Faith

The alleyway was in a dark, fetid corner in a dismal section of Musutafu. Anybody else would have avoided it altogether, covered in trash, rats, and plagued with general filth.

It was the perfect place.

A non-descript man in a suit and gold-rimmed sunglasses carried a multi-lock supported metal briefcase, completely at ease, even with a bounce in his step. He arrived at the back of the alley, where two men stood next to a large door. Both men were huge, burly, with twisted looks on their faces that could kill. Both were missing their tongues.

They were perfect, which is why he hired them.

He didn’t speak; simply flashed an ID. They moved, and he sauntered through.

The dilapidated studio was covered in dust, rotting wallpaper, and smelled of mold. It only contained a round card table with a few fold-up chairs. A small group of five people- three women, two men- sat at the table. At first glance, they all looked simple and non-descript- black suits, black glasses, black gloves, and visibly uncomfortable.

A surface look revealed that every piece of fabric they wore was worth hundreds. That the glasses hid eyes that shone with greed, as well as disdain for being in such a place. That the entire situation was beneath them.

A deeper look reveal that the gloves were as frayed at the edges as the people wearing them. That the eyes filled with greed and disdain were also darting back and forth in desperation and fear, knowing that if they were caught, they would lose everything.

But the third man’s attention to detail is perfect. Nothing would escape his notice, not this time. With his ultimate plan, they would never worry about anything ever again. No one could ever remove them from power. Remove him from power. He would become more untouchable than any hero ever was, with much less effort.

And it all came down to the metal suitcase that the third man now lay in the middle of the table.

The other attendees stared stiffly at each other and at the suitcase. No one was bold enough to remove their glasses, not that it mattered- they all knew each other’s true identities. For a few minutes, they simply sat there.

Finally, the first man cracked. “Well?! Don’t ever call me out to some festering hole like this and make me wait!”

One of the women turned. “Honestly. This better be worth it, _______. All of us have somewhere better to be.”

The second man scoffed. “I don’t. I am at the end of my rope hearing about these perfect heroes.” He mocked. “If I hear one more story in one more meeting about upcoming hero Deku and his heroics, I will scream.”

The second woman laughed. “If only I could get paid to cause collateral damage. ‘Deku’ is right. What a useless hero.”

The third woman scowled, pushing her seat back. “Enough of this. I didn’t come to talk shit about heroes. If there’s nothing new, I’m leaving.”

As she approached the hallway, one of the guards walked in. As she stared him in his face, daring him to stop her, he tightened his fist. As he tightened it, her face contorted in horror as metal began to protrude from it. Brass knuckles, and large ones, were covered in blood.

The third man chuckled lowly at her terror. “Please, sit _______.”

She stumbled over to the chair, falling into it. The third man- clearly the ringleader- leaned back and folded his legs.

“I have the perfect plan.”

Silence, as they waited for him to continue.

“As I am sure you have heard in your own area meetings, there is a growing threat from the terrorist group, The Underscore. They’ve even stumped some of the- some of our- better detectives in the commission. So, I have decided that the best way to move us up in the ranks will be for us to solve this ourselves.”

“How exactly do we plan on doing that, _______?” the first man growled. “I didn’t come here to hear a vague, vainglorious plan from you.”

The second woman rolled her eyes. “And what, pray, did you come here for?”

He sneered. “Upward mobility and money, same as everyone else here.”

The ringleader coughed into his hand, moving the room back into silence. His smile had never left his face, though his annoyance was evident in his tone.

“What we need is an in. We need to infiltrate The Underscore, and we need to do it before someone else does. We have been lucky in spreading enough misinformation to prevent them from making the proper connections- thanks to our very own _________.”

The first woman shivered, pleased as if she wasn’t aiding and abetting terrorism.

“As I said, what we need is an in. And none of us can do it. What we’ll need, dare I say it- is a hero.”

There was an uproar at the table.

“What?!”

“Would you compromise everything we’ve worked for?!”

“We’ll be ruined!”

“I knew we shouldn’t have listened to you!”

The second man rose his hand- outwardly it would seem timid, but they all knew that he was second in command to the ringleader. “If we were going to go that route, we could have brought this up legitimately.”

The ringleader waved his hand. “Listen to me.” He leaned in, his voice growing more passionate. “We only need one solid scandal, one solid case that will give our genius a chance to rise. This is the perfect time.”

The third woman grimaced. “But this group of upcoming heroes, they’re all so…flawless, to the point of boring. Especially that Deku, all squeaky clean. Makes me sick.”

At her words, the ringleader’s face twisted into a grin, though it looked more like a malevolent sneer. “You are correct, _______. He is unable to be used, at least not directly.” He gestured at the first man, who used his quirk to remove the seal that held the suitcase together.  

“_______, if you please.”

Everyone removed their glasses, holding them out for the second man to touch. He touched the ringleader’s glasses first, giving them precedence. Once he had touched everyone else’s glasses, the ringleader touched the folder. Everyone replaced their glasses.

The ringleader opened the folder and began scanning through the files and images, allowing everyone to see them in their glasses due to the quirk.

“Yes, _______. I understand that many of the strongest candidates, specifically that batch from UA, has been unusually clean,” He continued smoothly. “I had to do some extensive digging for this information and I assure you- it is foolproof.”  

“Oh, I recognize this one.” The first woman commented offhand.

“Hard to miss.” The first man replied.

“What about them?” the third woman hissed.

The second man seemed to pick up the ringleader’s direction more quickly, eyes widening in wonder. “Where did you even get this information? Do you even know what this means?”

The ringleader placed his hand over the second man’s.

“Au contraire. Friends, I know exactly how we will move forward from here.”

He leaned back in the chair arrogantly, slowly tossing the files and images of Todoroki Shouto onto the table.

“It’ll only take the movement of one,” toss “perfectly placed,” toss “domino.”

Shouto slumped in his uncomfortable chair, looking around the small, windowless room. Arms crossed and legs shaking, he could feel himself losing patience. He’d been ordered to attend a private meeting by the Hero Commission, but something was amiss. Why did they need him specifically? It was his off day, and as childish as it was, he was irritated that they were cutting into his nap time - he rarely got real rest. Groceries were also running low, Shouto noted with irritation. He began going through a mental checklist of menial tasks when the door opened. Three men entered the room around him, moving to the available seats. One of them was looking at him – or rather, staring into him. Not as a person, but almost like a meal- like he was something to consume. He straightened his posture and held his chin high, not willing to let the man see just how uncomfortable he made him.

Once they were seated, the man at the head of the table pulled out a briefcase that was unlocked by the man to his right. On the back wall, a blue screen was being projected. An entire presentation? Please no…

“Todoroki Shouto, correct?” the man stated.

It took everything in Shouto not to roll his eyes. “Yes.” No shit.

“Perfect. My name is Hashimoto Touma. To my right,” he pointed at the man who unlocked the case, “Kondo Sora, and to my left, Matsui Reo. Thank you for attending this special committee meeting.”

Well, it’s not like I could say no.

Hashimoto seemed to wait for him to respond, seeming irritated when Shouto simply sat, folding his hands, and waited for him to continue. He sighed, chuckling.

“We were told that you are a fellow of few words. Straight to the point. I like that in a man. It’s part of what makes you perfect for this mission.” He turned to the projector screen and clicked a button, showing a collage of three burning buildings.

“We are here to discuss a classified operation on looking into the inner workings of “The Underscore”, an upcoming terrorist group that’s been behind the recent bombings throughout Japan. I am sure that you are already aware of the details, considering they should have been discussed in the agency-wide hero briefing.”

Shouto nodded. The Underscore was classified as a terrorist threat after they bombed multiple buildings in Yokohama and Tokyo. They were a group of professed hackers that, for the third time in a row, managed to enter a high security government building unseen, get to the server room, hack their servers, presumably for information to sell, and slip away - but not before blowing the crime scenes all to hell.

“Part of the reason that they are so dangerous is that due to the nature of their crimes, they can simply enter, steal and leave. However, they are choosing to bomb the places they hack. It is to stake a claim and make a point. We have yet to determine their goals, and because of one of their quirks, we cannot pinpoint what information is being stolen.”

Hashimoto went on to reveal how the commission had managed to discover that one of the members had the knowledge and ability to bypass the security of heavily fortified systems, and another the ability to completely corrupt any system on contact. The nature of the information stolen couldn’t be pinpointed when the system was corrupted, especially when the servers were all heavily damaged by the flames.

Shouto nodded curtly. None of this information was new; every agency had been updated consistently with new information about the group.

“Hashimoto-san, forgive me – but what is the purpose of this private meeting? I already attended the briefing today over this.” I’m ready to go home, he thought curtly

Hashimoto closed his eyes momentarily, then gave a half-smile. It sent a shiver down Shouto’s spine. He then reached down into the suitcase, pulled out a manila folder, and handed it to Shouto.

“Please.” He said, gesturing at the folder.

Frowning, Shouto opened it to pictures. The first few of were midrange crime scene photos of the damage to the buildings. The rest were of the damaged servers.

“Pay attention to the damage done.” Matsui noted, speaking up. “The police and detectives have been suggesting, due to crime scene videos and the amount of damage, that these attacks have been bombings. However, the damage is not indicative of an explosion at any of the scenes.”

Shouto frowned. Matsui was right. The scenes showed no signs of anything being obliterated, no shrapnel damage which would have occurred if a bomb was involved. Granted the extent of the fire damage could have been masking it, but still. How did the police manage to miss this, multiple times?

“Why hasn’t this been brought to the commission’s – or rather, the investigation’s attention?”

Hashimoto pushed his glasses up onto his face. “They have been instructed not to give up that information, for the sake of the operation we are now assigning to you.” He pulled a single photo out of the briefcase and flicked it in the air to Shouto. Not one to be intimidated, Shouto managed to catch it out of the air before it hit the table.

It was blurry, clearly from a damaged security camera, and likely caught in a millisecond. But it was unmistakable. Shouto’s heart dropped into his stomach and he felt a beat skip.  

The picture was of a man. Black hair, purple, ghoulish skin everywhere except for the top half of his face, and one ice cold blue eye staring directly into the camera.

“It’s evident that you recognize him. If you can’t control your reactions, maybe you aren’t the right one for this mission.” The other man- Kondo? - snickered. That wasn’t an insult that Shouto was used to hearing, but he was too shocked to react.

“Nonsense, Kondo. I am sure that Todoroki-san is essential for this mission. Now let’s get to business.” Hashimoto said, clearly pleased at Shouto’s reaction. “This man, whom we all know as Dabi, was spotted on camera at one of the crime scenes. This most definitely accounts for the extreme fire damage at each scene. His last known sightings were with the League of Villains, a group that you and your peers had a notable role in stopping. Great work, assuredly.”

“Why are you putting me on this mission?” Shouto hissed. He didn’t mean to come across so gruff, but the stress of seeing someone from his past - of seeing his brother after the fall of the League of Villains - was overwhelming.  

All three men begin to chuckle, and it took all Shouto willpower not to freeze them all to their chairs and leave.

“Everything we say here is completely confidential, so you don’t have to worry when we say that we know.” Matsui offered.

“Know that Dabi is Todoroki Touya -that he is your long lost, eldest brother. One of your father’s darkest secrets.” Hashimoto finished.

Shouto felt sick to his stomach. He had figured it out along with his father - with their father - and it was not something that he’d been able to fully deal with. It wasn’t like they’d all been able to sit down and have tea or make up for lost time.

“Your mission, and you are being ordered to accept it, is to infiltrate The Underscore and find out each of their members, their specific quirks, their future plans, and relay that information firsthand to us.” Hashimoto stated. “This connection will be your in.”

Shouto barks out a laugh. “Connection? What connection? You think my villain sibling that somehow managed to evade justice years ago is somehow going to just accept me into their group because of… blood?” Shouto placed the photo down and tossed back the entire manila folder with disdain. These men were mad if they thought their vague plan was going to work. He wanted no part, and it was extremely insulting that they thought that he would be so willing.

“Think of it this way, Todoroki-san.” Matsui offered. He was clearly the most empathetic of the three. “You are the only one with a direct link. That link may not be one you desire, but yes - you are connected by blood.”

Kondo yawned. “And both of you likely have another thing in common.”

Shouto waited, eyes cutting to the man.

“Your hatred for Endeavor and his legacy.”

Shouto choked with indignation. So, everything was coming into light today?

“The Hero Commission is aware of the type of man that Endeavor was. It is unfortunate that they chose to keep quiet about it, mainly to prevent the loss of a Number One during a time that the world had lost the Symbol of Peace.”

Matsui sighed at Kondo. “They didn’t make a fair choice, but it was a choice nonetheless.”

For a moment, Shouto saw nothing but red. They were telling him, to his face, that the Hero Commission knew what a piece of shit his father was while he was growing up? That they knew, and chose to say nothing, to pursue nothing.

“Wouldn’t you like to eclipse that legacy? Or better yet, destroy that legacy?” Kondo continued, looking at his nails. “The minor investigation on Endeavor has produced evidence of his behavior. I’m sure you are tired of existing as “Shouto, son of Endeavor”. We are willing to-”

“Are you offering me evidence of my family’s abuse as an incentive?”

All three of the men quailed at the sight before them. Shouto stood before them, his entire left side up in flames and the right permeating in frost. His hands were gripping the edge of the table, leaving burns and cracks. His disgust was as palpable as the temperature fluctuations in the room - murderous, even. 

“Todoroki-san-”

“Your audacity - the audacity of this commission - astounds, truly!” He slammed his right hand down on the table, the frozen table cracking further up the middle. “As if I would ever be willing to work with any of you. Not after this!”

Kondo pushed his chair back, clearly nervous but trying to maintain control. “This is not a request, Todoroki-san - it’s an order! Your hero license is on the line, especially now that you have been made privy to classified information!”

Shouto turned sharply towards Kondo, causing him to flinch. His flames surged, forcing Kondo back into his seat. “My hero licen - why should I? If I were to accept this order, I would be putting my life on the line, be potentially- no, tortured. The world will think I am a traitor, despite everything I have ever worked for. And all of this, for three sleazy men who think they can threaten me with information that they should have saved my - saved our lives with!”

Randomly, he remembered someone – Izuku - telling him that it was so honorable and admirable of him to want to be a hero.

“You have been through so much, Shouto. Endeavor was not - is not - someone that I can look up to, especially after everything he put you through for the ‘sake of being a hero’. You could have left it all behind at any time, or worse, yet you choose to be better. Better than him, better for the world.” He’d said, smiling. “I’m so proud of you, and I look up to you Shouto!”

Thinking of Izuku tended to calm him down, and he took a few deep breaths, snuffling out both sides of his quirk. He managed to loosen his grip on the table, and sat down, continuing his breathing with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, he looked at all three men.

Kondo looked on in fear, though he tried to hide it with the same arrogance that he had when he’d walked in. Matsui looked on in concern, though even he had moved his chair back to avoid damage. Hashimoto… Hashimoto quickly wiped his expression, but before he did, Shouto saw a look of pure avarice. As if he’d seen exactly what he wanted.

“Who else knows about this?” Shouto whispered hoarsely.

“The operation? Us three, you, and a few higher ups, though for the sake of confidentiality and security no one has complete knowledge of every part of the plan.”

Great. Fucking fantastic, Shouto thought, exhausted already.

“We are willing to work with you as necessary to make sure you are safe, and that your family is cared for.” Matsui explained. Shouto scoffed. “There is a system set up for you to exchange information, as well as multiple emergency escape plans. You will be compensated very well-”

“I don’t care about your money.”

Matsui sighed. “I understand your frustrations, especially given the short notice-”

“Short notice? How long do I have?”

“The briefing you went to today predicted another attack in Musutafu, three days from now. That’s when you will be starting.”

Three days. They were giving him three days to get his life in order, to give up everything he knew as a hero, compromise himself, and take on a mission that disgusted every moral fiber he had. Shouto began to laugh, though it sounded like a sob. He couldn’t believe that this was happening to him.

“Is there anything else you want to disrespect me with today?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Do you accept this mission?” Hashimoto asked, raising his own eyebrow.

Shouto scowled at him. The impertinent bastard; he probably got off on seeing Shouto stuck. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

Hashimoto smiled. “Understood. You will be receiving a full case of information containing the details for you to study. It is imperative that you understand all facets of this mission, as it’s critical for your success.”

“How long do you expect this to run?”

“That depends on you,” Matsui cut in. “The more attacks we can prevent, the better.”

Shouto ran his hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Am I dismissed? Clearly I have some work to do.”

Hashimoto nodded, turning off the projector and putting his things into the suitcase. “My card will be in the manila folder; please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I must warn you, if you lose anything in that folder, or in any other way threaten this mission and thus the safety of those who managed to collect this classified information, your license will be revoked and you will likely face prison time.”

They were laying the threats on thick. Shouto couldn’t help but wonder if his father had ever been faced with such disrespect. Likely not to his face - his temper, even though it was more controlled in Shouto’s teen years, would not have allowed for it. Did that make him less respectable than Endeavor? Even though they knew about their family history… Just thinking about it made him sick. He stood up from the table, and Hashimoto held out his hand.

“It’s an honor to work with you, Todoroki-san.”

Shouto looked down at his hand with blatant distaste. Fuck you, he thought as he turned and stormed out. Out of the room, and out of the building until his legs felt like they were about to give out from the loss of adrenaline. He sat on a bench outside the commission building, gasping for air.

“Ahem. I think you could use this.”

He turned his head to see Matsui Reo smiling kindly, holding out a sweatshirt.

“Your shirt is pretty much gone.”

Shouto looked down; in his rage and desire to escape, he hadn’t noticed that the left side of his shirt had completely burned away, and the right side was close to falling apart. He snatched the sweatshirt; it was too large, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to be grateful for the help.

Matsui sighed and sat down. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t completely agree with their methodology.”  

“Then why do you work with them?” Shouto growled.

“Why do you work as a hero, knowing someone like Endeavor was one?”

Shouto’s fists tightened. “Are you-”

“The hero world isn’t black and white, Todoroki-san. It’s the same as the rest of the world - full of grays. It’s biased toward those with power - think of it like the UA entrance exam. Those who have the flashier quirk - the flashier resources - tend to have more sway, no matter what they believe in. I am hoping that as I move up in the ranks I can work toward a more balanced, fair system.”

“So, you’re new.”

“New enough.”

“Those guys are trouble. I feel sorry for you.”

Matsui scoffed and smiled, shaking his head. It wasn’t an unpleasant smile, but Shouto knew what a genuine smile looked like, and this wasn’t it. “I do want to let you know, regarding the information about your…family situation. One of the reasons that they didn’t move forward with the investigation was because the team couldn’t come to a consensus on how it should affect your mother.”

Shouto froze, mind flying through the implications.

“Some of the people on the team were concerned that she would be arrested for child endangerment, despite her being a victim of abuse herself. That she would be partially blamed for what occurred in your home. Others were convinced that that’s what she deserved, even arguing that she should be charged on child abuse herself.”

Shouto’s hand subconsciously rose to his scar. He couldn’t understand - how and where did they get this information? This level of vulnerability made him feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

“In the end, it didn’t matter. Endeavor had a team of lawyers, and they managed to shut the entirety of the investigation down.”

Of course he did. Shouto tried on principle not to think poorly of his father, but it was hard not to wish pain on the bastard.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Matsui sighed. “Your reaction. I felt bad for Kondo’s rudeness, and thought maybe I should try to explain.”

“It should never have been brought up at all.”

“We were wrong.”

Shouto looked at him. He was no longer smiling, but his expression was open. Matsui shrugged, and stood up. “I would go get some rest, get your things in order, and start planning.” He held his hand out, and Shouto took it.

“I know it might not seem like it,” Matsui murmured. “But I am on your side. Remember that.”

Fixing his glasses, he walked off. Shouto watched him, sighed, and began making his way toward the train station. He pulled out his phone, typing in Fuyumi’s number.

“Shoucchan! Anything you want to talk about?”

“Hey, nee-san. I was wondering if we could get the family together for dinner, tomorrow? I-” he paused. He couldn’t tell her about the fact that he’d be going off the record for God knew how long. “I miss everyone.”

“Have you been feeling existential about the job, hun’?” Fuyumi asked him softly.

“Yeah.”

“I understand. I’m sure it’s hard for you, and you work so much. We are all so proud of you.”

“Thanks, sis.”  

“No problem. Do you want to have a home-cooked meal, order in, or do you want to go out?”

“Order in, but from somewhere special.” Shouto paused, pretending to think. “I feel like splurging.”

Fuyumi gasped dramatically. “Shoucchan! So irresponsible! Are you really my brother?” she teased.

He rolled his eyes, smiling. “All right. There’s a really nice ramen place we can order from; they have a beef curry ramen that’s to die for.”

“Perfect, perfect. I know just where you’re talking about, too. I went on a date there. Terrible date, pricey, but I got great ramen out of it. I’ll get mom and Natsuo together. Text me what you want to eat, and I’ll order it ahead of time okay?”

“Okay, Love you, sis.”

“Love you too-” Fuyumi paused. “You sure everything is okay?” she asked, worry pouring through the phone.  

Shouto’s throat constricted with tears that threatened to spill over, and it felt like he couldn’t swallow. He wanted to tell Fuyumi about his day like he did when he was younger. He wanted to tell her about how poorly they had treated him, about how they somehow knew about everything. But he couldn’t. So, he just sighed.

“Yeah, just stress.”

“Well…okay. Talk to you later then, hun’.”

“See you.”

Finally sitting down on the train, he leaned his head against the window and stared out into the late afternoon. Guess there wouldn’t be a point in getting groceries anymore.

Shouto smiled as he watched his family interact at the table. Natsuo was discussing how he was planning to get into theater again at a community theater in downtown Tokyo, something to back up the monotony of being an engineer. He sounded so ecstatic about it too; he’d been in theater while he was a teenager and Shouto was still in elementary school, but…well… It wasn’t like anyone other than Fuyumi was able to support him at the time. And as soon as he was old enough Endeavor shut down his dreams, claiming it was time to “honor the family with a respectable job”. It was one of the reasons that Natsuo was unwilling to speak to Endeavor after he left the family home.

“It was a shame, honestly.” Fuyumi added. “You always could have been a professional actor, with your bubbly and headstrong personality. Your teachers always said that you were a diamond in the rough.”

Shouto couldn’t help but notice his mother’s sad smile and miniscule twitch at Fuyumi’s comment. She hadn’t been around to go to Natsuo’s plays or talk to his teachers, and naturally Endeavor didn’t care what Natsuo did until it was time to bully him about it. None of it was her fault, but he was sure that it still weighed on her.

“How about you, Fuyumi? How’s teaching going?” Shouto asked, trying to turn the conversation away from Endeavor. Rei sent him a grateful smile.

Fuyumi was doing well teaching her kindergartners, discussing how she had decorated her room for the spring season and how she really wanted Shouto to visit the classroom some time to talk to them about hero work. He blushed the shade of a tomato and asked if her there was anyone else they might want to talk to.

“Nonsense! Though, considering all of your school friends are as popular as you, you should bring everyone! We’d have the little ones and the bigger kids dying to get into the room if you brought Deku and Uravity with you!”

Shouto chuckled quietly, and went back to his food. The soba from the restaurant they ordered from was exquisite, and he didn’t know the next time he’d be able to eat it.

“Two large orders of cold soba; you’re eating like it’s the last thing you’ll ever eat or something, Shouto!” Natsuo exclaimed, clapping him on the back. Shouto couldn’t help but flinch, his heart almost coming out his mouth. Rei placed her hand on Shouto’s shoulder, reassuring him.

“Natsuo. His work is very physically demanding, and I’m sure he’s hungry. Let your brother eat.”

Natsuo laughed and let go, and Shouto leaned into Rei’s touch, thankful that they both had each other’s back. She pinched his cheek, smiling. When he finished eating, Fuyumi collected all of the bowls and went to the kitchen, Shouto following close behind.

“Hey... Could you hold Natsuo back while I talk to Mom? It’s…private.”

“And here I thought you came in here to help!” Fuyumi laughed, then turned to look at him. Her smile faded, and concern etched onto her face. “Sure, okay.”

She called out to Natsuo, who entered the kitchen confused.

“Help me clean up.”

“But Shouto’s right there!”

“Shouto can’t properly wash a dish to save his life.”

Shouto started at the insult, turning to Fuyumi to stand up for his ability to wash dishes. She simply smiled at him.

“Begone, baby brother. Natsuo, you can sing the songs from the musical you’re in while we wash.”

Natsuo’s eyes widened with glee, and Fuyumi rolled her eyes as she turned. As he hit the first note, Shouto walked back into the living room where Rei sat on the couch. She giggled at Natsuo’s theatrics as she opened her arms. Shouto gently laid on the couch, putting his head in her lap.

“He’s always been such a silly boy,” she murmured, running her hands through Shouto’s shoulder length hair. “He deserves happiness. You all do.”

Shouto looked up at her, worried. She smiled. “Don’t worry about me right now. Something’s been on your mind, Shoucchan. What’s going on? I hate to see you looking so sad.”

He was worried to tell his mother, considering he’d been threatened not to. But out of everyone in the world that he would have to face in the future, his mother was the one that he needed to know would always love him. Would always believe in him.

“Mom… you can’t tell anyone, but I have a mission coming up, and it’s going to take me away for a while. I don’t know how long, but I know I won’t be able to see you or write you letters. It’s very dangerous, and I… may have to do some things out of character to make sure that I can stay safe. I…” he paused, his throat filling.

“Yes?” Rei’s eyes were clear, and she was encouraging him to continue.

“I’m afraid, Mom.” He whimpered, sitting up so that he could wrap his arms around her. While Rei kept her expression clear, she was shocked. Shouto very rarely outwardly expressed fear; in fact, it was often that she was worried that he was repressing his emotions. Something must really be bothering him.  

“Aww, Shoucchan. And what is my baby, my gentle giant of a youngest, afraid of?” she asked, mirth filling her voice. Shouto was six foot and one inch tall, taller than all of his siblings, and wrapping himself around his tiny mother was a feat that she always managed, just for him.

“I’m afraid that you might… hear or see something about me. Something bad.” Shouto whispered. “And you won’t be proud of me anymore. That you’ll… you won’t want to be around me anymore. That you’ll think that I’m like…” Like him.

Rei didn’t completely understand what he was saying. “What might I hear? Why wouldn’t I want to be around you?”

He shook his head, saying nothing.  

Rei sighed, squeezing him tight. “Well, first let me tell you something.” She tilted his face to hers. “You are not like him.” They both knew who she meant. “You are not like him, you will never be that way, and it’s my fault for making you feel that way. You are a good boy, and I am so proud of you. You are selfless, just, and strong. I have faith that you will make the decisions that need to be made, even if they are hard.”

“But… what if I were bad? What if I weren’t those things?”

“Shouto. No matter what, you are my son and I will always love you. I might not always understand the choices you make. I certainly won’t enable bad behaviors. But I won’t ever stop loving you- you are my child, you are precious to me and I will do whatever I can to make sure you feel supported.”

Rei spoke in calm and strong voice, unwavering. Shouto shook as he took a deep breath, feeling a tear drop from his face onto her shoulder as he hid his face.

“Will I be forgiven?” he murmured.

“I asked the same thing about you and your siblings every day,” she replied, and his breath caught. He rose his head, looking into her eyes. She smiled back sadly. He was about to say something when Natsuo burst through the door, boldly and dramatically singing the last line of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Fuyumi elbowed him in the ribs, crawling in behind him.

“Sorry, couldn’t take it anymore. If he starts beat-boxing after this one too, I’m going to cry.”

Shouto and Rei began to laugh; he’d inherited that soft chuckle from her.

“Is everything okay?” Fuyumi asked, looking at both of them as Rei began running her hand through his hair again. Shouto ignored her question, closing his eyes and enjoying the soothing sensation.

“Everything is fine, Fuyumi dear. What time is it? I know I need to go back to the hospital tonight, unfortunately.”

“You’ve got about an hour and a half, Mom.”

Natsuo threw himself at her knees, sitting on her feet. “Well Shouto can’t have all of the affection!” he cried, wrapping his arms around her knees and squeezing tight. Rei laughed.

“You used to do this when you were little.”

Natsuo stuck out his tongue and clung tighter. Shouto lifted his foot and began pushing on Natsuo’s side, trying to knock him over without moving himself.

“Hey- stop- quit it Shou- knock it off! Mom!”

“Shouto,” Rei warned, looking at him. Shouto nonchalantly pouted, putting his foot back on the couch. A click came from across the room as Fuyumi snapped a few pictures for posterity. Rei held her hand out. “Join us, Fuyumi love.” Fuyumi obediently sat on her opposite side, leaning into Rei’s embrace.

“I love all my babies. Every, single, one.” She said, pausing to kiss each of them on the head. “And I am so proud of all of you.”

As she began to hum a song she used to sing them when they were little, Shouto couldn’t help but wonder if she meant Touya, too. How must her heart feel, knowing that there was one baby missing? As far as she knew he was dead, but Shouto knew better. Would she still be willing to love Touya, knowing what type of person he was? Where would Touya fit in? He began to feel sick at the thought, along with a strange sense of being incomplete.

----------------

On the night before the predicted attack, there was another agency-wide meeting to review preparations and strategies. Afterward, Shouto joined his friends at a bar a few blocks from his apartment for dinner and drinks.

“Shouto-kun! I am not used to you drinking more than a single vodka with cherry sprite!” Iida shouted, directing his hand at the rum and coke that Shouto was sipping on. “You should not mix lights and darks!”

“You also shouldn’t mix whites with reds, and I’m pulling that off pretty well, too.” Shouto deadpanned. Iida gaped, unable to come up with a comeback while Ochaco snorted some of her drink out of her mouth.

“He’s just worried about you,” Momo replied, rolling her eyes. “That is your third drink tonight, and we do have work tomorrow.”

“Exactly,” Iida agreed, nodding. “And your colors are perfectly split and separated, so your retort is invalid.”

Shouto sighed. Maybe he was overdoing it due to stress. “This is my last one, I promise. I wasn’t aware we were all so concerned about me and my drinking habits.”

“Well you’ve been unusually quiet tonight,” Izuku noted.

“I’m always quiet.”

Izuku nodded, acknowledging the truth. Shouto avoided his eyes. Izuku had been paying extra close attention to him today, and no one knew him the way Izuku managed to. Izuku was also wearing a really tight black t-shirt with perfectly fitting jeans, so there was more than one reason to avert his gaze.

Izuku clapped his hands together, smiling. “Let him finish his drinks! He’s a growing boy! Any other time, you’re telling me to drink more!”

Ochaco laughed. “Deku, you’re such a lightweight it’s ridiculous. I don’t understand how you manage to have all that muscle mass and can’t take more than two pints of beer before you’re a giggling mess.”

Izuku blushed to his ears, as expected. “Then why do you try to make me drink more?”

The conversation turned to Izuku, for which Shouto was grateful. Shouto smiled gratefully at Izuku, finishing his drink.

---

Izuku flushed again, with his friends thinking it was because they were teasing him. But any time Shouto smiled- smiled because of him, smiled at him, smiled for anything- Izuku turned red. He wanted all of those rare smiles to himself. But that wasn’t the only thing that he was worried about. Shouto had seemed tense throughout the entire time he’d seen him today, at one point staring furiously at the floor while the speakers were talking. He’d been distant, and it even took some prodding to come out tonight when normally he was cool and confident to join them. So when Shouto stood up, excusing himself for the night, Izuku stood up quickly.

“I’m going to make sure you get home okay; you did have more than usual to drink.”

Shouto gave him an odd look; he was only tipsy and perfectly capable of walking himself home. Izuku ignored him and grabbed his jacket.

“Let’s go!”

Izuku also ignored their friends stares, feeling Ochaco pinch his side as he left.

On the way back to Shouto’s apartment, Izuku filled the silence with talk about upcoming heroes and the new quirks that he was studying. Normally Shouto made sure to nod, interject occasionally, and smile just so Izuku knows he’s listening, but this time he didn’t even look up from the sidewalk.

When they got to Shouto’s apartment steps Izuku paused, holding his hand out until Shouto walked into it.

“What’s wrong, Shouto?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been… moody.”

“Moody?”

Izuku struggled to put it into words. “All of today you’ve been very tense, distant, staring off into space. You even almost walked past your apartment just now. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

Shouto turned and looked at the front stoop, realizing where he was. “I would have noticed eventually,” he muttered, embarrassed.

Izuku moved in front of Shouto, placing his hand firmly on his left shoulder. “Talk to me.”

He notices that his shoulder gets hotter, and Shouto’s head lowers.

“As a pro-hero, we need to do what’s best for everyone, right?”

“Yes. The safety of others is paramount; it’s why we do this.” Izuku answered honestly.

“What if what’s best for everyone isn’t what’s best for you?”

Izuku’s eyes widened. Was Shouto regretting becoming a hero? Was the job weighing on him?

“I don’t… I don’t think we have the option to be sel- to think about ourselves more than we do the people we save. It’s hard, but it’s a hard truth of being a hero.”

“To make the decisions that need to be made, even if they are hard,” Shouto murmured.

Izuku turned his head in confusion. Before he could ask why he was feeling so existential, Shouto’s head shot up, looking at Izuku straight in his eyes. He looked extremely desperate, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened.  

“How much would it take for you to lose faith in me?”

Izuku is floored. “I- I, uh… I don’t really understand… It would depend on the situation-” His stammering gets worse as he sees Shouto’s entire face shut him out, going back to the unreadable mask that he wore when he didn’t want someone knowing how he felt (which was most of the time). Fuck, Izuku, think! Clearly he needs someone to stand by him, hear him out!

“Never mind. It was a loaded question.” Shouto turned away from him, ready to walk up the steps.

“Shouto, wait!” Izuku reached out, stepping up to follow him.  “Are you worried about tomorrow? Is that it?” He desperately wanted Shouto to stay, to stay vulnerable, but he’d already fucked it up.

Shouto looked up at the sky and sighed. “Just… thinking about what it means to be a Todoroki.”

Huh? “What do you mean?” Was he having problems with his father? But he couldn’t be, not ever since the-

“Don’t worry about it.” Shouto said, smiling sadly at him. “I think I’m having a midlife crisis or something. I’ll get over it.”

“We’re only 23, Shouto. I think you have time to have one of those. We’ll grow old together before that happens.”

Izuku choked when he realized the implications of what he actually said.

“I’m just saying that we’re both going to be okay, you know? I don’t want either of us to get hurt, we’re really close friends and I don’t want you to be sad! I don’t want to be sad either, of course! I want to always be here for you, even if I’m not very good at advice, which I know I’m not! And-“

Izuku cuts off as Shouto suddenly grabs him in a bone-crushing hug. If hearts and stars could fly around Izuku’s head they would be, and he melts into the hug.

“Don’t give up on me. Please.” Shouto whispers before he pulls away, leaving Izuku confused and hollow.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” he tells him. “Get some rest- you like to overdo it so you’ll need it.” As he turned away Izuku pulled him back, staring into his eyes.

He realizes that the emotional undercurrent he’s felt for Shouto was fear. He was scared for Shouto, seeing a sadness in his eyes that he hadn’t seen since their first fight at the sports festival years ago. He wanted to offer to stay the night, to help work through whatever Shouto’s going through, but he knew that he likely wanted to be alone. So he grasps Shouto’s face in between his hands, moving his thumb gently across his jaw.  

“Be careful tomorrow.” Izuku firmly tells him. He watches Shouto’s eyes widen, then close as accepted the touch. After a moment he lets him go. Shouto silently runs up into his apartment building, leaving Izuku behind in the night.

Izuku sighs, smacking his forehead. Stupid Izuku, stupid!

As he walked toward the train station to get home, he realized that he never answered Shouto’s question. It really was a loaded question, and he felt like without thinking about it he wouldn’t have given a good answer. His heart was heavy; he felt like he’d failed his friend.

Damn his stupid feelings! Recently he had felt that things had been better between them, and was even ready to ask Shouto out on a date officially. However, after seeing Shouto’s odd behavior he figured that maybe it wasn’t time for him to reveal his feelings. He was clearly stressed about something, and he didn’t want to unload any more on him. Still, he wanted to be there for him, be the one to help him untangle it all.

Be the one to hold him while he cries, kiss away his tears, love him until he feels nothing else but pure happiness and self-worth…

Izuku shook his head to clear away the thoughts, inhaled, then nodded firmly. He would just do better next time. After the mission, he would confront Shouto, and he would be ready to be a supportive best friend. Maybe it would lead to more, but that wasn’t priority. He wouldn’t fuck it up again.

He would think back on everything that Shouto said. Everything that Shouto needed from him, spoken and unspoken. On how he didn’t see it.

It would be one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Part of the benefit of meeting in such a posh penthouse in a nice section of the city was that no one ever thought to look there. Someone extremely wealthy, committing hands on crime? Nonsense! It was perfect, cushioned by privilege, wealth and prestige.

Touya felt like he could spit on it all, the fucking hypocrisy of it. Instead, he picked up one of the chocolate strawberries and relaxed on the couch.

He had always been a lone wolf, even in his days with the League. Working with others already didn’t seem to be his strong suit, but using others to get where he needed to go? He knew when to swallow his pride. Especially when his goal was so close within his reach. Just a little longer, and I’ll have what I need. He repeated that mantra to himself every day. It wasn’t always true, but it kept him going, and it looked like his efforts were finally going to pay off.

Working with this group, ‘The Underscore’ as so lovingly dubbed by the media due to the corrupted files only showing infinite “_____” when opened, had to be one of the most awkward times in his life. At least the League had been composed of a group of chaotic degenerates like himself, with a common purpose of toppling the false idol hero system. This? This was nothing like that. This was a bunch of kids doing whatever they wanted because they could. But it didn’t matter. As soon as he got what he needed, he was out, the same way he’d abandoned the League when it fell.

It was also a convenient deal, with people who legitimately wanted nothing out of him other than to serve as damage. Thoughtless job, easy access, quick reward. It would have been a dream come true if he were like any other villain. Still, he couldn’t lose sight of why he was here, and when he’d need to leave. He finished the strawberry and placed his arms on the back of the soft white couch, vaguely wondering if he was staining it.

Across from him, messing with an expensive laptop and discussing the drives they were making, were the twins. The girl with blue hair, large headphones, and a grungy outfit straight out of Hot Topic was Piv0t. Her quirk allowed her to increase the amount of space on the drives her brother made. Her extremely high IQ and her ability to hack a system was almost unparalleled in the hacking community, and all by the age of 16. The boy with pink hair, wearing a t-shirt and sweats was nicknamed Crypt. His quirk allowed him to corrupt any file and system, and his intelligence lay in building the tech that both of them used. He was also extremely smart, and served as the main strategist of the two. He was also the de facto leader in this hodge podge group. Though the twins seemed not to be concerned about anything (Piv0t could even be considered a sociopath), neither of them were interested in active villainy, simply preferring to commit crimes just to test the limits of their abilities. Touya was sure that with all of the blood money supporting their family, neither of them were concerned about consequences either. It didn’t matter; their quirks were necessary to extract information.

The dirty blond with the pink tank top, torn jeans, and heavy eyeliner’s name was Haia (“you don’t need to know my full name, either!”), and she served as enter and escape. Her quirk allowed her to turn herself and up to three people into small animals. She claimed that so far her best animal was a mouse for an indefinite amount of time, but that she could pull off a cat on two people for about an hour. It was honestly perfect; even in a government building mice and rats could get into the underground where the servers were stored. You could get in and out completely unnoticed, if that was what you wanted. She mildly reminded Touya of Toga, with her sinister sweetness.

He was Dabi. No one needed to know him as anything else, at least for right now. His purpose was chaos. Burning away evidence, defense, letting the government and the heroes know that they needed to watch their asses; that someone could break into their defenses and destroy it from the inside. He had discussed his purpose with Piv0t and Crypt, and they were willing to work with him without saying anything. 

Then there was the new guy, who wanted to be called ‘Toxic’ (completely lame name, but that wasn’t any of Touya’s concern). His quirk allowed him to release toxic mists that were capable of disabling and even knocking people out for up to 20 minutes. His mist was most potent when it was either inhaled directly and en masse, or when inhaled over a long period of time. Crypt and Touya had worked with him to create cannisters that would explode with force and extreme heat, though the gas was only effective for three minutes without a direct source. He also served as muscle; the man in a blue jumpsuit took up a whole loveseat by himself and looked positively criminal.  

They were discussing the raid on one of Musutafu’s Hero Commission sites. Touya knew that there was a larger haul than normal at this sight, and everyone agreed that it was going to take more time than the usual in and out that they perfected.  

“It’s going to take about 30 minutes for me to do what I need,” Piv0t said in her monotone.

“Did you hire the men we needed?” Crypt asked, turning to Toxic. He nodded.

“Good.” Crypt replied. “So we know that this time, the heroes are trying to set a trap for us. They’re expecting us to do our normal run.”

“You’d really think they would do better with protection, but maybe they still haven’t figured out who they’re up against.” Piv0t said, sighing. “I hope this is a better challenge, considering all of the hero stuff that’s likely in these files.” Crypt pat her head in sympathy.

“What’s the plan?” Haia asked, folding and unfolding her legs.

“Security will be high, with the heroes waiting both inside and out. Again, they’re expecting us to sneak in, get the info, and leave. They want to catch us red-handed. So this time, we are going to have to pre-emptively attack. Haia, you will change Toxic into a mouse until he gets to one of the main airways. Toxic, you’ll sneak into the vent, do your thing for about 20 minutes, making sure that everyone in the building is out cold.”

It wasn’t a bad start, Touya could concede. They wouldn’t be expecting Toxic’s quirk because it was a deviation from the pattern.

“While he does that, Haia, Piv0t and I will sneak in as mice as per usual and do our thing. Toxic, we will signal you when we are in. You are to continue pumping in gas so that no one can get in until we are finished.”

“Just how do you think you will avoid my quirk? You will be out just as quickly.”

“Gas masks. We tested it with Haia’s quirk; they shrink with us. It’s actually pretty cool.”

Toxic nodded, impressed. The little brats really had thought of everything.

“As soon as we send the signal that we are done, you are to join Dabi in the front, fighting the heroes and police.”  

Touya rose his eyebrows. Oh boy, right in the thick of it like the old days. He’d need to stretch a little.

Piv0t pulled up a list of some of the heroes they were able to dissect as being a part of the teams to approach them. Touya leaned forward to skim through them.

“They’re going to have local heroes, but I noted that they’re bringing in some of the big guns tomorrow; it’s fairly impressive.” Crypt noted.

Very big guns indeed. Ingenium, Uravity, Creati, Deku…

Shouto.

Touya smiled. “How… convenient,” he said, voice drawing out the words.

He had been wondering when he would see Shouto again, but this… well this plan just made it too easy. It was delicious.

Touya stood up, having heard enough. As he stretched, the others stared at him.

“I’ll be taking a hostage tomorrow.”

Haia glared at him. “I can only transform me and 3 people. There already isn’t enough for one of us.”

He shrugged. “We always have an escape vehicle nearby. Just take the twins, and then take us. Besides I won’t need to go far; just get me far enough out of sight and I’ll handle myself.”

Toxic cracked his knuckles. “That’ll bring attention to us and increase the hero presence,” he growled.

Touya rolled his eyes. “This entire attack is going to do that. I’ll need your help to sedate the hostage anyway, so it works out.”

“I don’t really care what you do as long as you don’t get us caught.” Piv0t said, looking at her fingernails.

“Why do you need a hostage anyway?” Haia asked him, finally letting curiosity show.

“I thought we discussed that personal motives are fine, as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone’s payday.”

Haia tilted her head, acknowledging it. “So I’ll drop the twins off at the getaway car, come back and grab you, Toxic, and guest?”

Touya nodded. “Toxic will have his van nearby anyway, we can all fit.”

“And why would I help you?” Toxic added, frustrated.

“You can have half my portion when the information gets sold.” Piv0t and Crypt may not have cared about why they were hacking, but they didn’t run in a greedy family for nothing. All data was traded for cash or more information.

Toxic nodded, and the deal was done. Touya got up, lifted his hoodie, and left the penthouse. As he walked in the night, he smiled excitedly.

“We’ve got a lot to discuss tomorrow, baby brother.”

Izuku waits with trepidation in his position, his earpiece silent. All of the heroes and police were in position, waiting to pounce on the villains when they arrived or emerged. Everything that entered the vicinity of the building was stopped and checked, with one of the local heroes having an infrared quirk that allowed them to sense heat signatures.

Everything seems a little too quiet when an armored bank truck pulls up to the front of the building. Security approaches the truck, when a voice murmurs over the mic.

“That’s strange… the entirety of the truck has a developing heat signature, which... unless… Don’t! No, it’s a tr-“

The door of the truck blasts open, with blue flames shooting forth like they were coming from a dragon. Izuku holds his hand out, shielding his face from the hot winds that blast outward. The blue flames surround the front of the building, spreading fast like there’s an accelerant. Fifteen men emerge menacingly from the flames, each flexing with varying quirks specifically hired to make capturing them difficult.

The heroes meet them head-on, having to dodge the flames as they fight. While it could be handled (the best heroes knew when to improvise) it was certainly unexpected. The flames normally occurred when The Underscore was trying to escape and erase their tracks, so unless…

“The Underscore is likely already in the building! The police need to get inside and arrest them!” Izuku shouted through his mic. He darted out of the way as Iida dodged one of his attackers, a man with a two swords coming out of his forearms. The heat and smoke was starting to get to some of the heroes, with some of the greenery nearby completely catching on fire. Izuku covered his mouth with his arm. What was making them change their strategy this time? What could have made them feel bold enough to attack head on?

“Is there anyone inside? Somebody?!” he calls. He hears Momo over the line, coughing.

“It seems that security within the building is not responding!” she cried, grunting over the line as she fought off a man with an actual club in his heads.

“They’re all unconscious!” Ochaco cried. “I checked one of the office windows and everyone is completely knocked out! We are going to have to go in!”

How is this possible? Izuku racked his brain, trying to understand. When did they manage to do all of that?

“Someone has a gas quirk!” one of the local heroes called through the mic. “Someone of us tried to go in, and immediately had to back out. Someone gassed the place!”

Gas. A completely new method. The Underscore could have only planned this well if they knew ahead of time that they were going to be attacked. The hero commission and all of the agencies had been arrogant- they had expected them to repeat the same thing and only planned for that.

“How was it, Piv?” Crypt asked, leaning over her shoulder. She stared straight forward at her high-powered laptop, watching the files transfer extremely quickly.

“Firewalls were robust this go-round, and the encryption was high-level, definitely government approved to be almost impossible to decipher. I actually broke a sweat.”

“Excellent. Let me know.”

“This should be the last server.”

Haia walked in, her smiling face twitching. “Hey guys, uh, it sounds like people are gonna get in soon. I think we need to go.”

Crypt held up his hand, looking down his nose at her. “Not yet. My sister isn’t finished.”

Izuku dodged again and again, trying to avoid the bullets coming from the knuckles of one of the men. The heroes had almost completely dealt with the henchmen, with everyone doing their best to cuff them. However, despite calls to heroes with water quirks and the fire department, the blue flames show no sign of stopping, rising even higher.

Right as he goes to dodge again, a wall of ice encases the man, allowing for Izuku to cuff him. He turns to be grateful to Shouto, as that was the last of the henchmen. But Shouto’s not looking at him. The wind changes direction as the fire shifts apart, finally revealing the controller.

Dabi stood confidently in the middle of the entire scene, almost as if he was bored until he saw Shouto and smiled wickedly.

He points one finger at Shouto and turns it over into a palm, beckoning him forward.

“You’ve avoided me long enough, Shou.” He sneered. “Let’s talk.”

Izuku sees Shouto’s look of horror shift into one of rage.

“No, Shouto, wai-“

But it was too late. Shouto shot forward like a bullet, his orange flames clashing into Dabi’s blue. The heat became unbearable, forcing everyone to move further back and the flames swirled into a circle. It was almost beautiful, watching the flames collide just like their users.

Everyone was entranced watching the fight, including Izuku, but at the same time he was worried for his friend. Shouto had the upper hand in technique, but it’s clear that Dabi is more natural and powerful with his fire.

Why he isn’t using his ice?

Shouto could have used his ice to force Dabi into a corner; to force him to play defense. Instead, he was completely neglecting it altogether as if he was trying to force himself not to use it. This wasn’t the right time for pride!

“Come on then, Todoroki Shouto,” Dabi teased, deftly blocking and dancing around Shouto’s attacks. “I know you were taught how to be a monster, let’s see it! Lose the control!” In spite of his mocking words, Dabi seemed to be laughing at a personal joke, his eyes sparkling. Shouto paused, his fists tightening.

He didn’t have time to give in to the bad memories right now. “Shouto! Let us help!” Izuku cried, powering up his legs to jump over and in.

“Stay back, Izuku.” Shouto whispered into his mic. Izuku watched through the gaps in the flames as he took the mic out of his ear and chucked it to the side.

“Wha- Shouto!”

He whispered something to Dabi, whose eyebrows rose as he lifted a gas mask.

Enough of this! Izuku thought, moving to launch forward.

Crypt removed his hand from the server, seeing it wiped completely clean.

“We’re done here,” he said, shaking his head. “Let’s move.”

Before Izuku or anyone can move forward to break the fight, there’s an explosion of gas canisters all around. They hit everywhere in the battle zone, with the wind from the fires blowing it directly into the heroes’ faces. Falling to his knees with a sudden contraction, Izuku watches in horror as one hits Shouto directly in the chest and he falls. He watches, frozen with horror as Dabi lifts an semi-conscious, struggling Shouto off of the ground and a random man appears, grabbing his face and blasting him with more yellow smoke.

Izuku forces himself to stand, charging One for All. He jumps for Shouto, but Dabi is fast enough to dodge his now stilted moves. He lands on the ground roughly, watching as blue flames increase around Dabi, Shouto and the man.

“Shouto! Shouto, no! Wait!”

Dabi directs a wicked smile just for him, lifting his chin so that Izuku could see it as the flames consume them. Then, with a sudden gust of wind, the fires cease.

They’re gone.

Shouto is gone.

Izuku’s screams echo across the wrecked courtyard.

Caught between a state between dream and reality, Shouto’s world spun. Even though his eyes were starting to open, he could still see remnants of the dream he left behind, where his mother was singing to him, his head on her lap. There was snow everywhere, blowing softly in the wind. He was still a child, his face uninjured, and nothing in the world was ever going to hurt him, because how could it, when she was there to protect him?

His favorite dream is of peace, but peace was a blessing that Shouto has yet to receive.

As he awakes, he still hears the lullaby, but the voice isn’t right. It’s not soft, soprano and lilting. Instead it’s deep and rasping, a harsh baritone of someone that can’t quite sing but can still carry the note. It still manages to convey the same sense of melancholy.

“Mom?” he whispered, trying to lift his arms. They are heavy, almost immovable. “No… who… where…?”

The lullaby stops, and he hears movement. A dark shadow is approaching him, looming high over his head.

“You’re safe,” a voice answered nonchalantly. “Just chained up for both of our sakes, but you’ll be okay. I have to say - you’ve gotten so big, Shouto. I’m kind of jealous! I’m so much older than you, yet you’ve got at least four inches on me.”

His vision finally clears to see Dabi kneeling in front of him, smiling cynically. He shoots up, wincing at a sudden yank on his arms. His surroundings look like a dungeon, complete with bars and a locked door. A cage, then. His wrists are chained with what must be quirk-suppressing cuffs because he can’t feel anything. He’s not used to feeling cold, even though Dabi is emanating enough heat for the both of them. His feet and arms are chained to the bars with longer, thick chains too short to allow standing, though he can still move his joints.

He weakly tries to force himself away, but he can hardly even move, falling against the back wall of the cage. His equilibrium is off, and he feels woozy, like his body won’t listen to him.

“What’s wrong with me,” he hissed, glaring weakly. “Why do I feel like this?”

“You took a decent amount of toxic gas straight to the face. I’m surprised you woke up as early as you did. Don’t worry, it’s not going to damage anything permanently.”

He watches as Dabi saunters around the cage in thought, before kneeling in front of him. “It both warms my heart and breaks it to know that Rei kept singing that song after I was gone. She wrote it for me, you know. Back in that short time frame when I was an only child. Then came Fuyumi, and we would all sing it together. By the time I was seven, I would sing it to Natsuo when he would cry in his crib. I didn’t do a very good job, though. Mom would take over.”

He speaks with a sad fondness in his voice, but Shouto didn’t have time to be sympathetic. He needed to know where he was and what they planned to do to him.

“Where am I?”

“One of the cages that my employers’ family uses for human beings that cross them, specifically. They’re all pieces of shit, really; it’s amazing how much the rich get away with.”

Shouto pulls at the chains, grunting uncomfortably when they pull his joints in the wrong direction. Then he sighs, frustrated. “You agreed to talk, Dabi, so talk.”

Shouto spat the name out, but they both can hear his internal struggle to avoid saying Dabi’s true name.  

He laughs, covering his mouth as if Shouto said something adorable. “You and I both know who I am. No need to deny it. Todoroki is the only shameful part, and well – pot, kettle.” He pauses, looking at Shouto’s disgusted face with pursed lips. “Too soon?”

Shouto yanks at the chains some more when Dabi- Touya- pats him on his left cheek, laughing again.

“We’ve both got burn scars; if anyone can make the joke it’s me.” He says, waving the coverings on his arms.  

“None of this shit is funny and you know it,” Shouto spat. “So cut it out with the laughing.”

“Temper, temper.” Touya nods, contemplative, and sits in front of Shouto. He’s not stupid though; he sits just far enough to avoid his reach.

“You’re right. Let’s get to the business then.” Touya’s entire demeanor changes, transforming into the man that once helped carry the League of Villains. “So: what are you doing here, Shouto?”

Shouto glares. “You kidnapped me.”

Touya stares at him, unperturbed, sucking on his teeth.

“Let’s try that again. Why are you here, Shouto?”

Shouto simply stares back. “Why don’t you tell me? I can take a few guesses based on where I am, though. Want to beat answers out of me? Isolate me until I crack? We both know I’ve gone through enough training to handle that.”

Touya’s eyes narrow, something terrifying flashing behind them. His hands jerk forward of their own accord, intent on strangling him, but he pulls back at the last second. He instead inhales deeply.

“Don’t ever mention-”

He cuts off, turning away momentarily to gather himself. Shouto had thrown himself up against the wall, pale and breathing shallowly. For all that he was a pro-hero, something had flashed in Touya’s eyes - it terrified him, and his heart hammered.

He knew that look. It was the same look that appeared on his face whenever he thought about his darkest memories. A look of madness, of eyes that have seen and suffered.

He also notices that Touya doesn’t seem concerned at all about his presence. If anything, he’s being unusually vulnerable.

“You seem awfully confident that I’m not going to get out of here and take you out.”

Touya’s eyes cut to him, and he smiles wickedly. Shouto is almost relieved that he seems to feel better, but cautiousness soon replaces that.

“As if. Okay, Shouto. Since you want to play so smart. Let me tell you why I think you’re here.”

He stands up to stretch and begins to pace slowly.

“You clearly threw the fight. You’re not stupid or blind like the old man. Something as stupid as pride wouldn’t distract you or make you lose yourself, at least not in a fight. You and I both know how to analyze a situation, and that you were clearly outmatched with fire. If you were truly trying to win you would have used your ice to your advantage, though I could probably still take you on.”

He stares down at Shouto, whose face remained stony.

“I think very highly of you, baby brother. Someone who didn’t know you, who didn’t know our powers, might have been convinced. But I’m not. So, why are you here, Shou?” he postures dramatically. He slowly kneels back down into sitting position, staring straight into Shouto’s eyes.

“You are here because you were sent. You were sent to learn more about the schmoes that I’ve been running with, what the plans are, and use that to take us out. Am I wrong?”

Shouto stares directly ahead, expressionless. However, inwardly, he was panicking.

Why did they send me? Why would you send someone that your enemy knows too well to spy on them?

Touya snorts, trying to hide a smile. “Your reaction proves it. You’ve got the classic ‘Todoroki tell’.”

Shouto eyes narrow; he can’t help but be curious.

“You don’t react at all. Other people would scream, beg, lie, or even shout the truth - anything to defend themselves. Even when they try to stand tall, their nerves show. Whereas our family has been raised to say nothing, show nothing, do nothing. Classic emotion suppression.”

Shouto knows he been caught. If this had been a case where his target wasn’t so familiar with all the details of his life, the plan wouldn’t be backfiring so spectacularly.

“Don’t worry, baby brother. It’s only because I know you so well. That, and an egregious amount of self-help books and psychology study. I could have been a psychology major if things hadn’t gone the way they did.” He mused. “Maybe-”

“You weren’t even there!” Shouto shouts, the words spilling out unbidden. He’s shocked at the pain in his voice. “How would you even know anything about me? About any of us?”

Furious at himself, he wipes his face quickly and raises his chin to see the sadness in Touya’s eyes.

“Just because I wasn’t there doesn’t mean I didn’t know. That I didn’t see what was coming once I was - gone. As far as you all knew, I was dead. But Fuyumi, Natsuo and I grew up together and were very close.” He hears the loss in Touya’s voice. “Shouto, you were the only one that was too young to really remember me being around. And I regret that. Especially once - once he separated you from us.”

Shouto doesn’t know what to do anymore. He was sent on a fool’s errand that he managed to fail on the first day. If he went back in disgrace, he could possibly lose his license and get arrested. But he can’t stay – Touya’s allegiance laid with himself and to whoever he was working with. No matter how he might feel about his family, he would not risk his own safety for Shouto’s sake. His lowers his head in dejection, saying nothing.

Touya sighs. “I’m not going to rat you out, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Shouto raises his head in disbelief, which quickly turns into distrust. Touya folds his arms.

“I mean it. I’ve failed at being your big brother before, Shouto. I’m not going to fail you again, even if it’s only for a shitshow like this. This group - ‘The Underscore’- is simply means to an end that I think that, once you hear my plans, will actually keep you interested in sticking around.”

Yeah, no. Shouto heavily doubted his words, and will never desire to be a villain. He knew what Dabi – Touya - was capable of after everything that occurred when he was in high school… what kind of twisted person he had become. However, a temporary deal might be the only thing to keep him afloat.

“What is it?”

Touya smiles. “Before I tell you anything, I want your word that in exchange for me not ratting you out, you won’t turn me in. I love you, but I’ll never step foot in a prison without taking a lot of bodies on the way.”

Ignoring his confession of affection, Shouto instead questions his audacity - no, his sanity. Brother or not, he was a known felon! A murderer! His criminal career spanned at least a decade! He just threatened to kill people in the same breath as -

“You know I can’t honestly say that.”

Touya shrugs “Then I guess you don’t want to know about the investigation on Endeavor and his crimes?”

What was it with people waving information over Shouto’s head about his goddamn father?

“The one that the hero commission shut down.” He states flatly.

Touya agrees that it had to be the very same. “Evidence of legal and medical documents, witness statements, and visuals of the crimes that he committed against us.”

“And it’s all hidden within the archives of the Hero Association.” Shouto continues.

Touya nods. “What were you told?”

Shouto ponders the value of answering. “The hero commission held that info over my head. It was my ‘incentive’ to take on this mission, though they also threatened to fire me and send me to prison if I didn’t take it.”

Touya frowns. And here Shouto was convinced that he was the bad guy trying to hold him down.

“Naturally, Father and his lawyers had it shut down. They even told me that they were going to target Mom for her ‘part’ in the abuse, which was part of their ‘reasoning’ behind shutting it down.”

Touya’s entire body recoils with disgust. “She was a victim! We all were! Fucking false idols.”

Shouto shakes his head. “Not all heroes are like Endeavor. He was a terrible exception.”

“Exception?” Touya stares at him with disgust dripping from every word. “Shouto, how many exceptions can be made? Were the ones that were willing to hide his abuse exceptions too?”

Shouto says nothing, pursing his lips.

“So what I’m hearing is that they forced you into this? Wow, they really sent the wrong person for this. You obviously have zero experience.” Touya turned away, thinking to himself. It almost seemed like they were throwing Shouto to the wolves, on purpose - that they wanted him to fail…

Shouto rolls his eyes. “I don’t know what they expected, but I am relieved that you don’t seem to want to kill me.”

“If I wanted you dead baby brother, you’d already be dead. I won’t hesitate if you threaten me, though.”

Despite the pleasant tone, the menacing words cause Shouto’s face to shutter into a distrustful mask.

Touya tries a different angle. He was nothing if not crafty and persistent; it’s what kept him alive and in charge for so long.

“Why don’t you join me? Not completely, obviously.”

He would be lying if he said he didn’t want his brother to join him. To see the light, that these so-called heroes and their systems were nothing but hypocritical cesspools that were evidently willing to throw away one of their best like he was nothing. But he knows Shouto wouldn’t accept his ideology that easily.

“Help me get this evidence against Endeavor and the people who hid his crimes. Help me destroy that bastard’s false legacy once and for all. You do that, you can go back to your commission and tell them what you want. I just want the undeniable truth out there, more than anything else.”

He can see it running through Shouto’s mind.

“Why would you do that for me?”

“I want you to see what I see.” Touya replies honestly. “See why it’s so hard to respect or follow a community that claims to be so high and mighty but goes out of its way to protect an abuser because of his status. And who says it’s for you? I want to see Endeavor’s legacy crash and burn the way it always should have. I want to see those who helped him hide rot behind bars.” He wants worse for them, but again, baby steps. “And maybe because I want to spend some time mentoring my baby brother.”

Shouto rolled his eyes at the last comment. “And how do you convince your group to accept me? I am very much a recognizable enemy.”

Touya scoffs, choking on a laugh. “It’s true that there’s no way you would have ever infiltrated. I’m not sure what your asshat hero bosses were thinking. But as for dealing with these assholes? Half of them are kids, and the other half are halfwits. I’ve been doing this far longer than they have, and way worse things than the petty crimes they have me doing. They don’t care, and if they do then they can deal with me.”

Shouto recoils at ‘petty crime’- okay fine, so arson, quirk misuse, kidnapping, breaking and entering, bodily harm and data theft were not petty crimes in his hero book. Touya can accept that, and that isn’t the point anyway.

“We’re going to up the defense, you know that right?” Shouto asks. “With your last attack being as aggressive as it was, there’s no way the agencies aren’t making sure they’re ready.”

“Then isn’t it absolutely crazy that I’ve got someone with the perfect multi-quirk for defense.”

Shouto’s face morphs into something sinister. “I will never hurt my friends or colleagues.”

Touya brushes it off. “You don’t need to hurt them. You just need to defend us. If you’re going to go undercover, you’re going to have to act the part, baby brother.”

He gets up to leave. “Think on it some more. Have an answer for me when I come back.”

Before he gets to the door of the cage, he pauses and turns.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do anything rash if I were you. Wouldn’t want to have to hurt you.” 

A few hours later, Touya returns to the cell. He sees Shouto in meditation, quietly humming. He recognizes it as one of the things that they were both trained to do to control their emotions and quirks.

He sits down across from Shouto, leaning against the bars. He closes his eyes, waiting. For some time, they both meditate. He knows that Shouto is aware of him.

Finally, he hears a sigh. “I don’t… I am not a villain. I will never be a villain.”

Touya opens his eyes and sees a clearly conflicted Shouto staring back. He says nothing.

“Under duress, I am willing to work with you. I can see that I am clearly…unqualified to do this on my own, and as such I will… need support. I need to be believable- at least believable enough to get what I need.” He can see his brother choking on the words.

“This is temporary. As soon as I have the information I need, I’m done.”

Touya finally speaks up. “Who are you trying to convince here? Me, or yourself?”

Shouto flinches but says nothing.  

“Will you help me obtain the information?”

“If that’s part of the role I have to play.”

Touya looks Shouto pointedly in his eyes. “Do you care as little as you want to believe? About finding out what they found? Showing it to the world?”

Shouto’s arm flies forward but is held back by the chain. He scowls.

“I already know what they found!” he hissed. “I was there for all of it. And as for showing it to the world, I’m just as content as leaving it in the past.”

“Leaving it in the past.” Touya mocked. “That doesn’t sound like a healthy way to deal with your issues.”

“Neither is joining multiple terrorist organizations and committing a plethora of felonies.”

He had him there, Touya thought, grinning. “That’s fair.”

Shouto shrugged. “Pot, kettle.”

Touya’s grin stretched across his face. “Now you’re getting it.”

He stood up, fishing the keys out of his pocket.

“Like I said, don’t try anything funny. I won’t hesitate.”

“If it comes down to it, neither will I.”

Despite his words, Touya did pause to look at Shouto. He seemed determined, resolved to do the mission he was sent to do. He didn’t look like he was going to try anything, but looks were deceiving.

He stared down his chin at Shouto, sizing him up. “What made you agree?” he whispered, curiously.

Shouto sighed. “I’m not doing this to help you, but it’s an unfortunate part of the job. I know that I’ll need guidance in order to truly convince the world that I’ve…that I’ve turned. I will be here until I get what I need, then I’m done. It’s temporary.” He chuckled sardonically under his breath. “And maybe, I just want to spend time being mentored by my older brother.”

At that, Shouto shot a small smirk at Touya. The little shit! He might make something out of him yet.

Shouto follows Touya through dark back alleys, under and over dark bridges, hoodies over both of their heads despite it being two in the morning. He didn’t know what he should be looking forward to; it’s not like he’d ever been to a villain’s home before. He even entertained the thought of a secret hideout, some ‘evil lair’. However, he was clearly overthinking things as eventually they stop at an apartment complex on the outskirts of town. The outside is nondescript, simple red brick. The inside is small, with a small kitchen with a bar that separated the living room, bedroom and bathroom. Nothing inside is permanent or indicates the current owner; there’s no pictures, no knick-knacks- just the necessities. It allows a villain to immediately leave whenever he feels threatened. Still, it’s almost strange, Shouto muses, to think that even a villain as awful as Dabi had somewhere normal to go home at night.

“It wasn’t always like this.” Touya replied- he must have murmured out loud. Izuku’s mumbling habit was rubbing off on him.

Izuku…

He shook away the thoughts of his best friend.

“I’ve slept in some shitholes, and been homeless numerous times. This is one of those times that I decided that I deserved somewhere nice, as awful as I am.” Shouto couldn’t find the decency to feel sheepish, but Touya didn’t seem to care.

“Besides, it’s so normal, it’s unnoticeable. As thorough as you heroes think you are, you always expect for there to be some special, elaborate plan. But are you going to go through every single apartment complex, look at every single regular being, every single name?”

Shouto frowned. “Hiding in plain sight.” He probably used fake information and dirty money to get the place. Hopefully he wasn’t living in some poor murdered sap’s place.

“Anyway, when it’s time I’ll take you to meet the rest of them.” Touya said, pulling out a comforter and a pillow from a side closet and tossing them on the couch.

“You can borrow some of my clothes for now. You’re going to need a new look, however. This whole…” Touya waved his hand over Shouto’s everything. “Schtick isn’t going to go over well.”

“Schtick?”

“You look like such a goody two shoes. No one wants to work with someone that looks like the neighborhood snitch.”

Shouto’s neck jerked back at the insult. His costume had been updated; the color scheme was the same blue, white and red, the jumpsuit was ditched in favor of a traditional gi with the white boots and his regulator adjusted for his height. Iida and Momo said it was handsome and functional. Izuku said it made him look imperial, and both of them blushed the same shade as his hair.

Before he could retort, Touya flipped open a laptop and showed it to him. “Got a look you’d prefer?”

At this point, Shouto felt like he was having an out of body experience. He was sitting in an apartment with his presumably dead eldest brother, one of the cruelest and sadistic villains he’d ever come across, talking about clothes like they were playing dress up. None of this could be real.

Touya shrugged. “You know, some people would have fun living out dark fantasies. Not everyone gets this chance. And it’s not like people won’t know who you are- you might as well try a more interesting wardrobe change.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Shouto choked out in a whisper. “This is a job for me. This is not a joke. It is my every intention to bring you and your team down. This isn’t some fantasy of mine!”

At this, Touya’s eyes closed. With an exasperated sigh, he put the laptop down and turned over the couch to stare Shouto in his face.

“Look. I am being extremely generous right now. You yourself said you couldn’t do this without me, and we both know that’s true. We also know that I am not the one who put you in this situation. Anyone else in this spot would be grateful for how easy I’m making things. So instead of standing there with a stick up your ass, Shouto, why don’t you trust me when I say I know so much more about being a bad guy than you could ever guess.”

Anybody else, any other situation, Shouto might have knocked them out. He was already tempted to square up. His hand twitched, enough for Touya to raise his eyebrow and slowly stand.

“Do you really want to risk the collateral?” he drawled in a sinister tone, holding up one finger where a blue flame danced. “I don’t care about burning this place down.”

It was smart, really. Choosing to live surrounded by other beings, using them as body shields.

Shouto stood there, stiffly, before sighing and going to lean on the kitchen counter to scowl. Touya sat back down, replacing the laptop in his lap.

“You want something that is a complete 180 from your ‘hero’ image. Write down your measurements.” He began typing furiously into some dark web website for what he was looking for. Shouto noticed a notepad and pen magnetized to the fridge and wrote down his sizes.

“Make sure it’s fire retardant.”

“You still don’t have control of your fire?”

Shouto scoffed. “I have control of my quirk. I just don’t like my clothes burning off mid-battle.”

There was an awkward silence between the two of them. Shouto noticed that there were white roots appearing on Touya’s scalp.

“Will I need to dye my hair, like yours?”

Touya reached out to his scalp subconsciously, before putting his hand down. “That would be interesting. Dye the white side.”

“I don’t want to wear leather and earrings.”

“Ha! If you’re trying to insult me, it’s not working. You’re not cool enough to pull it off, anyway.”

Shouto snorted into his hand, before sighing. “So how should I act around…these people?”

Touya didn’t miss a beat as he typed. “You’re a threat. A known pro-hero. Nothing you can do will make them trust you at this moment. They hardly trust me. So I’ll handle it- you don’t need to say a word.”

Silence. Shouto was good at that.

“In fact, that needs to become part of your entire persona. Can’t get caught up in anything if you never run your mouth to end up in it. I’m going to buy you a face mask as well.”

“You just said that everyone will recognize me.”

“That’s not what it’s for. It’ll help keep your expression in place, kind of like a physical representation of keeping your mouth shut. Psychological warfare. How well do you lie?” Shouto couldn’t even open his mouth before Touya turned back to the laptop. “Yeah, mask definitely needed.”

“This seems awfully superficial. Is this all it takes to be a villain?”

At his words, Touya paused. His sky blue eyes flashed at Shouto dangerously. Do you really want to know what it takes to be a true villain? they challenged. After a tense moment, he went back to the laptop, finishing with one final click.

“I’ll take responsibility for you. No matter what is said to you, no matter how they may try to piss you off, do not speak. At this moment, you are hired help.”

“Do they know why you’re working with them?”

“Not completely.”

Shouto wasn’t comfortable with that, but he didn’t have any other suggestions. At this point, worst case scenario was that they didn’t believe in him, and he fights his way out and returns to the commission with at least names and faces.

“Can you tell me who we are meeting?”

Touya laughed. “Is this really how they train heroes? To be this lazy? You wanted to find information out about them, find out yourself.”

He knew Touya was purposefully withholding information from him, but it’d been worth a shot.

After about a week of laying low, avoiding all forms of social media and sunlight, and getting minimal rest due to extreme paranoia, Touya eventually tells him that it’s time to go.

“You look like absolute shit.” Touya remarked, tossing on his hood.

“Says the one with permanent eye bags.” Shouto snapped.

Touya placed his hand over his heart. “Okay ouch, baby brother. Maybe if you slept at night instead of being convinced that I was going to slit your throat in your sleep, you’d be in a better mood.”

Shouto scowled and tossed his own hood on, pulling up the black mask that covered up to under his eyes. He hated how well Touya seemed to read him, though when you are forced in close quarters with someone for a week you begin to learn their habits. Touya hardly slept, moved around like a wraith, and spent almost all of his down time reading silently. Shouto had noticed some of the books were on topics like astrophysics, psychology, and cooking. One of them was heavily earmarked.

“The Art of War.” Touya told him. “One of my favorites. I’d say I’m surprised he didn’t make you read it, but...”

An hour later, they arrived at the workers’ dock at the back of a large skyscraper. They do business here? Shouto frowned as he realized the implications that this terrorist organization was white-collar, run by people potentially in power.

As they entered the workers’ elevator, he noticed that Touya was staring at him.

“What?” he hissed.

“Try to relax, Shoucchan. Also, I think the hair was a good idea.”

“You don’t call me that.” Shouto scowled into the mask, but released a breath to loosen his posture. His hair was now half red, half black, braided into a tight French braid that ran in between his shoulder blades. While the white half of his hair was normally soothing to the eye, the red-black combo suggested a lethality paired with his scar.

Finally the elevator opened, and he followed Touya as he sauntered up to the back door of what must have been the penthouse. Before he touched the door, the sound of guns cocking echoed from the shadows. Touya rose his hands, and Shouto followed suit. Men came out of the dark and began to pat them down.

“I don’t even know why you bother to do this.” Touya whined, smirking. “My quirk doesn’t require me to use any weapons.”

One of the men spoke into a headset, and they must have been cleared because the door unlocked. Shouto walked into a brightly lit apartment, with the carpet and walls so white that it looked like a blizzard had gone through.

“How do they keep this place clean?” Shouto murmured.

“Money.” Touya whispered. “Dirty money, spotless living.”

Shouto had no idea how he managed to stay so nonchalant in a place that looked like a glorified insane asylum. They walked up to a couch where four other people sat, and Touya tossed himself over the couch next to a blond girl who screeched and moved over. Shouto chose to stand behind him, folding his arms. The large man that had been at the attack stood up and scowled, matching Shouto’s stance.

A pink-haired boy looked between the two of them, mild annoyance on his face. The blue-haired girl didn’t even bother to look up.

“Are you going to introduce us to your dog, Dabi?” the boy asked. It seemed nonchalant, but Shouto could hear the slight venom dripping from his voice. This was clearly his domain, and he didn’t appreciate not understanding a new pawn.

“Fuck introductions, tell me why I shouldn’t take you both out right now? You brought him here? A hero?”

Touya- Dabi, here- waved the large dude off, never changing his relaxed position on the couch.

“Heel, Toxic. I told you, I’d be taking a hostage. Here he is.”

“Hostages have chains and cuffs and shit. This dude is standing here like I won’t bash his skull in.”

Shouto shifted at the threat, his eyes narrowing. Touya placed his hand on his forearm, grounding him.

“He’s not a threat to us. He’s heard what my plan is, and has offered to help.”

“And what is this plan, exactly?” the blue-haired girl asked. “I still don’t completely understand it.”

Pink-hair pursed his lips. “Excellent question, Piv0t.” He turned to Dabi. “Do tell, we seem to have forgotten.”

“I plan on exposing the hypocrisy of hero society by exposing the true legacy of the monster, Endeavor. Maybe even blowing the whole system up, but I like to start with small goals.”  

Pink-hair stared down at Piv0t, crossing his arms. Piv0t glimpsed at him.

“How do you feel about that answer, Crypt?”

Crypt and Piv0t- the twins, Shouto determined- stared at each other oddly for a moment. Did they have a telepathy quirk?

“Well… we all agreed that so long as we all got what we wanted, we weren’t questioning motives.” The blond girl added.

“That is what we agreed on, Haia. Thank you for the reminder.” Touya said, a sickly sweet tone entering his voice.

“I don’t care!” Toxic growled. “This puts all of us in danger! I thought you were going to pawn him off for money, or better yet kill him, but you have him here as if he’s going to help!”

“He is.” Touya responded, his tone evening out.

Toxic went to retort, but Crypt held his hand.

“How?”

One word, spoken severely. Shouto got the feeling that whatever Touya’s answer was would decide his fate. He watched as Touya straightened up from the couch, leaning forward in excitement.

“Who better to fight the heroes that they’ll send after us than one of their own? He’s been training with these people for years; if anyone knows their strategies, it’s him. It’ll be the biggest loop yet.”

Shouto stiffened.

“Why would he betray them for us?”

“Because he wants the same thing that I want. He wants to expose Endeavor’s crimes, and the hero commission rejected him for it.”

“He attacked us that day. Why should we trust him?” Toxic hissed.

“Because he was the one who asked to talk with me. Seems we were both on the same wavelength. Took out his earpiece and everything.”

Shouto remembered very clearly the words he’d mouthed to Touya across the courtyard. ‘Let’s talk somewhere else.’ Touya’s eyes had widened with the shock that the hostage he’d come to collect was willingly going to go with him.

“That is a clear betrayal on his end.” Piv0t replied, monotone. Shouto tried not to flinch at her words.

“He’s perfect for defense. Overkill, even. No need to hire hitmen when you’ve got a two man army.” Touya said, leaning back. “As for payment, I’ll split my earnings with him.”

Even Toxic’s eyebrows rose. “You’ll give this rookie…”

“Family looks out for one another.”

“Family…” Crypt frowned as he thought about it. “The son of Endeavor… sons of Endeavor. Well, I’ll be damned.”

Shouto placed his hand on Touya’s shoulder, pressing slightly to silently voice his concern. He’d never know that secretly, Touya’s heart warmed at the concerned touch.

“So this whole thing for you both is a rebellion against daddy. It’s almost disappointingly cliché.” Piv0t said, sounding bored with the whole thing. “Still… It could make things more challenging, facing them with even more firepower.”

“Wouldn’t it make you both legendary?” Shouto blurted. He felt Touya stiffen underneath him.

“What do you mean?” Crypt asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at him.

“The two child hackers responsible for breaking into government systems numerous times and exposing a high-ranking monster for who he truly is, as well as the flaws in said system. You’d be hailed across hacking communities. Who else could top something like that right now? You’d truly be unstoppable, and have solid undeniable proof of it.”

Crypt nodded, acknowledging his point. Piv0t pouted.

“I’m the hacker. He just makes equipment and deletes stuff.” Crypt pouted too, expression hurt.

Noted. “You could make billions, eclipse whatever company affords you this penthouse. The same government that cowed at your hacking skills would come begging for you to tighten their security. Multiple world governments in your hands. You’ll never face a true consequence.” As he spoke, he realized that he was bitter about their truth.

Crypt stared at him some more, then smiled wickedly. “I like the way you think. Added risk, added reward, no matter what.” He turned to the rest of the group. “I’ll accept him on the team. For now.”

“Hi! Hello everyone!” Haia squeaked. “Um, I’m not sure if anyone noticed this, but we have in our presence Hero Shouto. This isn’t just some regular schmegular guy! How are we supposed to make him unnoticeable on this team? Everyone will know who he is.”

Touya laughed, and his body relaxed. “I’ll handle that. You need not worry. If anything, we need to worry about Toxic over here. His quirk has been exposed, and they’ll be looking for that move next time.”

Toxic stiffened. Before he could speak, Haia piped up.

“In case you’re wondering, no I am not obsessed with heroes. Just…. You.” Haia said, turning to Shouto and rubbing her hands down his sleeved arm. He removed it slowly, forcing the cringe out of his expression. “I know exactly what I’ll call you now. Frostbite.” She purred. “It’s the name I always wanted to give you if you’d been a villain. So edgy, sharp like your ice, hot like-“

Shouto turned to gape down to Touya, who wasn’t looking at him at all. “Frostbite it is, then.”  

Haia giggled, a high pitched, insanely pleased sound. “Yay! Welcome to the team. I’m honored to be in your presence, and if you ever need me to keep you comp-“

“Enough, Haia.” Crypt interrupted, saving Shouto from further discomfort. “Let’s discuss moving forward.”

“I still don’t trust him.” Toxic growled. “I don’t think he should be in the room for this.”

“I’ll just end up telling him everything anyway.” Touya said, leaning forward. “Don’t challenge me on this, Toxic. I’m more than enough to take you out; you don’t want two of us.”

Somewhere deep inside himself, Shouto was pleased with how Toxic visibly squirmed and shut up.

After Shouto and Touya reached the bottom of the skyscraper, it was a little after 3am. They made their way back to Touya’s apartment in silence, and once the door closed Touya spun around to face him.

“Didn’t I say not to talk?”

“I-“

“You’re just lucky that Crypt liked what you had to say. But you placed your cards on the table entirely too early.”

Shouto felt defensive. “But he liked what I said, and that’s clearly what we needed, right?”

Touya’s expression softened only a little at the use of ‘we’. “You follow me. That was the deal. Watch your mouth.”

Shouto stared, trying his best to swallow his pride. “Okay.”

Touya sighed and turned away. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

Shouto nodded, excitement momentarily overcoming his anxiety. This mission might be over sooner than he thought; he had codenames, headquarters, motives and quirk types. The committee had been surprisingly right with how easily it had fallen into his hands. He might not even need to wear… whatever it was that Touya ordered for him. He could wash the dark dye out of his hair, too.

It could actually be so easy! Right? Right??

As much as he wanted to bask in the excitement, the anxiety came rushing back and he ended up feeling sick again when he thought about the fact that the attack was planned for the next night, and he still hadn’t managed to get the information to the hero agencies. As he lay on the couch he couldn’t close his eyes. He technically could still bail now. But then how would he deal with Touya? His true identity would come out, and then he’d have to talk to his family about it, who would all be shocked and heartbroken. It might even set his mother back… And as for Touya… Touya wouldn’t go willingly into custody. Shouto was shocked at the small feeling in his heart that didn’t want to find his brother, bring him home, just to throw him into the pits of Tartarus because that was assuredly where he would end up.

“You look sick.”

He turned to see Touya bring out a pillow and a comforter and toss it on the floor. He frowned, and Touya shrugged.

“Figured you could use some support. And also to stop you from taking off into the night. It’s just business.”

Right.

“I don’t technically have to do this.” Shouto said.

“Technically, no. You could take this information to your hero commission and be finished with it.”

That wasn’t what I expected him to say.

“I’m going to take the info to them tomorrow.”

“I bet.”

Shouto turned on his side to stare at Touya’s prone figure, laying back with his hands behind his head. He looked way less threatening wearing gym shorts and a black t-shirt.

“I don’t understand. You should feel threatened. Why don’t you feel—” Shouto paused.

“Feel anything?” Touya finished for him, still staring at the ceiling. “Why should I worry? I already know the hatred that this world has for me, and I couldn’t give a shit less about it.” If Touya was being honest, it was because he wasn’t worried about himself, but he was worried for Shouto. He had a strong feeling that this was all going too easily for Shouto, and his instincts were rarely wrong when it came to smelling out a trap.

“I survive because I’ve looked out for myself for so long. I don’t have time to worry about feelings.”

“And yet you took me in.”

“I always wanted to, you know.” Touya said suddenly. “I wanted to grab you, Fuyumi, and Natsuo and take off for the hills. Run far away and raise everyone myself. But I wouldn’t have been able to take care of you, and by the time I could, none of you would have wanted anything to do with me. It wasn’t safe anyway.”

Shouto frowned. “What about Mom?”

“Being honest, it took me a long time to forgive Mom. I know now that she was a victim, just like the rest of us, but growing up I blamed her for not protecting us enough. I know now that she did her best, that he was too gargantuan of a task to handle alone, but as a teenager I was angry at everyone and everything.”

Shouto pondered over the information silently. Because he was the youngest, he didn’t know what it must have been like to watch all of your younger siblings suffer and not know what to do about it.

“You know, I was a furious, hurt, moody, hormonal fifteen year old too at some point. I’m sure you can relate Mr. ‘I Won’t Use My Left Side’.” Touya teased. Shouto blushed, covering his face.

“Hell of a moment on TV, though. You really scared the shit out of everybody out there. You and your boy; I noticed that your hand-breaker was out there on your team.”

“It’s Iz- Midoriya. You know his name is Midoriya. He’s not mine. No one has mentioned him as hand-breaker for years, and we both get embarrassed about it.” The hand-crusher curse still lingered.

“Whatever. Point is, I didn’t really have any support to deal with what I was going through. In a really sideways manner, I’m trying to make sure you have a little bit of positive memories with your eldest brother.” Touya paused, his voice lowering to a whisper. “And I want to have some positive memories with my youngest.”

Shouto turned to look at the ceiling, folding his hands on his stomach.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m going to deal with talking to Mom and everyone about this. Once I take this info in, your identity is going to be revealed, compromising you.”

Touya’s face turned away, and his shoulders shook only momentarily.

“And?”

“I don’t-“ Shouto paused. “It doesn’t feel as good as I thought.”

He heard a pained chuckle coming from the floor. “Well, aren’t you sweet? You actually want to protect your repugnant villain brother.”

“I wouldn’t say all that.”

“How are they?” Touya asked suddenly. “Has Fuyumi found herself the dream boyfriend she used to write about in her twelve-year-old diaries? The boyfriend that very oddly read similar to teenage Iida Tensei?”

Shouto couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. “What? That’s new! I wouldn’t know anything about that, but I can tell you about other things.”

“Lay it on me.”

Shouto began to discuss Fuyumi’s career, how happy she was and how she was still the glue that held their tiny group together. He talked about Natsuo’s re-discovered love for theatre, and how grateful he was that he could rebuild a relationship with him over the years. About how they would all meet up for lunches every now and then to catch up. In return, Touya regaled him with stories of Fuyumi’s awkward crushes and how he teased her about them, but then taught her to hide her diaries. About how he would sit and listen to her discuss fashion advice from hidden magazines. He talked about Natsuo’s bold and detailed plans for rocket ships that would be built out of randomly discovered cardboard, and how they would role-play being space pirates. Shouto captured images of the future, while Touya painted a vivid picture of the past. Both of them desired what the other had experienced.

“How’s Mom doing?” Touya finally whispered.

“Mom is doing much better.” Shouto replied through a yawn. “So much better, it’s truly a blessing. She smiles, she laughs, she gets to visit us outside of the hospital even. If we’re lucky, she might be feeling well enough to move in with Fuyumi soon. She’s so much happier and we love her so much.”

“I’m so happy to hear that.”

There was silence as Touya waited for a reply. He turned and saw Shouto peacefully asleep on the couch. He was smiling slightly. Touya smiled sadly and turned away.

“I’d give anything to be able to see her happy, too.”

Pale morning light cast a shadow over Shouto as he maneuvered, wraith-like, through waves of faceless crowds. Despite his size and dark clothing, no one noticed the man weaving in between them other than an occasional slide of fabric- look twice and it was gone. The flash drive weighed in his pocket, containing details on the members of The Underscore and physical evidence of how Piv0t’s quirk functioned. His goal was to slide it into the side of a nondescript building in downtown Musutafu at the approved time and leave unnoticed, so his heart fell into his stomach when he saw two figures standing at the drop off. Choosing to be late rather than compromise himself, he crept around the drop off point a few times before recognizing that whoever was there seemed to be waiting for something. Shock turned into suspicion when he recognized the suits, and the cocky stance of Hashimoto. Matsui stood nearby, leaning against a wall.

He crept forward, taking off his glasses and frowning. Why were two of the leaders of this mission standing blatantly in a place where they could be hurt or worse? Had something gone terribly wrong? Were they pulling him out of the mission?

No, they could have sent anybody to do that without risking themselves. What’s going on?

“Todoroki-san,” Hashimoto purred, holding his hands out in welcome. “So glad you could make it.”

Something isn’t right.

“Have you brought the information?”

Shouto inwardly cringed. Was this man arrogant to the point of stupidity? Hashimoto’s voice reverberated through the alley, making it possible for anyone to hear confidential information. He pressed his lips together in suspicion. Hashimoto’s eyebrow rose.

“Oh, don’t worry. No one will notice us here. I’m sure you saw the early morning traffic as well, everyone’s bumbling along like worker bees. Too caught up in their own lives. Now, the information.”

Hands slightly shaking, Shouto began to pull out the flash drive. He’d planned on coming to this meeting with the intent of getting out of this mission, but something in his gut kept him from tossing the damn thing and getting it over with.

“Now don’t tell me… you’ve become attached to the movement? Or is it something more personal, Todoroki-san?” he mocked. “Don’t be a fool. Hand over the flash drive.” Hashimoto’s eyes flashed something poisonous, but he still smiled as he held his hand out.

Shouto began to question his intentions when Matsui moved forward.

“Here, I’ll take it.” He said softly, grasping Shouto’s hand warmly but quickly as he took the flash drive. “Forgive my friend, he’s been a little greedy for this information for a while. Things are getting desperate up top. Public safety is first and foremost on his mind, I assure you.”

Bullshit, Shouto thought. Hashimoto only has one person on his mind, and it’s him. His entire childhood was spent in the presence of a master megalomaniac; he knew the signs when he saw them.

“I’m going to return to the office now. I believe you said you wanted to discuss things with Todoroki-san?” Matsui said, gesturing at Hashimoto. The shadows seemed to absorb him as he spoke, and his absence left behind a palpably cold energy. Shouto’s eyes darted back and forth, unable to determine who the real threat was- the narcissistic Hashimoto, or the dissembling Matsui?

Hashimoto scowled at Matsui’s retreat, but then shrugged and turned to face Shouto again.

“We are truly thankful for your contribution to this case. However, I’m sure you were under the misapprehension that you would be going home or reclaiming your status.” He spoke blithely, as if he were disposing of a toy that no longer entertained him.

Misapprehension? Reclaiming? What? A sharp shiver ran up Shouto’s spine as it suddenly felt as if there were eyes leering at him from all sides. Vibrations shook the ground and his knees, causing his heart to race to keep up.  

“Unfortunately, there is no space in the good world of heroes for a traitor such as yourself.”

Shouto spun to face him with a sharp inhale, heart flatlining.   

A traitor? Me?

“What?” Shouto whispered hoarsely. Maybe he didn’t hear him properly.

“Well clearly you are compromised- dare I say, corrupted, even- by your terrorist brother’s ideology. The police and heroes are on their way now, to capture one of the members of the infamous Underscore, thanks to one of their brightest new investigators- Hashimoto Touma. Truly, it’s all thanks to you, Shouto.” The name slides off his tongue like trash.

Shouto sees red, and feels his quirk flare up in his blood. The vibrations increase as the police arrive around the corner, but before he can turn to react, blue flames rise out of seemingly nowhere. The police jump back in horror, avoiding the flames as they lick further into the public street and cause a panic amongst pedestrians. Hashimoto jumps back into the wall reflexively, shrinking from the flames. But his brow wasn’t sweating due to the fire- for the first time, real fear is in his eyes as Shouto emerges from the blue flames unscathed, stalking toward Hashimoto with a murderous intent. Blue flames cast a shadow over his looming figure, profiling broad shoulders and hair that whipped back and forth. His fists were tight at his sides, the left one engulfed in flame. His heterochromatic eyes glowed with fury.

Hashimoto raises a hand to protect himself, but before Shouto can strangle him, a hand tightly grasps his forearm and pulls him away.

Cries of “I can’t see them!” and “I can’t breathe!” reach him and Shouto quickly snaps out of it, turning on the instinct to save lives. He hears an impact and sees Touya knock Hashimoto out with two solid jabs, one to the eye and one to the lower jaw. He raises his hand to use his ice when Touya grabs him again.

“They can’t see us. Other than this asshole, they don’t know that you’re here. He never told them who it was they were capturing.” Touya’s low voice is unusually serious, and he pulls Shouto along.

“But…they need our help – ”

Touya spins on him, anger in his eyes. “They want to take you out! And you can’t use your ice here, or they’ll know for a fact it was you! Wake up, Shouto!”

The flames were high enough to disguise them from anyone seeing them, but soon local heroes would arrive and squash the flame. If they were to escape, they needed to escape now. Touya grabs his shoulder to push him forward as they run full force through the back alleys.

“What are you even doing here?” Shouto gasped. His white-hot fury was making way for stone-cold anxiety, and the panic was coming full force.

“I figured some shit was up. Feels good to always be right. Let’s move.”

Touya manages to get Shouto far enough from the alleyway, and they make it to an abandoned lumber warehouse near a river when Shouto finally breaks down and falls to his knees.

“Not here,” Touya says, trying to lift him off the ground. “Wait ‘til we get back to the apartment. This is just a stop.”

“He can stay down; the change will work anyway.” A female voice adds. Haia?

The room spins and so does Shouto’s stomach, and when he opens his eyes everything is gigantic. It’s so disorienting that it’s almost enough to cause him to faint. Attempting to speak, only chirps and squeaks come out. When he moves to check his hands, he topples face first into red and white furry paws. Horror bubbles from head to toe (are they all toes? Why is everything a toe??) Oh my god, I’m a goddamn rat! As if the day couldn’t get any worse. Turning, he comes face to face with a completely white rat with blue eyes, and a high-pitched squeal spills forth from his throat. If rats could blush, surely he was completely red with embarrassment.  

Touya hisses out what could have been a laugh, and gestures for him to follow. After tripping over his feet and falling on his face a few times, Shouto finally manages to get two feet in front of the others and it only takes them an hour to scurry back to the apartment. As soon as they reach the living room, they morph back into their human shapes. Shouto begins hyperventilating on the ground, while Touya dusts himself off and looks at Haia.

“I was a rat.” Shouto chokes, hysteria crawling from his throat.

“Thanks for being available on short notice, Haia.”

“I was a fucking rat.”

Haia uncharacteristically frowns but nods, lifting her hood up. “Whatever. It’s a little too early to be causing trouble, Frostie.”

She slips back out of the window, falling and shifting into a cat on the way down. Touya closes the window and shades before turning to Shouto, who is still quivering with shock. The walls close in as his anxiety attack consumes him, wrapping his hands around his head while rocking. Touya grabs a glass of water and puts it on the ground next to him, wavering before sitting on the ground next to him with his hands folded. An hour crawls by as Shouto comes to terms with what happened.  

“They…they tried to arrest me.” Shouto finally gasps.

“Yep.”

“But I work for them.”

“Apparently not anymore.”  

Touya had heard what that asshole suit said about Shouto taking on his ideology. He knew they were all sick, but seeing it happen firsthand to his brother made him ill. Shouto shook his head.

“But… but they sent me into-“

“Accept that you were set up, baby brother. I don’t know why, but they’re trying to get rid of you. It’s fucked up. But they made their stand against you. They want to erase you the same way they erased me, the way they erased what he did.”

Touya waited until Shouto lifted his head, staring into his red-rimmed eyes. He was trying to stop them, but the tears welled up in his eyes and he willed them to go back inside.

“Touya—I- I’m a hero, Touya.” he choked. “It’s all I’ve ever known—ever wanted—I worked so hard— it’s my power, I was supposed to—I—they can’t take -I’m—“

Shouto’s world was coming apart. Nothing made sense anymore if they wouldn’t let him be a hero. He was crumbling inside and out and couldn’t find the will to hold himself together. This would have been a perfect time for Izuku and his hugs. Izuku, or Mom… I miss Mom…I want to go home… But he wouldn’t be able to. They were going to tell everyone that he was a traitor. For real this time. He couldn’t put Izuku’s future at risk by asking him to harbor a fugitive… hell, Izuku might never want anything to do with him again…might look at him with the disgust and disappointment that he should have always looked at him with… And what would his mother think? If she looked at him with the same fear in her eyes that she once directed at his father… Tears spilled over despite the useless attempts to wipe them away.  

“I worked so hard to do better….be better – than— but now…” With a distraught whimper, he fell into Touya’s torso, hiding his face the way he would hug onto his mother when he was little. Touya jumped, eyes widened with shock. Shouto’s body was very quickly oscillating between extreme cold and heat. His arms vacillated wildly in the air before he awkwardly wrapped one arm around Shouto’s shoulders. Eventually it melted into something genuine as he rubbed his shoulder, and Shouto’s sobs subsided into short gasps.

“Your skin is cold just like Mom’s,” Shouto whispered. “I’d forgotten that…” His voice wavered off, and when Touya looked down, he’d fallen asleep.

It all reminded Touya of a time when they were little; a time when a four-year-old toddler bawled into his arms, baffled that “Daddy would hurt me and Onii-chan”. Touya couldn’t say he was sorry that heroes were garbage, but he knew what it was like to be thrown away. No one deserved to feel like that, and he vowed then and there that no one was ever going to hurt him or his little brother ever again.

“Ah….ngh….ahhh…”

You’ve bewitched me.

“Yes, god yes… just like that…”

I need you.

“Oh, fuck…”

I love you, so, so much.

“Ride me baby, please….”

Consume me.

“It’s perfect, you’re so perfect…”

You’re mine-

“No, don’t stop, keep going…”

And I’m all yours.

A potent combination of lust and euphoria consumed Izuku as he felt the warmth of his partner take him in. Every rhythmic slap filled him with an all-consuming need, a desire that he would have never believed he had until those strong, supple hands were gripping him so tightly around his shoulders and neck. He was being rode mercilessly- just like he liked it. He threw his head back and closed his eyes, letting the heat build between them. When the relentless pressure suddenly ceased his eyes flew open, a sob slipping from his mouth.

“No… no please! Don’t do that, I need you, please don’t…”

Tears of ecstasy blurred his vision. He could hardly see the body that surrounded him, but he felt his hair being pulled backwards from a sitting position onto the pillows. Before he could beg again- and he would, he would beg within an inch of his life if it meant that the punishing rhythm could start again- a slower grind began, filthy in the way the other man’s hips rocked back and forth onto Izuku.

Izuku let out a choked scream, pleasure causing him to wail.

“Oh, fuck! Yes, yes, just like that….“

His groans trailed off as the man leaned over him, red and white hair caressing his broad shoulders like a shadow kiss. Izuku tipped his chin up, trying and failing to look directly into his face.

“Shouto…” he breathed.

As soon as the words were released, Shouto leaned back and began the punishing pace again, causing Izuku to convulse.

“Let…let me touch you, Shou. Let me look into your eyes, please, I want to hear you so badly…” No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move his hands. It was as if they were tied behind him, taunting him, as the sinuous body of his lover lay just out of reach.

“Let me touch! I need you, Shou, I need it! I need to feel you, please!” Izuku’s begging became an unintelligible stream of lewd moans as he felt his climax nearing. He went to reach again, lifting his head, but his hair was pulled back again. His eyes fell, and they slowly crept back up as they took in the well-defined chest muscles, the strong collar and neck muscles, and even the jawline that he wanted to bite and suck. But he couldn’t see his eyes. The long red and white hair covered Shouto’s eyes, and Izuku despaired because he couldn’t move it out of the way.

“Ah, Shou, I’m close, please, let me see your eyes, or say something, please I just- I want-“

The rocking stopped for a moment, and Izuku filled with jubilation as he might finally get his wish. Shouto leaned in a little closer to Izuku’s ear.

“Come for me, Izuku.”

Izuku’s entire face filled with heat at the softly commanded words, and the rocking began again. His choked gasps were cut off by one final thrust before Izuku came with an impassioned scream. He wanted to exalt Shouto by showing how much power he had over him; how he could make him sound that way; how he could make him scream. Breathing heavily, he looked at the still form of the man on top of him. Izuku’s eyes began to blaze.

“More?” he whispered. Please, let there be more.

He saw a cocky smile, before Shouto lifted himself off. He crawled slowly over Izuku’s body, tantalizing him as his swollen, gorgeous dick dragged along his torso. Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized he’d finally get to touch him in the most delicious way, and he greedily opened his mouth, ready to take him in. The tip reached his just barely in front of his lips, close enough for a kitten lick. He went to wrap his tongue around it when a loud noise blared through the room, breaking the spell.

Izuku’s eyes flew open and he gasped. He looked down his body, seeing the huge soaked spot on his boxers. He must have fallen asleep last night on his back, because his hands were underneath his body.

“No!” he wailed, tossing his hands through his hair as he leaned back onto the bed.

He’d gone to bed worrying about Shouto last night, but clearly his subconscious wanted something else. Hell, he consciously wanted something else- he just had the decency to feel guilty about it, considering the object of his lascivious affections had been missing for little over a week. The warring emotions of guilt and lust were hard to reconcile, especially after a dream like that.

The noise that woke him turns out to be his phone ringing, as whoever called was trying again. He reaches for the phone blindly and brings it to his ear.

“Deku-kun!” Ochaco sings. As much as he loves her, he’s a bit put out with her timing.

“Yes?” he mutters, still half sleep.

“It sounds like you actually slept last night!”

Izuku flushes a deep red. “Sure…”

“Well, anyway. Tenya, Eijirou, Bakugou and I are getting together for lunch before the meeting today. Come hang out with us; I know you haven’t been out since…” Ochaco tapers off, realizing that she was treading onto shaky ground.

Izuku sighed. “There’s another meeting? Maybe if we had less meetings we’d be closer to finding something out about this organization and finding Shouto.”

Ochaco sighed as well. “It was called suddenly this afternoon. Big news, apparently.”

Izuku began to mutter unintelligibly to himself, carrying over the receiver into Ochaco’s ear.

“Deku-kun! You’re coming out today whether you want to or not! Don’t make me come over there and float you here!”

“Fine. Whatever.” He knows he sounds curt as he hangs up, but that’s because she interrupted a really good dream and brought him back into a Shouto-less reality where anything could be happening to him and he’s not there to protect him and-

Sighing, he gets up and heads to the bathroom to take a shower, stopping to drop the now-sticky boxers into the laundry. He turns on the hot water and steps in, closing the glass doors behind him. The all-consuming stress kicks in again about the fact that Shouto has been missing for a week, and it seems like minimal effort has been put in to find him. He’s been searching high and low every day after his shift, even on his breaks. He’s been putting in so much extra time that Ochaco had to pull him to the side and demand he get some rest.

As if he could rest, not knowing where Shouto was. If he was injured, suffering, being tortured, starving, dead-

The water cascaded over his head, washing away the shampoo but not the anxiety.

A scream is trying to claw its way from his depths, but he forces it back down. He tries to think of other things, and his mind lingers on the dream. Of cascading red and white hair, of pale soft skin, of the up and down of-

Izuku opens his eyes and looks down, groaning. “Okay Izuku, I need you to pick one! Because two minutes ago we were anxious!”

But as he reaches a hand down, he can’t deny that he’d rather be aroused than stressed.

An hour later, he drags himself into their same bar. Ochaco smiles sweetly when she sees him, scooting into the booth to make space.

“I knew you’d make it.” Her voice is full of quiet pride. “We’ve got an hour; eat something. You need it.” He smiles at her, unable to be upset with her for long.

“Izuku! I am proud of you for caring for your friends, but you need to take care of yourself too!” Iida added, getting right to the point.

He knows Iida only means the best – he always does. “Thank you.”

“I just wanna say, man. It’s real manly, how you’re doing your best to find Todoroki. I’m sure that wherever he is, he’s holding up, and we’re going to find him.” Kirishima says fiercely, reaching over the table to clap a large hand over his shoulder. Kirishima manages to tower over all of them in height, and he’s so large that only Bakugou can manage to fit next to him in the booth. Not that anyone else would have been allowed to sit there.

“I appreciate it, guys. I really do.” Izuku says with a smile. It’s not his megaton ‘I am here’ smile, but it’s a start.

“I don’t know what Half’n’half was thinking, getting himself kidnapped.”

Ochaco pinches the bridge of her nose as the smile half-drops from Izuku’s face.

Kirishima elbows Bakugou. “Don’t take him seriously. He’s been griping about it for a week; it’s been bothering him that someone so strong could get caught off guard like that. He never thought it’d be Todoroki.”

Bakugou scowls and turns away. The waitress brings them all waters while they figure out what they want to eat. Everyone is on duty that night, so it had to be something light and healthy. Kirishima’s brow furrows as he looks seriously at one of the TVs.

“Hey, check this out.”

Two men in suits are on screen, surrounded by reporters. The report is discussing an attack in a shady neighborhood in Musutafu, and one of the men has a black eye and bruising underneath it.

“Isn’t that one of the suits that sits in on those damn meetings?” Bakugou spits.

“He’s right. I recognize him.” Iida replies, perturbed.

Despite half of his face being swollen, the bruised man is somehow still managing a haughty expression. They hear him discuss a solo attack by one of the members of The Underscore, and how they cornered him and were there to steal confidential information.

“Speaking of attacks, one of the upcoming pro-heroes Shouto has been missing for little over a week after the last attack. Has there been any movement on discovering his whereabouts, or his safety?”

Izuku found himself grateful for the determined lady reporter, especially when she stood her ground when the man scowled momentarily at the loss of his spotlight.

“I cannot go into detail for public safety reasons, but we have reason to believe that Todoroki Shouto-“ he spits the name, almost- “has been compromised, and potentially defected.”

The reporter jumps back in shock.

A green flash and gust of wind is all that’s left behind in the restaurant, followed close behind by explosions.

As soon as he spots the hubristic man, he grabs him by the shoulders and shoves him up against a wall. It takes nothing but his own raw strength to haul him off the ground, eyes glowing green with anger. He vaguely hears Iida in the background, demanding the Bakugou move so that they can pry Izuku off the man, but Bakugou crosses his arms, silently having Izuku’s back.

“First the commission doesn’t let us do a major search for him,” he hisses menacingly, “and then you would—the nerve to suggest that-“

Izuku very rarely gets this angry, but his fury is emanating off him in waves and he’s practically choking on it.

“Hashimoto, right?” Bakugou growls. “You’re the cocky bastard that sits in the meetings near the front. Speak up then, since you’ve got such large balls to make shitty accusations. Unless you want two black eyes.” 

The man’s eyes widen momentarily with fear, but he covers it with a disdainful sneer as Izuku’s hands loosen when Iida and Ochaco finally grab both of his arms. Kirishima is doing his best to calm Bakugou down, but both of them are still glaring daggers at the man.

“I suppose you’ll find out soon enough.” He drawls, straightening his suit jacket. Bakugou’s fist lifts faster than lightning, but Kirishima catches it. Hashimoto walks away in a huff. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Ochaco and Iida spin on Izuku.

“What the fuck was that?” Ochaco demands.

“You can’t just go throwing civilians around, Izuku! You’re a hero!” Iida chided.

“You heard what he said!” Izuku cried, still furious. “How can they say something like that when minimal effort has been put in to find Shouto? It’s like they gave up on him before they even tried!”

“Still, you can’t go threatening the messenger!” Iida retorted.

“Fuck the messenger!” Bakugou roared. “He was clearly ecstatic to say that shit. I don’t trust him.”

The fact that Bakugou was on his side only solidified Izuku’s validation in his anger.

Tension filling the air, they walked into the meeting. Izuku pointedly avoided eye contact with Hashimoto, while Bakugou pointedly glared at him. He sits next to a pale Momo, her eyes red- she was clearly stressed by the news, and it was enough to deflate Izuku’s anger for a little bit. He squeezes her shoulder in support, and she gives him a small smile.

A Matsui Reo begins the meeting with introducing the fact that new intel has come in about the members of The Underscore. He calmly discusses that information has been funneled to his committee suggesting that an attack will occur that night, and that the heroes currently in the room will be the ones in charge of the teams that enter. Their teams would comprise of three lower-ranking heroes each, as well as ten police officers. Each team would have a section of the building that they would observe and protect. He provides the building schematics to each team leader, tossing the drives to each hero. It’s so blasé that it sets Izuku’s nerves even more on edge.

Next, Hashimoto stands up to speak, and Izuku growls under his breath. Momo reaches out and places a hand on his leg. Calm yourself, she’s saying. He tries implementing the breathing technique that Shouto taught him.

“It’s to help me temperature regulate, but it helps to calm me down too. Let’s try it together.”

And he’d smiled that little smile that snatched Izuku’s soul every time. The memory was enough to counteract the growing heat from anger in his chest.

“Along with knowledge of the pending attack, we also have had a breakthrough on the members of The Underscore, as well as their quirks.”

Murmurs of excitement and curiosity rippled across the room.

“The full details are on the drives provided, but I will do a simple overview.” The smarmy tone suggested that he thought he was smarter and above everyone else. It was sickening. Like a bully on the playground that had the newest toy and wanted everyone to know it.

“There are currently five solid members of The Underscore, with one currently under investigation.”

Breathe.

“The first is a teenage girl, codename ‘Piv0t’, whose quirk allows her to expand the space on any storage device. It seems that the hacking knowledge is not due to a quirk, just skill.”

Kirishima whistled. “A teenager? Hacking government systems?”

“The next is a teenage boy, ‘Piv0t’s’ twin, who goes by the codename Crypt. His quirk allows him to corrupt any data files after they are hacked into by his sister.”

The reason for the underscores left behind after the attacks then.

“Next, a young woman, codename ‘Haia’. Her quirk allows her to transform herself and others into animals. We are under the impression that this might be the key to how they have been entering and exiting the premises, though that hasn’t been confirmed. We are currently unsure as to how many people she can control with this quirk, or if there is a time limit.”

“A truly powerful quirk, unfortunately used for the wrong reasons.” Iida noted.

“Indeed.” Hashimoto flipped to the next slide, and the description turned Izuku’s blood cold.

“Next is ‘Toxic’. He is one of the two that we know for a fact is a member. His is the quirk that excretes a neurotoxin in his gas, disabling anyone that inhales it for a long period of time, or a large amount at one time.”

“That explains why everyone was unable to move for a while,” Ochaco murmured.

“Finally, we have a veteran face.” Hashimoto said, ending on the last slide. This one had a picture; Dabi holding up a mugshot placard and flipping off the camera with an arrogant grin.

“I was hoping I’d never see that bastard again,” Bakugou muttered. Assent came from the rest of the Class 1-A alumni.

“He’s almost the perfect counter for Shouto, with his strong firepower.” Momo suggested, voice low.

Izuku didn’t care what Dabi could do. Every single member of that organization would have to deal with him until they gave up where Shouto was. It would have to be enough to get the commission to take Shouto’s absence seriously. Their original excuse was that Shouto would be wherever The Underscore was, so they were essentially killing two birds with one stone while using less resources.

It reeked of bullshit, to use Kacchan’s phrasing.

“So, what are we going to do about the missing Hero Shouto?” he asked loudly, echoing across the chambers. The committee members sitting in, as well as the lower ranked heroes began to buzz.

“We really haven’t found him?”

“What are we going to do?”

“I’d rather he was dead than against us.”

“We are so fucked if he really decided to-“

Izuku’s knuckles sang with tension and he didn’t realize that he was standing until his friends were also standing, ready for damage control. His chest rose up and down noticeably, and the entire room sat on a knife’s edge, waiting for him to erupt. It was a showdown; neither man was willing to stand down. Finally, Hashimoto shifted.

“Hero Deku,” he drawled. “Let me be unequivocally clear. If suspicions are confirmed that Hero Shouto is indeed a traitor, we will have to do anything in our power to put down such a powerful adversary. I’m sure that we can all depend upon you, one of our brightest, strongest heroes in that necessary time to protect us all.”

Izuku twitched. Before anyone could blink, he had tackled Hashimoto, with the intent of choking the life out of him. The room was in chaos, a cacophony of panicked sound surrounding them. He felt hands trying to lift him off, but this time he was determined to make that man eat his words.

“The second time today that an entitled, bastard hero wanted to get his way—” Hashimoto choked, still daring to have the last word. Before Izuku could retort, he felt movement around him.

“What-"

“Sorry about this, Deku-kun!” Ochaco shouted, before slapping him in the back with her full palm. Before he could react, Iida had powered up a Reciproburst strong enough to send him hurtling through the wall. Steel bent and chips of wood went flying as he managed to reorient himself. Single minded, he crouched to move forward again. All he could see was the face of the bastard that dared to insinuate that he could ever ‘put down’ Shouto, like he was an animal.

“Wake up, you fucking nerd!”

The spell broke just enough to see Kacchan’s signature scowl in front of him, palms ready on the defensive. He was angry, but he wasn’t stupid enough to rush straight into a Howitzer. The rest of their friends surrounded them, all with a mix of horror, fear and concern in their eyes.

“Save this energy for the villains, asshat!”

Izuku scowled. “You were just on my side earlier!”

Before Bakugou could find an excuse, Kirishima jumped in. “That was to rough him up, not kill him Midoriya!”

A flash of movement, and hands were softly holding both sides of his face. Izuku stared into Momo’s pleading eyes. 

“You can’t save him this way… He needs us, Midoriya-kun. He needs you. I feel it. You need to calm down.”

Still breathing heavily as his quirk sparked around him, Izuku was held in place by Momo’s unwavering eyes. Vision becoming blurry, the electricity in the room palpably decreased as Izuku fell to the ground, tears spilling from his eyes.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, I just—I’m so worried and that’s no excuse for the way I was acting but I just- but I can’t—”

Ochaco quickly appeared and began to run her hands through his hair, holding him from the side.

“It’s okay, hun. Just breathe. It’s going to be okay.”

The heartbreak is evident on Izuku’s face, and Momo holds him closer.

“He needed me. He needed me, Momo.” He squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn’t escape Shouto’s sorrowful expression.   

How much would it take for you to lose faith in me?

And Izuku couldn’t even answer him.

“He needed me and I didn’t know what to do so I didn’t do anything and now he’s gone and we haven’t- I haven’t done anything to bring him home.” Izuku hiccupped.

“We’re going to bring him home to us and to his family; I swear on it.” Momo spoke with such ferocity that no one could dare to deny her.

“Oh god, and his family! I didn’t even check on Rei-san, or his siblings! They must be worried sick, and now I feel awful because how dare I feel bad when—”

“Enough!” Ochaco’s voice shook him so much that his gasping cut short. “It is not your fault he is missing, and you are allowed to feel sad about it. What you aren’t allowed to do is take out your anger on the wrong people, and that includes yourself.”

A palm lay comfortingly on his arm, and Kirishima and Iida smiled determinedly down at him.

“No more blow-ups dude, please?” Kirishima asked, voice straining from the stress. “If you want to take your anger out in a more manly, productive way, we can all totally go train.”

Izuku chuckled through his tears. “We all have work tonight, remember?”

Looking at his friends surrounding him, smiling (except for Kacchan, but he always scowled so it was default) and felt empowered. He thought about how much he wanted Shouto’s face to join their circle of power; about how much he missed having his quiet but strong and unwavering support in all things. How he missed that small, rare smile, and how it made his toes curl. He stood, taking heed in the strength of those thoughts. Even though it hurt, he smiled.

I’ll find you, Shouto. I have faith in you. I always have. And I’m going to tell you how I feel when we get you back. I promise.

The cold nipped at his face and hands as Izuku stood momentarily to stretch his knees from a painful, long-held crouch. Between the biting temperature, ominous gray clouds creeping over the horizon, and eerie silence engulfing a building normally bubbling with life, his nerves were frayed. Despite numerous rounds of detectives and police combing the building and around the server rooms for hours, no one had been found and not even an inkling of action had occurred. It was a war of attrition, and if Izuku wasn’t trying to be the greatest he might have been fooled to let up.

The sudden cold still wasn’t good for the pain in his hands, though.

Cracking his knuckles and rubbing his hands together for warmth, he started when Momo nudged him. Fuzzy gloves waved in front of his eyes, and he smiled gratefully. She was supposed to be with her unit, but she had come to check in with him personally.

“We won’t have these problems when we get our team space heater back,” she tried for a joke, causing Izuku’s lip to quirk. That’s right, he reminded himself. I’m not going anywhere without him.

“Anything on your end, Uravity?” he spoke quietly into the headset.

“Nothing here.” Ochaco replied warily. “My team and I have scanned the area- not even a squirrel gets by without being analyzed. Nothing at all, hardly any noise. It’s almost unnatural how quiet it is.”

“The calm before the storm,” Izuku noted grimly. None of the situation made any sense. Had someone let slip that the heroes would be waiting? How? Who?

Hashimoto’s implications about Shouto wormed their way into Izuku’s head, and he shook them off. He’s been missing and wasn’t even at the meeting- there’s no way he could have been the one to say anything. Don’t think like that, he chastised himself. No, it must’ve been something else…

“Where are all of the units, again?” Izuku murmured.

“Four units surrounding the building, two units watching from the surrounding buildings on a higher level.” Iida replied quickly.

“How high up are the two units?”

“About eight stories up.” Kirishima replied. “This building is about thirteen stories high if you include the spire at the top. We called- hey, Katsuki, babe, where are you going- wait-” The transmission cut short.

“We called in for a helicopter unit about fifteen minutes ago; they’re going to do a few sweeps of the area before we pull out. It’s been hours and nothing has happened. They may have been intimidated by the show of force we are making.” Iida continued.

Momo’s hand vacillated around his shoulder with concern as Izuku’s murmuring saturated the area around them.

“Where are the building floor plans?” he asked, holding his hand out while still in thought. One of the support heroes handed him a tablet, which he began furiously scrolling through.

The building layout was simple enough as far as government buildings went. Four main corners with the outside almost completely made of glass. It also seemed to be serving as an artsy prototype design for something; curving spikes curled out from the main structure, reminiscent of the teeth of an opened Venus fly trap. The surroundings were open, surrounded by sparse trees and knee-high grasses. It was located about half a mile from the river, separated only by a small walking path on the riverside. Other buildings were within sight, but of some distance away, with the center of the city further away. Nothing else stood out to him; their units were strategically placed anywhere that could be entered… so the only way that anyone could enter without being seen would have been from the sky or from the sewers.

Izuku ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Doesn’t this building have some sort of fancy storm drainage system?” 

The support hero who handed him the tablet- Nina, that was her name- nodded with excitement. “Yes; the major drain lets out at the river nearby. It’s a direct system from the top of the building where they’re testing rooftop drainage systems for greenhouses and sustainability. The spikes up there are actually opened to collect water and filter it through to the greenhouse on top and to the gardens here at the bottom, it’s actually really interesting-”

Momo squeezed Nina’s shoulder, causing her to pause. Izuku never thought he’d see the day where he wasn’t the one mumbling in excitement (though the plans did sound pretty cool).

“Ahem. Anyway, we have eyes watching where it lets out at the river. Nothing and nobody have gone through it.”

“When did that watch start?”

“Same time as the raid did.”

Izuku nodded, thinking deeply. So that meant for the entire time that they’d been watching the building, no one could have come in or out… Unless they’d been here the entire time, before them… but why? And if they were really within the building, how had no one managed to find them? 

“What are you scanning the area with?” he spoke back into the headset.

“Thermal imaging scanners at all entry points, with building rounds every fifteen minutes.”

Izuku’s brain quickly made the connections. Thermal imaging. Body heat. Warm blood. Warm-blooded animals- cold-blooded-

Toxic stretched, relieved to be released from the constricting form of the water snake and placed his palms onto the vent tucked away in the dark office, activating his quirk. Those bastards had better be glad he was easily bought, because being the tank for this team was one of the most inconvenient things he’d ever-

A heated hand grasped his upper arm, hard.

“You really thought you could pull this shit again without someone noticing you, moron?”  The voice filled with a sinister glee, and Toxic felt his shoulder dislocate from his arm as Bakugou unleashed a volley of smaller explosions aimed at all his major joints. Falling to his knees, he looked up in desperation. His heart stuck in his throat- he was caught in the madman’s crazed sight as a glowing grenade-shaped fist came straight for his jaw. The hit connected with a resounding crack, and Toxic was sent flying through the glass of the office window and into the night.

Before he could hit the ground, the back of his head cracked against a hard- unbreakable- surface, that surrounded him in a vise grip.

“Babe! You did it!” a gravelly voice rumbled as Toxic uselessly squirmed.

“Shut up and put the cuffs on him, Shitty Hair!”

“Oh, don’t be that way! I know you know I’m proud of you.”

In a rage, Toxic activated his quirk, squeezing like an octopus trying to hide amongst its own ink.

Bakugou’s heart unwittingly skipped a beat. “Ei, don’t inhale it!”

“Don’t worry- I’ve got this!”

Toxic went to release more gas when something rammed with the strength of a car into the back of his head, and then he knew no more.

Izuku dashed around the building like lightning at the sound of shattering glass, watching Kirishima smoothly catch the villain from the tenth story like a baseball into a mitt. Despite his unbreakable form, he’d managed to catch him without causing too many injuries on either side. The heavy bruising on the back of his head couldn’t be helped, as Kirishima had panicked at the sight of the gas and knocked him out before it could spread.

“Why didn’t you just use the cuffs?” Izuku cried, pointing to the quirk-suppressant cuffs they all had on their person.

Kirishima shrugged. “Big guy - couldn’t let him go to reach them. He’ll be okay.”

Bakugou scoffed at his boyfriend’s nonchalance. “Now you’ve got blood on your forehead, and the bastard’s out cold so we can’t interrogate him yet.” The support heroes came prepared with cuffs and other restraints, wrapping the villain up and dragging him to the police vans that took him away.

Izuku beamed at Bakugou, full of pride. “I should have known you’d figure it out, Kacchan. How’d you know what floor he was on?”

Bakugou turned away with his nose in the air as Kirishima smiled. “A lucky guess, can you believe it? He heard your idea about the systems and the thermal imaging, and decided that he wanted to get an extra look from a different vantage point when he saw a tiny snake slither from one of the cool waterspouts into a window and-” Kirishima’s mouth was muffled by a sweat covered hand.

“That’s enough.” Bakugou whispered, rage-hooded eyes masking repressed embarrassment.

Izuku chuckled before his face became serious again. “Well, this confirms that they are here. I’ll check with the officers again on their rounds; they’ll need to continue to check for any openings-”

“Ground Zero!”

“Red Riot!”

“Deku!”

All three of them started, hearing their names called out by their friends in desperation. The sight that greeted them in the front of the building was terrifying. All heroes gaped at the sky; eyes widened as if the rapture had arrived.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Izuku cried, disconcerted by the lack of organization. They never broke rank like this. Ochaco’s hand visibly shook as she rose it to the sky, causing him to quickly twist his eyes skyward.

The pupils of his eyes were swallowed by green when he saw the clouds in the night sky gather ominously above a dark clothed man on the top floor of the building.  

“Well, hello down there, heroes!”

Dabi leaned out on one of the spikes, nonchalantly as if he had leaned on a wall to talk to a friend. Despite his relaxed pose, the silence of the night allowed for his voice to carry down, and like a higher deity it boomed across the courtyard. Pleased with their horrified expressions, Dabi cackled with amusement and held out a finger- a warning.

“Let’s make this time more interesting, hm? I’ll tag in player number two.”

The finger he held out in warning curled upwards toward the sky, directing their eyes to the top of the spire.

Momo’s guttural scream echoed across the night, and the hearts of the entire team stopped.

“No!”

All the blood in Izuku’s face drained.

At the top of the spire stood a man wearing black pants, a black sleeveless turtleneck, and a black face mask covering up to his nose. His hair was in a tight braid, black and red.

But there was no mistaking the strong posture. No mistaking the vivid scar, and no mistaking the ice currently blasting from his right hand into the night sky forming now-visible crystals.

The clouds parted momentarily to allow the light of the moon through and standing in it like a fallen angel under a spotlight was Todoroki Shouto.

“Shouto…” Izuku whimpered. Unconsciously he grabbed at his chest, feeling his heart shatter into pieces and stab him in his lungs. The shards end up in the painful tears filling his eyes.

No… that’s not true…

The shock amongst the heroes was so palpable that no one made a move. Whispers made rounds through broken-hearted, terror filled souls.

Bakugou is the first to break the spell. “What the fuck is this shit, Half’n’Half?!” He shouted, voice echoing. “You get a new hairstyle and you think you’re a fucking villain now?”

Shouto’s shoulders rise and fall with an annoyed sigh. He looks down at Dabi, who gives him a thumbs up. At the command, Shouto grips the air and pulls down, causing the crystallized sky ice to hail down. Before it can reach the top floor of the building, Dabi raises his hands as a massive blue wall of fire raises above him. The clash of the ice and flames leads to an instant, opaque and all-consuming steam that burns the eyes of everyone surrounded by it. Breathing became painful as the hot and humid vapor cloaked and suffocated them.

Panic bleeds through Izuku’s headset as the fog isolates everyone from one another. The panic changes into grunts and struggles to breathe, and he makes the choice to use a One for All force wave to remove the fog. Praying he doesn’t catch anyone collaterally, he claps his hands together.

As the vapor faded slowly, a wave of orange flame came into view no less than twelve centimeters from his face. Izuku only had moments to dodge the blow as Shouto landed gracefully on the ground, immediately shooting towards directly towards him with hands of fire and ice.

Izuku’s hand to hand combat skills were legendary when combined with the power of his quirk. Heroes and villains alike knew that if he could get near you, it was almost impossible to escape. Most attempted long-range battle with him, where having the ability to escape at a moment’s notice was the best option.

But Shouto knows him.

Shouto has willingly trained with him since they were in high school, so he knows Izuku’s moves, habits, and tells.

And Izuku recognizes when Shouto’s not giving it his all - he always has.  

Their blows bounce off each other, fire and ice colliding with pure power and deflecting to the sides.

“What are you all looking at?” Bakugou roars from a distance to the remaining heroes. “Get inside! The place is being attacked!” He shoots forward to join the fray, jumping to shoot a blast into Shouto’s back. Predicting this, Shouto twists away from Izuku to face Bakugou with a blast of ice. While they weren’t as intimate with each other’s tells, the competitive spirit between the two had never died. Bakugou was notorious for his combat and battle tactics, and Shouto equally so for his mastery of long range and defense.  

So, when Shouto sweeps his hand in an arching motion and encloses them in a massive dome of ice, it’s almost the opposite of what could have been considered an intelligent strategic move on his end. Why? Why would you do that, Shouto? It’ll only increase your chances of getting hurt…

Inside, Crypt begins to sweat as explosions begin to shake the walls.

“I knew it, I knew we wouldn’t get away with it forever!” Haia wailed. He glared at her, causing her to dart toward the door and look back and forth for approaching enemies. 

“Enough. Piv0t can do this. My sister is unstoppable.” He turns to his twin, leaning over her shoulder. “How much time do we have left?”

Piv0t turned, shaken for the first time in her life. “Crypt…I- I don’t know—”

Suddenly, the flash drive was snatched out of the USB port. Piv0t turned in fury as Haia held it above her head. “We need to go, now!”
“Bitch!” Piv0t screamed.

“You’re wasting time!” Crypt shouted. He turned, noticing that only 79% of the information had been extracted. “Fuck it, this will have to do. There’s no loss.” He moves forward toward the stacks of data servers and activates his quirk.

The door blasts open, with Heroes Uravity and Creati standing in the smoke.

“Nope!” Haia instantly transforms into a rat, taking off in between the stacks with the flash drive still stuck between her teeth.

Crypt turns, horror blending with fury. “You traitorous bit-“

“Don’t let her get away!” Ochaco commanded. “Check all corners, openings, vents, anything small enough for her to fit through! You three, stay here with Creati. The rest, follow me!”

Heroes surround the twins, quickly incapacitating them with the quirk-suppressing cuffs. They struggle as they are hauled through the building and to the police vans, curses flying from Crypt and loud sobbing from Piv0t clearly audible from the server room. Momo approached the screens, taking note of the small laptop and set up.

“All this, from two children.” She shook her head. “Pack this up, record everything properly as evidence.” Over the next few minutes, everything was packaged, pictures were quickly taken, and the team began to move out. Momo took a moment to sigh with relief. We finally caught them!

Her relief was short lived as more explosions shook the frames of the building. Bakugou? But he-

“Creati! Momo!” Ochaco cried over the headset. “The building is exploding! Protect yourself, try to get out of there!”

Momo’s eyes widened as the room in front of her began to implode.

Around the three of them- UA’s top three graduates and the world’s three (two?) fastest upcoming heroes- the surrounding area crackles like fireworks with flashes of green, orange and blue. The impact of their hits bounced off the walls like thunder and lightning, lighting up the dome from within.

“Why aren’t you fighting for real, Half’n’Half?” Bakugou snarls, dodging flames and sending a blast hurtling at Shouto. “Don’t join the other side and then bitch out- offer me a real fight so I can kill you like the bastard you are!”

Shouto dodges, allowing the blast to crack the wall behind him. He finally moves out of both of their immediate ranges, breathing heavily with eyes unfocused on either one of them.

“You too, fucking nerd!” Bakugou turns to Izuku, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Throw a real punch or back off!”

But… something’s not right, Kacchan! Izuku panics. He can’t help but notice that while Shouto easily manages to keep up with every blow coming his way, he has yet to put power- any real power- behind those blows. They were like the warning swipes of a cat, moves that screamed keep away from me. Even when he threw up the dome, it seemed like the damage control.

“Wait, Kacchan, for fuck’s sake- Shouto, please!” Izuku plead, moving in between them both to hold his palms out.

“You don’t really want to hurt anybody! I know you’re trying to contain the damage, even though I don’t know why! I don’t know what happened, but this isn’t you! Whatever happened, we can figure it out together, but you have to stop fighting us!”

Shouto finally met his eyes, and Izuku feels eviscerated as he sees the pain clawing his friend apart. Shouto rises slightly from his defensive position, pulling down the face mask.

Izuku smiled slightly, encouraging him. “Good, good! It’s fine, it’s okay. Just… come home, please.” The ‘come home to me’ remained unspoken.

“I- I can’t pretend anymore, Izuku. And I sure as hell can’t just come home.”

The smile dropped from his face at Shouto’s glassy eyes. “What?”

“They lied… they all lied, Izuku. For years, they let everything happen to us. No one cares about me. They never cared about us at all.”

"What the fuck are you-“

Izuku throws his palm at Bakugou, begging him for patience as confusion fell over his expression. “Us? Who lied? Who are they, Shouto? You have to tell me, it’s safe to tell me.”

Shouto’s expression shuttered at the word ‘safe’. “It’s not safe. It’s never been safe.” His eyes, which had been filled with a sharp, glowing pain were now matte with suppressed emotions. He was blocking himself off, re-entering that shell that Izuku hadn’t seen since their first fight as first years.

“Safe? Ha! When has it ever been safe in the hands of these so-called heroes?”

Blue flames creep from behind Shouto as a hand slithers around the face mask and lifts it back over his face. Izuku retakes his defensive position, scowling at the nerve of the intimate touch. Bakugou’s palms light up, and with a few solidly placed blasts, the ice wall is blown away. With perfect timing, Dabi smirks and presses onto a detonator, toxic green flames erupting from no less than twenty windows on multiple floors of the building. Glass mingles in with the ice flying everywhere, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

Izuku tries to keep his eyes peeled, watching the blue flames come forth, ready to consume both men.

“Shouto- Shoucchan, please - don’t do this.” The endearment slips out desperately before he can help it, and he doesn’t care.

Shouto’s eyes widen, and for a hopeful moment Izuku sees his hand lift toward him.

The heroes’ headsets buzz loudly with Iida’s emphatic voice. “Civilians are still inside! Heroes Creati and Red Riot are among the heroes still within the building, we need reinforcements on hand, now!”

Shouto jerks at the loud voice, expression distraught. “Kirishima… Momo…” He turns toward the building before a hand pulls him back. Dabi shakes his head.

“You bastard!” Bakugou flies toward Dabi with a renewed hatred, and powerful orange and blue flames combine into an uncontrolled coil toward him. He’s forced to dodge away, taking cover as the flames overtake the area, destroying all the greenery.

Izuku moves to fight, but Iida’s voice cracks through again. “Deku! We need you, right now- we need fast enough hands to move people out! Hurry up!”

Izuku turns to make eye contact with Shouto one last time. His expression fills with acute disappointment before his hair covers his eyes, and without turning back he dashes into the crumbling building with the full force of One for All. Blue and gray eyes dilate as Shouto’s heart stops at the expression.

The hell-flames rise, smoke billowing toward Bakugou. Both men are consumed by it, and by the time he can move out of wind, they are gone.

@SeveralSmallMangos

This just in, hours later, fucking confirmed that fucking Hero Shouto is now Villain Shouto…this timeline is the absolute worst and I am heartbroken excuse me

            @SeveralSmallMangos

             So, uh…are we going to talk about the fact that the hero commission basically just implied that Todoroki Shouto, son of retired number one hero Endeavor, is a villain, now?

@nmbr-1-deku-fan

i dont buy it. theres no way. hes super st8 laced. there must be smethng else #conspiracy

@TheTastiestOnion

@nmbr-1-deku-fan    HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEWS?!? HIS OWN TEAMMATES SAW HIM! IT LOOKED LIKE LITERAL HELL AT THAT CRIME SCENE!

@icyhot-L0VER

OH GOD NO NOT MY ICE PRINCE NO

@devourerofmelons

Nooooo……not him! I actually feel sick, not Hero Shouto! He couldn’t be!

@heterochromic-bitch

…not to be that person, but can we talk about how that SLEEVELESS TURTLENECK is absolutely STUNNING on him? And how even the villain candids are jawdropping?? Who else can rock something like that? I have dreamed for years to be blessed with the vision of his perfect shoulders and arms… who knew it would be like this…

@endeav0r-can-suck-it

something’s not kosher. maybe he’s being brainwashed or something, it wouldn’t be the first time a hero has had something happen to them. he was missing for a week, maybe they brain-washed him?? (i refuse to believe this is all what it seems)

@The-Great-Flame-Hero

@endeav0r-can-suck-it   or…. check this out… he’s a whiny bitch baby who decided that he wasn’t getting attention and decided to switch sides

@endeav0r-can-suck-it

@The-Great-Flame-Hero   FIRST TF ALL: [keep reading]

Mismatched eyes bored into the mirror. Sunken and swallowed by dark circles, they screamed out in desperation clawing through his feeble efforts at compartmentalizing his emotions. Shouto’s current goals consisted of breathing, not falling asleep, and not dying. He’d like nothing more than the earth to swallow him alive. He saw Izuku’s expressive green eyes every time he shut his own. Those damned eyes. The raw disappointment they contained – aimed at him? At the situation? It didn’t matter- it cut into him like a knife, stabbing him every time he blinked.

Everything had gone according to plan, at least up to a certain point. A severe anxiety attack after the showdown with Hashimoto resulted in Shouto almost completely dissociating... It was a habit from years past, used to protect himself from uncontrollable emotions after many a training session had gone too far. He followed the directions Touya gently fed him, trusting in his “onii-chan” blindly. They had entered the building hours beforehand, slithering through the pipes and onto the rooftop. For hours, he’d used his ice powers off and on to slowly chill the air around himself. It had been was exhausting, but the more he focused on the task at hand, the less he’d thought about the dangerous emotions swirling in his chest. The throat-constricting stress, the heart-wrenching guilt, the betrayal burning in his eyes that threatened to spill out. All of it was shoved down, replaced with a cold determination.

Unbeknownst to him, Touya had placed bombs designed by Toxic and Crypt around the building in arbitrary spots, and he hadn’t seen his brother until he materialized for the fight. Shouto’s own shape had randomly shifted now and then, from small snake to human, letting him know Haia was nearby. The longevity of her powers was astounding; he could only imagine how excited Izuku would be to learn just how strong, resilient and versatile it was. He would pull out a new notebook and—

No, not right now. I can’t.

Crypt had purposefully sent in Toxic early as bait, mainly so that the resulting battle would be a distraction while they slipped into the building. Of course, it would be the poor bastard’s luck to run into Bakugou. Crypt and Piv0t were captured. The only reason that they had made it out was because Haia had bailed on the out of desperation, making it outside. She’d had every intent on abandoning the siblings too, but Touya’s ice cold eyes recognized her in a flash. Not willing to risk being roasted alive, she’d transformed them. The three of them barely managed to escape in the fallout.

Momo’s scream echoed in his head, and he covered his ears.

“No, no please, I can’t deal with this right now…”

She’d almost broken him. The ice wall he’d built around himself and his emotions almost crashed down when her scream reached him. It took everything in him not to look down, not to make eye contact with her. The explosions rang in his ears; if he’d known, if he’d been paying attention, he could have caught Touya and taken away the detonator, or even prevented him from spreading the bombs. If he weren’t so selfish and self-centered…

“What have I done?” he whispered at the mirror, sickened by what he saw. Momo was inside, he thought, cupping his mouth to prevent from throwing up. Momo was inside the building when the bombs went off. She could have been hurt, or worse.

Izuku had offered him a way out. He’d held out that cursed right hand, once again trying to drag Shouto out of the hole he’d buried himself in. God, he wanted to go with him. He wanted to feel safe. But he’d meant it when he said that it wasn’t safe - not for him, and not for his brother.

“Shouto. I know you can hear me. We’re leaving, now.”

Touya opened the door to see Shouto no longer in front of the mirror but balled up on the floor next to the tub. Consumed in his own guilt, Shouto didn’t notice the grimace of pain that Touya was struggling to hold back.

“When did you even - why did you blow up the-” he choked. “I may have just killed one of my closest friends- what’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with us?”

“Are you really torn up about that?” Touya asked, prompting a look of disgust from Shouto. He rolled his eyes. “She made it out. That hero with the hard skin made it to her in time, shielding her from the blast. It was on the news. Plenty of civilian injuries, but no casualties.”

Thank god for Kirishima and his unbreakable form. Shouto’s entire body melted into the wall with a sigh, relief overflowing, before shame overtook him again. Civilian injuries were not something he wanted on his record either - if it even still mattered.  How selfish of me. He thought. Still sure you’re not a villain?

“Look, we need to move. There’s another place that I have set up, a little out of town. It’s not safe to stay here anymore now that they have the others under interrogation. They’ll snitch sooner than later, so we need to move out.” Touya scowled when Shouto didn’t move and moved forward threateningly.

“Don’t make me drag you out of here.”

“Fuck, Touya! I just- can I have a goddamn moment?” He grasped Touya’s wrist, pleading, but flinched when Touya hissed and yanked away. Shouto’s eyes widened with understanding and empathy.

“You overdid it tonight.” He whispered. “It still hurts, doesn’t it? I’m sorry…”

Touya’s eyes flashed with something dark, his silence speaking volumes. Shouto slowly rose, keeping his hands out in front of him where Touya glared at them distrustfully. His own arm shaking from overuse, Shouto lightly removed Touya’s long-sleeved jacket, gentle with the steaming skin, and placed a light sheet of ice over both of his uncovered arms and shoulders. Struggling to maintain his composure, Touya couldn’t help the sigh that spilled from him at the sudden release from the scalding pain.  

They stood there in silence before Touya shook out of it. “We need to go. I’ll have to rest later. Haia is still on the couch in cat form, and she’s not waking up any time soon.”

Shouto nodded. “Are you sure about taking her? She knows too much.” That prompted a tired grin.

“You gonna take her out, little bro?” Shouto grimaced. “It’s fine. Her quirk is powerful and useful, and we owe her one.” He pulled his jacket back on.

“As for ‘giving you a moment’, word to the wise: when you’re constantly on the run, you don’t get to pick when you have those. There’s an anxiety that always comes with being unsafe, with not knowing what’s going to happen next. We don’t have the privilege as ‘villains’ to make those calls. Swallow it, make your next move - top priority is escape and safety.”

Escape and safety.

So much could be read into Touya’s words. He’d spent years focusing on escape and safety, on surviving another day. Making it to the next day was a small victory – his entire life was a series of small victories. It was the only way he learned to cope as a child, and it had never failed him. 

The small apartment lay on the outskirts of Tokyo, on the edge of a crumbling, concrete jungle. Shouto could count on two hands how many trees he’d seen. Questionable people lingered around every corner; shadows came to life from malfunctioning streetlights. The entire neighborhood was covered in a miasma of suspicion and sin. Calling their destination a ‘safe’ house caused his gut to churn- how safe could it really be out here for the average person? They pulled up to a small brick complex and Touya hit the brakes.

“Here.” He said, holding out a key. “Apartment 15, top floor, all the way at the back. Take Haia and the box of clothes. I’m gonna get rid of the truck.”

Shouto turned, poorly concealed disgust in his eyes as he pinched the key. Touya cackled.

“Don’t get bougie now, rich boy.”

Swallowing his pride, Shouto leaned over to scoop Haia off the back seat. “Do the water and electricity work, at least?”

“Probably. Don’t scream if you see a rat.”

Shouto’s dread only increased at the thought. Tightening his hood, he got out of the car and walked through the front doors. Unlocked. No good. The surroundings didn’t bode well for his expectations. The walls were covered in graffiti, the lights flickered, and it smelled of stale cigarettes. Upon reaching the third floor, the hallway reminded him eerily of The Shining, with green tile floor and lights only occasionally lighting up the floor.

Suddenly, Shouto wished he hadn’t been so uppity about the first apartment, because if Touya hadn’t killed somebody to get that one, odds were higher that he did for this.

Reaching door number 15 at the end of the hall, he unlocked it and pushed it open. The apartment itself was small, only about 350 square feet, but compared to the outside, it was surprisingly clean. The light wood floors and white walls were in need of cleaning, but they weren’t awful, and there were three moonlit windows facing into a backlot with dried grass. Grass! The sight made Shouto smile, as if the greenish-brown clumps suddenly made everything okay. Leaving Haia on the windowsill, he moved to look around. The lights came on, surprisingly. Thank goodness for small mercies. The kitchen had no food, but there was a microwave on a small countertop, and three cabinets which were empty except for a few bowls, plates and plastic silverware. Water came out of the faucet at the sink, miraculously clear. Dish soap lay to the side. He shuffled to the bathroom; the bulb emitted a harsh yellow light, and the inside of the enamel tub walls were cracked. The sink had two faucets, one hot and one cold. Just like me, he thought sardonically. But the water worked in all spots, a solid soap bar was available, and the toilet flushed, which was all he could ask for.

“Everything to your liking, your highness?”

Touya smirked tiredly as he leaned against the doorframe to the bedroom. Shouto returned the smirk, equally exhausted. “It’ll do.”

Snorting, he moved past Shouto to grab a towel from the closet and went into the bathroom. Curious, Shouto looked into the little closet to see that there were already a few towels, rags, blankets and other items of clothing inside. He must have really been maintaining these places for a while. Yawning, he twitched as exhaustion caused his eyes to momentarily roll into the back of his head. Pulling out one of the comforters (hotel quality - potentially stolen but he wasn’t going to worry about that) he moved to the couch to succumb to the sleep he’d desperately been trying to avoid.

But of course, when he was ready to rest, sleep didn’t come.

Hours later, as the sun began to creep over the windows and over his eyes, Shouto was still staring at the discolored ceiling. Touya had gone to sleep hours ago; he wished he lacked the shame in order to fall asleep peacefully. Instead, his exhausted body fought with his anguish at what he’d done and it was agonizing.

Every time he tried to close his eyes, the same damn image kept showing up.

He’d lost sleep over Midoriya Izuku before, but it certainly had never been because it made him sick. His guilt and shame began to flicker with anger as exhaustion began to overpower him.

Blink.

Go away.

Blink.

Leave me alone!

Blink.

Don’t...

Blink.

Don’t look at me like that!

Blink.

Please, I-

Blinkblinkblinkblinkblink---

“Ugh!” he shouted, sitting up. No rest for the wicked was right. Sighing, he went to take a shower. The bathroom was inside of the bedroom, so he had to creep past a restlessly sleeping Touya. The lukewarm water washed away dirt, sweat, and muscle fatigue, but it couldn’t wash away the filth he’d become - no matter how hard he scrubbed. A scream of frustration bubbled up and he opened his mouth, but the sound that came out wasn’t his. Quickly turning the water off, Shouto threw on a towel and swung the door open to see Touya writhing in the bed, the sheets burning where his fingertips grasped them.

“Stand up!”

I’m trying…

“What’s wrong with you?!”

The fire hurts…it hurts everywhere…my skin is melting…

“You are weak!”

I’m weak…

“You’re nothing like me!”

I never want to be…

“How do you plan to master your powers when you cower away from them?!”

I’m sorry, I’m sorry!

Tears poured from Touya’s eyes as he tried to rise to his feet, but he couldn’t do it. Fire rushed through his circulation, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe. His fingernails were ready to peel off, his scalp was going to disintegrate. His skin was going to melt if he used anymore of his quirk, but the pain quickly came from the outside as a flaming fist slammed into his chest and tossed him back to the ground. The large fist came from a disembodied figure, large and flaming, swirling with shadow. The only solid thing was bright, hateful blue eyes, eyes that now glared at Touya with disgust.

“Weak! Weak! You will never be my successor…and you could never succeed him!”

I don’t even care about succeeding All Might…

“Stay down for all I care!”

Fine… I will!

“You’ll never be a hero.”

…

“Your mother will simply provide me with a new heir.”

Touya’s pupils shrank with fear. It was one thing to pick on him, but it was an entirely different story to pick on his mother or his siblings. Gritting his teeth, he stood. Despite what felt like hot coals broiling under his soles, he stood his ground and widened his hands.

“Haven’t you had enough?!” he screamed. “Fuyumi and Natsuo can’t do it! I’m the only one you have, and it should be enough to prove that this science experiment of yours won’t work!”

“Don’t speak to me like that, foolish boy. I’ve had enough of your insolence and weakness.” The flaming beast turned to leave, and Touya reached out his hand to grab him, but suddenly he was falling into shadows. The sounds of his mother’s screams and sobs echoed around him, and his hands rose to cover his ears as he curled into a fetal position.

“No….no! Stop it! Leave her alone!”

The screams turned into the wailing of a baby. Opening his eyes to solid ground, Touya rose to follow the sound. Amongst the darkness, he found a bassinet where a colicky baby with white and red hair screamed up at him.

“Stop it- stop screaming!” Touya pled. “You’re going to make him come back! You’re showing weakness and he doesn’t like that! Stop it!”

Heavy footsteps began to approach, and the dream shifted again. Suddenly, he was staring into the pained eyes of a toddler, his littlest brother, as he held his hands out.

“I’m weak, Touya-nii….”

Touya shook his head. “Don’t say that… don’t let him make you feel that way…”

“He’s going to kill us- and he wants you dead the most.”

 Touya flinched away, watching those eyes turn flat as if possessed.

“You’re weak, Touya!” he spoke, cruel voice mismatching the tiny body. “How can you protect us if you can’t even protect yourself?”

“It…it hurts! I’m sorry! I wanted to get everyone out…and I will!” Overcoming his fear, he reached forward to shake the toddler, trying to snap him out of whatever had overtaken him. Horrified, the little body began to disintegrate in front of him.

“To…Touya-nii…?” he whispered, before crumbling away.

“Shouto!” Touya wailed. Screams began to echo all around him, though there was no way to tell where they were coming from.

“Fuyumi! Natsuo!” Gasping for air, tears burned his eyes as panic overtook him. “Mom… Mommy, help! I’m scared! I’m sorry!”

The miasma began to separate as the hulking, fiery figure returned. Arrogance dripped from its every step. The bastard. He hated him. He hated that man, and he hated himself. As the monster rose its massive hand, a scream rose from the depths of Touya’s soul, and he allowed that hatred to consume him. Blue flames erupted from his entire body, from his skin, eyes and mouth, engulfing him in flame. It held back the monster, but in return, Touya felt his body tearing apart. The flames grabbed on to every inch of skin and pulled him inside out.

The monster had taken everything from him. His mommy, his little sister and little brothers. His humanity. His dignity. And now he was trying to take his life.

Touya wouldn’t let him win. He’d kill them both before he let the monster take anything else.

“Touya…”

Touya stopped screaming. “Mommy?”

“Touya…” it called again. Ice began to cool off his arms- it was her!

“Mommy? Mommy I’m here!” He lifted his arm, reaching for his mother- finally, she was here to save him…

…and collapsed into the fire.

Gasping, Touya shot up from the bed. Looking around wildly, he flinched when he saw Shouto standing over him, hands up.

“Touya…”

“Leave me alone!”

“I-”

“Leave!”

With expression torn between disappointment and pity, Shouto turned to go back into the bathroom. Touya looked around to see that the sheets were soaked, partially from his sweat and from melted ice, and scorch marks covered the surface. Groaning, he covered his eyes. The nightmares hadn’t been that bad in a while, but he also hadn’t used that much power in a while either. The massive flame wall took more out of him than it used to. Age was starting to take a toll. He’d been told that if he didn’t use his quirk, he would have been able to stop tearing his body apart… but that wasn’t an option.

The water began running in the bathtub, and he sighed with annoyance as he heard Shouto shuffle back into the room.

“You need to soak. Ice baths help.”

“Didn’t I say don’t bother me?

“You actually said to leave. I did…and I came back.”

Fists tightening, Touya turned to glare at a deadpan Shouto, now dressed in sweats and a t-shirt and holding a towel. “We’re not children anymore.”

“So does that mean you need help getting in the tub, old man?”

At this point, Shouto was challenging him with an exhausted smile, and Touya bit down on his lip to stop his own smile from breaking.

“Were you always this annoying?”

“No.” Shouto sat at the edge of the bed, nervously fidgeting. “I know…I know Mom would do ice baths for you when we were little and it helped with your pain.”

Touya turned away, swallowing his anxiety with pure will. Snatching the towel, he limped into the bathroom.

“Is Haia still out there?” he noted belatedly. No need for an audience to the Todoroki shame.

Movement in and out of the bedroom. “Nope. Slipped out the window. Do you think she’ll be back?”  

Stepping into the tub was instant relief, and Touya leaned back into its cooling embrace. “Likely. She always needs something, and she’s got an unhealthy crush on you.”

He heard Shouto gag. “I’ll be out here. Don’t fall asleep in the tub.”

“My hero.”

An exasperated sigh came from the bedroom, and Touya chuckled. For a few minutes he lay there in the tub, before picking up a familiar tune. Rei’s lullaby hummed from his lips, a facsimile of when he was little and she used to sit with him while he soaked away the pain. A few repetitions later, he heard a low hum join in with his. Show off, Touya thought smarmily. An hour later, his skin was back to its cool temperature and his muscles were relaxed. Drying off and throwing on the towel, he walked out to see Shouto asleep, curled up under the sheets. The bed was no longer wet, made dry by the use of his quirk. Throwing on some sweats, he sat on the now comfy bed and stared at him, wistfully.

A younger Touya knew he had it bad, but he hadn’t realized just how monstrous it was until he saw it happen to someone else. At first he’d even hated Shouto. The kid that had caused his mother so much pain to conceive and birth, the heir whose existence had been a result of Touya’s weakness. Shouto represented failure to a nine-year-old Touya, let him know that he was replaceable and weak and didn’t deserve his father’s love. That none of them deserved their father’s love because they weren’t desirable. All that resentment boiled over when Rei had first given Shouto for Touya to hold.

The baby stared up into Touya’s judgmental eyes…and smiled, as if he wanted to make a good first impression. Touya was tempted to throw him back into his mother’s arms and run away, but Shouto just kept looking at him like he was so special… and he couldn’t.

“It’s you, Touya,” his mother had lovingly proclaimed. “You’ve always been so good with your siblings. They love and trust you, unconditionally.” Rei’s tone was loving, though her body shook with holding the façade of strength.  

Not this one! “But he’s awful,” Touya had whispered. “He caused you so much pain… he’s what Dad wants, right? We can all be happy! Just give him to Dad and…”

The baby began to gurgle, eyes widening with tears. It was as if he sensed the dark emotions in the room and was begging not to be abandoned.

“Touya!” Rei hissed.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry Shouto! Don’t cry…” He filled with shame, but still burned with a child’s indignity. He just wanted himself, his mom and his other siblings to finally be safe! What was wrong with that? Still…he guessed he could include this new kid. He was cute…or whatever.

He loved Shouto, though that resentment born from fear had always festered in the back of his mind. The baby had the tendency to follow him around with wide, observant eyes, and he always clung just a little too tightly. It’d been kind of annoying really - Touya had Fuyumi and Natsuo, and they’d always been together. They knew each other; Fuyumi and Natsuo were safe. He had a solid camaraderie with them, they knew how to handle situations at hand, and the three of them supported each other. Shouto was an unknown that scared him, that could one day bring on the wrath of Endeavor if he wasn’t what was wanted. Or worse, he could become a little tyrant if he was what Endeavor wanted.

It wasn’t until Shouto turned four that he understood what being a sacrifice to Endeavor truly entailed.

That, of all his siblings, Shouto was the only other one who knew the true, raw fear of being under the crushing hand of Endeavor. The sweet child that only wanted to be included in games of kickball where he was barely twice the size of the ball, reduced now to hiding in the back of closets trying to soothe his own wounds. The quiet kid that giggled joyfully whenever Fuyumi snuck him treats, when Natsuo played peek-a-boo, or when Touya lifted him up on his shoulders to run up and down the courtyard, now clutching at his belly and sobbing, unable to breathe because of the pain. Where Touya should have been putting on small band aids for boo-boos, he was wrapping gauze for burns. Where he should have been the cool, thirteen-year-old brother teaching him about dogs or stars, instead they spent time bonding by singing songs while they cleaned up similar injuries. No childhood was supposed to be like that. No kid deserved to be isolated from his siblings, to have to sneak to receive any kind of love. None of this was right. How could he have ever thought that it would be okay to replace his own pain with someone else’s… and it didn’t even work, Endeavor was still cruel to everyone…

If he hadn’t been so weak…. If only he had just—

“Mmm…” Shouto mumbled, bringing Touya out of his reverie. He looked down from his sitting position, seeing Shouto shift in his sleep.  

“Mom… Izuku… please…I’m sorry…” he moaned, tears falling from squeezed eyes.

Saying nothing, Touya placed his hand on Shouto’s head. Then and now, solidarity was all he could really offer as comfort.

If there was an escape from the nightmares, he’d be using it himself.  

Bakugou stood in the shadows of the corner in the small interrogation room, arms tightly crossed and brow tight. He normally emanated a cross attitude, but today it was especially sinister and with good reason.

Todoroki.

That bastard.

It wasn’t like he especially cared about Half’n’Half (Eijirou would beg to differ) but he could acknowledge that he was a good hero - in Bakugou’s own league, even - so this shit came at him from left field. No matter how much he wracked his brain, he could not understand why he would betray them. And he couldn’t help but see just how distraught the other heroes were. Even Deku, with that too-big smile in the face of adversity - even he had to be led away from the scene after they’d finished saving the civilians. After being led away, he’d run off into the night. Deku had been carrying this stupid torch for Todoroki for years now, and it looked like he was choking on it. All because Todoroki had to be a goddamn idiot.

Fuck it, he’s a villain now! And that means he needs to be taken down.

As much as he tried to force righteous anger behind the sentiment, it only pissed him off when he couldn’t do it. A belabored sigh broke him from his thoughts, and he glanced at the exhausted detectives as they sat across the table from Toxic. Toxic was wrapped in a super-enforced straitjacket, quirk-suppressing cuffs around his legs keeping him from moving. Because the detectives were worried about resistance, they had brought in Bakugou as support. Bakugou was now on the fifteenth hour of a shift, and he was feeling every minute. Between the two furious, scowling men, the room was filled with a dour, stressful energy.

“Toxic…just tell us.” One of the detectives pled, tired from the past two hours they’d been in the room. “We already know what charges you are guilty of. You were kind enough to answer the other questions. We just need to know where the remaining members of your party are located.”

“I don’t know shit, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. I’m no fucking snitch!” The restrained criminal snarls. “…even though the backstabbing bastards would deserve it. I knew we couldn’t trust them, them and all their daddy issues-”Bakugou’s eyes widened, and he pushed off the wall to stand over the chair that Toxic sat in.

“What do you mean, daddy issues?” he growled. Was this something to do with Endeavor again? Hadn’t Todoroki  been going to therapy or something for that? Toxic turned away and cursed, pursing his lips. Bakugou leaned back, wordless.

“The rest of you, get out.”

“Ground Zero, we think-”

“Get. Out.”

Accepting their fate, and perhaps eager to take a break,  the detectives left, closing the door to observe through the one-way glass. As soon as the lock clicked, Bakugou placed an unrestrained kick to the side of the table, sending it flying into the wall and shattering it. Toxic stared at him, poorly disguised shock turning into a smug grin.

“By all means, hero - abuse your powers some more.”

Bakugou inhaled slowly and stood directly in front of Toxic. “Let’s be direct, dumbass.” He spoke lowly, but no less clearly. “I’m not sure where this loyalty is coming from - you were purposefully set up. There was no room for you in that little set up they ran. Your little cotton-candy haired friends in the other room have already admitted to you being the loose end, and then clammed up with lawyers. They’ve unfortunately got the money for that. You, however, will be tossed in a shit prison like the rest of the normie villains that get their asses kicked by me.” 

Something about Bakugou’s raw energy was fearsome to Toxic, and he quailed under the pressure. He seemed to be questioning his choices up to this point, but still he kept silent  - and that was unacceptable.

“What did you mean, daddy issues?” he repeated.

“What does it matter?” Toxic snapped, hurt in his voice.

“Humor me,” Bakugou growled.

“It…it was just something about how both of them were dealing with daddy issues with the flame hero Endeavor. And how they needed information. That’s all I know, I swear.”

Daddy issues… He knew about Todoroki’s issues and Dabi’s seemingly personal vendetta with Endeavor ever since their high school days. What had Dabi said to Todoroki to bring him on board? And more importantly, why did that bastard fall for the shit?

“You’d better not be lying to me.”

“I’m not- oh wait, one more thing!” Toxic cringed as Bakugou’s red eyes narrowed in fury. “I- I think they’re brothers. Something Crypt said. Something about the sons of Endeavor.”

Though he kept up the face of intimidation, the gears were turning in Bakugou’s head. It couldn’t be Todoroki Natsuo - Dabi was too short, thin, and had permanent scarring. A missing Todoroki? As he dwelled on it, it made sense - a missing brother would be able to convince Todoroki, would be able to relate… It made perfect sense, and yet it was almost completely wild to believe.

The detectives came back in, grimacing at the broken table.

“We appreciate your help, Ground-Zero. We’ve been notified that a public defender has been provided, and we can’t ask any more questions.”

Bakugou grunted and walked out into the police station’s lobby. Kirishima was waiting for him in one of the lobby chairs, snoring obnoxiously against the wall. The secretary in the lobby looked torn between annoyance and pity, and he sighed as he nudged Kirishima’s shoulder.

“Eijirou. Ei. We’re leaving.”

Kirishima snorted as he woke up, grasping Bakugou’s hand to lift himself from the chair. “How are you feeling, babe?” Kirishima was covered head to toe in numerous bandages from the explosions and glass, and he was limping on one side. They slowly made their way to their car in the parking garage outside; it was still early and the stars were out.

“Over it.” Bakugou finally replied after a pause, voice revealing how tired he was.

“I feel you, babe. If it helps, you can’t be any more over it than Midoriya. He turned his phone off and everything, I’m kind of worried about him-”

“I don’t want to hear about Deku right now.” It wasn’t said with any spite at all, rare for Bakugou. Kirishima looked at him with concern.

“You wanna go home and get a massage?”

Bakugou looked at him, scowling. “You need to sleep! You’re the one that got hurt in the explosion!” Kirishima gave him a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, but I know you like my massages, and-”

Bakugou sealed his lips with a quick kiss. “Not tonight, Eijirou. Get in the car.” 

Kirishima smiled, heart eyes in full effect, and he got in.

The punching bag flew to the ground, sand flying out of the massive hole in it. Despite knowing that this was going to be the thirteenth time he had to pay to replace a bag at this gym, Izuku simply kicked it to the side and replaced it with another that he had on hand.

Pulse pounding, knuckles throbbing, he continued to aim punches and kicks. The pink-orange hues of dawn were now pouring into the gym; replacing the darkness of night he’d arrived in. His arms burned, his legs felt like lead, but he kept going. If he stopped moving, he’d start thinking, and his throat would fill up with emotions that he wasn’t ready to feel. It was better to channel those feelings through training.

He could also channel it by sparring, but his favorite sparring partner was now a fucking villain and-

“Deku-san?”

The manager’s voice distracted him in the nick of time; instead of punching another hole through the bag with One for All, he simply sent a force wave past it.

“Hey, there.” Izuku tried for a friendly voice, but even he could hear the emotions causing his voice to shake.

“Hey yourself.” She turned to relock the door and turn on the rest of the lights. “Must have had a rough night - I know I gave you an honorary key but you’re never already in here when I come to open. I was waiting for you outside.”

Rough night was an understatement. Luckily, Hitomi-san knew not to press the issue. That was why Izuku liked her; everyone always wanted him to talk everything out all the time. Sometimes he just needed to work it out on his own.

“It’s so quiet in here. I don’t like it. I’m about to turn on the TV and prep for the day. You going to be able to keep working while I set up?”

No. But Izuku knew he’d have to face it at some point. He’d turned his phone off not, wanting to see the media buzz about Shouto, to see comments ranging from heartbroken to hateful and everything in between. It had already been overflowing with phone calls when he shut it off. It wasn’t very ‘Plus Ultra’ of him to ignore his problems, but at the moment he didn’t want to be a hero - he wanted to be Izuku, shaken and shattered. Finally, he nodded his assent, drinking from his water bottle and waiting for the bad news.

The news immediately flashed on the screen, and Hitomi’s eyes widened as she took in what had gone down.

“Todoroki Shouto? As in, our Shouto? The kid who comes in right behind you, cleans up the stations, always polite - that kid? A villain?”

Izuku didn’t make eye contact, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. Hashimoto and another man he didn’t recognize came up to the podium, tapping the mic nonchalantly. Molten fury ran through his veins, and he did his best to swallow it. Hashimoto relayed the events of the night calmly and with too much relish. When it came to questions, he was expectedly swamped with questions about “Fallen Hero Todoroki Shouto”, “Turncoat Todoroki”, “Villain Shouto”… Izuku noticed distastefully Hashimoto was adding asides of his own glory, which morphed into anger when the man went on to say how he was ‘more than delighted to answer all questions’.  Izuku opened his mouth to demand that Hitomi turn the TV off, that he changed his mind, when the other man approached the podium.

“We have one more thing to report - a potential and likely motivation for Todoroki Shouto’s actions.”

The reporters predictably went silent, with one bold enough to ask the man’s name.

“Kondo Sora,” he replied in monotone. “Anyway-” he took a solid breath, playing the crowd.

“Our sources have been able to unearth the true identity behind the career villain, Dabi.”

What? Both Izuku and the media circus leaned in, tantalized.

“Our sources have identified him as Todoroki Touya, eldest son of Todoroki Enji and Todoroki Rei. We are currently trying to understand further motivations as to why…” The voice became hollow in Izuku’s ears as his heart stopped.

Todoroki. Touya.

Todoroki.

Oh my god.  

The media predictably blew up, questions bombarding Kondo and Hashimoto from all sides. Smiling, Hashimoto directed the head reporters to a room within the office building they were located. Hitomi gawked and began to flip through channels, confirming that all stations were showing the same “breaking news”. Pundits were already going back and forth on the validity of the news, on ‘past transgressions’, and even on the history of Endeavor and his family.

His family.

His family!

Leaving the gym behind, he flew out of the gym and activated One for All. He could only guess at where they might gather, and his guess seemed well founded as he entered the hospital. Luckily the press hadn’t discovered where Rei was being treated yet, though he wouldn’t give it long before they showed up like sharks in a bloody tank. Before he could be stopped by a nurse, he saw a distraught Fuyumi holding a cup of coffee.

“Fuyumi-san!”

She looked up, eyes red-rimmed. “Oh! H-hello.” Her voice quivered, and she was clearly trying to keep it together. Izuku opened his arms as he approached, and she walked into the hug.

“I- I am so sorry…” he whimpered, eyes watering.

“I just don’t understand why they couldn’t tell us first.” Fuyumi whimpered, tears falling. “We could have done…something! Anything! But this, I—what did we do to deserve this?" Izuku pulled back to hold on tightly to her hands.

“It was horribly disrespectful to you and your family. I am so sorry, Fuyumi-san. I wanted to come say it in person, as well as to check on all of you.”

Fuyumi tried for a smile, but a grimace was the best she could manage. “That’s very kind of you, Midoriya-san.”

They stayed like that until a loud, enraged voice echoed through the halls.

“What the fuck! What the fuck, man!”

Fuyumi moved away, leading Izuku to the hallway in front of Rei’s room where Natsuo paced back and forth, fuming. Furious tears poured over his reddened face.

“Natsuo-”

“I just think it’s really fucking funny how they thought,” he started, punching the wall, “That they could just tell us, over the fucking TV, that not only has my little brother decided to be a goddamn villain, but that he’s following in the footsteps of my dead older brother, who isn’t fucking dead! Not only is he not fucking dead, but he is a career villain that both my little brother and my bastard father have fought! I bet Shouto knew this whole time! I bet it was one big fucking joke!”

He was roaring by the time he got to the end, and Fuyumi only sobbed quietly.

“Natsuo-san- I… I am so sorry.” Izuku choked, bowing as low as he could go. “I didn’t know. I don’t know what Shouto knew, but I’m sure he didn’t want to hurt you with news like that if he did know.”

Natsuo turned to him in a rage. “What would you know? You were supposed to be his closest friend! If he didn’t tell you shit, why should I trust you now?!” he fell to his knees and elbows, teardrops hitting the ground. “He clearly didn’t trust the rest of us! We… we would have been supportive! We would have helped them both! Why didn’t Touya and Shouto come back home instead?! Were we not good enough? Were we still not safe enough?!”

Fuyumi fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around Natsuo to hold them both together. Izuku’s tears spilled over as Natsuo’s words echoed in his head, and he wiped them away.

-supposed to be his closest friend!

-didn’t trust the rest of us!

Not safe enough…

What if Shouto had been trying to tell Izuku that he felt lost? That he needed help finding his way? That something was weighing on him and it was that he’d finally found a way to connect with his brother… only that it was at the sacrifice of everything he’d ever worked for?

Izuku had his own questions that he wanted answers to, but he didn’t want to fall apart in front of Shouto’s family. Somebody had to be strong for them in the face of the multiple blows that they’d been hit with. He needed to be that person, regardless of how much he wanted to join them in their pain.

“How much do they know?” Natsuo whispered through tears, now laying on the ground in his sister’s arms. “How much do they know about our lives, and never did anything? Who told them…who told them who Touya was?”

“I don’t know,” Izuku answered, voice low. In the sudden quiet of the hall, he heard some noises in Rei’s room. They were sounds of happiness, a jarring contrast against the explosion of anger and sadness that had occurred in the hallway.

“Natsuo had found a video of all of us when we were little. All four of us,” Fuyumi explained, forcing a smile through the tears. “It seems like such a crazy coincidence, right? That we come to visit Mom, bringing her something that showed all her children to make her happy….and then this. Because the Todoroki’s can never be happy, right?” she finished bitterly. She lifted Natsuo off the ground, leading him into the room. Izuku followed tentatively behind.

Rei stared catatonically at a laptop screen, grey eyes devoid of any light or recognition. The video hit a certain time mark, and her hand robotically rose to click the screen, pulling the bar back to the beginning. The soft laughter of a much younger Rei echoes in the background, and she appears on the shaky screen.

“Natsuo! If I’m going to trust you with the camera, you have to hold it tightly!”

“I understand!” Natsuo’s tiny voice responded, strong with his newfound duty.

“Good. All right Shoucchan, I’m putting you down. It’s okay!”

Izuku watched as a chubby baby Shouto smiled timidly as he took in all his siblings sitting in the corner of the courtyard. The sun shined idyllically on the soft grass, leaving them all positively glowing.  

“We’re gonna play a game, Shou! So you have to talk!” Natsuo called from behind the camera. Shouto looked at the camera, mouth forming into an “Oh!”

“He was never much of a talker to begin with,” Fuyumi added softly from the other side of the room, where she sat gently rubbing Natsuo’s arm.

“Do your best, baby. We’re all here for you.” Rei reassured him when Shouto looked back at her, worried. “Okay! Who am I?” she said, pointing at herself.

“K-Kaa-chan!” he burbled.

“That’s right!” she encouraged, clapping her hands together.

“Oh, me next!” Fuyumi’s voice called from off-screen, and the camera turned to show a young Fuyumi reach toward Shouto. “Me! Who am I, Shoucchan?”

Shouto smiled widely, and rose on tiny legs to toddle over to Fuyumi. Pointing at her, he happily called “‘Yumi-nee!” as he fell into her arms.

“Yay!” Fuyumi said, smiling as she squeezed their faces together. Shouto laughed, a bubbly, joyous squeal.  

Izuku felt his heart fill with warmth. Shouto’s quiet laugh was rare enough, let alone something as exuberant and life giving as this.

“My turn! Me! Come here, Shou!” Natsuo called. “Who am I?”

Shouto looked up from Fuyumi, reaching to attempt a high five with the hand that reached from behind the camera. “Nat-so-nii!”

Natsuo gave a small laugh. “He always struggled with my name the most.”

“Okay? And finally…who’s he?” Natsuo pointed. The camera turned to Touya.

Izuku sobered at the sight. Todoroki Touya was covered in layers of bandages, and though he had on a soft smile he could see the exhaustion clear in his eyes and posture. He leaned against the courtyard wall, legs stretched out. Touya reached wide for his little brother, and though he covered it well, Izuku recognized the pain in his eyes at the motion.

“Who am I, Shoucchan?” Touya spoke hardly above a whisper, smiling as Shouto’s eyes wavered. “It’s okay, it won’t hurt.” Shouto gave him a wide grin and ran into his arms. Touya flinched, but he still wrapped his arms around him.

“Touya-nii!”

Rei’s eyes began to water.

“Good job, Shoucchan! You did it! You guessed everyone!” Natsuo called, moving toward Touya and Shouto. Putting down the camera, he also rushed into Touya’s arms for a hug.

“No fair! I want a hug too!” Fuyumi called, running into frame and hugging Touya too, though much more gingerly. Chuckling softly in appreciation, Touya did his best to wrap his small arms around his siblings.

“Oh, Touya,” Rei cooed. “You’re such a good big brother, and I’m so proud of you. Your siblings adore you!”

“Even though you stink up the bathroom after dinner!” Natsuo shouted, and Touya rolled his eyes and flipped a disgruntled Natsuo off, using his foot to push him back.

Izuku couldn’t help his snort as Rei’s hand moved to rewind the video. They all sat there in silence as Rei watched the video three times more, forgetting to lift her hand the third time. Now, instead of ending at Natsuo’s teasing, a deep and familiar voice roared over the video.

“Touya!”

Before Izuku could react, Natsuo snatched the laptop off Rei’s lap and slammed it shut.

“Mom-” Fuyumi started, wavering near Rei’s shaking side. Rei’s eyes had filled with tears, her expression fearful. “It was just a video, Mom. It wasn’t real. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

“It’s not okay.” Rei whispered, leaning her head back into the pillows. “I’m a horrible mother. My children suffered so miserably…and it’s all my fault. It’s all my fault that I lost Touya… It’s all my fault that I hurt Shouto… I didn’t do enough to be better. I’m a failure…I failed them both. Shouto, Touya, please forgive your terrible mother… I’m so sorry… please forgive me…” her begging turned into choked tears, which turned into hysteric wailing. Fuyumi held onto her tightly. Natsuo, who dashed out with the laptop, came back with a nurse who held a sedative. They stayed with her until Rei fell asleep, breathing slowly. 

Izuku stood back the entire time, feeling every inch the intruder stumbling into something that he was not meant to see. Natsuo beckoned for him to come out into the hall, and after one last glance at Rei and Fuyumi, Izuku followed.

“In case you want to know what happened next, since you already saw the damage.” Natsuo said bitterly.

“It’s okay. I don’t need to see anything.” Izuku replied quickly, but Natsuo had already opened the laptop back up.

“Touya!”

The entire family flinched, and Touya’s exhausted eyes hardened as Endeavor entered the room and destroyed the circle of familial bliss.

“I have been calling for you for the past ten minutes! What do you think you’re doing?” he roared, staring directly at Touya.

“Spending time with my family. You should try it,” he retorted. Natsuo had managed to make it back to Touya, and all three siblings gripped onto Touya with fear for both their lives and his.

“What did you just-”

“Enji, please.” Rei pled, shielding her children. “They were just playing-”

“He doesn’t have time for play!”

“They’re children! Children play! I just think that-”

Endeavor reached forward, grabbing Rei tightly by her neck. “Don’t question me.” He spoke slowly, dragging out every word. “He is my son; they are all my creations, with which I will do what I please.” Tossing her to the side like a ragdoll, he moved closer to Touya.

“Fuyumi, Natsuo, Shouto. Move.”

Fuyumi and Natsuo, clearly used to this routine, quickly scampered to their fallen mother as Enji’s hand rose. But Shouto only clung tighter.

“No!”

Enji’s head snapped back, shocked at the defiance. Fuyumi’s and Natsuo’s eyes widened.

“Boy… don’t defy me. Touya, tell him to unhand you.”

“Shouto- Shoucchan, you’ve got to let me go now.” Touya whispered, holding onto Shouto’s cheeks. “It’s going to be okay.”

Shouto shook his head. “No…” he whispered.

“Shou-” Touya began, but was interrupted as Shouto was torn from him and held up high above the ground by his arm. Endeavor stared him directly in his eyes, flames full force. Wetness slid down his kicking legs as Shouto panicked, followed by terrified tears.

“Put him down, Endeavor!” Touya shouted, on his feet. “He’s only two, he doesn’t know any better!”

“He’ll learn.” Enji dropped Shouto onto his feet, only to backhand him with enough force to send him flying into the ground. Fuyumi screamed and went to help him, but the look in Endeavor’s eyes made her freeze in place.

“Look what you do when you encourage this misbehavior, Touya. Follow me at once.”

Hatred bled from Touya’s eyes, but he moved forward stiffly into the hallway.

“Clean up in here.” Endeavor said nonchalantly to no one in particular, closing the door behind him.

The video cut, which was just as well as Izuku couldn’t take anymore. He was silently bawling, emotions churning so violently in his stomach that if he uncovered his mouth he might vomit.

“Sickening, right?” Natsuo asked, a long-fueled hate glowing in his eyes. “Happened too many times to count. This one just happens to be caught on camera.”

They both sat there in the silence of the hall as Izuku tried his best to calm down. He felt like his heart was going to explode; how could anyone live like that?

“You shut down. Deal with it like the little soldier you were raised to be. It’s what the Todoroki’s are best at.”

He hadn’t realized he spoken out loud, and he looked at Natsuo in apology.

“It’s fine. You’re the only person outside the family that I’d show that video to, only because you are- were- so close to Shouto. If you could get him to open up, you must be somebody worth it. Sorry about earlier… I’m still pretty fucking pissed, but it’s not your fault.”

“It’s no problem. I kind of showed up uninvited, so that’s on me.”

“You were just being the hero. Though, at this point, I don’t know what that means anymore.” Natsuo replied sarcastically. He sighed. “He seemed so normal… nothing seemed wrong! I mean, he was brooding, but all Shouto does is brood. I’m so angry at him, but I also just… I want him to come home before he does any more damage. And then Touya… God, I just… what a whammy. ‘Hey, the brother you were so close to, the one that you thought died a very painful death, the thing that broke your family’s back… he’s not only alive, but he’s a… a killer.’ I just… I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to come back to Enji’s house either, but I wish he could have gone somewhere safe so that he didn’t become what he is. I wish I could have done more.”

Fuyumi exited Rei’s room, shoulders slumped. Izuku stands to help her sit down in the spot next to Natsuo and sits on the floor. She leaned into Natsuo, closing her eyes.

“Whatever it is, finding Touya was what made Shouto leave. I’m sure of it.” Despite her worn posture, her voice was strong with conviction. “He wouldn’t have just left and turned bad. Shouto has always been too… too good for that. He’s always been a good kid, with a strong sense of justice. He must think there’s some benefit, or that he could bring Touya back…”

“I don’t know about strong sense of justice, sis. This is the same kid that was determined to freeze Midoriya’s arm off just to spite Enji until our boy over here decided to knock some sense into him.”

Izuku laughed softly. “It seems so long ago, now.”

Fuyumi nudged Natsuo with her elbow. “Shouto gets caught up in his own head. He doesn’t like to ask for help, or to reach out, and things will consume him. Isolation has been programmed into him since he was little- he’s so lonely sometimes- and while he was doing better, something must have happened to trigger him back into that state. I don’t know what or why, but something must have happened, and the only person he thought he could talk to was Touya. Call it sisterly intuition.”

“But why T-Todoroki Touya-san?” Izuku asked. The name felt odd on his tongue; taboo even.

“Because they both went through the shits with Enji. Who better to relate to than someone who got tortured like you did?”

Fuyumi and Izuku flinched, and Natsuo had the decency to look guilty. “Sorry. It’s the truth though.”

“I know.” Fuyumi replied with a sigh. “Onto something more pertinent. We’re going to have to move Mom. The media circus is going to be on another level.”

“Haven’t had to deal with one of those as a family since the last time Touya went in the news. Joy. Welcome back, big brother.” Natsuo’s eyes darkened momentarily. “I have more than a few words for him.”

“I’ll help you in any way possible.” Izuku said, folding his arms as he stood. “Just tell me what to do.” He was perfectly willing to elbow a few overzealous reporters, and if he ever looked Hashimoto in his face again…

“Don’t worry about it, Midoriya-san. What about Dad?” Fuyumi asked.

“Fuck him.”

Fuyumi stared at him, before her eyes took on a cool demeanor. “For right now- fair enough. Remember that private hot springs resort that the Yaoyorozu’s own? The one they invited the family to when we were little and Mom was sick? I think we should reach out to them, ask for sanctuary. We’ll need to take her things and her nurses with us. You handle the doctors, I’ll reach out.”

Izuku felt useless as both siblings began to handle the situation with cool efficiency, almost as if this was a preformed plan for emergencies that had been practiced for years. Fuyumi hung up the phone after twenty minutes, looking at a returning Natsuo and Izuku.

“They’re willing to take us in. God bless them for being such good people. I didn’t know how forgiving they’d be, since Momo...” she shook her head. “They have their own nurses and caretakers that will work with Mom. Our homes are sure to be getting slammed with reporters right now, so it wouldn’t be safe to go back. We’ll just have to get new things when we get there.”

Natsuo nodded. “Okay. The nurses are already checking Mom out, and I already called a car for us. I don’t see anybody outside, so it should be safe to move whenever she’s ready to go. I’ll go get Mom wrapped up and ready.” He moved to Rei’s door before turning and bowing to Izuku.

“Thanks for coming by… I appreciate that. I’m glad Shouto had a friend like you.”

Had? “You’re welcome, Natsuo-san.”

Fuyumi turned to place her hand on his shoulder. “You should go home and get some rest - you look like you haven’t slept in days, and you don’t need any of our problems taking over your life.”

Face heating, Izuku went to refute her but she only laughed sadly.

“Really, get some rest Midoriya-san. I’m sure this is hitting you hard as well. I can only hope that Shouto…and Touya… see the light and come home. If you need anything, need support with bringing my brothers home, please call me. I know we can bring them back. And if anyone can do it, it’s you. Shouto lo- trusts you.”

What were you going to say??

“Good day, Midoriya-san.”

“Call me Izuku, please. I used to come over for snacks as a kid.”

Fuyumi smiled. “Izuku, then. Go home. Take care of yourself. Hug your mother.”

That was the end of it, as Fuyumi put on her business mask and turned to deal with moving her remaining family to safety.

Not sure where his feet were taking him, Izuku’s thoughts kept returning to the video. Of a smiling Shouto, of a family that was trying its best to find a semblance of safety and normalcy, of the monster that a toddler had to look directly in the eyes. The monster that choked a pleading mother and tortured his sons. It was enough to make anyone fume, because he was more than sure that Endeavor was the real reason behind Shouto’s choice. But why? What had he been promised that he couldn’t get from -

“Izuku, honey?”

Blinking, he realized that he was at his mother’s front door. Vision suddenly blurry, he said nothing as Inko lead him through the motions, helping him take his shoes and walking him to the living room.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly. Because of course she knew. Everyone knew.

Shaking his head, Izuku fell to his knees and began to sob. He grasped onto his mother’s apron, and she quietly consoled him while running her fingers through his hair. At first he cried for his own sadness, anger and exhaustion. The tears flowed harder as he grieved for battered children, heartbroken mothers, and lost, unhealed souls. He cried for the Todoroki children, who were so used to suffering that they were programmed to deal with it like professionals. He emptied all the tears he could for Shouto, knowing that there’d never be enough to make up for what had happened to him. That even now, Shouto still felt so much pain and didn’t think he had anywhere to go. He cried and cried until, exhausted, he fell asleep on the couch.

In his dreams, he saw the eyes of two children that he couldn’t save - stormy ones that cowered from the face of the devil, and the other pair sky-blue begging for them both to be spared.

Days pass. Izuku wakes up tiredly for a hastily put-together volunteer service - heroes have been doing extra community work as a ‘feel good campaign’. Today’s event was “SuperKitties”, held at an animal shelter in Tokyo where they named some of the stray cats and kittens after heroes, and let them play with the children. Ochaco signed up with him out of solidarity, so he at least felt a little better as he dragged himself into her tiny car.

“At least we get to wear civilian’s clothing!” she mentioned, trying to smile. “Even though I don’t think anyone wanted to see the great Hero Deku in a t-shirt that says ‘t-shirt’.”

“It’s human. They’ll realize that even Deku rushes out of bed in the morning and tosses on a t-shirt.”

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that, kid. Did you eat?”

“I woke up ten minutes ago when you called me. It was either clean myself up, or eat. I’m sure everyone will appreciate my choice.”

Ochaco rolled her eyes, pulling out one of her chocolate energy bars. “Eat. Tenya didn’t buy these just for us to ignore them.”

They drove for half an hour, with happy pop music bubbling in the background. Neither of them said much. Both were exhausted, but it wasn’t because of the hero work. In fact, the shock of what went down had apparently caused a hiatus in villain activity, as if even the villains couldn’t believe who’d joined their ranks. It was about ten minutes before the event when Ochaco pulled up to the cute shelter. It was a one-story building painted orange with white awnings on the windows. A bright, rainbow-colored chalk board outside advertised the event, with parents and joyous kids walking inside. It was all so sweet, happy and innocent, and Izuku didn’t think he could stomach it. A soft hand landed on his thigh.

“Hey. Are you gonna be all right?” Ochaco asked, empathy deep in her tone. “Do you want to do some breathing exercises?” Izuku’s eyes watered, but he rubbed them dry.

“I guess it would be asking too much to run away?” He asked, smiling.

“’Fraid so, unfortunately.”

They sighed in unison.

“You’re so strong, Ochaco-chan. I could hardly breathe this morning, and here you are, nicely dressed and ready to deal with the world.” While Deku wore khaki shorts, a t-shirt and his classic red shoes, Ochaco was styled in nice jeans and a cute pink and black blouse – the perfect image of a casual hero.

“Mina always said that the best way to kick the world’s ass is with a cute outfit and kickass lip gloss. But, between you and me-” Ochaco paused, dramatically looking around. “I have a flask in my purse, and I took a shot before coming to get you.”

“Ochaco!”

“Look, I am the queen of orientation and balance. One tiny shot won’t kill me. Though you may have to drive me home after this event.”

Izuku scoffed. “I am not going to let you drink at an event with children. We are going to get through this like adults.”

“…a whole bottle?”

“Oh my g- get out of the car, Ochaco!”

Grinning, Ochaco neatly exited the car behind Izuku. She really was such a good friend, showing up with Iida to Inko’s home after spending hours searching for him. They’d all cried (again) together, though Iida was the only one capable of crying with class. Ochaco and Izuku dribbled snot all over each other, running through an entire box of tissues. His mother was the best, cooking them katsudon and providing water bottles for hydration. Though still off his A-game, he managed to feel a little better after that.

Feeling like he was listening through thick glass, Izuku tried his best to tune in as the kind ladies at the shelter introduced them to awe-struck kids. While the kids smiled, the parents gave them looks ranging from suspicion to pity. It couldn’t be helped. They were led into a backroom, which served as a nursery for the kittens that were reaching adolescence and could run around.

When the kittens were brought out, everyone couldn’t help but coo at them. The first to come out of the box was a small brown cat with a pink collar named ‘Uravity’, and everyone was delighted when Ochaco made the cat float down (except for the cat). ‘Deku’ was small with a bright green collar, meowing and chirping consistently (“Look, he mumbles just like you!”) as he sniffed at everything. Izuku was tempted to adopt him. A sandy yellow cat was named ‘Ground Zero’, and he certainly acted like it - he stomped on top of the other cats to reach the best napping spot in the corner, hissing to avoid the prying hands of the children. ‘Ingenium’, a black and white cat, ran around the room as some children chased him playfully around the room. The older, gray cat that they used to train and clean the kittens was named ‘Eraserhead’, which was the best thing Izuku had heard all day. He lazed in the sunlight from the windows, only flopping his tail with annoyance as the other cats nudged him and cuddled with him, but he never moved.

“He’s just like Sensei, Ochaco- look!”

Ochaco smiled as she looked away from some of the kids playing with the kittens around her. “He really is. You ought to send him a picture, see if he responds. I think our whole class is here, plus a few more! I saw one named after Nejire earlier.”

After an hour, Izuku rose to excuse himself. Promising the kids he’d be back, he slid out of the room, stepping gingerly over ‘Suneater’ whose face was stuffed into a food bowl. On his way to the bathroom, he saw the cages for the kittens and noticed one solitary crate labeled ‘Shouto’. His hand flew to his mouth, barely stifling his grief.  

“One of the workers got so upset that they released him back into the wild.”

He turned to see one of the workers staring at the crate. She sighed.

“That worker was fired, of course. The kitten didn’t deserve that. He was a cute little guy too, had the chimera effect and everything. I loved him so much, I was going to adopt him once he was a little older. He was so soft and sweet, hardly ever meowed or cried. Incredibly cuddly, though he struggled a little around the other kittens. It was just another insult to injury, I guess.” Sighing again, she turned to face Izuku. “But look at me, being silly. I’m sure it hurts more for you and your friends more than anything, right?”

Flushing, Izuku opened his mouth to reassure her, but she held up a hand.

“It’s none of my business, I’m sure.” Smiling sadly, she retreated back into the room, her entire persona lighting up once the kids approached her. 

Finally making it to the bathroom, he moved robotically through the motions. I’m okay. It’s just a damned crate, no need to get upset. This is the way things are now. Going to wash his hands, he looked into the mirror. Pupils wide, sclera red, tears pooling - he hadn’t even noticed he was crying. Automatically he went to do the breathing exercises he used to calm down. In…out… In….out…

On the third shaky exhale, his resolve shattered with a wail, and he crumpled to the floor.

A small knock sounded at the door, and before he could scramble to fix himself Ochaco came in. She wrapped him in a hug, holding his head in the crook of her neck for comfort.

“I told them we needed a break. Go ahead, cry it out.”

For the next few minutes, Izuku sobbed softly in her arms.

“I’m supposed to smile, even when I want to cry. That’s what I’m supposed to do… Why is it so hard?”

“You’re suffering. We’re all suffering right now. It makes perfect sense that you want to cry, smiling would be weird anyway.”

“Where’s that liquid courage you had earlier?”

Smirking, Ochaco pulled the tiny pink flask out and handed it to him. “What happened to that soap box you were on earlier? Us being adults, and all that?”

The short swig he took tasted like motor oil, and Izuku choked it down. “Oh, absolutely not, call Iida. You’re not driving home on that.”

“I didn’t drink any yet. I’ve actually been having a good time so far. Anyway, we’re focused on you. If you don’t mind me asking, what triggered this?”

He paused, eyes falling to the floor. “There was a cat for Shouto. I saw the crate. Somebody threw it out into the wild because they were pissed. They don’t know where the cat is.”

Ochaco frowned, sitting on the wall. “Oh. Yikes.” She took a long drink from the flask, before dumping the rest into the sink. “That’s depressing. Yes, I’m going to call Tenya, stop!” she whined, swatting away Izuku’s hand. “I dumped it out so that neither of us could drink anymore.”

“Do you think that’s why he…left? Because he thought he was that easily disposable? He wasn’t…he wasn’t disposable to me, Ochaco. Why couldn’t he see that? Did I not show it?” It cut him deeply, the idea that the world was trying to throw Shouto away. That someone so strong, so caring, so good, could just be discarded. But what else could the world think? How else should they respond? How else should he respond?

Ochaco sighed. “If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’m in a good place to discuss this myself. I don’t know if I’m ready. I don’t know what he was thinking… I’ll start crying if I think too hard on it, going in circles to understand why.” Ochaco may not have been as close to Shouto as Izuku was, but she was part of the self-proclaimed ‘Dekusquad’, and she cared about him. She knew about Shouto and Izuku’s secret multi-year pining, about how deeply infatuated Izuku was, and that the pain she felt for Shouto’s betrayal was echoed by the pain that she felt for Izuku’s deep sense of loss. “How about this, we go back in there and finish with the kids, and we meet up afterwards and discuss it, ‘kay?”

“Okay.”

Washing their faces and rinsing the horrible-tasting liquor out of their mouths, they put on their best faces before going back. The rest of the time passed in a blur, but everything seemed to go fine. Nothing blew up, no one cried, no one smelled alcohol, and everyone was all smiles as they left. They met a flustered, profusely-sweating Iida at Ochaco’s car.

“You both are pro heroes! Pros!” he hissed, gesturing wildly. “Drinking at an event- with children nonetheless! I am so ashamed of your behavior! Ochaco - bringing a flask? Izuku! Going with it! And furthermore -”

Used to his tirades, Izuku lazily turned his head to the side when something caught his eye.

“Uh, guys, I’m going to catch up with you both later.”

Ochaco frowned. “Will you be okay to get home on your own?”

“I didn’t have as much as you did. I’ll be fine. I’m practically sober.”

Before Iida could have a coronary, he dashed toward the alley next to the shelter.

I knew I wasn’t crazy!

A small cat, perfectly split with white and orange fur sat on the side of a trash can licking its paws. Upon sensing Izuku, it slowly opened its eyes and jumped in shock, falling clumsily to the ground. Wincing, Izuku went forward to try to coax it out. The cat charged out from the garbage, dashing in between his legs. Knowing that it had to eventually get tired, Izuku patiently jogged behind it for a few blocks until it hid up in a tree in a nearby park. Staring down from a branch, it yowled with annoyance.

Puffing his cheeks, Izuku placed his arms on his sides. “Jokes on you, kitten-Shouto, my stamina is through the roof and I can jog for hours.”

The cat hacked as if it had a hairball, then hid further into the leaves. Laughing softly, Izuku sat at the base of the tree.

“I’m so happy I found you! You’re named after a friend of mine, you know. I’m sorry that they kicked you out of the shelter. When I saw you, I wanted to take you back so that they could at least properly care for you this time. One of the shelter hands is looking for you, and the mean one who kicked you out is gone now so it’s safe.” Happy to be talking to his “friend”, Izuku kept babbling on about how the event went. He mentioned that he and Ochaco had a shot each, and the cat let out something like a laugh. Grin stretching, he continued on to the point where he looked like he was going to hyperventilate. The cat suddenly meowed, and Izuku was elated at the feedback.

“You would have liked it! The kids were so happy. I’m sure you’ve met the old cat, Eraserhead. He acts just like my teacher- our teacher I mean- me, Ochaco, and the real Shouto too.”

A calming breeze ran through his curls as Izuku leaned quietly on the tree, staring into the distance.

“I miss him so much.” He murmured, almost to himself. “It’s killing me, because I’m also furious with him. I’m so angry with him for choosing the villain’s side after how hard we all worked. We were supposed to be heroes together. It was his goal, he wanted to be better than his father, to be the best hero that he could be. When I see him, I’m going to have to deal with all of these… emotions. But I also wouldn’t know what it was like to have the chance to be with an older sibling that was torn from me so long ago… I can’t find it within me to call it completely selfish, because I know that that’s not how he is. Shouto’s stubborn, to a fault, but never selfish. He must have missed his brother so, so much, and with how they were raised...”

Counting to control his shaking breaths, he continued.

“But mostly I’m sad. I’m sad because I can’t believe I missed that he was in that kind of pain.”

I can’t believe that I didn’t see whatever it was he was going through. I know it’s not my fault, that he would have had to open up to me and communicated, but…

“I thought we were close… it breaks my heart, kitten-Shouto.” His voice was actively breaking by the end.

Sighing heavily, he rubs at his dry eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing. My friends and family wanted me to talk and I struggled, but here I am spilling my soul to a cat that won’t respond to me. I guess that still makes you like him, though. He never said too much, but he was great at listening. You’d get along, though one of you would have to get a name change.”

Izuku’s soul leaves him momentarily as the cat suddenly pounces on him, staring into his eyes. Izuku’s shock morphs into a genuinely happy smile, and he begins to softly rub the cat behind its ears. The cat purred, closing its eyes and rubbing into his hand.

“Aww, good boy. Thanks for listening to me.” Grinning, he brought both of his hands together to grab the cat. Yowling, the cat clawed at his hands and darted away. “All right, all right! Maybe you weren’t happy at the shelter anyway, I get it. No need to be violent.”

Maybe you weren’t happy…

The cat suddenly jerks, and awkwardly takes off like a bat out of hell into the park. Izuku was sad to see it go, but he no longer wanted to take him back. It seemed happy out in the park, free and on its own.

He’s looking up the nearest train station when he receives a text from Momo.

Yaomomo

I need you to meet me at this address, quickly. It’s not an emergency, but time is of the essence.

Perturbed by her tone, he immediately clicks the location and finds that it’d be about twenty minutes from where he is if he uses One for All. Powering up, he takes off. Twenty minutes later, he lands at the door of one of Momo’s townhouses. As soon as he knocks, Momo opens the door. She has a few bandages around her arms and legs but otherwise appears well. There are circles underneath her bloodshot eyes, but her face is dry. As he gives her a firm but gentle hug, he mentally kicks himself for not checking in on her. Shouto was her best friend just as much as his, and she was the one who was caught directly in the blast.  

“Do you want some tea? I already steeped some, but I can make you coffee too, or-”

“Momo. What’s going on?” Izuku shook his head, speaking firmly. “Your message- it worried me – are you ok?”

“Right.” She led him into an office where a small box sat on top of a laptop. Inside, a USB sat underneath a white card. Izuku looked at the card.

Important!! To be seen only by Yaoyorozu Momo and Midoriya Izuku. Play only when both are present. It will only play once.

He turned to Momo, who nodded. “I was suspicious, especially since it came inside a bulletproof casing, but nothing has happened. I think it’s safe.”

“Why didn’t you call it in?”

“I didn’t know what would happen if I did. I thought it would be better to follow the directions, decrease the risk.”

That’s logical. “Okay. Log on then, and I’ll put it in. Stay a little behind me just in case.”

Momo opened the laptop, logging in, and pushed the chair back. Izuku reached into the box, carefully pinching the USB. Entering it into the port, a window popped up. A video file, right. Izuku moves slightly in front of Momo, in case the USB or laptop exploded.

“You ready?” he asks, nerves pulled taut. Momo nods, frowning.

Izuku clicks the file, and a video screen pops up. At first it’s a white screen, completely blank. A fuzzy video appears on screen, taken from seems to be a hidden angle. A shadowed figure stands confidently in the foreground, facing away from the camera. Facing the camera further back was Shouto, fists tight at his sides. 

“We are truly thankful for your contribution to this case. However, I’m sure you were under the misapprehension that you would be going home or reclaiming your status.”

The voice - Hashimoto?  Shouto’s eyes widened in confusion, and he began to look around himself in suspicion, body automatically crouching in defense. Izuku and Momo tensed in response, subconsciously used to playing off each other’s reactions.

“Unfortunately, there is no space in the good world of heroes for a traitor such as yourself.”

Shouto spun toward the speaker, horrified. Izuku’s heart began to race; there was no way that Shouto would look so surprised if he’d intended on betraying them.

“What?”

“Well clearly you are compromised - dare I say, corrupted, even - by your terrorist brother’s ideology. The police and heroes are on their way now, to capture one of the members of the infamous Underscore, thanks to one of their brightest new investigators - Hashimoto Touma. Truly, it’s all thanks to you, Shouto.”

The video cut out as blue flames consumed the area between the camera and the two men, but not before they could watch rage contort Shouto’s features. Words began to appear on the screen, typewriter form.

Todoroki Shouto was an undercover agent

It was a set up

He was betrayed

By the hero commission

He trusts you both

Find him

Find his truth

Before we truly lose him

The screen fizzes out, and as expected the USB explodes into small chips. Izuku shields both his eyes and Momo, but all things considered the damage was minute.

“Izuku…” Momo whispers after a minute. He turns slowly, shocked black eyes meeting green ones. “This changes everything.” She whispered, gripping the sides of the chair tightly. “It’s unbelievable…and yet…”

Izuku is still standing in stunned silence; the trance is broken when his phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Deku-kun? Are you okay?”

“Hey, Ochaco…we’re going to have to meet another time.”

“Uh, oka-”

Slumping into a nearby chair, he tosses the phone and brings his hands to steeple in front of his mouth. Mixed emotions stewed inside him - worry, fear, frustration at the loss of a major piece of evidence, but outshining them the most was hope. Hope because tangled amongst whatever mess that they had just uncovered was a chance to save Shouto. There was a chance to bring him back - that he might still want to come home.

“Find his truth”

“Before we truly lose him”

Izuku’s mind went to the cat that had been forcefully and unfairly removed from its home, that found a place in the larger wild world that he had been forced into. Was it right to bring it back to the shelter? Was it right to bring Shouto back - what if he was happy? He’d clearly been dragged into something he never wanted any part of - what if he rejected coming back? How would the world perceive his return? Would he even be allowed?

He thought about the shelter worker who sadly missed the cat, who wanted to provide it with a loving home. Shouto was no cat - he obviously deserved the chance to choose where he wanted to be, but that choice had been taken away from him. Izuku could only pray that he still wanted to come back, that he could be pulled from the edge. Still, there was a chance.

Izuku felt a wide smile spread across his face. That was all he needed.  

Flames and ice clashed forcefully as Shouto threw his body into every attack. His body was being pushed to its limits, fists so tight they screamed in pain, but he kept going. Anything to shake off the dream he’d had the night before.

Walls of flame surrounded him on all sides, a mix of blue and orange, and they were closing in quickly. The heat was stifling, even for Shouto, but all he could focus on was the multitude of fists flying at him, punching him, slapping him, hurting him, and they weren’t letting up. Shouto cried at them to stop, begging them to leave him alone. He didn’t want to fight, he just wanted to stop. Tears poured profusely from his eyes. He wanted them to stop hurting him, but they wouldn’t stop. Fist after fist bombarded him until he screamed, the panic breaking into a blind rage. Roaring flames from his mouth, he began to swing back wildly, uncontrollably at the hands until they pulled back into a shadowy figure. He pounces and begins to punch.

Stop it .

Smash.

Stop it!

Smash!

STOP HURTING ME!

His punches fell like a hammer to anvil, destroying the source of his pain. Someone was begging him to stop; he didn’t realize until he stopped moving that the voice was coming from underneath him. Looking down, the shadowy figure morphed into the bloody, battered face of Izuku, shifting into Momo, then into Fuyumi, Natsuo, and then finally his mother… Clutching his bloody hands in horror, Shouto jumped away. He begged to take it back, that he was sorry, but to no avail. Voices sounding eerily like Hashimoto told him that it was too late, that he was a monster. Shouto turned and ran away into the flames, trying to escape. Coming to the edge of an ocean of endless black abyss, he stared down into it. Staring back up at him were two blue eyes, short red hair, and an evil scowl. Shouto’s heart stops, and he screams.

Gasping for breath, Shouto fell to his knees. Luckily, he’d taken off his shirt and was wearing his new tights, else he would have burned straight through his clothes. Training wasn’t doing much to stop the terrifying imagery of his nightmare from weighing on him. Maybe it was time to try something different. Like what? Talking to the brother with more issues than you? Take a number, Shouto. He yanked his hoodie back on, jogging down the crumbling steps of the dilapidated parking garage.

Clutching his now-growling stomach, Shouto wiped sweat off his brow as he left the shadows of the abandoned parking garage to head back to the apartment. It was an unusually bright day, causing the normally dark corners of the neighborhood feel dangerously exposed. The streets were empty as well; like the shadows, the people had retreated into their homes or into the leftover dark crevices. Already Shouto missed the relative safety of the much cooler garage.  

For the past week, he had taken to training in the four-story structure he had discovered while learning his new surroundings. It was ideal - no one could see him from the outside so long as he controlled the range of his power, he could (usually) train away the idle thoughts that threatened to consume him, and all without being bothered - it wasn’t the nature of the inhabitants to ever approach or ask questions. So, he was mildly shocked when a distressed scream echoed from across the street. Hero instincts immediately rushing back, he witnessed a small child snatching a bag from an elderly lady. Shouto froze the ground, causing a small mound around the child’s leg. While he scrambled to remove the ice, Shouto took the bag and handed it back to the woman. Inwardly, he kicked himself because he could only pray that this woman didn’t go run and tell the hills of the strange ice-user new to the neighborhood. However, her scowl as she snatched her bag back rudely and stormed away was certainly unexpected.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured. Turning back to the kid, he saw that the poor child was now sobbing hysterically, rage fighting with confusion on his face. Pity filling his chest, he crouched down to look the kid in the face. With a yelp the kid jerked back and slipped on the ice, still stuck.

“Careful, you’ll sprain your ankle.” He was using what Izuku jokingly called his ‘hero voice’. It makes you sound all stern and in control of the situation, he’d said, smiling. “I’m going to let you go, but before I do that I have one question. What did you need that you felt the need to steal from someone?”

Curses fly from the kid’s mouth even though he starts to cry, but Shouto had known Bakugou too long to be scared away. The child even physically resembled the explosive hero, with spiky blond hair and brown eyes. Gasping through his sobs, the kid quietly admits that he needed money because he and his sister were hungry and there was no food in the house.

“Mom said…said that I’d never go anywhere anyway because I’m a bad kid with a bad quirk like my shitty dad, so I can’t be a hero, and that my quirk is only good because I could take whatever I wanted but I wouldn’t even do that, and I wanted to show her she was wrong and that I can do something and…”

Frowning, Shouto places his heated left hand onto the ice mound so that the kid can free his leg. “Your mother is wrong. But stealing from other people is not the way to prove it. I can’t offer you much right now, but I can help you get some food in your house if you promise - no more stealing.”

Wiping his face, the child stares at Shouto with astonishment, and then down to his leg as if he thought he’d never get it back.

“How old are you, kid?”

“Eleven.” Too young. “Hey, who are you, mister? I’ve never seen you around here before. And you’ve got a quirk! I’m not supposed to talk to strangers either, but you seem like a cool guy, so I’m willing to talk to you! My name is Toshiro.”

Shouto couldn’t help the small smile that slipped out. “Toshiro, you shouldn’t just make buddies with people off of the street.”

“Everyone’s off the street here. Thanks for not taking me to jail, mister! What do I call you?”

Shouto thought about it. He was never a good liar, but he didn’t want Toshiro to go shouting his praises. “Shou is fine.”

“Shou-san, then! You’re so awesome! You even have two quirks!”

Panicking, Shouto stood back up. “Okay, Toshiro, listen to me.” He whispered. “I need you to lower your voice, and not tell anyone about me, okay? I want to help, but I won’t be able to if I can’t move freely. Can I meet you back here in the parking garage in about three hours?”

Toshiro’s eyes widened. “Are you undercover? Like…like spies?”

This kid was hitting entirely too close for comfort. “…yes. Yes, like spies.”

Toshiro smiled widely and zipped up his mouth.

Sitting in the parking lot three hours later, waiting impatiently, Shouto was starting to regret his kindness.

An unbecoming squeak slips from him when numerous children begin crawl from the cracks in the walls like spiders. He forcefully shoves his lingering memories away.

Collecting himself, Shouto glared fiercely at the sheepishly smiling blond child. “Toshiro…”

“I’m sorry, Shou-san! They saw me leaving and wanted to know where I was going. I’m like the leader of all of us. If I have food, they have to have food.”

He couldn’t stay angry at something like that. The gaggle of curious children leaned back in trepidation as Shouto placed the bags down in front of them, freezing the area underneath to keep them cold. One of the kids gave him a sour scowl full of mistrust, which Toshiro waved away.

“Don’t be mean! Shou-san is cool! We can trust him. He brought us snacks. But you only get snacks to take home if you keep quiet about it. We can’t tell about who he is, he’s a spy on a secret mission.”

Their distrustful expressions morphed from amazed to shocked, and soon the kids began to dig through the bags. There were five kids; two of the girls were Toshiro’s age, one boy was a little younger, and the youngest was a little girl of four. After going through the bags, some of them began to sit around Toshiro, who was smiling confidently in front of Shouto.

He reminds me of Izuku.

The thought came unbidden, but it made sense. Shouto didn’t like people in his space; he wasn’t good with making friends, and kids certainly weren’t his forte. Toshiro was good at making others feel comfortable, and it reflected in how he led the rest of the children. They trusted him, oriented themselves around him.

“Toshiro. Toshiro!” Shouto called, getting his immediate attention. “Listen- you are worth more than what your mother says and I’m sorry she says things like that to you.” He turns toward the rest of the children. “All of you are valuable and have something that you can contribute. Don’t ever think you aren’t worthwhile.”

The smallest girl, a blonde like Toshiro, pulls on his hoodie. She opens her mouth, struggling to speak. “I…I don’t have any powers. I’m quirkless.” Her eyes are wide, resigned to disappointment but with a sliver of hope. “What about me? Could I be a hero?”

Smiling wider than he has in a long time, Shouto nods.

“You can be a hero, too.”

He isn’t the most sentimental person, but right now it means the world to him that she believes him - not as a hero, but as a person. The little girl gapes and flushes, before returning a gap-toothed smile. An older girl with flame red hair and black eyes steps forward, expression skeptical.

“Wait - you’re telling me that she can be a hero? Quirkless? Me, too? What would we even do - you can’t get out of here without a quirk, and then you can’t take anyone with you if you got one! You’re born quirkless, society shuns you and you get stuck out here. You’re born with a quirk, and you get taken away from your folks.” The other kids began to huddle together in fear, and the little girl covers her eyes. Still, the fiery redhead pushes on.

“You know that most people out here aren’t born with quirks, right? It’s why it’s a ‘quirkless slum’, because they don’t care about us. And then when some of us do, like Izumi, Toshiro or Ren, sometimes they get teased or ignored because people are mad that they got something no one else does. Or worse, people tell stories on them or on their parents and then they disappear, taken from their homes. Sometimes their families beg for them, sometimes they don’t care at all - and then they’re just gone!”

The smile on Shouto’s face falls. Stolen? Disappearing? Human trafficking? It was the first time that he’d heard of it, and it perturbed him deeply. Was there anything being done about this? Who was behind the stolen kids? 

“I- I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” He whispered. She snorted and folded her arms.

“No, you wouldn’t. Nobody does, no one thinks about the quirkless and their families. You also probably didn’t know that it’s weird to help kids around here. It’s everybody for themselves. How are you out here on a secret mission and you don’t know anything about us? Were you sent to spy on us? Huh?”

The little girl began to cry, and Toshiro stomped his foot, pointing in the scowling girl’s face. “You’re being mean again, Fuyumi!” Shouto’s eyebrows rose. “He came to help us! Be grateful or go home hungry! In fact, yeah! Go be miserable somewhere else!” he shouted emphatically. The girl scowled just as furiously.

“I’m just telling him the truth! Someone ought to know, and clearly this stranger doesn’t!”

“Um-”

Two furious red faces turned to him. “What?!”

“My sister’s name is Fuyumi.” Shouto whispered tentatively, trying to appease the scowling girl. He recognized defensiveness when he saw it, a deep-set rage at a system that she didn’t quite understand yet. “She’s bos- in charge of things too. She makes sure we’re safe. You’re just trying to protect everyone, right? By telling the truth. By making sure that I’m aware of what’s really going on. I understand. You do a good job.”

Little Fuyumi’s scowl smoothed into a pout, clearly flattered by his well-chosen words. “Well. Someone has to do it. Of course I’m in charge.”

“You’re not in charge of shit, you hag.” Toshiro muttered.

“Language. Please.” Another tug on his hoodie pointed him down to the tiny girl, who was wiping her eyes and made herself comfortable in his lap.

“I’m Naoko. Toshiro is my aniki. He likes Fuyumi-chan and Fuyumi-chan likes him, but she’s a big meanie and can’t admit it. Everyone says so.”

Shouto eyes filled with amusement as Toshiro and Fuyumi both flushed beet red again.

“Naoko-chan!”

“Also, I think you’re very pretty, so I’m going to call you Shoucchan. I believe in you, Shoucchan, and I hope the boogiemen don’t come and take you, too.”

The boogiemen. Whatever was happening with these kids had been ingrained into the local folklore. Vowing to look more into it later, Shouto nodded, fixing his voice to be sweet for the little girl.

“Thank you, Naoko-chan. I mean it, I really do. Whatever it is that you like to do, you can contribute. What do you like to do?”

“Draw…” she whispered, pleased to talk about something she liked.

“I have a friend who loves to draw. He could be a support hero. Do you know what a support hero is?”

“No. Nii-chan! Shoucchan is going to tell me about a support hero!”

The other children gather around Shouto like excited puppies; even Fuyumi was showing interest now that he’d gone through her trial by fire. Heroes and villains were like fairy tales to the children that lived in these poorer areas; news came by about what happened in the world at large, but it was distant. It was an unspoken truth that many of the kids with quirks that came out of these slums ended up as minor villains, largely as a result of lacking access to the type of educations and resources that kids born in better circumstances had. Now that Shouto had a little more insight about the strange happenings in the slum, he wanted to find out more and come back and-

But what could he do without any power?

“I wanna be a hero one day, too!” the younger boy, Izumi, added.

“Me too, I guess.” Fuyumi added. “Even though I don’t have a quirk, I can help Ren with hers.”

Shouto spends the next few hours regaling the kids with stories about different types of heroes, how they employed different methods to use their talents, and how they could go to UA or Shiketsu or anywhere else. He learns that three of them were born with quirks. Toshiro has a levitation quirk. Ren, a jovial little girl with bright green hair and yellow eyes, can make flowers grow. Izumi, with dark blue eyes and dark brown hair, controls static. He makes a mental note to bring in information on Ochaco, Shiozaki and Kaminari for them to learn from.

“What brings you here if you have two quirks?” Izumi asks, in that no-nonsense way that only children can.

Sending another glare Toshiro’s way, Shouto sighs. How to explain this to children….

“I… I’m in trouble. The world is angry at me. Somebody blamed something on me that wasn’t my fault, and I messed up some more trying to deal with that, so I had to leave.”

Naoko pat his arm in sympathy.

“That sounds like those rotten kids in school!” Toshiro shouted. “I had to chase a guy for putting gum in Fuyumi’s hair, and then they told the teacher it was me and I got in trouble. But why would I even do that to my own friend?”

Shouto could have cried. The ire of an entire country weighed on his shoulders, but in front of these five street-smart children, his woes were as simple and forgivable as school time antics. If only everyone else were so understanding.

Fuyumi folded her arms, angry at the memory. “What’s your other quirk, Shou-san?”

“He’s got fire and ice! I saw him practicing here, and he even used it on me once! It was cool!”

So much for practicing in private. Holding his hands out, one lit with fire and one with ice. The kids squealed with excitement, clapping their hands.

“I didn’t exactly want people to know I was here practicing. I might get in more trouble. So, you guys can’t say anything, otherwise I’ll have to leave again.”

“We won’t tell.” Fuyumi said, waving his worry away. “No one came here until you did. We know all the ins and outs of this place, it’s our headquarters.” At this she smiled mischievously. “You can stay if you offer something valuable. Otherwise, you gotta leave. Final offer.”

Toshiro gapes at her incredulously, but Shouto nodded with understanding. He never thought he’d be willingly dealing with kids, but something in him had called out to these goofy children. Not only had they managed to take his mind away from his own pain, but they genuinely had good hearts. He knew more than anyone that a good push in the right direction could change someone’s life.

It wasn’t like he had anything else giving him any purpose at this point, anyway.

“If you let me stay here, I’m willing to teach you all some self-defense. So that in an emergency, you can defend yourself and run away. I’m also willing to help you test your quirks, so you can figure out what you want to do with them. I won’t teach you how to use them offensively, but only to defend yourself. Deal?”   

“YOU BET IT IS!” Toshiro shouted, jumping into the air. Ren and Naoko nodded with excitement. Izumi was so excited that his hair, and everyone else’s, began to stand on end.

“It’s the quirk. It does that.” He said sheepishly. “I don’t know how to get it to…not…do that.”

“We’ll work on it.” Looking at his phone, he realizes that it’s getting late and Touya will be looking for him. “I’ve got to go. Split up what’s left of the food and make sure everyone eats.” He spoke at Toshiro and Fuyumi, who gave him a thumbs up.

“I’ll be here tomorrow morning, then.”

Before he turns to leave, Toshiro walks up to him, fiddling with his fingers.

“You really think my mom’s wrong? That I’m not like my shitty dad?”

Shouto smiles- he thinks he’s smiled more in one day than he has in a few weeks.

I cannot believe I’m saying this.

“Of course she’s wrong. It’s not your dad’s power. It’s your power, Toshiro.”

Grinning ear to ear, Toshiro runs to pick up Naoko and a couple groceries and runs off into the evening.

“Well aren’t you quite the hero, Shoucchan?”

Shouto turns to see Touya in the shadows of the building, giving him a cat-like look.

“They’re lost, nii-san. If I can do anything to avoid any more kids like us, I will. What brings you out here?”

“Searching for my baby brother- can’t have you outside after the streetlights come on.”

Rolling his eyes, he starts walking, Touya in line with him grinning.

“I also wanted my card back, Robin Hood. You could have told me you were taking it.”

Shrugging, Shouto holds out the card that is deftly snatched. “Old habits die hard. I learned from Natsuo, who learned from the best.”

Touya placed a hand over his heart, exaggerating a cute pout. “I’m so honored. My thieving skills are being passed down. I hope Natsuo bought any and everything he ever wanted. Fuyumi will never tell you this, but I taught her to pick a lock with the best of ‘em.”

Shouto looked into the distance. “It would explain how she was always able to get to me, no matter what.”

“I never wanted her to be trapped in that house, and she was always the best at moving quietly. Like a ghost. I taught them both well.”

There was a poignant silence between them as memories, both wanted and unwanted, flashed through their minds. When they opened the door, Touya flopped onto the couch. Shouto sat down next to him, trying to choose his next words.

“What’s up, Shouto? What’s going on?”

Shouto no longer wanted to mention the dream. He wanted to push it to the back of his head and move forward with his new mission.

“You should come with me next time.”

Touya lifted his head and stared at him. “To your little shelter runaways club?”

Shouto sighed. “These are kids with a shit situation and shit parents- I want to help.”

It was the happiest he’d been in a while. It had felt so natural- beyond relating to the kids as a hero, he had naturally taken up the role of a mentor. One lost kid to another. For the first time in weeks, being a criminal on the loose wasn’t consuming him.   

Touya frowned, sitting up. “You’re trying to soothe your soul by playing at the hero some more. It’s not going to fix anything.”

Wounded at how close the barb had struck, Shouto scowled. “It’s not about ‘playing at the hero’, it’s about doing the right damn thing for once, Touya! What would you even know about it?”

The air was heavy with his words, and his regret was immediate. Standing, Touya cut his eyes away from Shouto’s hands when he held them out in apology.

“Well, excuse me then, while you do the 'right thing'. I’ve got shit to do.”

“Touya, I-”

The bedroom door closed quietly behind him and Shouto flinched. It was worse than hearing it slam.

For the next two weeks, Shouto devoted his time to working with the kids in the parking garage. After pouring through magazines on various different heroes (after Shouto tore out any images of himself), they were ecstatic to get started. They discovered that Toshiro could actually levitate Shouto for up to a minute, and move pieces of decaying rubble across the parking garage. Ren was working on her flowers in any available dirt the kids could find around the neighborhood, and thus far they were as tall as Shouto’s shoulder. Fuyumi picked up martial arts quickly, now sparring with Ren and Toshiro whenever she could, and Naoko happily drew crayon pictures of costumes. As for Izumi…

Well, Izumi reminded him of Kaminari. Goofy kid, who more than a few times had caused them all to shock each other when he got too excited. The last time, he’d broken into tears.

“I just don’t know what to do!” he wailed. “I don’t even know how to tell my friends so that they don’t get hurt! I’m dangerous! The quirk boogiemen are gonna come take me and I can’t even stop them!”

Hair standing completely on end, Shouto tried to calm him down. “Izumi, you are not dangerous, and the…boogiemen are not going to come take you. You’re just working on your control. It takes practice. I’ve noticed that when you’re about to go static, your blue eyes become very cloudy. It’s like lightning’s about to strike. If you’re really worried about it, ask one of us if your eyes are cloudy as warning. We’ll figure it out, okay? Let’s all start on meditation, and practicing bringing ourselves under control, okay? We can do this, just breathe.”

It was a point of pride for him that the first thing he managed to teach them was how to properly meditate. Even little Naoko was meditating, though she was determined to do it from Shouto’s lap.

A small knock echoed across the garage entry. “Is there space for one more?”

Shouto wasn’t surprised when Touya’s voice echoed from across the garage, but all the kids screamed in panic and Izumi’s quirk spewed out a ripple of static between them, which was the final straw leading all of them to run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Hair rising to the ceiling, he stopped a few feet from Touya. 

Touya’s face was covered with a cloth mask, and his hood was up. Blending with the shadows the way he did, it was completely fair for the kids to assume he was dangerous. Still, Shouto’s eyes filled with a tentative hope.

“Of course, nii-san. I just- I’ve got to calm them down- Hey!”

The kids, coming down from the shocks, all squeezed around Shouto’s legs.

“He’s okay. This is my onii-san, Touya. He looks a little scary, but he’s a really funny guy. Can he join us?”

One of the kids pushed Fuyumi into the front, and her knees buckled. Shouto gave a small smile.

“Touya, this is Fuyumi.”

Touya’s eyes lit with amusement. “I have a little sister named Fuyumi. Are you as tough as she is, kid?”

Fuyumi’s spine straightened, though her knees still knocked. “I-I’m plenty tough! And I run things around here!”

“Touya’s got a fire quirk too. But his fire is prettier than mine. It’s a bright blue. Isn’t blue your favorite color, Fuyumi?”

“…yes.” She whispered hesitantly.

Catching on, Touya held out his hand and a small blue flame appeared on it, jumping between his fingers. Gasping in delight, Fuyumi moved closer to observe it. Tentatively smiling, she looked up into his eyes.

“Your eyes are blue like the flames. I like them.”

Shouto choked on a laugh as Touya’s eyes widened. “Um…thanks.”

“Well if Fuyumi likes him he must be ok, because Yumi hates everyone.” Ren noted, moving forward. Fuyumi turned, clenching her fists as she flushed.

“I do not hate- Ren, you’re embarrassing me in front of-”

Emboldened by Fuyumi and Ren, the other kids inched closer to Touya and watched as he slowly created a larger ball of flame over his hand. They giggled as he created a small snake-like figure that slid between his fingers and nipped at their hands when they got too close. It was an almost alien sight of the career villain, and Shouto sort of wished he had a camera on hand.

“Okay! Back to meditation.” he called. Groans echoed as the kids slowly peeled away from Touya and begrudgingly returned to their sitting positions, sneaking peeks occasionally. As soon as they were sat, Shouto turned to Touya, smirking.

“Well look at that. You’ve even got a little fanbase in the ‘shelter runaways club’.”

Touya rolled his eyes. “I’m the founder of the shelter runaways club. The damn idol, even. Anyway, I’m only here because I wanted to support you, even if I still think you’re guilt-tripping me. Also to let you know that I think I’m close to getting through all of that information in the drive, and I’m going to set some shit up so I won’t be home till later.”

Shouto nodded, lowering his voice as a tense shadow fell over their conversation. “Do you need me to go with you?”

“I’ll handle it. You seem busy here.”

The silence held between them before Touya hesitantly placed his hand on top of Shouto’s hair, ruffling it.

“I bet you’re a thousand times better at teaching than Endeavor ever was.”

Vision blurring, tears threatened to pour over Shouto’s cheeks at the unexpected compliment. “I never want to be like him. Everything he ever taught, I never want to pass that down. Even though he became a better teacher at the end, I still prefer my way. It helps that these kids…they’re not bad kids.”

“Mm. You weren’t a bad kid, Shou. Even if you were, that was no excuse.” Touya frowned, turning away. “Yeah, well. I showed my face. Don’t ever say I don’t love you.”

“Oh, before I leave-” Touya turned toward the back wall. “Hey kids! You know those hero pictures you have on the wall back there! Look at the dude in green! Your teacher has an embarrassing crush on him!”

“Touya!”

Screams erupted as Shouto’s entire left side caught flame, and before he could strangle his cackling brother Touya quickly slid out of the garage. He struggled to keep his dignity and a straight face as he approached the kids, now standing and giggling with excitement. The traitorous pictures were up on the wall next to the cleared-out area for self-defense practice. Shouto brought them in to show the different types of pro-heroes, and against better judgment brought in multiple of Izuku.

It was a gorgeous picture of him; he was standing with his hands on his hips on the edge of a rooftop, sunlight reflecting majestically over his body and lighting up his smile.

“That’s Hero Deku! You  like-like him, Sensei?” Toshiro demanded. Deku was his second favorite hero, just losing out to Uravity.  

“Erm…”

“Of course he does!” Fuyumi exclaimed. “Remember when we were talking about our dream guys, and I-” she cut off, turning red. Ren wrapped around her shoulders.

“And you described him without saying his name, and Sensei said he sounded ‘perfect’, and then you both turned red when I said it was Hero Deku? I do! Though I guess now you like Touya-san.”

Shouto distinctly got the impression that if Ren weren’t Fuyumi’s best friend, she would have fought with the other girl. They already were very quick at picking up the self-defense techniques he was implementing; he wondered how much they’d flourish in a real dojo.  

“Why do you like him, Shoucchan?” Naoko asked innocently. Shouto choked.

“I-um-”

“His powers are awesome! And he’s got super big muscles!” Izumi added.

A man could die happily between those thighs.

Shouto’s face flushed again as he tried to ignore the intrusive thought.

“Uh, can we go back to-”

“I like his freckles and smile. It’s such a big smile. I bet he tells great jokes.” Ren added.

“They’re pretty awful almost every time he tells one, but his smile is like the sun and his laugh is so infectious when he tells them that you can’t help but laugh.” Shouto murmured, smiling to himself.

“You know Hero Deku?!”

Oh, shit.

“You know what- that’s enough learning for today! Have fun, be safe!”

Dignity be damned, Shouto all but threw himself out a side window and fell the three stories down, using his fire to slow his descent. Indignant cries echoed behind him. Dashing back to the apartment, he slammed the door shut behind him. Luckily (for both of them) Touya wasn’t there, so Shouto was able to rush into the shower.

It was like no matter where he went, he couldn’t avoid the man. The symbol that he was becoming, he drew everyone in no matter what. His thousand-megawatt smile, all those adorable, kissable freckles. That dopey, focused look he got when he began to mumble about his favorite things, the serious look he took on when he became focused. God, the serious look was so attractive. It secretly turned him on so much when Izuku took charge in the field. That suit? It should be illegal to wear a suit that showed so much musculature. He knew Izuku could lift him up with one hand (one really strong, well-placed hand). The cute little guy who used to give him hugs one day just shot up and was almost looking him in the face at level. Those round, boyish cheeks sharpened into a strong jaw. Those hugs? Went from completely innocent to something… more. Closing his eyes, Shouto let himself succumb to thoughts of marking that strong jaw and collarbone as his. He dreamt of strong hands fisting in his hair, of scarred fingers clawing down his back, grasping desperately as they moved lower….

Wrapping his hand around his member, he began to pull desperately, choking on his gasps as he imagined that it wasn’t his own hand jerking him off. His hands would pull at green locks, exposing a face flushed with pleasure. The same voice that took control out in the field would take control now, increasing his pace, crying out Shouto’s name until they both reached their climax. Shouto couldn’t help the moan that slipped from his lips as he came in the shower, breathing heavily. The afterglow of his pleasure quickly turned into shame and disgust as he washed his hands and his body. Laughing pitifully, he hung his head to let the water run over it. As if. He didn’t even have the nerve to tell Izuku how he felt; instead he’d nursed the same stupid, unrequited crush for years, like a child. And now it was too late.

…it’s killing me, Izuku had said, because I’m also furious with him. I’m so angry with him for choosing the villain’s side, after how hard we all worked…

…when I see him, I’m going to have to deal with these emotions...

He no longer deserved to, anyway. Izuku would never want him back. Despite that overwhelming empathy that Shouto adored, Izuku would always make the right decision in the end. He would never want to be with someone who had turned their back on everything he loved and valued. Herodom meant the world to Izuku. The only thing he would want when he caught him would be to throw him into the closest prison so that he could leave behind the disappointment tearing them both apart.

His salty tears blended in with the water, and washed away.

Touya was aware of how on edge he had become in the past month. He recognized it in the uncomfortably familiar way that Shouto had been tiptoeing around him, giving him sideways glances, and speaking to him gently as though he were unstable– a time bomb. He was well-intentioned, but Touya found it increasingly annoying and unnecessary. He had managed to take care of himself and survive for years on his own; he didn’t need to be picked at and prodded. He tried to be appreciative, to go along with it. He ate what was placed in front of him, took small breaks when prompted, but no matter how much he wanted to, his focus would always be drawn back to the computer. For decades he’d been waiting for this moment, and he covetously pored over each piece of information, article after article of evidence for his family’s suffering. There was no need for rest, not now, when each click brought a fresh wave of vindication.

Still, guilt nagged at the back of his head, whispering that he was being unpleasant- that to be around one second and an asshole the next wasn’t completely fair to the little brother trying to keep the peace. He sighed when he thought about how he had snapped at Shouto for asking about his past.

They sat on the couch, Shouto folding his legs underneath and Touya kicking his up onto the small table. Dinner consisted of store-bought instant noodles, over-salted and not even remotely up to the standard that Shouto had been raised on. The memory of restaurant noodles had him salivating. Shouto once very seriously revealed that if he were ever to commit a crime, it would be to steal all the noodles and broths from this restaurant, and Touya had genuinely laughed so hard he almost peed.

Shouto was a useless villain.

Touya finished his meal and leaned back onto the cushions in exhaustion. The day was spent almost entirely in front of the desk in the small bedroom; his back was stiff, and his muscles ached. The little lumpy couch suddenly felt like a cloud, perfect to lay a head filled with heavy thoughts. He closed his eyes, taking a small moment to inhale.

“Touya-nii?”

Touya exhaled heavily. Three or twenty-three, baby brothers were the same. “Yes, Shouto?”

“What…”

Touya opened one eye to see Shouto struggle to choose his next words, fidgeting just like he did when he was little. “What’s up?”

“What happened to you?” Shouto whispered, looking at him from under his lashes, a show of vulnerability. There was no need to elaborate; they both knew what he was referring to.

Clenching his fists, Touya immediately turned away. “Don’t ask me about that. You don’t want to know.”

“I do, that’s why I asked.”

“Shouto, drop it.”

Shouto didn’t drop it.

“Everyone was so upset.”

“Shouto-”

“Fuyumi said it was because you got sick, but Natsuo didn’t believe that was all there was to it. We just recently were able to start talking about it. I even think that maybe Mom-”

“Enough, Shouto! I don’t want to talk about it so fucking drop it!”

Fists tight and eyes distant, Touya stood over the couch. Haunting visions flashed in front of him, of an evil man claiming to be a caregiver, his screams echoing in a soundproof room, painful skin grafts sewed on with minimal concern for his pain-

Despite his own aversion to vulnerability, Shouto had genuinely tried to reach out and Touya had thrown it back in his face. But he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. He couldn’t. Instead, Shouto went back to being close-lipped, hardly in the apartment and closed-off when he was. Touya wanted to apologize, but there wasn’t time to be emotional. Shouto would understand when everything came together. He would have time to explain everything later.

Fighting a yawn, Touya clicked on the last file, a video. His eyes widened as he saw the contents, his exhaustion completely eradicated, replaced by a sick glee.

This will do.  

Shouto’s thoughts were gradually consuming him. Half of them were devoted to the kids. He was pleased with how much they’d grown in the month since he became their mentor. Fuyumi was no longer interested in just supporting Ren but was now determined to be the next “martial arts hero” after he’d shown her some clips of Ojiro. With her natural abilities, he had no doubt that she would pull it off. Toshiro could now lift Ren and Izumi six feet in the air with minimal effort. Ren was much better at manipulating her flowers, using them to play with Naoko by lifting her up in the air along with them. Izumi had learned how to send out his shockwaves in small ripples, which he joyously did on every occasion he could find. Naoko’s art had become very specific in theme (she liked to draw everyone in their ‘future costumes’), and she even drew one of her and Shouto as a gift.

Smiling widely, she’d handed it to him and said, “It’s you, because you’re my hero!”

He now secretly kept it in his pocket, sheepish to admit that his eyes had burned a little at the gift. It gave him hope, this little talisman. Also, he just knew Touya would tease him relentlessly if he proudly displayed it on the fridge.

The other half were devoted to finding out more about the “quirk boogiemen”. None of the adults in the area were willing to speak to him, though Shouto couldn’t blame them. He was a stranger, having only been around for a little over a month, and no one wanted to speak to a man who wore dark hoodies and asked about children that weren’t his. Shouto cursed the loss of the privilege that came with his hero status. Tossing that method, he decided to simply scope the vast neighborhood. The kids didn’t know of any other children with quirks, which only increased his anxiety for them seeing as it most likely meant they were the next target of this mystery abductor. His worry for them contended with the nauseous feeling in his stomach that things weren’t right with Touya.

He hadn’t felt unsafe in an environment in a long time, so the sickening feeling at the tension was both familiar and unfamiliar. Developing a daily routine had helped Shouto find some peace in his life. Training early, sneaking into town for groceries if need be, working with the kids, research. Anything to avoid it.

When they’d first arrived at the hidden apartment, there was an awkwardness between them stemming from a lifetime of opposition. Despite being allied now, an ocean of differences still stood between them. Regardless of the fondness he had for his baby brother, Touya was a tried and true villain. While it may have been for causes he believed in, arson, kidnapping, and murder were capital felonies. The longer Shouto ignored the truth, the longer he was aiding and abetting a criminal, and every fiber in him called out against it.

Yet, he craved this missing love and understanding, and it seemed like Touya desperately needed it in return. He knew that out of anyone in the world, Touya was the only person who could come close to understanding his torment masked as training. Nothing would ever replace the rare moments when his equally damaged big brother would sing and make funny faces while bandaging him up. His happier childhood memories with Touya- sparse as they were- were priceless, even if they had occurred in the backdrop of so much pain. Just for a little while, Shouto entertained the fragile fantasy of this innocent, familial relationship. But the grounds upon which they’d based this relationship were becoming more and more unstable.

While Shouto had found purpose with his mentoring, Touya seemed to drift away, stewing in dark emotions. When Shouto would brood, it was serious and self-contained, inevitably fading away with time. Touya’s brooding was an entirely different beast of barely contained frustration and visceral determination, like a cornered snake that would strike with deadly precision if anything moved within its vicinity.

Touya poured without rest over the stolen files, hyper-focused on each page. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and it left Shouto feeling like he was walking on eggshells. Whenever Touya was in his ‘zone’, he embodied a void that he didn’t want to be drawn into. The best he could do was make quick meals and force Touya to eat, run him showers, and make sure he got some sleep. He remembered the last time he had tried to take the laptop from him.

“Touya,” he approached carefully. “You’ve got to get some rest.”

“I don’t need sleep, I need answers.”

“There’s no point in overdoing it, you’ll end up-”

Touya scoffed at him, not even turning. “Is this how you were as a hero? No wonder you idiots never get anything done; lazy asses don’t even do paperwork.”

Shouto sighed and brushed off the insult. “Your eyes are bloodshot, nii-san.”

“They’re already ugly, bloodshot makes no difference to me.”

“Your eyes are not ugly.”

At this, Touya turned his entire body and glared at Shouto disbelievingly.

Shouto could relate to how he felt, but he was also the last person to judge beauty based on scars. It didn’t matter, the argument was irrelevant.

“You need sleep.” Shouto gently probed, reaching to close the laptop, when Touya’s entire torso burst into flame. He firmly grabbed Shouto’s arm, squeezing for good measure.

“Leave it, Shouto.”

His eyes held no room for debate, fingers firm in their resolve to carry out an unspoken threat. Heart pounding, Shouto slowly backed away. Touya suppressed a shudder of pain as he stiffly turned back to the laptop, his t-shirt flaking to the floor in ashes. Exiting the room, he released a shaky breath as he closed the door. Around 2am, he re-entered to see Touya hunched over unconscious on the desk. Moving lightly, he carried him to the bed. He was light, underweight for someone in his early thirties’.  

Turning to leave, Shouto felt a weak hand grasp his arm. The contrast in strength from earlier was stark. Touya peered up, eyes pleading for forgiveness. It was almost as if he was looking through him, instead of at him.

“I’m sorry, Shoucchan. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” The ‘like him’ was unspoken. “I’m just so close. So close to what we need. I’ve worked so hard and I’m so close.”

Pity filling his chest, Shouto nodded. “It’s fine. Rest, Touya.” Touya’s hand fell weakly to the bed, and Shouto laid a cool hand over his forehead until he fell asleep.

It wasn’t fine. Shouto momentarily quailed in fear with how similar Touya had looked to Enji when he’d flared up. Not even in the flames themselves, but in that hungry look in his eyes. It was the look of someone who saw not the person in front of them, but a vision of the future. A vision that didn’t bode well for anyone who got in the way. It was terrifying, and Shouto didn’t know just how far Touya planned to take whatever he had in mind.

Opening the bedroom door, he was ready to see the same image that had greeted him for a month - Touya pouring over documents, glued to the screen. Instead, silence was the first thing he noticed– there was no whirring fan from the laptop, no frantic clicking of the mouse. Touya sat, still, staring at the blank wall.

“Touya?” he asked with trepidation.

“I did it, Shou.” Touya whispered, eyes widening with a semi-crazed glee.

“Did what?”

Touya held up a plastic zip-up bag containing roughly ten or so USBs. “I found everything we need to bring him down. Record time. I’ve been waiting for this day.” Touya was bemused with Shouto’s nervous attitude - how could he not be as excited? It was their big day!

Shouto sat on the bed and crossed his legs, frowning.

“What day?”

Touya twisted suddenly in the chair and scowled, causing Shouto to jump. “Tomorrow. It’s that damn celebration. The one they hold for Endeavor, every fucking year like he’s a damn god.” He held out his smartphone to show Shouto the twitter feed of the event for the next day. #Endeavor was one of the top things trending, along with #VillainShouto, #Dabi, #TodorokiBrothers. Peripherally, he read that his family he relocated to privacy at the Yaoyorozu’s hot springs, trying to avoid the media coverage.

Ah. He hadn’t even thought about it. The same way All Might got a day commemorating his last fight at Kamino, Endeavor’s career ending battle was commemorated yearly. It used to annoy him, having to be “the flame hero’s son”, being asked questions left and right on how he felt to “live up to his legacy”. 

“I forgot, honestly. I haven’t been paying attention to the world, especially not to social media. It’s been a … necessary isolation.” I’ve been avoiding it all and I’d like to continue doing so.

Sighing exasperatedly, Touya rolled his eyes. “Well get over it. We’re about to give the world the only things it needs to know about that bastard. We’re leaving after tonight. I’ve got it all on these drives, and I’m going to post it on every platform I can find.”

Shouto’s stomach twisted, and he began to fidget.

“What exactly are you sharing with the world, Touya?” He’d been raised on keeping silent on everything for so long, that the idea of exposing their family’s pain to the world felt like prematurely tearing a scab off a deep, healing wound.

Wild emotions swirling in his eyes, Touya jerked toward the laptop and opened it, speedily clicking to a folder simply labeled “Proof”. It opens to six folders inside - ‘Touya’, ‘Fuyumi’, ‘Natsuo’, ‘Shouto’, ‘Mom’, and ‘Legal’. Quietly handing the laptop to Shouto, Touya sits back cross-legged in the chair, practically bouncing with excitement.

Shouto timidly opened the folder labeled ‘Touya’. Broken bones, bruises, burns, all recorded in medical records. His eyes filled with sadness as the pictures progressed through age, from a happy four-year-old that could have been in the hospital over a small fall, to a furious, exhausted teenager covered in burns up and down his arms and under his eyes. The paperwork suddenly ended after age thirteen, culminating in a death certificate. Shouto always wanted to ask Touya what happened, how he survived, but the one time he’d tried… well, Touya’s eyes had been wild, like they were now. Shouto couldn’t find the resolve to ask again.  

Clicking ‘Fuyumi’, he was immensely relieved to note that there were no medical records for her. However, there were many notes and emails from teachers over the years, noting Fuyumi’s jumpiness at loud noises, easy tears, sudden anxiety attacks, a documented situation in the 8th grade where a boy had yelled at her and she’d urinated uncontrollably. She’d never told him about that. Teachers had been concerned about her mental state - suggesting that she might need to enter a medical hospital for consistent treatment. Shouto felt sick at once, and he had to clamp a hand over his mouth. He couldn’t fathom how difficult it had been for Fuyumi, taking care of him and Natsuo in such a toxic environment while suffering so badly herself, but to know how easily Fuyumi could have ended up alongside his mother— He moved on to Natsuo’s folder.

Natsuo had a few medical records, though his were far fewer than Touya’s. Concerned teachers wrote of the occasional bruise and black eye, but mainly focused on his increased aggression in class. The notes suggested that Natsuo was a very smart child, was very well-behaved any other time, but certain things triggered him to have an ‘easily sparked tantrum’ that more than once culminated in write-ups in school.

Moving on to his own name, Shouto found a stunning lack of data.

“Evil bastard must have caught on to the fact that his sins were adding up, because I had to dig deep for stuff on you, Shou. Everyone’s information started decreasing after a while, but yours had the least.” Touya said languidly. “Silver lining though! You have some of the best evidence.”

Shouto had been homeschooled since age 5, a year after his quirk manifested, so there weren’t many school reports or concerned teachers. There were only two pieces of medical information on him. One was obviously evidence of his medical records from his scar, given that they had to have a real doctor come in and look at it for proper healing. The other was from a ‘training incident’ - Shouto quickly exited the window; he didn’t want to think about it. There were a few notes and the NDAs from nurses and maids who’d been called on to work at the home before Fuyumi was old enough to take over care for him and Natsuo. All of them broke the agreements by mentioning the “training room”, where none of them could go. They mentioned taking care of bruises and burns on a small child every time he exited that room. At the end of the list, there was a video file.

“What is this, Touya?” he asked, afraid to click the clip. Touya’s eyes lit up, the blue sparkling.

“That, Shouto, is what’s on all of the USB’s. It’s our coup de grâce.”

When Touya showed him the first few seconds of the clip, Shouto couldn’t resist the urge to vomit. It was of a memory that he’d done his best to suppress- though how could he truly suppress something so horrible? He shook as his sobs broke out, and Touya slowly patted his back the whole time. He vomited until his throat was raw, and he could hardly lean back up. Cleaning him up, Touya pulled him to the side to record ‘one more video’ to drop with the USBs. ‘Theatrics’, he said. Shouto couldn’t find it within himself to fight it; he was too busy trying not to pass out.

Once he’d calmed down to some degree, Touya reminded him that he needed to say his goodbyes. Once they delivered all the USBs to major news stations in Tokyo, they would have to move again.

“Found out that Haia’s been taken into custody today. Serendipitous really, the article just happened to show up when I went online.” Shouto’s brow furrowed. He hardly knew Haia, but she’d been generous enough to him on her rare visits so Touya’s blasé tone rubbed him the wrong way. “Anyway, she snitched. Won’t be long before the feds are on their way here if they aren’t already. We have to go.”

Luckily, the kids were still playing and were elated to see ‘their Sensei’. It was all Shouto could do to not show his heartbreak in front of their hopeful eyes. He kneeled to the ground, coming face to face with them.

“I’m going to be leaving for a while.” He quickly admitted, voice raspy. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He couldn’t even promise that he would be back. It was a shitty way to drop the news, but he didn’t know how else to say it. If he were like Izuku, he could say something uplifting, empowering, to make everyone understand. But in his current state, it was all he could do to say anything, let alone something nice.

As expected, all the kids began to sob, even Fuyumi.

“Why do you have to go?” Toshiro cried.

“It’s not safe for me to be here anymore. My brother says we have to leave…and I trust him.” The last words felt like sand, crumbling and uncomfortable.

Izumi wailed. “But…but you’re like our big brother too…you can’t leave…” he cried. “I- I just started getting my quirk to work! What about the quirk snatchers? You can’t leave, they’ll get us!”

Shouto’s heart throbbed when they all held onto him tightly. God, he didn’t want to leave; he didn’t know what would happen to them if he couldn’t make it back.

“Do you trust me?”

The kids nod, sniffling.

“Then I need you to listen to me. I promise that I’m going to get the word out about what’s happening here. The world needs to know the truth. But while I’m not here, I need you to remember everything I taught you, okay?” Shouto tried for a smile, feeling like shit for how shallow his words felt. “Make sure to practice if you want to keep up your skills, all of you are going to be big heroes one day- I can’t have you embarrassing me.”

Naoko burst into inconsolable tears, clinging tighter, but the other kids seemed to understand just how serious Shouto was and let him go.

“You come back, okay?” Toshiro demanded, smiling wide through his tears like he learned from Deku’s interviews. “We won’t forget you, so don’t you forget us. We’re gonna be big heroes one day, just like you taught us, and you gotta be there to see it!”

Fuyumi stands strongly in front of him and smiles. “Toshiro and I will take care of everyone. And I can’t wait for you to get out of trouble, so that we can officially say we knew the famous hero Shouto. So, handle it and come back!”

Shouto does a double take. “How-”

“You missed one of the pictures in the magazines. Wasn’t hard to tell.” Fuyumi was twiddling with her fingers, trying not to look embarrassed. “Ren and I kept it safe so that you wouldn’t get in trouble. I like your hair white too. We just wanted to have something to remember you by. We won’t tell anybody else though, we promise!”

Tears pooling in his eyes, he thanks Fuyumi. Thinking quickly, he pulls some leftover paper and a green crayon and scribbles a number on it, pulling Fuyumi and Toshiro in.

“In case of an emergency- a real emergency- call this number. Explain everything to him. He might be able to help.”

Giving Naoko one more hug, he gently nudges her towards Toshiro and leaves without turning back. Naoko’s cries echo after him, and it takes everything he has not to run back and hide.

But he’s not a child anymore. And he can’t hide from his problems any longer. Staring into space, Shouto sits next to Touya on the oddly sparse train on the way to inner-city Tokyo. The day is fading into dusk, darkness enveloping the sky. The long shadows created by the falling sun feel symbolic, as if time is setting on the small peace he’d created. Still, he refuses to allow himself to dissociate, knowing that the last time he did, Touya almost killed people. He needs to be alert, at the price of being at the mercy of the pain in his memories. His own distressed cries are were now mixed in with that of the heartbroken children he left behind.

Moving purposefully, they slid the USBs onto the front desks of news stations, where secretaries looked at their hoodies, sunglasses, and face masks with a mix of fear and suspicion. Each USB displayed a post-it note, labeled “Todoroki”. It was enough to get every single one of them to grab their phones and call their superiors in a greedy rush, forgetting the details of the mysterious men in their excitement.

While they headed to the last station, Shouto secretly texts Fuyumi on his pay-to-use phone to warn her not to let their mother watch the news or listen to any media for the next few days, and that he was glad that they were safe. He’d already caused them enough trouble, and who knew how his mother’s poor heart dealt with finding out Touya was alive. The least he could do was spare them any more pain.

Almost immediately after the text, he begins receiving frantic phone calls. Each ring stabs him in the heart, and finally he turns the phone off.

Once they finished the drop offs, Touya turns to him with a familiar sinister glee in his eyes.

“I’ve got something to show you, Shouto. It’s all coming together - years of hard work! I have the perfect way for it all to end.” His grin was so wide that it almost looked painful as it stretched across his face.

The situation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, as was dealing with Touya. There wasn’t anything that Shouto could do anymore - his own injuries and bad memories were about to be thrown out for the world to see. There would be no shortage of scrutiny. He’d wanted to expose Endeavor. It was what he’d agreed on when he decided to work with Touya. He wanted to take the power that the commission held over his head and rip it away, so that he could own what happened himself. It was supposed to feel better than this; he was supposed to feel like he’d won.

Instead, he just felt raw, exposed, and sick.

Touya was also starting to scare him. He’d been feverishly planning something for a long time while pouring through the documents, and whatever it was he wanted was finally coming to fruition. Things had been normal (as much as they could have been), even safe for a while. It felt like a sudden escalation had begun, completely out of his control, and Shouto no longer knew if he wanted to be on the ride.

He followed behind Touya silently, heading into the dark underbelly of Tokyo.

Fuyumi clutched the phone to her chest, knowing that it was her brothers still trying to protect them. The short text message simultaneously filled her heart with joy and fear. Joy that they were alive, presumably together, and unharmed. Fear, because rather than coming home they were about to do something else that could possibly hurt others. Something that she could possibly prevent, but at the risk of hurting them.

Their mother’s room was next to one of the private springs, allowing for circulation of heated air and easier breathing. Rei was asleep, looking at peace for the first time since they’d arrived at the springs. Fuyumi sat on the chair next to her and lay her head down on the bed.

She was exhausted. Fuyumi had been exhausted for a long time trying to hold her dysfunctional family together. The weight that had been on her shoulders felt colossal and unending, to the point that there were some silver hairs starting to blend in with the white and red. Whatever it was they were planning, she simply could not deal with yet another part of their pain being tossed up like fresh bait in front of the world. She planned on following the warning, making sure their mother didn’t see the news at all. Natsuo would need to be told, and he would likely make the same bullheaded choices he always did. If she weren’t so stressed, she’d laugh. Her brothers were such blockheads, all in their own way. The fact that Shouto contacted his family after almost two months must have meant that something big was coming- bigger than Touya’s reveal, and she wasn’t ready for it.

But just like everything else the Todoroki’s had faced, ready or not - it was coming.

This time, she wasn’t going to idly stand by and do nothing.

Unlocking her phone, she pressed the contact ‘Midoriya Izuku’ and waited.

A day after the mysterious USB appeared and just as quickly disappeared, Izuku quickly hopped out of the driver’s seat, running over to open the door for Momo as she gracefully stepped out of the small SUV. She was probably accustomed to exiting Ferraris and BMWs; the SUV seemed beneath her presence and Izuku felt a vague burning embarrassment under his skin.  

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly, running his hands through his perpetually disarrayed mop. “Shouto always makes it look so seamless when he helps you out of the car.” There was a time that Izuku had been shamefully jealous of how polished Momo and Shouto looked next to one another - money goes a long way, not that they needed it to look so pretty. Then he’d discovered Momo’s drawn out crush on Jirou – and was free to admire their grace free of envy.

Momo offered a sweet smile. “You’re doing just fine, Izuku. I just think you like how handsome he looks when he does it.”

Izuku flushed. So maybe he always looked at Shouto as he opened the door for the ladies. And maybe he did fantasize sometimes that Shouto was a prince, with the white gloves and a fan, and Izuku would one day sweep him off his feet and-

“Quite the detailed image.” Momo teased, cutting into his reverie.

“Momo!” Izuku cried, covering his face. It was the most lighthearted interaction they’d had in weeks, and it was nice to indulge a little. After their giggling tapers off, both faced the front door of the apartment on UA’s campus and sighed, the earlier humor fading.

“Here goes.” Momo said, knocking firmly.

The door opens to a sliver.

Izuku beamed. “Hey Sensei! We-”

The door shuts abruptly, following by an exasperated muffled groan, and Momo and Izuku stood gaping at the door. Izuku knocks again, harder, listening through the door.

“Dad? Someone’s knocking at the door. Dad - we can’t not answer, it’s rude! Come on! No, don’t pull out that awful yellow sleeping bag, I could have sworn I threw it away! Ugh, you’re so embarrassing!”

The door opened again, revealing a flustered Eri. Her eyes lit up when she saw Izuku, sporting an extra-large smile just for her.

“Deku!” she shrieked, rushing into his arms. He enthusiastically spun her around a few times before placing her gently back on the ground.

“Eri-chan! How are you? How’s school been?”

“It’s been great! I’m on my way to work on a project with Kota - he’s gonna be so jealous that I saw you! Hello, Yaoyorozu-san! Come in, both of you. I just made some cookies!”

Momo smiled warmly as she greeted her, and they both followed her to the couch in the living room. In the corner of the room lay a very familiar yellow sleeping bag, zipped all the way up. After placing a plate of sugar cookies on the living room table Eri glared at the bag, disapproval clear on her face.

“Dad, this isn’t polite! You love Deku and Yaoyorozu! I’m telling Papa if you keep acting like this- he’s going to shout louder than normal!”

The zipper opened slowly to expose a strained red eye. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Eri stood firmly, holding her hips. “Try me.”

“My stress levels can’t take any more of the problem children, Eri. Especially the green one,” he hissed, worming deeper into the bag.

Izuku, bright red, began to incoherently babble apologies. Gracefully taking control, Momo stood up from the couch and bowed deeply. “We really need your help, Aizawa-sensei. We’ve come across some potential evidence involving Todoroki, and we need guidance on what to do with it.”

Eri’s smile transformed into a worried expression as Aizawa slowly unzips the bag to reveal his face, looking directly at them. Izuku’s expression is now clear and determined, and Momo stares back directly.

“Why didn’t you take it to the public safety commission?”

“Because we have reason to believe that the commission has something to do with this entire situation, and that we aren’t being completely informed in what’s going on.” Izuku replied, using his official hero voice.

“Please hear us out, Sensei. We don’t know who else to go to about this.” Momo pled.

 Aizawa stares at them for another moment, sighing before completely unzipping the sleeping bag and standing.

“Okay. Let me go get another cup of coffee. Want anything?”

“Tea, please.” Momo replied, relief evident in her voice.

“Coffee, with creamer if you have some.”

Aizawa shuffles into the kitchen, leaving the three of them sitting in the front room.

“He’s been really upset ever since the news about Todoroki-san came out.” Eri spoke softly, eyes sad. “He tries not to show it, but he’s been extra stressed. He even took a day off from work today, though that’s because Papa had to order he stay in bed. Even then, all he’s done is walk around and sigh at things. It’s really sad.”

Izuku felt his heart clench. Of course it would weigh on their teacher, who consistently took the brunt of all their poor decisions in high school. Aizawa rarely took time off, so he also felt bad for cutting in on his off day.

Aizawa returned, setting three mugs down onto the table before placing an affectionate hand on Eri’s head. “Eri, why don’t you go run to the school for your project. Don’t tell anybody about what we are discussing, please. Tell Hizashi to bring home dinner. And to be quiet when he comes in.”

Eri nodded dutifully and mimes zipping her lips, grabbing her backpack from the nearby wall. “He’s not going to listen, but I’ll tell him. Bye everybody! I’ll tell Kota you said hi, Deku! I hope everything works out.”

Once the front door slammed, they immediately got to business. Aizawa sat and folded his arms.

“What exactly are we dealing with? What makes you think that the commission has anything to do with Todoroki’s choices?”

Izuku couldn’t help but be grateful for the ‘we’. They were already off to a good start.

“I received a package a few days ago, and it contained a USB that had a video message on it. It showed Shouto the day of the attack on the building downtown. The day I got caught in the blast when he was-” Momo paused. “…‘revealed’ to be a villain. It showed Hashimoto-san threatening Shouto, claiming that he’d be arrested. He mentioned that he was taking credit for finding out about that group we were looking into, for all the fire bombings. The video claimed that Shouto was set up, that he was doing undercover work and that he didn’t realize that they weren’t going to let him come back.”

Aizawa nodded, encouraging them to continue. Momo sipped her tea as Izuku began to speak.

“It makes sense when I think about the night he was kidnapped. He took out his headpiece and wasn’t fighting Dabi to his fullest ability. He let himself be taken. It also would make sense that he would be - upset the night he fought us. He was no longer a hero, in the eyes of the commission. They’d already publicly accused him of being a turncoat.”

“If what you’re claiming is true, he foolishly played right into their hands fighting like that and running.” Aizawa grumbled.

“The thing about that is, I think that it has something to do with Dabi. Todoroki Touya.” Izuku whispered. “Shouto had to have known that he was in the right. I wonder if his brother began to change his mind, after Hashimoto betrayed him. His sister, Fuyumi-san, is under the same impression. Maybe he doesn’t feel safe, or is righteously angry, or-” Maybe he prefers the role.  

Silence fell over the room as Aizawa took in everything they said.

“Do you still have the video?”

“No,” Momo answered with frustration, shaking her head. “It self-destructed after the video. We’re not sure why they would do something like that when they could have saved Shouto on their own with the information on that thing.”

“So, at the moment, all we have is the hearsay of two heroes and a concerned older sister versus the media might of the hero public safety commission, and public opinion.” Both Momo and Izuku flinch at his blunt summary.

“You believe us though, right?” Izuku begged. If Aizawa didn’t believe them, he wasn’t sure who they could go to next. Toshinori was on a two-month isolation and healing retreat in Norway, and as much as he could use the sway of the hugely public figure, Toshinori’s waning physical and mental health meant too much to Izuku to risk without first exhausting all other options.

Aizawa sighs. “Impulsive as you are, you haven’t been wrong about your hunches before. I’m inclined to believe you, but faith alone isn’t going to help Todoroki. Especially when dealing with Hashimoto Touma.” It didn’t pass Izuku’s notice that his voice dripped with disdain as he spoke the name.

“No one seems to like this man.” He couldn’t blame them; Hashimoto had proven to be nothing if not grimy. “What is his quirk, and why is he so relevant? How did he get a position in the commission?”

“He’s a ladder climber, in the worst of ways. A politician, through and through.” Aizawa sips from the coffee, draining the mug. “As for his quirk, he calls it ‘Perfection’. It’s a little complex, but the main idea is that when he has short term goals, he can see specific visions leading him to that end goal. So long as he follows those specific visions to a T, he is guaranteed success. It’s like really good luck, or increased probability.”

The thought of anyone with that power, particularly Hashimoto, is deeply disturbing.  

“That’s an incredibly powerful quirk.” Momo murmured, mind whirling through all the potential applications.

“How do you fight something like that?” Izuku asked, desperate.  

“His visions aren’t absolute. The future changes. If anything major happens and throws off the plan he has set, the vision crumbles, and the path to the goal is lost. He must start over. Because of this, he spends almost all his time plotting. He doesn’t even bother hiding it anymore. It makes him a valuable ally and a horrifying political opponent.”

“How long is short term?” Momo asked.

“I’m not entirely sure. No one really does, other than Hashimoto himself, likely.” Aizawa admits, frustration evident in the set of his brow.

“What is considered ‘major’?”

Aizawa shrugged. “That, I’m also not sure. I don’t think anybody does, or that it can even be measured.”

“Unbelievable.” Izuku murmured, mulling it over. If Hashimoto saw a vision centering on bringing down Todoroki, there likely wasn’t much time left before whatever he wanted was set in stone. They had to run under the assumption that they were very close to running out of time, always.  

Momo shuddered. “That’s horrifying. I’m thankful he hasn’t chosen to be a villain.”

“That’s questionable, Yaoyorozu.” Aizawa replied sternly. “Don’t ever think in such black and white terms. Very many people would think he is a villain, especially if he set up your friend like this. Not every villain chooses to commit murder, or arson. Some people choose to corrupt government systems and look like the face of good doing it. Hashimoto has never - rather, he’s never been caught - doing anything illegal. His quirk gives him a lot of power in the commission - they’d rather have him on their team, than out of their control.”

He continued, stretching to lean back on the couch before looking at Izuku. “As for you and Todoroki Fuyumi’s hunch, I started official hero work a few years after that investigation was shut down, so I only heard the dying rumors of it. Even then, what I did hear was enough to make me question why Endeavor was still a hero. I was never was able to gain full access; it wasn’t my case or my business, and it was practically erased by the hero public safety commission shortly after.”

“What can we do with that information now, though?” Momo asks, confused.

“Potential motive. It’s apparent that with a missing Todoroki now revealed, and Hashimoto mentioning that connection being a reason for him to betray us, that family is a major factor in this whole thing. Hashimoto knew that they were connected beforehand, which meant that he did some deep research, and that investigation might have been one of his sources.”

Izuku tugs at his hair in frustration as different approaches bounce around in his head. “How are we supposed to find any of this out without him noticing?” he growled. “It’s not like we can just go in and ask about it!”

“Midoriya. Stop letting your emotions overwhelm you. I taught you better than that. You’re going to have to investigate. The sooner we figure it out, the sooner we can clear his name.”

Momo’s eyes widened. “We? You’re going to help us, Sensei?”

Aizawa snorted, a small smile on his face. “I’m told that one of my best students was potentially set up by my corrupt higher ups… No, I’ll just go back to sleep.”

Momo smiles brightly, and Izuku’s eyes are wide with grateful tears. Aizawa chuckles before looking disdainfully at his empty mug, which remained unfortunately empty despite his glare.

“I’ll see what I can do on my end.”  

“Thank you so much, Sensei!” Momo cried.

“Yeah, yeah. Todoroki is a good kid. The whole thing never sat well with me…” Aizawa trailed off, staring away. “Besides, how can Midoriya share all of his mushy feelings if Todoroki isn’t around?” he deadpanned, watching with amusement as Izuku impressively imitated a tomato.

“Sensei-” he choked. Does everybody other than Shouto know?!

“Hizashi was much cooler when he was trying to win me over in high school. But that’s none of your business. I’ve got work to do now, and so do you. I’ll walk you to the door.”

As they left, Momo turned to ask one last question. “Do you think we should tell our friends? I know everyone is as distraught about Shouto as we are.” Izuku knows Momo is being nice, but he irrationally and selfishly believes that he is suffering a little more than everyone else.

Aizawa mulls it over. “The more people who know, the higher the risk of a leak, and the earlier Hashimoto knows, the faster he can change his plans. Considering you currently have no evidence, it wouldn’t be a good idea to allow him to do that - he has the upper hand. It would likely be safer to let him continue to think everything is going his way. Also, frankly, you kids aren’t good at keeping quiet. However, it’s up to you. I’m not going to tell you what to do.”

------

As Aizawa shuffled toward his kitchen, his phone vibrated. The number was listed as “private” and he was tempted to let it go to voicemail, but he was feeling generous.

“Aizawa.” He answered.

“Sup, old man?”

Aizawa rolled his eyes as his protégé snickered over the phone.

“Yes, Shinsou?”

“Just checking in at the Musutafu airport.”

“Mission complete?” Shinsou’s current mission was looking into human quirk trafficking, and it was a case that he handled with the utmost care and secrecy, only talking to his mentor for advice.

“Meh. Stopping in before I head back to Tokyo.”

“Good.” These short conversations were classic between the two - brusque to anyone else observing, but heartfelt for the two of them. “Actually, I might need you to look into some things.”

He could practically hear the eyebrow raise over the phone. “Oh?”

“Todoroki situation.”

“Oh. Yikes.” Shinsou paused, inhaling sharply. “I figured Midoriya would be all over that.”

“He is. He’ll need some help. I’ll discuss more in person.”

Shinsou chuckled at the thought of his friend. “Of course he’ll need my help. I’ll just have to drink two extra cups of coffee to deal with his energy or I’ll get run over.”

“I struggled on one cup. He’s getting much better.”

“All right, old man. Talk to you later.”

Aizawa stepped onto his balcony, fresh cup of coffee in his hand. A pleasantly warm breeze flew through his hair, and he inhaled deeply, feeling calm for the first time in a while. The peace was interrupted by another phone call, this time Hizashi.

“Hello, Hizashi.” He held the phone away as the loud voice blared through as expected.

“I heard that I missed two of my little listeners! Or should I say big listeners at this point?”

“We’ll talk about it later. Did Eri tell you to-”

“Yes, she did! I’ll bring food! But this call isn’t about that! You, my dear, sound notably happier!”

Aizawa chuckled, chin lowering with a bashful smile.

“That’s a smile! I know it!”

“Yes. Shinsou is coming over, so you’ll need to get extra for him.”

“I’m already getting extra - Eri invited Kota for dinner as well!”

A loud crash echoed, followed by the sound of panicking children.

“And that’s my cue!” Hizashi’s voice lowered to a soft whisper. “Go get some sleep - that’s what this day was for. Love you!”

The phone clicked off, and Aizawa crawled back into his sleeping bag, quickly drifting off.

One month passes. After countless late nights doing research and chasing any hints they could possibly get their hands on, Izuku and Momo went to visit one of the investigators on the Todoroki case, whose name Aizawa had discreetly provided. Both had to work extra shifts to end up with a late shift on the same day, and they could only pray that the exhaustion would be worth the trip. The little one-story home lay on the outskirts of Tokyo, surrounded by sad-looking green and yellow grass, decorated with rusting gutters and murky windows that needed thorough washing. Momo grimaced as she looked at the front marred by peeling paint, then took a deep breath and donned a composed expression as Izuku knocked on the door of one “J.M.” He smiles shakily at her, trying to look more confident than he felt.

The door creaked open, revealing only a bright blue eye exuding suspicion, partially covered by shoulder length blond hair.

“Um,” Momo began, uncertain. “Hello! We’re here to speak with a J.M.? My name is-”

“Yaoyorozu Momo, and next to you is Midoriya Izuku. Creati and Deku. Heroes. What do you want from me and why?”

Izuku scowled at the rudeness, glancing over to Momo, who visibly looked taken back at the curt tone.

“We’re here to discuss the Todoroki case-”

J.M. went to close the door, and Izuku’s hand shot out to stop it, breaking the outer rim of the door in his haste. The door bounced back, and J.M. stood back in horror. He was a middle-aged man, standing at Izuku’s shoulder, wearing gray sweats and a sweatshirt. His arms were out placatingly, though his blue eyes still brimmed with resistance.

“Damnit, I-I’m so sorry about the door. I didn’t mean to.” Izuku pled, holding his arms out placatingly.

“I’ll reimburse you, please, just-don’t send us away.” Momo begged, already pulling out her wallet.

J.M.’s eyes flickered between the two. “You mean the commission will pay me back! Because they sent you here to strongarm me after all this shit went down!”

Izuku shook his head. “No! No. We’re here on our own. They don’t know we’re here. Please trust us, we only want the best for Sh-Todoroki-san. We’re sure you think that he’s a villain and we aren’t here to change your mind, but we just need to-”

“Do you take me for a fool? It’s obvious to anyone with common sense that they set him up.”

Momo and Izuku stood, stunned into silence. J.M. tossed his shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes sparkling with confidence.

“Um-” Momo began, again to no avail.

J.M. began to murmur excitedly to himself, turning away. “It makes sense that they wouldn’t send people close to him on something like this. I’ve got upper level heroes in my presence; it must finally be coming back out! Someone else finally is looking into it!” He turned back to a still bemused Izuku and Momo. “I’m inclined to believe you, but we’ll need to talk. Fix my door, now, and we can get to it.”

Quickly taking the measurements, Momo lifted her skirt to pull out a new door from the side of her leg. Izuku pulled the old one off the hinges, and hastily replaced it. They test it, and make sure the lock works properly. Satisfied, J.M. walked them to his small front room. Despite the less than inviting outside appearance, the house was clean and neat, well-lit by a few lamps. Momo peered at an old picture of the boy that resembled the man in front of them; the young blonde had an arm slung across the shoulders of a dark-haired Japanese boy of similar age.

“That’s my step-brother. My first name is Jordan. I’ve gotten used to it after being back home in the states, so it’s fine to use.”  J.M.- Jordan-turned to find Izuku fawning over some old newspaper clippings of All Might from an American article.

“These are iconic moments of his work in America! You can’t be this old though?” He asked excitedly, before realizing what he let slip. “I am so sorry!”

Jordan chuckled. “Nope, just middle aged. Those are older. Ah, All Might.” He sighed. “When I was younger it was every journalist’s dream to figure out the secrets behind a powerhouse like that.”

“Ha… yeah…” Izuku laughed awkwardly, completely turning away from the clippings and sitting on the couch. Momo sat next primly next to him, her only giveaway the tense expression on her face.

“So. The Todoroki’s, huh? This must mean that somebody’s fucking up at the commission, if even you newbies know about it.”

“We aren’t supposed to. But this whole situation with Todoroki- it calls a few things into question.” Momo replied amicably, mildly surprised by his bold attitude.

“A few things? Everything they’ve ever done with that family is questionable. Endeavor’s a slimeball toward his family, and yet he’s allowed to keep working as a hero without a true investigation? And then that kid turns out to be alive? I can imagine every fuck in that place who knew about our investigation is losing their shit right now!”

Momo flushed at Jordan’s easy profanity. Izuku’s mouth twitched into a smile as he imagined the conniption Iida would have if he were with them.

“So, what did you see that has you both convinced?”

Momo and Izuku paused and looked at one another with trepidation. Jordan rose an eyebrow.

“Don’t trust me, but you need my help?”

Momo nodded confirmation, and Izuku turned back.

“A video.” He offered. “Of Todoroki being confronted by Hashimoto Touma, claiming that he was undercover to help with an investigation involving Dabi-”

“His brother.”

“…Yes. And that once he tried to bring them the evidence they needed to bring down The Underscore, Hashimoto turned his back on him.”

“Sounds like him. Shady bastard.”

“We don’t have the video anymore,” Momo added. “The USB it came with exploded before we could even take it out of the port.”

Jordan pursed his lips, amusement crossing his features. “Go figure, right?”

“Right…That’s the gist of it. We’ve been searching around for about a month, getting nowhere, until now. Please. Tell us about it-the investigation. You’re our only lead!” Momo begged, bowing her head deeply. Izuku followed suit. Jordan looked between them, face impassive.

“Surely you’re aware of my quirk? That I can tell when someone is likely telling me the truth, versus when someone is being deceitful?”

They nodded tersely. It was in his biography- J.M., renowned investigative journalist, feared and targeted by those who had something to hide.

“I can tell that you two are incredibly honest, and yet you both look like you’re about to pass out. Calm down, I’ll help you out. Geez.” Izuku and Momo both exhaled sharply, shoulders relaxing. “I suppose not everyone is used to dealing in secrets like I am though.”

Chuckling at his own mirth, he launched into an explanation.

“Uh, where to start? I was young, just starting off. I’m an investigative journalist now, which is my true passion, but my brother and I were working for a sleazy hero tabloid company, and we were just looking into Endeavor because he was on his upward rise at the time. Don’t look like that, everyone starts somewhere.”

Izuku grimaced; hero tabloids were the worst, and he had trouble believing that this intelligent man had ever worked in that capacity.

When I was younger, it was every journalist’s dream to figure out the secrets behind a powerhouse like that.

Maybe not.

“Thing was, he was a very private man, which makes sense because he was just starting to make good money and such, but we were able to catch bits and pieces of his family life…and what we saw wasn’t good. My brother and I, we both come from a bad background. We knew some of the signs, and so we decided to look a little closer into things. It wasn’t about just about finding dirt on Endeavor, we honestly wanted to know what he was hiding from the public. Honest.” Jordan’s voice was low at the point, reminiscent of someone who’s had to prove their case many times to non-believers.

“A few months into our investigation, Todoroki Touya died. Or, well, ‘died’, I suppose. We were at the funeral- uninvited, obviously. Don’t look at me that way!” He said defensively, seeing the disgust on Momo’s face. “It wasn’t exactly the cleanest I’ve ever felt either. Anyway, the body had been cremated. We think it was to hide the extent of the injuries that the poor boy must have had. We only got a sneak peek into the kid’s records, and his quirk - it was burning him alive from the inside!” Jordan spoke emphatically, eyes boring into the two visitors. It was clear that whatever he was remembering was something he didn’t want to think about.

“Combined with what was noted as poor health and stress, he was bound to burn out in a family like that. His mother- Todoroki Rei- I-” he paused, distraught. “I’ve seen some shit in my day, but to this day, there are two expressions I saw that day that haunt me. Todoroki Rei looked like…” He trailed off, unable to find a proper description.

“She lost her child; I’m sure she was in pain.” Momo replied, voice wavering with emotion.

“She looked so broken. Snapped. And then Todoroki Enji, he- he seemed so stoic the entire time. Emotionless. I wanted to throw something at him. He didn’t even try to comfort her. But- it’s– it was when he looked down at the littlest one. Kid was just a toddler, lost and confused.”

Izuku felt his eyes burn when he thought of the baby in the video wondering where his onii-chan was. What must he have felt, seeing everyone so somber and quiet?

“He looked like he was going to consume this child.”

Jordan stared down at his hands, the memory clearly disturbing him. He sighed, shaking the thought away. “Todoroki Enji looked at his dead son and saw his own mortality. He took his son’s death as deeply as he would have taken his own, and instead of getting therapy or finding an actual coping method, I could see right then and there that he’d chosen his next victim.”

Izuku and Momo sat transfixed in horror, and neither of them dared to interrupt.

“After that, we began digging a little deeper. Maids that weren’t hired for more than a month, being forced to sign NDAs to not discuss what they saw or heard, like the crying, screaming, or shouting. Teachers were seeing signs of abuse in Todoroki Fuyumi and Natsuo, and how Touya missed a significant amount of school due to ‘sicknesses’. Todoroki Rei’s friends were saying that over time she began to stay inside more and more, and that they never got to see her. No one ever really saw Todoroki Shouto at all in public.”

“But these maids, a couple of them broke the NDA to speak to us, and they were terrified. They weren’t willing to go forward with anything, due to their own livelihoods, and I get that. They specifically talked to us about the “training room”, and how no one other than Enji, Touya and Shouto were to enter that room. They heard how Rei was ‘punished’ more than once for coming in to defend her sons. Once we heard that, we wanted to know what was going on in that room, and we were very close to finding out when they caught on to our investigation.”

“No!” Momo whispered, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Izuku’s fists were balled at his sides, his uselessness squeezing at his heart.

“As it goes, Enji’s lawyers claimed harassment and libel from a shady tabloid and confiscated the evidence. They were going to throw us both in prison, but because they knew we’d scream to the hills about what we’d found, they had us sign forms agreeing to never speak of it again or we would be blacklisted. They made a deal with some specific lawyers in the commission to simply discard all the ‘libelous’ findings- they didn’t even look at them. They couldn’t have. And now we find out that it was all simply buried in the archives.”

Jordan murmured the last few sentences to himself, perturbed.

“Jordan- knowing everything that they do, and knowing that he’s suffered so much, what exactly made them target Shouto?” Izuku asked, voice thick. “It seems like he was doing everything they asked- why would they treat him like this?”

Jordan looked at them with pity, trying to find a way to reply. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to continue with his ‘tearing off the band aid’ bluntness.

“If I’m being honest, the commission– Hashimoto- likely doesn’t give two shits about hurting Todoroki Shouto as a person. It was likely never personal. It was his past- the blackmail material- that probably singled him out as a target. It could have been any one of you, if they had any dirt on you. But his past? Prime real estate. What better way to get someone to do what you want than to drag whatever is left of his legacy through the dirt? If it’s Hashimoto I’m sure of that; he’s always been a nosy fuck who wanted to climb the ladder. He wasn’t a major player in that investigation, but I do remember he began moving up after it. He probably knew something about this too. So, as shallow as it seems, I don’t think it was about your friend at all. He was a pawn in a much larger game.”

Disgusted, Izuku secretly worries about One for All. He could only be grateful that the secret knowledge of his predecessor’s- now his- quirk hadn’t slipped to the commission. The thought of that power in Hashimoto’s avaricious grasp made him feel sick. He didn’t realize that his power was flaring until Momo placed a gentle hand on his knee.

“I’m sorry, Momo, Jordan.” He spoke through tears. “I’m just so angry. Because if what you’re saying is true, then Shouto was a victim of a game that he’d never intended to play. He was doing what he was told to do and was betrayed. He suffered so much, I remember just how painful it was to for him to even acknowledge his own power, and how proud I was that he began working on his home life, his healing… He was working so hard! How he was treated growing up was apparently never important to those who were supposed to protect him! He loves being a hero! He loves doing the right thing for everyone else, and he’s working for a system that doesn’t even care about him. And then his brother… So much could have been avoided…”

Jordan nodded in assent. “I can see why he would want to be a villain after this. Especially when the only other person who could even attempt to comprehend his pain is a villain and his own brother. Thing is, I think that newer heroes have better mindsets and sturdier morals than some of the people who came before them. That system can be fixed - but people must be willing to talk about it. That’s why the League of Villains was so successful, why the Hero Killer inspired so many. Administratively, there are clear issues, but they have to be confronted and I think this is a perfect situation to do that.”

Momo nodded, in complete agreement. “If you don’t mind me asking- why are you so willing to speak to us about this? You said that you were forced to sign agreements to never speak on it. And yet you seem so relaxed in telling us. Why?”

Jordan chuckled. “Two reasons- like I said earlier, my quirk lets me know when I’m being lied to, and I couldn’t sense any deception from either of you. The second, and no offense to you my dear, but initially it was because he’s here.” He nodded at Izuku, who tensed. “The ‘spiritual successor to All Might’, they call him. The ‘upcoming symbol of hope’. If Deku finds about the abuse of a close friend and fellow hero, and does nothing, it sends a clear message to the state of herodom right now. Because something big is coming. You both are going to have to confront Todoroki Shouto and Todoroki Touya at some point- what you do in that moment, knowing what you both know, reflects just how heroic you actually are.”

No pressure.

The weight of his words fell over all of them until Izuku’s phone rang. He almost fumbles when he sees Fuyumi’s name on the screen.

“Izuku! I received a message from one of them!”

His eyes widened with excitement. “What did they say?”

“That my family needs to avoid social media because something is coming. I don’t know what it is, but something is likely about to be on the news on what they’re doing.”

“Thank you so much for calling, Fuyumi-san! We’ll look into it, I promise!”

Jordan sat smugly and turned on his TV. “Still got it.”

Momo stood and bowed to him. “Thank you very much. I’m sorry we must leave on such short notice. I-”

Her words cut short as a sinister image pulled up on the news channel. All three of their hearts dropped.

On screen, Dabi sat facing forward, a dark smile splitting his heavily shadowed face. His right hand lazily caressed Shouto’s hair as he cradled his head on his shoulder. Shouto’s eyes were distant, skin pale and clammy, expression horrified by something unseen. His body was visibly trembling, and Izuku’s hand had reached towards the screen before he’d even realized.

“Hello there, hero society. I’ll make this quick - my dear brother is sickened by what you’re about to see - the true face of the ‘flame hero’ - and I must care for him. It’s disgusting, almost as disgusting as your hero worship for him and this fucked-up system. We’ll see if you love him after this, and if you do, just know that you love a monster. But don’t take my word for it.”

The video cuts out as Dabi grins, a twisted, painful expression. It’s abruptly replaced by the image of a large, open room.

The camera is still, placed inconspicuously. Out of range, an aggressive voice roars in frustration and flames overtake the screen in a flash of garish orange. The flames are broken by a small body being flung against the far wall.

The sound of impact causes everyone listening to flinch as a ten-year-old Shouto’s body peels off the wall and onto the hard ground, slumped.

“Get up, Shouto! If a villain is approaching you, you will not have time to lay on the ground. You need to collect your bearings and move to safety!”

The small boy scrambles up quickly, clearly disoriented as he dodges a barrage of flame attacks from his father. He exhibits an impressive array of dodges, agile and impressive in a way that belies his age, but the terror and exhaustion on his face is a permanent fixture, etched deep. This wasn’t simple training - he was truly fighting for his life.

Ice blocks flew at Endeavor, along with several punches and kicks from heart-wrenching small hands and feet, but the man simply brushed them aside until he landed a solid punch to Shouto’s midgut, causing him to crumple into the ground. This time, Shouto didn’t rise.

Izuku wanted to turn it off. It felt wrong to be witnessing something like this. But he remained frozen.

“Pathetic! You need to use both of your powers - that’s why you were born, Shouto! You could be twice as powerful if you simply listened to me! Why don’t you listen?”

“I’m so tired of you.”

Endeavor’s flames extinguished, and the room went deadly silent.

“What did you just say to me?”

Most adult men would have cowered under the forceful hiss. Shouto instead pushed up onto one arm, struggling to lift himself. His eyes were fueled by a hatred that contorted his entire expression.

“I’m. So. Tired of you!” he roared. “I’m tired of this! I don’t want to do this anymore! I hate this training! I hate you! One day, I’ll fight you and I’ll win! And you want to know what else? I’ll be the greatest hero without your quirk!”

Furious tears streamed down his cheeks as the child shouted, his voice hardly a squeak due to his youth. Still, no one could deny the vehemence in his voice.

Momo whimpered as Endeavor’s expression twisted into a grin, flames returning and looking more wild than before. He approached the limping child, who was now backpedaling fearfully. 

“Use that hatred then, Shouto! Since you’re so ‘tired’. Stop crying and fight!”

Endeavor’s heavy arm rose, slapping the boy a couple of times before he crumpled into the corner of the room.

“You want me to be the villain so badly, then I’ll be the villain! If you think that will make you become stronger, then that’s how we’ll do this! I understand your motivation!”

Before Shouto could move again, Endeavor was lifting him by his hair.

“I became exhausted by these games with your brother. I’m not arguing anymore. I’m an adult, you’re a child. If you want to hate me so badly, do so. But you will do so with both quirks!”

Endeavor dropped Shouto, and ice quickly formed a protective shell over his body.

“Incorrect!”

Endeavor kicked the shell, shattering it.

“Stop it!” Shouto wailed, curling up on himself.

“Is that what you’re going to do? If you’re approached threateningly? ‘Stop it’? Cry? Use your strength, Shouto! Where was all that nerve from earlier?” Every time Shouto reformed the shell, Endeavor kicked it away full force.

It was horrifying to watch. At some point the session had devolved from an already one-sided ‘battle’ to a full-on beatdown, like watching a larger predator playing with his prey.

“Stop it! You’re going to kill me like you killed Touya!”

A suffocating silence descended, sharp and chilling as ice.

Endeavor was visibly shaken. Perhaps from guilt, or shock. But Shouto knew he’d gone too far.

“I didn’t kill him.” Endeavor murmured, plainly as if someone had asked him the weather. Shouto’s eyes widened with the fear of what was coming, and with a gasp he recreated the ice wall and reinforced it.

“I didn’t!” Endeavor roared, sparking back to life. He stomped on the ice, this time only cracking it.

“I only wanted him to be better - to be strong!” Another kick.

“I DIDN’T KILL HIM!” One final kick flew through the ice, and instead of stopping, went straight through.

For a moment, it seemed like the crack came from the ice. Then suddenly, a horrifying wail came from the ground as Shouto reached for his now twisted arm. His cries and gasps were desperate as he writhed on the ground wailing the word ‘no’ over and over.

A loud crash came from off screen, and a teenage Fuyumi dashed across the room, scooping her brother into her arms. Her face was hidden, and it was clear that she was struggling to hold him so that he further damage his arm.

“Stop it… Enough, please. He’s had enough today. We need to call a doctor, his arm-!” She quietly begged.

Endeavor looked down at his son, and for a fraction of a second a flash of horror crossed his face. The emotion quickly shifted into rage as he threw a fireball toward the wall where the hidden camera was located, destroying it.

The air was dank, smelling of dust and mildew, and Shouto wrinkles his nose. Unbothered, Touya jovially strolled down the metal stairs, clanks echoing harshly against the dark concrete walls. The further they descend underground, the more the walls seem to press in on Shouto - the small urge to scream he’d been feeling all night slowly bubbled closer and closer to the surface. Finally, the walls opened to a larger space, with multicolored pipes of numerous sizes stretching along them like vines.

As Touya continued his stroll forward, Shouto lagged as he surreptitiously took in his surroundings. The industrial lights were dim and buzzing, the old generators were groaning, the ground was full of cracks, and most importantly - there were no visible escape routes. What the hell could have brought him to a place like this, he wondered. 

Every thought ceased when he turned the corner with Touya, shock clenching his body into place when he saw what loomed in front of him. 

The gargantuan glass water tank towered over them, blue lights inside giving it an eerie, almost alien look. The inactive control panel in front flashed as different color buttons awaited input. Two stepladders were sealed to each side of the tank, large enough for two adults to pass each other. Touya entered a combination of the buttons, and the large seal on the top opened with a hiss of steam.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Shouto?” he asked, the glow of his blue eyes amplified by the lights. “You want to know what our next move is? We’re going to kidnap the old bastard and drop him in this. I know exactly how this monster works. I spent years in and out of this thing.”

Touya stared into the tank as memories resurfaced.

The man had forced him to use his power at his full capacity, shocking him through the floor until his eyes bled. Pain tore at his skin, yanked, and tugged and burned beyond recognition.

“PLEASE, NO!” The raspy voice sounded inhuman.  

“Don’t put me back in there, please!”

“I just want to go home!”

The man with glasses stared him in the face, a sinister grin on his face. “You’ve been saying the same thing for years, boy. There is no one for you at home. You were discarded by your own father - if you want to be angry at someone, be angry at him. Besides, I know you must be suffering. The nice cool water will make it all better.”   

Touya blanched at the mocking tone. The staples pulled at his jaw even when he barely moved his mouth. It was just the latest in a series of anesthesia-less surgeries he’d been subjected to.

“Please, no more. Just kill me…please.”

“You’ll never learn.” The man sighed, turning away. “Drop him in.”

As soon as the cuffs were locked and the oxygen mask was secured to him, Touya was dropped into the tank, the water rushing up to swallow his hate-filled eyes. Before he succumbed to unconsciousness, Touya swore right then and there- he’d kill his captor, and then he’d kill his father for leaving him here to die.

“I want him to know what it feels like to be helpless. Hopeless.” Lightly tracing the tank with his hand, Touya’s voice became thoughtful, almost dreamy. “Trapped and alone. I want to look him in his eyes as I peel the skin away from his body and burn it in front of him, slowly, and he knows there’s nothing he can do about it. And then in the end? When he feels his last heartbeats? I want to watch the despair to consume him the way it consumed me. To know that every choice he made with us led to his own demise.”  

Clenching a fist in front of his face, he murmured the final words almost as if he were speaking to himself. The warehouse had gone silent, and it left Touya almost annoyed. This was his – their –  big moment! He hadn’t expected applause or anything, but the moment was entirely too grand for Shouto to remain silent! 

Turning to face his brother, Touya’s heart jumps at the abhorrence on Shouto’s face.

“What?”

The nonchalant tone hits like a bucket of water, and Shouto begins to shake his head.

“No, no, no…” he murmurs, turning away. “This can’t be real.”

Touya gives him a strange look, disbelieving. “You don’t have to be scared. It’s okay -”

Reaching for Shouto’s arm, he feels burned when Shouto violently slaps his hand away.

"Don’t touch me! It’s not okay! I’m not okay!” Hysteric, his fists squeeze tightly at his sides. “I’m not okay with this shit anymore, Touya. Look at this! What the fuck is this?” He gestures wildly at his surroundings before pausing on the tank. “I-" Shouto pauses, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “I’m already sick to my stomach after that video. And I- I wanted the truth known, but I- I didn’t…” Pain cracks his voice, and he shakes his head again. “I didn’t heal from that, Touya. It didn’t make me feel any better. And neither will this.” The truth he’s been holding in all night sinks between them as he takes a few steps back. “I don’t know what you went through and I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this for you. I won’t. I’ve had enough.”

His ears burn as annoyance flashes across Touya’s face.  

“What’s with all this- extra angst.” A dismissive hand waved in Shouto’s direction. “What did you think we were going to do about him?”

The condescending tone leaves Shouto aghast, jaw slightly ajar with insult. “I don’t know, but I’m not about to stick our father in a damn torture tank!”

Our father?

Oh.

So that’s what this is about.

Touya leans to one side, folding his arms. “‘Our father’? So now you care about him? After everything he’s done, something as little as pity is about to stop you? Don’t be weak.”

Swallowing his pride feels like swallowing acid, but Shouto must do it. There’s a chance that whatever he says next could pull them both away from this next, irredeemable cliff.

“Don’t act like I’m unaffected by what we’ve both gone through! This has nothing to do with caring about him. This is about how we handle things.”

An overwhelming sense of loneliness burns stronger now than it ever has, and Shouto is ready to go home. Things might not be the way they were before- he’s likely going to be in a lot of trouble with the law, especially considering that he has no true way of proving that he was set up other than the revealed files. He might lose his family, his friends, and his reputation. The risk is large, but still, he needs to try.

“This doesn’t have to happen,” he offers, trying to placate his brother. “You did it, nii-san- you worked hard, you found the evidence, you exposed him in front of the entire world. You exposed the commission in front of the entire world. We can stop now! You can stop now!”

The pleas fall on deaf ears. A deep, uncomfortably familiar well of insecurity is building inside Touya, and he instinctually resorts to a spiteful anger to squash it down.

“Be honest, Shouto,” he drawls, sneering. “Is the game no longer fun? You aren’t enjoying pretending anymore? This is a fucking joke, and I could have been doing so much better than wasting my time with you! Look at you!” He gives Shouto a disdainful once over. “You’ve already betrayed your creed, destroyed government property, almost killed your friends, but this is too far for you? Grow up! You’ve hardly done anything! You let that pity work with those kids convince you that you still have a space in that world, that bullshit fantasy that is hero society, but you’re already a criminal, Shou! They don’t want you! They threw you away to hide their own dirt, for fuck’s sake! What else do you need to see?”

The slicing words attempt to tear at Shouto’s resolve, but he holds his ground. Memories of the children’s happy expressions as they trained, and their devastation as he left, fly through his mind. He’s made a promise to help them, and he can’t do that if he’s stuck as a villain. He doesn’t want to let anyone else down.

“Yes, the commission is fucked up and yes, they need to be held accountable, and I want to be around to make that happen! It’s not just about us anymore, Touya! It’s about any and everybody else that may have suffered this entire time! Can’t you see how big this is? The ‘pity work’ with those kids taught me that. Someone needs to talk about it. No one else should have to go through what we went through. Someone has to start, and I- I want to try.”

It's an extreme step outside of his comfort zone in many ways, and frankly he’s not sure how he’s going to start. He’s not like Izuku - he doesn’t have a bright smile that projects safety and the warm personality to make others follow him. But he knows that if he can just get someone to listen to him, he can do something with the knowledge that he has. It’s just going to take a leap of faith.

Shouto’s revelations are broken by a slow clap. He scowls when he sees Touya applauding slowly.

“Well aren’t you just the bravest little hero? And here I thought you’d understand me more than anyone else, Shouto. You disappoint me.”

“I– you-” This is ridiculous! Impatient, Shouto gives Touya an icy glare.

“Who’s really the disappointing one right now, when I’m the one standing in front of a miniature Endeavor? How does it feel to be a wannabe tyrant?”

Inhaling sharply, Touya leans back as though he’s been punched in the chest. “Take that back.”

The unspoken threat is deflected with a scoff. “You’re certainly right about one thing. This was all a waste.” Shouto turns to leave, pulling up his hood.

Severe nausea wells up, and Touya’s pupils constrict as the familiar image taunts him, the sight of someone walking away from him, invalidating his pain, to abandon him here -

Get back here-

Help me-

Don’t leave me-

“DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, SHOUTO!”

Shouto instinctually turns, dodging to his right as a blue fireball whips past him and crashes into the opposite wall. It’s followed in a millisecond by a flaming left jab, and he quickly forms an ice gauntlet around his right arm to block it. Touya jumps back from the impact, kicking his shoes and jacket off. Immediately he’s charging again, flames from his feet propelling him forward. He just barely slips above the ice wall sent barreling his way, flipping down into a spinning kick that hits Shouto directly in the stomach and sends him flying into the wall.

Wet coughs echo from across the room, blood dripping onto the ground. Scowling when he sees the blood on his hand, Shouto lifts his gaze, pupils constricting with rage.

“You know what? Fine.”

He uses his ice to launch himself forward, using his own flames to quickly slide past Touya, with every intent of clotheslining him with a fiery chop to the neck. Touya dodges the hit, but his eyes bulge out when ice launches from nowhere and hits him in the kidneys. More ice lifts Shouto from the ground, and he’s about to use it to dive at Touya when the structure crumbles, leaving him to fall in space. Touya had launched a hell-flame into the ice, simultaneously pushing himself out of range. Orienting himself from the fall, the slush soaks into his feet and ankles when Shouto lands. A deranged cackle comes from somewhere in the darkness, laughing as the rest of Shouto’s hoodie disintegrates away, revealing the fireproof uniform.

"Ah, yes. The clothes I bought when I thought you might have been something. I don’t even know why you bothered to wear it, wimp.”

Shouto says nothing, quickly scanning the dark area around him. Some of the lights have been destroyed, now only flashing intermittently- he won’t get anywhere this way. Memories of training blindfolded come back, and he closes his eyes and kneels low, forcing down his trauma in lieu of remembering the skills. Suddenly, there’s an increase in the temperature coming from behind him, the wind blows his hair forward, and-

“Sorry for the wait, I just puked in my mouth a little looking at you!”

Icicles pierce from the wall the moment Shouto opens his eyes, ready to impale anything trying to attack him from behind. Blue flames crash through, but the sharp tips of the ice are enough to cause Touya to lose his balance and slam into the pipes.

Standing, Shouto activates his entire left side so that he can see the damage. Touya is covered in cuts and slashes from the ice, bleeding from the mouth and still sneering at him. The unrepentant expression sets Shouto off, triggering a rage he hasn’t felt in a long time.

“What the hell is wrong with you? This is what I get, trying to believe in us, trying to believe in you! But you - you’re broken!”

Broken. You’re broken. The words cut deeper into Touya’s psyche than he’s willing to admit, and certainly not while his pissy little brother was saying it.

“Broken?” Touya stands up from the ground, cracking his limbs. “Ha! What, is that supposed to be an insult? Don’t make me laugh!”

Starting forward again, Touya uses his flames to amplify the speed of a barrage of punches at Shouto’s body, frustration growing as every hit is blocked. Finally, one hit lands in the chest, and then another in the stomach, and soon he’s punching Shouto in his face over and over. His fists are covered in blood by the time Shouto falls to the ground.

“Look at you, fighting just like daddy’s little boy! Stiff and unoriginal! Stop trying to defend yourself and actually fight, or you’ll never -”

Touya’s taunt is cut short as Shouto slams forward, hurling an ice fist directly into his stomach. Before he can dodge, he’s been swept, kicked down, and is caught in a headlock with one arm held behind his back.

“Enough, Touya! Just stop!” Shouto grunts as Touya tries to break the headlock, spewing flames everywhere. His voice sounds near to tears - this isn’t a normal fight; his emotions were flaring so dangerously it was making him nauseous, and he just wanted it to be over.

“Oh, shut up!” Breaking the arm hold, Touya grabs his fist and forces an elbow back into Shouto’s stomach, using the impact to break free. Both are gasping for air, with Shouto vomiting on the floor.

Sparks are flying from broken lightbulbs and damaged generators, livewires on the ground and just barely out of reach of the lukewarm water. The pipes have been destroyed, jagged edges causing both to have to dodge certain death with every blow. The stimuli are overwhelming for both, and they’re both beginning to realize that this is going to be a war of attrition.

“You’re a monster,” Shouto gasps, wiping the blood and spit from his face. “You’ve chosen to be a monster.”

“Monster? Tuh! We all know who’s Frankenstein’s perfect fucking creation here!” Touya retorts. The smart-aleck retort fires up Shouto again, and he roars in frustration- he’s so tired of these uncaring responses!

“I wish I could go back to the day I met with you, and just walk away!” he shouts. “I wish I’d never done any of this. You weren’t worth any of it!” Tears full of rage, exhaustion and disappointment fill his eyes.

Touya’s mouth twitches and he bites his lip, and swallowing the sadness at the accusation, allowing pain and fury to blossom instead.

“I…am not… worthless!” he roars back, sending flames out in all directions at his rage. “If anyone is worthless, it’s you! Do you realize that you were the catalyst for the destruction of our family? Your siblings and your own mother wish you’d never even been born!”

A pained wail slips from Shouto, and Touya almost cracks. Deep in his heart, he knows this isn’t true, that the blame doesn’t lie with Shouto. However, that part of him is drowned by the cacophony that is his triggered rage, and he’s not ready to be in the wrong right now.

Limping forward, he tries one final assault and pushes Shouto. They’re no longer fighting with their quirks. They’re no longer even fighting, Shouto’s clean, defensive style versus Touya’s raw, vicious style. Everything has dissolved into grappling, and they sweat as they try to force the other into submission.

Touya has just enough energy to force a sinister smile. “Come on then, Shouto! I understand your motivations! Show me just how powerful they are!”

Shouto’s face contorts, knows he’s being purposely goaded as his father’s face flashes in front of him.  

“Fuck off!” In his rage, he goes to throw a punch, and it’s exactly what Touya has been waiting for. Ducking it, he uses the momentum from his flames to fly into a double-spin kick to Shouto’s jaw.

A resounding crack is followed by a violent crash as Shouto hits the floor. The impact reverberates across the room, in its own way applauding the clear victor of the battle.

A splash sounds as Touya falls to his knees, trying to control his eyes that are rolling into the back of his head. His body wobbles as he crawls toward Shouto, unsure of what he’s going to do if he stands again, ready to fight. Losing his own battle with exhaustion, his head slams onto the ground.

“Shoucchan! Shoucchan, over here!”

A small, bi-colored head turns to him, and a bright smile covers his face.

“Touya-chan!”

“Everything’s going to be okay, Shoucchan. You know why?”

Shouto’s eyes light up - this is his favorite! “Why?”

Spinning him off the ground, Touya smiles as Shouto giggles and kicks his legs.

“Because I am here!”

A loud door blasts open in front of them, and Touya protectively pulls Shouto into his arms.

“What did you just say?”

Suddenly, he’s on the ground, and across from him he sees his unmoving little brother.

Touya’s eyes slam open before the nightmare- memory- can go any further. Confused, he lifts himself off the ground, head pounding.

What the hell happened-

His heart stops when his vision centers on the crumpled body next to him.

“No… No, no! Wait!”

Gathering his brother’s body in his arms, his hand vacillates as he doesn’t know where to start. Finally, he replaces it on his jugular and waits. Shouto is bleeding profusely from a swollen mouth, bruising and burns all over his torso and legs. Exhaling with relief when he finds a sluggish heartbeat, he falls onto Shouto’s chest.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this! I wasn’t supposed to hurt you, I was -”

There was no excuse. It didn’t matter how upset he was, he should have tried to talk to Shouto, he should have tried to reason, he should have done anything other than what he’d done. Instead, he was no better than his father. All those years, trying to read up on psychology and be more understanding, and he still succumbed to his violent emotions.

Now, he was panicking. Disbelieving grins turn into tearless grimaces as he’s trying to fix this, somehow turn back time, wake his brother up.

“Shouto…. come on Shou…I can fix this, come on buddy, we’ll get through this…” His voice is a high-pitched, disturbed sob. “Don’t- Aniki is sorry, I’m sorry…God I’m…what have I done…”

A loud, low groan of collapsing metal reverbs from the back of the room, and Touya remembers where he is. Standing, he lifts Shouto onto his back and slowly makes his way to the tank. He grunts with every step, crying out when he trips on the last step and drops Shouto on the ground. Hands shaking, he wipes some of the blood from Shouto’s face using some water and places the oxygen mask and quirk-suppressing cuffs on him. Gently as he can manage, he drops the limp body into the tank, twitching at the splash.

“It wasn’t supposed to be you… I promise it wasn’t…I’m so sorry…”

Limbs heavy, Shouto slowly wakes up to a body in agony. The worst part is his head, reeling from the likely concussion from Touya’s kick. It’s taking everything for him to stay conscious. Struggling to see straight from his unswollen gray eye, he realizes that it’s not just his vision that’s blurry- water is contorting the view as Touya stares at him from in front of the tank. An oxygen mask has been firmly placed over his mouth, and his arms are held in place by quirk-suppression cuffs. Heart racing as he realizes what’s going on, he begins to hyperventilate as he kicks at the thick glass.

“Touya! Touya, no! Don’t do this, don’t leave me here!” he cries, the message muffled between the tank separating them both. Touya won’t even look at him. His eyes are cast down shamefully as he walks away into the heavily damaged warehouse, slipping his arms back into his discarded jacket. Tears begin to painfully bubble around Shouto’s eyes, mixing in with the water as he begins to sob. “Touya! Onii-chan!”

Touya flinches as he hears the endearment. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, Shoucchan…” he murmured, more to himself in a daze than to Shouto. “I’m so sorry that you have to hate me, I didn’t want you to… Maybe you can be saved, but I can’t. I can’t let you stop me from doing this. He took everything from me, and I want that power back. I’m tired of him controlling me. I need this all to end, and I need it to end my way.”

Touya turns to leave, and Shouto begins yanking desperately at the chains.

“The tank has enough oxygen for 24 hours.” He speaks loudly enough that Shouto can hear him. “Let your body relax, it’s easier to handle that way. Trust me. I’ll be back before you run out.”

“Onii-chan! Touya!”

Touya closes the door on Shouto’s muffled screams.

Ominous, uneven footsteps echoed in the acoustics of the dark hallway, cold lighting occasionally flickering from damage. At the end of the hall stood a simple metal door; finally, the only thing separating Touya from the demons that clawed at his mind for decades, unwilling to relinquish their grasp. Tonight, no matter what, it would finally be over. Touya has prepared for this for years. He expected dark fear to choke him and excitement to quicken his heart; he expected for all his nerves to be worn thin, and his fists to scream with the desire of revenge.

Instead he’s sore, bloody, and covered with injuries; his heart is heavy and he’s limping with exhaustion.

It’s all depressingly underwhelming. 

Imagine his surprise when he discovered that the previous number one hero was not “languishing in the countryside enjoying his retirement” as the tabloids and news stations claimed he was. Touya searched high and low for years, furiously confused as to why he couldn’t manage to locate the gargantuan bastard of man anywhere in Japan. It was one of the main reasons he was willing to work with The Underscore, praying that stealing the right information would reveal Endeavor’s location.

So instead of relaxing somewhere in the world, lying in wait, Todoroki Enji currently lay invalid in a hospital in the middle of Tokyo, safely sealed away on the 15^th floor and guarded by his own hired henchmen. He was separated from his family and moved every 3-4 months to other facilities across Japan to keep him safe, as many a villain wanted revenge. None of them were as bloodthirsty as Touya.

The blue metal door loomed in front of him, the silver handle gleaming. Touya stared at it, heart racing and hands shaking. A groan from a disposed-of soldier echoed from down the hall, shaking him out of his stupor. He opens the door to see an unusually normal sight. A cream white room, shadows covering most of it despite a small table lamp, and a window revealing the skyline outside. For a man who was meant to be hiding, this was an audacious choice, luckily for Touya.  

A nurse quickly turned, cowering at the sight of him. His father lay still on a bed, the beeps of the heart monitor the only noise in the room. A rhythmic rasping could be heard somewhere, and he realized that it was a combination of his heavy breathing and that of his father’s.

“I’m a monster now, you know,” he whispered, speaking at the body on the bed. “It’s all thanks to you. I’m disgusted with what I’ve had to do to get here tonight. It doesn’t matter. But I’m here. I’m finally fucking here.”

The nurse flinched away when he began to stalk forward, and she moved to the other side of the bed allowing for full viewing of Todoroki Enji. He no longer had control of his limbs, only minimal control of his head and eyes. In his final fight, the villain’s quirk managed to leave him unable to move his limbs and partially numb. The villain was the only one who could release him, and they died at the scene, leaving Enji paralyzed until a solution could be found.

A disembodied, masculine voice spoke from a speaker in the room.

“Touya.”

Touya startled, before realizing that it was the machine that helped to translate Enji’s thoughts.

“Touya. My beloved firstborn. My son-”

“Don’t you dare fucking call me your beloved son!” Touya roared, a blast of fire hurtling into the steel door, blowing it off the hinges.

“Get the fuck out!” he shouted at the nurse, who quickly ran past him screaming. It was the only mercy he was willing to show tonight. Once her screams faded, he turned back to glare at the man now giving him a plaintive look. Enji’s eyes begged atonement.

“I am so sorry, Touya. One of my biggest regrets was hurting you. I know I can never atone for what I did to you. But know that I love all my children, and I love you too.”

Knuckles cracking, Touya threw his hands over his ears, kneeling as if the words were causing him physical pain. “Shut up!”

“I’ve had nothing but time to think. It was all my fault. I didn’t mean to lose you like that. I never wanted this for you-”

The words caused something to break within Touya, and he hurled his long coat at the opposite wall as he quickly approached Enji’s bedside.

“No, no of course you never wanted this for me! It’s all about what you wanted, wasn’t it? A child to surpass All Might! A son for your stupid legacy!” His hands were around Enji’s neck as the same desperate blue eyes stared into one another.

“Touya, please- listen to me-”

“Frankly, fuck you and your apologies, Enji!” Touya cried, slamming his right fist into his jaw. “You ruined my family’s life. You ruined my life! Do you know what the fuck I’ve been through?!”

“Don’t do this-Be better than this, better than me-”

Touya’s eyes widened, stunned by the words. “Be better? How? How can I be better now? I’m a career felon! Look at me, Enji!” He slowly dragged his hands down his face, smiling wildly. “I’m covered in painful skin grafts that were sewn on by the man who tortured me, daily, just to see how strong my fire was. Tested, prodded at like I was an animal! From one abuser to another! But this time, I didn’t have anyone around to help me! No one cared to come help the dead boy!” Flames exploding in his fist, he threw a left hook.

“It’s too goddamn late for apologies! I lost everything!” Unshed tears choked his voice. “You have no idea how much I called for my mommy, how scared and alone I was, how much I suffered knowing that I couldn’t go home anymore and protect my siblings from a bastard like you!”

Loss gripped Touya’s heart like an iron. He’d almost lost his life, and his body was stolen away from his family whom he thought he’d never see again. He lost his skin as it burned away, replaced by patches that made him feel like he was literally sewing himself together. He couldn’t even cry, for fuck’s sake- even his emotions were taken from him. His friends - his new family - in the League, taken down one by one by a new generation of heroes. His obsession with taking down Endeavor was all he had left. Tearless sobs shook Touya’s body as he threw punch after punch, leaving Enji’s face hardly recognizable.

“Since you want to be sorry, here’s a few things you should be sorry for: first, me!” he shouted, tossing Enji on the ground by his chest. “Fuyumi!” He stomped a fiery foot into Enji’s stomach. “Natsuo!” A low roundhouse to the side. “Shouto! Do you remember when you broke his arm? The world knows about it now!” A firm stomp onto Enji’s arm, making sure he heard the sure crack of broken bone. Leaning over Enji’s bleeding body, he grabbed him by the collar of the hospital gown.

“And you’re going to burn in hell for everything you ever did to my mother!” he whispered sinisterly, hair and eyes enveloped in blue flame. Ready to see fear in Enji’s eyes, he chokes when all he sees is a sad acceptance, blue eyes rimmed with tears. His flames grow larger and large with every burst of emotion- the room was consumed by blue flame, and the fire began to spread to the other hospital rooms.  

None of that concerned Touya as he shook Enji’s body, manically perturbed by the lack of response. His fury grew as he realized that he would never truly have the battle he was looking for; the demon he waited so long to take down and demoralize was already at his lowest.

“You know, I was supposed to fight you.” He murmurs, chuckling. “It was supposed to be me that ended you! You can’t imagine how furious I was when I found out the great Flame Hero Endeavor was taken out by some - some nobody! I bided my time, waiting, searching, only to find you like this? You can hardly even feel the blows, you lucky bastard! How dare you take this from me? How dare you?!” Touya shouts as he throws Enji’s body at the window, causing the glass to crack with impact as he lays quick but heavy blows into his torso.

“Raise your fists, Enji! Block! Villains won’t stop to let you breathe!”  Enji stares in horror as Touya places his hand onto his chest, blasting him out of the 15^th story window. Time slows as Enji’s body crashes through the glass before he vanishes from sight. Before Touya can make it to the window himself, a sharp pain causes him to fall to the ground. He reaches for his chest, squeezing tightly as he tries to force down the pain. His quirk is searing his insides, and he can hardly breathe, but he is beyond it. No - all that matters is seeing Todoroki Enji hit the ground and making sure that he’s finally fucking dead; then he can go and attempt to mend what might be left of his relationship with his little brother. Or simply drop him off at a hospital and then take off into the night. He's too exhausted to truly plan out his options, but he can’t stop out now. Taking a deep breath, he hauls himself into the window frame.          

The large meeting hall echoed with a cacophony of whispers ranging from ecstatic, to fearful, to enraged. The atmosphere was tense, and Izuku’s heart constricted as he threw open the back doors, causing all eyes to veer his direction. Momo followed quickly behind him, a deep frown on her face. A table was pushed against the wall in the back, discreet enough to provide some sort of cover. Izuku sat down heavily, placing his head in his hands. It was entirely too much to deal with at once, and he allowed his head to hang for a moment as anxiety threatened to overwhelm him.

One breath in, one breath out.

Breathe, Izuku.

You can’t- you can’t help Shouto like this.

Shouto, oh my god-

A gentle hand brings Izuku out of his reverie and shuddering breaths; Ochaco was immediately there, her eyes red with indignant tears. Iida followed close behind, almost as if he was trying to block out the noise and protect them all with his strong posture, but even he was noticeably shaking.

Before any of them could speak, Kirishima brushed past Iida with an uncharacteristic scowl.

“Did you see that?! What the fuck was that?” He was sniffling, his skin hardening in patches as if to protect him from what he’d seen. Bakugou, unusually quiet, came from behind and placed a protective hand on his shoulder.

“Despicable is what it was.” Iida spoke, stern voice wavering. “And the news- they should have never aired something so traumatizing, at least not without a warning.”

The others nod in assent.

“I knew things were rough for Todoroki, being a legacy and all, but… I didn’t see that coming,” Kirishima admits. “I feel so fucking ashamed.”

“It’s not your fault, Ei.” Bakugou’s gruff voice is still quiet, and Izuku knows that he places the blame on himself and Izuku. They knew about his homelife, they knew what had happened to Shouto when he was little. Between the internship, and everything that happened in high school, they assumed that the Todoroki household was beginning to heal. But seeing what Shouto had to heal from? It was clear that he needed more support than they originally offered.

“Izuku.”

Not even realizing he’d been looking down at the floor again, Izuku lifts a remorseful gaze to Momo. Their silent exchange affirms Izuku’s suspicion that they don’t have much time, and that they need to tell their friends what they’ve found. Momo gives a timid smile, encouraging him.

Bakugou notices the subtle interaction and beats them to it. “You two look like you got something to say; spit it out already. What the hell’s up, Deku? Ponytail?”

Izuku nods. “Remember when we told you all about Hashimoto’s quirk? About how it seemed unusual that he was specifically against Shouto and we wanted to find out more?” The group leans in, immediately immersed in every whispered word. “Turns out we were right. Hashimoto knows a lot more than he’s letting on, and we think it has something to do with Shouto’s past, including Todoroki Touya and Endeavor. He was a part of that exposed investigation, and our source thinks that he might have used this confidential information to his advantage to move up the ladder.”

“What a bastard,” Ochaco growls. “To hear about a dead child, and to use that to elevate himself?”

“Highly unethical,” Iida agrees, folding his arms. “Especially given the gravity of the investigation. If he has truly used something so horrible for his own gain, he should be removed from his position and subject to the law at once!”

“I agree. We don’t have anything concrete on him, but we learned enough to think that-”

The energy of the room changes when the lights dim, shifting attention toward the front where the small lit stage is located. Hashimoto, Kondo and Matsui file in, with Hashimoto walking toward the podium while the other two sit on chairs placed on stage. Hashimoto looks especially smarmy, and Izuku is immediately suspicious. Their whole group radiates hostility and it immediately sets them apart- it’s an intimidating sight for everyone else in the room. Their postures suggest suspicion, tension, fury; that they are not to be trifled with. The whispers increase in volume with new speculation.

“That was their friend.”

“I wonder if they think this clears anything up.”

“I can’t imagine having to see something like that.”

“Do you think they knew?”

Hashimoto waits for the noise to die down, basking in the flashing cameras of the media.

“Why are they even here?” Kirishima murmurs in disgust. “It’s supposed to be a hero meeting.”

“It’s a show, Shitty Hair,” Bakugou growls back, crossing his arms. “They know exactly what they’re doing.”

Once Hashimoto deems it quiet, he clears his throat and begins.

“Welcome, everyone. I am sure that this is not the greatest time to call something like this, given the…current situation in the media. However, that is being dealt with, and the commission is surely coming up with the best way to approach it.”

The hackles on Izuku’s neck are rising with distaste. He’s so upset he can’t speak.

Momo scowls. “It’s as if Hashimoto couldn’t stand the idea of Shouto having public sympathies. They’re going to try to turn the tides against him, using whatever this is.” Hashimoto coughs and continues.

“I’m going to make this quick. The public safety commission is under the impression that after…recent exposed knowledge, an attack from the Todoroki brothers is imminent. Considering the length that they have gone to avoid detection, and the likelihood that they will escape, options have been discussed, and decisions have been made.”

The group of friends frowned in confusion.

“What does that even mean?” Iida murmured, bemused.

“He’s being purposefully vague.” Ochaco replied, irritated.

 Hashimoto took a sip of water and made sure to inhale before speaking again.

“When dealing with the threat that is the Todoroki brothers- lethal force has been authorized. Aim to kill.”

And then the table at the back wall cracks into numerous pieces from multiple activated quirks.

People turn in a panic, trying to understand where the explosive noise came from and ascertain the danger. As they look on, Izuku marches to the front, the cameras zooming in on his furious expression and glowing form.

“How dare you? How dare you stand there right now like a coward and say that bullshit?!” he roared, pointing at Hashimoto. The onlookers flinched back, terrified as his power began crackling across his skin.

“Are you serious right now?” Ochaco screams beside him. “How can you say something like that after seeing that video?! After you saw how he looked?”

Momo is right behind her. “I won’t speak for Todoroki Touya, I cannot speak for him, but Shouto needs help! He clearly felt betrayed, and he was!”

Affronted, Hashimoto brushes them off like flies. “Honestly. It’s always you children. Is this really the time to let your personal opinions overcome you? Are you really disobeying direct orders from your superiors?”

A loud cackle comes from the back, followed by another explosion, and the cameras pan to a sneering Bakugou.

“First off, NOBODY here is my superior, so you can shove that shit right the fuck up your ass! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Kirishima nods fiercely, crushing his fists together as he stands behind his boyfriend. “You cannot be asking me to kill Todoroki! Not after everything you all have put him through. That’s some messed up shit man, and I won’t do it!”

Iida nods sternly, face a furious red. “With all due respect- which I have to say in the moment is none- I must disagree with this rushed, ill-informed order! That is not the type of hero I aspire to be, and that is not heroism at all!”

Hashimoto’s complexion turns into an unbecoming puce with each combative verbal blow. Izuku looks on with a sick pleasure as the man twitches, clearly torn between maintaining his publicly manicured image and taking back control of the room. 

Izuku can see Hashimoto is ready to threaten to have all of them suspended for disobeying orders when a drawling, strong voice speaks up, seizing the air from the room.

“The commission has always been ridiculous, but this is entirely too far. It isn’t even legal under these circumstances to order something like this, and it’s especially cruel to order it of his friends.”

Hashimoto sneers, rolling his eyes. “Aizawa Shouta. A veteran name on the list of rebels amongst heroes. It figures that the apple wouldn’t fall far from the tree with this batch of ne’er do wells. It’s perfectly legal, as I said- things were discussed and this was the decision come to. It is an order. What makes you think any of you can question the public safety commission’s authority on this call- my authority on this call?”

Before a nonplussed Aizawa can retort, Izuku speaks up.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Quiet rage seeps through as he grits his teeth. “Your ‘perfect plan’ is derailing, and you see that. Because Momo and I found out. You’re a corrupt liar, Hashimoto, you set Shouto up and you know it!”

Hashimoto visibly pales. “Don’t start with the false accusations, Deku.” It’s the first time the name has been used mockingly in a long time, and Izuku’s fists tighten even more. “It’s clear that Todoroki Shouto made his own choices, motivated by a clear hatred of his father as evidenced in that vid-”

One for All flashes again, causing people nearby to cower from the green sparks. Aizawa stares at him with an unspoken order to tone it down. “Don’t you dare use his own torture against him like that! He wouldn’t have ever had to go through that if you hadn’t aided in stopping the investigation into his family!”

At this point the onlookers are beginning to follow along, and hushed murmurs began to question what they were really seeing.

“He was a part of that investigation?”

“Maybe his name hasn’t been redacted.”

“I have some of those notes pulled up on my phone, already.”

“Use the find function!”

Hashimoto visibly flinches, hand coming up to his stomach as he immediately senses the shift in public allegiance. He points his chin up, clearly trying to swallow his nerves and take control back in the room.

“Enough! Heroes, fellow watching citizens, all of you- you cannot possibly be buying into these conspiracy theories! I had nothing to do with the ending of that investigation; we aren’t even supposed to speak of it. Why were you nosing into things you shouldn’t be?” He gives Izuku a condescending stare down his nose. Your move.

Aizawa appears silently, placing a hand on Izuku’s shoulder and squeezing. Apply pressure.

With pleasure. Izuku wasn’t sure what was going to stick, but he was damn sure going to throw every accusation he could.

“You helped ruin their lives! They all suffered, and Todoroki Touya was mistreated so horribly that they thought he died! Instead of doing something to prevent further damage, the commission happily silenced the investigation- an investigation you were a part of, and then illegally used to boost your own career! And then, you had the nerve to use this confidential information to come back into Shouto’s life and ruin it some more. His actions up to this point, his suffering, is on your hands!”

Scowling, Hashimoto violently pushes away a camera that got too close. “Get that camera out of my face! In fact, turn them off! Don’t give them this false platform! This is- I had nothing to do- don’t accuse me of-”

“I’ve wondered for a while now, ever since this whole thing came out.” Aizawa adds, staring at Hashimoto. “You can’t tell me that a corporation as large as the commission couldn’t keep notes as well as some low-level PIs. The investigation into the Todoroki’s continued well after Todoroki Touya ‘died’. Frankly, I don’t buy into the idea that the commission was unaware that Todoroki Touya was still alive. Do you know anything about that, Hashimoto?”

“I beg your pardon?! Are you suggesting that the commission- your bosses, mind you- would allow for something like that to just slip from their notice?”

“They shut down the investigation that had blatant evidence of abuse, so I can buy it!” Ochaco adds, fist bumping Kirishima.

“You’re a fucking murderer, you bastard!” Izuku’s eyebrows rose as Bakugou spoke from the back of the room.

“I have it on good authority that you were in charge of closing his particular section of the case, Hashimoto, which was conveniently backed up by some information unveiled tonight.” Aizawa paused, letting the implications sink in, before continuing. “So, what happened to Todoroki Touya? What did the commission promise you to look the other way? If I’m not hot already, I’m willing to bet I’m getting closer. Or did your perfect plan fall apart, and you had to snip up some loose ends?”

“Good authority- what-”

“Maybe your buddy over here knows something and he’s not squealing.” Bakugou quickly blasts up to the front, and lifts Kondo out of his chair. Kondo cowers, holding his hands in front of his face.

“I don’t know anything about that! He’s the one who chose to target Todoroki!” he squeals.

“Target, huh?” Bakugou tosses him to the side, sneering at Hashimoto caught like a deer in headlights. “Oh, is that so?”

Izuku lifts his chin, watching as the man’s soul seems to leave his body. “What do you have to say for yourself? First you kill Todoroki Touya, then you target his brother and ask us to kill them both- again? Your quirk must really be malfunctioning if you’re resorting to murder!”

Hashimoto spirals, his panic bubbling over as the accusations hit him. Izuku knows that his narcissism cannot accept these accusations- his hands twitch in the air, wavering back and forth as he grips towards some sort of palpable control. Hashimoto won’t let his accusations stand, he cannot let them stand, because he considers himself perfect in all things- He crouches in on himself away from the flashing lights, staring into the distance before choking and darting venomous eyes back at Aizawa. Unable to use his quirk, his face flushes ruddily and he grips the podium.

“I did what I was commanded to do!” he shouts, almost frothing at the mouth. “They asked me to handle it, so I handled it! No more evidence, no more potential damage! What would any of you know about keeping societal order, you’re a bunch of collateral damage causing freaks!” He lifts his head, staring right into Izuku with wild eyes. “When I gave him away to be disposed of, he was supposed to be dead! He was dead! I saw how torn apart his body was! How was I supposed to know he’d come back as a villain?! I didn’t foresee this!”

The air leaves the room as it falls silent at the guilty admission. Even the sounds of the flashing cameras fade as the two men lock eyes, and Izuku knows that he’s won.

The silence breaks as someone clears their throat. Smiling softly, Matsui rises from his chair. “Is that enough?”

Everyone stops to look at him, the one man somehow forgotten in the fray despite being right in the middle of it. Izuku frowns, and Hashimoto slowly turns, shaking. Realization widens his eyes, and his nails cut into his hands.

“You… it was you, the whole time- you son of a bitch!”

He dashes toward the man but is quickly swept off his feet. With one foot on Hashimoto’s back, Matsui smiles and claps his hands together.

“I think that’s incriminating enough for me. Hashimoto Touma, you are under arrest for your connections to human quirk trafficking, quirk misuse, and theft of a body.”

Hashimoto’s brow furrows. “What-”

The back doors fly open, and Shinsou enters the room, flanked by officers. He stops in front of a despondent Hashimoto.

“Ah, the man who’s caused me to get even less sleep than I already do. Can’t wait to ask you some questions.” Hauling him up, Shinsou tosses him into the arms of the officers.

“You can grab him too,” Matsui says offhand, waving at Kondo. “I’m sure he knows something. I made sure the other conspirators were arrested already; these two were the last ones.” Shinsou nods, and the officers grab the cowering man. Before anyone can stop him, Matsui blends in seamlessly with the leaving crowd of officers.

Shocked to see Shinsou, Izuku beams with tear-filled eyes.

“Well I’ll be damned. I didn’t know you had it in you, Midoriya. A pressure tac-” He’s caught off guard when Izuku wraps him up in a spine-crushing hug. Their friends surround them as the press follows an arrested Hashimoto and Kondo out, allowing them to huddle.

“Shinsou? Buddy!” Kirishima says, smiling widely. “You’ve been MIA forever! What are you doing here?”

“Been working on a quirk trafficking case. It’s really deep. I can’t tell you much, but you all just helped us catch somebody that could lead to much bigger fish.”

Iida grasps his shoulders, giving him a proud smile. “Were you the good authority that Aizawa was talking about?”

“Of course he is!” Ochaco chirps. “He has to talk to his dad about everything, he taught him everything he knows!” Shinsou blushes and turns his head away, murmuring something about “investigative connections”.

“And you- Midoriya! That was so wild!” Kirishima says, shaking Izuku’s shoulder.

“I was worried you were going to resort to violence, but this was a much more effective method!” Iida said, clapping him on the back.

“Violence would have been faster, but as long as the bastard is in custody.” Bakugou grumbled, joining the group.

Ochaco is shaking Izuku, smiling so hard her cheeks are starting to hurt. “That was pretty awesome! And then when Sensei jumped in? You should have seen the cameras!”

“It was a perfect platform- join him on his playing field and bring him down. Brilliant,” Momo agreed, smiling.

“Excuse me.”

They all turn at the serious voice that cuts sharply through all background noise. Aizawa is staring sternly at them, with a room of now confused heroes standing behind him.

“This isn’t over. We still need to deal with the situation at hand.”

As if summoned, someone runs back into the room gasping in a panic.  

“Fire! Blue flames, Tokyo, central hospital! It’s them. It’s them!”

The group immediately straightens, ready to deal with business. Aizawa slips a small smile, proud of his students.

“All right- Midoriya. I can already see you have a plan in mind. What are we going to do?”

Izuku follows Dabi’s eyes as he quickly scans the area on the ground. 

“He’s trying to find where Endeavor’s body landed,” he comments into his headpiece. Endeavor had been caught in the nick of time by Ochaco’s quirk, and quickly floated out of sight. He’d been beaten into a pulp, and likely wouldn’t have survived the fall. But that wasn’t Izuku’s focus right now.

Unable to see his target, Dabi leans out of the window farther.

“Ugh! I don’t have time for this! Where is he?! Give him to me!” he roars, spitting flames. The slippery, secretive front is gone; instead standing in front of them is a madman.

“Uravity?” he calls out to Ochaco, who immediately picks up his call.

“Support is already headed in; Momo and Kirishima won’t be able to answer you right now. I’m ready to catch anyone who falls or jumps from the windows. Just make sure to keep him within sight- he’s a slippery one,” She replied, repeating Aizawa’s orders from their earlier meeting.

“Ingenium?”

“I have all areas blocked. He won’t get out of my sight if he tries to escape.”

“Kac- Ground Zero?”

“Shut up, Deku! I know my job!”

Right. Izuku looked up, staring straight into Dabi’s eyes. The disgusted look as he stared down his nose eerily reminded him of that of his father’s.

“Todoroki Touya! I’m going to need you and Sh- Todoroki Shouto to comply and come down. This can end quickly and peacefully if-”

“I don’t give a fuck about peace! Bring him to me or die!” Dabi retorts before front-flipping out of the window, using his quirk to propel and slow his fall. His entire body is pulsing with flames, even his eyes invisible beneath them. Izuku jumps, completely thrown at the offensive move.

Before he hits the ground, Bakugou is already at his face throwing a punch. For a few moments, they are both freefalling while they throw aggressive punches and kicks, artfully dodging each other. Once they hit the ground, Bakugou charges at him again. While Bakugou was holding his own, this was not what they expected to happen. Dabi’s style was always to evade, guerilla style- he’d never approached them head on. This was the first time they’d ever dealt with him fighting- and it was vicious.

“I’m jumping in!” Izuku cried, ready to join the fray, when Bakugou held out a hand to blast him away. 

“Stay in your position, moron!” When he opened himself up to push Izuku back, Dabi was able to get under Bakugou’s arm and hit him with a flame-clenched fist to the nose, sending him flying back. As Bakugou sailed back into Izuku, a fire maelstrom surrounds Dabi. It’s eye-searingly bright, pulsating like a dying star. It’s painful to look at directly, and everyone in the area has to turn away.

Pushing Izuku off, Bakugou stands to block his eyes.

“That fucker… something’s wrong. He’s limping. Covered with cuts and shit, too. Fighting like a dying animal.”  

But why would he already be injured, unless-

“Dabi!” Izuku shouts, holding a hand in front of his face to block the bright light of the firestorm spinning in front of him. “Dabi- Touya, please! Where’s Shouto?” If Dabi was injured, it meant that he’d already fought someone earlier. Endeavor was found to be paralyzed, unable to fight, and the fact that Dabi easily made it into the hospital meant that there wasn’t anyone inside who could have put up a good fight against him.

If Shouto and he had fought, and Dabi was here, it meant that Shouto lost.

He deflects a blast of flame with a 10% One For All punch, sending it back toward Dabi who threw it into the side of the buildings.

“He’s already injured!” Izuku calls into the headpiece, dodging another blast of flame. “We have reason to believe that Shouto isn’t here!” The combination of Dabi’s explosive guerilla tactics and Shouto’s long range fighting and evasion ability made them a particularly difficult team to fight, which is why the battleplan was to separate and conquer. Bakugou and his team with Dabi, Izuku and his team with Shouto.

However, if an injured Dabi was fighting on the offense, and Shouto wasn’t present at all, it meant that the entire plan changed. It meant that it was going to take a lot more to bring him down than anticipated. The flames surrounding him were so bright that whenever any of the heroes jumped at him, they couldn’t look directly and were received with a painful side kick to the body or face, or skin-peeling flames. To keep his flames going, Dabi consistently inhaled and blew them in a wide arc. The street in front of the hospital now looked like a blue pit of hell, burning so hot that it was hard to get in between the heat and the smoke.

Amongst all the carnage, they could still hear the screaming of the flame-user. Dabi’s keening sounded just like Bakugou had claimed- like that of a dying animal, pain from the flames consuming him just as much as anyone around him. It was painful to hear, adding to the misery of the entire situation.

“We can’t get in any further, Sensei!” Izuku called to Aizawa, exhausted as he used his powers to put out another area on fire. The new plan was to get Aizawa in so that they could shut off the flame-spout, if only for a moment. Hearing no response from his teacher, he tried again.

“Sensei!” he cried desperately. “I’ve been putting out the flames as well as I can, and we’re all making sure people get out and get to safety, but I don’t think there’s a way to stop him- or to save him!”

“Midoriya, we may have a solution. I’m bringing her to you. Tell me your location! Quickly!”

Confused as to what his teacher has in mind, Izuku desperately relays his position.

Touya is dying.

His skin grafts have disintegrated into the storm. His knuckles are bloody, and he can’t tell if it’s his own. He can’t see, the fire is so bright. He can’t hear anything, the roar of the flames and his own blood filling his ears.

Frankly, he doesn’t give a shit anymore.

He lost.

Endeavor is gone.

Another dark shadow approaches, and he sends another blast of flame toward them. They scurry away, tending to a wound he left on them. Get away! Just go away! Leave me alone! One consistent shadow is sending explosions his way, jumps in to fight, and jumps away. It’s exhausting.

Depression sinks into his bones, and he contorts in on himself. Nothing else matters. He’s going to die, but he’s going to take whoever he can with him in the hellfire that is his power.

His earlier keening dims down to a whimper, when suddenly a large blast of ice crashes through the middle of the flames, straight toward him. He barely dodges it.

“Sh-Shouto? H-how-”

Falling to his side in shock, his vision clears just enough to see a pair of red eyes gleaming at him, and suddenly the flames crawling on his body extinguish. The moment the flames go out, his eyes roll back in his head and he falls like a clipped marionette as multiple blasts of powerful wind and water begin setting out the flames around him. Laughing softly, he leans back in surrender as the water drips onto skin, sizzling. It’s a small mercy. Sensing someone leaning over him, he uses the last of his strength to open his mouth, the blood framing his stitches into a garish smile.  

“Go ahead and kill me, then! Just let me fucking die for once, please.”

The cooling embrace of death wraps around him, surrounding his limbs, then finally cocooning his smiling, bloody face. Death sings a song, a familiar lullaby in a lovely voice, and with unseeing eyes he holds out his hands, mouth open in rapture.

“Mommy?”

If death was this uncomfortable, Touya wished his soul had just dissolved into the void. Instead, his mind and vision were fuzzy, and his limbs felt like anchors. With a deep sigh, he painstakingly opens his eyes, cracks his neck, and looks around. He was sat up in a hard chair, surrounded by dark gray walls lacking any windows, cold white lighting, and wooden table paired with an empty chair- an interrogation room, then. He catches a glimpse of his reflection from a one-way mirror. His body was swathed in bandages- not even his jaw could be seen. Nothing new, really. An IV with two different bags were attached at his side. Only his hair, a pristine white buzz cut, and swollen eyes were exposed, and he chuckled sardonically.

Couldn’t even finish mummifying me… no respect for the dead around here, huh?

Attempting to stretch was a no-go; chains surrounded his legs and torso, attaching him firmly to the stiff chair. His arms could move, but only barely. On the bright side, the quirk suppressing cuffs were allowing his body to cool down naturally, and the drugs they put him on must be superb because he could feel none of the usual pain that wracked his body. In fact, he could hardly think straight.

While mulling over the lack of sensation, the heavy metal safe door across the small room opened, and someone enters. It takes Touya a moment to recognize him, images flying through his mind. Loud kid, destructive strength, the one that All for One and Shigaraki had had a particular interest in. The one his brother seemed to have a particular interest in. Deku. Midoriya Izuku.

“I could never see the appeal, you know?”

Though his voice was murmured through the bandages, the message was clear enough. Izuku’s posture changes, immediately on the defense as he folds his arms.

“Baby brother talks about you in his sleep. Cuter than when Shiggy did it, at least.”

An uncomfortable grimace crosses Izuku’s red expression; the awkward image of Shigaraki from Touya’s sedated mumbling caused him to shiver a bit. Touya cackles painfully at his discomfort, before sighing and turning away, closing his eyes. He can’t believe that this is how it’s all about to go down. Even disappointment feels like too much effort; the bliss of the drugs allows him to feel almost nothing, and he’d rather just stay that way.

“Todo-” Izuku pauses. “Touya-san.”

Silence.

“I need to ask you a few questions.”

Nothing.

Izuku stands in the doorway, eyes filling with a sort of pity. Despite everything he’d ever done, Todoroki Touya deserved much more than this- than being chained to a chair, covered in self-inflicted wounds and battle scars, bandaged beyond recognition. If he’d just been saved in the beginning, just maybe - he could have been a hero, too. Or whatever he may have wanted to be - anything other than this. He can already tell that nothing he has to say is going to get Touya to talk, and he’s almost filled with relief from the burden. Knocking on the door behind him, he hears the locks shift, and it opens into a bright white hallway.

Walking away from the interrogation room, he finds the Todoroki family sitting in the hallway. It’s been almost a day since the showdown, and the entire family looks like they haven’t slept a wink in any of that time. Todoroki Rei sits ramrod straight, fingers clenching and unclenching in her lap as she stares at the wall across. Fuyumi leans on her side, eyes closed in a pained expression. Natsuo sits on the floor, face hidden in his mother’s knees. Once again, it all seems entirely too intimate, too painful, for him to witness. No family should have to sit in Tartarus of all places, but right now, they didn’t have time to waste. Rei gently pat both of her children’s heads, prompting them to shift away, before gracefully standing up.

Izuku opened his mouth, but found no words, and simply sighed as he scrambled to get his thoughts together. They stood there for a moment, before Izuku bows deeply.

“I appreciate that you all came in today. You were magnificent, helping us the way you did.” 

The shock of Todoroki Rei’s arrival on site was beyond anything even Izuku had planned on. Obviously, Shouto had inherited half his quirk from his mother, but he’d never seen her use it in action. He was familiar with the idea that the strength of a quirk faded with non-use, much like muscle atrophy, and Shouto had never discussed her using her powers in a grand way. So, when she stormed directly into the hellfire, white hair whipping around her, toward her firstborn consumed by his own hatred and flames, he wasn’t sure what she’d planned on doing. He could see the momentary fear in her eyes, before her expression set into one of determination. Izuku smiled- she looked just like Shouto’s from their first tournament fight. She would win, he just knew it.

In a manner that could only be described as regal, she rose one hand and a gigantic wall of ice rose from the ground, cutting straight through to Touya. Izuku watched in awe as tiny, gentle, ephemeral Rei managed to calm down the most-wanted villain with a melancholic melody and a gentle touch, water pouring down on all sides to remove the damage he’d caused.

Rei’s chuckles break the awe-inspiring memory, bringing Izuku back down to earth.

“There’s no need to flatter me, Izuku. I only did what I needed to do- what I should have done a long time ago. I needed to save my son.”

Grimacing, Izuku bites his tongue. He knows it’s not his place to comment on what Rei should or shouldn’t have done given their horrible situation, and he swallows the words back down.

“I don’t know what I can say to him, but we need him to talk. We need to know what he knows, and we need to know where Shouto is. We have a theory that he’s not safe right now, so time is of the essence.”

Rei nods in assent. “Take me to him.”

He turns to walk the family down the hall, soldiers lined up on both sides surrounding the one door. Rei holds one hand out, stopping Fuyumi and Natsuo from entering. Izuku nods at the guards, and they unlock the heavy metal door.

Izuku holds his hand out, helping Rei step down into the room. Touya remains unmoving in the chair, and Rei lifts the chair, moving to sit in front of him. Brow furrowing, Touya turns, his eyes blinking in shock when he sees his mother for the first time in decades.

His bright blue eyes meet her cool gray ones, and they simply stare for a few moments before she reaches a hand forward. “May I?”

Heart pounding, Touya flinches away from the hand. He’s still silent, and Rei lowers her hand.

“I just- I- I wanted to hold you. If that was okay.”

Chest visibly rising and falling, it’s another few moments before Touya nods. Smiling timidly, she leans in to wrap her arms around him. When she began to hum the lullaby that he’d sang himself every night for years, he melts into her arms, body wracking with tearless sobs. Rei’s eyes fill with tears, but she continues to soothe him.

“Oh, Touya. My baby boy. I am so sorry. You deserved so much better from me, from all of us. I wish I could take it all that pain for you. I wish I could have done more, done something.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Mom, it wasn’t, I’m sorry…”

“Shh, shh… it’s going to be okay, Touya-chan…”

While Touya curls as much as he can into her, Rei turns to a misty-eyed Izuku and nods. He knocks on the safe door.

“I brought Fuyumi and Natsuo, Touya. They want to see you, too.”

Touya lifts his eyes to hers, full of apprehension. He’d wanted to see his other siblings for so long, but- was he ready? Did they really want to see him?

Fuyumi is the first to step into the light, and Touya sighs. Her tearful eyes are harried, full of drawn-out exhaustion. Fuyumi had spent years trying to hold it together- for her mother, for her little brothers. Years of undiscussed pain, of secretly shed tears, of being the strong one in the family. Tonight had finally been too much, and she was only barely holding herself together from the stress.

Distraught by her expression, he tries for a smile under the bandages.

“Yumi-nee…” He sings in the same way he did when they were little.

Fuyumi‘s tears stream down her cheeks, and she rushes forward to fold him into a hug. “Oh, shut up!”  She begins to sob in earnest, letting him go as her knees gave out. Rei helps her to the floor, patting her gently as she sobs into Touya’s lap. Touya’s small smile falls off his face when he looks back into Natsuo’s aggressive, furious eyes. 

“Okay, I’m going to be honest here,” Natsuo starts, emotions causing his voice to waver. “I’m so confused, Touya… You beat the shit out of dad, which was like my childhood fantasy so that’s kind of cool. You’re alive… which I wanted more than anything in the world. I wanted my aniki back…I missed you so much, every day. I wanted my full family… But… but you’ve done so much wrong, Touya. God and I know you were forced into that type of life but…I just…I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel right now… I’m so happy you’re back, but I don’t agree with what you’ve done, and it’s so hard to deal with…”

He also sinks to the ground in front of Touya, so close and yet out of reach.

“Natsu-nii… I…”

Natsuo shakes his head. “No! No… Just…just let me be for right now. I don’t want to hear it. I can’t.”

Nodding in acceptance, Touya leans back in his chair, face downcast. Rei leans back in to hold him, humming the lullaby again. Taking a deep breath, Izuku quietly slips into the hallway where Momo is now waiting.

“Oh dear,” Momo sighs, pulling out a handkerchief. “You look like you saw a puppy get run over.”

Snot is running down Izuku’s nose, his eyes and face a blotchy red with tear streaks.

“Momo…” he wails, lip quivering.

“I know. I can only imagine how non-ideal of a reunion this is.” She turns to look at the door, sighs, and turns back. “Still…they’re missing one. We need to find Shouto, remember?”

Sniffling, Izuku nods. “I know. It just seems so ill-timed, you know? I feel bad for rushing them.” 

Smiling, Momo places a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go in with you.”

Gathering himself, Izuku tries his best to put on his professional face and opens the door. Rei pauses in her humming when they enter the room, smiling at Momo. Izuku doesn’t even have to say anything, the immediately worried expression on his face speaking volumes. She lifts Touya’s head up from her shoulder, and he sleepily blinks at her. Rei turns back in confusion.

“He’s delirious. The meds must be kicking back in,” Momo replies. “We were told that he would be in and out of consciousness for a day or so.”

“What is it, kaa-chan?” Touya murmurs, his eyes fluttering.

“I would give anything to have all four of my children in my arms. It’s been so long.” Grasping his face gently, Rei looks directly into his eyes. “I know Shouto’s your baby brother, and I know you want to protect him. But he deserves the chance to heal for himself. So do you. Nothing your- that man- could do has any power over you anymore. You can’t let him have that. You don’t have to forgive him. But don’t let him control your heart anymore. Do you understand?”

With a quiet scoff, Touya tries to turn away. Izuku can tell they’re losing time, so he steps forward.

“We need to know where Shouto is located.” He cuts in, taking a tablet from Momo. “We saw your injuries, there’s no way that some of the extensive cuts and bruises were from the fight at the hospital, short as it was. If he’s hurt, we need to get to him, now.”

“Where’s your baby brother, Touya?” Rei pleads softly. “Please.”

Touya’s mind is wavering in and out of consciousness. He just wants to lay back in his mother’s arms, to forget real life for a few more hours… but he’s being asked something important. Shouto. Ugh. It’s always about him. Shouto is safe anyway, right? He’d always been okay after being in-

-in the healing tank-

Fuck!

“Shit, oh no- what time is it?” Touya wails, head lolling backward. “How long have I been out? Oh my god, he might have drowned! I might have killed my baby brother, Kaa-chan what do I do-”

Izuku’s heart seizes and he storms forward. Fuyumi and Natsuo gasp, pulling back in horror. Standing at full height, Izuku snaps his fingers sharply in front of Touya’s eyes. The small wave forces his eyes open.

“Touya-san. Touya! Where is he?” His tone is no longer forgiving or patient, and he doesn’t care as he grabs the top of Touya’s head and leans him back.

“Izuku!” Momo rushes forward, grabbing Izuku’s arm and trying to pry away his hand. “Calm down!”

Izuku lets him go, horrified by his own fury but still consumed by his fear. If Shouto was dying, if he was too late-

Touya’s blurred blue eyes clear and stare into glaring green ones, sparking with energy. He murmurs an address in a low voice, followed by a quiet “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t mean to hurt him…”

Giving the family a curt nod, Izuku turns to leave. A hand grasps his sleeve. Rei gives him a determined look. “I’m going to stay here with Touya. Please bring my baby boy home… I just want them all to be okay, just for once…”

“I understand.” With that, Izuku is dashing out of the building, calling out commands for an ambulance and Recovery Girl in particular. Once he gets to the outside of the prison, he crouches, ready to jump, when Momo wraps her arms around his neck.

“You’re not going without me.”

 They both take off into the sky.  

The warehouse was covered in malfunctioning livewires and exploded light bulbs, with the melted ice on the floor making it a particularly dangerous environment. Still, Izuku hopped from overhanging pipe to pipe until he saw what he was looking for.

A large tank full of water, holding the dying body of Todoroki Shouto. His body was curling in on itself, and Izuku realized that the respiratory mask on his face was spattered in blood. He was suffocating, face turning purple, kicking his legs helplessly.

Momo was on top of the tank, pulling out a crowbar to pry the top off.

“No time!” Izuku cries, charging up his fist and punching the tank. Glass and water flood past him, but he jumps through it to pry the mask off Shouto’s face.

Shouto gasps in pain as his heavy body pulls at his immobilized arms, before choking and coughing up more blood onto Izuku’s suit. Activating his quirk again, Izuku pries the cuffs off him and they both fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“Breathe,” Izuku begs, rubbing circles into Shouto’s chest. “Come on, breathe for me, Shoucchan.” The loving endearment slipped out, but Izuku couldn’t be bothered to correct himself.

Finally gasping, Shouto opens one unswollen eye to look at the green, blurry image above him.

“…zu…ku…” he croaks, voice hardly audible.

Izuku nods encouragingly, tearing up. “It’s me, it’s me Shouto, I’m right here!” He places their foreheads together for a moment, before pulling away to allow Momo to check over his injuries.  

Shouto’s injuries are severe. His jaw is broken, and his torso almost completely covered with abrasions and bruises when Momo opens his suit to clean him up with some antiseptic.

“Mo…mo…”

Momo smiles up at him. “We’re here, Shouto! I’m just checking for any immediate injuries that need tending, and then we’re going to take you to a hospital.”

She makes a new oxygen tank and mask for Shouto to wear, and makes sure it fits over his face. Shouto tries to twitch away, averse to having something else placed around his face.

“It’s okay, it’s fresh oxygen.” Izuku reassures him. “We can take it off at any time. You’re safe, I promise.”

Shouto turns a shining gray eye to Izuku, placing his life in his hands before his head falls into Izuku’s lap. Izuku gently lifts him, making sure he was secure before turning to Momo.

“Are you going to be okay crossing this floor?”

Momo nods, flippantly brushing off his concern as she unwraps a large protein bar. “Thick rubber boots.” She claims, confidently showing off the boots she made as if they were top fashion. “I’ll be fine.”

Smiling contently, Izuku chuckles. “All right. I’ll meet you outside.”

“This is Channel 14 News, reporting with a special live broadcast as we are outside of the location where the heroes have seemed to converge on the hiding place of Todoroki Shouto! After the craziness from that meeting earlier tonight, it seems that there are more questions that need answering on whether or not he was truly a villain! Feel free to answer our continuing poll! Oh! There they are now! Hero Deku is carrying the limp body of Todoroki Shouto, followed by Creati…is he… but wait! Zoom in! That’s an oxygen mask! He’s alive! Currently entering an ambulance that may take them to the central hospital, our helicopter will be following for further news…”

Shouto opens his eyes to a caustically sterile white ceiling. It burns to look at, so he squints as he sits up to take in his surroundings. The floor is a matte concrete gray. The only thing the breaks the monotony of the bright white walls is a large one-way viewing mirror that spans the wall in front of him. Shouto’s chest constricts as he realizes where he is.

Tartarus.

Looking into the mirror, he notes that his hair has been washed thoroughly back to the white and red. Stretching his sore jaw, he recognizes that he must have been visited by Recovery Girl or someone similar because his injuries are all but healed. Sighing in relief (he wasn’t vain but having all of his teeth mattered!) he goes to jump off the bed and feels the weight of the quirk suppressant cuffs around his legs. They’re a chained version, so he can move his legs semi-freely, but the implication sits heavy.

He’s in trouble, and he’s trapped.

“Shouto, don’t panic.”

Why do people say things like that!?

His panic compounds when he realizes it’s Izuku’s voice, and his nerves are immediately on edge. Staring at the mirror, he feels Izuku staring back. If his face were cold and unfeeling, or worse, piteous, Shouto will scream.

“You’re not in trouble- at least you won’t be.”

He’s trying to be soothing, but Shouto is beyond comfort, hyperventilating.

“You’re only in here because they wanted to contain you, ask you questions-”

“It’s a fucking prison cell, Izuku!” Shouto cries, voice shrill.

“Shouto, please-”

“I bet this is funny for all of you, isn’t it? Having me chained up in here, ready to throw me away like the criminal you want me to be!”

Shouto is spiraling. Somewhere inside, he knew he had a plan to talk, but being in the bright white room with chains on and a white hospital gown left him feeling claustrophobic and unnerved. He’s not as ready as he thought he was.

“We just want to help-”

“Help! This is help?”

Izuku’s voice pauses, sighing. “I promise I-”

“No! Just leave me alone!”

Izuku sighs, running his hands through his hair in frustration at himself. He’d come at this all wrong, putting Shouto back on edge.

Of course he wouldn’t feel comfortable to talk, Izuku- he’s feeling alone and hasn’t been able to trust anyone for two months!

Shouto was dissociating, and he wanted to catch him before he completely shut down.

“I’m going inside. Go take a break or something. Please.” he says, looking at the guards and the scientist set on duty. The scientist shook her head, concerned.

“I don’t know if you should do that. He might react violently-”

“He would ne- I’ll be fine. So will he. Give us some privacy for a few minutes. Please.” He tries again.

Shaking her head, the scientist walks out of the room. “I’m leaving the guards here on the outside though. Anything sounds suspicious, they’ll come in right away.”

The rooms were soundproofed, and he could have called her bluff, but Izuku decided not to push it. He opened the pressurized door, watching Shouto turn defensively and immediately back away. Once he sees who it is, he petulantly turns his face away.

“Get out.”

“Shouto, let me explain, please, I-”

“Get the fuck out!” Shouto turns to him, pride flashing in his eyes. “I’m not interested in kind words, pick-me-ups, or piteous glances from anyone, and certainly not from the all-mighty Deku right now!”

Flipping his hair, Shouto turns away from him, and something about this sets Izuku off. He’d spent weeks worried about Shouto, about his safety, his health, his happiness- and now he was going to be stubborn and not listen to him?

Izuku’s chest puffs up and he closes his fists, face flushing.

“Listen to me!”

Shouto turns in shock, mouth slightly gaping.

“You’ve done so much- been through so much- and if you don’t trust the world right now, I understand why you might feel that way. It’s valid, and I get it. The amount of suffering that you and your brother have gone through is inhumane, almost unbelievable. I’ll never be able to empathize; I can’t stand in either of your shoes. But, in the end, you and Touya managed to do something that should have always been done. You exposed a gaping fault in a system that was meant to protect you, and instead it chose the world instead of you. I am so sorry that you had to do it the way you did, but you did it. Not only that, but you helped to bring down a maniac who would have continued to manipulate and hurt others the same way he hurt you.”

“It’s all thanks to you both, Shouto. And we are thankful- even if everyone doesn’t know it yet, we are so fucking thankful for your sacrifices. I will thank you every day as many times as I have to until you feel safe again, until you feel valued. But I won’t let you- don’t you dare think for a moment that you don’t have people in your corner!”

“Izu-”

“No, Shouto!” Izuku shouts emphatically. “Do you know how much your mother cried for you both? How much Fuyumi and Natsuo cried for you? How much it hurt them to think that you and Touya were in pain and there was nothing they could do? Todoroki Rei stormed out onto a blazing battlefield to collect your brother, that’s how much love she had for him! Don’t you dare underestimate her love for either of you!”

Shouto’s eyes widened. “Mom?”

“I know it’s hard to see it right now, and I’m so sorry that we all managed to fail you, Shouto! I’m sorry!” Fat tears were streaming down Izuku’s face, but he soldiered on. “But more than anything I want you to understand that your family loves you! Your friends love you! I love you! We want to support you so that you can feel loved!”

A sharp inhale cuts Izuku off, and he dips his red face down to stare at the floor, avoiding the flush spreading across Shouto’s expression. Still, he refuses to back down from what he said.

They stand in silence for a few moments before Shouto limps over to the bed and sits on it, shell-shocked from the explosion.

“Oh,” he murmurs, rubbing his fingers together.

Izuku chuckles, running a nervous hand through his hair as he looks away. “Uh, well I didn’t mean to shout at you like that. It wasn’t the best way to go about this. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, I didn’t-”

He cuts off when he hears soft laughter. Shouto is hunched over on the bed, laughing with a genuine smile on his face.

“You did it again,” Shouto comments, exhaling deeply. “You managed to convince me of the right things by telling me off. I must be extremely stubborn if you have to shout so often.”

Hope blossoming in his chest, Izuku goes to sit next to him on the bed.

“Well, yeah, but I’ll keep doing it, whenever you need.”

Shouto naturally relaxes into his side, causing Izuku to blush again. It’s almost like they haven’t been separated for a couple months.

“It might almost be better for me to stay down here. I’ve done so much… there’s so much to face out there. I had an entire plan. I was going to come back, try to explain myself, there were so many things I wanted to do, but… I don’t feel ready. I’m scared, Izuku. I’m a coward.”

Izuku frowns, turning down. “You’re not a coward. Anybody would be afraid to go through what you’ve survived. I wish you had told me what was up so we could have avoided all this, but I am so happy you’re back, and so is everyone else.”

Shouto smirks. “I thought the world wanted nothing but ‘Villain Shouto’ and his, to quote Twitter, ‘awesome outfit that shows his great biceps and excellent titties’.”

Izuku cackles, then blushes because he’d secretly agreed with that sentiment. It was nice to see Shouto respect his (very pretty) features.

“I’m not anti the outfit. Made you look very rogue, very sexy. The hair was a bit much though. I prefer the red and white.”

Shouto grins, and they both start cracking up with laughter. Eventually, that fades into just sitting there, and Izuku lays his head on top of Shouto’s.

“I missed you Izuku,” Shouto murmurs.

“Missed you, too.” Izuku lifts his head, turning to see Shouto’s face less than an inch away. Eyes flashed down to other’s lips, and back to his eyes. He remembers Touya’s offhanded comment earlier- he dreams about me.

He leans in. “Can I…?”

“Please do.”

Their lips meet right in the middle, and Izuku soars as Shouto practically melts into his arms. Warmth blossoms in his chest- it was beyond anything he’d ever waited for. Precise yet passionate from Shouto, powerful yet gentle from Izuku. They split apart only for a moment, still breathing the other’s air.

“Split right down the middle, just like I always thought.” Izuku teases, causing Shouto to laugh.

“Your grip is nice and tight, just like I always thought.” Shouto retorts, gripping Izuku’s biceps and groaning. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this without it being on a wrestling mat.”

“Trust me, I think I have every idea,” Izuku says, gently grabbing his jaw to bring him in for another kiss.

“Ahem.”

They jump apart at the small but pressing cough, blushing when they see Momo and Ochaco at the door. It doesn’t help that there’s a viewing window that they’ve all likely been sitting behind, either.

Momo and Ochaco run up and give Shouto tight hugs, maneuvering around Izuku’s possessive arm.

“If you needed our help, you should have said something, dummy!” Ochaco chastised, crying with joy.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Shouto. You can always depend on us, please believe that.” Momo adds, much more graceful about her tears.

“Can we come in, now?” a cheerful voice calls from the hall. Kirishima and Iida pop their heads in, smiling. Once they see that Shouto is open to talk, they charge in.

“You taught me to believe in myself, Shouto, and be the hero I wanted to be. I hope that you will take your own words to heart from now on.” There is relief evident in Iida’s voice, elated to see his friend safe after so long.

“And Iida was about to kill someone when you taught him that.” Izuku adds, nudging Shouto’s side. “He even said it yesterday, he’s still so proud of you.” Shouto grins as Iida flushes.

“Is ANYONE ever going to tell us about this running joke? Because it’s been years and it’s getting old.” Ochaco asks, playfully frustrated.

Kirishima lifts him off the bed in a tight hug, also teary eyed. “I’m so sorry, Todo-bro! Wanting to be a hero after everything you’ve been through is super manly!”

Shouto looks between him and Momo, eyes filling with shame. “I am so sorry to you both in particular… about what happened that night… I am so ashamed of my actions. I didn’t know that the building was going to blow up, honestly. I would have never agreed to that, I told him that I wasn’t willing to hurt my friends. I know it was foolish, but I never wanted anyone to get hurt… If you can ever find it within your hearts to forgive me…”

“I’m just glad we’ve ascertained everything behind that.” Momo replies. “I’m happy it was just a misunderstanding.”

“No harm, no foul! I’m completely healed up!” Kirishima shouts, flexing.

“If anything worse had happened to Shitty-Hair, or even Ponytail, you’d be dead right now. So you oughta’ be grateful for that.”

They turn to the surly voice; Bakugou is standing at the door, stance standoffish. His words were serious, and Shouto feels deep shame.

“But…I’m glad everyone knows the truth. About what happened. So get your shit together and be a hero again, Half’n’Half.”

To everyone’s shock, Shouto’s eyes fill with tears as he nods emphatically. “I’ll do my best. For everyone and for myself.”

Despite the asylum-like environment, Shouto has never felt more at home as everyone begins to discuss how he’ll get to go home and relax. A small knock echoes, and everyone moves apart so that Shouto can see his mother, Fuyumi and Natsuo standing at the door.

He tenses in fear, unconsciously lifting his arms to protect himself. Izuku squeezes his hand, before getting up from the bed to give them privacy.

Fuyumi tackles into him with a hug, bawling. “Shoucchan! Don’t ever scare us like that again! If you need help, you come get it stupid little brother!”

Natsuo isn’t far behind, ruffling Shouto’s hair to try to disguise his own intense happiness. “Put us through a fucking emotional rollercoaster, baby brother. Can’t do that anymore, I can’t take any more heart attacks, not after...”

They both move to the side as Rei gracefully holds her arms out, and Shouto falls into them.

“I’m so sorry Mom...” There’s a lot more he wants to say (sorry for taking on this job, for breaking your heart numerous times by exposing our injuries and seeming like a villain, for everything Touya ever went through, for things that he shouldn’t even be sorry for).

“It’s going to be all right, Shoucchan. I promise.” Her voice is calm, her hands running through his hair soothingly. “We’re going to be okay from now on. We’ve got a lot to talk about in this family, Touya included. But no more apologies. No more pain. If it’s okay with all my babies, I want us all to move forward and take healthier control of our own healing. Yes?”

Shouto nods into her dress.

Another awkward cough comes from the doorway; everyone else has subtly left, except for Izuku.

Rei smiles at him. “I need you to put a ring on his finger, Shouto. He’s quite good at sweeping you off your feet when you need it most.”

Shouto hid his mortified, red face into her skirts more.

“I just wanted to let you all know that some officials will be showing up to ask some questions about everything that happened with Shouto. I’ve also got some clothes for you to change into; Momo bought them specially for you. And this-”

He pulls a crumpled picture- the water from the tank warped it, but the image was still there.

“What is this, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Looking up to see the crayon picture, Shouto smiles.

“I’d love to introduce you to the artist- she’s a big fan of yours.”

The next few days passed in a blur. In total, five people were arrested for conspiracy in Shouto’s case. Izuku personally asked Shinsou to keep him updated (as was allowed) on how the interrogations were going. This news was then delivered to Shouto, who was staying at his mother’s place to readjust. He became a regular visitor.

Though there were a small number of maids that could have answered the door, Rei would kindly welcome him in and lead him to her flower-filled sunroom where she’d set up an idyllic sitting area for her and Shouto to recline in the warmth. One day, while Izuku was off duty and joining them for lunch, a knock echoed through the halls.

Stiffening when he saw who entered the doorframe, Shouto bared his teeth and Izuku immediately grabbed his arm, trying to placate him.  Matsui smiled, raising his hands.

“I come in peace.”

“Why the fuck haven’t you been arrested like the rest of them?!” Shouto hissed, standing. “How dare you enter my mother’s home!”

“Shouto! Manners!” Rei’s stern tone forced Shouto to attempt to relax his clenched fists. “It’s nice to meet you-”

“Matsui Reo.” He bows low. “It is honor to meet you appropriately, Todoroki Rei-san. Our names are similar!”

Rei smiled brightly. “So they are!”

Shouto’s fury and disbelief culminated in a small flame sizzling in his hair, and Izuku stood to place a calming hand on his forearm.

“He’s one of the good guys, Shouto.”

Suspicious, Shouto’s glare didn’t lessen as he stiffly sat back down. Rei offered Matsui another seat, and he gracefully accepted before facing the scowling man.

“I’ll get to the point. I was working undercover the entire time, Todoroki-san, but your safety and the revealing of the truth were always one of my major intentions.”

When Shouto’s face remained unchanged, Matsui turned to Izuku. “I’m the one who sent those clues. An intelligent move, to reach out to my brother for a primary source on the investigation. I must say, I was honestly surprised at the methodology you took! I knew I could count on you. I’m glad you lived up to your reputation.”

“Investigation? Your brother? You mean- J.M.? Jordan?” Izuku’s eyebrows were high.

“Of course. Matsui Jordan. Though, with his work adventures back in the U.S., he’s been switching his initials lately. I can’t blame him. He was never a fan of taking our adopted father’s last name. Surely you saw my pictures in his house?” He gave a playful pout. “Did he take them down? The bastard, I thought he loved his nii-chan.”

Jaw dropped, Izuku was almost speechless at his nonchalant teasing. “You? But- but you look so young!”

“Izuku!” Rei chastised. “I am so sorry, Matsui-san, my boys are being so rude today.”

At the phrase ‘my boys’, both Shouto and Izuku turned to Rei with a flush, before locking eyes and turning away. Luckily, Matsui took this in stride, laughing heartily.

“Well, good sleep, excellent skin care and a tendency to be unbothered all help with keeping one youthful.” Matsui gives a smug chuckle before sighing. “But onto more serious matters. Yes, my brother and I worked on the original investigation into your family, Todoroki Rei, Todoroki Shouto. It has always been my intention to reach some sort of justice for your family, even when the Commission destroyed our work- or at least so we thought.”

“How did you manage to end up so close to Hashimoto?” Izuku asks, brow furrowing.

“Interestingly, I had already been working on the quirk trafficking case for a few years. I remembered Hashimoto from that hostile take-over of our work. A rat if I’d ever seen one.” Distaste seeped into his tone. “His name came up during our investigation, and I saw my chance. A chance to combine both my current passion, and an old debt- and I took it. I apologize, that sounds very shallow and selfish of me when I say it out loud.”

“Wait- if you were the one sending the information- the USB! Why didn’t you turn it in once you had it? You terrified Momo and me with that stunt!”

“Ah, yes. The reason for the deceit. Well, as I’m sure you figured out, ‘Perfection’ is not an easy thing to go up against. It took me a long time to convince him that we had the same aims, that between my old research and his old and new goals, we could work together. At no point could I risk taking chances on my own other than the calculated ones I did. Everything had to seem perfect. Besides, having the video simply come out would have been too easy- too convenient, easily explained away. But what you did, in that meeting? Superb, irrefutable. Not to mention what happened with the investigation drop. I could have never seen that coming!”

“So, you used me for your own ends as well, then,” Shouto stated flatly. “I’m sure you think that what you did for us in the end somehow made up for that?”

Giving a sad smile, Matsui looks down. “I suppose it was my way of trying to play the hero, and I let my own ideals get in the way. In that way, I’m no better than anyone else that has profited off your suffering. For that, I can only apologize and beg your forgiveness.” 

His words hang in the air heavily, in contrast to the bright sun that illuminated the room. Finally, Shouto sighs and leans back into his chair. As he closes his eyes in consternation, Rei smiles sadly.

“You might be the first official to have apologized so directly, at least. I can appreciate that.”

“We also wanted to catch Hashimoto for the specific act of stealing Touya’s body, mainly so that we could connect him, the quirk trafficking, and the Commission.”

Shouto’s eyes flew open and he leaned forward so quickly that Izuku had to reach out to stop him from falling. “What?” Rei places a hand over her breast, face pale.

“From his babbled confessions, we presume that they didn’t want a body available for autopsy, which would have required a legal investigation. They placed the responsibility of preventing that on Hashimoto, but instead of skewing the paperwork, he decided to be lazy and simply get rid of the body itself. Apparently, it was the first of his major crimes, leaving him extremely paranoid. He was always going to try to climb the ladder, but his quirk was now on hyperdrive- everything was done to try to skate around his crimes. However, when he found out through his own investigations that not only was Todoroki Touya still alive, but was currently a supervillain, he decided to try to kill two birds with one stone.”

“You mean kill two of my sons.” A stony glare curled Rei’s gentle features into something sinister.

“Indeed.”

At least he didn’t mince words, Izuku thought. Shouto personally wanted to go find Hashimoto’s smug face and smash it in the way he’d intended to so many months before. If what Matsui was saying was true, then it meant that Hashimoto had really known about everything and he’d purposefully done nothing and-

“As for your ex-husband’s crimes,” Matsui began, causing the energy in the room to darken even further. “His lawyers can’t be charged, but the people at the Hero Commission who ordered the investigation shut down have been placed on an indefinite leave and will be interrogated to determine just what crimes they should be charged with.”

“Indefinite leave-” Izuku sputtered, face turning red. “They very clearly aided and abetted in abuse!” He gasps when he realizes what he’s said, and immediately rushes to apologize to Rei and Shouto. “I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to upset-”

Waving a hand, Rei shakes her head. “It is what it is. For now. What about my ex-husband, then?” 

“Given his state, he’s been arrested and placed into a controlled prison medical ward. The state has charged him with spousal abuse, child abuse, assault, and battery. It’s safe to say that he’ll be locked in that medical ward for the rest of his days.”

“Mm.”

When it was clear that a blank-faced Rei would speak no further on this information, Matsui stood.

“That is all of the news that I wanted to deliver before I re-enter the world of cut-throat politics and underground cults. I hope that I could bring some sort of understanding to you today.” Before going to leave, he turns one more time to Shouto. “You have the makings of a great hero, Todoroki Shouto. You and your friends. I hope that one day, through my efforts and through the efforts of those better than me, that we can create a better system worthy of you all. I hope that this was at best, a learning experience. And if you should ever need anything, I will be leaving my card by the door. Please don’t hesitate to call.”

The next day, as he heads to court, Shouto sees the card by the door.

“The arrogant bastard.”

He pockets the card.

After his short trial, Shouto is vindicated- in a way. He cannot practice official heroism for a year; after eight months, he’ll be reinstated as a sidekick until the time is complete. For now, he is assigned observed community service for five hours a day, four days a week. He also has court mandated therapy, twice a week. This has a ripple effect, as the HPSC quickly creates a policy making mental health counseling a part of the mandatory package for working as a hero, with required monthly check-ins for all heroes.

Shouto knew exactly what he wanted to do as part of his community service, and after making a decent amount of (nerve-wracking) phone calls, he makes a trip.

When he steps into the garage, he immediately hears panicked footsteps, followed by the sound of debris raising from the ground.

“If you think you’re going to steal any of us, you’ve got another fucking thing coming!” Toshiro’s wobbly voice echoes down the stairs, and Shouto chuckles.

“Oh, you damn loser, Toshiro, who was intimidated by that- Who’s laughing?!” Fuyumi’s sharp voice cuts right after. “We mean it! Who goes there!”

Toshiro and Fuyumi’s jaws drop as Shouto leaves the shadow of the staircase, and quickly the other kids come out from hiding.

“Shou-san!”

Before they can run to hug him, another voice echoes out and they freeze in place.

“Oh my goodness- is the concrete floating? His quirk must be exactly like Ochaco’s! Ochaco, you’ve got to see this!”

Shouto smiles, and leans to the side as Izuku enters the light and smiles in awe at the debris.

“Is- is that De-”

“I’m glad Hatsume had something to reinforce the structure before coming in,” Ochaco comments, beaming. “This place looks incredibly unsafe for kids- what a fun fort, though!”

She is followed by Hatsume Mei, Shiozaki, and Momo, who is holding a tablet with Kaminari video-calling in from another country. The kids gasp as Izuku squats, meeting them all at face level with a bright smile.

“Hi! I’m Midoriya Izuku, but you can call me Izuku if you’d like. Shouto has told me so much about you all, and I thought maybe you’d like to meet some of my friends! They have abilities and adaptable skills just like all of you.”

There is a pregnant pause before all five children let out an inhuman scream. Everyone’s hair suddenly stands on end, but Izumi can’t be bothered to rein in his excitement.

Toshiro almost faints when Ochaco beams at him from midair, giving him a bunch of tips on how to practice floating while holding his hands. Little Naoko is shy at first, crowding around Shouto’s leg immediately, but soon is delighted to meet Mei and show her some of her favorite designs. Mei returns the favor by pulling out some of her own sketches (“Though they aren’t as pretty as yours! Green crayons, I should have thought of that!”). Izumi giggles when he meets Kaminari and shrieks in delight when Kaminari makes his own hair stand on end, going stupid in the process. Ren stares at Shiozaki in awe and adoration, and they discuss how to take care of plants in even the direst situations. Fuyumi is glowing with happiness as she and Momo discuss fighting styles and specialized weaponry for specific situations, with Ochaco occasionally adding in tips and complimenting her form. 

Izuku and Shouto go back and forth between each group, watching as they all shout each other’s new knowledge over one another, and run back to their favored hero. After a while, Izuku takes a moment to step to the side, finding a window and some fresh air. He’s almost overcome with emotion; because he himself was quirkless, seeing that Naoko and Fuyumi are being encouraged just as much as their friends fills him with a sort of happiness and contentment he didn’t know he could feel. He knew about the quirkless slums- his mother made sure to tell him how fortunate he was that they weren’t also living in one. His rage was palpable when Shouto had confirmed Matsui’s investigative work, and how the kids were being stolen from their families.

“You okay?”

Wiping away tears, Izuku smiles at the quiet voice behind him. He turns, giving Shouto a warm expression. “Of course. I’m just- I’m proud of you, Shouto. You were going through one of the most confusing, difficult times of your life, and you still decided to be a hero- even for just a few kids. Look at how happy they are- look what you’ve done just by being in their lives. You’re gonna be their All Might, Shou.”

Sheepish, Shouto turns away. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near that level. I just wanted to do something good.” He startles when Izuku softly punches him.

“You’re their hero, Shou. And right now, seeing this? You’re mine, too.”

They’re both blushing at this point, and the silence is starting to become awkward between them when-

“Does that mean you’re getting married, now?”

Shouto’s stomach flips and he stares down at the small child innocently yanking on Izuku’s hero uniform. “Naoko!”

Also burning, Izuku quickly lifts the little girl into the air and she squeals with pleasure. “I heard that you have some awesome drawings of hero suits! I’d love to see them!”

“Okay!”

Sighing in relief at the deflection, Shouto follows closely behind.

Public opinion quickly shoots up over the next few months when they see the work Shouto is doing for the kids. Adding onto public sympathy, and the other policy changes that are quickly being instituted after investigations beginning at the Commission, it was projected that once he re-enters the field, Shouto will quickly reclaim his spot near the top with Izuku and Bakugou.

Inhaling, Shouto resolutely nodded to the guard standing at the door. The safe handle loudly clanked as it twisted, and then opened to a small prison cell. Yellow lights gave the cardboard-brown room a claustrophobic feel. A twin bed was the only furniture, pressed against padded, windowless walls. The soft carpet could have been considered pleasant in other circumstances.

“If it makes you feel any better, this is actually not the worst place I’ve lived. You noticed the carpet too, right?”

Touya sat still in an empty corner, giving Shouto a pained smile through his bandages. His jaw was still tightly wrapped, only showing a buzz cut of white hair and bright blue eyes. Still, his voice was clear in the uncomfortably silent room.

After Touya gestures, Shouto sits down cross-legged across from him. For a few moments, they just stare at each other. If he was being honest, Shouto had been very distraught for what happened in the warehouse for a long time afterward. Anger and sadness consumed him every time he thought about it, but he realized that he wouldn’t be able to heal if he didn’t work through it. Repression was a Todoroki family trait, and it only ever led to destruction- he was only privileged enough to have the support he did to teach him that early on.

“Nice hair. I’m honored that you dolled up to see me.” Despite the clear exhaustion in his rasping voice, Touya still managed to tease his little brother, and Shouto’s ears went hot- he’d gotten his ends and bangs trimmed, Izuku said it was very cute- “Put in a good word with your stylist for me; I’m thinking it’s time for a new look.”

The piteous sigh Shouto releases cause Touya’s eyes to flash with old indignity, before looking away.

“I don’t need your pity.”

Grimacing, Shouto could hardly believe that- despite the teasing, anyone could see that Touya’s fire had long extinguished, and that he was barely hanging on. The drugs they pumped into him to stop his pain from his injuries weren’t helping, keeping him consistently sedated.

It’s been a few minutes now, and he’s not managed to say anything at all. What can he say? Hey, I’ve been allowed back into society with some restrictions, but you’ll be here for the foreseeable future? That the guilt is eating me alive? Oh, hey, remember when you almost killed me? I’ve started the process of forgiving you! Would you feel better if you realized I really did worry about coming to see you?

Finally, he settles on “I’m paying for your surgery.”

Confused, Touya’s eyebrows pinch. “What?”

“For your new grafts. Starting with your jaw, and your eyes.” Extremely nervous, Shouto swallows before continuing. “You were really hurt, and they tore severely. You deserve real treatment for your injuries, Touya, and I’m going to get it for you.” It was the least he could do.

When Touya’s hand reaches up to touch his face, Shouto sharply inhales.

“Not that there’s anything shameful about scars! Fuyumi always made sure I knew that they were nothing to be ashamed of, and you’ve gone through a lot so I wouldn’t-” Growling with frustration, he stops mumbling. “I guess I just…wanted you to feel better.”

Mumbling is only adorable when Izuku does it. I just feel like a fucking idiot. Embarrassed, Shouto almost misses the small, shuddered gulp. When he looks up, he sees an unusually vulnerable expression on Touya’s face, emotions filling his eyes at the kindness. He reaches out, hands wide as if he wants a hug, before noticing the door and pulling back. Finally, his eyes brighten, and he gives his best attempt at a smile.

“Thank you, Shouto.” He turns to stare at the opposite wall, mirth filling his eyes. “Wow. Yawning is going to be amazing. I can gain some fucking weight and not have to worry about pulling on the fucking staples. Too bad I’m not exactly gonna be eating at any buffets any time soon.”

Before Shouto can dwell over how sad it is that Touya’s luxuries are to yawn and eat, Touya’s gaze cuts back to him.

“I’m not sorry for hating that man, and everything he did. He deserves to rot in jail. I wish he’d cracked that thick skull open on impact, but at least the truth is out there. I’m not sorry for letting the world know.”  

“I know.”  

“But I am sorry for you, Shouto.” A shaking hand wavered out, offering peace, and Shouto accepted it in his own. “I’m sorry for hurting you, and for putting my own ambitions in front of you. You were right- I was acting like him. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”

Pinching the fingers of his free hand together, Shouto sheepishly chuckled. “It’s going to take some time. Especially since, well, since you’ll be-”

“In prison, yes. Only so many places I could have ended up.”

It’s quiet again as Shouto struggles internally with what he wants to ask.

“What’s up, Shou? I swear you’ve made that same ‘I’m constipated when I think hard’ face since you were a baby. Yumi told me not to pick on you for it but I always did.”

Letting go of Touya’s hand with a scoff, Shouto folded his arms in embarrassment. Finally, he manages to spit out what’s been nagging at him for a while.

“Why don’t you hate me? I know that I- I was everything that- that he wanted. I didn’t want to be, but I was. Why did you help me?”

Touya closes his eyes, and after a few moments Shouto is convinced he’s fallen asleep when he finally exhales, shoulders slumping. Then he gives a weak smile, looking at a piece of torn carpet.

“I did hate you. When you were at that school, I especially hated you. I was jealous, and I was in a lot of pain. Everything about you pissed me off. But once the League was defeated, I was alone. I managed to escape, but for the first time in a long time I really had nobody. I lost two families. I had nothing but time to think about what I lacked. I loved and missed my mom and my siblings. Even you- funny enough, the older I got, the more my hatred turned into pity. I figured that you were just some misled puppet that I would have to cut down; it hurt, but that’s just how I saw it. Still, when I saw that I would be fighting directly against you in the field that day, I guess I just was dying for some sort of interaction- negative or not. And then when you needed my help, it felt good. I felt needed. It seemed like for the first time both of my passions- my family and my revenge- were coming together. I guess I just wanted that so badly that I was willing to try.”

Curling his knees up to his chest, Touya lays his head down. “Now I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fix any of this.” Fuyumi’s tears and Natsuo’s pained confusion still flash every time he closes his eyes- he’s managed to hurt all his siblings in one way or another in ways he doesn’t think he can take back.

“There’s a way. To try, at least.” Touya lifts his head to a brochure with excessively happy people on it being waved in his face. “I’d like for us all to see each other more, get help together. It will take some workarounds, but I’m sure Mom would love to see you at our group therapy sessions.”

Eyebrows nearly touching his hairline, Touya scoffed as he waved the brochure away. “You? Mr. ‘I brood darkly in doorways when I’m bored’? No way in hell this was your idea.”

Shouto’s lip quirked. “I do not br- of course not. It was Mom’s and Fuyumi’s. But I promised I would make it sound tempting. I even practiced those lines.” He did. Multiple times in the mirror after Izuku helped him finally come up with something that sounded natural.

“The Todoroki’s? Talking about their problems? Together? We really must have changed the world out there.”

“Look, I’m not jumping for joy either, but it makes them happy. Mom really wants to make sure we’re all together.”

“All right. For Mom.”

“She’s here to see you too, but she wanted us to talk first.”

As if summoned, the large door opens and Rei steps in. Both men stand, and Rei gently hugs Touya, holding out an arm for Shouto. “My boys,” she murmurs, rubbing their hair. Shouto looks over and sees Touya with his eyes shut, looking truly at peace. Pulling away, he walks to the door.

“I’ll be outside, Mom.”

“Thank you, Shoucchan.”

As he walks out to give them privacy, he hears “Shou said he was gonna help me fix this ugly mug, huh Mom?”

Rei laughs, an airy sound full of warmth. “You’re my handsome boy no matter how you look, Touya. Beautiful white hair, glowing ice blue eyes. A handsome boy that has a lot to tell his mama about, hm?”

Touya’s ears turn red, and he grins as the door closes.

Soldiers stand in the room on alert-

Who knows what a criminal like him could do with a hand mirror?

But he’s not concerned with them.

He can’t look away.  

The scars from the staples are still there.

They will never go away.

That’s no problem.

The new skin is a slightly different flesh tone from his, but it doesn’t matter.

Happy tears stream onto cheeks that stretch wide without pain.

A beautiful red and white rose quivering in his hand, Izuku mumbled nervously to himself as he fidgeted in front of Shouto’s door. He wasn’t sure why- they were aware of each other’s feelings and had agreed to take it slowly for the past few months as Shouto readjusted to society. Yet every time he thought about the man, his heart thumped in his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he knocks on the door and only a millisecond passes before it opens. Izuku beams, holding out the flower. Chuckling, Shouto gently takes it, bringing it to his nose.

“Thank you. It’s very pretty.” He’s not just talking about the rose; Izuku is wearing well-fitting blue jeans and a green Henley that shows off his collarbones. To be honest, everything that wasn’t a t-shirt and shorts fit him well, and it was always a treat for Shouto when he chose to try something new.

“Of course! Are you ready to go? I have everything planned out, no worries for you today!”

“You didn’t plan everything. I see one of us might have to change.” Shouto deadpans, pointing to his practically matching outfit, apart from his shirt being dark blue instead of green. He quickly backtracks when it looks like Izuku is going to faint. “Izuku- Zu, it’s okay, I’m trying to make a joke. It’s just clothes.”

Shouto is confused when Izuku only gets redder, before shaking his head. “Just grab your jacket. It’s windy out, and I know you have your quirk but still. Can’t have you getting sick.”

Autumn is settling in, and the lower temperatures would be a problem for anyone else but the double-quirk user. Still, Izuku wants to cover all his bases.

They only make it a few feet outside towards the car when someone quickly rushes past them. Nerves on edge, Shouto quickly pulls up his hood and turns toward Izuku in a panic. Placing a protective hand on his waist, Izuku gently tilts Shouto’s chin up, breathing with him until he calms down. This happens to Shouto sometimes; even though he knows he’s safe, he still gets jumpy around sudden noises and movement. Like he thinks he’s going to be captured at any time; it was especially horrible when the media was hounding him the first couple of months after his return to society.

“It’s all right, Shou. It’s okay. I’m here. You don’t need to run. You’re safe.”

Nodding, Shouto pulls the hood down and takes a deep breath. The wind blows by his face, tossing his hair in a disarray, and for a moment Izuku can’t breathe- he looks right out of a magazine, even when he’s frowning at the weather.

“You have such a lovely face; you shouldn’t hide it behind your hair.” he lightly teases. “Even the wind agrees.”

Puffing his cheeks out, Shouto rolls his eyes before producing a hair tie and pulling his hair into a high ponytail. The look accentuates sharp cheekbones and a rose-tinted blush, the hair now blowing aesthetically in the wind. “Better?”

So sexy. “Wonderful,” Izuku squeaks. “You look fantastic.” This man wants to date me. Me! He smiles at the thought as he drives them to their destination for the night.

Shouto gasps with pleasure when he sees the ramen restaurant sign, recognizing the name.

“How did you know?” he asks, pupils blown wide. He’d dreamt of visiting the real place while he was in hiding and hadn’t gotten the chance. The media had been on him so much that outside of his required service and therapy, he’d only been to his mother’s home and his own apartment. This was the first time that he’d been able to truly travel since it’d cleared up.

“Your mom told me how much you enjoyed it. You’ve been eating at home for months, hiding when you’re not out volunteering or at the therapist. I thought maybe you’d like to spend a nice night out with me. It’s my treat, of course. You can get as much as you like.”

As Izuku focuses on parking, Shouto gives him a longing look. He’s always been so amazing, Shouto thinks. Of course I could expect this.

They are privately led inside and are to a private dining room, which is neatly decorated in a modern style. A small fountain bubbles in the background, and the warm, candlelit lighting surrounds them with intimacy. As he sits, he gives Izuku a pointed look.

As much as I like?

Giggling, Izuku can see the question clear as day in Shouto’s upraised brow. “I meant it. Get what you like. I know I am.”

Blessing him with a short but bright smile, Shouto orders two bowls of zaru soba and a side of beef and veggie dumplings. Izuku follows with two bowls of katsudon, and a plate of chashu buns that he splits between them. Izuku orders a bottle of plum wine, though he only takes one cup.

“I’m driving. But you can have as much as you want.”

Izuku’s watches with a soft love and adoration as a teary-eyed Shouto consumes all the dishes. He would give anything to keep that content, peaceful look permanently. Sipping some of the wine, Shouto mumbles “Best date ever.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time.” Pouring him more plum wine, Izuku watches lithe fingers wrap around the cup, and maybe it’s his imagination but the motion seems seductive. Ears turning a bright red, Izuku fumbles for a distraction from the heat building in his stomach.

“So, how’s family therapy been?”

Sighing, Shouto leans back and downs the cup. He discusses how it was almost literally icy in the room the first time, but once a week they’ve been talking things out, reliving memories. They’re Todoroki’s, so naturally it’s going to take time before they get to the root of their problems, but it seems to be productive.

“Touya has been doing better, especially now that his eyes and face are healing nicely.” Every reaction from Touya almost seems exaggerated, but only because he can show a full range of emotions. What Shouto doesn’t mention is that, while it seems like he wants to put in the effort, there’s a wild, trapped look in his eyes and it’s cause for worry.

“And how about you?”

Shouto is quieter now, and for a moment Izuku thinks he’s gone too far.

“I want to do better as well. I want to move forward. But I still feel like people are seeing me through the lens of that fucking video, or from that entire ‘villain’ period. I worked so hard to make my own image, or at least to be myself. And now here’s something else that’s attaching me to ‘Endeavor’s legacy’.”

Wrapping his arms behind his head, Shouto’s voice begins to waver. “You want to know something else? When I saw that video the first time, it all came rushing back. It was like I was back in that room. I’ve seen people try to describe what was happening; have discourse on how ‘oh, but Endeavor looks so sorry’, and ‘what could that poor child be thinking?’ What was I thinking?! I was thinking that I was going to fucking die. I thought he was going to kill me the way I thought he killed Touya. The fact that they could even talk about it like that, talk about me and my brother like we’re just- just images- I-”

Ice slowly stretches like sharp fingers across the table, and Izuku quickly moves over to Shouto’s side, kneeling and pulling him into a hug. “I’m sorry, Shou. I shouldn’t have brought this up right now. Is there anything you’d like me to do to help? Do you want to talk about something else?” He felt guilty that he’d taken a sweet date and began to push Shouto to talk about the things he was dealing with. There was surely a better time. Shaking his head, Shouto stayed in the embrace until his body relaxed.

“Do you want some more wine? We could always be like Ochaco and carry emergency wine in a flask for moments like this.”

Snickering, Shouto nudges Izuku away, his expression thawing.

“Speaking of that, don’t drink on the job. Especially when you’re going to work with kids. You both need some shame.”

Running a sheepish hand through his hair, Izuku begins to laugh. “Did Iida tell you about that? He looked so red that day, I thought he’d choke.”

“I was there. You spent forever chasing me and wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“What? But-” Izuku pauses, recognition lighting his eyes. “The cat! You sneaky- How were you there?”

Shouto shrugged, taking another cup of wine. “Before she got taken in, I used to go on runs with Haia. She let me roam freely. It’s a long story, for another time. Unfortunately, she got arrested right before Touya and I were discovered.” Though he hadn’t cared for any of the members of the ragtag team Touya had been hanging out with, he’d had a soft spot for the shapeshifter. She’d come through in the beginning when he was having adjustment issues, though even she had quickly abandoned ship when Touya began to isolate.

“I can’t believe you were right there! I said all those things, and you- why didn’t you say something?”

Shouto flushes, both from embarrassment and the wine. “I was ashamed. I didn’t think I could come home, not after everything that you all thought about me. Let’s move on from it.”

“Mm… Oh! That reminds me! Look!” Pulling up his Instagram, Izuku flips to the animal shelter’s page, and sees the vet that he’d run into. As it turns out, the vet at the shelter discovered the real ‘Shouto’ kitten and was happily raising it at home. “That explains the size discrepancy. I was so happy to see it- well, you- and didn’t think too much about it. Everything hit the fan soon after that. How’s Deku?”

Shouto beamed at the thought of the exuberant kitten. “Getting fluffier every day. He’s just like his namesake, meowing at everything that moves and running top speed into walls.” On his last day in court, his friends had presented him with the super-affectionate, constantly chirping kitten, and ever since then Deku and Izuku were competing for 'most loyal partner' in his life. The picture of Shouto’s soft face as he first cuddled the kitten plastered every TV screen and is currently Izuku’s lock screen.

“Aw. He’s confused, but he’s got the spirit!” Izuku would never admit that he felt slightly jealous of a kitten, but the fact that Deku got to be so close to Shouto everyday and he didn’t was just too close a blow- and Ochaco made sure to rub it in every time they had lunch. ‘Deku sleeps with Shouto’ would make a hell of a tabloid line- too bad you wouldn’t be involved! He shook away the thought, refusing to give it energy.

After a dessert of fried ice cream, they packed into the car and drove into the night back to Shouto’s apartment.

“Touya should have never been a villain, I think.” Shouto mentions suddenly, breaking the dark silence. “I won’t make excuses for anything he’s done. But he did think he was fighting for a just cause, and no one around him gave him faith in anything otherwise. It’s why I want to do something for all these kids. Any one them could turn out to be the next supervillain, just because they didn’t receive the support they needed at home. I don’t want anyone else to end up like that, at least not knowing I can do something.”

Izuku listens as he discusses Touya’s case; their lawyer is going to argue for lesser sentencing on the premise that Touya would never been involved in anything at all had the Commission not ignored his abuse case so long ago, or even saved his life instead of aiding in ‘disposing of his body’.

“I’m not so sure how well that’s going to go, but it’s worth a shot.” Groaning, he pinches at the bridge of his nose. “Being a Todoroki is always so damn stressful.”

The car pulls up to the front of the apartment, and neither of them makes a move. Izuku is about to speak when a tense hand wraps around his.

“Would you-” Shouto clears his throat, then sits up straighter- “Would you like to stay over tonight? I don’t want to be- I don’t want tonight to be over yet.”

Izuku’s eyes widen; they’ve been taking it slowly and this would be the first time that he’s stayed overnight since they became more serious (he knew Shouto didn’t really care about the niceties, but he wanted to be gentlemanly).

“Sure, of course. I’d love to.” Pulling the car into a (luckily close!) parking space, they get out and walk toward the complex. The walk through the lobby and up the elevator is silent and tense. They both seem to relax when Shouto unlocks the door and gestures toward the space.

“You know where everything is, including your old man shower chair.” The chair had been a subject of mockery ever since Izuku brought it to his apartment. The hero got injured so often that it had become practice for him to go straight to Shouto’s place for support. It was worth noting that he conveniently got hurt less often and less seriously when Shouto had gone missing.

Pouting defensively, Izuku places his hands on his hips. “Hey, it was made just for me, reinforced for extra strength, and is perfect for when I’m injured! Or, when I just want to relax in the shower! It’s brilliant! Don’t lie to me and tell me you don’t use it!”

Scoffing, Shouto lets the accusation roll off. He hasn’t; when he wants to relax, he drops vanilla and coconut scented bath bombs in his jacuzzi tub and soaks in it. The luxurious bath time was one of the first things he did when he could move back home, and he does it religiously. Lately, he’s been joined by the sound of a hoard of squeaky toys as Deku plays in the background.

As if summoned, Deku comes barreling out of the bedroom, tripping over his feet, and rubbing both of their legs, clawing at their pants. Izuku lifts the tiny cat with one hand, and Shouto watches with a small smile as they both smother each other in affection.

Finally putting the kitten down, Izuku stretches. “I’m going to go take a shower then if that’s all right. Probably call Dad afterwards, I missed his call earlier. Operation ‘Norwegian All Might’ has been a success, and I think he’s coming home soon.”

“I’m glad he enjoyed his trip. Tell him I said hello.”

“Of course. Are my extra clothes still over here?”

“In the same place they always were.”

Smiling, Izuku gets the spare sweats and t-shirt from the guest bedroom and walks into the bathroom.

“This bathroom is so amazing!” he calls, voice distant as the water turns on.

“You say that every time!”

“I’m amazed every time!”

Laughing to himself, Shouto goes to the fridge for a bottle of water. The cat is rubbing around his legs again, meowing randomly and pausing as if waiting for a response.

“I can’t understand your mumbling the way I understand Zu’s. But I respect how you feel.” 

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Deku purrs into Shouto’s hand until a heavy thud, followed by a ‘shit!’ come from the bathroom. In a panic, the cat swipes away his hand and takes off into the living room.

“Zu?” Concerned, he dashes to the bathroom and throws the door open. He’s hit with a face full of steam and a completely naked and flustered Izuku leaning against the cracked shower door.

“Shit, Shou I don’t know how I broke it, this always happens! Damn doors! I’m sorry, I can replace it, I-”

He pauses, realizing just how exposed he is, and flushes from head to toe. Yet, it doesn’t miss him that Shouto is silent, staring at him, his own face completely flushed. His expression is torn between shock and lust, perfectly mirroring his own. Neither of them move; the pregnant silence drawing out between them.

Finally, Izuku takes a step back, and Shouto lets out a little “Wait.” It’s quiet, easy to miss, and yet it pierces Izuku sharper than any villain’s weapon ever could. Shouto closes the door, both on the world and on the now-curious cat, and slowly pads closer until they are face to face. Hungry eyes travel down, and he begins to trace lightly over Izuku’s quivering torso. It’s not like they haven’t made out before, but it’s never been anything like this. Izuku swallows, the lust expanding in his chest and making space for itself further down.

His desire slips out as a sigh. “Do you want to?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Their lips desperately collide in the middle as if they’re trying to consume the other, breathing be damned. Izuku’s wet skin soaks into Shouto’s clothes, and he uses some of his strength to pull on Shouto’s hair gently but firmly, the hair tie falling to the floor. The resulting moan and the way Shouto’s eyes roll back in pleasure almost pushes him to dive back in.

“Take off your clothes,” he gasps. “They’re getting wet.”

“That’s the only reason you want me to?” Shouto breathlessly teases, and Izuku’s hands grasp firmly at the small of his back.

“Stop teasing me,” he groans. “You know why.”

Shouto was loving every second of watching Izuku come apart, hunger clear in his eyes, and he slowly brought his fingers to the hem of his shirt. Izuku watched, pupils dilated with desire, as he peeled off the now soaking layer to reveal a slim, muscular torso. His right hand slowly chased after the shirt, stopping at a pink nipple. A quick gasp revealed pleasure at the gentle swipe, and Izuku follows with his lips.

“Zu…Zu I can’t focus if you’re going to do that.”

Tongue flat against his chest, Izuku pulls away long enough to bite out a “Try.”

Flushing, Shouto tries to repress his moan but a whine slips through. “When did you get to be so dominating?”

Is he uncomfortable? Did I go too far? Pulling away, he gives Shouto a concerned look. “Is it too much?”

Taking the moment to kick off his bottoms, Shouto wraps an arm around Izuku’s neck and pulls him back in for another heated kiss. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. You know I love when you take control of the situation.”

Blushing from pleasure, Izuku gives a sheepish smile. “So, you mean you enjoy this on the battlefield too, huh?”

“I do,” Shouto replies, sucking at his collarbone. Pushing Izuku back into the shower, he only barely closes the cracked door behind him before advancing on the other man, squeezing and cupping every muscle on the sturdy body.

“But I’m greedy. I want my turn first.” He’s insatiable, moving for Izuku’s lips again while reaching lower and wrapping a hand around the large, sensitive member below.

“I have touched myself to the thought of this, but it doesn’t compare,” he whispers, listening with bliss to Izuku’s soft mewling as he stroked. “You have no idea how much I want you.” Before he can receive a response, he pushes Izuku into the shower chair, kneeling in quick succession. Hot water streams down his back, drops pouring down onto a wanton expression as he gives a heated stare back into Izuku’s eyes. The view is enough to make Izuku’s knees weak, and he’s glad he’s already leaning back in the chair, even more so when a cold tongue laves at his tip. 

“Watch me,” Shouto commands.

As if I would ever want to do anything else right now, Izuku thinks, nodding quickly. The way Shouto wraps his tongue around him and bobs up and down is ruthless, temperature oscillating from cool to hot, and his fingers and toes are curling with pleasure. Compliments pour from his mouth as fast as the water coming down around them, encouraging Shouto to continue. He places a gentle hand around the back of Shouto’s head when he feels close, which only causes him to nip down. Izuku’s thighs jump, and Shouto releases him, mouth and cheeks bright red.

“What? Does that feel good?”

Izuku’s jaw drops. “Does that feel good?”

“Say it.”

“God, of course it feels good, haven’t you heard me the entire time? You’re amazing, I- I’m just so happy to be here.”

Seeming very pleased with himself, Shouto stands and places his hands on strong thighs, leaning his weight in. “Hm. Couldn’t really hear you over the water,” he whispers in Izuku’s ear. “Felt you though.”

Couldn’t hear me- You know what?! Lightning fast, Izuku flicks away Shouto’s arms, watching him panic momentarily as all his weight fell forward. He quickly scoops under his shoulders, lifting Shouto up and straddling his legs neatly in his lap. It’s all over in a moment, leaving a flustered Shouto trying to catch up.

“You didn’t have to break my balance.” He murmurs, flicking Izuku’s forehead lightly.

“You were getting a little too cocky,” he replies, giving a teasing grin. “I needed to- what was it you said earlier? Be more dominating.”

Shouto’s pursed lips break open in a salacious hiss as Izuku grasps his waist a little tighter and pulls him forward, grinding their hips together. Without breaking stride, Izuku turns to look for soap for a slicker connection and his eyes lock on a bottle with a clear liquid in it. Pausing, he looks back at Shouto’s resplendently pink expression.

“What’s that? Did you already have plans for me when I got here, Shou?”

Following Izuku’s glance to the bottle, Shouto rolls his eyes. “It’s pure almond oil. It’s good for shaving; Fuyumi said it gives you extra soft legs.”

“Oh.” Dragging strong fingers up Shouto’s legs, he notices that they are indeed silky smooth. “So, you were preparing for me.” He gives a tight squeeze on his ass for good measure, causing Shouto lean in for a kiss, leaving a teasing bite on his lip.

“Shut up.”

“All I’m saying,” Izuku ponders nonchalantly as he pours the liquid onto his fingers, “is that this would have been a lot harder without the ‘old man shower chair’, huh?”

Shouto has enough brainpower left to pout, but that slowly melts away as he watches tantalizing fingers dust their way down his back, only flinching for a moment when one stops at his entrance. When Izuku doesn’t move any further, he opens his eyes to a firm gaze, asking Can I?

Leaning forward, he nips under Izuku’s chin, breathing cool air on the sting afterwards. “Go ahead and tease now, Zu. Soon you won’t be able to think of anything other than my name.”

When one finger enters, he moans, jubilant. For the next few minutes, Izuku thrives off Shouto’s small gasps and sighs, murmuring sweet nothings in his ear to relax him. However, when his body begins to spasm, Izuku lifts him with one hand and lines up with the other.

“Are you showing off your strength on purpose?”

Izuku beams at the completely wrecked look on Shouto’s face, caught. “Are you impressed?”

Not waiting for the answer that he knows is a yes, Izuku thrusts up as he pulls Shouto down, and a lewd sob escapes his own lips as Shouto slams his head down on his shoulder.

“You okay?” Izuku pants, trying to keep himself from coming right then and there.

“Ah, Fuck, fuck me- I-”

He begins slowly, rolling his hips and drinking in the plaintive whines that are coming from right beside him. Once it’s clear that his love is ready, he braces his feet a little further from the chair and picks up a more punishing pace. Shouto’s hips meet him at every beat, his body rolling sensually into every thrust. Pleasure surges through them both, Shouto’s hands scrambling for purchase with every move and Izuku gripping his sides so hard they’re both sure there will be bruising. For a moment, Izuku tosses his head back and allows Shouto to keep up the ardent pace, riding him like a man possessed.

“Ah….ngh…. Yes, god yes… just like that…” I am so in love. “Oh, fuck… It’s perfect, you’re so perfect…”

A strange sense of déjà vu overcomes Izuku, and he opens his eyes, placing a gentle hand on Shouto’s side to slow him. The thick steam, combined with the cold light and white tile of the shower, the red and white hair covering the eyes of his beloved- it’s just like his dream.

“Let me see your face. Let me see you, Shoucchan,” he whispers in a plea. However, unlike his dream, the glorious man in front of him doesn’t tease or ignore him. Instead, Shouto pushes the hair away from his eyes, and Izuku sees a summer maelstrom of emotions. Lust, adoration, vulnerability, trust, and love shine through, and he can’t help but tear up.

“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamt of this,” he breathes.

Shouto huffs a small laugh at the emphatic confession. “If it wasn’t since that first sports festival, I’ve got you beat. I used to toss and turn for a while after that, pissed off because that same shrimpy kid who cursed me out used to leave me a pining, soaked mess and I couldn’t do anything about it.” He pinches Izuku’s cheeks teasingly, before leaning in for another kiss.

“Pining, soaked mess, hm?” Izuku begins to move again, sitting up and holding Shouto close and speeding up, drinking in the clipped moans.  “Do you want to hear how much I love you?” he asks suddenly. A small spark of insecurity flashes in Shouto’s eyes (how could he question my devotion? As if I would do this with anyone else!) and he nods.

“Yes. Yes.”

“Okay, okay I got you.” Gathering his lust-scattered thoughts as well as he could, Izuku goes for it, thrusting in tandem. “You’re my favorite person, you know? I wake up thinking about you. I’m so excited to text you ‘good morning’. I melt when I see you. I want to wrap you in my arms and never want to let go. I want you to look at me like I’m your entire world.”

He’s sobbing the confession, hand wrapped around Shouto, stroking- they’re both close, and the confession is enough to push Shouto over the edge. Tears mix in with drops of water as he comes in Izuku’s hand.

“I- I don’t know what I can say to match that, Zu, god yes, you’re wonderful, you’re a Godsend, I love you, I’m sorry-” He’s cut off by Izuku’s lips crushing into his.

“You don’t have to say anything right now, just, fuck, just keep going. Ride me please, I need this, I need to finish just like this, you’re making my dreams come true.”

A few moments later, Izuku is keening Shouto’s name as he rides him through completion. Afterwards, they both lay in the chair breathing heavily, water flowing over them.

Finally, a loud noise slams into the door followed by a yowl, and Shouto sighs as Izuku guffaws.

The soft sheets were bathed in moonlight, covering them both as they cuddled. After his incident at the door, Deku sleeps happily in between their legs. Shouto has been listening to Izuku’s ramblings with his eyes closed, tucked under his arm and face on his chest.

“I forgot to call Dad back.”

“You were busy.”

“I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

After a few moments quiet, Izuku suddenly speaks back up. “You know, if you really don’t like being a Todoroki, you could always become a Midoriya.”

???

Eyes popping wide open, Shouto lifts his head to stare down in shock at Izuku, whose eyes are squeezed tight with humiliation because he can’t believe he said that out loud (it sounded better in his head, but he’d already admitted his feelings mid-coitus in word vomit, and to follow with that-)

“Midoriya Shouto.”

Izuku’s eyes fly open, sees Shouto slowly testing the name with a private smile.

“I don’t know who’d faint of joy first, my mother or my sister.” Shouto’s face crumples when he realizes that all his family wouldn’t be at the wedding, for obvious reasons. Tradition was already tossed out of the window.

“Hey, hey, no, come back to me.” Izuku gives him a comforting squeeze. “Look, I know what you’re thinking. You’d be surrounded by people who love you, I promise. We can even take Touya some cake if you think it would help.”

“You seem to have put a lot of thought into this.” Shouto notes, raising an eyebrow. “Is this a proposal?”

Izuku chokes, flushing. “N-no, not yet, I mean, we only just started, there are so many things we need to do, and of course I want to do something better than a proposal after we- well, not that it wasn’t special, but-”

His panicked mumbling was interrupted by soft laughter. “‘Take Touya some cake’- I’ll have to tell him you said that, I can see the smug look already.” Pausing, Shouto sighs contentedly before placing a hand over Izuku’s heart. “Now that I’m not mind-blown, I can respond to what you said earlier. You’re something else, Midoriya Izuku. I love you. Not only am I so deeply in love with you it hurts, but you’re my best friend and I can’t imagine living without you. Everything you said- I want to be that for you. Texting me good morning? No. I don’t want to wake up to anything other than that bright smile every morning. We can start by moving the rest of your things in here, other than the shower sex chair.”

Fat tears of happiness are rolling down Izuku’s face, and Shouto goes to kiss every single one of them away.

“You even renamed the chair,” he sobs, before laughing into Shouto’s arms.

They continue to cuddle until Izuku is the first to fall asleep. Staring out into the night, for the first time in a long time Shouto feels pure happiness and hope. He’s not sure what’s coming tomorrow, but he feels safe knowing that whatever does, he’ll have everyone he needs by his side.

Touya stretched languidly on the curved wall like a cat, eyes closed, humming his mother’s lullaby. The “recreation room” in Tartarus was nothing but a cavernous white expanse, laced with calming gas and filled with quirk-suppressed prisoners. Very few people would be willing to relax in such a potentially volatile environment, but he knows better. It’s almost been a full year since he arrived- everyone knows who he is and what he’s done.

It’s not to say that the coast is clear. There are plenty of grudges against his shit father, and occasionally his kid brother. The day some mouthy bastard directly threatened his family, Touya near kicked a new hole in his face, resulting in a riot. The benefit: Touya hadn’t felt so alive in months. The deficit: dragged screaming into two weeks in solitary, with limited freedom henceforth. However, no one tried to test his peace ever again.

He awkwardly explained the riot as the reason he missed family therapy, which came with mixed feelings all around. Touya’s tried to be on his best behavior since then to make up for it during family visits. His mom is an angel, a beacon of quiet strength, softly mending and building their relationship. Some days they discuss her new home, with her large sunroom filled with flowers- sometimes she even brings him some. He’s not allowed to take them, but he managed to sneak some wilted blue orchid petals. Sometimes they talk about a few happy childhood memories. Other days, when its hard to talk at all, he simply lays his head in her lap while she hums him their lullaby. Despite the looming presence of the guards, she manages to make it seem like there’s no one else, cocooning him with the genuine love and safety he’s always yearned for.

The first few visits with Fuyumi were filled with long hugs and rivers of tears. It broke his heart to see how much his little sister had to carry on her shoulders, alone, for so long. He hates that he’s missed so much, that she’s sacrificed so much. He makes it a goal to be more mature and confident, squaring his shoulders, being strong so that she doesn’t feel like she must be. He compliments her on everything she wears, and everything she says is immediately validated. It even got to the point where she tearfully giggled uncontrollably, begging him to stop teasing when she vented about a disagreement at work. For a little while, it’s like they’re teenagers again, and soon they’re gossiping away about things (as well as they can).

Natsuo’s shell is harder to break through, his intimidating scowl the only thing in the entire prison that leaves Touya repentant. Therefore, he’s much softer in his approach, listening quietly and patiently to his stories. Sometimes Natsuo will ask about what happened to him, whispering as if speaking the truth loudly made it more real. When this happens, Touya’s throat locks up, and it takes him a few moments before he can answer. One day, Natsuo admits that he felt ‘like I’m telling you all of this a second time’-that he prayed to Touya’s shrine since there was no one else that truly listened to him when he was a kid. After he left that day, Touya bawled. 

As for his youngest sibling- he and Shouto have been working through what their time together meant, and it’s going well- he thinks. Hearing about the numerous arrests, system overhauls, and deep investigation into the Commission only pisses him off, despite Shouto’s reassurances that it will eventually result in something larger. Still, even though the Heroes and the Commission can ‘go fuck themselves’, he’s cheerful to hear that Shouto is making sure the street kids they met are being taken care of, as well as other underprivileged kids. It might not be his preferred choice of toppling the system, but he at least knows that Shouto truly means well in his work. Maybe he’ll succeed where everyone before him failed. Maybe. At least someone is trying to direct attention towards one of the problems in their shit society. Once, before he leaves, Shouto blushes as he offhandedly mentions a potential engagement, and Touya is filled with an old melancholy. He won’t get to be there for any weddings, for any milestones really- but what else is new? He supposes they’ll at least know where he is, that he’s alive, and can regale him with stories. 

This is his lifeblood now. Recreation time twice a week to stretch his legs. Eagerly waiting for his short visits from family, drinking in their positive interactions like its his only sustenance. 

It’s worth it.

You get to see your family again.

……………

It’s fucking worth it, okay?!

Just accept it!

The mantra is constantly on repeat in his mind, but no matter how much he tries to get it to sink in, it rings as hollow as this gaping void of a room. The truth is always creeping behind it, seeping through the hollow cracks.

He’s going mad.

He hates it in Tartarus. He hates the small cell with its tan padded walls. He hates that he can’t see the sky, can’t breathe fresh air, that he can’t even walk two fucking feet without threatening eyes on him. He hates that for the first time he’s been given the proper ability to feel without pain, and he can’t even go anywhere or do anything with it. Time doesn’t pass in his confinement. It only lingers, suffocating, waiting for him to snap-

No, stop it!

Once Touya healed enough to be off painkillers, he’d immediately entered a major crisis. Hating (and killing) Endeavor had been his main life goal, and instead the bastard is now in another prison’s medical ward. They weren’t stupid enough to place them in the same building. Not only that, but he still has a fervent hatred of society, even he doesn’t necessarily want to help eradicate it anymore. Touya has tried to be ‘calm’ and ‘logical’ about it; he’s been properly taking his anti-depressants and going to the ‘counselor’ and has been trying to work through his anger like ‘normal’ people. But like an infestation, his resentment continues to eat at him.

Stop- that’s not how you’re supposed to think anymore!

You’re supposed to be doing better!

Think of everyone, of how happy they are to see you…

Despite the growing online support and his family’s strongest efforts, there wasn’t much he could do to avoid getting the book thrown at him. He’s not naïve; there was no way in hell they were ever going to let him loose. Logically, he knows he truly deserves to be punished for his crimes, that he’s very guilty, but the part of him that still yearned to be away from it all fought against it anyway. Yes, he had a ‘spacious cell’- but it was still a cell. Yes, there were meals provided daily, but it’s hardly food. Yes, he could see his family ‘whenever he desired’, but his legs were chained to a metal chair and there were always guards nearby. Yes, he was taking proper meds and talking to someone, but he swore the shady counselor was only trying to mine for information, not help. He should be grateful, the judge said, scowling down his nose, when his lawyers challenged the verdict. He was going to receive ‘rehabilitation’.

Oh, the arrogance. ‘Rehabilitation’. Here? Yeah right. They were ‘treating’ him without truly eradicating the things that already caused him suffering, and he was supposed to smile nicely, nod, and accept that he was being discarded once again.

Every time he felt trapped in that room with his boiling resentment, it was partially quelled by the cool, soothing love he felt when he thought about his family. He loved them so much, he just wanted to be with them again. This was the sacrifice he had to make to see them, to rebuild what he could. That’s what he had to keep telling himself.

Every day.

For the rest of his imprisoned life.

One.

Day.

At.

A.

Time.

I can do this.

I can do this.

I can’t do this…

Let me out…

…………………………..

“Such a beautiful face, such lovely white hair… A shame that they want to keep someone like you down here, trapped in a cage.”

Touya’s heart seizes as a rasping, low voice interrupts his reverie. Outwardly, he keeps his expression relaxed as he shifts his hands behind his head, running his fingers through his mohawk.

“Should have figured you’d show up.” If there’s a quiver in his voice from leftover anxiety, he refuses to acknowledge it. “I’m surprised they let you out. If I’m considered a supermax-threat, then you should really be locked in a vault.”

“Are you really surprised? You know they’re all fools.”

“You still have that kind of sway?”

A short, contemptuous chuckle. “After eight years, I know who to talk to.”

“Right.” Touya murmurs. There’s a pause as the body in front of him shifts to sits down.

“So, did you get what you wanted? Play the anti-hero, save your family?”

And there it is. Scoffing, Touya glares away from the mocking tone.

“Close enough.”

“Right. And how’s that going for you?”

“What’s your point?” he snaps, blue eyes glacier sharp.  

Another poignant pause. “What if I told you that you could see the sun again? Look at the world with those gorgeous eyes? No more cuffs, no more walls, no commitments- only freedom. Have I interested you yet, Dabi? Or do you go by Touya these days?” The voice curls around the name, almost teasing, if it weren’t like the caress of a python.

“Don’t underestimate me, Tenko.” Touya hisses. “I’m not foolish enough to think you would do any of that for free.” Besides, I have my family now. I need to think about them.

He doesn’t need to listen to these schemes; they’ve only led to devastating failures! He’s finally on the path to healing, and he doesn’t need anything else! But when a familiar dry knuckle caresses his cheek, the cuffs tinkling, he can’t help but feel a familiar jolt of excitement. Still, he smacks the hand away and scowls.

“Hm. I know to let you dwell, let things align with your own goals.” The voice becomes nonchalant, and Touya instinctually turns to look into calculating eyes and a knowing, chapped smile. “Think about it. You’ll know when time’s up. You know where to find us.”

Throat swollen, Touya curls inward as Shigaraki slithers into the masses. Who knew what he’d done to gain access that short amount of time- there was no way the guards here would ever allow them within visual distance of one another. His plans must already be in effect.

You’ll know when time’s up.

He could smell trouble approaching. And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to get involved in any more real trouble.

But. If a way out of this hellhole just happened to be revealed during said trouble…

Much Later

The obnoxious howl and flashing of the alarms, followed by the growling of opening cell doors, were enough to rouse the dead. Only a moment later, thunderous footsteps followed as inmates scurried around in the darkness like rats towards escape on a sinking ship. The star-filled night and a cooling wind flowed through the gaping hole in the side of the prison.

As bodies rammed into one another as a chaotic mass, nobody noticed the silent man ghosting through, calm, purposeful gait completely at odds with his surroundings. His body was entirely covered by a makeshift hooded cloak, exposed cyan eyes glowing with trepidation. The expression momentarily filled with mirth when he gazed upon the damage. Classic M.O.

He only had a short window of time. Heroes, likely with his brother, would arrive within minutes if they weren’t already outside. If he was going to escape, he needed to do it now. Shigaraki and whatever new cronies would be waiting for him in a known spot…

And he wouldn’t be meeting them there.

He’d had enough of everyone else’s expectations. There was only one person whose opinion mattered, and a letter had been slipped to her, apologizing and begging understanding (not forgiveness, he wasn’t so bold) for what he was about to do. Letting her know that he would always love her and their family. That if they needed him, he would be there- fast as he could.

But that he couldn’t do that from a solitary cell. No- there was no place for him here.   

He placed one foot outside as if to test new waters. Then he sprinted into the night.

Shouto shifted impatiently, sipping from his to-go tea. It was Izuku’s favorite meet-up spot for lunch during a shift, and he’d arrived early enough to order. While he had nothing to worry about, his anxiety still flared at the idea that something might hold Izuku back from making it safely. This was their first breather in weeks of long, exhausting shifts.

Everything in the past month leaves him anxious, ever since the breakout at Tartarus. No one had seen or heard from a good number of major villains, most notably Shigaraki and…

And Dabi.

I thought therapy was going well, too. I should have noticed. I should have known he’d pull this shit!

Maybe it was foolish to think that Touya was ever going to be placated while imprisoned. Tartarus was known for being brutal. But he’d hoped for better. As he sighs, a large crowd passes by; one person with a shock of bright blue hair, glasses, and a mask bumps into him and makes him spill his tea. When they go to help him pick it up, he waves their hand away.

“It’s fine!” he grumbles. Guess he’ll smell like tea for the rest of the day. As soon as he throws away the cup, he feels an odd buzzing in his uniform pocket. Eyebrows pinching, he pulls out a small dark flip phone that shows an unknown number calling.

Realization hits him like punch to the chest, and with a gasp he flips open the phone as he sprints in the direction of the strange man.

A smug voice buzzes over the speaker. “And here I dyed my hair such a noticeable color. What did they teach you in school? Well, I’m a master of hiding in plain sight, so-”

“Touya!” A strange but potent combo of fury and relief leave Shouto gasping. “Touya, you bastard, if you don’t-”

“Take a breath, Shoucchan, you’ll faint.”

“A bre-Where are you?”

“You know I can’t tell you that. Don’t worry, I’m not taking the manhunt personally. In fact, if you lead it, it’d be an honor. Like hide and seek with higher stakes.”

“This is not a game! Do you know what you’ve-”

“Anyway, I don’t have much time, so listen.” Shouto’s choked indignation was apparently confirmation to continue. “Don’t worry, baby brother. I’m not committing evil deeds, nor do I intend to start.” Touya’s voice is resigned. “I’m only calling to check in; is everyone safe?”

“Yes.” A relieved sigh from the phone. “Yes, but you-”

“Good. Then I’ll see you later, Shouto. Love you, too.”

“What- Touya, don’t-”

The line goes dead.  

Touya never thought he would covet a warm breeze, but here he is, practically in love. His feet dig into the sand, covered by cool waves, and he smiles at the sensations. No more worries about sand in his grafts.   

Dangers approach from all sides, but honestly- he’s not worried. Be it the heroes, Shouto, or Shigaraki; it doesn’t matter. The chase is old, and he is experienced. For now, he just enjoys the wind that caresses his face and hair, the golden sunset over the horizon. And as soon as the sun is gone, he pulls up his hood and melts into the shadows.

Catch me if you can.