Shoto Todoroki considered himself level headed. He needed to be in order to survive his father's brutality and it served him well. He weathered through his mother's mental breakdown, the villain attack on the training camp two years ago and the fallout from that horrible day. He could handle anything, never flinching even during the worst of situations because he had already lived through them. Or so he thought.
At the current moment, he was trying his damndest not to scream as he looked at the face of a monster even worse than his father. One second he was relaxing to a bit of jazz music Momo had recommended and the next, everything shifted around in a black miasma of darkness that dragged him further and further down until he emerged in a steel plated room where the Master of Evil sat not two meters away by a wooden table, the skull shaped death mask shining dully off the light.
Shoto still had the record in his hand, not even fully realising what happened until the villain spoke.
"Good evening my boy, I apologize for the rushed entrance, but sadly we have little time to discuss pleasantries."
His voice held a deep sophistication dabbled lightly with a lingering danger that caused the teen to drop the record on the floor. Shoto activated his quirk, making his body shudder with elemental power that threatened to tarnish his clothing to both ash and ice. The act didn't even make the demon react, much less flinch, but still the hot and cold hero remained defiant.
"Where am I and what do you want with me?"
"About ten miles underground in my humble abode and what I want dear Shoto is secondary to what I can offer you."
Frost began to coat the walls of the room with each passing second as the urge to flee grew stronger in the young man.
"You expect me to believe that? Your sort know nothing but lies and deception."
"And the other side is so much more righteous? Let's not kid ourselves here child, we both understand that truth. Now onto business, I have a task that is in need of completing and assuming you accept it, I can grant you the location of Izuku Midoriya on two conditions, the first being that you try to capture him and the second being that you go alone to do this."
Shoto paused his anger, the emotion quenched under a tide of confusion and a bit of hope. He was thrusted into this, may as well roll with it.
"Let's say I trusted your word, what would happen if I were to say no?"
A choking pressure filled the room that forced the air from his lungs and made even his overpowered quirk seem redundant. The giant said nothing for a moment, letting the fear build behind Shoto's eyes before he spoke in such a casual, nonchalant tone that it added to the solidity of the threat.
"Simple, if you refuse to do as I ask then I will drag him back to this very room and kill him as you watch. His death will not be pleasant, not with how slowly I intend to remove the smallests bits of skin and watch him scream out, begging for help while you can't do anything."
The hero gulped instinctually, his mind somehow picturing every word said by his kidnapper in such ridiculous quality that he swore a quirk was involved.
"What's your reasoning for doing this, isn't Midoriya under your thumb?"
"Good question young one, but I'll say that I have my own reasons and leave it at that, now do we have a deal?"
Steam crawled up, enrapturing the steel surrounding the son of the second, who found it in himself to stand firm in his strength and ask one more question as the images grew more defined.
"What happens if I fail?"
"I've yet to decide and frankly you don't really stand much of a chance against him, so I might be leanet. Now get going before I say otherwise."
All For One snapped his fingers and instantaneously the very fabric of reality shifted into nothing but a wide stream of colors and in the very next breath, he was standing in the middle of a dark alleyway that stank of foulness which perforated everything. Shoto blinked, the red spots in his vision quickly fading as he made his into the evening sun.
Shade covered each building he passed while various bits of graffiti dotted the stonework of the semi abandoned places. His feet were bare as they scrapped the sidewalk of this ghetto he was thrown into, and his body did not shiver under the chilling winds that cut through his thin clothing, but his brain was preoccupied nonetheless. Tens of thousands of thoughts raced, saying so many things that it physically hurt.
Why did All For One force him to find Izuku? Is he somewhere around here? Are the other villains with him or is he here alone too? Does Izuku know about this? Is he going to try to kill him?
This rattled the prodigy's sense of security more than anything. He marched along nearly solitary streets as bits of snow began to touch the world, clinging to him only to be melted moments later. He was trapped in an endless maze with no clear direction on where to go or even where his quarry was. The frustration was starting to get to him as he turned a corner, to then run into a blue haired girl carrying what seemed like a mountain of boxes that cut off her field of vision as it went above her eye level. A few fell to the ground when the laborer shifted her weight to avoid tipping over as her goods tumbled down.
Cans upon cans of various foodstuffs rolled out of the cardboard boxes, some denting as they hit the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there! These boxes got in my way!"
She made to set her burden down, but Shoto picked up the discarded cans and lifted another few containers off of the woman, exposing worn red rimmed square framed glasses in front of brown eyes that blinked in confusion for a minute before focusing on him as he spoke.
"It's no issue, I'm the one at fault. Would you mind an extra hand?"
Utter shock was on her face for a fraction of a second that turned into a pleasant smile.
"Not at all, though we'd have to go a bit further to get to where this needs to go."
Shoto nodded and followed after her in silence. Nothing was said for a time with the wind whipping the flurry of white snow around them in dancing patterns of randomness. The girl began to hum a tune as the flakes melted on the tattered winter coat she wore, it was then the hero acted.
"I'm actually looking for someone who is supposed to be around here. A man about my age with green hair, green eyes and a few freckles on his cheeks, have you seen anyone like that?"
She paused for a moment when they approached what Shoto originally thought to have been an abandoned building and went up the concrete stairs to the second floor.
"If I can ask first, why are you walking around in this weather in nothing but your pajamas?"
Shoto bit his tongue in annoyance. Very little got to him, but admittedly he was used to being acknowledged, meaning his questions rarely went unanswered. Still he supposed that it was best to play along.
"I was dropped off here without the proper time to prepare for the task at hand."
A key was pulled from her coat pocket and the door was opened, revealing a tiny, yet well decorated apartment. The girl marched in, set the food down and gestures for him to enter.
"And that would be?"
He followed after her, placing the food down and sitting himself on an odd smelling couch as she put the goods away at a rather impressive speed.
"I just need to find this person, he and I used to be good friends, but right now he's been missing for a while."
She turned around, slightly concealed excitement bouncing behind her eyes as she worked.
"So what happened to this friend if you don't mind me asking?"
Shoto measured his response, careful not let any undo information slip as he tried not to lose his temper.
"A group of very bad people took him from his home a long time ago and right now I may be the only one that can help bring him back."
Confusion mixed well with curiosity, shifting the tones of the girl's expression with each new thought she possessed.
"Who were these bad people exactly?"
Flame emerged from his body, rising with his emotions before being extinguished by the better judgement taught to him by years of hardship.
"It's better if you don't know, now please, tell me if you've seen a person like the one I described."
A thumb nail entered her mouth as she bit down on the flesh, meditating on the statement and staring at his scorched shirt as if it answered some long held belief.
"You're Shoto Todoroki, right? The third most powerful student at UA who is going into his third year pretty soon?"
He raised an eyebrow at his interrogator, almost perplexed as he slowly remembered the fame the spot festival gave everyone in his class.
"Yes, what of it?"
Her eyes darted to one side with a bead of blood slowly dripping down her hand as she bit harder when anxiety began to grow in the base of her soul.
"You're here for Izuku, aren't you?"
He shot up from the couch like he had a rocket strapped to his back and stared at her with unconcealed desperation.
"You do know where he is, please, I have to get him back home. He's been missing for over two years and this is the closest we've ever come to reaching him."
The girl stepped back from him with apprehension still firmly in her. She moved to one side of the room and went back to the kitchenette where a pot of tea was set to boil. Shoto was practically on top of her as she remained silent, focusing solely on preparing the drink and handing a cup of the green liquid to him.
"I don't know exactly what happened to lead Izuku to where he is in life, but I know for certain that if he wanted to go back to UA, he would have. I don't quite know where he is at the moment and he may not be back until later, so since I'm the one who brought you here, I'll allow you to stay as long as it takes for him to get back, under one condition."
Frost gathered on the cup as Shoto nearly crushed it in his palm.
"Name it."
"You listen to what he has to say and if he doesn't want to go back, you leave without a fight. He's been through enough stuff already and he's trying to make the best of it and fighting an old classmate and having to move again, right after getting a stable job won't help him at all, understand?"
Heat flowed out from his pores, the agitation showing with every breath he took to control his rapidly increasing anger. Slowly he lifted the tea to his lips and drank while the entirety of his body began to shake from the effort. "Control yourself, don't let your emotions run wild" repeated in his head when he fell into the beat up cushions of the sofa. His back was in pain and frankly he wanted to burn the place down, but he nodded to the girl who watched him warily as bits of frost melted on the walls.
"I can agree to that, just tell me what he's doing here exactly."
She took a sip of her own brew and set herself down near the dining table while making sure to not take her eyes off the hero.
"He's just trying to make an honest living since he doesn't have anywhere else to go. Him, me and a few others live here, trying to get by because our choices landed us in this situation. I can't say it's glamorous, especially since we're going to be living off the bit of food I managed to get from our work, but it's safe and we do good."
Shoto gave the girl a look that made her match the perplexion on his face.
"You're living off that canned food? Don't you have more options? I mean Izuku could have-"
"He's on the run on all sides with no one to help him. I get that you both lived the high life as heroes, but that was a long time ago and right now, we make due with what we earn."
The Half and Half hero squinted at her, taking in the words.
"Where do you fit into this?
She pushed her glasses up with an index finger and pushed her unevenly cut hair to one side as she answered.
"I'm a stray with nowhere else to go. My home life became too much for me to bear after my oldest friend was attacked by some crazy girl and when my father got into one of his drunken rampages, I finally snapped and ran away. I've been on the streets for months before Izuku managed to save me from a group of thugs and bring me here. It's safe so I decided to stay and that's about it."
A sort of sympathetic glow nested behind the blue and green of his eyes at the story. Reluctantly he sat up from his slumped position on the couch and placed a hand on his mouth, intent on gathering his hard won sense for self control to measure what he could ask to gain the best information.
"Tell me, is he doing alright at least? No strange habits or self destructive tendencies, anything like that?"
She traced the rim of her cup, avoiding Shoto's gaze for what felt like forever.
"...That depends on how you look at it, even then I don't know him well enough to give a completely accurate answer. He's always been sort of strange and there are these moments where he locks up and becomes unresponsive, but those come around less nowadays."
Her fingers drummed on the side of the cup as she continued.
"He's given up on being a hero which is either or, depending on your opinion, right now he seems to just be focused on getting financially stable, though I do see him staring at that mask he owns every so often when he gets time to think. He also plays around with this old pipe he keeps and occasionally swings it around outside, to be honest he's pretty handy with it from what I've seen."
Hana took another sip of tea before finishing her tale to her guest.
"I can say that he won't go straight to violence unless you give him a reason. Izuku can be very sweet at times, but you have to dig a lot to get there and considering your history with him, I'd think you would have an easier time than I did."
The hero raised his reheated brew to his mouth, taking in the flavor of the jasmine select given to him.
"Are you in a relationship with him by any chance?"
Hana's cheeks reddened slightly at the question. She removed her glasses, taking a cleaning kit from a coat pocket and began to methodically wipe away at the dirty lenses.
"No, at best we're friends, but I do care about him. He's a goofball who's been hurt by the world and fate kinda stuck us together since pain loves company."
Shoto nodded once again, his nerves now substantially calmed by the tea.
"I see, do you have any idea when he'll be back?"
She returned the spectacle to the bridge of her nose, the plastic now much cleaner.
"He left with the others over an hour ago. He came with me to touch base with our employer and decided to go help one of our friends look for something while I lost track of time chatting with our overseer. Nice girl, but she has horrible taste in music. My best guess would be that he'd be back at around-"
A jiggle came from the doorknob and soon it began to turn, allowing the front door to be flung open with the chilling wind flooding the room as a solitary figure stepped inside. Snow had piled on his shoulders, the cold reducing the tip of his ears to a cherry red while his hair remained a mint colored mess of curls. A scar of faded white bisected the once innocent face of the person while a wool scarf concealed most of the lower half. His eyes as green as his hair went wide at the stranger in his living room and a hand flew to the pocket of his long coat. Layers of clothing lay beneath the leather to provide insulation, but the cold did little to stop his alertness. With a tug, the face covering fell to the floor, exposing the rest of his damaged visage.
"Shoto!? What in the fuck are you doing here!?"
Izuku stood over the two, his eyes wild and full of surprise. Hana moved between the teens, placing a hand on both of his arms in as gentle a way as she could.
"I found him wandering the streets a few blocks away and figured that you'd want to talk to him, it wasn't his fault Izuku, I led him here."
The outlaw stared at the blue haired girl, processing her words before taking in the state of his former classmate. His gaze turned hard and merciless towards the abuse victim.
"Are you here to take me in?"
He could swear he saw Shoto begin to sweat as fear instantly gathered in his eyes. Hana interjected again, completely oblivious to the danger.
"He's here to talk, that's it, none of-"
Izuku raised a finger to the girl, silencing her with his sternness.
"I wanna hear it from him, not you."
Shoto froze, realising just how much his old friend had changed in those years. Suddenly all the rumors and evidence photos came back in clear qualities while the faces of the criminals who turned themselves in willingly to escape the "Smile Man's" wrath reemerged like a scar. Pale with the look of animals on the verge of being devoured all became something he could relate to as his life very well could hang by the next words coming out of his mouth.
"N-No, not exactly anyway."
Izuku scanned his clothing with not an ounce of pity.
"Then explain, because I'm getting real tired of this."
"I-I was sent here against my will without any notice. One second I was in my room listening to some records, the next I-"
He was cut off as Izuku raised a hand, his expression instantly growing much softer.
"Say no more, I understand. So it was the Old Man who dragged you into this, can't say I'm surprised given how much Tomura wanted to add you to the party. Tell me, did he send you here to give me some stupid test or was it more like he wanted something to do to allievate his boredom, because you can hardly tell with the guy."
Relief ran through the elemental user as he watched Hana return with a fresh pot of tea after shutting the door while Izuku motioned for him to join him at the dining table. He sat down on the other end of the admittedly short table while his classmate undid his winter clothing. A fresh cup of tea was set to each of them as Hana took a seat in the middle. Shoto took a swig and tried to regain his sense of calm.
"I don't know, he told me to try and capture you alone without telling anybody. He said that if I didn't then-"
"Then he would have killed me while you watch, blah, blah. That's how he is, trying to scare kids to teach them a lesson. He wasn't serious because he would have offered you a bargain before sending you out. This is just him having a laugh at your expense."
"But he did, he offered me your location and-"
"And he didn't give them to you, he just warped you over without telling exactly where I was, ergo, nothing was sold. Did he tell you what would happen if you failed, because that's what you have to watch out for, he may joke around about a lot of things, but when he says he's going to do something to punish somebody, he means it. My guess is that he didn't specify did he?"
Shoto blinked, completely confused by his classmate's nonchalant attitude towards the Symbol of Evil.
"No, he said he hadn't decided yet."
Izuku grabbed his own brew and sipped, thanking Hana before doing the deed.
"Then he expects you to fail. So, no big deal if you do. He always has a plan in case things fail and what to do to make those who fail him not repeat that action, but since you're here how about we catch up? I haven't seen you in over two fuckin' years, I'm sure something interesting has to have happened."
Disbelief was all Shoto could muster before he managed to speak.
"What the hell happened to you? This is the first time you've seen any of us in over a year and that's all you have to say?"
Izuku shrugged, a little off put by the other boy's reaction.
"What the fuck do you want me to say? Sorry I haven't dropped a line in a while, I was too busy being held against my will and brainwashed? I'm sorry that I changed Shoto, but going through shit like what I have will do that to you."
Shoto's fists began to ball as newfound outrage kindled in the second's chest. He took a deep sip of the tea and tried to not keep the frost coming from his body to stick to everything.
"You could have called, we would have come gotten you at any point. None of us blame you for what happened Izuku, that all is the fault of those scum."
A finger was casted toward Shoto, but that was quickly retracted with another sip of tea.
"That's...I don't know if you're right about that, seeing how fucked in the head I was at the time, but regardless of that, I don't wanna go back to UA or hero work, not that I even think they'll allow me to do with all the crazy shit I've done and I certainly don't want to go back to where I was before. It took me a long ass time to even slightly get over the issues that experience gave me and I'm still not over it, I don't think I ever will be and in a way that's fine. I don't want to even get involved in this stupid game of dress up again, all I want is to live out my life in peace and maybe help people in a way that isn't completely self serving."
He ran a hand over his face as exhaustion began to show when he shifted his view up to the ceiling.
"I have a job with a charity that pays just enough to live on that I start in two days, it's more than I deserve, but I'll use the opportunity to the best of my abilities. It took a lot to let me see behind the curtain and understand what was really happening, but I'm alive and better off mentally then I was, so I'm asking here that you leave well enough alone."
Shoto didn't respond for a time, the breathing of the three being the only sound.
"I...I can't. Izuku you need help and staying here won't be any better than living on the streets. Your mother has been begging us to find you, to make sure you're still alright and All F-"
Izuku glared at the hero, his old reputation coming back to life with how much danger he radiated.
"I beat the old bastard before and I'll do it again in a heartbeat. I don't care what you or anyone else has to say, I'm not going back."
Shoto flinched at his classmate's ire before his anger reached a boiling point.
"So what then Izuku!? Do you plan to just linger in this filth pit until those evil bastards find you!? Didn't you even stop to consider the idea that you may not have a choice if you want to live!?"
His fist crashed into the wood of the table as he stood up.
"I've spent night after night worrying about you, wondering if today would be when we found you dead in some ditch and now you honestly expect me to just turn around and pretend this never happened!? I can't, I won't! Not all that happened to Bakugou, to Ochacho and to you!"
Izuku suddenly lost his villainous aura at this and became almost fearful.
"What happened to Ururaka?"
Shoto stared at him with a small bit of contempt.
"That insane girl you were so fond of used her face to kidnap Bakugou if you remember."
A tremor overcame Izuku, his hands starting to shake as he grew pale. Tears teased at the edge of his eyes with the fear turning into terror. Slowly, one of his hands reached for the small of his neck, but retreated at the last second. His teeth began to chatter and the breath he took were shallow and labored. Then without warning, he fell off the side of the chair, landing hard as he looked forward.
They both watched in shock when he curled into a ball while continually apologizing as sobs began to overtake him. Again and again Izuku begged for forgiveness in a hypnotic muttering that left him numb to the world.
Shoto stared at Hana, both unsure of what to do in this situation. She moved to Izuku's prone form, running a hand down his back while looking to the only other sane person for help. That was met by the sound of approaching feet and a twist of the doorknob. Two figures entered through the doorway, one was a rather tall gentleman with an impressive mustache and the other was a short redheaded woman who froze upon seeing what was happening. Their immobility didn't last long however as the red head all but ran to Izuku with a red haze coming out of her, while the older man instantly set his sights on Shoto.
The tension returned to the room with how murderously the man stared at him, but it was short lived as a hint of recognition glimmered in the stranger's face. Hana stood up meekly, more out of shame rather than fear and allowed the shorter woman to take over her task, who glared distastefully at them both. With a sigh the man set his winter clothing away and pulled out a chair on the dining table, pouring himself a cup of tea as well. He motioned for Hana to do the same, refilling her cup and waiting for Shoto to get the hint.
When the young hero finally tore his eyes away from the crumpled form of the one who helped him, it didn't take long for him to sequester himself to the chair while the redhead wrapped Izuku up in a blanket while her energy filled the space, making everyone feel more at ease.
"What happened?"
The man asked in a serious, authoritative voice that almost made Shoto flinch. Hana answered for him with the shame in her voice becoming stronger by the minute.
"I brought Todoroki here after finding him on the streets and thought that maybe Izuku would get some kind of relief by talking to him, but-"
She was cut off by an overly loud thump made by the man's cup as he set it down on the hardwood. His gaze settled firmly on the hero now, the heterochromia eyes reflecting the questioning look he sent.
"Again I'll ask, what happened?"
Shoto regarded the stranger warily, unsure of either his affiliation or reasonings for associating with Izuku, but he felt the need to at least answer.
"I told him about how one of our classmates was attacked by that girl he liked and then this happened."
The authority of the man faded away as a revolting look of fear gripped both him and his redheaded comrade who continued to try and sooth Izuku in spite of the newfound terror. A shudder was sent through the gentleman that quickly turned into anger which boiled deep in his soul, appearing with a sort of dangerous aura that set Shoto on edge. His expression shifted again into one now of sympathy as he refilled each cup and handed the empty kettle to Hana.
"I see, that'll do it. Tell me young sir have you come looking for help?"
Shoto shook his head slightly, taking note of how Izuku seemed to stop trembling as much while he held the redhead's hand and whispered something in her ear.
"No, that all happened a year ago. She's fine, or rather as fine as one who was in such a situation can be. I've come to find him actually."
A spoon swirled around the cup as the eldest man examined the body language of the hero, careful to look for any signs of intent.
"Well, as you can see, our friend is rather ill prepared for any such event. That being said, I'm interested to know as to how you arrived here."
That made the situation all that more awkward as Hana returned with a fresh pot of tea. She placed it in the center and waited silently, watching Shoto for his next reaction.
"I...I was sent here at random by a powerful individual who requested that I bring Izuku back with me."
The man nodded understandably, taking another sip of tea. That made it seem as if he knew exactly who Shoto was referring to, or had a fair idea at least.
"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Izuku is unprepared for that and we won't force him out, do you have a problem with that?"
Frost gathered in Shoto's palms, taking the moisture around him and collecting with each tug he made on the particles. He stared at the stranger for what felt like eternity, sure that a brawl would erupt when he heard the redhead cry out.
"Izuku, lay down."
Everyone turned to look at the green haired teen, his eyes puffy red from sobbing and his skin retained the sickly paleness from before. Tremors still rocked him, causing his hands to tremble when he sat down in the next available seat. Slowly he inhaled a spare cup of tea, letting the warm fluid fill his body and chase away some of his issues.
His gaze settled on Shoto, transfixed absolutely, but far more lucid then before.
"I…I'm sorry, Todoroki. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you or anybody. I thought that if I went along with what they wanted then everybody would be safe, but…"
Another bout of silence came as Izuku clenched his fists. The pain he felt was palpable with how hard his teeth nashed together. His eyes were closed, bashed in by sheer force of will while he kept muttering something over and over again. They opened as Izuku took one last breath.
"W..What did she do to Uraraka exactly?"
Shoto leaned back in his chair, careful not to look away despite how ungodly diseasy this whole event made him feel.
"I know that Ochoco is alive and well, though I can't say the same for you."
Izuku squinted at him as the words started to make more sense. For a spare moment he took another sip of tea, genuinely enjoying the acquired taste.
"I think you'd be right on that one. Goddamn, I was...have they done anything else to screw with you guys?"
Relenting as his throat turned drier with each word, the icyhot heir sipped his own brew.
"No, in fact we haven't even heard from them since that raid. There's been the occasional bank robbery every so often, and even a few sightings from heroes on patrol, but aside from that, they basically fell off the face of the earth."
This brought a smile to Izuku's face as he laughed maliciously, nearly spilling his drink in the process.
"That's about what I'd expect from those assholes. Hell, Tomura couldn't plan how to rob a candy store, much less do actual important shit without me around. Let me ask, has anybody from our class made it? Become pros I mean."
Shoto shrugged, not quite fazed by the greenete's moodswings as he originally was.
"We've all gotten involved in work studies, last I heard Koji got a merchandise deal with some pet toy company, Mineta is apprenticing under Mirko of all people, and...I think Bakugou teamed up with Kirishima officially to get the credits they both need to graduate."
Izuku shrank back at the mention of his childhood friend. He refilled his cup, taking a long moment to look back up.
"..How's he doing?"
Apprehension was in his voice, making the response from his classmate all that more measured.
"He's fine, his arms are a bit different but it's still the same old annoying Bakugou."
The guilt lessened on the former hero, making him smile in a way more reminiscent of how he used to be.
"Well it's good to know that I hadn't completely fucked up everything."
"It wasn't your fault, nobody blamed you for what happened, the fault li-"
Izuku's demeanor hardened under Shoto's attempt at explaining the past away, still their standoff lasted the length of a minute. They both shared a bit of an understanding which screamed that neither wished to speak of it. Yet there was more to that look then a simple wish to stop, and judging by how the older folks surrounding them shared the expression.
"That is enough about old trifles, let us speak of other, more pressing things. Such as what you intend to do going forward, young man."
The question came from the older gentleman, his tone slicing Izuku's malice off at the knees while neither of them could tell who he was directly referring to. Both boys set their sights on the brew in their hands, unwilling to speak with the tension still hanging loosely above them. Izuku was the one to draw first blood, reigniting the conversation in a single swoop that left Shoto even more at odds.
"What do you wanna do? I'm not going back, no matter how much you ask or try to guilt me. I won't face the shame and that's that."
Fire shot out from the top of the hero's scalp, enrapturing him in it as he glared at his old friend. Yet that inferno died when his head was placed in his palms. Nothing was said from him, until at last he looked back up.
"There's really nothing I can do to change your mind?"
Izuku took a swig of his tea, clearing both his mind and throat as he refrained from lashing out.
"I'm not repeating myself."
The brows of the student furrowed in tandem with ice frosting on his fist. It didn't take anyone long to figure out where this was leading. Seeing the build up Hana jumped up from her chair, causing everyone to shift their attention to her. She instructed everyone to wait for a second as she scrambled to the pantry and pulled the last remaining box from the counter. After scrounging for a moment, she had two small plastic packages which were placed on the dining table between the two teens.
Shoto and Izuku stared down at the items, unable to fully comprehend what the intention for them were. Hana's soft voice prickled the skin of the two as she picked one of the devices.
"How about this, you both keep in touch with these phones I got with the food so that way it won't matter who goes where since you can still check up with us when you feel the need, deal?"
The way she directed the bargain sounded much more akin to plea from Shoto's perspective, but it did have the desired effect of creating another visible option instead of a chaotic brawl that would benefit no one. He put a finger to the phone and powered it on, the cheaply made electronic screen showing one number already inputted in the contacts. The phone snapped shut as he pocketed it, making sure that Izuku was paying good attention when he spoke.
"I might be willing to agree to that, on the condition that you keep in touch. Meaning you call every day. I don't care how late or early or if it's just a text message, you have to swear to that or I'm bringing you back with me."
The threat in his voice brought a smile to Izuku's face that honestly made Shoto more fearful than when he thought he was going to kill him. It was a cruel, evil thing that almost seemed prideful of him.
"You sound just like your brother. Anyway, I can work with that, on the condition that you keep this between us."
He reached a hand out to Shoto, who shook it. They continued to glare at each other after that, but the tension mostly subsided into more pleasant reminiscing of the days before the madness which dragged long to the night. That ended with Shoto excusing himself to leave as he was well past his curfew and refused to stay until morning despite his hosts' instentince. Yet when he was about to exit through the main door, there came a feeling of a tap on his shoulder. Izuku was standing behind him and before he had any time to ask, pulled him into a hug.
"It's been great to see you again Shoto."
Not knowing what to do, he returned the embrace.
"It's good to see you again too Izuku."
They seperated after a slap on the back and went on their way. Izuku watched as his old schoolmate moved down the streets, completely immune to the cold thanks to his quirk. The experience was strange but oddly gratifying as a smile started to grow at the prospect of the future.
In the dark midnight hour Shoto made his trek to the train station Izuku directed him to. Nothing bothered him more than the weight of the phone in his pocket, it was now the one thing he had which allowed him to finally make the old mistakes they all made that night become repairable. Still with his mind now free of the adrenaline surge of today's events he began to wonder where the villains fit into this, what they had to gain or why Izuku was seemingly apart from them.
This was short lived as the world around him started to bend and warp until it was practically melting around him. Weight left him as he was dragged into the kaleidoscope which bent the idea of reality. The hardship ended when he emerged on a wooden chair that was being examined by the very demon who sent him on this mission in the first place.
The onyx shine of the death mask reflected the lights overhead while the original villain sat silently in front of the youth, his hands resting near his chin. Shoto was paralized instantly by the sudden shift, but his response wasn't needed by this monster.
"I must say that I'm rather surprised by how things turned out. I expected something far more bloody, but regardless, you have done well today my boy."
A syringe was placed on the table and with a snap of his fingers All For One somehow made the walls of the room bend inwardly until a figure emerged from the tunnel. Himiko Toga was standing directly where shoto originally stood with a milkshake in hand, looking even more confused and terrified then he was. They made eye contact immediately, but that soon became pointless when the syringe, now full by some unknown means, was capped and thrown to the villainess.
"Toga, be a dear and hold that for me won't you? Oh and please let Dabi know about this little situation here, I plan to have a meeting with him later in the day about it."
She didn't even have time to answer before being sucked back into the tunnel, leaving the hero alone with the demon. All For One's serpentine voice rang out in the pleasant, death filled way only he created as Shoto spun around to acknowledge him.
"You've done very well for yourself, take pride in that. Because I'll be sure to call on you again when the time is right, Young Todoroki."
Darkness ruled over everything that Shoto could see. It consumed him without mercy, sending him to limbo where he was nothing until it ended in yet another alley. Slowly he got up, making sure that his phone hadn't shattered upon entry. He could recognize his surroundings instantly, leading him to realise that he was a few blocks from UA.
As he made his way back, once he had turned a corner an ear shattering boom rang out around him as he felt something crash into his chest.
"Icyhot, where the fuck were you!? We've been looking for you for hours! Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell were you thinking!?"
Shoto pushed Bakugou off on instinct as more of his schoolmates came running. It was late, well past curfew, but nowhere near as late as he first thought. He'd revive a talking-to from principal Nezu and a mild slap on the wrist, but he was able to return to his room in private which was all he wanted.
Momo had clearly been worried and it hurt to push her away, yet he needed to think. It had been about an hour after he arrived when he heard a knock on his door, fully expecting it to be Momo or Kirshima or Mineta or maybe even Bakugou. Instead it was Ururaka looking more paranoid than she'd ever been.
"Hey Shoto, you got a minute to talk?"
He was already in the process of shutting the door when he answered.
"I'm afraid there isn't really much to talk about."
She put a foot in the doorway and forced it open by using her quirk to make him weightless, pushing him back like he was made of air. Shoto tried to protest, but she shut the door behind her and locked it, much to his increasing confusion.
"What are you-"
She pulled his ear to her mouth and whispered as quietly as she could.
"You were with the League of Villains today, you saw All For One and now you're back here because he let you go."
They broke apart with shock filling his system as Ururaka removed a burner phone and a smiley face button from her pockets.
"I know because I've been hiding things too."
