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Chapter Text

What did you do to get to this point? What was it about you that broke another fundamental piece inside of him? You can't help but wonder if it was always going to go this way. If you all had grown up differently...

What-if scenarios are dangerous. They'll twist you up, drive you mad.. and for what? You can't change the past, you can't change what lead you here. You're trapped in the present, running from the obsessive love of a murderer.

Too bad he's also your older brother.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You've never been alone, not really. It's always been you and Shoto. You came into this world together, and more than likely you'll leave it together too. Your level of codependency isn't healthy, you know that. But in the grand scheme of your life, it's probably the least problematic aspect.

You and Shoto have been glued at the hip since birth. Wherever you go, he goes, and vice versa. Any attempt at separating the two of you led to tantrums and burned furniture.

To call your family dysfunctional would be a gross understatement. You have two older brothers and an older sister.. Well, you had two brothers, one is gone now. You don't even remember him. You and Shoto were far too young when he died. 

You don't really 'know' your siblings. You've never gotten the chance, Endeavor saw to that. You may not be Endeavor's perfect masterpiece, that title solely reserved for Shoto, but that doesn't mean he didn't subject you to the same rigorous training as your twin.

No, you and Shoto are a set to him. You know for a fact that if you weren't Shoto's twin, Endeavor would have discarded you just like your other siblings. Unlike your brother, you don't have the half-hot, half-cold quirk. Just ice. A disappointment to your father since you are practically identical, very few differences asides from your gender.

The rest is easily summed up. Abusive dad. An abused and absent mother. Being a Todoroki is great. Don't get you started on all the expectations that come with the name and Endeavor's hero ranking.

Turning your head, your eyes roam over the sleeping face of your twin, features so like your own. Shoto has always had a delicate sort of beauty, his scar didn't change that. While his face could warp and twist into something dangerous when angered, he was always soft with you. The moment he turned to look at you, any sort of negative expression would melt away.

Shoto takes clingy to a whole other level. There's only been a handful of days in your entire lives that Shoto hasn't slept next to you. When you were eventually convinced by your siblings to have your own rooms, you tried to sleep separately, but Shoto couldn't handle it. He either slept in your bed, or you slept in his. Not that you mind, you love Shoto, and if this is what he needs in order to sleep, you'll let him. You like to think you could sleep by yourself if you had to.. then again, maybe not.

He always falls asleep before you do, it's endearing really. With a soft smile, you move to get out of the bed in desperate need of a glass of water. Only your shirt catches. Turning your head, you see Shoto's hand gripping your shirt in his sleep. You extract yourself carefully, not wanting to wake him. He'd insist on coming with you and he needed his sleep for school tomorrow. 

You don't bother turning on the hallway lights. You can navigate in the dark as well as backwards. You know that for certain, considering you and Shoto had done exactly that for a race when you were eleven.

Only.. your feet slow before you get to the kitchen. It's his room, Toya. You're not sure why you've stopped, or even why you take a step towards the door. You've always been curious about him.. dead at thirteen.

No one talks about him. Not how he died - other than it being a freak accident - they won't even tell you what he was like. Toya remains a mystery to you.

You take another step forward, hand reaching for the doorknob only to pause right as your fingers touch the handle. If Endeavor found you in here...

This isn't your first time sneaking into Toya's room. You used to do it quite often.. until your dad caught you. Shaking your head, you open the door and shut it behind you. The room is untouched, as it has been for years. As far as you know, you're the only one that ever comes in here.

Your feet carry you to his picture, pulling it down from the shelf. Messy white hair and hauntingly bright turquoise eyes.. no smile. Not surprising considering this family. You wonder if you would have been able to make him smile. Maybe you did when you were a baby, somehow you doubt it.

You're not sure how long you stand there holding his picture, only that by the time you set it back down sleep is tugging heavily on your eyelids. Shoto is awake and sitting up in bed when you get back to the room. It doesn't look like he's been awake for very long.

"Where were you?" His eyes are barely open.

"Outside for a bit." You're not sure why you don't want to tell him that your walk had led you into Toya's room.

He nods without comment, which surprises you. He doesn't like when you wander around without him. Shoto is very protective. You know if it was up to him, you wouldn't go anywhere without him.

"Let's sleep Sho, our first day is tomorrow."

He nods again, curling back under the blankets and crowding into your personal space as soon as you crawl into bed. His arms wrap you in his familiar embrace, tugging you close. You've long gotten used to the dual temperature of his cuddles.

His soft breaths lull you to sleep.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Shoto drags you through the arches of UA and up to the main doors, he's been pulling you around all morning. Your walk last night had apparently been longer than you thought. Starting your classes exhausted is certainly going to give the wrong impression. 

Apparently you had nothing to worry about, considering your teacher looks far more tired than you do. You're not sure if he's slept at all actually. You're trying not to think about the fact that he's Eraserhead, your absolute favorite Hero. You definitely can't tell anyone about your Eraserhead merch, you have an embarrassing amount and you'll never live it down.

The first day is spent doing a quirk assessment under the threat that whoever does the worst is getting expelled. In the end, no one actually got kicked out. You seriously thought the kid with green hair was going to have a heart attack.

Thankfully, Shoto never commented on the fact you were starstruck over Mr. Aizawa. You can only hope no one else noticed. You didn't get a chance to get to know anyone in class 1-A today, you can only remember a handful of names and faces. Hopefully you can get to know more of them tomorrow.

You wonder how Shoto will feel if you make some friends.. neither of you have had one before. It was always just you and him, and Shoto liked it that way.. preferred it. You'd have to get him used to the idea.

"Can we go to bed?" Shoto asks, tapping his fingers against the kitchen counter. Nibbling on a cookie, you watch him continue to drum his fingers across the granite countertop. His fingers are longer than yours now, his hand overall bigger. Shoto had a growth spurt the months leading up to going to UA, you did not.

"You're like an old man." Your mouth quirks at the corner as his eyebrows furrow.

"That's mean."

"You just asked if we could go to bed at 8pm."

He blinks at you, obviously not seeing the problem.

"I want to take a bath." You sit up and quickly finish the rest of your cookie.

"And then we can go to bed?" He's using that expression, the one you can't resist.

You sigh, rolling your eyes. "Yes, Sho."

"Great, let's go." He reaches out and grabs your hand.

You attempt to dig your heels into the floor. "I want to bathe alone, Shoto."

He turns around quickly, concern etched on his face as he looks at you. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not! .... I just think we're a little too old to still be bathing together." You try and pull your hand out of his, but he doesn't let go, his grip gentle but firm.

"Why does it matter how old we're getting?" He asks in genuine confusion. "We've always bathed together."

How are you supposed to say it's because it's inappropriate for siblings to see each other naked at your age? Shoto wouldn't get it. He's right.. it doesn't really matter.

"Let's go." You squeeze his hand in reassurance, wanting to wipe the hurt expression off his face.

You try not to look at him as you both get undressed. Despite the fact that you've bathed together since you were kids, it's different now. Shoto isn't a boy.. and you aren't a little girl. Shoto has filled out, the training making him sturdy and strong. The differences between you two only growing by the day.

By the time you're both in the bathtub his frown has turned into a soft smile. You're pretty sure no one but you has ever seen this particular kind of smile. It was the look of Shoto perfectly content, a rarity in this house.

Despite your earlier protests you can't help but relax into the hot water, relaxing into Shoto. The two of you are quiet as he takes a cloth and starts washing your back. The fatigue of the day melting away.

Shoto is the one to break the silence between the two of you, his voice teasing. "You were so starstruck today." You know he's referring to Mr. Aizawa. Guess it was too much to ask that he not bring it up at all.

"I wasn't that bad." You grumble.

"Sure you weren't. Should we ask for his autograph?" Even though his tone remains even, you can tell he's teasing.

"Don't you dare." You glower at him.

He just hums.

The two of you spend a while soaking, in no real rush to get out. Amusing considering Shoto had been so eager to go to bed earlier.

You ignore his smirk when you change into one of your well-worn Eraserhead t-shirts. "You really should dry your hair properly." Shoto tells you, wisely staying quiet about your pajamas.

You wave him and the hair dryer off. "Come on, you wanted to go to bed didn't you?"

You open the bathroom door with Shoto right behind you, pulling his shirt over his head. Only - you have to pause. Your father stands in the middle of the hallway, obviously on his way to his own bedroom. He slows to a stop, looking at the two of you.

Shoto reaches forward and entwines his fingers with yours, squeezing softly.

"It's late." Endeavor breaks the silence. "You have school tomorrow."

"Thanks for your concern, dad." You can hear the sneer in his voice. He tugs your hand, moving you both past Endeavor and down the hallway towards your room.

You stare at Shoto's back, frowning. You keep expecting your dad to say something about you and your brother. Something along the lines of what you had told Shoto earlier. But he never does.

Are you just worrying too much? Have you been influenced too heavily by other people's ideas on what's appropriate, what's acceptable?

You decide not to think about it anymore tonight.

Chapter Text

The next few days of school breeze by. Your first hero training class ended up being with All Might. The kid with messy green curls had fought the hot-headed blonde. They definitely had a history, they had almost completely destroyed a building.

You had been on Shoto's team, seriously what were the odds? The exercise had been over in a matter of minutes. Shoto had taken over and just froze the entire building, allowing the two of you to go and take the 'weapon'.

You wanted to reach out to your classmates, maybe actually learn their names. But Shoto, in all his moody glory, had managed to keep your attention throughout the days. You're pretty sure it's intentional, the way he keeps coming in between you and your peers.

You get a break the day you all vote on class representative. You forgot something back in Present Mic's classroom. Shoto wanted to come with you, but you told him to go to lunch without you, that you would catch up.

She came at you like a hurricane. All energetic and clumsy and suddenly.. you have a crush... you're also being squished.

The speed in which she had been going down the hall landed you flat on your back in a mess of limbs. Your head and back are throbbing and you're pretty sure you can see stars. 

You take in her features slowly. Pretty pink hair, beautiful eyes... and she's grinning down at you.

"Whoa! Sorry about that." She's laughing, and it honestly kind of scares you how delighted she sounds after crashing the both of you into the floor. Though, you suppose it probably helps that she landed on top of you and not the other way around.

She's straddling your hips, hands braced on the floor on either side of your head. The ample display of cleavage spilling out of her black tank-top has you frozen in place. Desperately trying not to stare anymore, you tip your head back and stare at the ceiling.

She doesn't seem to understand the fact that she is very much in your personal space. You've never had someone else be this close before. Nobody but Shoto.

"I'm Mei Hatsume, support course!"

You tell her your name, thankful when she doesn't show any recognition at your surname.

"Hero course you say?" She gets a manic sort of gleam in her eyes. She still hasn't moved from her position on top of you. Not that you've put up a fuss, despite the discomfort you were feeling emotionally and physically. "I could make you something really nice!"

"I'm no better than a man." You mumble under your breath, trying to keep your eyes respectfully on anything other than how curvy she is. Since when are you a horny mess?

"What was that?" She inquires, tipping her head to the side.

"Oh! Nothing, nothing. Uhm.. shouldn't we.. get up?" You think about raising your arms but think better of it, keeping them where they lay.

Mei sits up and looks around, as if taking in her surroundings for the first time. "Suppose you're right." She pulls herself up and extends her hand out to help you up, a smile still on her face.

Now that you're getting a better look at her, she's got a grease smudge above her eyebrow. Somehow that makes her cuter.

You turn to look out the window in an attempt to not stare at her. You don't think you're going to survive this encounter.

Your eyes catch on a figure outside the school. He's standing across the street away from the press. He's dressed in all black, the hood of his sweater pulled over his head, shielding his face from view. The only thing you can really see is some of his hair, a pale blue color.

Why is he just standing there staring at the school?

"Were you headed to the cafeteria?"

"Huh?" You turn to look at Mei. How long had you been zoned out staring at that guy?

"Lunch?" She questions, surprisingly patient with you. She seems less intense than earlier when she had landed on top of you.

"Oh!" Right! Shoto was waiting for you. Crap, how long had it been?

Before you can reach for your phone to check the time, an alarm blares overhead. What the he-

"Someone has made it passed the school's defenses." Mei tells you, reaching out and grabbing onto your arm. She starts tugging you to the nearest exit, moving you further from the cafeteria.

You forget all about the guy standing outside the school.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Shoto finds you with Mei, which isn't ideal.. you really wanted to ease him into the idea of you making friends. You're ignoring that part of your brain that says you want to be more than friends with Mei. Crushes are just crushes, that's it. You even have one on pro hero, Hawks. It doesn't mean anything.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, where have you been?" He's angry, his tone flat and cold. He never uses that tone with you.

You gesture towards Mei. "Uh.. well, I ran into Mei on my way back to Present Mic's class."

"Mei, huh.." He looks in between the two of you, jaw tense. "Nice to meet you." His hand snaps out and grabs your wrist, tugging you away from the girl without another word.

You twist to attempt to wave goodbye at Mei, but you're pretty sure it looked more like a wiggle with the way Shoto was hurriedly dragging you towards the car waiting to take the two of you home.

He practically pushes you into the car, climbing in right after you. You huff at being manhandled, he's been worse about it lately... You've been trying not to let it bother you, after all, Endeavor is breathing down your necks now that you've started at UA. Of course Shoto would be a little more high strung than usual.

You scoot across the seat, glancing out the window as the car pulls away from the curb. You recall that guy from earlier.

Your brother is looking out the other window when you turn to look at him. "Shoto?"

"What?" His tone is clipped.

"I saw a guy across the street earlier-"

He cuts you off.

"Who's Mei?"

You blink, confused. "She's in the support course."

"And how long have you two been friends?" Frowning, he turns to look at you.

"I literally just met her." Now you're getting annoyed. This is not how you wanted this to go. Sure, you hadn't meant to meet Mei, but you're glad you did. Her cuteness aside, you're excited to maybe have made a friend. It's not like you got to exchange numbers or anything... or made any plans together.

He stares for a long moment, heterochromatic eyes burning into yours. "So while I was looking for you, worried sick.. you decided to stay with a girl you just met."

Guilt settles heavy in your stomach. "Sho.." You scoot closer to him, closing the distance. Up close, you can see those eyes that burned into yours were filled with hurt. "I'm sorry.. when I found out that it was just the press that got into the school... " You pause to pick your wording, you hate when he's upset. "I didn't consider your feelings, I'm sorry."

He doesn't stop you when you lean forward to wrap your arms around him. His breath tickles your hair, but he doesn't hug you back. Not yet. While Shoto can't stay mad at you for long, he's also notoriously stubborn.

You tighten your arms around him, pressing your weight against him for comfort. Finally, his arms snake around your waist, returning the hug fiercely. His head drops, his nose burrowing into your hair. You knew it would be hard to get Shoto to open up to other people.. but you didn't think it would be like this.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Did I do something wrong?" His voice is barely above a whisper, his arms tight around you.

You had to shake Shoto off all afternoon in order to get any homework done. He's normally so studious, the thing with Mei had him in a tizzy.

He has you cornered in the kitchen, you had been eating some fruit at the counter when he snuck up behind you and encased you in his arms. He's taller than you, something you're still having a hard time getting used to.

"Of course not." You keep your voice soft despite how badly you want to shake him. Just because you want to make friends doesn't mean you love him any less. You want to speak your mind, you do.. it's just.. that look he had given you. The hurt.. the fear that had been hiding behind anger.

"Then why?"

Despite the lack of details in his question, you understand. "Sho.."

Maybe he senses that he's not going to like your next words because his arms grip tighter around you. "Why didn't you come to me as soon as there was trouble?"

Ridiculous. "You know that I'm also in the hero course right?" The 'I can handle myself' goes unsaid.

Before Shoto can reply, Fuyumi rounds the corner into the kitchen. She pauses, frowning as she stares at the two of you. There it is again, disapproval.

"Hey you two."

Shoto doesn't let you go, even as she moves around the two of you to make herself a snack. Her stare is heavy. Ever since the last time Fuyumi hinted that Shoto needed to give you space, he's been more adamant about showing you affection near her.

You give a soft greeting, not really knowing how to interact with her. Shoto doesn't bother saying anything and instead speaks to you. "Are you done eating?"

You nod.

He untangles himself from you to put the fruit back into the fridge. You turn to make your way out of the kitchen, but he swoops in and glues himself back to your side.

"Goodnight." Shoto throws over his shoulder at Fuyumi.

"Goodnight..." Fuyumi echoes behind the two of you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Can we stop somewhere this morning?"

Shoto turns to you as you address the driver. "First you wanted to get up early, now you want to stop somewhere?"

You shrug your shoulder, refusing to look at him. You know as soon as he finds out why you wanted to get up early he's not going to let you live it down.

"Bun?" You can't help but meet his eyes as soon as the nickname is out of his mouth. You can never resist that nickname. He's been calling you that since you were four years old. That's what you get for being obsessed with a bunny headband that you never took off. You even tried to wear it into the bath once. 

"You can't laugh."

He blinks, his expression remaining stoic. "I won't laugh."

Narrowing your eyes, you huff a breath out of your nose. "I want to pick up coffee for Mr. Aizawa." You can feel a blush creeping up to your ears. The corner's of Shoto's mouth twitches, but he doesn't smile, and he doesn't laugh. You can see the mirth in his eyes though. You scowl. "I knew you'd make fun of me."

"I didn't say anything."

You turn and tell the driver the name of the coffee shop you'd like to stop at. "You're laughing at me in your head."

"You didn't say I couldn't laugh in my head." He reaches out and tugs on your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. "If you want to get Mr. Aizawa coffee, we'll get him coffee."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You manage to deliver the coffee to Mr. Aizawa's desk without anyone seeing you, taking your seats just in time. You had to guess his coffee order since he obviously prepared his own in the teacher's lounge.

When he walks in the door and up to his desk, he pauses, staring at the coffee cup. You watch him pick it up carefully, sniffing it. It's endearing and you have to focus on keeping your face neutral. Finally, he takes a sip. His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. You can't tell if he likes it or not.

He eyes the class, all of you waiting patiently. He takes another sip, and this time you have to hide your smile behind your hand. Semi-sweet... got it.

"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors, me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

The class starts mumbling and glancing at each other. "Sir, what training is this?" The tape guy asks. What was his name again? Sero?

"Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that." Aizawa continues to drink his coffee while the class starts talking excitedly.

Shoto reaches back and taps your desk with his fingers. Always checking in. You reach out and rub your hand over the top of his.

"Guys, I'm not finished yet." All the talking ceased immediately. "What you wear in this exercise is up to you, I know you're excited about costumes. But keep in mind you haven't gotten used to them yet, it might limit your abilities. This special training is at an off campus facility, so we will be taking a bus to get there." Aizawa walks over to the trash can, tossing his now empty cup of coffee. "That's all, start getting ready."

You head to the changing room with the rest of the girls, pulling out your brand new costume. You look it over, happy with the result of your design. Quickly changing, you turn around only to be met with your classmate Ochako.

"Your costume looks so nice." She says with a smile. You take in her naturally pink cheeks and the warm smile she's giving you.

"Thank you, yours is really cute too."

"You think so?"

You nod your head as her smile gets brighter. Okay this is good, yeah, you can do this. A potential friend that's actually in your class. Just be cool, be normal.

"We should head out before they come looking for us." You're mostly thinking about Shoto. The last thing you want is him knocking on the girls locker room looking for you. That would be more than embarrassing. 

The two of you make your way out of the school and head towards the buses. Shoto is off to the side away from everyone, looking at you expectantly.

"It was nice talking to you." Ochako tells you, before heading off towards Midoriya and the guy with glasses. Ida? Yeah, that seems right. You're horrible with names. The two of you hadn't said much, but it was a start.

You can see Shoto eyeing the trio as Ida starts having everyone line up to get on the bus. "Shoto, please be nice."

He turns to look at you, expression passive. "Why wouldn't I be nice?" He raises an eyebrow and you want to pinch him. He knows exactly why, the brat.

"Shoto.." You whine, exasperated. "What will it take for you to be nice to the people I talk to?"

"You two, time to get on the bus!" Ida shouts, his arms as straight as arrows.

"Let me cuddle you however I want." He reaches out and grabs your hand, leading you towards the bus. The two of you are the last to get on.

He just wants to cuddle? How is that any different than usual? Puzzled, you nod your head. "Okay."

He nods once and ushers you into a seat.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Thirteen ending up being the other faculty member that would be overseeing today's rescue training. However, All Might was nowhere to be seen. Aizawa and Thirteen were talking to each other away from the students, their voices low.

"Excellent! Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well.... maybe two things, possibly three, four, or five-"

You don't mean to tune out, you really don't, there's just so much to look at. The building is a marvel, various disaster zones set up in all around a central plaza that even has a fountain.

But for some reason.. you feel uneasy, anxious. You can't put your finger on it, nothing seems out of the ordinary. All of your classmates are listening to Thirteen and-

"What is it?" Shoto whispers close to your ear. "Are you nervous for the training?"

"No. Uhh.. well yes, but that's not it." You're careful to keep your voice low to not draw any attention to the fact you and your brother weren't paying attention. You don't think Mr. Aizawa would appreciate it. "Something just feels weird."

No sooner were the words out of your mouth that all the lights overhead turned off. The class looks up, confused, but you don't. The hairs on the back of your neck are standing up. And that's when you looked towards the plaza, and so did Mr. Aizawa.

Because your gut feeling had been right.

Chapter Text

A swirling inky mist unfurls in front of the fountain, steadily growing bigger until they appear. Just two of them at first.

And then more.

And more.

These are... villains, real ones. You're not entirely sure how you know this isn't part of the exercise, you think it has a lot to do with the guy covered in hands. There's something frightening about him, and you get the feeling that you should keep your eyes on him. He's the biggest threat here, you just know it.

"Stay back!" Mr. Aizawa pulls your attention away from the villains. "This is real. Those are villains."

You hear Shoto call your name before you feel his hand wrap around your bicep, pulling you into him. "You can't do that." Shoto's voice is hushed, clipped.

"Sorry." You mumble, splitting your attention between the teachers and the villains. You watch as Mr. Aizawa puts on his yellow goggles, obscuring his eyes.

Your classmates are mummering and talking amongst themselves, the tension running high.

"Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?" Yaoyorozu asks.

"Good question, I'm not sure."

"Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this their only target?" Shoto speaks up from behind you. "Either way, if the alarm sensors aren't being triggered, then one of these villains must have a quirk that's masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here, but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?"

"Thirteen, get them outta here. And alert the main campus. Actually, if they've got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications too. Kaminari, try using your quirk to contact the school."

Deku takes a step forward. "What're you gonna do? You can't fight them on your own! There's too  any of 'em. Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this. Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That's not gonna help with a group."

"Mr. Aizawa, please, you can't face all of them alone." You try and take a step towards your teacher, but Shoto's hand holds you in place. This goes beyond him being your favorite hero, your favorite teacher. That many villains? Can he really hold them all off? What will happen to him if you all leave... 

"You can't be a pro if you only have one trick. I'll leave it to you Thirteen."  And then he was gone, jumping clear down the stairs.

"We have to go." Shoto tugs on your arm, making sure you keep up with the rest of the class.

Only.. you all get intercepted. The guy made of the same shadow as the portal that had brought all these villains here was before you. He's standing between your class and the doors. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the league of villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the symbol of peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet i see no sign of him. There must've been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen." He pauses, but only for a moment. "Ah, well, in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. I still have a role to play."

"Shoto..." He had let go of your arm when the shadow guy had cut you off.

The red head, Kirishima, and the loud-mouth Bakugo had jumped in to attack the villain. When the smoke cleared, it was clear their attacks had no effect.

"You live up to your school's reputation. But you should be more careful, children. Otherwise, someone might get hurt."

You tug on Shoto's sleeve, trying to get him to turn and talk to you. But his attention is forward, defensive. He's placed himself between you and the threat.

"I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades, and your deaths!" The shadows he seemed to be made of surge towards you and your class, casting you all into darkness. You throw your arms in front of your face, the force of his quirk making you slide backwards away from Shoto.

Suddenly, you're falling. The scream catches in your throat when you realize you're plummeting straight towards a ship surrounded by crystal blue water.

He must have warped all of you!

You fall to the deck of the ship, your left leg smashing against the railing, a sharp CRACK sounds before your choked scream. Your head smacks against the deck, literal stars blazing in front of your eyes.

You're not sure how long you lay there, dazed and barely conscious. It couldn't have been very long because suddenly Tsu is in front of you. And then you spot Midoriya.

"Hey guys..." You're slurring and don't even realize it. "You land here too?"

Midoriya and Tsu's faces are furrowed in concern.

Your temple is throbbing and hot, but it's nothing compared to how your leg feels. You can hardly focus on the two of them in front of you. That's probably a bad sign...

"Here, let's sit you up."

"I can do it.." You protest weakly. Midoriya moves carefully as he pulls your leg off the railing. That's when you see the break. The bone in your calf is protruding from your skin, blood leaking onto the deck. "Oh.. is that my tibia?" Shoto is going to be pissed.

Turning your head is a mistake as nausea churns your stomach, your head is throbbing. Reaching up, you hiss when you reach up to touch your temple. Your fingers come back stained red. Okay... you more than likely have a concussion too.

Groaning, you don't want to even begin to think about what Endeavor is going to say when he finds out. He already thinks you're weak.

Midoriya leans over you, his green eyes shining with concern. You realize with a slow blink that there's two of him. There definitely should not be a second Midoriya.. that's a problem.

"She looks like she's going to pass out." Tsu tells Midoriya.

"No.. I'm okay." You wave off her concerns with a shake of your hand.

Neither of them believe you.

"We.. have a problem." Midoriya tells you. You hum, hoping he'll take that as a sign to continue. "We're surrounded."

"Villains." Of course, so many of them came through that portal.

"This is turning out to be a terrible day of class." Tsu says with a dejected sigh.

"Yeah, I keep thinking about what that villain said. They knew our whole schedule and who would be here. They must've gotten into school files while we were all stuck in the cafeteria. The teachers were busy trying to get the media off school grounds. That means they've been waiting for the perfect time to attack. Just like your brother said they were." Izuku says, referring to what Shoto said before you all got warped.

"They aren't concerned with us, they want All Might." You pitch in, shakily pushing yourself into a sitting position. You try not to cry out when it jostles your broken leg.

"Think about it." Tsu starts. "If the villains spent so much time planning this attack, then they probably figured out a way to kill him." Dread pools in your gut, mixing in with the nausea. "And didn't you hear what that smoke guy said? Maybe we should worry more about not getting tortured to death. Otherwise, we might not survive long enough to see All Might again. And even if he does show up, who knows if he'll make it out in once piece."

"Maybe I should pass out after all." You joke.

Yelling comes from the water, no doubt the villains that Midoriya was telling you about. They all probably have some sort of Quirk that's best suited for water.

Both Tsu and Midoriya are silent for a long moment, Midoriya seemingly lost in his thoughts, a look of extreme concentration on his face. Come on, think. In theory, this is easy.. your Quirk is ice and you're surrounded by water.

But there's your leg to worry about, not to mention your concussion. How were you going to get up and fight?

"If they can beat him, then we have to stop whatever it is these bad guys are planning. We have to work together and keep All Might safe. No one at UA knows what's happening. This is up to us. Let's be heroes."

With a deep inhale, you raise your hand up. "Tsu, Midoriya.. if you help me walk, I can do this."

"Are you sure? You're in real bad shape." Tsu asks, drawing attention back to how serious your injuries are.

"My ice is the best chance that we have to stop them and keep them from coming after us. Tsu you're great in water, but you can't watch out for us too. Midoriya, if you use your Quirk, you'll just get hurt, same as me."

"You're right.. but.."

You shake your head. "I can do this. Help me up."

Tsu and Midoriya get on either side of you. You reach out and put an arm around each of their shoulders, they each wrap an arm around your waist.

You brace for the pain, inhaling a quick breath as they haul you up. Despite the fact you put absolutely zero weight on your leg, the pain still sends a flare of white across your vision.

You exhale shakily, your vision swimming. The three of you take the few necessary steps towards the side of the boat, catching sight of the villain's that are waiting for you below. They're jeering and talking about killing the three of you, but it might as well be static on a tv to you. You carefully drop your arm from Tsu's shoulder, letting Midoriya take the weight of your broken leg.

You need to do this fast. With a swish of your arm, an arch so quick, the ice spreads. It might as well be a crystalline avalanche with how fast it races down the ship and into the water. It's the biggest ice formation you've ever made, fueled by splitting pain and a throbbing behind your eyes. It wraps tightly around your enemies, freezing them in place from their shoulders down as the water turns to frigid ice.

They exclaim in surprise, trying in vain to struggle out of the trap they had unknowingly swam into. Bad luck for them.

Now, how in the hell are you getting off this boat?

Midoriya and Tsu seem to have come to the same question.

"Maybe it would be safer if we-" You cut him off.

"You're not leaving me on this stupid ship." You vaguely gesture towards your blood stains across the deck.

Tsu nods. "Got any plans?"

"I can create a ramp down, but..." You take a look at Midoriya. Surely if your brother can lift you up, he can. "Midoriya.. will you be able to carry me on your back?"

"Yeah.. but.." He quiets, looking between you and Asui. "Yes. Let's do this."

You know that no matter how you do this, it's going to really hurt. Once the adrenaline wears off you're done for. Until then...

Midoriya squats down in front of you and Tsu helps arrange you across his back. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders, he carefully grips the back of your thighs and stands up, moving up onto the railing.

The world spins a bit, but you do your best to focus your eyes forward as you look over Midoriya's shoulder down into the frozen water. Unlike your brother, you won't be able to unfreeze them should too much time pass. They could get hypothermia, or worse...

"Ready?" Tsu asks.

Your ice spreads down the side of the ship creating a careful incline. Where as your attack had been fast, merciless - this is careful and controlled. You aren't the best at manipulating your ice into specific shapes yet, but now is as good as any for some practice.

The three of you jump off the ship and slide down the ice passed the villains. Midoriya is a bit shaky at first, attempting to get used to your weight on his back. But he doesn't slip, and he doesn't drop you.

You're once again thankful that you're running high on adrenaline as your leg gets jostled against your green-haired classmate.

The area affected by your ice comes to an end, the central plaza in view.

"We should follow the shore to the exit, then we can avoid the central plaza entirely." Midoriya says, looking over towards the stairs where you had all been at the start of this. 

"Good idea. That way we don't run into the villains Mr. Aizawa's facing off with there." Tsu says.

"If he doesn't get some backup then he's just going to overexert himself. He'll end up defeated by those villains cause he was trying to keep us safe."

"Should we help?" You mumble quietly.

How much help could you be in a state like this? Midoriya can't protect you and himself in a group like that.

"I'm not saying we should jump into the middle of a battle. But... Maybe we can find a way to take a few of those guys out and lighten his load." Midoriya is rightfully worried. You are too..  and not just because Mr. Aizawa is your favorite hero and teacher. Sure, you're biased.. but..

"What about you?" Tsu asks carefully, turning to look at you gripping weakly to Midoriya's back. When had your grip gone so slack?

You blink slowly. The pain in your leg has dimmed down some as you wade through the water, but your head is only getting fuzzier. How bad of a concussion do you have?

"Hey, you have to stay awake." Tsu touches your shoulder. "Let's check how Mr. Aizawa is doing, but it's probably best we don't draw attention to ourselves."

You've seen Eraser Head fight before, of course you have. You've devoured all the footage you could get your hands on. But seeing him fight in person was something else entirely.

The problem is.. you know his fighting style, you've seen him move. You can tell he's slowing down.

"Oh no.." You grip onto Midoriya tighter. Surely some of the other teachers will arrive soon? Otherwise the three of you are going to have to do something... how much longer can he last?

He's next to Mr. Aizawa faster than you can blink.. or maybe your eyes stayed closed for too long.

Mr. Aizawa turns, but it's not fast enough. Whatever that thing is, he looks more bird than man.. you have a really bad feeling.

The splash of blood as Mr. Aizawa's goggles break in half has you gasping, a strangled noise coming out of your throat. You have to slap your hand over your mouth to stifle the cry. Midoriya goes tense underneath you, his body freezing.

"No, Mr. Aizawa..." Midoriya's voice is broken up shakily, much like yours.

Mr. Aizawa is face down on the ground and here you are, frozen in fear? No, no, not happening!

You try and wiggle off Midoriya but he grips onto your legs tighter. "What are you doing?" He whispers as loud as he dares. "You have to calm down!"

"Ribbit."

But the snap of bone makes you flinch, the bird man had smashed his overly large hand down onto Mr. Aizawa's left arm. Breaking it easily.

Your leg throbs in response.

Your eyes are drawn to the figure covered in hands. Wait.. he looks like..

That man! The one that stood across from the school!

"Wait.. I've seen him before." You point towards him, eyes sweeping over his powder-blue hair.

"You have?"

"He was outside UA that day the press got in." You think about the way you watched the skin of Mr. Aizawa's elbow crumble beneath his hand. "He must have used his Quirk to destroy the gate."

You can barely hear the conversation going on between him and the man that seemed to be made of smokey mist. Were they really going to retreat?

"I have a real bad feeling about this, you guys." Tsu says.

"It seems weird that they'd retreat at this point, even if help is on the way." Midoriya replies.

The intense feeling of dread fills your chest and you open your mouth to warn the others but he's fast.. so much faster than you saw him move before when he attacked Mr. Aizawa. The man with the hands.

You finally get a look at his eye.. the only one visible. His pupil is small and red, reminding you less of a ruby and more like the blood no doubt still seeping from your leg.

"Let's make this hurt." His voice is rough, scratchy almost.

His hand outstretches towards Tsu, who's still registering that he was now in front of the three of you.

He's reaching for her head! Mr. Aizawa's crumbling elbow flashes into your mind again. He's going to kill her! 

You and Midoriya had both froze, but nothing happened when his fingers came into contact with her skin.

"You really are so cool... Eraser Head." His head tips slightly to the side, addressing something behind him. You can hear his voice clearly now. The scratchy rasp.

Flicking your gaze, you see Mr. Aizawa's beat up and bloody face, his eyes a searing red as he erases the Quirk of the villain in front of Tsu.

You watch the bird villain pull back on his head, gripping his broken arm like a toy and you snap back towards the other villain in front of you.

You and Midoriya move at the same time. He jumps from the water the same moment you let go to flick your hand outwards.

You can feel yourself slipping off your classmate's back and you know you're going to go under the water in a second.

"You! Let her go! Now!" Midoriya yells "Smash!"

Your ice and his punch reach him at the same time. Only-

You dunk into the water, body immediately starting to sink. Water fills your mouth on an accidental inhale and you shake your head, arms flailing.

It hurts, it hurts! You flail to the surface, pushing your arms and your one good leg in order to get your head above water. The force of Midoriya's attack caused waves upon waves to ripple across the surface and you keep getting mouthfuls of water.

The smoke clears all at once, revealing that the bird man had jumped in front of Midoriya's attack, taking the well-timed punch instead.

He doesn't even look phased.

You glance behind him, to where the other villain still squats at the ledge of the man-made lake. There's blood leaking off his hand and into the dirt.

Your ice hadn't missed.

"You're pretty powerful." He comments. Whether it's to you or Midoriya you can't tell, but his eye flicks from the wound on his hand to you in a flash. You hold eye contact even as he addresses Midoriya. "This 'smash' of yours. Are you one of All Might's disciples? Doesn't matter. I'm done with you now."

The bird grabs onto Deku's arm, raising his other hand up high to go in for an attack.

The door into the USJ smashes open, the noise loud and jarring. All of you turn to face the entrance.

There, in a yellow suit and a white button up, is All Might. 

"He's here... All Might..."

"Ribbit."

"Ah. Looks like our game's getting a 'continue'." The villain, whose name you still don't know stands up. "After all this waiting... The heroic piece of trash shows up."

Black spots dance in your vision, and suddenly the world is no more.

Chapter Text

You wake slowly, your eyelids not wanting to cooperate. There's momentary confusion as your brain attempts to play catch up. Your morning started with... getting coffee for Mr. Aizawa. You remember him enjoying it, and the bus ride to the USJ. The villain attack. Your fall onto the ship when you all got teleported. The break.

There was that guy with the hands. He had tried to kill Tsu. And there was that bird guy, he had hurt Mr. Aizawa. The memory of your ice cutting into that villain's hand makes your limbs twitch.

You're laying on something soft. The last thing you remember was being in the water, All Might had just arrived. What happened?

Your eyes flutter open, blearily taking in your surroundings. Everything's fuzzy at first, but the more you blink the easier seeing becomes.

You're surprised to find yourself in your bedroom, laying on your bed underneath the blankets. How did you get here? You try and move your legs only for the left one to ache at the attempt. You shift it again, testing. It feels heavier, weighed down.

Your muscles protest as you sit up, your body is stiff and uncomfortable. You must have been laying like that for a while. Peeling back the blankets, you're greeted with the sight of a cast on your leg. You reach up and touch your head next, prodding where your head had hit the deck. But the injury is gone. They must have taken you to recovery girl.

"You're awake." Shoto moves quick across the floor, eliminating the distance between the two of you.

You turn your head just in time for him to pull you into his body, arms wrapped tightly around you. "Sho.." Your body slumps in relief as you breathe him in, inhaling the scent of fabric softener and the green tea he must have just had. The familiar dual-temperature of his embrace makes you grip onto him tighter.

He's safe and from what you can tell, unharmed.

You barely had time to think about Shoto during the villain attack. You're so glad he's fine and here with you.

"I was so worried..." He mumbled, leaning down to burrow his face in your tangled hair. "When I saw you broken and bleeding... I-" He lets out a shaky exhale.

"I'm sorry." It isn't your fault.. but you apologize anyways. If you had seen him injured like that you would have... You shake your head, willing the thought away.

"Midoriya told me what happened. How you fell and got hurt on the ship, that it was you that subdued those villains." He rubs his hand down over your hair, slow and steady. You know he's probably making the tangles worse, but you don't care.

You nod in his grasp. "Midoriya better have given himself credit too. If it wasn't for him and Tsu, I don't think I could have made it off that ship."

Shoto's hand stills in your hair. "He told me he had to carry you."

You nod again. "I was worried he'd drop me."

Shoto hums, not saying anything for a long minute. "I should have been with you."

"It's not your fault we didn't get warped to the same location." You knew it wouldn't alleviate the guilt he was feeling. "We're together now." He grips you tighter, his hands flexing slightly. You change the subject. "Is Tsu okay? What about Mr. Aizawa?"

"Asui doesn't have a scratch. Midoriya injured himself with his Quirk again. Mr. Aizawa is... in bad shape." He pauses and you find it hard to swallow. "The rest of our classmates are safe as well."

"What about All Might? And the villains?"

"All Might is fine, he drove back the villains. Most were captured, but the guy with the hands and the one with the teleportation Quirk escaped."

So the guy that looked like some weird bird was defeated after all. Good.

You try and pull back away from Shoto, getting uncomfortable from being hugged in this position. "Sho, let me lay down."

"Oh." He immediately releases you, letting you slump into your pillows. His eyes roam over your face, he looks sad. "Are you hungry?"

Your stomach chooses that moment to growl. You huff. "I suppose that answers your question."

"Fuyumi made dinner, I'll go get you some." He turns and heads out of the room.

He's only gone a couple minutes before he's walking back in the room with a tray of food and some water. "Thank you."

He waits for you to sit up and shuffle back against the pillows and headboard before setting the tray over your lap. He sits himself by your legs, being very careful to not bump into your broken one.

You bring attention to your injury with a nod of your head. "Recovery Girl patched me up nicely."

Shoto purses his lips, looking down at your leg. "You had to have surgery." He says pointedly.

You frown. "How long have I been asleep?" It was clearly night now, that much was obvious with dinner on your lap.

"The villain attack was yesterday."

"Oh. Did they cancel school?"

He nods.

Your next question is harder. "Did dad say anything?"

"He told me to watch over you better." Irritation bled into his tone. You will yourself not to get angry. It wasn't Shoto's fault you got hurt.

"Figures." You roll your eyes, choosing to focus on your food instead. Fuyumi has always been a good cook and tonight's dinner is no exception.

"Fuyumi and Natsuo were worried." He tells you.

Well, at least they care.

"Do we have school tomorrow?"

Shoto looks away, suddenly finding one of your Eraser Head posters very interesting. "Would you consider staying home?"

"No." Your answer is immediate.

He sighs but doesn't look surprised. Neither of you say anything more until you finish your meal. Afterwards, Shoto hands you some crutches so that you can go to the bathroom without him having to help you.

You wash your face, brush your teeth, and work through the tangles in your hair before heading back to your room. The crutches are awkward and make you feel off balance. You just know that if you have to use them too long your armpits are going to hurt.

Shoto is waiting to help you settle back into bed. He practically picks you up to set you on the mattress. With an affectionate eyeroll, you let him cover you with the blankets and fluff up the pillows. Once you're nice and tucked in, he walks to the other side of the bed to get under the covers with you.

As soon as he's under the blankets, his arms are snaking around you to pull you closer. He's careful of your leg when he wraps his body around yours. He hugs you as tight as he dares, burrowing his face in your neck.

His breath is cool against your skin. Which only makes you notice the kiss he presses into your throat that much more. There's a momentary hitch in your breath before you force yourself to relax against him once more.

He's never done that before. Only the occasional kiss on the cheek. But so what? It doesn't mean anything. He's just worried about you and in need of affection.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Despite how much sleep you got, you still feel tired when you wake up. Shoto insists on helping you stand as he gathers up your uniform, laying it across the bed. With a quick touch on your shoulder, he heads to his own room to get ready for school. You're thankful he didn't insist on helping you change. A shower will have to wait until you get home from school today.

The ride to school is too short and before you know it, you find yourself sitting in your assigned seat. Shoto snuck the coffee you got onto Mr. Aizawa's desk. You weren't sure if he'd be in, you doubted it. But you wanted to make sure it was there, just in case.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Ochako says, appearing beside your desk. 

"Yeah, we were all really worried." Mina says.

The rest of the class chime in, telling you much of the same. Their kindness warms your heart and you smile.

"Thanks you guys."

"Hey Tsu. So... who do ya think is gonna teach class today? " Mina asks, leaning her chair back into Tsu's desk.

Tsu presses her hand against the back of Mina's chair. "No idea. Mr. Aizawa's still in the hospital recovering from his injuries."

The door to the classroom slides open, revealing a heavily bandaged Mr. Aizawa. His arms are in slings and the entirety of his face is covered in bandages.

"Morning, class."

The class erupts. "Mr. Aizawa, what are you doing here?!"

He looks rough, and when he heads towards his desk, it's slow and with a limp. You glance down at your broken leg with a sigh. Poor Mr. Aizawa is in worse shape than you are.

"My well being is irrelevant." Mr. Aizawa starts. "What's more important is that your fight isn't over yet." The entire class tenses. "The UA sports festival is about to start." 

"Ugh! Why would you scare us like that?!" Most of the class complains.

You had totally forgotten about the sports festival.. will you even be healed by then?

Jiro cuts through the chatter. "Is it really such a good idea to hold the sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?"

"They could attack once we're all in the same place." Ojiro says.

"Apparently, the administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever. Plus, they're beefing up security compared to past years. This event is a huge opportunity for all students at UA. It's not something we can cancel because of a few villains."

You can feel your thoughts straying away from the class. You're worried about the sports festival. Not just because of the villains, but because of dear old dad. His expectations will be high.. and if you're too injured to take part of it.. the pressure he'll put on Shoto will be worse.

"Our sports festival is one of the most-watched events in the entire world. In the past, everyone obsessed over the Olympic games. But then Quirks started appearing. Now, the Olympics have been drastically reduced in terms of scale and viewership. For anyone who cares about competition, there's only one tournament that matters. The UA sports festival."

You nervously drum your nails on your desk, nibbling on your bottom lip. What are you going to do if you're not healed enough to compete?

"That's right!" Momo says, determined. "And top heroes everywhere will be watching. This is where you get scouted."

"It's true that joining a famous hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity. That's why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, then this event could open the path for you. One chance a year. Three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival. That means you better not slack off on your training." With every word Mr. Aizawa says, your heart sinks lower.

"Yes, sir!" Most of the class responds.

"Class dismissed."

Damn. Today officially sucks.

Three chances in a lifetime and you had already ruined one. You drop your head against your desk with a 'thunk'. You hear rather than see Shoto turn around in his seat towards you.

You look up just in time to see Mr. Aizawa awkwardly using his casts to grab the coffee you had left on his desk. Well... maybe today wasn't entirely terrible.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The rest of the school day goes by quickly. Thankfully, Shoto hasn't tried to talk to you about the storm cloud hanging above your head. You're sure he knows at least some of what is going on in your mind. You wonder if he realizes a lot of your thoughts revolve around how this is going to affect him, not you.

The final bell brought a cluster of students in front of the door to class, blocking the exit. 

"U-uhm, why the heck are you all here?" Ochako asks.

"Do you students have some sort of business with our class. Why are you blocking our doorway?" Ida asks next.

"They're scouting out the competition, idiots. We're the class that survived a real villain attack." The angry blonde, Bakugo walks passed everyone.

He's right. It's no coincidence they're here now and not some other classroom.

"At least now you know what a future pro looks like." He continues. "Now move it, extras." 

Oh my god... he really just called them extras. To their faces.

Ochako yells in alarm and Ida immediately starts reprimanding Bakugo. "You can't walk around calling people "extras" just because you don't know who they are!"

Shoto walks up to your side, slipping his hand into yours. "Noisy." He comments.

"Very." You squeeze his hand. What was the likelihood you could squeeze past everyone?

"So this is class 1-A. I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass. Is everyone in the hero course delusional, or just you?" A guy with purple hair and tired eyes pushes his way through the crowd but you've had enough.

"Come on, Sho." You squeeze his hand once more before gripping onto your crutches and moving forward passed your classmates. You nod at Ochako since you can't wave. You don't need to look behind you to know Shoto is following you.

You move between Bakugo and the guy tired enough to rival Mr. Aizawa. "Move, please."

The guy's violet gaze finds yours, looks towards Shoto and then at your injured leg before nodding and stepping aside. The rest of the crowd does the same. You know you might miss something relevant to the sports festival.. but you just want to go home and shower.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You had two weeks till the sports festival. Two weeks of training you missed out on. Your check in with Recovery Girl a week after your injury hadn't been good news. Your healing was slow, even with her aid.

You broke your leg in three places. The worst was the compound fracture that had broken through your skin. What you hadn't known about, was the torn ligaments. All of that from falling onto a boat. Ridiculous.

During those two weeks, you got to know Mei some more. You would occasionally run into her during lunch. She rarely even ate in the cafeteria. Shoto hovered a lot at first, but he kept his promise. He was nice.

Your crush on her hadn't gone away, the more you got to know her, the more you liked her. Thankfully, you're doing a great job hiding it. Or... you hope so anyways. Neither Mei or Shoto had said anything about it yet. Surely that was a good sign?

Every single morning you leave coffee for Mr. Aizawa. Only, you've started leaving small snacks as well. He still hasn't questioned the class about it. You're not sure if he suspects one of the teachers, or if he already knows it's you.

You're not able to participate in hero training due to your injuries. You end up sitting with Mr. Aizawa each class as he oversees your classmates. The two of you don't talk much, but you cherish the time. He's a soothing presence and you often think about how easy it would be to doze off.

Outside of school and homework, all you did was help Shoto train for the sports festival. Fuyumi has tried to talk to you a few times, but you always have a quick excuse. You feel bad, but you're afraid of what she wants to talk about. You're such a coward. What if she just wants to ask how you're feeling?

Not everything has to be about you and Shoto.

Not everything has to be about Endeavor either.

You were less wary when Natsuo approached you. He had pulled you into a hug before you could make up an excuse to leave. Affection from your other siblings wasn't something you were used to. But when he told you that he was glad you were okay, you wrapped your arms around him too.

And then - 

It was the morning of the sports festival.

Chapter Text

Shoto had been increasingly quieter the days leading up to the event. Refusing to talk about what was on his mind, even though you were pretty sure you already knew. All the training for the sports festival had been with his right side. 

Of course you know how Shoto feels about his left side. The two of you have had many conversations about it. No matter what you've said, the disgust for his fire remained. You hated that he resented that part of himself. You wish you could make him see that his fire doesn't belong to Endeavor.

But when it came time for the two of you to part ways that morning. You couldn't think of what to say. Instead, you wished him good luck and let him pull you into a hug, returning the gesture just a little bit tighter.

Just as you're about to hobble your way down the hallway, you hear your name come from your side. Jumping in surprise, you almost lose grip on one of your crutches.

Mr. Aizawa stands next to you, still covered in bandages, but his limp has greatly improved.

"Mr. Aizawa, you scared me." Even looking like a mummy he's moves so quietly.

"Sorry." His normal deadpan tone doesn't sound apologetic at all. "I've come to extend an invitation to sit with me and Present Mic."

You blink slowly, even as excitement bubbles in your chest. "Are you sure?"

He nods. "Come on."

You're not sure if he keeps the pace he does for the sake of your injuries, or his own. Soon enough, you find yourself sitting with Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic who has started commentating for the crowd as well as the viewers tuning in.

"Hey-o! Make some noise, all you rabid sports fans! Get those cameras prepped, media hordes! This year, we're bringing you some of the hottest performances in UA's festival history, guaranteed! I've only got one question before we start this show - are you ready? Let me hear ya scream as our students make their way to the main stage!"

It always amuses you to see Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic with each other. You've gathered over the last few weeks that they're best friends. You can't really tell if Mr. Aizawa is a willing participant in the friendship though.

The audience is cheering loudly throughout the stadium. There's glittering colorful splashes overhead as fireworks announce the starting of the festival.

"Welcome back to the UA sports festival! Where up-and-coming heroes leave everything on the field as they fight for the chance to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity! This first group are no strangers to the spotlight! You know them for withstanding a villain attack, they're the dazzling students lighting up your TVs with solid-gold skills! It's the hero course students of class 1-A!"

Present Mic goes on to announcing the rest of the first year classes, none with as much hype as your own. Occasionally Present Mic appears on the giant screens around the stadium, but for the life of you, you can't tell where the camera is located in the room. You hope they don't show you sitting here at any point. You're not exactly dressed to impress. You had expected to spend all your time in the stands, you just wanted to be comfortable.

You spot Shoto in the crowd, and from then on, you don't lose sight of your brother for the rest of the festival.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The first game ended up being an obstacle course. Shoto had kept the lead up until the very end when he and Bakugo had started fighting for first place. Only, neither of them finished first. Midoriya did. Your brother had come in second place.

The second game was a calvary battle. Before you knew it, you were drawn into commenting by Mic. You talked more than Mr. Aizawa. You didn't even notice when the camera would pan over to you. 

The thing was... your teacher drew your attention away from your brother. You ended up commenting more on Katsuki Bakugo than you did Shoto. Your blonde classmate was relentless and honestly, it was endearing.

Team Todoroki won, they had gotten Midoriya's headband. Only -

Midoriya had almost gotten your brother to use his fire. It had been in the heat of the moment. Midoriya had come at Shoto on his left side and he had ignited and it was beautiful.

And then it was gone and you sat there watching your brother stare at his left hand, unable to see what emotion was on his face.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Mic ends up walking you down to go meet with Shoto, except you can't find him. Not for a while at least. A good portion of the lunch hour is over before Shoto finds you eating lunch with Mei. He slides into the seat beside you.

"Where have you been?" You try not to sound too disappointed with him.

You're not sure what you expected of Shoto. An apologetic look, maybe? An explanation for why he was late. Instead, he stares at you.

And it isn't the way he normally looks at you. It's.. irritated. Before you can try and puzzle it out, he changes the subject.

"How are you feeling? Is your leg okay?" He reaches for the leg in question but you catch his hand, frowning.

"I'm fine, Sho." Why did he change the subject? You want to press the issue.. but Mei is right there.

"Congrats on making it to the finals, Mei." Shoto tells your pink-haired friend.

Perhaps it's coincidence.. surely Shoto hadn't come to the same conclusion you had and used it against you? He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't use Mei to avoid talking about a subject.

Mei laughs, a certain gleam in her eyes. She's either oblivious to the tension between you and your twin, or she's ignoring it.

"Thank you! I'm excited to show off my babies!" She gushes.

You learned quick that Mei is a storm of creativity and determination. She's one of the most hardworking people you've ever met. She's extremely proud of her work, and she should be. She can be intense, and sometimes she's scary, but you're happy she's your friend.

Crap, you're doing it again.

You glance away from Mei. She's too cute.

Warm fingers slide over your hand before his whole hand dwarfs yours, lacing your fingers together on top of the table. You look down at your now joined hands in surprise. He was acting so cold and yet... 

You glance up at his face, but he isn't looking at you. He's still looking at Mei. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Seriously, what is going on? Shoto was being evasive and icy. And now he was having a conversation with Mei that he started? Shoto was doing better with you making friends, but he still wasn't keen on making his own.

"Don't you think so?" Your brother had turned to you and you realized with a long pause that he was talking to you this time.

"What?" How long had you been spacing out?

His hand squeezes your own. "I said, Bakugo did really good in the cavalry battle didn't he?" His tone is nonchalant, but you know better and now you're angry.

That's what this is about?

Your commentary?

You try and pull your hand out from under his, but he keeps a steady grip on your hand. Stupid. Stubborn. Shoto. You think about icing your hand over and slipping free of his grip.

Fine. He wants to throw a tantrum, you'll let him. "He did great. I think you have real competition."

There's a slight widening of his eyes and it's all you need. You slip your hand free from his grip and spot Ochako sitting with Midoriya. You jump up from your seat and make your way over there as quickly as you can on your crutches.

"Oh, hey!" She calls out your name with a smile.

"Would you mind keeping me company on my trip back to Mr. Aizawa?"

You see her eyes look behind you. You know she's looking at Shoto. She doesn't so much as blink as she turns back to look at you. "Sure!"

"Wanna come?" You ask your fluffy-haired classmate.

Midoriya nods and the three of you leave the room together. You chat all the way up until you rejoin Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic.

"Thanks for walking me. Good luck on your matches!" You tell them, before slipping into the room.

Mr. Aizawa looked like he hadn't moved the entire time you had been gone. Had he just slept the whole time?

"Good lunch?" He asks without turning to look at you.

For some reason, you're honest with him. "No."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Midoriya's match was first. He was against the guy that had shown up at your classroom before, the one with the purple hair. Shinso. Turns out, he had a super powerful Quirk. In the end, it was Midoriya that won.

You snatched the mic from Present Mic as Shinso started to walk off the stage. "Shinso has such an impressive Quirk. He'd make a great pro hero!"

You could feel your teacher's eyes on you. And you knew your face was currently displayed on the stadium screens.

You saw Shinso turn his head up to where you were seated. You could see the slight widening of his tired eyes, and you knew you made the right decision. He needed to hear it.

You could hear the mummer of the crowd getting louder. The support and curiosity for Shinso getting louder. "Congrats Midoriya!" You concluded, albeit a little awkwardly. Quickly handing the mic back over.

The next match was Shoto vs Sero. The moment it started, you could tell something was wrong. The rigidity of his shoulders, his stiff posture. Was he still mad about earlier? Or was it something else?

Sero wasted no time wrapping Shoto up in his tape, constricting Shoto's arms at his sides. He started steering him quickly towards the boundary line. But you knew, Sero had lost.

You just didn't expect what came next.

You have seen Shoto create massive walls of ice before, but nothing like this. The stadium trembled under the force of the glacier your brother had created.

Present Mic's glasses are askew and you've never seen Mr. Aizawa's eyes so wide before. The chill coming off the glacier seeped through the window, goosebumps spread across your arms. You shivered. Even your natural immunity to cold had trouble against the arctic atmosphere he had created.

The crowd was silent. You could hear Miss Midnight address Sero, but you weren't paying attention. Your teachers straightened themselves out, and with a deep breathe, you tried to do the same.

You have a gut feeling this has something to do with Endeavor.

"Nice try!" The crowd chanted for Sero. That was probably the shortest one-on-one match in UA sports festival history.

And you doubted Shoto even cared.

The next match was delayed as the ice had to be melted. It was Kaminari vs Ibara Shiozaki from class 1-B. Kaminari ended up losing. You covered your laugh with your hand. Thankfully, the camera stayed on Mic. You'd tease Denki later.

The next match was Ida vs Mei Hatsume. You knew you were biased hoping Mei would win.

But it turned out, Mei just wanted to show off her designs. And you couldn't blame her, they were good. She let Ida win, having accomplished her goal. She just wanted to show off her tech to the hero support companies. You're sure they remembered her name now. You may have stole the microphone from your teacher again.

You really hadn't expected to have so much fun spending the day with your teachers. But you hadn't thought they'd let you comment on the festival either. The more you talked, the easier it got. Your earlier discomfort and stage fright melting away.

Mina won her match against Aoyama easily.

Tokoyami won his match against Momo. 

Kirishima and Tetsuetetsu's fight went on forever. They end up knocking each other out. The winner of their match would have to be decided in a different way after the both of them wake up.

Ochako and Bakugo were up next, and you were torn. You were becoming friends with Ochako, so of course you wanted her to win.. But on the other hand, you were really starting to admire Bakugo. Seeing how hard he's fought in both rounds.. 

Bakugo ended up winning but Ochako was brilliant and fought really hard.

Kirishima and Tetsuetetsu ended up having an arm wrestling competition once they both woke up. Kirishima won.

And then it was once again your brother's match. Only this time he was facing Midoriya. It was hard to hold on to your anger when it came to Shoto. All you wanted to do was yank the microphone and hype them both up. Just so he knew you were there.

But he was mean earlier, and for what? Because you talked about your classmates during a sports festival? Ridiculous.

Shoto started off strong, but for every single one of his ice attacks, Midoriya would shatter it. The more Shoto attacked, the more you could see it. It was small at first, the layer of frost starting to coat his skin and appear on his clothes.

You had the same problem when you overused your Quirk... but Shoto could regulate his temperature.. if he would just use his left side.

You could see your father in the stands now. Lit up with his signature fire, you couldn't help but sneer as you spotted him staring at Shoto.

The longer the match went on, the worse it got for you. Shoto has been, and will always be amazing. And even though he isn't showing his full capabilities it's obvious that Shoto is better than a lot of pro heroes out there.

The problem is, Shoto's slowing down. The layer of frost getting thicker over his skin. Midoriya was breaking his fingers just to keep your brother at bay. It's a wonder that they haven't stopped the match yet. You've barely spoke this whole time. Too on edge to get a word out.

Shoto and Midoriya have seemed to be talking this entire time. But from this far up, you haven't been able to hear this conversation. But whatever they're talking about, it's heated. Until finally.. 

This time, you don't have to snatch the microphone from your teacher, he hands it over willingly. "Sho! Come on!" You lean forward in your chair. "I know I'm biased, but win this! Do it for me! For Fuyumi and Natsuo! Do it for mom! Do it for Toya!" You made sure to name every single member of your family except for your dad. You wanted him to know he was excluded.

That this moment wasn't for him.

But perhaps.. you should have left your dead brother out of it.

-You're just too cute.-