The Past Determines The Future
“Fuyumi I’m fine,” Shouto sighed, “You’re still dealing with Enji, worry about yourself”.
“Just because I have my own problems doesn’t mean I won’t worry about yours as well”, Fuyumi exclaimed over the phone and Shouto had to hold in his likely unwelcome response.
Her thick accent was even clearer though the phone but Shouto didn’t mind. The woman was basically his mother considering how Rei was never there for him. Long ago she had reached her breaking point and vanished from the Todoroki family’s life. It had sent both of his older siblings, Fuyumi and Natsuo, into a depressive spiral.
Fuyumi, the oldest sibling, was more of a parent than Enji or Rei, although it was tough to understand her considering her only language was English. When she was young, Endeavor never bothered to speak to her and her tutor was English. Despite the struggle, in the beginning, Shouto became fluent in it.
With a roll of his eyes, Shouto switched his phone from his left shoulder to his right and continued to swipe at the table with his rag. He knew that his sister meant well but it didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying.
Fuyumi called Shouto on the first of every month to check up on him and this May was no different. Although he appreciated the effort, Fuyumi was still living at home with his abusive father to care for after a mugging incident. Although it was terrible to be mugged, Shouto enjoyed what the person must have looked like to take down his beast of a father. Standing at a large 6’5, Enji was a man with broad shoulders and a body built to withstand a tank. Shouto didn’t know who was stupid enough to attack a CEO but, because they succeeded, he had to applaud their effort.
“I’m serious Shouto” Fuyumi’s voice broke through his thoughts easily, “Please come to me if you ever need anything”.
Without offering a response, Shouto sighed. He wanted to listen to her but he knew she was struggling in her own way.
It was difficult seeing his sister suffer her life away in the home of an abuser but Shouto couldn’t do much when he was still terrified of the man. Fuyumi was strong, Shouto knew that, yet he worried. Despite his aloof personality, he did worry.
Although it was worrying, Shouto knew that Fuyumi fought back in her own way. The woman never gave in and stood strong. With snow-white hair and streaks of red, Fuyumi looked almost exactly like Rei with her stubborn personality. Thankfully Natsuo, his other sibling, inherited Rei’s looks as well.
Shouto, on the other hand, was a genetic anomaly with dual-colored hair and heterochromia. On his left side were red hair and a blue eye while on his right was white and a brown eye. Rei had hated how it reminded her of Enji.
As Fuyumi continued her tangent, Shouto realized that he was supposed to be listening to his sister instead of cleaning his kitchen. Taking his rag and dumping it into the bucket of cleaning solution, he gave a poor attempt to guess what Fuyumi wanted to hear but it was hard to think with the strong smell of citrus in the air to distract his thoughts.
“You win,” Shouto offered placatingly and he could hear Fuyumi’s satisfied noise of relief over the phone.
Bingo .
With a soft smirk, Shouto mentally congratulated his victory.
“Thank you Shouto, take care of yourself please?” Fuyumi’s smile was audible, “Call me if you ever need anything okay?”
“Okay” Shouto replied and added a second later, “Don’t let Enji push you around”.
“I won’t,” Fuyumi laughed and then the call ended because the Todoroki family didn’t do ’I love you.
Shouto placed his phone on the marble countertop and stretched his arms above his head. It’d been a while since he worked out and his muscles were stiff.
I should go to the park soon .
The countertop buzzed as a message pinged Shouto’s phone and he swiped away Fuyumi’s notification. He may care for his sister but speaking to his siblings tired him to no end.
It may seem to an outsider that Shouto was a horrible sibling to Fuyumi but that was their dynamic. If he were suddenly enthusiastic to her out of the blue, she’d assume Shouto was kidnapped and call the FBI. Although Fuyumi was mild-mannered, she’d do anything for Shouto.
Shouto would do the same without hesitation considering she’s the reason he even had a friend outside his family. When he was in middle school, Fuyumi signed him up for a pen pal program with a student his age in America against his will. At first, Shouto refused to respond to the letters, yet he still read all of them. Finally, after two months, he responded with a hello and received an enthusiastic two-page, front and back, response.
Those letters were in a box underneath his bed even now.
Ochako was a good friend but her saviour complex was tiring after she tried her best to ‘fix’ Shouto, her efforts being for naught. He was a loner and that was a hard habit to break.
All other thoughts died away once Shouto’s stomach growled angrily. In order to combat the silence while thinking, Shouto leaned over the sink to switch on the tiny, portable radio to 86.5 FM, his favorite station. It regularly played his little guilty pleasures such as Counting Crows and The Dispatch. He loved the type of music that made him feel like he was wrapped in a comforting blanket yet he wouldn’t ever admit that to anyone.
His kitchen was a sleek metallic modern area, which matched the rest of his house. The house was a two-story building painted gray and white with columns lining the door. Inside he had three rooms: one for his office, one for his library -which was the biggest room-, and the last room for his bed. Not that he sleeps there anyways.
Today was his cheat day on his diet but Shouto was far from a cooking mood so he pulled out a frozen meal from his refrigerator and popped it in the microwave for 4 minutes. Once it was done, he pulled it out and waited for it to cool patiently. As usual, the meal was made for one and with that thought, he came to the conclusion that it’d be nice to eat a meal with someone.
If only Ochako wasn’t working at the station.
The meal was a chicken masala that he actually enjoyed but rarely got to have. As he pulled the plastic out of the microwave, the dark tray burned in his hands. Wincing at the heat, he nearly tossed the plastic plate onto the wood.
Shouto then sighed and sat at the large marble table. It felt lonely eating by himself but he was honestly used to it. After he finished eating, he placed the utensils in the soapy water of the sink and headed to the couch to watch a show.
The white leather couch was peeling at the edges of the armrest and Shouto picked at the protruding pieces as the light from the t.v lit up the room. It was still brand new yet, since he’d used it so much, the couch was already in need of repairs.
Like always, Shouto fell asleep after half an episode and then woke up in the middle of the night; the light from the tv still going strong. Insomnia was a demon to deal with and he switched off the t.v in favor of heading to the roof to stargaze.
In his room, the bed was made neat and tidy yet Shouto couldn’t remember the last time he’d made it. The carpet underneath his feet muffled the sound of his footsteps and he thanked himself for having the foresight to place some down. As Shouto pushed open the window it screeched loudly and he winced at the noise. Thankfully, to make up for the loud noises of his house, was a flat plane of asphalt tile where he could lie.
The stars were dim due to the city’s bright lights and silently Shouto noted that he’d like to move away to somewhere in the countryside. He stayed on the roof the rest of the night until the sunrise painted his roof a beautiful golden color.
