AN: (Krombopulos Michael voice) Oh boy, here I go writing angst again! This one takes place just after the tournament arc. Anyway, this one is rated M because it gets pretty dark. This is your warning, that there will NOT be a healthy relationship in this. What happens here is abuse and manipulation, plain and simple. Please do not read this if it will be triggering for you. I value YOUR mental health over my twisted writing getting views. As with Cold, I have taken the liberty of changing Todoroki's first name to Shoko, because I can do what I want. If you are still with me and you have enjoyed my writing, please feel free to leave a review. It helps out a lot, thanks!
Shoko didn't know how long she'd been in the dark room. It was complete darkness, no light at all. She'd used her fire to try to look around when she'd woken up there, but sprinklers had gone off and soaked her before she could see more than a door across from her. Any attempts to reach the door had been thwarted by the manacle around her ankle. She was thankful for her body's ability to produce heat even without igniting, or she might have frozen in her wet school uniform after she'd first woken up.
It might have been a week, it might have been more. All she knew was that someone kept leaving her water bottles when she was asleep, so there was probably an infrared camera monitoring her. She drank, staying alive even though hunger was making her weak. When she'd tried to fake sleep, nothing had happened. She didn't know how whoever was keeping her there was able to tell when she was faking.
As was per her daily routine, well, more like whenever she thought it'd been a day, she felt the manacle for a way to get it off. She found no flaws. Melting it off was out of the question, she'd no doubt hurt herself even if it wasn't on the wrong side. She could feel a keyhole, but she didn't have a way to open it.
Shoko touched her hair, which had become greasy and knotted, despite her combing her fingers through it when she could. Her stomach growled as she pulled her hand away. She couldn't remember who had taken her. She only remembered that she'd been going to spend time with her classmates after school. The last thing she could recall was a hand on her shoulder and being about to turn. After that, there was nothing.
Despite her lack of memory of her capture, she knew they wouldn't let her die in the dark room. If they wanted her to die, they would have killed her when they caught her, or not given her water. Even if they wanted to drag it out, she didn't think they'd use starvation. Dehydration was a bad enough way to die, and they could have very well done that. There were a few possibilities, as to why she was being kept there. First, they wanted to get ransom money. She was the daughter of the number two hero after all, even if he was a monster. Second, they were going to kill her and film it, or kill her in public. It would be a good power move, killing off a strong student hero. Lastly, she might be being kept for unsavory purposes. She didn't even want to think about that.
Shoko looked towards where she assumed the door was, unless she'd turned around in her sleep. She know if she'd ever see it open, or if whoever was keeping her would only come when she was asleep. She stared at the darkness for a good few minutes before she decided she might try to fake sleep again. However, as soon as she began to lower herself to the cold ground, a bright light blinded her as the door finally opened.
Shoko turned her head away and covered her eyes with her arm, trying to avoid the pain. She didn't hear footsteps entering the room, but as she tried to look again she felt the same pain in her eyes. The light was too bright.
"I don't think this was really necessary..." A raspy drawl reached Shoko and she tensed up.
No, no... Not this.
Shoko had no stamina to use her quirk. Her body was too weak to throw a punch. He could kill her right now. She reminded herself of the logic she had used earlier, that if he wanted her dead he could have already done it. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that he might just have wanted to make her feel hopeless first. Her gaze remained away from the light, knowing she would be blind in it anyway.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Footsteps began to approach Shoko, and she tried not to seem too afraid, even with her gaze remaining on the floor and her tangled hair covering her face. She knew better than to believe him, "You must have been in here a long time... You're all gross..."
Shoko didn't respond. However, she stopped herself from shrinking away as he crouched beside her. Even in the state she was in, she didn't want to show fear. Though the light hurt her eyes, she raised her gaze towards Shigaraki. She could see his features, even though the light behind him nearly blinded her.
"I didn't think it'd be you I'd find here, Todoroki."
Shigaraki's words confused her. Had he not trapped her? She kept her gaze on him, watching for any movement in case he tried to kill her.
"What's with that look? I'm not in the habit of trapping and starving high school girls," Shigaraki said, before he looked towards the manacle attached her ankle, "I just happened to be passing by. When I see a few weirdos hanging around an old warehouse... Well, I get curious."
As Shoko saw him reach out, she tensed and pulled away. She didn't do it as fast as she normally would have been able to, and she felt his hand grab her right ankle. Her breath was caught in her throat, but as she looked she saw his middle finger was raised. He pulled her ankle towards him and began to look around the manacle. Shoko's shoes and socks had been gone when she'd woken up. Now there was an abrasion there from the manacle rubbing against her flesh.
"I'd heard you'd gone missing a while back, but... It looks like nobody came looking for you. You're all scrawny now. This place was pretty out in the open," Shigaraki mumbled, moving his fingers over the flesh of her leg. He didn't touch above the knee, but she still shivered at his touch.
Shoko kept her gaze on his hands, as if she'd be able to react if he decided to touch with all five fingers. His words made her uneasy, though in her state, her defenses had been lowered. When she heard that he wasn't her captor, part of her felt relief. Even if he was the enemy, he had gotten into the room. She didn't know what his intentions now were. She didn't want him to just leave her there.
"Why don't I get you out of here, princess?" Shigaraki's hand moved from her skin to the the manacle. Shoko looked at him, but couldn't meet his eyes. Even in her weakened state, she knew he wasn't just there to help her.
"What do you want from me?" Shoko asked, her voice weak from a lack of use and from the starvation, "Why help me?"
"I have a soft spot for girls who have been abandoned," Shigaraki said. His lips twisted into an unnerving smile. Shoko lowered her gaze, "If nobody wants to save you, well... That's just sad, isn't it? Not even your daddy dearest wants you back."
"... The others are looking for me," Shoko said.
"You've been all locked up for at least two weeks. That's when I heard you'd gone missing, anyway." Shigaraki's fingers brushed against the skin above the manacle, "I don't think they looked at all. It's just like heroes... They'll just let a girl starve to death in a cold dark room because it's convenient not to find her."
His words unsettled her. She didn't know what to believe. She knew nothing of what had happened outside. She didn't want to believe no one had looked for her. However, in the state she was in, she couldn't help the hopeless feeling that it was true. She kept her gaze down.
"Now that I've found you... I'm going to show them they fucked up," She felt the weight of the manacle fade and dust falling onto her ankle. The abrasion was exposed to the air, "You'd like to show them their mistake too, right?"
Shoko looked at him. She just wanted to be out of the room. Shigaraki had already destroyed the manacle, she could just walk out. No, she couldn't walk out. She knew that. She didn't even know where she was, or what Shigaraki would do if she tried to leave. In her state, she wouldn't be able to outrun him or fight.
"Can I... Escape here?" Shoko asked, looking away. She tried to move away from him, though her movements were weak from the starvation. She didn't want to fight. She didn't want to be used.