"No. Oh, no no no. Hell no. Touya, I'm not going in there." You protested profusely. Words couldn't describe the overwhelming shock and anxiety you were feeling standing outside of the wall surrounding the Todoroki estate. When Touya suggested that you visit his place, you thought the two of you might pass by really quick. Now that you were here, though, staring dumbfounded at your friend as he straddled the top of the slanted wall, you realized what he actually meant. This wasn't at all what you had in mind. How could you have been so naive?

"Come on, (Y/N). You can just float right over. And- ugh- maybe give me a hand while you're at it." Touya beckoned. A thick, sick feeling sat like a rock in the pit of your stomach. You couldn't help the nervousness. You kept your head on a swivel, terrified of being caught, despite the area being devoid of people.

You shook your head fervently. "Touya, no! It's the middle of the day. Someone's gonna see you; get down from there!" You whisper-yelled. Touya grunted as he threw his other leg over the wall.

"Someone's a lot more likely to catch us if you keep nagging like that, you know." Touya complained, rolling his eyes. You pouted. You hated it, but he made a good point. The last thing you needed to be doing was drawing attention to yourself.

"C'mon. Let's go." Touya said politely. Within seconds, he'd slid off and disappeared to the other side of the wall.

"Touya!" You stomped your foot like an upset child, fists called tightly at your sides. No answer came. You smacked yourself in the forehead and groaned loudly in frustration. With one final and desperate look around, you ceded. After all, you really didn't feel like being caught outside of a top hero's house with a villain after being MIA for days. Best to do crime while there were no witnesses. You dropped your backpack of essentials onto the ground. Using your quirk, you swiftly carried yourself over the wall. The air around you sounded with a whoosh as you passed through it. It took a fraction of a second to get yourself into the property, but your fast, fear-fueled flying caused you to land hard on the other side and fall onto your butt. The impact kicked up dirt all around, and you waved it away with your hand.

"Glad you could make it." Touya commented, staring down at you with a sly smile. He offered you his hand. You glared at him spitefully, but accepted his help. He pulled you to your feet and gave you a firm, but friendly pat on the back.

"Are you crazy?!" You asked incredulously as you dusted yourself off.

"Definitely, but that's beside the point." He remarked. Touya's eyes scrutinously scanned the area, and his serious demeanor only added to your worries. You tugged on his sleeve.

"Touya, come on. We're gonna get caught. I'll fly us back over, let's just leave." You pleaded as you attempted to turn him back to the wall.

"You haven't even gotten a good look at the place yet." He said.

"Dude." You whined.

"Go on, look."

"Touya!"

"Look!" Grabbing your cheeks, he forced you to face forward. Your eyes grew wide at the sight. Ahead of you stood a sizable courtyard with a stone path running up the center. To your right sat a group of neatly tended bushes and trees surrounded by a quaint water feature. There was more lush greenery to your left, on the other side of the path leading up to the house. The house. Could you really even call it that?

'This place is huge!' Your eyes bounced around from wall to wall and all along the lavish patio. This whole courtyard might have been just barely smaller than a football field! The building itself was definitely a more traditional Japanese style, with an overall square architecture, and curved roofs that met in a point at the top. You'd been in many western style mansions before, but you had never seen one like this.

"Woah…" You whispered softly. "You lived here? Dude, this is a whole estate!" Touya looked ahead, seemingly emotionless. "Well, what did you expect? It's his place, after all." He said. Made sense. This was the number two- now the number one- hero's home. Why wouldn't it be lavish?

You nodded slowly in understanding. "Go big or go home, I guess." You commented, still slightly dumbfounded. The more you thought about it, though, the funnier the idea became, and you couldn't hold back your stream of quiet chuckles.

"Seems a bit like he's trying to compensate for something, huh?" You joked. Though you found it quite funny, Touya just nodded.

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

Setting aside your snide innuendo, Touya made it obvious that you were still technically right. For his entire career, Endeavor had been working (and failing) to take the number one hero spot. It'd make sense if his lavish home were an unintentional way of making up for that.

"Alright, let's go." You heard Touya say as he nonchalantly began walking towards the house. A million alarms went off in your head, and you rushed to stop him.

"Hey, wait!" You yelled as you ran after him. "I was being serious. What if your family sees us?" As much as you would have loved to meet Touya's family, you really didn't want it to be under these circumstances. Breaking and entering probably wouldn't make a very good first impression. Not to mention the fact that none of them knew Touya was alive- to them, you'd have invaded their home with a villain. You gulped at the thought.

Touya waved off your fears. "Nah, nobody's home around this time. Little sis and the old man are both at work."

"What about your mom and brothers?" You asked.

"Natsuo is away at university, Shoto stays in a school dorm now, and mom's in the hospital."

You blinked quickly as a shocked expression took over your features. Considering the tabs he'd kept on you since you'd arrived, it wasn't surprising that he'd kept a close eye on his family. Still, what he said surprised you. "She's still in the hospital?"

"Yeah." He replied.

It was certainly unexpected news. Touya only ever spoke about his home life when he was desperately upset, and the last you'd heard from him regarding his mother was that she'd had a nervous breakdown and been sent to a psychiatric hospital, presumably for rehabilitation. At least, that's what you assumed, but you wouldn't have guessed she'd still be there after ten years. The thought of it made you sick to your stomach.

'I didn't know it was that bad…'

As the two of you entered the house, you peered cautiously down the corridor while Touya strode in confidently.

You bent down and quickly began untying your laces. "You could at least take off your shoes, y'know." You nagged, but Touya didn't seem to care. He continued to march down the hallway with his dirty shoes very much on. You slipped off your borrowed boots and set them on the ground outside before jogging to catch up with him. You'd snuck into countless hideouts and lairs in the past, but all those times were different; you were always after someone inside- making arrests. This time, it was you committing the crime. Needless to say, you'd likely be on edge the entire time.

"Aren't you even the slightest bit concerned about leaving tracks?" You asked incredulously.

"Relax, (Y/N). I haven't gotten caught yet, and I don't plan to now." He said, likely in an attempt to calm your nerves. You looked up at him in surprise.

"Wait a minute, how many times have you snuck in here?" You asked. Touya peered down at you with a slick grin.

"A few."

His comment elicited a chuckle from you, though it was more an attempt to soothe yourself than a genuine laugh. It really was remarkable how often you forgot that he was a villain. Upon sensing your continued unease, Touya chined in again.

"It's not a crime if it's your own house. We're more like… unexpected company." He assured, placing an arm around your shoulders and giving you a light squeeze.

The interior of the home was just as nice as the outside. Sleek, hardwood floors paved the hallways and cushiony tatami mats blanketed the rooms inside. The whole place was incredibly well-kept, too. Not a single mess or bit of dirt in sight. You supposed rich people did have the advantage of hiring help. You followed closely beside Touya, not wanting to get lost in the massive house. At the end of the hallway was a staircase.

"Alright, grand tour." Touya began as he headed up the steps. "We'll start up here." Touya spun around to face you and took loud, backward steps down the corridor. You cringed as the dull thud of his footsteps reverberated off the walls and the windows that lined the hall. Through the glass, you were able to see the entire courtyard as well as the wall that lined the back of the property.

"This is a room. This is a room. This, too. All those down there are rooms." He explained, lazily pointing down at the other doors.

"You're an awful tour guide." You laughed. "You could at least provide a little bit of an explanation. Maybe some backstory?"

Touya shrugged. "The ones on the end are for storage, but most of these doors just lead into training rooms. Not much to describe there, and I think you're smart enough to figure out what a room with a toilet is." So the boy had jokes. Cute. However, it wasn't Touya's banter that caught your attention. Your ears seemed to perk up on their own at the mention of the training room. Back when the two of you had planned on working together, you'd been excited to see where the number two hero did much of his own training. Even now, despite your uneasiness about letting yourself into the man's house, you'd be a liar now if you said you didn't want to see it.

"Training room?" You asked with an excited smile. Your eagerness was not lost on Touya. He raised a brow and returned your smile.

"Right this way." He motioned towards a wide, sliding door and you stepped towards it. Reaching over you, Touya grabbed hold of the edge and pulled it to the side. You had to admit, you thought it might have more stuff in it. For the most part, the room seemed empty, save for the racks of wooden training swords and staffs against the wall. Over the rest of the floor were tatami mats lying neatly beside one another.

"Huh. Kinda plain." You noted as you gazed, underwhelmed, at the room.

"Meh, there's more stuff in the storage room. Plus, that door there leads to a weight room." Touya informed, pointing his thumb at a door on the right wall. You stepped further into the room and turned around, looking up and down at the walls and ceiling. The mats were surprisingly comfortable beneath your feet as well. Like a child, you began to daydream about what it might have been like to actually be invited here- what your life and Touya's might have had in store had everything not gone to shit. Though you'd just done a bit of your own light training, this room made you obligated to do some more. You set your eyes on the bo staffs on the wall.

"May I?" You asked.

Touya extended his hand out towards the rack as if to say "Go for it." With a broad smile plastered onto your face, you used your quirk to bring a staff to you. Standing up straight, you began to spin it around with one hand. You switched the pole from one hand to the other as you did, weaving it behind you and then around to the front again. Stiller never really approved of your fancy tricks when you used staffs. He had always said they were impractical in battle, but you'd always had fun with it. Besides, you couldn't help it. In your mind, Touya had always been leagues above you when it came to combat, but with your formal training completed, a big part of you wanted nothing more than to show off to your friend. Finishing up your display, you held the staff in front of you and stood offensively. You turned to Touya with a wide and prideful grin, as if asking for his approval.

"Having fun?" He asked.

"Mhmm." You nodded, standing upright once again. "Come on, spar with me!" You invited with child-like excitement.

Touya shook his head. "I don't really feel like getting my ass kicked."

"Aww, c'mon. I'll go easy on you I promise." You whined. Touya furrowed his brow.

"I didn't exercise outside, what makes you think I'm gonna do it in here?" Touya responded with sass. You rolled your eyes and released the staff from your hand, but kept it levitating beside you.

"You're such a pain." You teased him with a smile. If he wasn't going to willingly make himself useful to your training, you'd have to entice him.

"Don't be such a baby, Touya." Using your quirk, you began to spin the staff around again, much faster than you'd be able to with your hands. The rapid movement of the pole kicked up the air around it and produced relatively strong gusts. Your clothes and hair rustled in the wind. You kept your eyes focused on your friend, who had taken to leaning against the door frame.

"Okay, see, now that's concerning." Touya began sternly.

"Why?" You asked cockily, bringing the staff in front of you. "Afraid I could blow your flames away?" Touya's hair rustled as the spinning staff thrust air in his direction.

"No. Put that down. Let's go." He insisted.

You moved the staff again, this time, to the other side of your body. "Why don't you make me?" You egged him on. One way or another, you were going to get this boy to train properly with you. He didn't budge. Once again, you shifted the staff behind you, still spinning it wildly.

"You just have a track record…" He said, raising his eyebrows to hint at the obvious.

'Oh so that's it, huh? He thinks I'm incompetent.'

You scoffed at his insinuation. "Honestly, Touya, have a little faith in me." You said, bringing your rotating weapon to your side once again. "I use these things all the time. See?" Controlling the staff was an easy feat, and since it was light, it required almost no effort. Actually, you could do it without paying much attention. In fact, you weren't paying much mind to it at all.

Touya responded. "Yeah, I get that. I'm just a little concerned about…"

WHAACK

"Yeah, that."

In a split second, the staff slammed into your face. Perhaps you should have paid more attention to its slow precession. The sound of wood on wood reverberated off of the walls as you released the staff from your quirk's influence. The stinging pain wasn't immediately felt, but the initial impact left you stunned for a second and sent you stumbling backward a couple of feet. You raised your arms instinctively to cover your nose and eye as blood dripped from your nostrils. Tears involuntarily welled in your eyes and trickled down your face.

'Damn it! No way. No way that just happened. In front of Touya?! Right as he called it?'

"Ow…" You squeaked out. Touya sighed and strode over calmly, but quickly. Taking hold of your wrists, he gently pulled your hands away from your face.

"Are you alright? Let me see, come on, move your hands." He insisted kindly, the way a parent might console an injured child. A stream of blood fell steadily from your nose, onto your hands, and finally onto the floor. Drops of the stuff stained your dirty white t-shirt a deep crimson.

'He's never gonna let me live this down…' Once again, you felt your pride hurt worse than the physical injury you'd managed to give yourself. You hung your head self-consciously in an attempt to hide your shame. Touya wouldn't have it, though.

"Come on, let me see." He repeated. "If your nose is bleeding, you should tilt your head back." He took your chin delicately between his thumb and index finger and tilted your face up to get a better look at the damage.

"Actually, that's a... myth…" Your eyes had been shut tight, but the sensation of proximity was not lost on you. Touya's warm breath tickled your inflamed features. Upon feeling him so close, all of the air seemed to escape your lungs at once. Had they not been red from the ungodly smack you'd just received, the blush spreading across your cheeks might have been more obvious. Touya looked over your face closely, noting the obvious bleeding nose and fresh, deep red stripe the staff had left across your cheek and eye.

"Damn, that's actually pretty bad." He admitted grimly. "Let me see your eye." Doing as he asked, you opened your eyes as best as you could. The staff had slammed directly into your left one, and it had already begun to swell. The first thing you saw were Touya's own eyes staring deeply into your own as he examined you. No matter how much he'd tried to hide it, you continued to catch glimpses of this caring side of him. "Mmm. That's gonna make seeing difficult." He said, bringing his other hand to your rapidly reddening cheek. He ran the back of his fingers gingerly across it. Your highly sensitive skin prickled painfully at his careful touch, but you couldn't bring yourself to look away. You watched his pupils dilate as he lingered longer than he probably meant to. You breathed in another unsteady breath as you basked in the beauty of his brilliant blue eyes. The dark purple patches on his lower lids only accentuated those bright irises. You'd never seen them so close before.

'How is he… so pretty…'

A hesitant, feather-like pressure was applied to your lower lip as he ran his thumb over it. The pleasant touch, however, was quickly followed by sharp pain. The unexpected discomfort made you jump, and you felt Touya's hand pull away. Disappointment settled in the further his face got from yours. Touya cleared his throat, apparently released from his momentary trance.

"Your lip is busted, too." He said quietly, averting his gaze to the ground. "Where's the bag? There's some first aid stuff in there." He asked, looking anywhere in the room but at you. You blinked quickly, ridding your vision of the obscuring tears. Why did he have to back away? You looked around briefly for the backpack before remembering… it wasn't with you.

"O-oh. I uh. I left it outside the wall." You admitted, cleaning your blood-covered hands off on your already-sullied shirt. Touya let out an exasperated sigh, finally glancing your way with a pained look. Once again, he reached for your hand.

"Oh well. There's some medical supplies downstairs. For now, though..." He said, slowly pulling the gauze from around your burned and bandaged wrist. "...let's let this breathe a bit." Small, timid tremors wracked your body as he slipped the fabric into his pocket. You could only pray he didn't notice. Touya didn't release your hand like you expected. Instead, he clung to it firmly- not enough to hurt, but enough to let you know where he wanted you- right beside him. You happily took hold of him, too.

Touya led you out of the training room, and back down the stairway you'd come up before. Despite your throbbing face and gushing nose, you were grateful. Not only for your friend's help, but also for his downplaying of your mistake. It was silly of you to think that Touya would have made fun of your fuck-up. After all, he never really was that type- at least not towards you. You'd beat yourself up over the tiniest things, and he was always well aware of that. As kids, the boys would bicker all the time. Strength, speed, intelligence: they were all things the three of you would pick on, but, now that you really thought about it, Touya had never put you down back then. Not even as a joke, the way Keigo would. You couldn't be sure, but it was likely the reason you'd grown to be so close with him in the first place. He'd become your lifeline in that hectic program. Even now, he filled the role of "support system" well. For years now, you'd been repressing the mere thought of Touya Todoroki. Throwing yourself into your training was always just enough to keep that pesky grief away. Without realizing it, his absence had made your heart grow fonder. You felt Touya's thumb softly stroke the back of your hand, and you clutched onto him tightly as your mind began to formally recognize the emotions you'd been suppressing.

This whole time… you'd been undoubtedly in love with your closest friend.