Chapter 20

His cold atmosphere ran down his flesh as his subconscious mind was beginning to bring thoughts that should've caused panic hours ago to the surface. Uraraka wasn't wearing his mother's beads. He shifted, the couch radiating with his own warmth and his arm stiff from being wrapped around Uraraka, but lacking her weight. Todoroki felt his eyes rip themselves open as he panicked, beginning to glance around for her. Where? Where was she? Was she in another room getting sick trying to make sure they didn't see her this weak? It was his fault; his presence was too much for most psychics and he had never learned how to pull that power back in it was like the air around him. He needed to learn to control it, so it wasn't just her problem. It would be best to get away from him if she was struggling with being overwhelmed.

His feet hit the cold floor before he could even let another thought process through his mind, swinging open the door, to Katsuki and Uraraka in the kitchen. Todoroki leaned on the door glancing between the two of them arguing over what to cook for breakfast and how to cook it, while the Witch of the Forrest sat at the kitchen table bouncing who knows what in the air whistling to herself and clearly ignoring the world around her. Her eyes slid to him, "About time you got up."

Todoroki ran a hand through his hair, eyes lingering down towards Uraraka's wrist, brand new beads, bright pink shinning around her wrist, it was likely the witch of the forest's work.

"Sorry, your mother's beads were a little outdated, they were ready to break, I disposed of them properly. Even if you wanted to give them back to her it wouldn't have been healthy."

Todoroki nodded at the witch glancing towards Uraraka, who smiled towards him, waving as the beads dangled against her, "Oh, and she also did some changes so I can start working on my magic now too! Look!" Uraraka smiled, beckoning the pots and pans towards her, the pots and pans struggled in the air, but they moved towards her and back.

The witch laughed, "Whoever made your mother's beads probably made the situation so much worse by suppressing her magic." The witch shook her head, likely mistaken, knowing his mother, she had likely gone running home with the beads hoping to be taken back in by his ever-elusive grandparents who turned her away at the door. Causing the situation to go from worse to create the beginnings of his mother's downwards spiral. Todoroki nodded, as the witch continued talking, "I put my magic in those beads, not much so it won't be overwhelming to start, but the beads will eventually start breaking unable to hold up to Uraraka's powers. I'll come back to fix them when that starts happening when I do that I'll slowly and gradually add more and more power, during that time I want Uraraka to pick out an idea of something she was to siphon her powers out of. And Todoroki, work on your psychic field its everywhere. It would make a newborn baby cry."

Katsuki huffed in the kitchen seeming to take it as a form of insult.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who can't even step foot outside."

"You want to go? My day to go outside is also your weakest day."

The witch rolled her eyes, drinking something she had clearly stolen from their kitchen, "We can go, but remember I am thee Witch of the Forrest, if it weren't for him-" she shot Todoroki a glance, "I would be the most feared creature in this whole land, "Next time you pick a fight, remember that's for a reason. And I wasn't just born into that power." She paused, "No offense."

Todoroki nodded, it wasn't like he was unaware of the power and privilege he was born with, even if he dreaded it, he had always acknowledged what advantages it managed to give him over others. He shifted unsure if he should come closer while Uraraka was in the middle of using her powers.

"It's okay, come here, I want to make sure it's working while I'm still here."

He nodded, moving closer to Uraraka, "Would you be able to tell it's working immediately?" His mind wandering back to when they first met, it took several hours before she finally went down, what if this happened again while the witch was away?

She glanced between the two of them, "Should be good, Uraraka call me if you need anything, start with the basics, then we'll work our way up to see if it's just telekinesis or some form of magic, also call your parents."

Uraraka nodded, a soft but hesitant smile on her face as she showed her out the door. Uraraka closed the door, turning back to both of them in the kitchen before glancing between the two of them.

Katsuki made a soft scoff, "If anything hurts don't try to be a hero, just tell one of us," before turning back to the whistling stove.

Todoroki's hand tightened into a fist, "You still haven't called your parents?"

"You know how it is, there really hasn't been a chance for it," Uraraka's face became slightly redder, "It's just how it is, I've got to go get ready for class anyway."

He glanced towards Uraraka, the pool of blood that surrounded his ankles flashing through his mind, his voice cracking in his throat, "Actually…did you want to stay home today? I don't…I don't think it's safe, at least not yet."

Uraraka glanced towards him, her eyes shifting to the floor, "I don't want to show that I'm intimidated, but also…if I can help him. Even the slightest bit, I want to help, but I can't help if I can't find him."

Todoroki curled and uncurled his hand, suppressing the urge to run his hand through hair, his voice a soft whisper, "Please? Just this week? It shouldn't take long, I'll hunt them down," His voice quieted, "And take care of them."

It was the only way he needed to be honest with her. That was the truth. She needed to know she lived with a duo of murderers. His heart quickened in its paces. Waiting. Waiting for her reaction as the idea that she lived with murderers processed within her mind. The denial cycling through next, glowing in her eyes likely asking all the right questions and trying to push them down as a lie.

He braced himself, moving slightly to the side so Uraraka could dart out the door running for her life, Katsuki lowering his head pretending not to listen, but likely thinking of the same things they were thinking. That Uraraka was going to run, fearing for her life any second. The verbal rejection that they deserved about to accumulate into the air.

Todoroki braced himself watching Uraraka open her mouth, Uraraka's voice cracked, "I made you a killer. It's my fault."

Todoroki raised his hand, his own voice cracking, as he glanced towards the floor. The pot whistling from the kitchen the only noise in the house, it was practically a scream.

"We weren't innocent before you found us. Uraraka, it comes with the territory of being supernatural. All supernaturals you have ever met are killers. We're not an exception."

"But, who, I haven't-I didn't see a single-"

Todoroki glanced towards the floor, any sane person would run, "You did."

"You didn't, you wouldn't, you're both so gentle. There's-"

"The supernatural that chased you through the woods. The horde after that. I killed at least fifteen supernaturals that night. There was a stalker about a week later. The man from the mall. I'm sure there's more."

"The night of the new moon, a pack of werewolves, a curious fae that came too close for their own good, an unrelated stalker two days ago. I killed multiple supernaturals before I even found Todoroki." Katuski paused glancing at the counter, "And he kills to keep me alive."

He couldn't look at her, he couldn't see the fear of him that he once held for his own father running through her eyes, he couldn't see the panic as she wondered if she was next or questioned her own morals if she was ready to stay. "The backyard is built on corpses of others. At the end of the day….we're bad peopl-"

"You're not! I know you two! You're not bad people! I trust you and sometimes life hands you decisions that you have to make to keep yourself and those around you safe. And I know you two, I've watched both of you make calculated decisions. And I don't believe either of you go around killing innocent people. I know, you know, you're just trying to scare me away. You need to admit to yourselves that you're just scared. It's okay to admit that you're scared!"

Todoroki glanced up towards her, his heart rate was still beating incredibly fast, but it felt different. Not like someone was wrapping an elastic band around it anymore. His heart suddenly felt lighter than it did before. To the point he almost felt dizzy. He paused backing towards the wall, slowly sliding down it. It was unusual, but somehow Uraraka made him weak in the way that she made him so much stronger than before.

He glanced up through his hair, Uraraka right in front of him checking him for a fever, his mind wandering to something he should've said before, something he should've been clearer with. "I'd be willing to meet your parents again if you'd let me."

Uraraka nodded, "Sure, but not right now."

"The two of you get off the floor, I just cleaned that!" Katsuki shouted from the other room.

Uraraka stood up, "Alright, let's get breakfast, then crack this case and save more people."

Todoroki nodded, following her to the kitchen as the three of them sat at the kitchen table, arguing, babbling, and talking like a family would. Doing his best to push the image down of the blood encased around his ankles. It would be a while before he was able to push the image down but having some of the most important people to him in the world next to him eating breakfast helped. More than he would ever be able to appreciate.

He smiled, before moving towards the house's library, paging through the books, his eyes lingering towards the prison worlds kept behind his desk. No. He couldn't be tempted. Those kept in prison worlds were serving out their sentences. If he let one out in exchange for information, he couldn't tell what kind of terror he would unleash on the world. His fingers brushed over the books, unsure of who to ask, who would be willing, and who would ever have information on the current supernatural he was hunting. Would the price of their freedom be enough? Enough to save others? But what would be the cost? The only person that might know enough information was in a prison world because he couldn't handle them. He had nearly died that night trying to put them in. Everyone in the area knew their reputation. Even deadly and new supernaturals were concerned with this person's presence. Putting this person away was how he had earned his reputation. His fingers traced down the spine of the prison world's book, but could he manage to seal them back up again? Especially after years of pent up rage that were likely stock-piling within the novel?

The dial to the phone turned in the hallway, "I know it's been a while…. hi, dad…I'm okay, I'm living with two really great people. I know, I know, it's okay. He said he'd want to meet you again sometime, not yet, no I'm safe. How's mom?"

Todoroki let go of the book, pushing it back onto the shelf. Taking a breath, as he wandered away from the fastest help that there was to offer…but quite also the most dangerous.