Can I come over after school today?”
Midoriya hesitated a moment. “I’m not sure how she’d react. Every time your name is brought up, she gets this distant look on her face and kind of just… stops for a few seconds before restarting.”
“Please,” Todoroki said. “I need to see her. I have to see for myself how she’s doing.”
Midoriya was silent for a moment, looking at Todoroki. The look on his face was desperate. Midoriya understood how he was feeling. Todoroki cared a lot for Yumeno and it was killing him to put so much distance between them. But that’s what he thought was the best move. At least, until Yumeno got adjusted to living in a new place. Midoriya didn’t completely agree, but he decided to trust his friend.
Letting out a sigh, Midoriya nodded. “All right,” he said. “Just go home and change first at least. So I can make sure Yumeno is okay. Today is another busy one for her.”
Todoroki let out a breath of relief. “Thank you,” he said.
“No problem.”