"Maybe I should go back... Maybe then this person will forget about them, and they'll be okay..."

She felt strong arms cage her on either side of her shoulders, forehead pressed closely to hers. Startling her back to here and now. The smell of lavender with a clash of cedarwood penetrating through her nose.

Calming her erratic thoughts.

"No..." out of breath from his run and aching heart to get to her, his palms slammed flat on the cool metal behind her in anger. "No, you are not going back. You are never going back to them."

Stressing out the word to show her how serious he was.

"S-Shouto..." Y/n whimpered, realizing the half cold half hot, male's body trembling from above her. "How did you? Did you... did you hear?"

Shouto nodded his head solemnly. "I did. I heard everything."

"I'm sorry... I didn't know..." she shook her head, afraid for what could happen to him. "I didn't know this would happen. I'm so sorry." She cowered into herself, scared of what her new friends would have to endure because of her.

Shouto felt a throbbing ache in his chest, grimacing when he felt his heart pound rapidly. However, he refused to stay away. He would not deter from helping her through this.

She wasn't at fault.

Shouto pressed his forehead further into hers. "Y/n please calm down..." he breathed out, clutching at his chest with his right hand.

However, Y/n wasn't hearing him, she couldn't. Her mind was coming up with gruesome scenarios of their demise. Anxiety clawing at her. They were going to die, and it was all her fault.

She wasn't strong enough to save all three of them.

It was different when she took the pain for others because she was the target. The people she cared about were used against her, to have her bend to whosever's will. She could easily do that, however, when others were targeted instead of her, she had no control or say over it.

She didn't take the threat lightly, how could she?

Shouto in pain looked over at Mina who didn't know what to do. "Ashido..." he tried to breathe through the strong emotion engulfing him. "Please find, Izuku and Katsuki. Make sure they are alright."

"What about you Todoroki?" Mina protested in concern.

"I will be... fine." He winced as he felt the throbbing ache of his heart again. "Please hurry..." he whispered, turning back to Y/n.

Mina nodded hurriedly to find her other friends, understanding Shouto could take care of this on his own. If he was acting like this, how where the other two?

Mina now understood why Y/n was so serious about keeping her relationship with the three young men a secret, deciding in her mind to help them along the way. They would need all the help they could get if they were on their own.

"Y/n." Shouto tried calling her again.

At hearing his plea, this time she listened. Remembering he more than likely was feeling what she felt. Opening her eyes, her normal e/c eyes where shinning red from her quirk still being activated. Silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Biting her trembling lip as she did what he requested.

Shouto's eyes glistened at the corners from feeling her immense emotions. He grimaced again as another wave of panic entered him.

Softened mismatched eyes stared into her panicked ones.

"Close your eyes, princess." Shouto pleaded again delicately this time. Using the same nickname from yesterday, that was beginning to grow on him.

Y/n did as she was told, still trembling in fear, hugging her knees closer to her as Shouto hovered above her. His forehead still touching hers as he leaned closer, making a little world only for them to exist in.

"I want you to listen to my voice and do what I ask of you. Can you do that for me?" Shouto groaned quietly.

Trying to keep his discomfort unnoticed to not make her panic more than she already was. He froze the fingertips of his right hand and began to run them lightly into her scalp. Giving her head some relief from the headache she was having.

Y/n nodded as she leaned into his touch eagerly. Seeking any comforting touch, after being mentally violated with forced memories from her past.

"Give me your hand." He waited for her to put her hand into his awaiting left warm palm.

Instantly turning on his fire quirk once she slid her hand in his. Making sure only to let out an amount that wouldn't harm her. Keeping both the cold and hot from his quirk on at the same time. Something he's been able to do from years of experience.

"What do you feel?" He breathed out heavily, trying to stay in control of her emotions flowing through him.

"Warm and cold... warm hand and..." Y/n sniffled. "Cold fingers."

"Good..." He brought the hand he was holding closer to his face, letting her roam around freely. "What else do you feel?"

Y/n with eyes squeezed shut, delicately ran her fingertips over his chiseled jaw. Tentatively sliding her fingers towards his chin.

"Don't go quiet on me, princess. Tell me what you feel." Shouto egged her on. Starting to feel at ease as he succeeded to distract her from her fears.

Y/n cheeks tinted pink from the name, it sounded so lovely when he used it.

Running her right hand from his chin up to his slightly natural pouty lips. She hesitated, but when Shouto didn't protest and instead pushed her hand closer to his lips, he kissed the tips gently.

"Lips." She whispered quietly.

"Mhm, go higher." His voice came out shaky, dreading the direction her hand was headed to.

Y/n's hand touched the tip of his cupids bow, feeling the dip then moved to his left cheek, making his breath hitch for a moment. He pushed through it though. He's never let anyone touch his scar before.

Not his family members, close friends, or past relationships for the fear of being rejected. Of people being disgusted by the bumpy red skin from his scar.

That didn't seem to stop Y/n, and when she reached the scar on his left cerulean eye. She delicately rubbed small circles on his skin with her thumb, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. She knew how hard this must be for him.

His breathing momentarily stopped, and she opened her eyes. His eyes now closed.

"Shouto..." she called to him. "You don't have to."

He shook his head with eyebrows furrowed. "It's alright."

She knew what this felt like. What the fear of rejection would do to someone from exposing your deepest insecurities and be shunned for it. No one's ever touched her scars before either, not even her siblings. Well, no one that she cares about. The only person that's ever touched them was the same person who made them.

"Does it hurt?" She asked gently.

"Not anymore." He smiled softly opening his heterochromia eyes. Noticing how her red eyes vanished like blown smoke. Her e/c eyes slowly taking over. "There you are."

She swallowed the knot in her throat, not wanting to cry in front of him again.

"I'm sorry, you had to see me like this." She let go of his face and crossed her arms in front of her, gripping on to her elbows tightly burying her face in between her clothed knees.

"No, I'm not accepting this." Shouto growled in tamed anger.

"I understand if you want to stay away from me... After hearing that how could you not." Y/n nodded her head completely understanding, sounding muffled from the direction of her voice.

Shouto leaned back to look at her slightly untamed h/c hair, probably from her gripping it tightly. His eyes narrowed in rage as he thought about the voice who invaded their minds. He heard the whole thing, and he was sure Katsuki and Izuku did too.

He was in his break buying a drink from one of the vending machines when he felt the sharp pain in his chest ignite unforgivingly. It felt worse than the day they saved her. Images of what looked like Y/n when she was smaller running away from Garaki, playing like a grainy movie in his mind.

She was so small. How could they do that to her at such a young age?

Without meaning to, he let his fire and ice quirk come alive scaring the other students who walked around the hallways. Ignoring them, he didn't know how, but wherever he let his legs take him to was where the pain got the worst.

Following the pain like a map, he pushed through it and was able to find her crouched low in the middle of a lone hallway, after running for what felt like hours though it was only mere minutes.

He saw Mina was trying her best to talk her down, but she wasn't listening. He knew she was listening to the voice that threatened him, Izuku and Katsuki, because he was hearing the exact same thing. He didn't know how, but he knew it was due to her quirk.

They would have to start working on her quirk sooner than they realized, there were too many questions adding up.

Shouto bit back his distaste of their situation and scooted closer to her, deciding to focus on what he could do now. He kept running his cold hand lightly into her hair. Gripping her chin with his left thumb and forefinger, he tiled her chin up to have her look at him again.

Her eyes already red and slightly puffy from crying. Even though he wasn't there when she was younger, he was here now, and he was going to make sure nothing like that would ever happen again.

"I'm not mad at you, Y/n. Never apologize for what you had to go through that other fortunate didn't." Shouto's voice came out barely above a whisper but firm.

His heart rate slowing down, knowing Y/n was finally coming down from her panicked state.

Y/n stared at Shouto's kind eyes. Noticing a similar pain reflected in his. He's experienced pain too, and it sparked fury in her veins knowing this.

Why would someone so kind as Shouto know what anxiety and suffering felt like. He was the number one hero's son according to what Mina told her. He should have had a stress-free life.

"Who hurt you?" She asked Shouto who looked away from her unwavering gaze.

Should he tell her?

They didn't know each other that well for him to spill his family secrets. Hell, the only reason why Izuku knows is because he was blinded by rage at the time and told him. He wanted to beat him at the sports festival and Katsuki found out because the little sneak heard everything.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me." Y/n reassured the boy whose body became rigid from the question.

Shouto took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

No, he knew he could trust her. If he wanted to gain her trust in return, he would have to open-up first. It was something he was slowly learning from his best friend. To be trusted you have to be vulnerable too.

"My parents." He mumbled. "More my father than my mother. This scar..." he pointed to the left side of his handsome face.

The red burn covering his whole cerulean eye, forehead, and part of his left cheek. He gulped as he remembered that day.

"It was given to me by mother because of him. The thought of looking at my left side made her...Mmm," he grunted, words refusing to escape him. "Apologies, I don't normally talk about this..."

Y/n cupped his left side with her hand tentatively rubbing small circles on his tender skin again.

With eyes half lidded he leaned into her touch, already liking how her delicate hand felt against him.

Y/n got closer and gently kissed him under his left eye, where the scar began. Shouto's eyes widened slightly as he felt her delicate lips on his scar, his heart skipping a beat.

She pushed back right away before he could say anything. Giving him a gentle smile.

"Why did you?" Shouto asked stunned. Looking from her lips to her kindhearted e/c eyes.

"I can tell you're insecure about it Shouto. It's the reason why you try to hide your scar with your bangs right? I'm the same as you, you know. You can't tell but underneath these tights, my legs are full of them. I'm sure you saw with the pictures Hanta took." She tugged at his perfectly split in the middle, red and white strand as she talked. Gliding his hair back from his face with both of her hands.

"I..." he mumbled, feeling anxiety from having his scar on full display.

"It's hypocritical for me to say this, since I can tell we have the same fear. Regardless, you have to know... You're beautiful inside and out. Like you told me, don't be ashamed of the battles you had to survive, that others didn't have to. This..."

She quickly kissed his scar again, smiling from his shocked face.

"...shows people that no matter what, you survived and you're still here. And I'm glad you're here. I'm glad I got to meet you. I hope we can become close friends, Sho." She murmured to him.

"I'd like that." Shouto agreed with a small smile, his anxiety slithering back to its cave. "I have a hard time making female friends."

Y/n laughed at his scrunched-up face. "I don't think you have a hard time. I think they want to be more than your friend."

Shouto groaned in frustration. "I do not understand why people are attracted to this." He pointed at his scar again.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully at him. "You mister are more than your scar and you're more than your family's past. You are kind, caring, soft spoken and very handsome. Like a prince." Y/n smiled. The nickname fit him perfectly. "If you get to call me princess, then I'll call you, my prince. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life, me included."

Shouto looked down at the girl trying to hide his small smile and blush.

"Ahh..." Y/n teased him. "I got you to smile again."

Shouto tried to hide his smile with his hand, sitting back but still staying close to her, as to not break from the little world they created by just being there for each other.

"I'm serious Shouto, if you don't see your beauty, I'll make you see it. I'll call you handsome everyday if I have to." Y/n looked at the calm boy seriously.

"Y-you don't have to." He mumbled nervously from her teasing smile.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. Unless it makes you feel uncomfortable?" Y/n told him seriously. "I wouldn't want to do anything that'll make you feel that."

"It doesn't. More, strange than anything, you are very forward. It's refreshing..." Shouto whispered the last part.

"Yeah well, I've learned life is short. I'm just gonna be me and try to keep those I care about happy." Y/n smiled up at him, starting to feel in much better spirits.

Shouto hummed in response. After a moment, he reluctantly got up and outstretched his left hand to hers, asking for permission.

"Come on princess, lets meet with the others." Y/n gently put her hand into his, and he brought her up with ease to her feet, not letting go of her hand.

"Y/n..." he called her name quietly after taking a moment to himself. Y/n only looked at him signaling she was listening. "You are beautiful, caring and kind too, and I'll make sure you realize that as well. Because what you see in me, is what I am seeing in you too. It's unoriginal for me to copy everything you just said. However, I mean it, if I'm your prince, then you'll be my princess."

Y/n smiled sweetly at the two-toned haired young man. "And you call me forward..."

"I have been called blunt before." Shouto smiled softly at the blushing girl.

The two of them smiled content at each other, ignoring for a moment the grave danger they were all in.

In their own heads, they listed off the many things they had to work on, though decided not to voice their concerns until they met with Aizawa, Izuku and Katsuki. Specially on Y/n's quirk.

If that person was able to communicate with her and the three of them could hear him through her. They had to learn to block him out somehow. Sure, Aizawa would help them, but he couldn't always stay by Y/n's side.

They would come up with something they were sure of it. Her quirk kept getting trickier as they discovered something new, this was going to be a problem.

Still, Shouto refused to dwell on it, he'd be damned if he let that person invade her mind again and force her to relive her nightmares. If they could do something about it, no way was he going to let her go through that again.