Shoto looked out the shattered window, finding a gutter a few feet below, a narrow ledge that would serve as a good foot hold until he could get down. He pulled himself up, then twisted his legs around laying with the hard ice on his stomach as he flipped them though, leaving only his head and torso inside.
He looked down, back into the bathroom. There was the boy, the one who had introduced himself as Mikumo. Todoroki bit his lip. From the moment he saw him, Todoroki had known that this had been the boy from his father's picture last night. The same boy that had killed two people with his fire.
Todoroki had found himself frozen, waiting to become the next victim, wondering if he could go down fighting. And then ended up eating up all the lies the kid was feeding him. He'd been ready to run out of there, wishing he could call the police, do anything to get away from the boy he knew to be a killer.
But then he had seen his father outside...he wasn't really supposed to leave the house anyway...and if Endeavor caught him hanging out with a villain. Todoroki didn't like the idea of letting him go free, but he also didn't like the idea of being grounded for the rest of his life.
"Help me up?" the boy asked.
Todoroki bit his lip. Endeavor and the cops would be here any second. He could just slip away, let them find the boy alone. But...it had been his idea to break the glass….
He reached out a hand, trying not to shutter as he felt Mikumo's hand wrap around it, pulling his forearm close to his chest as he was lifted into the air, feet bracing against the wall until he could hook them over the little ledge created by the broken window.
"Uh thanks…"
"We need to run," Shoto said, looking away from him.
What the hell was he doing? Sure, being caught with a known criminal in some bathroom would be a little awkward to explain, but not life ruining. Technically, Shoto had no way of knowing that Mikumo was dangerous. He could have just walked out there and faced his father, they would have believed it was an honest mistake. It had been an honest mistake. He'd just been wandering the streets when he'd seen the park, and stopped to use the restroom and take a breather. Just his luck that the one person he ran into was the kid that his father was after.
And now he'd been made an accomplice. Things might have been bad before, but if he got caught now, he could kiss his admittance to UA goodbye. Or worse, Mikumo would realize that he wasn't actually a villain, but just a nosy hero's son, and he would end up the same as the bodies he'd seen on the news the night before.
He should have just run out of that bathroom as soon as he'd entered it, staying as far away as he possibly could, returning home even. But when he had opened that door, when he had seen the boy from the photo for the first time… he could imagine him the night before, his back turned, fire around him, face obscured. Now he would see that face, freckles framed in green curls. Soft lips, not snarling or laughing incessantly as Shoto always imagined villains would, but carefully folded into the neutral frown that seemed all too familiar for them. It hadn't been what he would have expected of the face of a killer. Rather it was the face of a boy. A boy like him, who had gotten a little too close to fire.
And then the panic, racing across those green eyes like lighting. Stammering, unbelievable lies. Shoto hadn't wanted to run. Hadn't wanted to think of him as a murderer.
And now it was two late to take it back.
Both boys jumped down from the broken window, landing more elegantly than a normal teenager should have known how to, though both for different reasons.
Mikumo straightened and patted his pockets, then cursed under his breath.
"What is it?"
"I let my peroxide in there." he looked back up at the window as if trying to come up with a way to return to the bathroom that he had only just escaped.
"There's no time.'' The words were only barely out of Shoto's mouth then they heard a door slam open, footsteps on the concrete floor of the bathroom. Endeavor and the cops were just on the other side of the building.
Ahead of them was a few meters of grass, a fence and then a narrow street defining the park from the wall of looming apartment buildings.
Mikumo nodded toward them, then to Shoto before taking off at a run, his hoodie flying out like a flag from where it was tied around his waist. Shoto took a deep breath, and followed.
Izuku ran as fast as he could, not bothering to look over his shoulder to see if Todoroki was following him or not. A few moments ago he had been in a near panic trying to think of a way that he could get away from the guy, but now…
He had been a villain all along. Already he had saved Izuku's skin by telling him that Endeavor was waiting. His mind was swimming with possibilities, even as he prayed that the cops hadn't caught sight of them.
Todoroki was too young to have much of a support network on his own. Izuku could introduce him to the league, and put in a good word. It was only fair, after what Todoroki had done for him.
Izuku halted to pull himself over the fence at the end of the park. He risked a glance behind him to see Todoroki hot on his heels. Endeavor and the others were still nowhere in sight, probably still hunting around the bathroom. Even if they did leave, it would take time for them to wrap around the building.
But they weren't out of the woods yet.
Both boys cleared the fence and waded through the bushes that separated it from the sidewalk. Izuku felt the branches tugging at his clothes, especially the hoodie that still hung limply around his waist. He fought through the greenery, giving Todoroki the chance to slip ahead, running out into the street. There was no crosswalk, and the road was bound to have at least a few cars on it at the time of day. Izuku made it out of the bushes and onto the curb by the time that Todoroki was in the middle of the street. Then he saw it.
A sleek black car appeared around the corner, speeding towards them. Izuku stepped into the road, "Todoroki!"
Rather than run faster as Izuku had hoped, his new companion stopped all together, turning to look at him, in the opposite direction of the car, still unaware that it was coming for him.
"Get out of the way!" Izuku hardly heard his own shout over the screeching of brakes from the car. He was sure the driver inside was doing their best, but he could already tell it would be too little too late.
As if in slow motion Todoroki noticed he was in danger, he dove out of the way just as the car screeched though the empty air where he had been standing only moments before, finally managing to stop a few meters away.
Izuku felt like he wanted to throw up, but forced himself to cross the street, careful to look out for more cars. Todoroki didn't look much better, standing in the middle of the road, panting.
Izuku heard the door slam, and turned to see the driver getting out, probably to yell at them. It was a man, tall and blond, and perhaps the skinniest person Izuku had ever seen. His alarmingly blue eyes fixed, not on Todoroki who he had nearly killed but on Izuku. There was something unnerving about them, as if he had seen them before somehow.
But that was impossible.
The man was a stranger to him. And it better stay that way. If Endeavor and the police hadn't thought to look behind the building before, they had definitely been alerted now.
Izuku ran toward Todoroki, who was still staring at the car with a greenish look on his face. "Time to go." without waiting for a response Izuku took the other boy's hand and dragged him forward into the shelter of the alley.
A look over his shoulder told him that the driver was still watching them, but he didn't call out, and made no attempt to follow. Izuku realized belatedly that he was probably just as shaken up as they were. But...the others would have to stop to interview him. That would buy them precious seconds.
Once they left the street behind, Todoroki finally got the memo and pulled his hand away. Izuku looked at the ground, realizing that it would have been just as easy to snap Todoroki out of it with a push, and far less invasive still…
"Do you know this area?" Todoroki asked.
Izuku hesitated, they were dangerously close to Kachan's house. But it had been a while, and he had yet to look at the area with a villain's eye. He didn't know any good hiding places. "No," he said, "I've never been here."
"Then follow me."
Izuku nodded as Todoroki took the lead again. To his dismay, they ended up getting even closer to Kacchan's house, transitioning into the richer part of town. All the while sticking to back alleys and yards.
Izuku strained his ears for any sign of pursuit, but there was none. They had gotten away. A few miles later Todoroki stopped in front of a convenience store, and they slipped in, waving through the shelves until they were out of view of any cameras or windows.
Todoroki paused there, giving Izuku a good look at his face for the first time since they'd left the bathroom. He was clearly shaken, and panting slightly, but not nearly as much as he should have been after running like that. Perhaps he was more fit than Izuku had first assumed.
The store around them was more or less empty, but Todoroki stood there, inspecting a bag of chips like it held the secrets to the universe.
"I should thank you," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the shelf.
"Thank me?" Izuku repeated. He had almost gotten them both killed. Or worse, caught by Endeavor.
"For warning me about the car." Todoroki said, "it was a close one."
Izuku blinked. Of all the things he could have said, why that? He felt that Todoroki at least owed him an explanation as to how he knew about the bodies in Kamino. Was he somehow connected to the League? Working for Shigaraki to keep an eye on him?
"Todoroki-"
"Mikumo-"
Izuku swallowed. "You first."
Todoroki somehow managed to look even more uncomfortable than he already had. "I have to go." he turned his eyes to the floor, "Don't follow me."
After all that...Todoroki just wanted to part ways like it was nothing? Sure, Villains weren't exactly the clingy type, but they clearly worked well together. Izuku had been expecting an exchange of numbers, plans to meet up again, anything that could tie him to this stranger.
"You could come back with me," Izuku blurted.
Todoroki looked at him like he had just grown a third arm.
"I could introduce you to my uh…" What was Shigaraki to him exactly? He'd never really had to explain it before.
"That's fine." Todoroki had gone very pale. "Actually I'd rather if you didn't tell anyone about me." he added.
So he really did just want to leave then. Izuku tried not to take it personally. "Uh, yeah. Okay." he knew better than to ask for a reason.
Before any boy could say more there was a sharp buzz from Izuku's pocket. After a glance at Todoroki, Izuku pulled it out. There was only one person that it could be.
It's safe to come back. Find a safe place and send your location. Kurogiri will come get you.
Izuku swallowed and looked up at Todoroki, only to find that the boy had already tuned to leave. "Looks like you've got places to be too."
And he walked out of the aisle, slipping away from Izuku's view. He had half a mind to call after him, to demand answers. But it would be beyond stupid to cause a scene now. A moment later he heard the bell on the store's door ring, and knew that his companion was gone.
Izuku took a deep breath and looked back down at his phone, trying to think of a good place that he could call for a portal. After a long breath he shoved his phone back into his pocket and went for the door, keeping his gaze on the ground.
He didn't see the eyes that followed him as he went, emerging from the other aisle where they had been eavesdropping since they first entered the store. Izuku walked out the door in search of the darkest ally he could find, not noticing the lean blond boy that slipped out after him.
poems/49218/poem-for-my-love