"Kacchan…?"

In the several weeks since the start of the school year, since the entrance exam, and since their first hero training course exercise, Todoroki Shouto can safely gauge 3 things he's absolutely certain about Midoriya Izuku.

One, his selflessness and determination are something to be admired and feared.

Two, his quirk is impressively powerful.

And three, somewhere, deep in the very abyss of his analytical mind, is a loose screw.

"Kacchan!"

Midoriya moves an inch forward, not enough to be a step but far too much for Todoroki's liking.

"Midoriya, stay back!" he orders, teeth gritting. He stares with narrowed eyes at the four villains standing before them. A hunched man gripped from head to toe with severed hands, a swirling mass of black mist, a blank-faced, eyes-lolling giant, and a normal looking boy with pale blond hair, clad in a loose-fitting tank top.

Out of the four, the boy seems to be the only one paying any real attention to them. He glares at Todoroki with slanted eyes the color of blood spilled ground, gaze flickering between him and his classmates.

From his peripheral vision, Todoroki can see Kirishima is standing with his hands up, hardened, but there is a slight shake in his form. On the other side, Midoriya is frozen. He doesn't know much about Midoriya's quirk, but he knows enough that a single use of his quirk will damage his body beyond further use. It was just him, Midoriya, and Kirishima. Three heroes-in-training against four unknown quirk users. The odds are not in their favor. No, the best of course of action would be to draw out the moment, create a distraction, hide, and wait for the pro-heroes to-

"Kacchan, is that you?" says Midoriya, voice shaking. He takes a step forward and Todoroki curses, hand latching onto the back of Midoriya's hero uniform.

"What are you doing?" Todoroki hisses but it was lost to deaf ears as Midoriya continues to struggle forward.

The boy glares (which is impressive since he was already glaring), "Eh? Who is this Kacchan?"

Kirishima comes bounding up to his side, hooking his hand onto Midoriya's shoulder, and whispering, "H-Hey, man. Maybe we shouldn't draw that guy's attention." His eyes flicker over to the boy before fluttering away quickly. Todoroki can't blame him. The ash blond emits a frightening presence, more so than the other three. Sharp, bloodthirsty eyes follow their every movement and Todoroki would stoop to guessing the boy isn't above mercy killings.

Midoriya ignores Kirishima and says with a less shaken, louder voice, "Kacchan, it's me. Izuku. Deku."

"Shut up!" And in the palm of his hand comes explosions: loud, bright, like mini firecrackers. Todoroki and Kirishima flinches but Midoriya didn't. He stares with wide eyes and ever so slightly, Todoroki can see the crease of an upward smile. Yes. Todoroki is now certain there is a loose screw rattling around in Midoriya's brain.

The boy's mouth crest into a scowl, "I don't know who you think you are, bile hair. But I sure as fuck don't know or even give a fuck as to who you are."

"K-Kacchan," and Midoriya deflates, like a puppy being kicked, "Don't you remember me? We used to be childhood friends. Our mothers-"

"Katsuki," the hunched man interrupts, the eyes peeking from his sunken bangs and the overlaying hand leer at them. "Kill those students. Especially the small one. Don't give them a chance to talk."

"Shut up, grave digger," the boy, Kacchan, Katsuki, spits out. He fixes his eyes on the trio. "I'll kill them how I want to kill them."

There is a spark on the base of his elbow.

Todoroki tightens his grip on Midoriya's shirt lest he does something foolish. The boy takes a step towards them and Todoroki sends a wave of ice in retaliation. With a graceful leap, the boy is airborne. Todoroki angles his ice upwards, hoping to catch the feet but, with alternating hands, he propels forward with controlled explosions.

He's very adept with his quirk, Todoroki notes dejectedly.

The boy quickly closes the distance between them. His crimson eyes shot immediately to Midoriya but they went to Todoroki when he pulls Midoriya behind him. Todoroki holds up his right hand and readies himself. Just a bit closer.

The explosion quirk user glowers at him and continuing to charge forward, increasing in speed. Closer … closer … closer … until he's within arms distance. Freezing him entirely on the first time is his best chance. Quickly, the distance is closed between them. The boy tsks at him and attempts to sidestep Todoroki, making his priority for Midoriya obvious.

Todoroki surges forward and grabs. His hand latches onto a muscled arm and ice crawl along the appendage within seconds. He looks for the other free hand, prepared to dodge but the hand was not angled towards him, but down.

With more force than Todoroki expects, the explosion released from the hand propels him up and over Todoroki's head. With the momentum, he pulls his hand free and shoves Todoroki to the ground with his feet.

With quick reflexes and battle smarts to boot. Of course, this villain must have it all. Todoroki isn't one to complain but he had hoped the boy would be somewhat like the lackeys he had faced back in the rescue zone.

The blond turns towards a frozen Midoriya. He scowls and the same spark went through his arm.

"MOVE!" Todoroki yells at Midoriya, scrambling to his feet but he won't make it in time. He knows this. Midoriya stays frozen, staring with the same lost puppy look earlier.

"Kacchan, why-"

"Shut up already and die!" And Kacchan thrusts his hand forward. The explosion rocks the entire ground and Todoroki almost flies away but an ice wall holds him up. Coughing, he waves pass the black smoke and move towards the center.

Kirishima stood between Midoriya and the exploding boy. Although black scorch marks line his arms, he seems otherwise okay and is in close-combat wrestling with the explosion quirk user. The boy's face twists in unadulterated rage, pressing and igniting explosions without fail into Kirishima's face. "I'm going to blow all your fucking faces up!"

Coming up behind him, silently, unnoticed except for Kirishima, who for his credit holds an even face, Todoroki places his right hand on the nape of his exposed neck. He says with that even tone of his, "You can try, but I won't let you." And a solid case of ice encloses the boy, stopping only inches from Kirishima.

Todoroki lets go and turns to his classmate, jutting his hand to the right, "Let's go while we still have cover."

"But," Midoriya moves to take a step towards the blob of ice.

Todoroki stops him, turning him around by the shoulders, "He's going to be fine. Something like this won't kill him."

As they ran to towards a rescue zone, Todoroki could hear over his shoulders the crackling explosions and rage-filled screams. Threats filled to the brim with profanity and assurance of their slow, painful death resonates in his mind.

Kirishima, who's in the lead, books it to the nearest rescue zone, the Conflagration Zone. Fire surrounds the buildings on all sides and after a couple minutes, Todoroki is already sweating. At times like this, he's immensely thankful for his mother's inherited quirk. They head towards one of the buildings that seem to burn less than the others and hid on the third floor. Once they were safe, Todoroki wastes no time turning to Midoriya and crossing his arms.

"Midoriya, talk," he says, voice steely, "Who is he?"

"Y-yeah," Kirishima says, "You seem to know him."

"Kacchan...Kacchan is my childhood friend. He just to be neighbors. A-And we both used to hang out at each other's homes when we were younger to admire All Might and watch his videos. We both applied to U.A. but after the entrance exam, I never saw him again. I just thought he failed, not…"

"Did you know he was with the villains?" Todoroki asks. When Midoriya keeps looking over his shoulders, mumbling incohesively, Todoroki repeats with more force, "Midoriya."

Midoriya flinches and shakes his head vigorously, "There's no way he would become a villain. They must have something to him! The Kacchan I know would never stoop to their levels." Then sheepishly he adds, "I know this is not a good time but maybe there is a way to unbrainwash him."

"A hard smack to the head," offers Kirishima.

"Cryonization," says Todoroki.

"Ah...I think that will get him madder. Kacchan always had a big temper." Midoriya casts another look over his shoulder.

Todoroki's eyebrows raise, "I don't think you need to be afraid of him sneaking up on us. I have a feeling he doesn't go incognito."

"No, I'm not worried about that," Midoriya says nervously.

"Then what's the problem," asks Kirishima.

"It's just that, if I remember correctly, Kacchan's quirk works because he sweats nitroglycerin from his palms." At the blank, non-grasping stares, Midoriya continues, "Nitroglycerin is what causes his explosions. The more he sweats, the stronger he becomes."

Oh.

"So...this types of setting," Kirishima begins weakly, looking around at the fire surrounding them, at the stifling heat that causes his body to sweat immediately upon entry, "Will...amplify...oh my god. We need to get out of here."

"It's too late for that, dipshits!"

There is a chest-rattling explosion. The ceiling above them crumbles, a large chunk of cement colliding with Todoroki's head. The last thing he saw was Kirishima pushing Midoriya to the side and a blond falling straight towards him as the floor underneath him gives.

When Todoroki came too, he certainly did not expect to be pressed face to collarbone with the boy attempting to kill them seconds earlier. He remains still, not even breathing, and slowly assesses his situation. Kacchan (the name leaves a strange taste on his tongue. Kacchan makes the boy seem cute, innocent when he is anything but) is above him, his chin occasionally grazing strands of Todoroki's hair. From the heavy breathing, he seems to be conscious. Kacchan's knee is pinned above Todoroki's thigh, an awkward downward pressure that's on the brink of hurting and not. Todoroki's hip is jutting into something soft and fleshy. For a horrible second, the thought of what it could be dwells in his mind but then it grumbles and he realizes it's the stomach. All in all, his limbs seem to be attached and nothing is broken. Kacchan does not seem to know he is awake. If he could just raise his hand, he could have a frozen, exploding popsicle.

Then Kacchan shifts, presumably to stretch, and Todoroki freezes. He hopes the boy above him can't hear how loud his heart is thumping. How sad would it be if he was discovered due to his incapability to remain calm? Kacchan lowers himself, not enough to touch Todoroki but enough that the drooping tank top he wears is past Todoroki's eye level and from this position he could clearly see -

Todoroki closes his eyes, counting sheep, reciting poems, thinking of anything that will rid the picture from his mind because, even though he was raised by a savage, he's still a decent person and decent persons do not ogle at a person's bare chest without their consent. But the image of the well-defined chest and perfectly curved collarbone and neck junction is still there. A pale, vast expense of well-toned abs and pectoral muscles that brim with strength and-

Villains shouldn't be this fit, Todoroki thought.

The need for air finally overcomes Todoroki and he slowly opens his mouth and takes a small gulp of air and slowly, carefully exhal-

"Sleeping beauty finally wakes the fuck up. Good morning, fuckface. How was the fucking sleep?"

Todoroki moves his gaze upwards, past the exposed neck and collarbone, pass the perfectly sculpted, aristocrat-like nose, pass the pink tinted (wait, what?) cheeks, and to a pair of crimson eyes. Todoroki stares blankly at him for a few seconds, "What's with the the vulgar language?"

An eye twitches.

"Because I fucking want to, you fuck."

Midoriya was right. He does get angry easily.

"No need to get worked up. It was a simple question," Todoroki deadpans.

"The fuck you say? I'll blow your face off, you cheap peppermint imposter!"

Peppermint? Imposter? "So why haven't you?" Todoroki shoots back.

Kacchan snaps, "Because I very much like to live and beat your ass in the proper way."

Without the need to remain undetected, Todoroki can stretch his head around Kacchan's shoulder and he notices very quickly that on all sides, layers of brick and cement surround the duo, the remains of the building Kacchan very happily destroyed. Todoroki leans upwards slightly, his chin brushing the boy's shoulder. Like he was a plague, Kacchan jolts away from him but there was only so much room and he only moves back a few inches before his back collide with the debris on top of them.

Todoroki leans back down and looks to either side of him. Kacchan's arms are on either side of his head, holding him up in an awkward, half push up position. It must be very tiring like that. "Why are you holding yourself up with your arms like that?"

Kacchan scowls and bends his head down while Todoroki bends his head up and eyes as red as the setting sun meet ice cool blue and blunt gray. "Because if I don't, I'll be touching more of you than I want to."

"Does it really matter?" Todoroki says. Their faces are only a few inches apart. What are a few more inches? He was so close. Todoroki can count every eyelash, every spot and groove in the red iris (fiery, hot, smoldering-)

Kacchan sighs, hot air washing over Todoroki. His breath is minty, he notices.

"Of course it matters. I don't want to be nuzzling necks with the fucker I'm going to blow up later."

"Right." Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. With the way Kacchan is angled, there is no way...Todoroki wriggles his fingers. Yes, there is no way for Kacchan to see where his hands are. If, when, the time comes, Todoroki can strike first.

"Will you stop fucking staring at me? Fuck, you're so quiet. Talk or do something, you vegetable." The loud, brash voice snaps Todoroki out of his reverie and he realizes his eyes have drifted back down to Kacchan's neck region where he had been staring for a couple of minutes. It really is well-defined. And well toned. Pale, free of blemishes, a nice curve in the neck shoulder junction-

"I told you to stop staring," Kacchan snaps again. The blond's face is turning red. Extremely red. From the tip of his nose to the edges of his ears.

"I can't help it," Todoroki says, "It's right in front of me. Why are you dressed like that? Aren't villains suppose to be in a spandex or long sleeves?"

"Because I get hot as fuck and and sweating isn't fun." Now that he mentions it, Todoroki can smell a stink emitting from the boy above him. It...wasn't bad actually. It smells kind of nice. But that is a thought Todoroki won't admit here nor ever. He's panting slightly above him from the stifling heat from their close proximity and the area they're in and Todoroki almost feels bad.

Maybe I should cool him down with my quirk. But as soon as that crosses his mind, Todoroki shoves it away. He's a villain. Heroes don't offer to help villains. Only a deserving, lengthy sentence in prison.

"Tell your shitty haired friend to hurry the fuck up and get us out of here so I can kill all of you."

Todoroki ignores the death threat, instead muttering, "Shitty hair...Midoriya?"

Kacchan scowls, "Your breath stinks. Do you even brush? No, I'm talking about your shitty friend with the spiked hair. Bile hair booked it to plaza because A-All Might, fuck, is there."

All Might. That's right. They're here to kill All Might.

Todoroki tilts his head up. Lightly, the tip of his nose grazes Kacchan's chin but the ash-blond jolts like he was electrocuted. If Midoriya is right about the brainwashing… "Kacchan, why-"

"Don't."

Todoroki pauses. Kacchan's voice is unusually strained and Todoroki tilts his head further upward until he could see Kacchan's face fully. His eyes are clenched tight. When they reopen, the red orbs hold pain, anger, and … confusion? "Don't call me that. I don't like it. Call me, Katsuki."

Todoroki files the moment away for potential use and hesitantly says, "Katsuki."

He immediately decides he likes this name a lot more than Kacchan.

"Katsuki, why are you with the villains?"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Midoriya says you were his childhood friend. He seems certain of your morality." Todoroki says.

Katsuki scowls further, "Well, bile hair has a few fucking screws loose. I sure as fuck don't know him."

"But-"

"Keep talking and I swear I'll kill you."

Todoroki is positive the death threats are 100% fibs but he drops the subject. His eyes still remain on the blond though. Maybe he isn't brainwashed. He seems too headstrong to be under a quirk.

The ruins shake and tremble around them and in the distance, Todoroki could hear the loud, bellowing voice of All Might. A calm, reassuring presence. Offhandedly, Todoroki says, "All Might sure is strong isn't he? I used to watch videos of him rescuing people and defeating villains as a kid."

Katsuki's eyes clench. His breathing becomes labored and there is a slight whining coming from the back of his throat. And it makes Todoroki feels bad. Slightly, just a tiny bit. Maybe he wasn't brainwashed. Maybe he was-

Crackle, crackle.

A mic piece crackle in the air. They both jump. In their close proximity, Todoroki can hear a man's voice saying, "Katsuki, answer me. Where are you?"

He wasn't brainwashed.

Katsuki grumbles something along the lines of whiny, little fucker. He pools his weight to one side, other hand lifting up from beside Todoroki's head.

Too slow.

Todoroki slams a hand over Katsuki's mouth and pries the earpiece from his ear. With the coldest voice he could muster (which Todoroki finds come rather easily when he's thinking of his father) he growls, "Katsuki's dead. I hope your next lackey have more brain cells than to go charging in alone," before crushing the ear piece in his hand. The poor tech whirs in pain before dying.

There was a moment of complete silence. Todoroki counted. 5 whole seconds of bliss. It was just him and Katsuki, staring face to face, eye to eye. One bracing himself, the other completely still with wide, unresponsive eyes.

"You….you…." Katsuki's face was turning a dangerously red color. He's close to bursting a vein. And Todoroki brings up his right hand. "You….little, BITCH ASS FUCKER! I'LL BLOW YOUR PRETTY FACE OFF!"

The ruins rumble, little pebbles falling over them both. Then the rock shifts and Kirishima's blessed face pops into view. He latches a hand over Katsuki's back and haul him up but not before Todoroki interlaces his hand with Katsuki's and freezes them together. His plan would be ruined if any explosions were set off now and alerting the villains to his lie.

"Sorry, man. It took me longer without Midoriya's help," Kirishima apologizes for what seems like the umpteen time. And for the umpteenth time, Todoroki says, "It's fine, Kirishima."

What do I say to get him to stop worrying? This is new to me. He wracks the pits of his brain for what to say that will end the constant apologies, "You came at the right time."

They both turn to the struggling, tied up Katsuki, flipping several feets in the air as he attempts to get free. Frozen hands and tied ankles couldn't keep the blonde down. He struggles valiantly, screams (of violent deaths and gory torture) muffled by the gag. Todoroki speculates if he had a fire quirk, the whole body would be lit. He bends to his knees and applies another layer of ice over the arms.

"So...you don't think he was brainwashed?" says Kirishima.

Todoroki nods his head, eyeballing the gag. Maybe they shouldn't have used Kirishima's socks. "No, I think they're repressing his memories. Certain phrases seem to cause him pain as if they hold meaning to him."

Katsuki rolls forward and attempts to headbutt Todoroki. Kirishima lifts a foot and stops it easily. He continued talking as if he didn't have a hand-exploding lunatic at his feet. "Can Recovery Girl do something about this?"

"I don't know," Todoroki answers truthfully, "Maybe Midoriya can spark his old self."

Katsuki snarls and directs a kick at Kirishima's groin. It lands but Kirishima simply frown and presses his foot down harder until Katsuki was struggling to not be press back flat on the ground. "Man. I feel bad for you. You had to be stuck with this monster for half an hour."

"No...it wasn't that bad. He wasn't acting like this."

"Really?" Kirishima quirks an eyebrow, unbelieving, "Then how was he like?"

Todoroki pauses and gives a look over at Katsuki. He stares at him with those eyes the color of the rising sun (not blood-spilled grounds) and Todoroki resists smiling as he says,

"Cute. He was kinda cute."

xx

Author's Notes:

And cue the explosions.

Fun Fact: did you know if you have compatible genes, the sweat of a person will actually smell good? :D

I had a fic planned for each day of the ship week but with the way my school schedule is working out, I may have to upload those later...like two to three months later. Or 6 months. Or next summer because I can't imagine myself having free time in like ever.

But thank you for reading to the end! I wish all of you an awesome day, week, year.