Chapter Text
Shouta flopped onto the couch, exhausted. It was probably close to four a.m., and he had just gotten back from patrol. There was more activity out on the streets at night, and he had his own suspicions that it had to do with All Might coming back to the hero scene.
He was out for almost a year now. Shouta wasn't privy to All Might's health ever since he first got taken out, but he was sure he wasn't performing at one hundred percent. The idiot was most likely ignoring his own limits and overdoing it on the fighting. He's had at least ten public appearances since he came back.
Because of this, more and more villains decided to become reckless at night. Shouta and other underground heroes had to take the brunt of this surge.
Sighing, he forced himself up. He tore off his capture weapon and carried it to his room. On the way over, he glanced over to see Izuku's door partially open. Shouta stepped over quietly, peeking in to make sure he was fine.
Izuku was fast asleep, Bastard curled in his arms. The cat lifted his head slightly to stare at Shouta, but he didn't move otherwise. Shouta left for his room, content that the kid was sleeping fine.
Trying not to make much noise, he took a quick shower and changed into PJs. He got into bed, and, as if waiting for him, Hizashi turned over and brought Shouta close to him.
Shouta relaxed in his hold, trying to fall asleep. He would only get a couple of hours, but he would take anything.
In the morning, Shouta stayed in bed for as long as he could, which wasn't long at all. The weight of the last few patrols was heavy. Hizashi was already up and probably cooking breakfast. Coming from the faint voices he could hear, he assumed Izuku was also up.
Taking one more deep breath, Shouta got out of bed and ready for the day. He could already tell this day was going to irritate him.
As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, his husband shoved a mug into his hands. "So you can't complain that you have none," he said, winking.
Shouta grunted and immediately sipped his coffee, not minding how hot it was on his tongue. Hizashi tsked and went back to finishing breakfast. Izuku was next to him, and Shouta placed a hand on his head.
"Sleep well?" Shouta asked.
Izuku nodded and leaned against his side. Shouta rubbed his kid's back, and he already felt better. Maybe he would spare his class today.
They sat down together to eat. Shouta still had concerns about the way Izuku was eating; he seemed to be eating less lately, which worried him. When he came back from school, he was putting away a lot of leftovers.
Shouta would have to remember to talk to Hizashi and potentially Recovery Girl about it.
Once they finished eating, Shouta gathered the dishes to clean them. Hizashi followed him, preparing Izuku's lunch for the day. Izuku had gone off to his room, probably to get ready. Shouta hoped that this week would go a lot better than the first one; he didn't want the kid to suffer more than he did.
The kid emerged from his room, dressed in his uniform and backpack ready. Hizashi put his lunch pail into his bag and kissed his head. "Ready to go?"
Izuku nodded and went to hug Shouta. He returned it, then crouched down to be on eye level. "Have a good day, alright?" Shouta said, ruffling his hair.
"I-I will. You too," Izuku responded with a smile, leaning into his touch.
Shouta's lips quirked up, and he stood. He gave him one more pat on the head before he left with Hizashi. Since Shouta usually prepared earlier for his class, Hizashi mostly drove Izuku to school.
He finished his coffee, fed the cats, grabbed his stuff, and left to go teach.
Later that night, Shouta was scanning the streets from the rooftop. He stayed hidden, eyes narrowed through his goggles. Nothing yet, but he always had to stay alert.
The night went on, Shouta only catching petty criminals. Nothing too bad, compared to the last few nights. It was slowing down.
Then, Shouta saw a burst of roaring blue flames only a few blocks down. Shouta left the criminal in zip ties, sending a message to Tsukauchi before running off.
Shouta pulled himself up to the roof; it was always faster this way. As he made it closer to where he saw the fire, he could hear some scuffling and cursing.
Blue flames. Dabi? Shouta thought as he got to the edge, watching below. The person he thought was Dabi was fighting someone else. Not a hero, but Shouta didn't know if they were a civilian or not, either.
Shouta swiftly dropped down, knocking Dabi off whoever he was fighting.
"Hey, what the fuck!" he shouted, and the person took this opportunity to run off.
"Aw, man," Dabi groaned, but he didn't stop struggling to get out of Shouta's hold.
Having had enough of this, Shouta wrapped him tightly in his capture weapon, and he preemptively erased his quirk so he couldn't try to burn through it.
Dabi's eyes widened. "Oh, shit. It's you."
Shouta decided not to dwell on that. "There's a warrant out for your arrest. Why would you be out here, especially so unabashedly?"
"I had to deal with something. And that's all a big misunderstanding anyway," he answered.
"Right, showing up threateningly at an elementary school just fosters misunderstanding," Shouta deadpanned.
"Okay, threateningly is a stretch. I stood behind some trees. It's not my fault that brat decided to see me," Dabi huffed.
Shouta glared at him, tightening his capture weapon's hold on Dabi, but not saying anything lest he reveal too much about himself.
"Police should be here in a few minutes," Shouta said, about to get his phone out, before Dabi interrupted him.
"Wait! Shit. Okay. Stop. I seriously wasn't there to, like, hurt any kids or whatever. I won't go back there because I value my life. But I promise, I didn't go there for any nefarious reasons."
Shouta raised a skeptical brow. He seemed sincere, but he could be saying anything to avoid an arrest.
"How about we let the detective decide that?"
"Come on. You're Eraserhead, right?" Dabi asked.
Shouta sighed. "Yes."
"You know someone named Kurogiri?"
That made Shouta pause. He did remember him, months ago. How much he seemed to care about Izuku. He knew Dabi and Kurogiri were in the base together, but why would he think Shouta knew him?
Seeing him pause and deliberate his own answer, Dabi leaned forward in the capture weapon. "He can vouch for me. If that means anything."
It didn't really mean anything to him. But also, he most likely knew Kurogiri wouldn't want Izuku in danger. So maybe?
"Why were you there?" Shouta asked instead.
Dabi sagged, which made Shouta tighten his grip again. "I can't tell you that."
Shouta clicked his tongue. "Guess you can talk it out with the station—"
"Ugh, okay! But—not here. I can bring you to where Kurogiri is. We are… kind of living together right now."
Shouta took a moment to think it over. How else would Dabi know that he knew Kurogiri? It could be a trap, but he also heavily doubted it.
"Alright. But if you try anything…" Shouta didn't have to finish his sentence for Dabi to understand the threat.
"I'll show you where it is," Dabi said, so Shouta loosened his capture weapon enough to let him move, but not enough for it to be completely off.
As Shouta followed Dabi, he had to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Patrol was quiet, but still, should he be leaving like this?
He didn't have much time to think about it, because Dabi had brought him to an abandoned building. Shouta was still skeptical, keeping aware of their surroundings.
Dabi led him down some stairs and into an open area. There was a beat-up couch in the middle, a run-down kitchen in the corner, and other old furniture scattered about.
"Dabi. What did I tell you about going out—" a voice came from the hallway on the right, and Kurogiri appeared. He cut himself off abruptly when he saw Shouta.
He stood there, his posture tense. The mist around Kurogiri's head was still unnerving to look at. After what felt like hours, Kurogiri's yellow eyes shifted and narrowed on Dabi in a glare.
"What did you do?"
"Why do you automatically assume it was something I did?" Dabi countered. Kurogiri didn't bother responding, and eventually, Dabi relented.
"Okay, yes, I was out when I shouldn't have been. I meant to be in and out, but that dumbass—uh, not you, Eraserhead—came at me! Very aggressively! I had to use my quirk—"
"You used your quirk?" Shouta swore Kurogiri was going to suffer an aneurysm.
"Yeah, that's how I found him," Shouta cut in.
Dabi sighed. Kurogiri ignored his interruption and walked towards the other villain, checking the boy's hands.
Shouta frowned. Some dots were connecting in his head. "Your own quirk gave you those burns?"
Dabi stiffened, not answering. Kurogiri dropped his hands.
"He told me you could vouch for him," Shouta said, changing the subject. "I should've had him arrested, but apparently there's been some misunderstanding."
Kurogiri stepped back, the mist around his head warping and… changing colours? There were some hints of blue before the mist resumed its hovering.
"Is this about the school?" Kurogiri eventually asked. Shouta nodded in confirmation. "Ah. I suppose it was a misunderstanding, in a way. He wasn't there to hurt anyone, that I can confidently say."
Dabi looked smug. Shouta wiped that look off his face when he asked, "So why was he there?"
Kurogiri glanced at Dabi, maybe asking permission to say anything. But Dabi waved his hand and explained it himself.
"My younger brother goes to school there, okay? I can't have any contact with him, let alone my entire family. So it was the only place I could look after him."
Shouta could accept that as a plausible excuse. Something pushed him to become a villain, especially to be working with All for One in the past, so it was reasonable to assume he was either ostracized by or ran away from his family.
"Who's your brother?"
Dabi shook his head. "I don't have to tell you any more than that."
Shouta would've responded if Kurogiri hadn't held up a hand to stop him. Shouta didn't know why he obeyed him, but the entire interaction seemed too casual.
"Dabi, think about it for a second. He could help you," the man said.
Before Shouta could ask just what he was being volunteered to do, Dabi's face twisted into anger. "No way you are telling me to ask a hero for help! A hero, Kuro!" he exclaimed.
"Not every hero is like En—like your dad, Dabi. We've been over this."
So a hero's kid? That didn't really narrow down who his brother could be, though.
The two bickered until Dabi stormed off over to the couch. "Can we not do this right now? Hey, Eraserhead, am I free to go or what? I told you the real reason."
Shouta crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't promise I won't pursue you if I see you out there again. Listen to Kurogiri, and don't use your quirk. It's like a bright, blue flare at this time of night."
Dabi relaxed and sagged into the couch. But Shouta wasn't done: "Now, I have some questions of my own."
Kurogiri didn't react, probably expecting as much. Dabi groaned, "It was too good to be true."
Shouta directed his question at Kurogiri: "Why does Dabi know who I am? I'm assuming you told him."
"I didn't say much, honestly. I mostly told him to stay away from you," Kurogiri answered. "I just described your appearance and what your quirk can do. Nothing else."
He guessed that he could believe that. "Fine. I'm not really worried about him—" They both ignored Dabi's indignant Hey! "—I'm more curious as to why you're here. Away from…" Shouta didn't finish his sentence, but Kurogiri knew who he was talking about.
Kurogiri didn't respond for a few moments. Just when he thought the man wouldn't respond at all, he started speaking.
"I was bound to serve All for One against my will. Even when he was taken down by All Might, some part of me couldn't leave. After I met with you those months ago, I started getting my memories back. I think… I think remembering who I was severed that connection.
"All for One is still incapacitated. I was able to make my escape a while ago. I don't intend to ever go back."
Shouta almost wanted to ask about his memories. The words, "But I had this feeling like I knew you from before, when I wasn’t like this," echoed through his mind. Did Kurogiri know him? Was it weird if he asked? Maybe if it were important, Kurogiri would mention it.
"And… Dabi?"
"I ran into him almost immediately after I left All for One. He was in bad shape, so I took him with me," Kurogiri explained.
Surprisingly, Dabi didn't comment. Shouta again assumed it had to do with his family.
"Why do you think I can help him?" Shouta brought it up again.
Dabi shot a warning glare at Kurogiri, but he didn't seem affected. "Dabi, you know I wouldn't suggest this to hurt you."
Shouta waited patiently for Dabi to decide what he wanted to do.
Abruptly, Dabi flopped onto his back, an arm covering his eyes. "My little brother is Todoroki Shouto."
Shouta's eyes widened slightly. He quickly did the math in his head. "You're Touya?"
Dabi's lips turned down distastefully at the sound of his name. "Yeah."
News stories flashed in his mind. He remembered the reports of Endeavour's eldest son dying due to a quirk mishap on Sekoto Peak.
From what Shouta knew about Endeavour, he always thought the case was suspicious. He wasn't sure if he should ask about it, since it most likely was a sensitive topic. But if he was going to help, he would need the full picture.
"What happened?" Shouta eventually asked into the silence.
Dabi hesitated, but then he started speaking, "As you probably know, Endeavour is obsessed with becoming the number one hero. He entered into a quirk marriage so he could produce the perfect heir to surpass All Might. It's all he wanted. So when my quirk came in, something so akin to Hellflame, but more powerful, he was ecstatic.
"Until we found out that my quirk is just too hot for my skin to handle, thanks to inheriting my mother's quirk physically, meaning I had more resistance to freezing temperatures instead of heat. Endeavour discarded me completely, worried I would completely burn myself to ash the more I used it. But I was unsatisfied."
Dabi rubbed a hand down his face, and he looked exhausted. It seemed to take all his energy for him to continue.
"I trained myself to use my quirk on Sekoto Peak. It was the only place I could freely use it with no one else to see, especially him. Without proper training, though, I burned myself a lot. But I was getting stronger. I wanted his praise, his attention, to just look at me without disgust or disappointment.
"My mother caught me leaving the house to train my quirk, and she told me to stop, because she could see how much it was hurting me. I—" Dabi paused, getting choked up. He cleared his throat and said, "I yelled at her, blaming her for my existence and the reason Endeavour neglected me. It's… It's one of my biggest regrets. It was the last time I would speak to her."
Dabi tilted his head away, collecting himself. Shouta let him, feeling a bit awkward. Before he could dwell on it, Dabi resumed.
"Because of my irritated state, I realized that I could summon hotter, blue flames based on how angry I was. It was the first time I achieved such blazing fire, and it burned me a lot easier than regular flames. But I didn't care. I needed to show him right away, to prove that I was getting stronger, that I could be useful.
"So I told him to come to Sekoto Peak so I could show him my progress. He was… He got so angry. Endeavour beat me so badly that I was out for a few days. My siblings—not Shouto, he was too young—helped me recover. When I eventually remembered what led to me being in that state, I ran to Sekoto Peak. I needed to take out my anger, but I didn't want to risk hurting them.
"I was in so much pain, and I had so much anger inside of me that my blue flames completely engulfed my skin and the foliage around me. I couldn't put it out; I hadn't learned how. I was in… such a bad state…" Dabi trailed off, his eyes going distant.
Shouta thought that was the end of it; however, Dabi shook himself out of his daze. His throat sounded hoarse from talking for so long.
"I found a nearby stream to douse myself, but the damage was horrible. I was just barely alive, and I don't really remember what happened right after, but apparently, Endeavour found some fragment of my bone and therefore pronounced me dead. Meanwhile, All for One found my body and some charred remains. He took me to his base—different than the bar—and used his quirks and the Doctor to keep me alive.
"I don't know everything that went on, but All for One transformed my body to keep it from deteriorating. He also performed some experiments to stabilize my flames. They're still hot as fuck, but I would have to use them for a lot longer for it to do any damage. He promised me revenge, and that's the only reason I stuck around for so long.
"But then he turned his attention to his newest experiment and forgot about me. It reminded me too much about how Endeavour treated me, so that, mixed with the boy he was torturing, was the reason I left."
Izuku, Shouta's mind supplied. So that's why he was around.
Fuck. Why did he have to sympathize with another kid? How did he get himself into these things?
"Not that I don't believe you, but I have to ask. Did you ever go to someone about Endeavour's abuse?" Shouta broke the silence.
Dabi nodded. "Yup," he said, popping the 'p'. "Multiple times. I tried the police, but they didn't care. I would try to get his sidekicks or any other hero in his agency to see the abuse, but they would conveniently turn a blind eye to it. That or Endeavour threatened them for their silence."
Shouta sighed. The heroes and people who were supposed to protect him failed him. He could see why he turned to villainy so easily, especially with All for One's influence.
"Do you believe your little brother is in danger?" Shouta asked.
"I know he is. Shouto was born with the perfect split of their quirks. He has a burn scar over his eye. Before I left, the bastard was training him at four years old. Way too young."
The parallels between these boys and Izuku were harrowing. This was bigger than him.
"I'll be honest. There's not much I can do just by myself. Endeavour is very powerful and influential in the hero scene; the HPSC will be protecting him heavily," Shouta started.
Dabi scoffed. "Figures."
"But, I do know someone who also harbours some power and influence himself. He may not be able to take Endeavour down immediately, but he could do it."
"… Seriously?" Dabi's tone was a lot more hopeful.
"I can't promise anything. However, I would have to tell them what you told me. Are you fine with that?"
Dabi's face scrunched up. "If you really need to."
"Maybe not every detail. But enough."
"Fine."
Shouta was surprised by how easily he agreed to it. Though he supposed it would be exhausting to have no one believe you or offer serious help.
He checked the time, noting how late it was. He'd spent too much time here.
"I have to go. I can't exactly tell the station to lay off you, so you need to seriously stay off the streets until this investigation dies down," Shouta warned.
"Don't worry, I'll keep a closer eye on him," Kurogiri promised.
"Alright, alright. I'm not a child, I get it," Dabi scoffed.
No, but you were forced to grow up too young.
Just as Shouta was about to leave, Kurogiri stopped him.
"Wait. Is there any way we can contact you? You know, instead of almost being arrested," Kurogiri asked him.
"Mm. Do you have a burner phone?"
Kurogiri nodded, so Shouta gave him the number. "Emergencies only." The emphasis was really for Dabi, because he seemed like the type of person to text him whenever he felt like it.
Once that was situated, Shouta left and continued his patrol. It was late, so he wouldn't be out for much longer. He only took down a couple more criminals before he went back to UA.
Shouta wasn't thinking about his conversation with Dabi until he got back home. He had a lot to think about.
After he was showered and dressed, he got into bed. Hizashi rolled over to face him, but he was awake.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Shouta asked in a quiet voice.
Hizashi shook his head. "I was up anyway. Was waiting for you to come in. How was patrol?"
Shouta sighed, sinking into the bed. Was now a good time to go over everything? Probably not, but he thought it would be best to go over everything now while it was fresh in his mind.
He recapped his night, giving Hizashi a summary of what Dabi told him. He listened silently, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"Shou, you really got yourself into something crazy. Taking down the number two hero?"
"I know, I know. But don't tell me you haven't suspected something is off with Endeavour."
"Well, yes—" Shouta placed his hand on Hizashi's shoulder to stop him from speaking.
"Look," Shouta whispered, gesturing to the shadow beneath their door. Izuku was just outside. He didn't want them to say anything incriminating in front of the kid.
Instead of him coming inside, though, his footsteps retreated quickly. They shared a concerned glance before getting out of bed to see what had happened. Izuku's door was completely shut, which had never happened—except for his first night with them.
"Izuku?" Hizashi called, knocking on his door softly. "Can we come in, hun?"
Shouta could hear some rustling noises and sniffling. Did he have a nightmare?
"C-come in," his small voice came from the other side of the door.
Hizashi opened his door, and the dim light from the hallway illuminated the kid's room. Shouta could see Izuku curled up in his bed, trembling. Bastard was standing protectively in front of him.
They both stepped towards his bed, and Izuku flinched back, squeezing his eyes shut. Before Shouta could ask what was wrong, Izuku let out a choked sob.
"I'm s-sorry! I-I d-didn't mean t-to…" he cried, scrunching the blankets up to cover his face. At this point, both he and Hizashi seemed to be at a loss as to what was wrong.
"Kid, I promise, whatever happened, we won't be mad or upset. We just want to help you," Shouta said, and he took some more steps towards his bed.
Izuku sniffled and took the blanket away from his face, his eyes red and cheeks tear-stained. "I-I d-didn't mean to e-eavesdrop o-on you," he whispered, voice shaking.
Shit. He was so upset over that? While Shouta would prefer him not to hear anything, since it was pretty intense stuff, he had no issue with it, and he definitely was not angry.
"Oh, baby, that's okay. Shou and I aren't mad. Can we sit with you?" Hizashi asked softly.
Izuku wiped his tears away, looking confused, but not scared anymore, which was good. He nodded. "Y-yes."
He and Hizashi both sat on the edge of his bed. Bastard moved once he realized the "threat" was gone. Izuku watched them, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Shouta whispered.
Izuku nodded. "I-I c-couldn't sleep after."
That explained some of it. "What did you hear?"
Izuku hesitated this time, probably thinking it was some sort of trap. "We're not mad, kid, I promise. I'm just curious," Shouta reassured.
This time, Izuku was quicker to respond. "Um, I-I heard s-something about En-Endeavour. I s-stayed b-because… there's s-someone in m-my class who's the s-son of him. I w-was curious but, I sh-shouldn't h-have…"
Hizashi placed a hand on Izuku's head, and the kid leaned into it. "It's alright. You're not in trouble or anything. Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"
Izuku shrugged. "I-I was in th-the base. Training," his breath hitched on the word, "S-Sensei yelling. T-that's all I remember."
"Mm. We're here for you now, 'Zuku. Go back to sleep, we'll stay here," Shouta offered, reaching out to rub his back slowly.
Izuku relaxed under his touch, his eyes fluttering closed. It didn't take long for him to fall back asleep. He and Hizashi stayed for a little while, just to be sure he wouldn't wake back up from another nightmare.
After a while, Hizashi pressed a kiss to Izuku's head, and they both left the room quietly. Exhausted from patrol, he got into bed right away. Hizashi kissed him softly. "Goodnight, Shou," he whispered.
"Goodnight," Shouta replied, and they fell asleep together.
Izuku was exhausted, and he had a headache. He couldn't sleep well last night, and his nightmare didn't help. Neither did the momentary fear he felt when he thought his dads would be mad for eavesdropping on their conversation. He heard some things about Endeavour and how he had hurt one of his children.
He wondered if that was about Todoroki in his class, but he couldn't be completely sure. Endeavour could have multiple children. Izuku also heard about Aizawa's plan to "take him down"—whatever that meant. He was a little worried. Endeavour was… well, he was really aggressive. Izuku just wanted him to be safe.
Izuku was early, as usual, but Neito wasn't here yet. It was just him and Todoroki. Izuku hadn't been paying that much attention to the boy, but he did notice that Todoroki rarely interacted with anyone unless it was necessary. The girls were mostly interested in trying to converse, but he would never entertain them.
It was pretty much a silent rule to leave Todoroki alone. Izuku thought that was incredibly lonely and sad. He was lucky to have known his friends before school started, otherwise, he probably would've ended up like that, too.
Izuku couldn't lie; he was drawn to Todoroki. He saw a lot of himself in him, especially with the information he heard last night. It wouldn't be easy, but Izuku wanted to try to be his friend.
Although he probably couldn't do it right at this moment. He wasn't really sure what he would say to him, especially with them being alone. It would probably feel like an ambush to the boy, and he didn't want to make him uncomfortable. He would just have to wait for his chance.
Soon enough, Neito came into the classroom, Shinsou following shortly after. When Neito sat in his seat, he looked Izuku up and down. "You look like shit," he surmised bluntly.
Izuku let out a quiet laugh. "Thanks," he muttered sarcastically.
Neito shrugged. "Did you sleep at all?"
"S-somewhat. Had a n-nightmare."
"Are you okay?" Neito whispered, lowering his voice so the other two couldn't hear him. Shinsou was right next to Izuku, so he wasn't sure how successful that was, but he appreciated the effort.
"I-I'll be fine," he reassured. And Izuku believed it; he had a rough night, but he was hoping the day would be better.
Class eventually started, and Izuku did feel better as the day went on. His headache was gone, and he ate more at lunch than he thought he would. He knew Neito was happy about that. They met up with Denki as usual, and instead of sitting at the tree, the three of them ventured over to the playground.
Izuku had a lot of fun. The only thing he worried about was the gym class they had after recess. They didn't have it every day, only on Mondays and Wednesdays. Izuku was worried because he didn't want to hurt himself, but he also didn't want to bring attention to his medical issues.
Aizawa told him that the principal would let his teacher be aware of this so that he could sit out most of the gym classes and complete other assignments to satisfy the gym "credit", but it seemed that either didn't happen or Katou-Sensei had forgotten. If it really bothered him, he would say something, but so far it was fine.
Izuku's enemy here was the change room. They had gym uniforms, but Izuku kept his long-sleeve shirt on underneath, which didn't seem to be a problem. But he never changed in front of the other kids. It still gave him anxiety, though, when he changed in a stall.
It also forced him to be quick. He was usually the first one out. Todoroki usually was, too, and he suspected that he also didn't like changing in front of everyone.
Still not really the time to have a conversation, though. What could they really talk about? Their shared quickness in changing?
Izuku stuck close to Neito, and Katou-Sensei let them do their own thing with the equipment they had for the first half of the class. It was pretty much a second recess, and it got rowdy quickly. He and Neito got away with sitting in the corner, rolling a ball back and forth on the ground.
They talked idly as they "passed" the ball, no one really bothering them. The teacher, though, had told them all to put everything away and come to the centre of the gym.
Izuku and Neito easily put their ball away, and the class met in the middle. "Alright, everyone! I think we should play some dodgeball. How does that sound?" Katou-Sensei exclaimed.
Almost everyone cheered. Izuku was confused. He'd never heard of the game before.
"Okay, let's go over the rules as a refresher. You need to hit the other person anywhere below the neck. A head shot does not count, and if I see that you did it on purpose, you will sit out for the rest of the game. If you throw the ball and a player from the other side catches it, you—the one who threw it—are out. And, of course, if you are hit, you will sit out.
"I'll see how the game goes and if revivals will be added into the game. For now, the last one standing wins."
It seemed easy enough, but was throwing balls at each other really that fun? He couldn't really see the appeal.
Katou-Sensei went around, giving everyone either a "one" or a "two" to determine the teams. Izuku got a one while Neito got a two, so they would unfortunately be on opposite teams, it seemed like.
"Alright. Ones over here," she gestured to the right side of the centre line, "and twos over here," and then gestured to the left side. Neito and he split up, and Izuku walked to his side. Shinsou was on Neito's team, while Todoroki was on his.
Izuku stayed near the back corner, even when the game started. Dodgeballs started flying everywhere, and he just kept a lookout to make sure he wouldn't get hit. Todoroki seemed to have made his way near Izuku, so both of them were trying to avoid the game.
As minutes passed, more and more people on their side started to dwindle. Izuku couldn't believe he was one of the few left. That was short-lived, though, as he realized that Kurosawa was aiming for him directly.
Before he could even react, the ball hit him square in the face. The speed of the impact made him fall on his butt, his hand clutching his nose. It was bleeding.
The gym fell silent for a split second before he could hear Neito yelling at Kurosawa. Izuku was still in shock; he didn't know what to do. His nose and head were throbbing. Katou-Sensei quickly ran over, kneeling down to inspect his nose. Whenever her hands got close, though, he would flinch back. He knew she was trying to help, but he didn't want to be touched.
"It doesn't look broken, but you should go to the nurse. Todoroki, would you mind helping Yamada to the nurse's office, please?" his teacher said.
Izuku was surprised that Todoroki was still nearby. That must have been why she asked him to take him.
He didn't hear his response, but it must have been an affirmative, because Todoroki's hand was being held out for Izuku to help him up. Izuku hesitated, but he ended up taking the boy's hand. Todoroki pulled him up, and the strain made him wince.
His sleeve got pushed up, and Izuku hurriedly pulled it back to cover his scars. It was too late, though, Todoroki had seen them. He could tell by the way his eyes widened before looking away.
Great, Izuku thought.
Izuku kept one hand on his nose, trying to stop the blood, but it was dripping pretty steadily. It got on his shirt, though luckily it was his gym shirt and not his normal one.
On the way out, he could hear Katou-Sensei reprimanding Kurosawa and making him sit out the rest of the class. At least he was somewhat being punished.
It was silent and slightly awkward on the way to the nurse's office. If it weren't for the fact that Todoroki was always quiet, he would've assumed it was his scars that deterred him from speaking.
They finally made it, and by that time, his nose had already stopped bleeding. It was still throbbing, though. The nurse checked his nose, and she noted that it wasn't broken, just sprained. It would still bruise.
She cleaned the blood around his nose and wherever it stained his skin. She was a bit rough, and Izuku hated the proximity, but he managed.
"Here, ice it for about twenty minutes to minimize swelling or bruising. I can give you some pain relievers too, if you want," the nurse offered, to which Izuku nodded. His head still hurt, and he knew his nose would bother him.
The nurse told him to sit in one of the chairs. She gave him a cup of water and one pill, which Izuku took. She instructed him to hold the ice to his nose, and he did. The nurse left the room.
Todoroki was still awkwardly standing in the middle of the room since the nurse didn't tell him to leave or stay. Izuku bit his lip and patted the seat next to him. "Um, w-want to sit h-here?"
He looked startled that Izuku spoke to him, but he didn't respond. Todoroki, surprisingly, sat down in the seat next to him. Izuku was genuine with his offer, but he didn't think he would actually sit there.
More awkward silence, but Todoroki hadn't completely left him alone, so, progress?
The ice was a very jarring sensation on his skin, but the longer he held it, the more he got used to it. Izuku still had the shivers, but it wasn't too uncomfortable.
"I have them too."
Izuku looked over, almost missing what Todoroki said. He was so quiet. "Wh-what?"
Instead of clarifying, Todoroki rolled up his sleeve to show the few scars and burn scars he had. Izuku's eyes widened, concern washing over him.
"T-Todoroki… that's—"
He quickly rolled his sleeve back up and shrugged. "Hero parents," he said, as if that was a justification.
Izuku shifted the ice in his hand, trying to think of how to respond. "M-mine a-aren't from m-my parents, but, i-if I had t-to be honest, I n-never liked Endeavour."
The silence lasted so long that Izuku thought that maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. As he was about to apologize, Todoroki covered his mouth with his hand and laughed. Laughed.
"You're probably the only one to say that to me."
Izuku didn't doubt it. He was sure that a lot of people only talked to him because of who his dad was.
Before he could respond, the nurse came back with a phone in her hand. "Here, sweetie. Your dad is on the line."
"O-oh. Thanks," Izuku said, reaching out with his free hand to take it. He pressed it to his ear.
"H-hello?"
"Izuku! Baby, are you alright?" Yamada's voice sounded through the speaker.
"Y-yes. I'm okay."
"Are you sure? Because I can come get you if you need me to."
"I-I'm sure! It o-only hurts a l-little. The ice i-is helping."
After a few more reassurances, Yamada relented. Izuku knew he would tell Aizawa about it later, and he wondered how he would react. They were both protective, but Aizawa could be more intense about it. He knew Kurosawa did it on purpose, but he would have to convince his dads the opposite.
Izuku was reminded of how Kacchan and his other classmates treated him when he was quirkless. He shuddered. He didn't want to think about that, but he could draw parallels. Izuku didn't have a chance or a support system that time, but now, he does. He could handle it.