A/N: Hey guys and welcome to another chapter of Dust to Dust. I know this is a very fast upload after my last one, but I've had this chapter ready to go for around two months, just before I started on the USJ chapters. But... after I wrote it, I realized it made no references to where it was in the timeline beyond being between the two chapters, and it was fairly self-contained, mostly being dedicated to a side character that hadn't really featured yet but was important for future events. So, I kept putting it off, and tried to find a way to tie it in without messing up the flow. This felt like the best place, being more of a cooldown after all the action of the USJ. With all that said, I'll be back soon with the most likely last chapter of Season 1, depending on how long it goes since I have a lot I want to cover.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Fuyumi Todoroki smiled as the final bell rang, her young students cheering.
"Remember class, leave your papers on my desk as you leave. And don't forget to study for the test tomorrow. You have to pass to go on the field trip next week." Fuyumi stated as a few kids groaned, no doubt the one's struggling with some of the coursework.
"Bye Ms. Todoroki." "Bye Ms. Todoroki." "Bye Ms. Todoroki." Several students called out as they raced out of the classroom, eager to go play with their friends.
As the last boy left the room, Fuyumi turned back to her own paperwork, her mind drifting to how she found herself in this occupation.
One Year Ago
Fuyumi frowned as she left yet another failure of a job interview.
She'd known it wouldn't be ease breaking into a new job market, but she'd been met with a surprising amount of resistance.
'Too young.' 'Too inexperienced.' 'Looking for someone with a firmer stance on corporal punishment.'
She'd really thought this one was the one, she'd been on her third interview when she'd been called back in, only to be informed that the school had went with a different prospect.
Walking away, she stopped at a newsstand, buying the daily paper. She normally read it in the morning, but she'd been at an interview earlier that day and didn't have the chance.
Tokonami South signs deal with local hero, hires sister
Reading further, Fuyumi felt her heart drop.
She'd just left Tokonami, and been told they'd went with a different teacher. She could see who now, and certainly why she'd been hired.
Fuyumi had made a point not to include her connection to her father, Endevour. Not that she was trying to hide it, but she wanted to be hired on her own merit, not because her dad was the #2 hero. But to lose out on a job, a job she'd felt confident about, because someone else hadn't extended the same courtesy hurt more than she'd thought it would.
Reading further, a darker voice echoed in her head that the teacher didn't even look like a respectable teacher, her blouse too lowcut, the ravenette pressing her noticeable chest into the principal's side. Her brother wasn't even a well-known hero, he was just some C-list...
Fuyumi took a deep breath, shutting out the dark thoughts as she crumpled the paper, hurling it into a nearby trashcan, only for a wayward breeze to blow a page loose as she picked it up, going to throw it away too when something caught her attention.
Looking for teacher, pay starting at 50,000 yen
The white-haired woman could barely hold her excitement back as she clutched the paper tightly, looking for an address as she flagged down a taxi.
On the way, she smoothed her skirt, making sure her top was buttoned up before tentatively leaving the top button undone. She nervously fiddled with her hair, straightening any wayward hairs and removing a smudge on her glasses.
Pulling up at the address listed, she was surprised to see an orphanage with a few people leaving. Double-checking the paper, she verified it was the correct address as she walked in, passing a blonde woman barely older than herself with a dejected look on her face.
"Hello, I'm here for the teaching position." Fuyumi said uncertainly as a young man turned to greet her.
"Oh, I think they've stopped taking interviews for the day, they were getting pretty tired and called it." He said as Fuyumi looked at him uncertainly. She was pretty sure she recognized him, but she couldn't think where.
"Oh, do you know if they've decided yet?" She asked as he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I think they had a few people that seemed like a good fit. Tell you what, I'm close to the one in charge of hiring here, so I could put in a good word for you if you'd like." He offered as Fuyumi smiled happily.
"Thank you, that would mean so much to me sir. How could I repay you?" She inquired.
"Get a coffee with me?" He suggested as she frowned at the implication.
She had kept her father's name out of her interviews, and she certainly wasn't about to be that girl that flirted her way into a job, she'd never be able to live with herself.
Apparently sensing her apprehension, the man smiled, holding up both hands in surrender.
"Look at it this way, I'm sticking my neck out to vouch for you, so think of this as me getting to know you. I'd certainly hate to vouch for you only for you to bomb the interview." He chuckled as Fuyumi uncertainly agreed, as the pair walked to a nearby coffeeshop.
Present Day
Fuyumi smiled as she finished grading the papers, stretching her arms over her head as her joints gave satisfying little pops.
"Tadashi did well, Arisu needs to work on her handwriting, but she's got the idea right, I'll need to devote some more time to Yuki-chan, after her older sister was adopted, she's been lagging behind in class." Fuyumi mumbled under her breath, stacking the papers neatly as she rose, placing them calmly in a file as she headed towards the office.
Little did she know that day a year prior how it would affect the path of her life.
One Year Ago
Fuyumi stared at Tomura's back as he spoke with a man that stopped by their table.
How had she not recognized one of the up-and-coming stars of Japan, the video game developer Tomura? Oh yeah, because she didn't care.
Video games distracted children from school, promoted violence, demeaned women, just to name a few among a litany of reasons she hated video games. The fact that Tomura had ordered possibly the most childish drink she'd never heard of only reinforced her image of him as a man-child.
"Sorry about that, he was congratulating me on my recent bio in some magazine. I hope you weren't kept waiting too long?" He stated as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, after all, this man-child was her best way to getting this teaching job, then she could keep her mouth shut from thirty minutes.
"No worries, I should thank you for arranging this meeting for me." Fuyumi said, a sweet smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Right, that interview... so tell me why you want this job, and don't say it's about the money?" Tomura asked as she took a long sip of her plain black coffee.
"Really? Wow, you didn't seem that superficial." Tomura added as she took too long to answer.
"Hey, it's not just about the money. I only just saw the ad in the paper today, I had to read up on the place on the way over. I didn't even know it was a private school until I got in the door." Fuyumi defended herself.
"A private school, haven't heard that one before." Tomura retorted.
I mean, all the ad said was that there was an open position for a teacher, I don't even know what the position really entails." Fuyumi continued defending herself. How dare he look down on her!
"Oh, I suppose you have a point. The position is for a private teacher for the children at the orphanage. You'd have to handle children of differing ages, but mostly children with missing years of education. Think you could handle that?" He asked nonchalantly.
"I'm more than capable of handling that." She sharply replied as her companion took a long drink of his overly sugary coffee drink.
"Well, I think that's all I really need to know. I'll let them know tomorrow morning. I've had fun, but I have a meeting to get to in..." He glanced at his phone, " twenty minutes so, have a nice day, Ms. Todoroki."
Fuyumi was left partially shocked as the young businessman raced out of the coffee shop, drink in hand as he sprinted down the street.
Fuyumi came back the next morning, nervous as she sat in a small office space before a young woman came out.
"Ms. Todoroki, I'm not sure what you did, but if you want the job, it's yours." The dark-skinned woman stated, surprising Fuyumi as she dazedly shook the woman's extended hand.
"No interview?" She asked.
"Hmm, no, Mr. Tomura said your interview went very well yesterday, so he already filed the paperwork." The woman stated as Fuyumi looked confusedly at her.
"Mr. Tomura filed the paperwork, can he do that?" She asked, not believing what she was hearing.
"Well, he is the owner of both the orphanage and the school, so I'd imagine so. If you want to ask him, he should be by later today." The administrator? said. "Oh, also, he wanted to know if you could be ready to start by next week?"
"Yeah, that should be fine..." Fuyumi trailed off. Tomura owned the orphanage and the school; she acted like a bitch to him, and he was her boss!
Present Day
Fuyumi filed the graded papers away as she started to head out for the day, making sure to turn the light off in her room.
She still remembered how that conversation went.
One Year Ago
"You didn't think to mention you were technically going to be my boss?" Fuyumi accused as she spotted the young Tomura as he arrived, causing him to fidget with his jacket.
"I mean, I thought it allowed for a more candid interview. I deal with a lot of people that know how to put on a show, so I guess it was habitual... sorry." He apologized, giving a short bow.
Despite her annoyance at the situation, Fuyumi kept her mouth shut. It wouldn't be a good look to chew out her boss before her first day even started.
"So, why go to all this effort. I'm not sure you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart, if you want me to be candid." Fuyumi exclaimed as Tomura laughed, the white-haired teacher ignoring the sudden flush of heat in her cheeks.
"I don't tend to spread it around when reporters want to do biopic and interviews, but I grew up here." He admitted as Fuyumi was caught off-guard.
"You did?" She was uncertain if he was pulling another joke on her.
"Well, technically no, I'm technically an orphan that was homeless and grew up on the streets for most of my early life. I spent around a year here, and then managed to 'illegally' work at the video game company I now own and run." Tomura stated, whispering the illegal part. "Everything I learned, I taught myself to survive on the streets and later on the job, you probably noticed my Japanese isn't that great, and don't get started on my other core subjects. I just want these kids to be given a better chance than I was."
"Oh." Fuyumi didn't really know what to say to that.
"And since you're being candid, I'll return the favor. You won't just have to help teach these kids; you're going to be the closest thing a lot of them have to a parental figure. I wanted someone without any ties to the hero world, as most of the children have a rather poor view of heroes in general. From kids who watched heroes and police take their loving parents away, to children like me to resorted to crime on the streets before being placed here as we were too young to remand into a juvenile detention facility. I turned out alright, but I don't want them to turn to crime and villainy once they grow up, they've already had the worst days of their lives, I don't want them to suffer any further when I have more than the means to help them." Tomura said, Fuyumi's eyes taking in every word, the emotion he felt, and whether she admitted it or not, she felt her cheeks flare up once more at his smile.
Present Day
"Whatcha doing? Thinking about your boyfriend?" A female voice broke Fuyumi out of her daydream.
"No! I mean... shut up Usagi!" Fuyumi blushed at her friend's voice in her ear.
"I mean, I can't blame you, he's rich, that smile, and I bet he has plenty of enthusiasm with you huh?" Usagi needled with a naughty grin as Fuyumi's blush grew.
"Shut up, I don't think of him like that!" Fuyumi defended as her friend sensed something more to the story, blocking Fuyumi's path as she got right in her face.
"Oh, well no mind then. Has he popped the question yet?" Usagi queried as Fuyumi's blush died down as her friend stopped teasing her.
"Not yet we're just seeing what happens for now." Fuyumi answered as Usagi, grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers.
"Then, is there something else your absolute stud of a boyfriend has 'popped' yet?" Usagi sultrily whispered as Fuyumi went crimson, stuttering out a reply in the negative.
"Oh, I don't know how he can resist you; doesn't he see what a snack you are? I certainly wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you, Fu~yu~mi-chan." Usagi whispered right in the white-haired woman's ear, causing the female Todoroki to 'eep' and dance away, covering her chest with her hands.
"Stop Usagi, stop being such a perv! We're still on the school grounds, what if one of the children heard you?" Fuyumi accused as Usagi giggled, proudly planting her hand on her chest.
"Then I might have to beg Tomura-senpai to let me keep my job. Oh, does he call you Fuyumi-sensei when you're together, I need to remember that one." Usagi declared as Fuyumi sighed at her friend. Despite her best efforts, Fuyumi's mind did begin to drift to her boyfriend, and the night they shared a few short months ago.
Two Months Ago (Valentine's Day)
After Fuyumi had started her new job, Tomura would stop by to bring her a coffee.
At first, she resisted, not wanting to give anyone any ideas that she was dating their boss, it didn't help that she technically got paid more than them, which she shouldn't know but people tended be less secretive when everyone got overpaid for the work they did.
Then one day, she saw Tomura bring several of the other teachers coffee, the newest teacher especially. She couldn't remember his name, but he taught computer sciences. Apparently, he, much like Tomura, was a resident of the orphanage until he'd reached legal age and went to work at a cyber security firm, or some big tech company, no one seemed to really know for certain. All the same, he was qualified for the class, and the kids loved him since he would make funny faces during class, turning his face into a comically shocked face when someone did great on a test, or waterfalls of tears pouring out when a student did something wrong, much like a human emoji.
Recognizing that accepting coffee wouldn't single her out, she began to accept when he offered.
Then coffee turned into delivered breakfast.
which turned into lunch meetings.
Then dinner dates.
and cooking at her house or picking up fast food, nights on the couch watching a soap opera, cuddling. Sometimes she fell asleep, only to wake up later in her bed, tucked in, (still clothed Usagi!) or one of the few times Tomura fell asleep, she covered him with a blanket and let him crash on her couch. Almost every time he'd be gone by the time she awakened, only to drop off a croissant on her desk when she arrived, except a few weeks prior when she'd awakened to find him still sleeping on the couch.
Apparently, her morning bath awakened him as she found a poorly cooked, but nonetheless heartfelt, plate of pancakes on her table. She'd had to make a quick call to her brothers asking them to cover for her, only for Natsuo to have taken Shoto to a local diner for breakfast, their father Endevour already gone to work. Natsuo had told her to eat in more often, both he and Shoto having bonded over breakfast. She also made sure to tease her youngest brother about the waitress that had reportedly flirted with him, even offering him a 'cup of coffee for the hottie.'
It was satisfying to see her little brother blush so openly.
But that had eventually led to today, or rather, tonight, it was Valentine's Day, and she had a date with Tomura at a high-class restaurant. He wasn't always the most mature, but he seemed to understand some things like this.
She'd spent hours getting ready, having decided on a red dress that hugged what little curves, in her opinion, she had.
She'd went through various options with her mother, the two Todoroki women bonding over something Rei hadn't been able to do for a while. Usagi, on the other hand, was very discluded from fashion choices. If the aptly named woman had been part of the process, Fuyumi was liable to show up in a dress straight off a club scene. Not mention Fuyumi's tasteful makeup which consisted of a light shade of red that complimented her hair. A pair of short heels completed the look as the teacher nervously fidgeted in front of her mirror for what felt like hours at how much of her milky legs were showing and how large her chest looked in this dress.
Finally, the witching hour arrived, and she walked outside to find Tomura behind the wheel of a sleek, blue car. She had no idea what kind of car it was, but it at least had a top so she wouldn't have to worry about the wind tousling her hair.
Ironically, Tomura looked more nervous than her, desperately clutching a stuffed animal that upon closer inspection closely resembled a penguin.
"You, uhmm, ready to go?" Tomura mumbled as she approached, softly kissing his cheek as she accepted the proffered penguin, holding it to her stomach to hopefully settle her nerves.
"Yeah," She answered as he opened the door, allowing her to swing her body into the car, leaving her legs on display a few second longer than necessary as she smirked at his stare.
"I didn't know you had a car?" She said as he joined her, placing his hands nervously on the wheel.
"I didn't have a license until last week, and it's just a rental car. I wanted tonight to be special, so I didn't want it to be cliche." Tomura breathed deeply, focusing on the road ahead as he spared a small glance towards his girlfriend.
"Do me a favor... babe." He mumbled as she was glad he couldn't see her grin, or her flushed cheeks. "Just to insure I can focus on the road; can you tone down the drop-dead gorgeous act for a little bit." He teased as he switched the gearshift in a moment, the car shooting off with a muffled whir of the engine.
"Sorry... babe, that's what happens when you date a 10 like me. I can't help but look amazing at all times." Fuyumi flirted as Tomura ran with the joke.
"Fine, but if I hear the words 'trophy girlfriend', you're helping me bury the body." Both young adults giggled at his overprotectiveness.
The restaurant wasn't very far away, thankfully, and with the reservation, even if the busy night, they were seated within ten minutes, menus in hand.
She ordered water like a respectable adult, while Tomura ordered an iced tea, the jumpy male looking like he really didn't need any more sugar.
"I'm feeling like seafood tonight, something light, do you think the tilapia or seabass would be better?" Fuyumi asked solemnly, not glancing over the top of her menu, not noticing Tomura's panicked look.
"Uhmm, I don't know, tilapia sounds fancier so that should be good right." He supplied unhelpfully.
"That sounds fancier?' I'm not asking for which sounds fancier, I wanted to know which was less heavy, I already feel like I'm about to pop out of this dress." Fuyumi muttered as she shot her date a look, noticing how his eyes dropped to her dipping neckline at her words. "On second thoughts, maybe I shouldn't trust you." She teased as he blushed profusely.
"Sorry I'm not that helpful about fish, or seafood in general. I'm allergic." He whispered ashamedly as Fuyumi tilted her head.
"Why are you embarrassed about that, it's perfectly normal, seafood allergies are the second most common after nut allergies." She defended him as his blush died down, although he still refused to meet her gaze.
She was about to press him when the waitress returned, setting their respective drinks in front of them as Tomura thanked her, taking a long drink of his tea.
"So, have you figured out what sounds good tonight?" The waitress asked as Tomura quickly swallowed his mouthful of tea.
"Oh, uhmm, yes, I would like the 10oz New York Strip steak, medium well, with a house salad please." he ordered quickly, although it didn't seem to faze the waitress as she quickly scribbled down his order.
Momentarily annoyed that he already ordered before she had finished deciding, she turned to the more knowledgeable person present. "Yes, I was looking between the tilapia and the seabass, which is lighter?" She asked the chestnut-haired waitress, who blinked several times, deep in thought.
"I mean, the tilapia is definitely the more popular option, the seabass is much lighter on the stomach. Of course, if you have your heart set on seafood, we have a tuna dish with amazing umami and its absolutely to die for. It's a bit fattier, but..." The waitress glanced down at Fuyumi with a sly grin, "I've never seen a boyfriend deny enjoying a little more meat on his lady."
Not rising to the bait, Fuyumi calmly ordered the seabass.
"So, how are the children?" Tomura asked happily, apparently no longer on edge now that the dinner was progressing.
"Oh, they're doing very well. Several of the other teacher say that the upper years are struggling, especially with the Sciences and Mathematics, but electives across the board are top tier." Fuyumi answered easily; a small sip of her water, wetting her dry throat. She choked at his quiet curse towards either subject.
"And how is your work going?" Fuyumi was content to make small talk while they awaited their food to arrive.
"Oh, it's going fantastic! We recently managed to finally lock down the contract with the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Obviously PixieBob and Tiger were easy integrations, but we had some issues with both Ragdoll and Mandalay given the differences in their specific Quirks. We ultimately patched the entire game to help integrate them better. Casual play wouldn't be affected at all really, but ranked matches had the voice chat features as well as the minimap altered drastically. Before players could communicate across the entire map at will, but we removed that, changing it to a chat wheel with preselected words like 'Top Lane', Bottom Lane' Ultimate is ready' you know, basic stuff. We also changed voice chat to proximity based unless a player is Mandalay, allowing them to talk to their whole team from anywhere on the map which is huge in Ranked." Tomura paused for only a moment as he downed the rest of his tea, barely noticing as his meal was placed in front of him.
"Now with Ragdoll's Search Quirk, the player can see the locations of everyone on the map, even while they're in spawn, the biggest change is really that it allows the player to notice if a character is stealthed somewhere. With the relative changes, Mandalay is currently ranked #16, while Ragdoll is ranked #23. Tiger is, ironically now the lowest ranked at #26, while PixieBob is leading at ranked #11, amazing debut month but rankings tend to shift drastically in the first few months. I'll be more confident come May when we officially release the rankings, three months before the Hero Rankings are revealed. Of course, that's also right before the International Tournament begins, which can have big swings in popularity for Heroes. And that doesn't even begin to... I'm just talking away, and you don't really care." Tomura cut himself off as Fuyumi sighed.
"Sorry babe, I really do try to understand what you're talking about, but I still don't really care about video games." Fuyumi revealed, unsparingly, as she bit into her seabass.
"Crap, this is supposed to be a romantic meal, and I'm just rambling on about work!" Tomura spoke harshly about himself as Fuyumi considered something.
"Hey, I've got an idea, go ahead and finish up your steak really quick, and we'll have dessert at my place, sound good?" She offered with a barely suppressed blush as Tomura stared at her, not even looking at his steak as he expertly carved it apart, eagerly devouring his meat.
Both young adults fell through the door, their lips locked together as they wandered the small apartment.
Fuyumi was so glad she had her own place, even if it was less than 100 meters away from her home with Shoto, Natsuo, and their father. The mere idea of one of her family members finding their distinguished Fuyumi making out with her boyfriend, breasts spilling out of a dress, and creamy legs on full display was almost enough to kill her mood. Thankfully, while Tomura lacked in how to flirt, make small talk, or most things in a relationship, he was very good at kissing, a fact he reminded Fuyumi of as he suckled at her neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure.
Spinning around, she shoved the door closed with her butt, wrapping her hands around Tomura's neck as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. She made sure to memorize his missing back tooth, as well as his surprisingly scarred lips, most likely from his frequent chewing on them.
Less thinking, more kissing!
Somehow the pair ended up in the living room, Fuyumi breathlessly shoving Tomura onto the couch as she licked her lips, the after taste of sugar enticing her as she mounted him, hiking her dress up over her rear, revealing the virginal white panties of her matching lingerie. Not wasting a moment, she took charge, capturing his lips again hungrily, as she pushed herself against the front of his pants, her moan muffled by his mouth as he took the chance, running a hand up her thigh, softly holding her against him. She questioned the strange gloves on his hands, but the thoughts were lost in a deluge of lust as she pulled back, panting as she used her hands to shove his face into her offered cleavage, giggling naughtily as he dug in, planting numerous kisses along the tops and inner sides of her sensitive flesh.
Fuyumi was forced to make a decision, undoing the zipper and letting her enthusiastic boyfriend have full access to her chest or undressing him and repaying the favor. It wasn't a decision... but it mattered more than she'd ever know.
So lost in lust, Tomura didn't notice her intentions until she'd already gotten his dress shirt unbuttoned, offering silent thanks that he hadn't worn a coat. "Wait stop babe." He whispered; his voice muffled as she reclaimed his lips.
"My boobs taste pretty nice; I can see the appeal." She flirted, noticing his eyes widening as she pulled at his shirt.
"Hey babe wait!" He shouted, his lust draining away like bathwater after the plug is pulled.
"It's fine, I got it, just let me-"
"I said STOP! Get off me!" He shouted, his hands on her hips, grabbing hold in an almost painful way, but it didn't last as he shoved, hard.
The mood changed rapidly as Fuyumi fell backwards, her head painfully hitting the floor. She recovered in a split-second, rounding on Tomura with burning rage in her eyes, "What the hell-" Her voice caught in her throat at the look in his eyes.
She vaguely noticed that as she fell, she hadn't let go of his shirt, which was now torn in such a way that she had a near unobstructed look at his chest, shoulders, and upper arms, despite his best attempts to cover them. But as her eyes wandered up the heavily scarred flesh, she saw his eyes, the tears glistening in the light, the shaking of his hands and body as he pressed himself into the couch, doing everything he could to cover himself, to cover his scars.
Fuyumi was a teacher, and she'd received plenty of training for this moment, she easily recognized what she was seeing, but more darkly, she had a more personal experience with injuries of this nature.
Tomura had abusive scars. Her boyfriend had been abused. It all made sense now, why he was always harsh on himself, why he was so accommodating whenever she wanted something. It certainly explained why he shied away from even holding her hand, preferring to ply her with gifts, despite his obvious fascination with her body. Why he genuinely seemed to love his job, the dedication to something he may have been denied as a child, or his only possible escape from the abuse. She suddenly remembered how he'd let slip how the on-call nurse and councilor weren't just overpaid but had diplomas from some of the best colleges in the world.
As he turned with jerky movements, she saw several burn scars, a soft red of age that she was way too familiar with. He didn't even bother hiding his back, the mess of thin whip marks too, broke up what should've been smooth flesh. Her boyfriend had vaulted the couch in a second, faster than she'd ever seen him move and was headed straight for the door.
She couldn't let him go, running after him as she futilely tried to remove her dress, not for seductive reasons, but because it turns out chasing someone in a tight dress was rather difficult. In the end, she merely dropped her shoes, managing to reach him just before he got the door open, thankfully her father had insisted on that auto-lock for the door.
She grabbed at his hand to stop him, not being prepared at the look in his eyes as he spun on her, swinging a hand that shoved her to the ground, tearing the dress.
"Please stop Tomura! IT's okay!" She yelled, grabbing at him to keep him, damn whether it was what you were supposed to do, all her training couldn't prepare her for someone she loved suffering like that.
A dark voice whispered in her ear that her brothers had suffered just like this, and she hadn't done a damn thing to help them, but she was a child then, she couldn't protect them, she could help Tomura now!
"Don't look at me! I'm sorry, please don't be mad!" He whispered, trying to cover his body with both arms as she felt tears leak down her face, probably ruining her makeup, but she didn't care.
"I'm not mad, please look at me." She whispered, softly touching him as he refused to look at her. "Why did you hide this from me babe, did you really think I would think less of you, pity you?" She whispered, trying to get him to open up to her.
"You don't understand, I'm a monster, I deserve these for what I did." He hissed out.
Whatever should've happened next, it probably wasn't Fuyumi slapping him. He looked stunned, fearfully, but most of all betrayed. All of those were washed away as she forced her way through his arms, to kiss him.
Their earlier kisses had need needy, passionate, lustful, a pretense for the acts to follow, but this kiss was different... it was slow, warm, happy, it was kind and caring. It lasted only a second, but it was more intimate than all the other wild kisses combined.
"Hey Tomura, want to play a game with me?" Fuyumi whispered as the confused boy, for he was truly a boy in this moment, looked at her.
Finally seeing his face, a question lingered on her lips as she saw a long scar across his hairline, no doubt why he kept his bangs shaggy to hide the evidence that couldn't be covered with clothes, but she softly smiled. "Just trust me okay... please?" She softly pleaded as he silently nodded, the white-haired teacher crouching over him.
"Why didn't you want to tell me about these?" She whispered, softly trailing her hand up his arm.
"I didn't want to scare you off... I'm not a good person, I'm not a good person, I'm just not." He argued as she held his head with her hands, kissing him gently.
"I don't think that's true at all. You try to help so many people just because you have the ability to. All the kids at the orphanage are better off because you helped them, while I don't understand it, lots of people enjoy your work, and if no one else needs you, then I do... I'm so happy you're in my life. I would never think you're a bad person because of these. Whoever did this to you is the bad person, not you!" She shouted, holding his face as he tried to turn away.
"Let me go, just let me go... I've already ruined our night; I don't want your memories of me to be like this." He mumbled, softly pushing her back.
"No, I'm not going to. No matter what you say or do, no matter what you think you did to deserve this punishment, it won't change my mind, it won't make me love you any less!" She declared, silence echoing between them as he stared at her, and she noticed for the first time how his eyes seemed to shimmer with... something.
"You love me?" Was all he said as she stared at him, her mind aflutter. Did she love him, she'd just said it because it felt right, but now she regretted it. He always helped her, supported her, gave her whatever she wanted. That didn't feel like love, that felt like its own form of abuse, but she couldn't imagine her future without him there with her. His crooked smile, his over-the-top laugh, how his eyes had so much focus when he looked at her. She hadn't thought about it before, but she really did love him, the way her heart quickened when he was around, how her cheeks flushed when she felt him near her. She wished she could take back her confession and save it for a better moment, now whenever they thought about it, it would be entwined with the pain and suffering of this moment.
"How could I not, when you keep treating me like this!" She mock scolded, pulling him into another long kiss that seemed to make the world melt away from them. She felt his arms hold her, one on the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades. She started to tease him that she could take her dress of since it wasn't hiding much, but she let the moment continue as she pulled away from his scarred lips, tucking her head under his chin, her cheek on a scar that spread out from over his heart. She smiled and let herself drift to sleep with the sound of his heartbeat for company.
Present Day
Their relationship had changed that night. She let Tomura go at his own pace, understanding his personality more than ever before, and she felt more loved with his shared pain. There were nights they made out on her couch like a couple of teenagers, still with clothes on. Despite his obvious desire, he never let it go any further, and she didn't push. He never slept on the couch anymore though, cuddling with her in the bed, and she'd caught him more than once trying to sneak out, but used her feminine wiles (read: pouting) to keep him in her arms until the morning came.
He still hadn't told her that he loved her back, but she didn't mind honestly. He more than showed it, and she knew that when he felt like saying the words, she would still love him too.
"Hello, Earth to Fuyumi, did your brain stop working?" Usagi poked her cheek, eliciting a blush from the white-haired teacher.
Whatever she'd been about to say was lost as her phone rang. Opening it, she didn't recognize the number and ignored it. She'd been well taught the dangers of random calls from her father. But when the same caller kept ringing her, she finally opened, putting on her best 'daughter of Endevour' voice.
"I don't know who you are, but stop-"
"Ms. Fuyumi Todoroki?" The voice sounded like a young woman, which gave Fuyumi pause as Usagi looked at her worriedly, not used to her acting like that.
"Is this Ms. Fuyumi Todoroki? I need to speak with her urgently... it's about her brother."
Fuyumi felt her heart stop, the world draining away.