Chapter 3


He's felt aggravation before. Thousands of times, in fact.

With his incredibly unlovable father always looming over him at every turn, it was easy to be annoyed and angry.

Shouto had always longed for someone to be on his side for once—to have someone who hated his father just as much as he did.

But this man…

This man hated both of them.

And Shouto still couldn't figure out the exact reason why.

"Ah, sorry about your uniform there, Todoroki," Inasa said, loudly. The other officers in the diner were starting to stare, but Inasa didn't seem bothered. He only adjusted his badge on his chest and smiled at Shouto conceitedly. "You should probably watch where you're going, though!"

Shouto glared, his hands white-knuckling into tight fists by his sides. He could feel the hot coffee burning on his chest but it was nothing compared to the burning inside of him. He was being pushed again, and he was ready to strike back.

"Whoa, what a face!" Inasa exclaimed.

Shouto grit his teeth. He tried to keep his head cool. He wouldn't be like his father, he wouldn't be like his father, he wouldn't be like his—

"Such cold eyes! Just like your old man!" Inasa chirped.

Shouto felt something in his chest snap. He released a snarl, taking a step forward.

"Do not compare me to him," Shouto snapped.

Inasa's smug smile vanished and a look of rage replaced it. He reached forward and grabbed onto Shouto's collar, giving Shouto a vicious snarl.

"Like hell are you going to talk to me in that tone," Inasa growled. He reared his other fist back, ready to strike. "I ought to teach you some respect since your dear old dad never taught you any!"

Shouto was ready to fight back, his own fist about to come up to shield his face when he saw a flash of dark green, and then a hand was touching his shoulder. Midoriya was suddenly in front of him, eyes wide in concern, and his eyes on Shouto's chest.

"Todoroki, oh my gosh!" Midoriya said. "That has to hurt! We need to get you out of these clothes before the burn gets too bad!"

Both Shouto and Inasa were startled by Midoriya's sudden appearance, their glares gone from their faces.

Shouto blinked down at Midoirya, words unable to form on his tongue.

"Uh," Shouto muttered intelligently. "What are you—"

Before Shouto could say another word, Midoriya grabbed Shouto's wrist and tugged him towards the bathrooms. Midoriya's hand around his wrist was warm, but not suffocating like his father's vice-like grip. It was soft, gentle, and almost…

Wait. What was Shouto thinking?

"C'mon," Midoriya said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

They made it into the bathroom, Midoriya locking the door behind them. He let out a sigh and then turned back to Shouto, relief on his face.

"Wow. That could've been bad, right?" Midoriya asked.

Shouto furrowed his brows as his thoughts jumbled together like a difficult 1000-piece puzzle. Inasa was such a frustrating presence in his life. They were both officers who both hated Enji.

But why did Inasa always take out his hatred on Shouto? Why did Inasa's mere company make his skin crawl and his chest burn?

Why did it seem like it was Shouto's fault that everyone hated him?

"Okay. Go ahead and take your shirt off."

Shouto startled out of his thoughts as the sound of the faucet turned on beside of him. He glanced over to see Midoriya wetting a paper towel with cold water.

"W-What?" Shouto asked, his voice nearly choking.

Midoriya carried on as if he didn't just ask something strange. He gestured to Shouto's chest, holding the wadded up paper towel in his hand.

"We have to treat the burn before it gets too bad," Midoriya said. He nodded towards his shirt. "The longer we wait, the worse it could get."

Now that Midoriya had mentioned it, his chest was beginning to sting in that familiar way he knew all too well. He was hesitant, however, to follow through with Midoriya's instruction. Why was Midoriya being so nice to him?

"Todoroki," Midoriya nudged softly.

Shouto sighed, feeling as if he couldn't get away with anything while Midoriya was around. He moved to unbutton his uniform shirt, slipping it off of his shoulders. He hung it on the nearby paper towel dispenser and then reached for the hem of his white t-shirt, spotting the nasty coffee stain that ruined its crispness. With a sigh, he tugged it over his head and held it in his grasp, holding his breath as Midoriya, once again, was seeing him shirtless for the second time.

Seriously, what kind of prank was this? Did the universe hate him this much?

Midoriya didn't seem too distracted by it, thankfully, but his face fell when he spotted the red skin on Shouto's chest.

"This looks pretty bad," Midoriya said.

Shouto glanced down at the reddened skin, noticing some of it was beginning to blister. Damn that Inasa. He must've just gotten his coffee from the waitress. Had he been planning to spill it on him that whole morning?

"Here, this should help the burning to slow down," Midoriya said.

Then, Midoriya's hand that was holding the wet paper towel reached forward—wait, was he really going to do this?—and pressed it to the burn on Shouto's very naked chest.

Shouto managed to suppress a jolt at its cold temperature but he couldn't stop his face from pulling a slight wince at the sharp sting. Midoriya noticed, of course, and eased up the pressure.

"Sorry. Does it hurt a lot?" Midoriya asked, looking at him in concern.

Shouto shrugged. "Not really." He felt a familiar itch on the left side of his face and subconsciously reached up to touch his scarred cheek. "Nothing I haven't felt before."

Midoriya's eyes traveled to the scar, and then his face twisted into something akin to horror. He lowered his gaze and started stammering.

"I… I didn't know that it was from a burn," Midoriya said, referencing Shouto's face.

Shouto blinked and then snatched his hand from his face. "It's fine."

It really wasn't. But he wasn't going to let Midoriya know that.

To calm his rapidly spiraling nerves, Shouto took a deep breath through his nose. He expected to smell the typical gross smells from a diner bathroom, but instead, he smelled something… fruity?

Shouto blinked and glanced down at Midoriya, watching as his partner concentrated on the burn on Shouto's chest. He took in another deep breath.

Strawberry. Midoriya smelled like strawberries.

Was it his shampoo? His body wash?

Did he really have strawberry-smelling soap?

Why was that so… endearing?

Shouto blinked again and nearly gasped, in shock that his brain could supply such perverted thoughts. What in the world was wrong with him?

He released a sigh, suddenly feeling tense from being this close to the other man, and then cleared his throat.

"You don't have to keep holding that, you know," Shouto said.

He watched Midoriya slowly lift his head up to meet Shouto's eyes, wide and blank, and then travel back down to Shouto's chest. Shouto could see the moment Midoriya's brain made the connection as his freckled cheeks burned red and he nearly dropped the wet towel.

"S-S-Sorry!" Midoriya apologized, taking the towel from his chest. He thrust the towel into Shouto's hand and backed up until he reached the bathroom door. "I-I'll just go get some burn cream! I'm sure the diner has a medkit somewhere!"

He nearly smacked himself in the face with the door as he scrambled to unlock it and open it, and he gave a nervous chuckle and smile to Shouto as he left.

When the door clicked shut, Shouto paused to listen to the silence, and then he slumped against the wall behind him, the cold tile biting into his back. He released a long breath through his lips and hung his head.

This was going to be such a long case.

He wished he could start this day completely over. It was a mess.

And Shouto…

He felt that he only had himself to blame.

Another sigh, and Shouto stood back up from the wall, looking down at the burn on his chest. It was really irritated and red with even more blisters forming in the middle where most of the coffee singed his skin. It stung, but it felt more typical than it did painful.

Ah. He should probably see a therapist.

It felt like ages before Midoriya finally came back with the burn cream. His face was still lightly pink, but he didn't seem as frazzled anymore.

Shouto quickly bandaged the burn on his chest and slapped his uniform back onto his body. He needed to get out of that diner and as far away from Inasa as possible before his temper got the better of him.

Sigh. Was he really so similar to his rotten father, after all?

He walked past Midoriya and to their table, grabbing his case file, and then he headed straight for the exit, deciding to go back to the office on his own to come up with a plan by himself. He would find this crazy bastard of a serial killer and finally earn the rank of Detective, and he would do it without his crazy father's help.

He could do this on his own.

"Todoroki, wait up!" Midoriya caught up to him in a flash and walked briskly beside of him.

Shouto grit his teeth. He just wanted to be alone right now, but Midoriya seemed to barrel through that mindset completely. The man was determined to break through the walls he had so carefully set up.

"So, I had a thought," Midoriya said as they came to a stop at the crosswalk.

Shouto cut his eyes at him and quirked a brow. Midoriya took that as his cue to continue.

"I was thinking that we could go investigate the crime scene ourselves," Midoriya said.

The light had turned green across the street, but Shouto's feet remained planted to the floor. He looked at Midoriya with surprised eyes.

"We can do that?" Shouto asked.

Midoriya nodded, looking more enthusiastic now. "I guess you didn't see our file? Aizawa gave special permission."

Shouto blinked and reached under his arm for the files, opening them up to read the assignments that were strictly directed to Shouto and his partner, Midoriya. And lo and behold, Midoriya was telling the truth. There, right in the print, were the words, "Investigation of crime scene – approved."

"Oh," Shouto said. "Well… that would probably be a good place to start, then."

Midoriya nodded, a small smile on his face. "I think Lieutenant Aizawa really trusts you, Todoroki!" he said happily.

Shouto wasn't too sure about that, but he didn't say anything in response. Midoriya glanced down at the file and quirked his lips.

"The address is here. Ready to check it out?" Midoriya asked. "Or do you want to head back and change into a new uniform?"

Shouto paused and glanced down at himself, still smelling the coffee that had seeped into his fresh uniform that he had ironed the night before. Would it really be worth going back to get a new uniform when they were about to check out a crime scene?

"I'll deal with this uniform for now," Shouto said. He sighed and typed in the address on his phone. "Let's get this over with."


The first thing Shouto noticed upon arrival was the massive amount of yellow police tape wrapped around the perimeter of the warehouse. There were high-level detectives already on the scene, all standing outside with their faces green.

That wasn't a good sign, Shouto thought as he approached one of the men. He cleared his throat upon arrival.

"Excuse me," Shouto said.

The man glanced up at him, face still pinched as if he was trying to hold back puke. Shouto kept his distance just in case.

"Ah, you're Todoroki? And Midoriya?" he asked, looking at the two of them.

"Yes, sir," Midoriya said with a slight bow. "I'm guessing Lieutenant Aizawa contacted you?"

"Mmn," the man grunted. He tossed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the warehouse entrance and sighed. "Right in there. The forensics team is still working, so the body hasn't been removed yet."

Shouto blinked. "The body is still there?"

"Yep," the man said, nearly choking at the thought. "It's pretty bad, so… Here. Cover your noses when you enter."

He handed them both fresh facemasks and turned away, suppressing a gag. Shouto quirked a brow at Midoriya who only shrugged in response as he slipped the mask over his mouth and nose. Once Shouto mirrored the action, the two of them ducked under the police tape and slipped inside the warehouse.

The reaction was immediate, making Midoriya and Shouto lift up their arms to cover their noses at the smell. They both had forgotten that they had the masks over their faces, but they used their arms as an extra protection anyway.

The smell of burnt flesh and blood was still sticking heavily to the air, making the room feel eerily warm. When they stepped closer, they could see the forensic team hovering around the body—which was still tied to the metal chair—and taking pictures.

The two moved forward towards the center of the room where the body was sitting. Its limbs were still tied to the metal chair, that much was clear. But its face was completely unrecognizable.

It made Shouto's stomach twist. He remembered the last conversation he had with Nagata. It wasn't anything profound—just the two of them bonding over tea flavors in the break room at the precinct. Shouto never imagined that a talk about tea would be the last conversation he would have with the man.

"Ah, I'm guessing you are the two officers Aizawa sent?" one man asked. He was holding a pretty fancy camera in his hands and looked to be breathing normally. It was as if the scene before him was a field of flowers.

"Yes. What can you tell us about Officer Nagata's death?" Midoriya asked. It might've been the dim lighting, but Shouto could've sworn that his eyes looked shiny.

"Well, it was definitely intentional. And the guy knew what he was doing," the forensic examiner said. He gestured for them to follow him towards the body. He pointed to the black marks on the floor. "See this? The man didn't want the entire building to burn down, so he created a buffer around the body."

Shouto leaned forward and stared down at the markings on the floor while Midoriya spoke to the man about the body.

"So… he was still alive when he was burned, right?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah. Pretty gruesome, right? This guy's a real sicko," the guy answered.

As they continued to talk, Shouto knelt down and peered at the markings to get a closer look. His fingers lightly touched them, eyes roving over the black marks. It looked like the floor had already been pre-burned in preparation for the murder.

Shouto squinted, his head tingling as his hair stood on their ends.

Black marks on the tatami mats…

Yelling, screaming, painful shouts…

A packed bag…

Shouto shuddered as these images flooded his mind all at once. It made his stomach turn sour.

It was probably just the lack of sleep. That was all.

The stress of the case, and seeing Inasa—it all was the cause for the sudden tightness in his chest.

Right?

All he had to do was breathe deeply and focus on his surroundings. Nothing else could possibly make the day any worse.

"Ah, Mr. Todoroki! It's good to see you, Sir!"

"What's the status?"

Shouto's blood went ice cold as his limbs stiffened. He was unable to move from his spot on the floor. Even when he heard the footsteps coming from behind, he still couldn't move. It wasn't until the footsteps stopped right behind him and a shadow cast over his body did he turn his head to look.

Chief Todoroki Enji stood in his decked-out uniform, his eyes looking down at his son.

"Shouto," he said in lieu of a greeting.

Shouto narrowed his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. "Father."

"I see you were assigned to this case. Good. At least Aizawa has some sense," Enji spat.

Shouto frowned. He could feel his blood pressure rise with each word his father spoke. The tightness in his chest started to worsen and breathing became more difficult. He thought about removing his mask from his face but the smell was still powerful. It was amazing that his father could even handle it without gagging.

"Have you found anything new?" his father asked, folding his arms across his broad chest and making some of his medals clang together. He must've just come from his press conference; otherwise, he wouldn't wear so many regalia. They would get in the way of police work, after all.

"Nothing yet. We're still working out the details," Shouto said, trying to keep his answers short.

"We?" his father echoed with a lifted brow.

Shouto nodded his head at Midoriya, who straightened his back when Enji's gaze turned towards him.

"My partner," Shouto said.

"M-Midoriya Izuku, Sir! It's a pleasure!" Midoriya greeted, his voice squeaking. He lowered himself into a humble bow, and Shouto grimaced. Enji deserved none of the respect.

The glorified police chief gazed critically at Midoriya's form and then looked back at Shouto, his face pulled into a disappointed frown.

"Why were you assigned a partner? I thought I told you that others will make you weak," his father spat.

Shouto's heart did a dangerous flip in his chest. He could hear it pounding in his ears.

"It wasn't my choice," Shouto said.

His father only looked more put-off. "How do you expect to become a detective at this rate? You're getting sloppy."

Another pain in his chest, and Shouto felt his eyes burning.

"Um…" Midoriya started, looking uneasy as he glanced back and forth between the two.

"I'm doing things my way," Shouto squeaked out. His voice started to fade once his throat closed up.

"Your way? And how is that going for you so far? Have you caught this criminal, yet?" his father asked.

Shouto bit his tongue. He could hear his mother's screams in his ears.

He needed out.

"I'm… working on it," Shouto said through his teeth. He pushed past his father and headed towards the exit. "I have to go."

"Ah, Todoroki!"

Midoriya's voice called after him but he hurried out and took several steps away from the warehouse, ripping the mask from his face and heaving in strained breaths. He leaned against a nearby building and tried to regain control of his breathing.

He could still hear the various pitches of screams ringing inside of his head, all echoing from the distant past. It was too painful to even think about, and he wanted to push the thoughts far from his mind.

So he closed his eyes. Held his breath. Counted to ten and then back down to zero. And then released the air that was stored inside of his lungs. After a minute or two of this routine, the voices from his memories started to fade from his ears, and his chest loosened enough so he could breathe.

Once Shouto felt somewhat in control again—he was still sweating like crazy, but he couldn't help that—he leaned his back against the building and hung his head.

He never expected to see his father today. How in the world did he end up there at the same time? It was like he had a tracker or something.

"Todoroki!"

Shouto jumped at the voice and looked up to see Midoriya jogging over to meet him, eyes wide in concern and mask off of his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked when he reached Shouto's side.

Shouto could feel his hand trembling as he raked it through his hair. He let out a breath and cleared his throat so he could speak properly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I just want to get back to the office and sort out the pictures from the scene."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should call it a day," Midoriya said. "It's… been rough enough already."

Midoriya had a point, but Shouto was too frustrated and proud to admit he was right. He let out a huff of air and turned his head away, trying to think of something else to get back on track with the case.

"Then, let's take a break. I need to change into a new uniform, anyway," Shouto said. "We can meet back in the precinct after lunch."

Midoriya paused for a moment, looking a bit dumbstruck by the suggestion for some reason. But then he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! That sounds like a good idea!" Midoriya said. "I'll get some notes gathered for us and bring it with me."

"Okay," Shouto said, not really caring. He really just wanted to nap. "I guess I'll see you then."

"Mmn. See you later, Todoroki!" Midoriya said, waving him off.

Shouto tried not to wince as he left, but he was still coming down from his near panic-attack, and his body was ready to collapse.

He needed to get far away from everyone as soon as possible.

He trudged back to his small apartment and shed himself of his dirtied uniform, dumping the shirt in the dirty hamper. He donned a clean shirt and climbed into bed, ready for a rest.

But once his head hit the pillow, his mind started to wander and he stared up at the ceiling. He thought back to the crime scene and seeing the familiar markings on the floor. He knew them from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place where.

The screams would always come back, however, whenever he thought of the markings.

Shouto sighed and tried to push the thoughts from his mind. He needed rest while he still had the opportunity.

But he found that rest would escape him as thoughts of his past came back to the forefront of his mind. He didn't want to think about them, but he couldn't help it. Everything about this day had made him feel sick to his stomach.

Shouto rolled onto his side, his hands reaching up to cover his ears. He took slow, deep breaths to try to block everything out, his eyes stinging a bit.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to go home.

But the biggest problem, he was already at his home.

So why did it feel so empty?

Shouto breathed out, the feeling painful. He thought of silvery hair, soft hums, and warm cuddles until he finally fell into a deep sleep.


"Are you sure you don't want to join? The boss would love to have a member like you."

"Nah. I've got my own agenda. I don't have time to deal with childish gang wars."

"Fair enough. I'll give 'em the bad news tonight."

"What, were they scouting me this badly?"

"Of course! Everyone knows of your dirty work. They're impressed."

"Impressed, eh? Well, good for them, I guess. But I ain't doin' it for show."

"Oh? Then what are you doing it for?"

"Hm. Let's just call it poetic justice."

"Haha! How noble of you!"

"Why thank you."

"So… you have a new target?"

"Nope."

"No?"

"Nope. Not yet, anyway. Don't worry, though.

"It will come soon enough."