A/N: Fifty chapters. The big five-oh. The Golden Anniversary chapter… wow.

Given that before I started this fic, my usual style was to either write one-shots or small stories contained within about twenty chapters, I have loved the challenge of something so much larger. How much this fic has grown continues to put a smile on my face whenever I start writing, and let me tell you… it isn't slowing down anytime soon.

It's in that vein that three people have earned a shout-out this week. I think anyone who looks at a fic with over three hundred thousand words and goes "I'm going to binge that" is at least a little crazy, but I have been genuinely impressed by the dedication of these three variously commenting, reviewing and/or yelling in this fic's Discord channel at every stage along the way. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who reviews, comments and supports this fic of course, and there are a lot of you whose efforts to catch-up fully I salute, but this week my shout-outs go to Gren/GreenGrenade388, Dr Walpurgisnacht, and to Tilkal/The_Fyre who were tireless in making sure I knew how they felt at every point on their wild ride to read everything. I am so glad you've enjoyed your journey to catch up.

Onto the fic! And I figured that after a few Izuku-focused chapters, we're due a check-in with some of the rest of our various protagonists. In the words of Monty Python… and now for something completely different!

(***)

Shoto knew, deep down, that he was sometimes slow to pick up on how other people were feeling.

Some of that was Endeavor's fault. He could never forget all those early years of being pushed to the limit, of the hollow feeling whenever he had failed to pick up something as quick as his father wanted. The emptiness whenever he felt that he was a disappointment, mixed with the exhaustion from the relentless pressure, made him drained and distant to other people whenever he went back to his classes. Even without Endeavor dragging him off early from the end of a school day, his closeness to classmates had suffered, a potent mixture of Endeavor's attempts to feed him with a superiority complex with the tiredness of how hard he was worked.

He had worked to the bone to try to live up to the expectations pressed onto him, until it had all come crashing down. First his mother, scarring him for life and breaking before he could at the way he had been treated; Shoto hadn't seen her in years, and he didn't know how to describe the complicated knot in his stomach whenever he thought of her. Then had come the revelations about his oldest brother, the arguments between his father and Natsuo, things he had been too young to fully understand but which had made his blood run cold all the same. It had been so easy to try to shut himself out from the rest of his family at that point, not just his father. He had not handled it well.

Then finally, Incident Zero, the day which had changed the country forever. The day that had changed his father. One of many things Endeavor had tried to drill into Shoto, beyond the physical training and the development of his Quirk, was Endeavor's ironclad belief that Shoto could be the greatest Hero since All Might. But when All Might had fallen, and the world paid tribute to the Symbol of Peace, Shoto had heard all of the reasons why the people thought All Might was the greatest. Nobility, generosity, positivity, selflessness… Endeavor had not taught him what any of those meant. Endeavor's vision of greatness was measured solely against strength, and clearly he had wanted the same vision for Shoto.

Shoto had been worn down over the years of Endeavor's grand plans being forced upon him, but what followed Incident Zero was enough of a tipping point. Some small defiant part of him had survived intact enough to refuse to accept it, to know that what he was being groomed towards wasn't right, and so he had run away. But even when he had found himself with Touya, with someone who shared his hatred of their old man, things hadn't been easy.

They were never going to be, when Shoto was so small at the time that Touya went missing. They didn't exactly have a relationship as siblings, and Touya had lived so much of a life since then that the common ground between them had grown even narrower. But they had made it work somehow, pulling through their difficulties at Uraraka Construction, and coming together to make the announcement and try to cripple Endeavor. Touya's joy at getting out had been vicious…

Which was why, even as slow as he could sometimes be to realise how others were feeling, Shoto was beginning to see rage brewing up inside Touya.

They had beaten so many odds to achieve something remarkable. Two young men against the Number One Hero and everything he had as a support network sounded like impossible odds from the beginning- Endeavor had allies everywhere, people to help fix the messes he created and friends who would praise his efforts no matter what cost they had. They had struck him at the heart of the new system he had created, and when the whole country was waiting with bated breath for an update from another crisis, Dabi and Juhyo had struck. Simultaneously, their video and the leak of the Uraraka Construction files had proved everyone's theories about Endeavor's approach to heroics correct, but had also exposed the torture he had inflicted upon his own family in pursuit of greatness.

Everything was there to make Endeavor pay for what he had done. The outrage washed across the country like a wave, the indefensible past clear for everyone to see. And yet… somehow, Enji Todoroki endured.

Shoto was not unrealistic, even if he was probably more naive about things than Touya. There had been plenty of scandals involving Pro Heroes ever since All Might's passing; while some resulted in the end of careers, others were fortunate to survive intact. For every Hero such as Takeshita, arrested in disgrace when his partner broke her silence and spoke up about what he had inflicted on her, there was an X-Less, side-stepping calls to resign even after the loss of civilian life when a badly-aimed shot of his Laser Quirk missed a villain and hit a nearby bus. Shoto had… simply hoped that Endeavor would be more like the first kind of Hero, and not as lucky as some of the others.

He was the Number One. He was the supposed Symbol that everyone had to look up to, in these dark times. Even if he had a huge Agency and sponsors everywhere throughout the country, something like this should have hurt him more. Detnerat had been the first company to declare that they would stand by Endeavor, with others following. Shoto had been there, as had Touya and Gentle and La Brava, when their statement was made; it wasn't a defence, but it wasn't the condemnation and crippling withdrawal of financial support that it could have been.

Touya hadn't said a word as the smiling long-nosed President spoke placatingly into the cameras. Shoto had looked over at one point, seen something flash in his brother's eyes, and seen Touya's burned hands, blue embers flickering between scarred fingers as they shook. That was… all Shoto needed to see.

What was worse was how the incandescent public rage had taken shape afterwards. They had jumped to take advantage of the attack on UA and all that publicity, because it was the best way to reach so many people, but the fury towards Endeavor had morphed into fury towards so many other people too. Criticism of the schools where future Heroes were moulded and trained, scandals relating to other Pro Heroes which had just been waiting for a spark to burst into life, and even attacks on the Hero Commission itself… the whole point of that fateful press conference had been that Endeavor and so many others had taken the chance to distance themselves from the Commission and claim their independence. Now, people were attacking them as if they were one and the same, blinded by anger and unwilling to treat them as separate. It… undermined what they had done.

Touya had been in a strange mood over the previous few days. Shoto had never usually been the one to make plans out of the two of them, but given everything that had happened, it had felt right to offer. Touya had brushed it off, as he had brushed off most of Shoto's questions about where he went when he left their makeshift base and went on long walks that seemed to take him hours. Only in the last day had he come up with something, and said that things needed to change.

Shoto was… conflicted. It made sense that they needed to strike again, because even if they had done some damage to Endeavor, they needed to seize the advantage and keep up the pressure on him. All of those distractions weren't going to do them any good if they didn't do something now to reinforce that. But the one thing Touya had said was that in order for them to move to what he called 'the next stage', they needed to part ways. Thankfully not him and Touya… but them and their group.

He quite liked having the others around.

"This… doesn't seem right." He had said it before, muttered under his breath out of some sense of guilt; he was doubting his older brother by saying it, and that felt weird at a time when they needed to be strong together. But he stood by how he felt about the others all the same. "We just exposed Endeavor together. One of the biggest attacks on a Hero's reputation in history, made possible because we all worked together. We… we should stay together like this, and see what else we can do."

"I couldn't agree more with the sentiment, dear chap." Gentle had managed to pack most of what he and La Brava brought with them into an old-fashioned leather trunk, which he sat on as he agreed with Shoto. "It seems terribly foolish, what with our most recent victory, to be parting ways. Strength in numbers, and all."

"But…" La Brava, carrying a small backpack and leaning against the faded sofa in the middle of the room, shot Gentle a look. Shoto had realised, in the time they had been working together, that people who dated seemed to have some kind of couples telepathy which meant they could be understood without saying anything; it was that, or La Brava had some kind of Quirk that let her speak inside his head. "We've been over this, haven't we?"

Gentle sighed, clasping one gloved hand to his chest. "We have, and I'm afraid Manami and your brother make a very valid point, young Shoto."

"We probably should have done it sooner, thinking about it." La Brava shrugged. "I made our hijack of the networks as untraceable as I could, but even with all that time to prepare and all the tricks I know, someone's gonna work a way through and find a way to track us. And if they use me to track you and Tou- Dabi down, then… that kinda stops you two from doing anything else to take down your old man."

"I believe All Might once said something along the lines of nothing being more noble than self-sacrifice. If that is the case, well…" Gentle nodded, fervently. "Consider this our moment of nobility."

"We can buy you some time by splitting now. It doesn't mean we're never gonna see each other again-"

"Promise?" Shoto surprised himself by how quickly that came out, and from the way La Brava blinked owlishly at him, it surprised her too. "I… I liked being around you both."

"Oh, honey. We liked being around you too." Shoto had practiced enough fake smiles while living under Endeavor's roof to recognise a real one when he saw it; she almost looked hurt when she did it. "You're a good kid, Shoto."

"A fine example of a young man," Gentle agreed. "A heart of gold is very rare to come by in our line of work. May that never change."

"And if we can keep out of trouble, then… well. We'll come back."

"Or you could always come to us in the future. If you felt so inclined, anyway."

"Gentle!" La Brava hissed at his suggestion. "You'll get him in trouble with Dabi-"

"Oh, pish! I've got to say it, if this is really where we must say au revoir." Gentle's hand came out to clap him on the shoulder. "The offer is always there, Shoto. I appreciate that you have what you might consider to be a fraternal mission you must prioritise above anything else, and I wouldn't dare try to rip you away from that now. But… you showed me that you're still determined to do things the right way. It would be remiss of me to not extend a warm invitation to you, should you ever decide that your path must go a different way."

For a moment, the part of Shoto that wanted Endeavor to be brought down blazed angrily inside him, before he stared into Gentle's eyes, and saw the depth of pride in them. There was not a trace of criticism in the gentleman thief's face, not trying to force Shoto to change his course or deviate from his goal, but simple hope that one day they would be reunited. That was enough to help quell the bitterness, and for him to simply nod at his impromptu mentor. "... Thank you."

"My pleasure." Gentle bowed, an impressive feat while sitting down. "And I should say thank you, anyway. Already there are rumours online that suggest La Brava and I were involved in the raid on Uraraka Construction, given that not too many vigilantes post videos of their achievements online. They're not sufficiently wide-spread to be rising to the attention of the police and the Heroes, but… plenty of others are whispering."

"This was the break we always wanted, huh?" La Brava smiled fondly at her partner. "It… won't change the sort of people we go after, will it?"

"My dear, absolutely not! We built our reputation on tackling those who exploit their fellow man, and by golly, we will continue to do so once we go our separate ways." Gentle's eyes were alight with passion. "We won't change what we stand for because our target was slightly larger this time. I keep my ideals, thank you very much!"

"That's my Gentle!" La Brava almost jumped a little. "Taking from the rich and corrupt…"

"And giving to those who need it!" Shoto realised that finishing each other's sentences must have been another couple thing. "Going after the spotlight and caring little for the bigger picture remains Compress' modus operandi, not ours."

"I wonder how he's doing?" Shoto asked, aloud. It had been a while since the final member of their crew had departed, and Shoto had missed his constant ways of finding amusement in the little things; in the longer days, it had helped to keep him sane before their video had gone public. Shoto hadn't heard anything since the thief had left, and that was equally surprising and concerning. Compress wanted to make those who had endangered his daughter at UA pay, but… had he run into trouble along the way? "If… he's been able to find those scum."

"Knowing Sako, bright as a button that he is, I expect that won't be an issue. He knows all the dark alleyways and little hideaways that cruel thugs of that ilk will frequent." Gentle shook his head. "Not even the keen mind of that UA Principal will be able to track them down before our dear Compress. I just… hope he hasn't gone too far, that's all."

"How do you…" Shoto trailed off with one look in Gentle's direction, and the briefest of cutting motions made with a gloved hand. Right. That. If he was more like Gentle, unwilling to take a life even in pursuit of justice, then Compress was more like Touya, justifying the ends with the means. Going too far… if Compress' daughter had really been threatened, then some of those villains who escaped the USJ may have ended up wishing that they hadn't. "Right… that."

"Compress has never struggled to be creative," La Brave said, voice heavy with irony. "That's usually what's gotten us into trouble before. It might get him into trouble again, if word gets around."

"How do you mean?"

"The Heroes are twitchier than ever right now, because of what we did and what that's led to. You've seen it out there." La Brava patted the bag she had packed on the sofa, containing her computer from which Shoto had watched the news unravel for all that time. "They want wins now, more than ever, because it helps them save face. So if they hear a story about some thief in the underworld, who's got the blood of several thugs on his hands… that's a headline, right there. Who's not gonna jump on that?"

"I… see." Shoto paused, figuring it out. "They'll want to be seen to be doing something. They want to be the ones that fix the problems. So even someone like Endeavor… even if it's not in his patrol area, he will find a way to get involved if it means that he's seen to be keeping people safe from villains going to war. He gets all the credit."

"Yeah, exactly. And come on, think about the people he's going after. There's two things which happened a week ago which changed the country. Our video…" Shoto didn't correct her as she claimed it- she may not have been the one to suffer at Endeavor's hands like they did, but they would have been lost without her- and as she held up two fingers. "And the attack on the USJ. You're the headline for Endeavor, but that attack is the headline… for the rest of the Heroes."

"Right… and that means the Heroes want to save the day. Not be shown up by a villain who beat them to it."

"Now you're getting it! Imagine how bad it looks for the Heroes if another villain takes matters into their own hands. Imagine if they're beaten to the punch in getting justice for what happened at the USJ, and it's another villain claiming the kill… it just makes them look even weaker. They all get shown up as useless, the public thinks that they need to make justice for themselves, and the villains think they can do whatever they like!" La Brava slowed down, her explanation almost breathless by the end. "Lose lose, if Compress beats them to it. So either they beat him first-"

"Which is unlikely," Gentle mused, "given how savvy Sako is. I'd put money on him being the one to find them first."

"Or…" La Brava hesitated, just slightly. "They get beaten, and they have to do something to compensate. To get back on top of things."

"... Overkill." The word tasted bitter as he said it, but it was almost second nature to think of it when Endeavor was involved. He'd learn from years of personal experience, and a boot in the small of his back whenever he got it wrong; others had watched the world light up with Hellflame and assumed, as if they could ever understand what he was really capable of when the rage took him. "Whatever it takes to get on top."

"Yes… well, when you put it like that, I do hope he'll be alright." Gentle fidgeted with the strap of the bag. "I wonder if he sees the danger?"

"Who cares if he doesn't? Compress made his choice."

Touya seemed to have a skill at moving in absolute silence, ghosting into the edges of conversations without being seen. He had made it in the room without any of them being aware, leaning against the doorway and looking away from them all with a bored look on his face. Shoto didn't flinch, being used to it; the same couldn't be said for Gentle. "Gah! When did you-"

"Doesn't matter. You're all concerned about Compress, huh?" Touya didn't make any movement to look at any of them, intently staring out of the window at the high-rises of the city nearby. Shoto didn't know why he liked it so much. It wasn't even an impressive skyline. "That asshole knew the risks when he went out. Of course he did. He's been doing this long enough to see the writing on the wall."

"Longer than any of us, yeah." La Brava folded her arms, and the happiness that had been clear as day to see when she spoke to Shoto had faded slightly as she did. Shoto didn't fully get it. Yes, Touya could get mad, but he was the one who led them most of the time, and they'd done well because of that. Still… there were arguments he missed. Raised voices which had been indistinct, trailing off when he appeared in the room with glares he didn't understand. Their relationship… hadn't been great when Touya had been around. Not that he had much at all, since their video was released. "These are weird times though. After what you two did…"

"You think it's any different to back then? Those days after Incident Zero?" Touya jerked a hand, scarred and stapled. "Or those days after that scumbag announced he was changing the rules to save himself? Compress has been doing this shit for all that time. Nobody's caught him in that time, or if they have, he's escaped pretty fast for it not to count. If you can survive two crisises-"

"Crises," Gentle seethed, under his breath.

"-while committing crimes, all because you want the attention? Means you're good enough to survive a third." Touya's thumb jerked down, once, towards the floor. Almost like he was putting his point, and that was that. "He'll find his kid, and hurt the people who hurt her. And he'll get out clean, because that's Compress for you."

"So sharp he could cut himself." At least on one thing, La Brava and Touya seemed to reluctantly agree with each other. "That's him, alright."

"Exactly. No doubt he'll find the bastards and make 'em pay. Even if it's a crap time to go search for his kid… Compress'll make it work."

"Oh, heaven forbid someone threw caution to the wind and tore through everyone in their path to have a family reunion, in trying times like these." Gentle made a protracted gesture towards Shoto, and then towards his brother. "It'd be all for naught. What could you possibly achieve?"

That got Touya to turn and look at them, and Shoto breathed out sharply at the site of mottled blue flame flickering over the back of Touya's hand. His staples looked freshly cleaned, but there was the smallest drip of blood on the floor beneath his clenched fist… maybe he had rushed it, or maybe Touya was holding back. "... You didn't have to stay, lovebirds. When I said we were leaving… that didn't need a ceremony."

"Manners maketh man, Todoroki the elder. Leaving without saying goodbye? Perish the thought." Most people who had met Touya in one of those moods, while Shoto had been travelling with him, found him intimidating. Gentle was either good at hiding when he was bothered, or just didn't care. He even leaned back a little more, as if making sure he was comfortable. "And while I'm sure your little brother will be devastated to know that I don't intend to throw a surprise tea ceremony as a parting gift-"

"... What sort?" Shoto was a little wary, given some of the stale options he had been made to try during their time together. Sometimes it had just been easier to nod, and say nothing, rather than upset the great connoisseur. "Gold Tips?"

"Only the finest Gold Tips Imperial would have done! But alas, your brother has far more pressing matters he wishes for you both to attend to, and I don't think he even drinks tea." Gentle's head tipped towards the ceiling. "The horror!"

"Don't be melodramatic, love." La Brava rolled her eyes. "We left you some behind, if you wanna have a drink and think of your friends every now and then. Even if Dabi doesn't want us to have a party, we can still give you a present."

"You act like I'm unreasonable." Touya shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at the woman. "It's just pointless time to waste and risk getting caught."

"Please. Half an hour, here? They've not tracked us down all week and you're suddenly worried about a few extra minutes?" La Brava looked away from Touya, but her voice still sounded to Shoto like it hadn't lost his bite. "Whatever you're planning, it's not time-sensitive to that level, or you two wouldn't still be here. You'd have dragged Shoto off without saying goodbye."

"..." Touya seemed to have gritted his teeth. "You're insufferable."

"Why are we asking about 'whatever he's planning', dear?" Gentle interrupted, wading into the conversation with no subtlety whatsoever. He still had the manners to wait until Touya had finished speaking, but the second he could, he was in. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Obvious?" Touya's face looked strange. It took Shoto a second to realise that his brother had tensed up a little. "What do you… what's obvious?"

"After the last week? I can see what you're up to from a mile off! You want to keep the mission going against your father, strike at those closest to him!" Gentle's smile practically twinkled. "And who better would there be to target than those who stood tall from the second the news broke, arm in arm with the Number One Hero and waxing lyrical about the bright future they would create together?"

Shoto blinked. That… made sense. "You're right… that is obvious."

"Precisely! I daresay the whole of your last week has been one long scouting exercise, checking their activity, trying to find ways to clear a path and cut through their defences. All to hit those who shouted loudest when Endeavor was at his lowest ebb!" Gentle clasped a hand to his chest. "I shouldn't forgive you if you're truly planning on mounting a raid there, because to be part of that would be the heart of corporate vengeance, and I'm all for that. But if you have made enquiries and determined that a smaller strike team is more practical to launch an assault on Detnerat's headquarters, well, I'll defer to your wisdom on that-"

"We're not going after Detnerat." Touya's blunt interruption sounded so scathing, interrupting Gentle mid-flow. "And I can't believe you would think that."

"Gah!" Gentle, polite as he was, was not used to abruptly being cut off even after a week under the same roof as Touya. "But whyever not?! After all that they've said-"

"You heard Shoto. It's obvious." Touya nodded in his direction, and Shoto thought better of telling his brother that he was as surprised as Gentle about the rejection of Detnerat as a target. "Too obvious. Can't you see?"

"I guess…" La Brava sounded slightly guilty as she jumped in. Did she… feel bad for agreeing with Touya? That was strange. "They're the biggest name out there propping up Endeavor. They probably know that sort of thing makes them a target for you two, and that'll mean beefed-up security. More guards, more expensive Detnerat toys being used, less forgiveness to strangers who end up in the wrong place by accident…"

"They'll know that we're coming," Touya finished. "So we're not gonna prove them right."

"But… don't you want them to pay?" Gentle asked, confused. "If Endeavor lost their backing right now, you'd cut him off at the knees."

"Tell me something I don't know." Touya glowered at the well-dressed man. "They heard everything we said and still patted him on the back. They don't deserve to be anything but ashes for that."

"That's my point!"

"Yeah, and mine. They will be… but not right now. Their time will come." Touya's anger died down just enough for him to nod at Shoto. "Promise. Don't think I've forgotten."

"So you use the eyes of the world being on Endeavor, and the natural state of paranoia it creates with his inner circle, and pick off the stragglers on the outside? Consolidating your position and making them nervous, forcing them to decide when they should break ranks…" Gentle paused, and hearing no objection from Touya, soldiered on. "I suppose that makes sense. But then, where-"

"Not there." Touya sounded firm, talking over Gentle. "That's all you need to know."

"As much as his manners need some work, I think I get what Dabi's trying to tell us." La Brava seemed to stare right through Touya, who huffed but didn't say anything more. "We're splitting up here because we're the distraction. If those idiots track anything, it'll be my computer and not these two, so we buy them some time to get the other way. It defeats the point of the whole thing if someone captures us and tries to interrogate the destination out of us. If we don't know it at all… there's no chance of that coming back to bite Dabi and Juhyo in the butt."

"Plausible deniability…" Gentle smiled, but it was all teeth. Nervous, in some way, about making the joke. "Am I to be insulted that you would dare imagine me and La Brava being captured? You were so complimentary of our skills when we joined you, and now… our brilliance is being diminished."

"You're good at what you do. But we lit a fire under them all. You said it about Compress, they want to prove a point." Touya tutted. "What you don't know can't hurt. That's final."

"Well, I won't argue. But once we get clear- and it will be a matter of 'once' and not 'if', mark my words- we would certainly be willing to do more around our other work. Iif you need some assistance with whatever you're planning next, do contact me. I would hate for you to struggle on your own, if our skills could be of use."

"Got it." That was about as civil as the conversation between Touya and their two friends was going to get. "... Thanks. For your help with the video."

"Think nothing of it." Gentle bowed. "A speciality of ours."

"Yeah…" La Brava must have been surprised that Touya showed some grace, in the end. She did a good job of not showing any surprise at all, though. "We'll… leave you to it, now. We'll keep our eye out, so we know when you've made your next move."

"Oh, trust me." The corners of Touya's patchwork smile turned up into a smirk. "Everyone will know."

"I… suppose this is farewell for now, young Todoroki." To Shoto's great surprise, there was a tear in the corner of the gentleman thief's eye, as he stuck a gloved hand out for a handshake and quivered upright. "I… promised myself I wouldn't cry."

"I'm… sorry." Shoto took the hand, shaking it as gently as he could in case Gentle was about to explode. "And thanks for everything. I'll… miss you both."

It was true, even if it caused a strange twist in Shoto's stomach as he said it. Gentle's response was to smile damply, and laugh a little. "As I will you. I will watch your career with great interest, Juhyo. Become what I know you can, and I'll be as proud as punch."

"Yeah, me too." La Brava moved forward as Gentle headed to the door, and for a second Shoto was confused why she was holding her arms out. "I'll miss you, kid. Come on. Come here."

He… hadn't had a hug in a long, long time. The last one had been Fuyumi, how many years ago? And now he had found two people who meant enough to him that one of them wanted to hug him goodbye… some ragged part of Shoto's heart that hadn't been alive for years leaped, and the corner of his scarred left eye felt damp for the first time since before Incident Zero. "... Thank you."

"Don't mention it." As he leaned down for the hug, La Brava stretched upwards onto the tips of her toes, so that his head was resting on her shoulder and her mouth was right by his left ear. "And watch out."

Shoto stiffened as she whispered, but aware that Touya might be watching, leaned in and squeezed after a moment. Confusion and curiosity were mixed with a lack of understanding, and he needed to know what she meant. "For what?"

"Dabi is a killer… you aren't." Her small arms patted him on the back, once, twice, and her voice was barely audible. It was enough however to send a shiver down his spine, like his Quirk had gone into overdrive. "Stay true… Shoto."

"Tch." Shoto had wanted to take a moment to work out what she meant, but the way Touya had voiced his disapproval made him look up. He was relieved as much as anything, because looking up helped him to realise that Touya hadn't seen a thing; his brother's reaction to the heartfelt goodbye had been to turn away and stare out of the apartment window, as if he wanted to be anywhere else but right there watching. It was… lucky, in a weird way, given what La Brava had said. "I'll see whatever you two post next online. And if you see Endeavor before we do… let him live. And tell him we're coming."
There was no response to that from their two companions, just a nod and a long look of understanding from La Brava to Shoto. And just like that, with bags hefted over their shoulder and a swish of expensive fabrics, Gentle and La Brava headed out into the world, the two best friends Shoto had made during the last few years of wandering from place to place so endlessly. He didn't know if he would see them again, but as the door clicked shut behind them and left him alone in the room with Touya again… it felt emptier. And that was strange.

It shouldn't have been. He and Touya had been together for years. Ever since he had run away, it had been them against the world, partners against the greatest enemy. They shared something more than blood, that certainty that things had been so awful and that will to see justice done against the man who had made them what they were. They had never needed people before, and things had worked just fine.

Now, with the parting words of La Brava echoing around his head, he felt slightly numb. Now, as the full attention of his brother turned onto him with those wild eyes he knew and recognised, it didn't feel like it used to. There was a hole in their existence where other people had been, a world beyond Endeavor and the pursuit of his downfall. Their friends might have been rogues and tricksters, scoundrels and criminals, but they were friends who had helped them out when they needed it. They were good people… and Shoto seemed to see that. Touya… was different.

Touya's reluctance to thank them, and his insistence that they moved on… it was like he thought they had served their purpose, and that there was nothing beyond that. Like all that mattered was their mission, and not the people who helped along the way. Shoto knew that his brother had black moods and rage from years of living rough, but he wasn't the best person at being sociable either. Even he was making Touya look bad.

There was an awkward pause once the door had shut, before Touya broke the silence first. "It's better this way. Means we can get on without them getting in the way."

Shoto ignored that, as something that had been nagging at him surfaced and he spoke without thinking. "Where have you been going?"

Turquoise eyes blinked, and narrowed into a glare. "What do you mean?"

"I guess I understand why you didn't tell Gentle and La Brava. After what you said… if they're leaving to split the group up and draw away anyone trying to track us down, you don't want them to know where we're going." Shoto stared back, unwilling. This had bothered him for longer than he had been willing to admit, with the others around. "But you didn't tell me. You're saying we're supposed to be in this together, and I still don't know what the plan is."
"We didn't have one until a day ago, and I wasn't going to say until those two had left." Touya was unapologetic, still slouched against the wall with his hand playing with something in his pocket. "Absolutely no chance of them finding out something they shouldn't if we waited."

"You didn't have a plan, but you were still going out without me?" Shoto was not willing to let it go. "What were you doing if you weren't scouting?"

"..." Touya didn't move or say anything for a second, but eventually he huffed, and broke his stare. "... Sekoto Peak."

"Sekoto…" Memories of previous discussions came back to Shoto. That was where Touya had… changed. Where his Quirk had gone wild, where Touya had supposedly died and where Dabi had been born all those years ago. Rolling hills and woodland far behind their home, and a clearing near the peak which had been turned to ash by his brother… "That's near… home."

"It's not home, not anymore." Touya didn't hold back on his bitterness. "Not to you, and not to me."

"But it's where he thought you died!" Shoto was annoyed now, and could feel the anger building. "Right there in Musutafu where we both grew up, and you thought you could go back there? That's the first place he would look for you!"

"Yeah, I thought so." Touya's response felt like a punch to the gut. "I couldn't stick inside. I needed space to think, and if that bastard wanted to come and look for me… I wasn't gonna hide from a fight."

"Without me?" Shoto glared at him. "What happened to wanting to do this together? You should have taken me along-"

"If shit went wrong, and I got caught or stopped, then you would still have been free to take him on."

"That's not the point! That's not why we do any of this!" Shoto felt himself clench a fist, instinctively. "We met up together. We did the video together. So we face him together, too. It's justice for both of us, that way."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why you're angry with me. It's not like he even showed up." Touya tutted. "Figures. Endeavor knows that's where it all started and yet he's so wrapped up in his status and saving his sponsors that he doesn't care to come out and look for us, in the place it makes the most sense."

"That's not the point-"

"No, I know. But if you want me to apologise for trying to end this in a way without my little brother getting hurt, I'm not going to." Touya kicked out at the floor, scuffing his boot as he stared back at Shoto. "You can be mad at me for going, but he didn't come. So we'll get our chance, soon."

"And you're not leaving me behind for that." Shoto felt his anger simmering down, slightly. It was still against everything they had agreed, but it was pointless to argue when Touya wouldn't apologise, and when Endeavor hadn't showed up in the end. He just… didn't want a repeat of that the next time. He needed his closure as much as Touya. "Promise me that."

"Yeah, promise." Touya rolled his eyes, but from the way that he seemed to slouch a little more, he seemed to be willing to move on as well. "... They restored it up there, y'know?"

"Huh?"

"Sekoto. I burned it to the ground that day. All that survived was one black stump. But they didn't leave it be." Touya shook his head. "I'm not an idiot. I didn't expect Endeavor to care enough to put a shrine up there, and I sure as hell didn't want a statue. But they've tried growing it back and mixing it with the rest of the woods. As if what happened… didn't."

"... Hmm." Shoto didn't really know what to say to that. His own day of destiny had ended up with him sending an iceberg through the back wall of the Todoroki residence, not incinerating a load of trees. His damage had melted away and been repaired, even if the scars hadn't. But Touya had left his mark on the world… maybe seeing them try to repair the scorched earth made him feel like nobody cared. "It's… not right."

"Yeah. Like I was never there." Shoto's hazarded guess was right, it seemed. "Still… we're not going there. For our next move, I mean. Even if there's nobody looking out for it."

Shoto nodded. That made sense- it was important to Touya, and in a sense it was important to Endeavor, but it didn't mean much to him and wouldn't mean anything for both of them to return. They needed to think bigger. "Right. Then where…?"

"Hard question when most of his allies are paranoid we're gonna turn up. The Uraraka Construction job made them all scared." Touya scratched at the scarred flesh on his neck. "But that's it. We don't have to go after one of his allies to make Endeavor hurt. Fires can start with any kind of fuel… so I've found something that'll make him suffer just as much."

"You have?" Shoto frowned as Touya's hand came out of his pocket, clutching a piece of paper which looked like it was some form of printed photo. Strangely, the edges looked slightly charred, as if Touya had considered burning it before but had thought better. "What is that?"

"Tell me, little brother…" Touya reached out with his hand, offering the paper to him. "What do you think that bastard cares about most in the world?"

Shoto reached out with his right hand, taking the photograph and frowning in confusion. Was this somewhere that Endeavor sponsored? There must have been hundreds of places across Japan that could claim that sort of link, so how was this building any different? Shoto's mouth hung slightly open, about to ask the question, when something again caught his eye. Some whisper from buried deep made him look again, at the great white front, at the name on the signage-

As realisation hit, Shoto's blood boiled with anger that ripped through him. "You DARE! Touya!"

"Figured it out, huh?" Touya's smile was as cruel as the day he took the life of Snatch. "Surprised it took you so long, dear little Shoto."
"There are lines we would never cross!" Shoto could feel the itch of ice building up on his right-hand side, and crystals forming at his fingertips where he gripped the printer. "You would attack there, of all places?!"

"You've been listening to Gentle too much if you're holding back on me." Something flashed in Touya's eyes as he said it; it was no wonder he had established a reputation as the ferocious Dabi, when this was what he could plan. "He doesn't care! He's left it undefended, untouched, while the world goes to hell around him. Not all sins can be forgiven or forgotten, Juhyo."

"We're not scum, brother!" Shoto threw the paper aside, glowering at Touya. "Why would you even consider something like this?"

"Because we can't hold back if we want to defeat him! And besides… I can tell right now that it's the right choice, just looking at you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look at you." Blue flames flickered at the corner of Shoto's vision, lit up in his brother's palms. "All that pain bottled up… this is a chance to use that and get at him. It hurts you so much… you haven't even realised that you're using your fire, have you?"

Touya could have driven a truck into him and it would have less impact than those words, stunning Shoto out of his anger. He had made a vow. Half-Cold Half-Hot was the apple of his father's eye, and from the day he had run away, Shoto had vowed to let one half of the fruits of Endeavor's labours die. No fire. Only ice.

Touya could do what he liked, but Shoto had vowed never to use his flames in the pursuit of vengeance. He wouldn't give that scumbag the satisfaction, and he wanted him to feel the loss when his own flesh and blood took him down without using the Quirk he had so desperately coveted as a successor. But now… in his anger, red and orange flames had ripped out from his palm, incinerating the sleeve of his hoodie and running all the way up to the scar across his eye. For the first time in years… Shoto's fire was alive. And all because of what Touya had suggested…

He froze for a second that felt like an eternity, trying desperately to extinguish the flames immediately, aware of the mocking smile on Touya's face as he did so. After the longest silence, the flames were finally quelled, too late to save his tattered hoodie and so sudden that he felt at a loss for words after. "... I-"

"That's why I said it." Touya had put out his own blue flames, but one scarred hand came down on his shoulder, his palms still warm. "You told me that you wouldn't use your fire because of him. That you'd become better than him without it. Spite… I respect that. But that's not the only reason why you locked yourself away in that cage, is it?"

"I…" Shoto swallowed, his arm still feeling warm and numb. "No."

"No," Touya echoed. "This is why we go there. Everything that happened… I want to do this for you, so that you can use it to make him pay. Listen to me, and when the embers are all burning out, I might just have given you the chance to put that all behind you. Closure."

"..." It sounded so wrong. The idea still made Shoto uneasy, even without hearing exactly what his brother had planned for the building on the paper. But the realisation that the forbidden half of his Quirk had ignited in rage at the suggestion… that scared him. And that fear was enough to tip him into agreement, because if his pain was so much that he couldn't keep his fire under control… then it needed to be dealt with as well. "... What did you have planned?"

Touya grinned, his hand squeezing Shoto's shoulder; the heat of it made Shoto wince. "... Good. Come on. Let's go for a walk, once you've got a change of clothes. Let's go to Sekoto, and talk about the past. And how that helped me realise how we can change the future."

"Right-" As Shoto turned away to go and get a new hoodie, he felt his brother's hand grab at the remaining sleeve, and that made him stop. "Touya?"

"..." Touya seemed to search his face for a second, one scarred man staring at the scarred boy in front of him. Ruined boys, picking up the pieces. "Together?"

Shoto breathed out. Whatever would come of this… at least he had that. "... Together."

(***)

"This is… the right thing to do."

The girl fidgeted slightly with the strap of the rucksack on her back, staring up at the office block from a distance. She was so used to the sight of it by now, but standing as she was, with everything going on inside her head… it felt a little hollow to look at the imposing tower now. Not after everything that had happened.

It was late-evening, around the time that most of the city would be sitting down to dinner. There were very few restaurants nearby, and it was well past the rush hour of the workers leaving to go home, but the plaza outside was still full of the same people who had been there for the past few days. She could see a couple of the news vans who had almost become a permanent fixture, and a single police car with a bored-looking rhino-horned officer behind the wheel. The protesters had left when they found out that the tower would remain closed for the foreseeable future, but the others were slightly more dedicated, hoping to catch people out on their return.

She didn't dare get too close. Not after the first day, all the camera flashes and questions and tight smiles on the faces of those around her parents. Not after the second day, when angry shouts from outside had transformed into things being thrown, the sound of shattered glass and police sirens. It hadn't been long after that when the office was closed, and when everyone had retreated.

Everything had changed. It was almost the eye of the storm, in some ways, because of what had happened. One broadcast that caught everyone by surprise, and anger had swept across the nation as a result. It wouldn't have been possible without everything they had got that day… and everything she had allowed them to slip away with.

Now the voices were getting louder. People were furious, but others were suffering because of that. She had heard enough whispers from those camped outside about manhunts and bounties, enough stories of riots which claimed lives and livelihoods. It was a crisis growing steadily out of control, and at its heart were three people. One man who stood atop everything as the Number One, whose rule was being challenged… and two boys who dared defy him. One boy who would see the world burn… and one boy who stepped between her and his brother, and protected her from harm.

"I… can do this."

Ochaco Uraraka adjusted the strap of her rucksack again, a nervous habit she couldn't yet shake, and shook her head. It had hurt to lie to her parents, to tell them that she was going to sleep over with a school friend whose father was in the hospital; her dad had been caught in a protest clash, yes, but that wasn't why she had packed her bags and left. The truth was… she hated feeling useless.

She had always been proud of what she had done for her family. Their business had grown from nothing into something too good to be true, and she had done everything she could to support her parents. In turn, Uraraka Construction had a number of charity projects it could celebrate, including things Ochaco herself had suggested they support. But these were darker times, where the problems couldn't be solved by building a shelter or fixing a damaged shopping district. The problems were heroes and villains, right and wrong, and she couldn't just stay home and sit indoors when she could be doing something to help. She didn't have much experience with this sort of thing, but… she had to try.

Shoto Todoroki wanted to do good things in the world. He had been kind, and determined to make things right, and to protect people like her. Even from his own flesh and blood, apparently. But now people were taking his words and Dabi's words, and using it to cause trouble. That… she couldn't stand.

He would be out there somewhere, with people hunting him down. His brother would be angry, if just the fact of her presence during their attack on the company was enough for him to consider killing her. Maybe, just maybe, she might run into them both down the line, if she was actually heading in the right direction. It was illegal these days, she was formally untrained, and she didn't have someone looking out for her. But she was damned if she did nothing while others suffered.

Shoto Todoroki had said that he couldn't wait to see her make a great Hero one day. And watching the rest of the world, Ochaco had become certain of one thing. If she wanted to live up to that… there was no time like the present.

"This is the right thing to do." Ochaco didn't hesitate that time, nodding her head and turning her back on the Uraraka Construction offices, stepping away into the unknown. "And I can do this."

Taking one final look around to check that nobody was paying her any attention, she nodded, finally satisfied that she hadn't been followed. And with that Ochaco pulled the hood of her coat up and marched on under the glow of the streetlights, unnoticed by all…

Silently and out of sight, from the corner of the street, the security camera with the Feel Good Inc logo slowly turned to follow her.

(***)

A/N: Anyone see Ochaco coming?

I knew when I introduced her that I couldn't just leave her behind as the rest of the story continued on. There had to be more to her tale. And when Shoto has been brave enough to put himself out there with Touya, and let the world know about the evils of his father… Ochaco's not the sort of girl who would hear that and be happy doing nothing, is she?

And hey, Todoroki time for chapter 50. One of the big things about Dabi's reveal in canon which intrigues me is how it doesn't claim Endeavor's Hero career as a casualty. Sure, society crumbles and villains are running rampant with hero trust at an all-time low, but Endeavor remains out there, fighting on. I wanted to take elements of that into the fic, and explore the sort of reaction Touya would have to that… he's incredibly angry that the world didn't listen the way he wanted it to, and the more angry he gets, the more extreme things become. What that does for his and Shoto's relationship… time will tell.

Anyway, thank you for all your support leading up to chapters 50. As a warning, I may have some delay in uploading for the next month, because I have classes every weekend that I have to fit around a full-time job and writing time is sparse. Please come onto the Incident Zero channel on the Ignite to the Call Discord- the join code is d7BmWDb3 - for updates, or PM me. Just… don't review asking me to update. Personally I find that annoying. Sorry.

If you enjoyed this, please favourite and follow if you haven't already done so. I always love a review if you'd be so kind, although please don't flame (constructive criticism really isn't hard), and if you want to check out my other work please do.

Stay safe, y'all.