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Inside the Todoroki household, there’s a stifling sort of silence that fills the air. The family (or at least three members of it) sits in the dining room, no words being spoken as the food in their plates grows cold, while they listen to a newscaster speaking from the TV.
“UA’s latest graduates make their impressive debut with the take down of the self-proclaimed League of Villains. In an explosive show of strength, the recently licenced Pro-Hero Dynamight, faught and apprehended their leader, Shigaraki Tomura while his ex-classmates worked together to bring down the rest of the League. Notorious villains such as Twice, Spinner, Mr Compress and Toga are now under arrest and awaiting a trial that is guaranteed to end with a prison sentence. We can thank the formidable heroes that made this possible — ”
Todoroki Shouto can only watch as the flames that adorn his father’s face become hotter and hotter to the point that it would be hard to stay in the room, were Shouto and his sister not used to it by now. The tension in the room is suffocating but Shouto knows that leaving would do him no favours. His father’s a ticking bomb, ready to burst; it would do him no good to provoke him right now.
“— just received news from a recently released statement that the heroes that participated in this battle will be teaming up to form their own agency, the magnitude of which we have never seen before. The ‘A-Class Hero Agency’ will be up and running in a month’s time. Pro-Hero Creati has confirmed that the majority of the newly graduated class 3-A, as well as a couple of members of class 3-B, will be part of this new agency. Interestingly enough, the only member from class 3-A that will not be joining the agency is Pro-Hero Shouto, son of the Number One Hero, Endeavour. Seeing as he is currently working for his father’s agency, we have to wonder when this hero, having graduated in the top three of his class, will start to make a name for himself and come out of his father’s shadow. Will he find a way to catch up with his ex-classmates? Only time will tell — ”
The TV is turned off with a sharp click and the house is plunged into complete, deafening silence. Shouto turns to stare at his sister, Fuyumi, who’s clutching the remote control tightly in her hands. She meets his eyes and gives him a small, strained smile. Shouto looks away.
When Shouto checks, he finds that his father is still staring at the TV, only his expression is not one of pure anger as he had been expecting. Instead he looks pensive, deep in thought. This is worse than anger, Shouto thinks, because anger is brief, its consequences known and accepted. This thought, this planning… Shouto has no idea what could come out of it and he’s afraid to find out.
“It’s obvious,” starts Enji, “that our current approach towards your career isn’t working. You will never reach the Top Ten at this pace.”
“I’ve only been out of school for a month,” Shouto mutters, but is ignored.
“You must be seen doing something greater than stopping some simple muggings during patrol,” Enji continues. “Tomorrow you will report to my office, first thing in the morning, and you will be given a new job. There’s an ongoing investigation where I think you’ll be able to shine.”
Enji smiles, wide and wicked. The room is burning hot but Shouto can only feel cold.
“So,” Midoriya Izuku says, voice deceptively light, “care to remind me exactly why we’re working with Endeavour’s agency now that we’re so close to finishing this case?”
Instead of giving a verbal answer, his mentor rolls his eyes and jumps onto the next rooftop. Izuku chases after him.
“It’s a legitimate question, you know?” he says while running. He won’t let Eraserhead escape.
“I think you know why, Dekiru,” the man answers once Izuku catches up to him.
Izuku is about to protest when they hear a scream on the streets below, and Izuku doesn’t think about it twice before jumping down to help out. It’s a simple mugging where the assailant has a knife quirk — nothing Izuku hasn’t dealt with before. He is quick in subduing the criminal, using the cover of the night to take him by surprise. Once the man is tied up, he takes his time to comfort the victim, knowing that Aizawa has already called the police from his observation point up on the roof.
When the police arrive, Izuku only has to show his Pro-Hero ID and fill out a bit of paperwork before he’s free to go. Then he meets Aizawa on the roof once again. He’s wearing a small, proud smile.
“You did good, problem child,” he says. Izuku stops his excitement at the praise before it can really get to him — it was just a simple mugging, after all. He’s been stopping those for years now.
“You know where else I’ve been doing good, Aizawa-sensei?” he says in a singsong voice that he knows will irritate Aizawa.
“I thought I told you to drop the sensei, kid,” he says with a huff.
“I will when you stop calling me kid,” Izuku replies. Behind his yellow goggles, Aizawa narrows his eyes (Izuku can tell).
“Problem child,” he simply says, acknowledging their stalemate.
Satisfied (for now), Izuku continues with his previous point, “As I was saying, I’ve been doing lots of good with our latest Trigger investigation. We’ve compiled all the evidence, now we just need to arrest the gang. I’m sure we could find a way to do that without help!”
“You know as well as I do that we’re going to need some heavy-hitters if we want to catch them and the Hero Commission suggested that we work with Endeavour… and their word is law, as much as we don’t like it.” Resignation bleeds through Aizawa’s voice; he too isn’t happy with this arrangement.
Izuku sighs.
“It’s just that I know that we’re going to have to deal with the collateral damage they leave behind.” He paces in circles on the rooftop as he speaks, full of nervous energy, despite having just spent hours running around on patrol. “And — And I know that the moment Endeavour finds out that I’m — that I’m —” he takes a breath, “— quirkless —” then another, “— he’s going to place me in the most useless position possible if he doesn’t take me out of the investigation entirely. And this is the first big case I’ve been part of and I have to see it through till the very end. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am, I— ”
Aizawa cuts him off with a hand on his shoulder. His goggles are down and in his eyes Izuku can see empathy and understanding ( though not without the tiniest bit of pity ).
“It’ll be alright, problem child,” he says, voice uncharacteristically soft, “and if it’s not, then there will always be another case to solve.”
He tugs down Izuku’s hood and ruffles his hair.
“Don’t give up now, Dekiru,” he continues. “You’ve come very far, so don’t let something like this stop you.”
Later, as Izuku makes his way to the small, lonely apartment he’s been calling home for the last month, he thinks back to Aizawa’s words and lets out a small, bitter laugh.
You’ve come so far, he’d said.
Ha, Izuku thinks. I may have come far, but how much further can I go before I’m stopped? To achieve my dream — my real dream —
Can I really do it?
As for the investigation… he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it. Right now, it is late, and Izuku is tired.
Turns out that the ‘new job’ involves a team-up mission with an underground agency, which is surprising, considering his father’s tendencies towards working alone and his need to take full credit for all villain apprehensions that he does.
They hold a meeting in one of the many conference rooms of the Endeavour Hero Agency building. It’s a large room, way too big for the four people present in this meeting — an intimidation tactic, perhaps? Whatever the reason, it’s a big room and from where Shouto is seated, he has a perfect visual of those present: his father (of course), looking as stern as ever; Eraserhead, the other agency’s representative and Shouto’s ex-teacher, looking as tired as ever; and someone else, who Shouto does not recognise. Another underground hero probably. He’s wearing a hood and a mouthguard which hide some of his features, but some dark green curls peek out from under the hood and Shouto notices his large emerald eyes, looking at everything and everyone in the room, betraying apprehension. There’s something vulnerable in the way he fidgets with his gloved hands. Perhaps he’s new in the business too -- Shouto can empathise with that. However, with such a nervous attitude, Shouto doesn’t know how long he’ll last.
When their eyes meet, Shouto looks away.
There are some quick introductions (Shouto finds out that the hero’s name is Dekiru and he’s had his license for as long as Shouto has, and isn’t that intriguing?) and then dive in straight to business. Eraserhead does most of the talking, with Dekiru perking up to add a few suggestions here and there (he may be nervous, but it seems like Dekiru finds real joy in his job). Meanwhile, his father remains suspiciously compliant to the other heroes’ demands and accepting of their plans. Shouto eyes him wearily but says nothing.
They’re in the midst of discussing teams and assignments when Enji’s plans become clear to Shouto. Eraserhead is holding up the profile of one of the members of the Trigger-trafficking gang: all brawn but with enough brains to be dangerous, the villain known as ‘the Crusher’ has never been afraid of getting his hands dirty and is one of the main threats of the gang. The plan is for Dekiru to distract the villain and lead him to an isolated place where a special team will restrain him. They’d be essentially laying out a trap, which Shouto believes is a smart move when facing a strong enemy. His father, though, has different ideas.
“It shall be Shouto alone who fights against this villain,” Enji says. “That’s non-negotiable.”
Shouto, as well as the other members of the meeting, gapes. A solo takedown? This is an A-ranked villain they’re talking about. As confident as Shouto is in his abilities, he does think that some support wouldn’t hurt. He’s about to protest, to say something — but the look that his father sends his way stops him in his tracks. There’s that glint in his eye that says there’s no fighting him — it’s the look he gets everytime he talks about Shouto being his ‘masterpiece ’, when he says that Shouto will become Number One, that he will surpass All Might. It’s a look that says that this fight will be his debut, that this fight will launch him into a successful hero career or he will die trying. He has been trained for this, he shall fight with all he’s got and win, or he shall lose everything.
Eraserhead looks conflicted, he must know that there is no challenging Endeavour’s demands. He has been very lenient with the way that the operation has been set up, letting the underground heroes take control, and this is the price — Endeavour’s one demand which shall not be questioned. But he also knows how risky this fight is. However, Shouto knows not to expect him to do anything about it. After all, going against Endeavour, the Number One Hero, is simply foolish. He’s never expected anyone to —
“Excuse me sir.”
Shouto’s lost gaze sharpens and turns to Dekiru, who’s now sitting up straighter than he has all meeting, his body tense, hands splayed out on the table before him, eyes narrowed and determined. What happened to his apprehension, to his nervousness? Really, Shouto had been too quick to judge the young hero.
“Yes?” His father’s voice is coated in pure annoyance.
“I —” Dekiru clears his throat. “I think that sending Shouto alone to face this villain is very risky. Sending a group of heroes would make his capture easier, since they’d be able to overwhelm the villain and cover for each other’s weaknesses. However, I have a feeling that you are not going to change your mind. So, I suggest a compromise. I would like to keep some elements of our previous plan. If I lead the villain to a more secluded place like this street right here,” he points to a spot of the map that had been set on the table, “that has been closed off for a while due to some renovation works, then Shouto should be able to fight more freely without concern for collateral damage and have the advantage of surprise. I could also remain hidden nearby after Shouto engages the villain and act as support if I feel like it’s needed. Would this be acceptable, sir?”
That’s —
He just —
Shouto doesn’t know if this boy is incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.
He awaits with bated breath for his father’s reaction. Enji's fire moustache flares for a second and his brow twitches. Then — then he laughs. It's booming and uncomfortably loud in the silent room.
Shouto stares. And stares. Because his father’s laughing like he’s heard the funniest thing in the world and Shouto doesn’t understand. He turns to look at Dekiru and sees pain in his eyes — it’s an old kind of pain, one that he’s long since gotten used to. Why —
“Endeavour,” Eraserhead hisses, but Enji pays him no mind.
“You know,” he says, pure vitriol tainting his voice, “when I first read your file, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Who do you think you are, thinking that you could be at the same level as my son? That you could even be of use to him? The Commission must be out of their minds to give someone like you a license, but then… real heroes need stepping stones to climb to the top, don’t they?”
There’s a pause. Dekiru’s hands are trembling.
Enji hums, dismissive.
“Do what you want,” he says at last. “As long as you don’t get in the way, I suppose it’s okay for you to witness what real power looks like, and perhaps you’ll rethink your chosen profession.”
Dekiru’s mind seems far away when he says a small “thank you ” and Shouto wonders what all of this could have possibly been about. Of course, he doesn’t ask and the meeting progresses on as plans are finalised, albeit with a chillier atmosphere than what they had started with, what with Dekiru’s diminished enthusiasm and Eraserhead’s constant glare.
Soon enough, Enji leaves the room to organise some of his sidekicks. Eraserhead runs his hand through his hair with a tired sigh and leaves too with a mutter about how he had to make a quick call.
Dekiru stays seated, eyes somewhat downcast and Shouto — Shouto doesn’t know what to do. Thank him for standing up to Enji? Reprimand him for standing up to Enji? Part of Shouto really wants to thank him as it’s not everyday that someone confronts his father so directly, but then, thanking people is not something he’s very used to, and in this specific case, well…
“I didn’t need your help.” And he really didn’t. Shouto would’ve managed on his own. Somehow. He hadn’t needed help to graduate UA, he hadn’t needed help to get his hero license. He’d managed to get here without his father’s fire, without friends, without any sort of real support — he could manage one more fight, no matter how dangerous the opponent could be.
Dekiru’s eyes widened at his icy tone. Perhaps Shouto could try to create a better image for himself, but he doubted that he would ever meet the other hero after this mission so he brushed this thought away.
“I hate to agree with my father,” he continued, “but I will need you to stay out of my way.”
Dekiru looked down and mumbled something that Shouto didn't quite catch. Shouto should leave, really. There was nothing keeping him here but —
“What did you say?”
— he speaks before his mind thinks.
Dekiru sighed (he sounds so tired ) before making eye contact, letting Shouto see those emerald eyes directly (and they look so sad ).
“Are you just saying that because I’m —” he paused, took a breath, closed his eyes as if afraid, “— quirkless?”
Quirkless?
He’s — oh. That made a strange lot of sense. Even if it felt like something unprecedented, unheard of. His father’s words made sense now, though he still didn’t like them.
Now, even if Shouto had never heard of a quirkless hero, even if the idea would have seemed laughable mere moments ago, Shouto doesn’t laugh, doesn’t complain or spill vitriol like his father. After all, Dekiru is here, licensed and costumed — that doesn’t just magically happen. And if Dekiru’s expression was anything to go by, then he hadn’t had many good experiences regarding this part of himself. In a bizarre way, Shouto could relate: being judged and valued by their quirks (or lack of thereof) was something that they may very well have in common.
“No, I didn’t know that before you told me.”
Midoriya’s expression turns bitter, as if he’d just tasted a lemon. For some reason, Shouto doesn’t like that. Perhaps that’s why Shouto decides to tell him what he does next.
“Endeavour’s my old man, you know this, and I’m sure you know that he was stuck as the Number Two Hero forever. He’s always had the strongest desire to rise in the world as a hero, and he won a name for himself with crushing force. Then he surpassed All Might but not in the way he wanted. All Might’s retirement meant that Endeavour’s rise to the top was met with animosity and contempt. He knew that achieving his goal was no longer achievable so he continued with a plan he’d started long before he became Number One.”
“What are you trying to tell me?” Dekiru says with unease.
“Have you heard of quirk marriages?”
Dekiru nods, his expression one of mounting horror.
“My Father is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother’s relatives and got a hold of my mother’s quirk. I am the youngest of four and the first to be exactly what my father wanted. He tried to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might and that goal hasn’t changed: I will rise to the top in a way that no one has ever seen — better than All Might.
“It’s so annoying. I won’t become the tool of scum like that. In my memories, my mother is alway crying. Your left side is unsightly, is what my mother said as she poured boiling water on me.”
Shouto’s hand traces his scar, his mind very far away from the room.
“Basically, I’m doing this on my own to show him what I can do without using my damn old man’s quirk. No, I’ll reject him completely by rising to Number One without using it, and I’ll do it on my own.”
Shouto snaps back to the present and stands up.
“So this is my chance to make my debut and show everyone what I can do without my father’s help. That’s why you can’t interfere. Sorry for wasting your time.”
What happened to going away?
Why reveal so much to what was essentially a stranger?
It was time to go before he did something stupid. Again.
Shouto moves to exit the room but before he can open the door, Dekiru’s hand on his shoulder stops him right in his tracks. Shouto turns and his breath catches in his chest. All he can see for a moment are beautifully intense green eyes and a splatter of freckles that a mouthguard cannot cover.
“I have always been supported by others so I understand the desire to do things on your own. But I need to prove that others can rely on me.”
He is so close — and Shouto. Can’t. Breathe.
“This motivation might seem trivial compared to yours but I have to fight too. I have to live up to the hopes of the people around me — and my own.”
Dekiru steps around Shouto and opens the door.
“I’ll give you room to fight, but the moment I feel that you need help, I won't hesitate to jump in,” he says, voice firm, unwavering. “Is that okay?”
Shouto hesitates, then nods.
Dekiru walks away, leaving Shouto standing stupidly at the entrance of the conference room, a lost look in his eyes. This garners a few strange looks, but Shouto pays no heed. His mind is elsewhere, thinking about a hero with mesmerising green eyes and strong convictions, someone who Shouto thinks he can respect.
Shouto wonders what his real name is.
Izuku can’t stop thinking about Todoroki Shouto.
Days have passed since their encounter — the raid is about to start, for goodness’ sake — and yet, Todoroki’s words have not left his mind. His story is one so unbelievable that it seems taken straight out of a comic book. But Izuku does believe him — there was something haunting about his eyes, something so incredibly sad that it could be nothing but the truth.
To Izuku, everything Shouto said, every action, every expression he made… it all seemed like a cry for help.
Izuku will never ignore a cry for help.
Before Izuku’s mind can spiral more than it already has, he hears the sound of fighting getting nearer. Izuku adjusts his hood and mouthguard, double checks that he has everything he needs in his utility belt, and gets to work.
Getting the Crusher’s attention is easy. Leading him away from the fight to the agreed location was even easier. Letting Todoroki take over the fight is fine too. What’s not fine, what’s not easy, is standing back to simply watch. It goes against all of Izuku’s instincts. Still, it was what he’d agreed to do, so he does.
Izuku watches Shouto fight from the roof of an abandoned building. (And isn’t it weird, calling him by his first name? Izuku knows it’s his hero name, but it still sparks a feeling in him that he can’t quite name.)
Shouto seems to be doing okay on his own. His ice seems magical in its sheer vastness and power. It makes Izuku shiver, far away as he is. Shouto seems to be doing fine in the fight except, even as he creates a massive glacier that covers half the street, he just looks so sad. Izuku’s heart aches for him. But he can’t do anything. Not right now. Not unless something goes wrong, and Izuku hopes, truly hopes, that nothing does.
But of course, things are never that easy. For a while, it might have seen that Shouto was doing okay — winning, even — but it soon became noticeable that he was starting to shiver and that his attacks were gradually getting smaller. And it might not have been a problem if the Crusher wasn’t as strong as he was, capable of breaking out of any ice prison Shouto could make. His strength augmentation quirk made him a dangerous foe and if things continued the way they were, the long-range fight would turn into a close combat and Shouto wouldn’t stand a chance.
Shouto is in trouble.
Izuku needed to do something, anything — perhaps a distraction would do the trick.
Before he could think too much about it, Izuku moved.
Shouto is getting impatient. That guy will just not go down. It’s infuriating. No matter how many layers of ice he traps the Crusher under, the villain just punches his way out of them, and it’s getting annoying. (It’s also scary because Shouto’s limbs are starting to tremble and he knows what that means. Quirk exhaustion is no joke — he’s in real trouble.)
Shouto is starting to think he’s done for (he’s been hit and it hurts hurts hurts) when he sees him — or rather, he doesn’t. Dekiru is a shadow moving in the night. A flash of green and suddenly, the Crusher is being electrified by a taser. Not a moment passes before Dekiru is pushing back the villain with all the force of the kicks his steel-clad boots provide. A smoke bomb provides an even greater confusion and the villain lets out a frustrated growl.
Shouto takes a moment to catch his breath, watching Dekiru with an unexpected fascination. He’s so agile, jumping from one place to the next, keeping the villain on his toes. His style is not one of brute strength (though he has quite a lot of that, honestly) but of strategy and careful timing. It’s amazing to watch.
It’s amazing until it’s not. It’s amazing until Dekiru slips on a bit of ice (careless, Shouto, you’ve been careless) and suddenly his whole body is being held up by his hands.
“Not so fast now, huh?” the villain says, a maniacal grin taking over his face. “I shall crush you, little rabbit.”
Then the crusher’s hands, which are gripping Dekiru’s, start squeezing and this may very well be the most horrifying sight Shouto has seen thus far. He can hear the cracks of bones and Dekiru’s painful whimpers.
Shouto tries to send ice again but it’s weak and the Crusher destroys it with one kick. The villain laughs and throws Dekiru harshly onto the cold, hard ground. Shouto can now see his hands, bloody and mangled. He must be in a hell of a lot of pain and yet, he doesn’t scream, he doesn’t cry. He looks up at Shouto and says, “You have to use your fire.”
His mouthguard had fallen with his impact with the ground so Shouto can see every turn of his mouth as he speaks. Still, Shouto barely registers what’s being said. To use his father’s fire? Was he crazy? He thought — he really thought —
“No! I thought you understood!”
He sends off another wave of ice. It’s stronger but it’s still not enough.
The villain kicks Dekiru once, leaving him a coughing mess, before making his way to Shouto, purposefully stepping on Dekiru’s already damaged hands. This time he does scream.
The villain just laughs. He’s approaching Shouto slowly, taking his time. He’s enjoying himself, that much is clear.
“Shou — Shouto! You have to do it .”
Shouto doesn’t know how Dekiru is still speaking but he wishes he hadn’t. The villain’s attention is back on the other hero and Shouto doesn’t like it one bit. He uses the distraction to slide beside Dekiru, taking a defensive stand as soon as he stops. He won’t let Dekiru get hurt anymore than what he already has.
“Shouto,” Dekiru’s voice is smaller, shaking, pleading.
“I can’t,” Shouto is desperate now. “I can’t.”
“Shouto, look at me.”
He does, and he sees Dekiru pointing at an empty canister lying on the ground. There’s a symbol printed on the can — explosive.
Shouto’s eyes meet determined green ones. He knows what he should do — Dekiru’s plan is good, it could actually work but —
“I can’t use his power,” Shouto pleads. Dekiru is not taking any of this.
“That’s just it, Shouto!” he’s speaking through gritted teeth, his voice full of pain, but his words are clear as day. “It’s your power, not his!”
And Shouto remembers.
You don’t have to be a prisoner of your blood.
Shouto lights the palm of his hand on fire. He looks over at Dekiru, whose fierce smile is lit by the flames — Shouto’s flames.
Shouto’s heart is beating fast but he doesn’t think that it’s due to the adrenaline of the fight, not entirely.
The villain, who had paused in surprise, continued his march towards them with renewed vigor.
“Do you really think a bit of fire will stop me?”
Shouto shares a look with Dekiru. They’re both smiling, a bit maniacally.
Shouto burns brighter, his flames dancing in the air as they make their way to their target. As soon as they hit, Shouto uses the last of his strength to create a cover for himself and Dekiru of the thickest ice he can manage. Not a second later, a deafening boom is heard outside.
A second later, a thump indicates a body falling. The following silence indicates that the villain is unconscious.
Shouto crouches down and places a hand on Dekiru’s cheek, caressing it softly.
“Thank you, Dekiru,” he says before the hero — his hero — passes out. When he does, Dekiru is smiling softly and Shouto has a feeling that, despite everything, he will be okay.
They will be okay.
Eventually, help arrives. Paramedics make their way through rubble and the remains of ice until they reach Shouto, who is holding Dekiru carefully, making sure his wounds aren’t aggravated. It takes a bit of convincing to get him to let go, but with enough prompting he does and Dekiru is taken to a hospital where he would be attended by the very best doctors (the medics had promised Shouto this would be the case).
Now, without someone to hold, Shouto feels cold.
He hears the crunching of footsteps — someone’s approaching. Shouto looks up to find Eraserhead. He’s looking at the scene with a frown, though it’s less angry and more of the exasperated type.
“Problem children,” he mutters under his breath and Shouto feels a bizarre desire to laugh. He doesn’t though because the next thing he knows, Aizawa is staring straight at him, or rather, his burnt costume. He then turns to look in the direction Dekiru’s ambulance had gone in, his expression clearly saying something along the lines of “he managed to do in three minutes what I couldn’t do in three years? Unbelievable.” Shouto is quite amused.
“Aizawa-sensei,” Shouto starts. Aizawa raises an eyebrow at the title but doesn’t comment. “I want to see him again — Dekiru. I want to thank him. Where can I find him?”
Aizawa rolls his eyes but complies and tells him the name of the hospital he was taken to. “He’s quite hurt, but Recovery Girl should be there by now, helping him, so it’s likely that he won’t be in the hospital for more than a few days. If you plan on visiting, do it soon.”
Shouto bows his head in thanks. Then he remembers something — something important.
“Aizawa-sensei,” he says, voice earnest, “what’s his name?”
Aizawa tells him. He also says, “Take care of him, Todoroki.” Then leaves.
For the next few hours, Shouto’s thoughts revolve about one thing only. While he gets checked out by the paramedics, as he goes home, when he ignores his father’s congratulations… it’s the last thing he thinks about before he goes to sleep.
Tomorrow, he will visit one hospital for a reunion long overdue. He’ll see his mother and she will welcome him with open arms and lots of love. She will look at him with pride and then urge him to leave because he had to visit someone else. He will leave with the no longer unremembered feeling of his mother’s arms around him and her words will be played on a loop inside his head: “Trust your heart, Shouto.”
Right now, though, as his eyes close and his body relaxes after a long day, his mind is somewhere else.
Midoriya Izuku, he thinks with a smile. It suits him.
He dreams of ice, he dreams of fire. He dreams of a fierce smile and bright green eyes that chase his fears away.
Shouto sleeps well that night.
When Izuku opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is an angel.
It’s mid-afternoon and he’s just woken up from a nap post-surgery. His hands had been very badly hurt but the medics got to him fast enough that, with a bit of Recovery Girl’s help, he’d regain full mobility in a matter of weeks. He’d have to wear a cast for a couple of days and he’d have some long-lasting scars to remind him of the fight, but it was nothing Izuku couldn’t live with.
After the surgery, he’d decided to sleep off the drugs that he’d been administered, though right now he wasn’t sure whether that had worked because he was sure he was hallucinating. Light filtered through the window of his hospital room, tracing soft patterns on the angel’s face. He had fair skin, mesmerising dichromatic eyes, bicoloured hair, and a scar on the left side of his face that somehow made him all the more mysterious and appealing.
“Pretty,” Izuku said in a daze, still half asleep.
The angel’s face took on a slightly pink tinge. He put down a book Izuku hadn’t realised he’d been reading and looked up. Their eyes met and Izuku remembered.
Thank you, Dekiru.
This was Shouto.
Izuku felt his face heat up but since his arms were in casts, there wasn’t much he could do to hide it. Instead he just laughed nervously and said, “You did it. You got the villain.”
Shouto raises an eyebrow at him, a bit disbelieving.
“I didn’t catch him,” he says, “ we did. We both know that fire would have been useless alone. I wouldn’t have beat him without you.”
“Still,” Izuku says sheepishly, “I’m sorry I ruined your plan, I just couldn’t stand back and watch. Your father isn’t too mad, is he?”
Shouto laughs somewhat sardonically and says, “Are you kidding? He’s ecstatic that his masterpiece has finally abandoned his childish tantrum. So he hasn’t even mentioned your involvement.”
Izuku paused for a second and said, quietly, seriously, “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard about using your fire. We could’ve found another way and it wasn’t any of my business. I shouldn’t have barged into your personal problems like that.”
Shouto hums. “Maybe you shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you did.” He smiles softly. “I still have a lot to figure out but you helped me remember words from my mother that I had long since forgotten. I visited her earlier today — I couldn’t have done that without you.”
Shouto looks so happy, so different from the boy he’d met at the agency. He looked content and Izuku couldn’t be more thankful.
“I’m glad,” he says, and really means it.
They spend a few minutes in silence, just enjoying the company. After all the action of the previous day, this moment of silence was appreciated.
After a while Shouto speaks, pensively, “There is something my mother told me when I mentioned you… I didn’t know what she meant then but I think I do now.”
Izuku tilts his head, bemused.
“Would you like to…” Shouto’s voice is barely audible.
“Like to what?” Izuku asks softly.
Shouto takes a breath as if stealing himself.
“Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?”
Huuuh??? Izuku looks at Shouto wide-eyed and disbelieving. Surely he didn’t mean — there was no way that he’d —
“Perhaps as a date?” Shouto continues, his face a lovely shade of pink. “I’d like to get to know you better.”
— or perhaps he would. Izuku’s face is terribly red as he futilely tries to hide behind his arms.
“Was that too forward?” Shouto asks, concerned. “I’ve never done this before… It’s okay if you don’t want to, we barely know each other, I’d understand… I think I was too forward. You can just ignore me if you want — Midoriya?”
Shouto pauses — Izuku is laughing, his smile wide and genuine. It was so weird to be on the other end of a ramble but also incredibly endearing considering the image he’d had of Shouto just yesterday — one of stoicism and seriousness that didn’t match with the nervous young man that sat in front of him.
“I’m okay,” he says, “it’s just that you caught me by surprise, I — a coffee would be amazing. I’d love to go on a date and get to know you better, Shouto.”
Shouto looks at Izuku with surprise then smiles the widest smile Izuku had seen on him yet. It was blinding.
“In that case, I guess it’s okay if I call you Izuku?”
Izuku freezes, realising that he’d called Shouto by his first name without realising it — that he’d been thinking of Shouto by his first name since he’d woken up. Oops.
“Yes,” he says, his voice cracking — he’s flustered, okay? This is new for him too. “That’s very okay.”
They talk for a while, they exchange phone numbers. Shouto stays until he’s literally kicked out of the room. They promise to text each other. They promise to meet again.
That night, Izuku dreams of white and red. He dreams of enchanting eyes and a beautiful smile that makes his heart beat with anticipation.
Izuku sleeps well that night.
As Shouto returns home, he feels like he’s floating.
Don’t get him wrong, there’s still so much that he has to figure out, and most of that involves his father in some shape or form. Now that he’s accepted his fire as his , and not his father’s, he has to rethink everything that has to do with his job as a hero. It’ll be tedious work probably, but he has a feeling that he’ll have help if he asks… perhaps he should contact some of his old classmates… he would think more about it later.
Shouto’s realising that he’s made many mistakes the last few years and he’ll have to work to fix them, but he now knows that he doesn’t have to do it alone.
He looks at his phone and open’s Midoriya’s contact. Izuku.
Meeting Izuku — Shouto knows that he’ll never think of that as a mistake. In fact, it almost feels like fate.
He sends a message. A simple “ hello :) ”.
It feels like a new beginning, like the start of a path that leads to something better.
The next day, Izuku is discharged. Since both his arms are in casts, his friend and fellow Underground hero Shinsou Hitoshi drives him home. (He has some mobility, he’s not completely helpless, but the help was welcome). On the way there he says, “I took the liberty of getting into your apartment to record yesterday’s news. I thought you’d want to watch them.”
Izuku lets out a questioning hum.
Shinsou chuckles and says, “You’ll see.” Then, “Text me if you want to do anything about it and we’ll talk with Aizawa.”
Izuku agrees even though he has no idea what Shinsou's talking about.
The first thing Izuku does once he arrives home is turn on the TV. He’s burning with curiosity.
The newscaster talked about the raid and, more specifically, about the fight with the Crusher. It turned out that it was big enough, important enough, for it to be Shouto’s debut. But not just that — it was his debut too.
The news praised Shouto for his resilience and his incredible power, but they’d also noticed Izuku’s agility and quick thinking. They wondered who that hero could be, the hero who helped Shouto when he was in trouble.
The video footage wasn’t very clear but if Dekiru made a public appearance, he would surely be recognised.
So that’s what Shinsou meant.
He had a choice here. He could let this all blow away and remain the anonymous Underground Pro Hero he’d been up till now or…
… or he could use this as a boost to jump into the limelight. To make himself known.
Izuku’s happy where he is, he really is. Despite what everyone said, he became a Pro, he gained his license. He helps people and makes a difference, as small as it is. But is it enough?
Izuku feels like he could do so much more out of the shadows. It was his childhood dream, to stand beside the greatest heroes, fully belonging there. And it was from the light that he’d be able to inspire others, letting them know that they were going to be okay because he was there. He’d prove once and for all that he wasn’t useless, that he was Dekiru and not Deku .
He can be a hero.
He could give hope to those like him.
This was something that he’d have to carefully think about. He’d been given a chance, as small as it might be, to achieve his true dream. If he took it, the path ahead would not be easy. But that was okay, he didn’t have to do it alone.
He can do it.
His phone pings.
“Are you free tomorrow?” — Shouto.
Izuku smiles.
This feels like a new beginning.
This feels like hope.