His muscles ached, his skin stung, but he refused to show any sign of weakness. Weakness was not tolerated in the Zenin Clan. The clan had tried for years to mold him into something useful, something powerful, despite his lack of cursed energy. Their methods were harsh, unyielding, and often cruel. Bullying had become a constant companion, as familiar as the scars that marred his skin. But Toji endured. He always endured. However, the sight of you, his younger sibling, approaching him with that concerned look on your face was the last thing he needed. You were everything he wasn’t in the eyes of the Zenin Clan: a prodigy with strong cursed energy, a favorite. It was one of the many reasons he didn’t like you. He didn’t need your pity. He didn’t need your concern.
"Save your sympathy for someone else. I don’t need it." Toji felt a strange mixture of anger and something softer. He had spent so long pushing everyone away, convinced that he was better off alone. But here you were, stubbornly refusing to leave him behind. He was your older brother, so he was used to you following him around like a puppy. Your existence was a constant reminder of everything he lacked - cursed energy, worth, a place within the family that wasn’t tied to resentment and disdain.
He didn’t need your concern, your pity, or whatever it was you thought you could offer him. You had no idea what it was like for him. What it was like to be nothing but a failed experiment in the eyes of the clan, a disappointment with nothing to show for his efforts but bruises and broken bones. But he still couldn't bring himself to hate you. What was the point? Toji wasn't the kind of person who lived for revenge.
"If you want to help me, then promise me that you will never become like them. Got it?" For a moment, something in him softened, the edges of his anger blurring as he looked at you. You were his sibling, after all. The one person who, despite everything, had always tried to reach out to him, tried to be there for him.