Ohmytheon notes: This was an unusual chapter for me. I write a lot of action, but I don't necessarily like it. (I probably shouldn't be writing three massive BNHA fanfics that involve a lot of action then, huh?) I can only hope I did the scene justice for you all and Misty, who was the main thinker behind this scene. This is another chapter with a large case of collaboration, which is always fun. I really feel for Touya in this chapter. He's trying his best, but at the same time, he's in a position where he can't really win and it's starting to get to him. Also, writing the build-up to the action was a lot of fun. I just wanted it to be a bit of a mess and I think it came out good. (Except for the fun mistake that Misty will mention in her notes. I got murdered on the server.) The song for this chapter is "Hey Kids!"

It's all so ludicrous, a sinful distortion
You fall from Heaven's gate into a villain's fate and say:
"Hello? Temptation! It's nice to meet you!"
Now and forever, ever, ever

With everyone busy with exams, it left Touya an inordinate amount of time to himself, which he used to focus on the hero coursework he had to catch up on. Luckily for him, a few of the teachers who weren't involved in the exams offered to help him out. After all, it was easier for him to learn by doing. He couldn't catch up on a year's worth of work through reading alone. There was no way he could catch up, but he didn't want to be so far behind that he failed because he couldn't keep up at all.

He was used to pushing himself beyond his limits. He could do this.

However, it also meant that he had to use his quirk. That made him wary. None of the teachers that worked with him while everyone else took their exams seemed bothered by it. His quirk was his quirk. When he used it, they saw him, not Dabi - or so he kept telling himself. Besides, it wasn't like they were worried about him beating them. They were pros and he was a sixteen-year-old kid who hadn't been able to hack it in the hero course the first time around.

Better. Stronger. He had to do this and he had to do it right.

He had to prove to them that he deserved to be here. If he was just here out of pity, he couldn't take it.

It had been ten minutes since he'd finished his hero lesson with Ectoplasm. His quirk made it a lot easier to work with Touya since he couldn't actually hurt the clones. It was meant to allow him to go all out if need be, but he made sure not to do that. Ectoplasm seemed to notice, but didn't comment on it as. Meanwhile, Touya sweat and panted from the effort of working as hard as he could and keeping his quirk at a certain level at all once. It was one hell of a workout, that was for sure.

Fingers twitching at his sides, Touya collapsed onto a bench. He was almost certain that he would burn holes in the wooden if he laid down right now. He'd been able to keep his quirk contained to his hands, which meant that he didn't have to see Recovery Girl, but he was smoking. Clenching his hands into fists in an attempt to smother the smoke, he carefully lifted a hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead with his arm. He was hot, sticky, and exhausted.

It wasn't like training with his father though. He hadn't puked and he didn't feel drenched in anger and disappointment.

"Are you alright?" Ectoplasm asked, seemingly floating over to him.

Touya dropped his arm. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Your quirk takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?" Ectoplasm observed.

Touya was unsure of how to respond to that, so all he did was nod. He wasn't wrong. If he used it constantly, his quirk could drain him. He combated it by eating and sleeping more, but it was hard to do when he had been younger, when he was often sickly and struggled with nightmares. Even though he lived in fear that Dabi's memories would seep into his dreams, it was easier now. He thought he might've had one a few nights ago, but he couldn't remember. He'd woken up feeling sick to his stomach, which had made eating breakfast unpleasant, but he'd pushed through it.

"I had the same issue with my quirk," Ectoplasm told him. It was hard to read his emotions behind his helmet that only showed his exposed teeth and blank eyes. He also kept his voice even. Apparently, being difficult to read was required of a U.A. teacher. "I can produce up to thirty-six clones at a time on my good days, but when I was younger, more than ten would exhaust me. I would be drained the entire day if I pushed past my limit. It took time to build up that strength."

It was hard to imagine any of the U.A. staff having difficulty with their quirks, but they couldn't all have natural born talent. An insanely powerful quirk could be weak and useless in the wrong hands. Touya knew he had an incredibly strong quirk. He knew that he had to keep working at it, chipping away at his weaknesses. His quirk wasn't the issue. It was him. He was the weak one. As Ectoplasm said, he had to build up his strength in order to match his quirk.

Leaning over to rest his forearms on his knees, Touya stared down at his hands as he unclenched them. The smoke was gone and even the heat had begun to dissipate. "It just… It burns through me so quick. It always has, even when it first manifested. I was so small compared to my twin sister and younger brother for years. It's like my body can't keep up with it at times." He bit his tongue. That was more than he'd intended to say, but, tired as he was, that last part had slipped out of him. It was the truth. It took everything in him to be one step ahead of his quirk, which could be just as dangerous as it was powerful. "I didn't really have the chance to improve my quirk before since I wasn't in the hero course. I can do it now."

Ectoplasm considered him for a moment. "You really did open our eyes to the cracks. It's unfortunate you fell through them before."

"Not your fault really," Touya sighed as he pushed himself back to his feet. "I wanted it that way. I didn't want help. If I'm honest, I still don't, but I…" He grimaced, feeling irritated with himself. Weak. He was so weak. He had to improve, even if it meant lowering himself for the time being. It was his only option. "I know I can't make it in here right now without it."

"Get something to eat and then some rest," Ectoplasm suggested. "Midnight will be working with you tomorrow and she is an unforgiving teacher."

Touya fought the urge to shiver. "I figured that out a while ago." She was probably going to murder him. How many times could he pass out from her quirk without suffering long-term effects? He thought his fire might be able to affect the knock out gas that her quirk produced, but he wasn't sure. He guessed he'd find out. It would be the first time he'd be up against her in that capacity. "Thanks for the heads up."

Gathering his stuff together, Touya swung his backpack over one shoulder and left Gamma Gym. He didn't bother with a jacket or hoodie, if only because he was still so hot. The cool air was a blessing, soothing his warm skin and ruffling his hair. He knew his cheeks were still red from the training. By the time he reached the dorms, he'd feel normal again. For now, he'd revel in the weather and relax.

Plus, judging from what the clock had read, the other students would be making their way back by then. He knew that the others were curious about how his training was going. Midoriya was open enough to ask about it, which Shouto would undoubtedly take advantage of. He wanted to know but was too hesitant to ask and Touya too used to taking advantage of people's silence and dislike of asking personal questions. He had to stop that. Soon.

"Todoroki Touya!" The call made him freeze in his tracks. This wasn't the first time he had called him that. The speaker could have easily been assuming that he shared Endeavor's surname, as he seemed rather fond of making assumptions, but the confidence and challenging hint to his voice told him otherwise. He knew .

Touya turned around to face a smirking Monoma. Face blank and voice void of emotion, he asked, "Excuse me?"

Inside him, warning sirens began to sound. Sparks danced off of rusty cogs and caught on the end of a short fuse, lighting it with a dangerous glow. He knew he should walk away. Walk away, because once this feeling started, it wouldn't be long before he would be unable to suppress it. Not when it concerned the topic he feared they were heading toward. Walking away was the smart thing, but it also felt too much like giving up. No, worse. It was surrender - agreement - acknowledging that his opponent was right without saying anything at all. If he walked away, he let Monoma win.

If he walked away, he let him win.

"Todoroki Touya," Monoma repeated. The relish of a judge handing down a much-desired conviction hung in his voice. "That's your name, isn't it? I wonder why it took me so long to track you down." Amusement danced in his eyes, although it was only skin deep. For Touya, it was easy to recognize the resentment lingering just below the surface. Agitatingly so. "Were you embarrassed by getting in on your name or by how long it took you?"

The fuse flashed and began to burn in earnest. Touya had to press down on his quirk to make sure those metaphorical sparks didn't turn into real ones. He clenched one of his hands into a fist, the feeling of his nails pressing against his skin too hard ignored in favor of the unnatural heat of his palm. Shit . In an effort to remind himself to stay calm - to remind himself of why he had to stay calm - he cast a glance around U.A.'s courtyard. There were grass and trees, but also a handful of students scattered around, witnesses to any bad behavior that may occur. Some were already sending glances their way. He couldn't afford an incident.

His resolve faltered the moment his gaze landed back on Monoma. The smirk on his face seemed to grow with each second that Touya didn't respond. It was so mocking, condescending, a look meant for someone who had been deemed a failure before they even got a chance to try.

That could not stand.

Touya stood a little straighter, looked Monoma in the eyes, locked his face into an aloof, uncaring expression, and took a deep breath.

It wasn't that Bakugou had planned on eavesdropping. There just wasn't any ignoring that voice. Anyone who could stand hearing that obnoxious, whiny, proud, condescending, mocking voice for more than a few minutes deserved a fucking Nobel peace prize in his opinion. So when he heard it bleating out, telling him that Monoma had found someone new to harass, he followed it. As it was, he wasn't close enough to make out exactly what he was saying and he had to know how pissed he should be.

The sight of Dabi would have been his main priority under most circumstances. Instead, as he approached from behind the villain and got close enough to hear what Monoma was saying, he felt a familiar anger begin to stir in his veins. The words were different, but they weren't what mattered. It was the tone . He had heard it before - knew the feelings behind it - and although it was aimed at someone else, although he knew this pathetic wannabe wasn't worth his time, it dug into him like barbed wire into a half-healed wound.

Before Bakugou could spit something out and make sure Copycat knew that yeah, he was there too, Dabi found his voice. "Do you really believe your wild guesses or do you think this will make you look less insecure?" he coldly asked.

"Hah!" Bakugou laughed. "You're so fucking obvious, even a villain's calling out your bullshit."

An entire series of events managed to occur within the next instant. Monoma's gaze snapped to Bakugou, who, despite his very unignorable qualities, had all but forgotten him the moment Dabi moved. The villain definitely hadn't noticed Bakugou sneaking up behind him. It actually looked like he might flinch for a moment, although any such impulse was promptly repressed. Surprise and alarm flickered across his face, only to fade back into the chilly, uncaring aloofness that was so familiar. Truly, he had only seen it on one occasion, but even without the scars, he couldn't forget (no matter how much he wanted to). It was a brutal reminder of what stood in front of him.

A wave of disgust washed over him. Disgust for the individual in front of him. For himself. For the incredible fuck up he had almost made.

For a moment Bakugou had almost forgotten what Dabi was. It wasn't the first time. Those slip-ups were slowly but surely becoming more frequent. It was the first time he had gotten so close to showing something like solidarity toward him. That was unacceptable, even if it was against Monoma. He couldn't forget that "Touya" was Dabi. Because he couldn't forget what Dabi did. Even if everyone else did, if they forgot about the kidnapping or forgave him or stopped caring or whatever…

Bakugou looked Dabi in the eyes. That shocking blue served as a reminder of what he was dealing with in place of the absence scars and staples. For a moment, he almost thought he could see them overlapped with the younger Dabi's face.

His hand twitched at the phantom sensation of something brushing the back of his neck.

Even if no one else cared about what had happened over summer anymore, he still did. And as long as he couldn't forget, he wouldn't let Dabi forget his rage. If he did - if it really didn't matter - then…

A moment too late, a truly unpleasant thought drifted into his mind, making him wonder if his taunt, spat out before he could reconsider his wording, had been a bad idea. A cold tingle traveling up his spine. It was hardly the worst thing he had said to or about Dabi, yet it left him with the distinct feeling that he had crossed a line. Bakugou's eyes darted over to meet the villain's without his permission. They were wide and glimmered with alarm. His stomach threatened to lurch at the sight. Seeing anything other than a cold emptiness or hatred was wrong . It was a trick, a trap meant to disarm him, nothing that he could let himself believe. Even if Dabi was genuinely scared , it didn't change what he was.

Unfortunately, that didn't make him more comfortable with the notion that he may have accidentally enabled Monoma to figure out his secret in the weight of the moment. It certainly wouldn't be any help if Aizawa found out he'd exposed his new favorite when he'd ordered the class not to. The gravity of the slip-up hung heavily in the air between the two enemies. It was only there for an instant.

When Monoma resumed his infuriating bleating, they were both distracted instantly. "'Villain'? That's a little harsh." He scoffed. The arrogant fuckwad couldn't go three seconds without pulling the spotlight back to himself. "Is the great Bakugou really that intimidated by a reject Todoroki?"

Bakugou wrenched gaze back to Monoma. He expected him to look thoughtful or latch onto what he had just said. Obnoxious as he was, he had to admit that the 1-B student wasn't a complete moron. It would be just like him to figure out the truth and land them him in a shitload of trouble. His concerns were unfounded. Had Monoma not been so much of a rage-inducing fuckmunch that all joy and other pleasant feelings were sucked from the atmosphere the moment he opened his disgusting lips to forever taint a breath of air, it might have been a relief. Instead, one issue was only replaced by different ones.

" Reject? " Dabi growled, some of his impassive mask flaking off. He was trying to control himself, but Bakugou could see the rage simmering beneath the surface and threatening to ignite. It was ( had to be ) different from Bakugou's anger - more sinister, unforgiving, fueled by genuine hatred and a desire to destroy. Evil. Of course it was. Even if he was younger, Dabi was still the same thing they had seen at training camp.

Before Monoma had a chance to respond to Miniature Evil, Bakugou spat, "I am not. He acts like one, so I'm going to treat him like one!"

Despite the venom in Bakugou's voice, Monoma had turned his attention back to Dabi and looked for all the world like he hadn't heard a word he said. He found himself impulsively clenching and unclenching his fists at the raw insult.

Either entirely oblivious or just not giving a fuck about Bakugou's grit teeth and tense shoulders, Monoma offered Dabi a lackadaisical shrug. "Well, I don't buy that Todoroki One is your cousin, since I'm not blind , but I hadn't heard of you either. Which means…" He paused to smile and shake his head pityingly. "One of you is ashamed enough for you to lie about being brothers or there's something wrong with you. Either way, it doesn't paint a pretty picture."

Something broke in Dabi. It was as subtle as such a thing could be, his hands and shoulder twitching (Flinching? No, it couldn't be.), jaw clenching, eyes widening and a new (Hurt? Discomfort? No. ) angry light shining in them. Monoma, of course, noticed immediately and let out a tiny chuckle. Meanwhile, Bakugou felt like he was going to erupt and hadn't been given so much as a passing glance.

Monoma continued, "Don't get too worked up about it. Not e-"

Bakugou cut him off by lurching forward to grab the front of his shirt. "Don't ignore me, you bastard!" he shouted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice told him that he shouldn't be doing this. He ignored it. He had to hold back on Dabi - had to accept everyone forgiving and forgetting what he did - the people he killed - had to watch as his friends classmates treated him like he was one of them, as they decided that what happened didn't matter anymore. Oh, he was sure everyone thought he'd been treating Dabi horribly, but they had no idea how hard it had been to pull back to the degree he did - how much he wanted to lash out harder . To show the world that it wasn't okay. He wasn't going to accept his enemies dismissing him in favor of that villain as well.

"Oh my, I didn't know you were so desperate for my attention, Bakugou." Despite the very real danger he was in, Monoma had the nerve to smile and shake his head condescendingly. Rage seeped through Bakugou, distracting him enough to allow Monoma to shove his hand away and get out of his grip. "Such a shameful display from class 1-A. Why don't you try befriending Todoroki instead? I'm sure he could use one."

There was a line. Although Bakugou was trying to improve - to be a better person, a better hero - that did not negate its existence. Recent events had tested how thick it was, wearing it thinner and thinner over time. When it got too thin, he tried to pull it further back, but that could not go on forever. He felt something inside of him snap as it was finally crossed.

He would never be Dabi's friend.

Curls of smoke rose up into the air as mini explosions began to go off in Bakugou's hands. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered he wasn't the only one with smoking hands. Of course. It figured the villain would take the first opportunity to go off. He shot a vicious, snarling glare at Dabi, who seemed torn between keeping that inhuman gaze on him and Monoma. For his part, the rat was still smirking, but now it was accompanied by undisguised anger and excitement. He was the first one to move, darting forward to touch Dabi's arm.

Then all hell broke loose.

Shouto was tired and he hadn't even done his final exam for the hero course. Today had focused more on the academics aspect of U.A. and, while a part of him knew it was equally important, he didn't have it in him to care as much as he did about the hero course. So much had happened in the past month to throw him off. It was no wonder his grades had suffered a little, but he knew he wasn't fully concentrating on school. It was only thanks to his friends and the sheer determination that radiated from Touya that he was able to keep his mind relatively on track.

To be honest, Shouto didn't know a lot about Touya's training with their father. He had always assumed it had been like his: physically brutal, emotionally exhausting, and mentally demanding. It had turned him into a well-oiled machine whether he liked it or not. He couldn't come out of that kind of training without being ambitious and determined to overcome everything, including his father.

Some days it seemed to Shouto that Touya felt the same way. There was always that drive to win - the need to improve - that desire to become something more. On other days, it was like his brother had completely different motivations that Shouto had never noticed before. There was an almost desperate tinge to how he approached things. What stood out most was the anger. It wasn't always directed at other people. Sometimes it was toward himself.

It was startling to realize how angry Touya was when he'd never noticed it before. When he tentatively brought the fact up to Fuyumi, she had admitted it was normal. Touya was angry at a lot of things, but he'd hidden it from Shouto in the past more often than not. If he thought back, he could remember explosive arguments and fights between Touya and their father, but those were always sporadic. He would leave or hide in his room and then come back like there was nothing to worry about.

He was better about it now and he seemed happier as well, yet Shouto couldn't help but wonder (and worry) if the temper that Touya had clearly inherited from their father would burst out eventually. He was under a lot of stress. It would make sense if it did, but Shouto didn't know how it would turn out under current circumstances.

"I'm so glad Midnight's class is over with!" Uraraka exclaimed as they walked across campus. "That exam felt like it was going to last forever."

"As long as you studied the guide Yaoyorozu and I came up with, you should've done well," Iida pointed out.

Uraraka smiled sheepishly. "I did most of it." Iida gave her a disappointed frown, which made her wave her hands frantically in defense. "I was really focused on studying for Ectoplasm's class! You know mathematics isn't my strong suit."

"I'm really just ready to do the practical exam for the heroics class," Midoriya admitted. "I wish we could do it first and get it over with so I wouldn't be so distracted."

"I think the waiting is part of the test," Iida said.

Realization glowed in Midoriya's eyes while Uraraka slowly nodded. It was apparently something no one else had thought of, but it made sense. The exam for their hero class always came last. Not only was it the most physically taxing, but the wait to take it was painful. They spent the entire week thinking about it and were forced to push it aside in order to focus on their academics. It was hard. They had all this pent-up energy, waiting to be released, but they had to sit in desks and take long, written exams.

Shouto actually agreed with Midoriya - he wanted to get the exams over with - but then, he simply wanted this school year to end, too. It wasn't that he looked forward to summer break, seeing as how it meant going back home for at least a little while, but for once, he needed that break both mentally and emotionally. He was at his limit and his limit was higher than most.

They were near Heights Alliance when Uraraka suddenly came to a halt and gasped, "Uh oh," a look of horror on her face, which made the other three boys stop and look her way.

"What?" Midoriya prompted, but she didn't look back at him to explain. Her eyes were locked on something in the distance, wide and… It wasn't fear in them, more like anxiety, the way someone looked at a terrible oncoming storm. She strode off in the direction of her gaze without answering while Shouto looked at her back.

His blood went cold the second he spotted what she had and found himself following as fast as he could.

If there was ever a group of people who should not be around each other without proper supervision, it was Touya, Bakugou, and Monoma, all of whom were now in what looked like an argument outside the dorms. It was hard to tell from a distance, but the closer Shouto got, the more he recognized the stiff way Touya held himself. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were at his side - palms up - and a disgruntled look sat on his face, his bright blue eyes narrowed into a glare.

There was that temper rearing its ugly head. This was not the time for it.

He didn't know whether Midoriya or Iida had followed them, but they vanished from Shouto's mind as he focused on the three boys ahead of him. Just looking at their body language put him on edge. Something bad was going to happen. He could feel it in the air. Going by the way she hurried to them, Uraraka must have felt it as well. She didn't always jump in the middle of fights, but she was nice and got along with almost everyone. The last thing any of them needed right now was a fight between Class A and B, especially during exams and especially involving Touya. She must've realized that.

"Hey!" Uraraka called out in a falsely cheery voice. "Is everything alright?"

She'd meant to help - to maybe diffuse the situation - but instead, she provided the opportunity for a mistake to occur.

The moment Touya heard Uraraka's voice, he swiveled his head in her direction. He spotted Uraraka and Shouto walking toward them, concerned looks on both of their faces, although the latter was doing a decent job of hiding it. Looking away was a mistake. Smoke was already seeping from his palms as his quirk threatened to roar back to life and Bakugou had left off a few mini explosions of his own. He needed to concentrate on the two boys before him, both of whom presented two sides of a very ugly coin he didn't want to deal with right now. His past and his position here now.

(Would he be here if Dabi had turned out to be anyone other than a son of Endeavor? Should he be here when he was technically a villain?)

However, when he heard Uraraka call out to them, his mind shifted to a different gear - the need to hide how he felt. The feeling that he was failing by letting his temper get the best of him got to him and he thought to open his mouth and tell her it was fine - he was just leaving - but then he looked away right as Monoma darted torwards him and slapped him on the arm.

Touya jerked back, irritation flashing through him at having been touched. "What the hell was that for?"

Instead of responding to him, Monoma stumbled back, looking at his palms with an expression that was surprised and proud at the same time. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Touya demanded, feeling like he was being backed into a cage. Even Bakugou had gone silent as he stared Monoma down with a disgusted look.

"Your quirk," Monoma continued. Suddenly, blue fire came to life over his palms and Touya almost choked. His angry glare quickly transitioned to one of horror as he realized why Monoma had slapped him. No, not slap him - he'd touched him. "Oh, this is much stronger than Todoroki One's firepower. I knew you had a fire quirk, but not like this! It's hotter too."

He'd copied him. Monoma had copied his quirk.

On instinct, Touya held up a hand, but his body had gone too cold to immediately call up his quirk. "H-hey, you need to be careful with that."

"Touya?" Uraraka asked once she was at his side, the nervousness evident in her voice as she gently touched his arm. He was so focused on Monoma, who had begun to allow the blue fire to coat his hands and grow even stronger, that he barely even heard her. She was like a voice calling from the distance. "Are you okay?"

Monoma furrowed his brow. "Wait a minute. Blue fire… I've seen this before…"

The training camp. He was talking about the training camp. Touya thought he might throw up after all.

"Don't be an idiot," Touya growled, starting to feel desperate. "Just put it out."

If he killed the fire now, Monoma would be fine. He would be fine. Monoma didn't understand. The quirk didn't just involve fire. It had a life of its own. It was as ugly, vicious, and temperamental as Touya himself. He didn't have years of experience dealing with it. That quirk would turn on him the second it had a chance. It would hurt him and he wouldn't be the one to blame.

By now, Shouto was with them, coldly glaring at Monoma. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"I was just curious how many Todorokis could get in on their name alone," Monoma shot back, a crueler dig than he realized. He had to have known that Shouto had gotten in on recommendation, although there was a quirk test to assess whether or not those recommendations were founded. With Touya, the idea that he'd gotten in on his name made him want to scream. It wasn't thanks to his father that he was here. (It was his own fault: he'd made his choices, he'd applied for U.A., he'd become a villain, he'd attacked his brother and found himself here all over again.) It wasn't because of fucking Endeavor.

It was in spite of him.

Touya wanted to lash out at him, but he bit his tongue and reined himself in. His hands were beginning to smoke as it was and he couldn't have that. Bakugou glanced at his hands and then connected eyes with him. One person here already thought he was a threat. He couldn't let him be right. "You got me, alright? I'm a fucking Todoroki. Awesome sleuthing skills. Now can you stop?"

Monoma tilted his head and gave him a curious look. "Why?" That look turned suspicious again. "Are you hiding something else?"

As stupid as he was acting at the moment, Touya could tell he was smart and that was almost more dangerous than the flames in his hands. Fire quirks were relatively common, but very few people had fire quirks strong enough to produce blue flames. The only other person that Touya knew to be capable of them was his father and only when he pushed his quirk hard. They came naturally to him, even if he didn't want them to be that hot.

"You don't understand," Touya said stiffly, moving to take a step forward and then stopping.

Shouto frowned. "Touya?"

"Why don't we all just go our separate ways, huh?" Uraraka offered, her gaze flickering between them anxiously.

Bakugou scoffed. "What are you so afraid of?"

Anger flared up again, unbidden and entirely unwanted, and Touya turned on him with a vicious sneer. "I'm not afraid." Bakugou gave him a challenging look in response, arms folded across his chest now, which for some reason only managed to piss him off even more. He was so sick of Bakugou's attitude, even if he understood it. He had a right to hate him - he had a right to not want him here - but if he was going to keep acting like a jackass, he better admit why. "You're the one that-"

"Don't you fucking even suggest that I'm afraid of you," Bakugou snapped furiously. He unfolded his arms, hands at the ready, and jumped forward with enough aggression to accidentally bump Uraraka's shoulder and knock her back into Shouto.

"Then stop acting like it," Touya shot back.

"Guys!" Uraraka exclaimed.

Monoma laughed. "Now you have two Todorokis to be threatened by, Bakugou."

"Not now," Shouto said through gritted teeth, his hands still on Uraraka's shoulders after steadying her.

Midoriya chose that moment to jump into the conversation. "We don't need to fight. It's exam week. We're all under a lot of stress."

"I'll fucking show you threatened," Bakugou snarled at the same time.

He threw out a hand and let off an explosion at Monoma large enough to almost hit Uraraka and Shouto, but before Touya could yell at him, Monoma lifted a hand to deflect the explosion with blue flames. Maybe the others didn't notice the way Monoma's eyebrows furrowed as the fire cut through the explosion, but he did and it made his heart skip a beat. He'd managed to protect himself without Touya's quirk, but he must've noticed the way it lashed out in multiple directions, almost hitting Midoriya in the process.

He couldn't control it. There was no way Monoma could control it and it was only a matter of time until-

Monoma flicked his hand as if trying to rid it of the fire that clung to him. "What is wrong with your quirk?"

"Look, you got me!" Touya exclaimed, trying to hide the franticness in his voice. It was pouring out of him as the flames grew stronger in Monoma's hands. At this point, they completely covered them. "You're right. I'm a Todoroki. I'm his brother. I've got a really volatile quirk and that's why it took me so long to get in here. I'm…"

I'm a villain, but I'd rather admit my shame than my failure

A hiss escaped Monoma as the blue flames licked at the bare skin of his wrists. He stared down the fire like it had personally insulted him. "Are you serious?"

Touya let out a low, frustrated growl. "You fucking idiot."

"Just deactivate it," Midoriya said in confusion.

"This is what you have to deal with?" Monoma demanded, sounding both incredulous and mad. "You got into the hero course with this quirk? Ah, shit!" He waved both of his hands now, the fire growing even more. It wouldn't be long before it climbed up his arms. "How do you control this thing?"

You don't.

Bakugou barked with laughter. "You can't even control his quirk. You're such a dumbass."

"It's not-" Monoma clenched his hands into fists. His eyes finally met Touya's, realization burning through them. Oh yes, he'd seen this quirk before. He'd seen this lack of control. "It can't be. You're not-" He shook his head. "You look like-" Touya couldn't answer him out loud. All he could do was stare and watch in horror as the quirk began to overtake Monoma. He knew it all too well. Even worse, his lack of an answer provided one and Monoma's eyes widened. "It is you! Bakugou wasn't just being an ass! I knew there was something off about you! How is that possible?"

Even though he had been the one to slip up first, Bakugou took offense at that, twitching in irritation and spitting out, "You don't know shit," which was awfully close to defending him. He seemed to realize that when Midoriya glanced at him, so he added, "Cut it out, will you?"

"I'm trying, " Monoma insisted irritably.

"Well try harder," Bakugou retorted.

"It's not my fault he has a weird quirk," Monoma complained.

Touya's hackles raised. "It's not weird. You're just incompetent."

"Incompetent?" Monoma raised an eyebrow and a flame-covered hand. "You're just a villain ."

Touya had been at the receiving hand of a fire quirk enough times to know what was coming. Plus, no one knew his quirk better than him, not even his father. When Monoma let off a wild burst of blue flames, Touya cut through it with his own, preventing it from hitting anyone. It wouldn't have hurt Shouto or Bakugou most likely, but Uraraka and Midoriya didn't have any fire resistance. Angry with the other boy for trying to use his own quirk against him, he lurched forward to grab him in a move Uraraka had taught him, but someone snatched him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

"I am not!" Touya snapped. "Let go of me, Shouto!"

"Don't be stupid!" a voice that was definitely not Shouto's growled at him. Bakugou.

Monoma clenched his hand into a fist, the fire going down a little because of the lack of oxygen in his palms. "Oh, so now you're protecting a villain? How quaint of you, Bakugou. You've softened. Didn't he kidnap you?"

Before Bakugou let go of his collar, Touya could feel the heat from his palm near the nape of his neck, warning him about the impending explosion. For a second, he thought he was going to let one off while still holding onto him and jerked away in panic, causing himself to stumble. However, Bakugou was controlled enough to wait until he'd moved his hand. Not everyone had a lack of control over their quirk like him. He'd seen the way Bakugou used his quirk and he had demonstrated extraordinary control.

Right now was not a good time for a fight though, not with someone as inexperienced with his quirk as Monoma, who didn't know and couldn't understand the half of it.

"Don't fight him!" Touya yelled.

Bakugou sneered. "Your quirk isn't as strong as mine."

"That's not-"

Monoma rolled his eyes. "All that yelling and arrogance can't hide the insecurities or fear."

Midoriya flinched as a furious aura began to radiate off Bakugou. "Oh no."

The explosion caught Touya off guard. It wasn't nearly as large as it could've been, but it forced Monoma to go on the defensive. He didn't know how long he could copy a quirk, but it had to stop soon. He saw the way the fire was trying to creep up his arm even as he tried to keep it contained to his hands. It wouldn't be long before he tried to use it like every other fire quirk. That was where the real power, and problem, was. His fire might rest in his hands, but in order to build up true strength, the whole body had to be used.

It would only result in disaster and Touya saw it coming like a freight train.

"Stop it!" he shouted.

The flames grew hotter, forcing him to step back, and that was when he saw the panic on Monoma's face. He must have realized that something was truly wrong - that it wasn't like other fire quirks. Sweat had begun to bead his face as he forced a ball of flames to stop one of the explosions, which were growing bigger as well. When Midoriya put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, Bakugou shoved him back and snapped at him. Before the two of them could clash again, Shouto created a wall of ice between them, the fire and explosion hitting it and shattering bits of ice and water everywhere. Although he was able to avoid being hit by any of the ice shards, Shouto's initial attack spread a little too wide, the very edge of it brushing Touya's arm. He cast a glance at the thin layer of frost that had futilely crawled over his arm and quickly shook it off.

"Deactivate the quirk," Touya ordered Monoma.

A look of concentration came over Monoma's face. He was no longer trying to fight Bakugou; it was more like he was trying to fight himself. "There's something wrong with your quirk."

When Bakugou stepped forward, Touya jumped in his way. "Don't attack him!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugou snapped.

"We don't have time for this," Touya shot back. "We need Aizawa. If he can't control it, he's going to-"

Too distracted by arguing with Bakugou, he didn't notice the one thing he was afraid of. It was only when he heard Monoma's frantic scream of pain that he jerked back around, but it was too late. Before he could do or even say anything, he felt the slap of a palm on his chest. He threw his arms back to catch himself, but instead of falling down, he flew up, out of control like a tornado had ripped him from the ground.

Or he'd been shoved right as his gravity had been taken away from him.

Uraraka must have either caught on to what Touya was panicking about or saw it happening right as he did. Unable to control the volatile fire quirk he'd copied, Monoma was about to go nuclear. Being near the middle of all of them, she'd touched everyone but Monoma with five fingers, activating her quirk on them and sending them sailing out of the blast radius.

Touya managed to stop himself from spinning, catching sight of the flames taking over Monoma and then Uraraka's eyes, who was still on the ground. Without a sense of gravity to center him, he knew that the volatile nature of his quirk meant that using it could potentially hurt her too. Blue fire exploded everywhere and Touya screamed, "Uraraka!" over both Midoriya and Bakugou as ice shot forward from Shouto's right hand in an attempt to shield her. The whole mess took Uraraka and Monoma out of sight and sent the rest of them flying back even further. He was pretty sure he would've floated right into space had he not hit a tree and managed to grab onto a branch.

"Is everyone okay?"

Relief overtook Touya so strongly he nearly let go of the branch when he saw Uraraka floating with them. She had much better control over her quirk, familiar with using it on herself. She looked a little worse for wear, somewhat sooty and her shirt burned, but at least she wasn't seriously injured. She must have activated her quirk on herself right before it was too late, catching the tail end of the explosion He managed to nod his head when she looked at him, his stomach too twisted into knots to say anything.

"Put me down!" Bakugou shouted. He almost used his quirk to propel himself back to the ground, but then seemed to think better of it at the last second. Unused to having her quirk used on him, creating an explosion when the laws of gravity didn't apply to him would probably send him smashing into the ground at breakneck speed if he wasn't careful. It wouldn't be like flying with his quirk the way Touya had seen him do a few times.

"I'm okay!" Midoriya called out. He was hanging onto the same tree as Touya, slightly above him, but had managed to pull himself down enough to place his feet on a branch. Shouto remained silent, hanging mid-air further above them, upside down and clearly uncomfortable, but not moving. Using his quirk must've shoved him higher.

Uraraka checked all of them, deciding they were good, and then asked, "Todoroki, can you gently use your fire to get closer to the ground before I release you?" Shouto nodded stiffly in response. Using only a small amount of flame, he was able to push himself down until he was only a few feet off the ground and slowly floating back up. Touya tightened his grip on the branch. She pressed the pads of her fingers together. "Release."

Even though he had been ready for gravity to return to him, the second it did, his legs dropped down and his hands on the branch nearly slipped as he was forced to hold up his entire weight. It was only thanks to a foot connecting with a smaller branch that he did not fall out of the tree. Uraraka dropped and then activated her quirk on herself at the last second before releasing it again. Bakugou was able to use his explosions to safely return to the ground while Shouto dropped onto his feet and Midoriya remained in his spot in the tree. It took some awkward maneuvering, but both of them climbed down.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Touya took off in the direction of Monoma. "Shit, shit, shit." There was ice everywhere, along with smoke rising in the air. He could hear groaning, so at least the idiot was alive. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he also thought he could hear sizzling. The smell of burnt flesh was all too familiar, but it still made him want to gag after being under Uraraka's quirk. "We're going to need Recovery Girl!"

"Iida went to get her and Aizawa just in case," Midoriya informed him.

"Where is that stupid shit?" Bakugou demanded, stomping their way.

Before Bakugou could attack Monoma though, Touya intervened, jumping in front of him to put his hands on his chest and stop him in his tracks. "Leave him! He's hurt enough as it is."

Bakugou smacked his hands away. "Don't fucking touch me."

Touya held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry."

Bakugou's eyes flickered over to Monoma, who was lying on the ground and curled into a ball to protect himself. It could've been a lot worse, but the burns on his arms and legs had to be painful. He could only hope the flames hadn't reached his face, but he couldn't tell from the way Monoma was hiding it behind his burned arms. It was an ugly sight, one that made even Bakugou go silent, although his gaze was still hard and furious.

Midoriya came up from behind, worry evident on his face. He was the only one who stepped forward and bent down to attempt to comfort Monoma, who snapped half-heartedly at him, but didn't get off the ground. Moving with those burns would be excruciating. Midoriya looked up and gave him a sort of pained, helpless look.

Overwhelmed by the mess he'd accidentally created, Touya could only shake his head and stumble backward, only stopping when he felt a hand on his shoulder. This time, he knew it was Shouto. His hand was cooler than normal in an attempt to soothe him, like their mom or Fuyumi would whenever he got too hot. It only made him feel sicker as he began to breathe heavily through his nose.

"Touya?" his brother tentatively asked.

"I didn't mean… I didn't mean to…" Touya ran his fingers through his hair. Distantly, he could hear other people heading in their direction, probably Iida with Aizawa and Recovery Girl, but he couldn't look away from Monoma. "He couldn't control it. That's not my fault. I should've just walked away, but he called me a 'reject Todoroki' and I- I didn't mean for him…"

"Midoriya, step back!"

Everyone snapped their attention to the voice, Midoriya doing as he was told, and spotted Aizawa heading their way. Unlike usual, where he was impossible to read, Touya couldn't have missed the anger on his face, mostly because of the way his hair was standing on end and his eyes were red. It didn't matter. Touya's quirk lied near-dead inside of him. Maybe he felt the urge to light himself on fire at the moment, but he wouldn't have used his quirk for any reason.

"I didn't do it," Touya insisted. He couldn't be imagining the disappointment in Aizawa's eyes. It made him feel small and pathetic, but he didn't know what to do to fix it either.

"It was an accident," Uraraka said.

Shouto stepped forward. "Monoma copied his quirk and-"

"To the dorms," Aizawa interrupted in a sharp tone. "All of you, now."

Touya felt like he was closing to shaking. "I didn't-"

Aizawa turned to face him and deactivated his quirk. It should've made Touya feel better. It did not. There was something about his gaze that was too calculating to allow him to feel any sort of comfort or relaxation. "Are you hurt?"

"I-" Touya furrowed his brow. His left arm stung - he'd allowed his fire to creep up too far - but it was nothing major. It wasn't like Monoma, who had Recovery Girl tending to him now. "No, I'm fine."

"I'll retrieve you later," Aizawa told him. "Now go."

Even though he wanted to once again point out that he hadn't done anything and most certainly hadn't wanted to get into a fight, Touya bit his tongue, nodded, and rushed to catch up with the others. Iida was with them again and, thankfully, was too busy scolding Bakugou to notice him, but Midoriya was eyeing him curiously. Shouto's eyes were distant, locked on some memory. It embarrassed him that it took until they walked into Heights Alliance for him to realize that Uraraka wasn't with them. Aizawa must have told her to stay behind so Recovery Girl could take care of her. Maybe she'd been hit worse than she'd let on.

It wasn't his fault. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. They had to know that. They had to know that he didn't want to fight anyone. He was content with people not knowing who he was. The idea of people knowing he was a failed Todoroki made him almost as sick as them knowing he was Dabi. Monoma had hit the money right on the mark when he had called Touya a reject. That was the truth, wasn't it? He wasn't just a failure. He was worse than that. He was flawed. The moment his father had realized he couldn't be fixed, he'd been discarded and nothing he had done at U.A. or at home had helped him back into his good graces.

Now there was a very real chance his second chance at U.A. would get taken away from him, all because of some stupid misunderstanding and his temper. How stupid could he be? Aizawa was going to pull him out of the class and all of this would be for nothing. He should've just walked away. Why couldn't he have done that? Why was it so hard for him to let things go? He wanted to scream at himself. Instead, he silently made his way to his dorm room, unable to face the others. For their part, everyone watched him go without saying anything, even Bakugou. No one was in high spirits and shame resonated through all of them too strongly for anyone to fight it.

Recovery Girl would heal Monoma - of that, Touya had no doubt - but some things would always leave scars.

Mistystarshine notes: Before you panic, remember! Touya is an unreliable narrator and Dabi has proven himself to be nothing if not overdramatic.

And so we finally learn more about Touya's quirk. If you missed it, don't worry! All will be written out and explained in the next chapter. I'm also going to take a moment to say that we had decided on the nature of his quirk, how he got his scars, and all of that stuff before we even uploaded the first chapter. So when Horikoshi dropped that flashback when we were two chapters away from this? I. Was. Steamed. Happy to a degree and thrilled to get another Touya = Dabi hint, but also d. We were so close! So close! But no, we didn't edit or change anything to line up with recent chapters better, the timing was just ridiculous.

Finally, 'Ryouta' is probably going to be changed to 'Touya' soon. For several reasons, but the unexpected main one is that, since I'm also working on a few other BNHA things, my dyslexia has started messing with me. The names are spelled to similarly and refer to the same character and, as a result, I've started mixing them up. So if anyone has any strong opinions regarding name changing, speak now or forever hold your peace.

And finally, as decided by the discord, I need to include an… unfortunate turn of phrase Ohmytheon accidentally used and the comments that followed it.

'Monoma laughed. "Oh look, Bakugou, now you have another Todoroki to be under."

Comment by me: this line is kinda confusing? Also, Monoma's already remarked on there being another Todoroki to make him feel threatened and insecure. Or does he mean beat up, like the sports festival? Or... does he mean... /the sex/? If so, you should mention that it's said suggestively to clarify that.

Comment by Ohmytheon: SDIOJFSDIJFD I DIDN'T MEAN IT IN THAT WAY'

And then she smote the line from existence and was too shook to write a replacement for several hours. (Ohmytheon: And then everyone roasted me so hard on the discord that I looked like Dabi. RIP me.)