Denki came up to the Aizawa household. He looked at the time on his phone. It was nearly ten thirty at night. He was a little early, but hey that meant him and Hitoshi had plenty of time to hang out at his house. "Last window on the right." He repeated to himself. Quietly he walked up to the house.

The house was nice and the neighborhood was definitely one of the better ones. 'Nothing but the best.' he thought almost a little jealous. His father didn't live in the best neighborhood. It wasn't a terrible neighborhood but it was definitely a lock-your-doors-at-night type of neighborhood. Then again… part of that might have been Denki's fault. After all he did beg his dad to come here.

Denki slunk around the house. "Shit…" He ducked down low, borderline crawling on his hands and knees, because a window was wide open. The first window on the right. Hitoshi's was the last window, so this is someone else's bedroom. Denki, not wanting to get caught, decided to play it safe and got on his hands and knees. Crawling under the window, he paused when he heard Mr. Aizawa's voice.

"-I just don't know what I'm going to do, Hizashi." Came Mr. Aizawa's sigh from inside the house. Denki froze as Mr. Aizawa sounded close, he didn't dare move in risk of being caught. What happened next was unexpected.

"I think you need a weekend away from all this drama."

Denki's eyes went wide. 'Is that Present Mic?!' He didn't dare look up.

"At this point I'm too afraid to do so." Mr. Aizawa sighed. He sounded so tired. "Not with Cujo. Not with all that we've learned."

'Cujo?'

"I know what you're saying so, but I think it would do you some good to have just a night to yourself. You're overworked and exhausted. I think the boys can go two nights alone. Even with Cujo."

"If I'm not there and Izuku can't control Cujo-"

'Who the hell is Cujo and what do they have to do with Izuku?'

"-Look, I know I wasn't there." Present Mic whispered. There was a soft noise like Present Mic was patting Mr. Aizawa's back. "-But Shouta, your eyebags have eyebags. Even Nedzu agrees a little two day break will do you well."

"Yeah but-"

A small noise left Present Mic's mouth. "Next weekend, when finals are done and over with but before summer break…" There was another noise and Denki was sure it was Present Mic hugging Mr. Aizawa. "You and me book a hotel. I did some research. There's this cat hotel…" Present's Mic's voice turned muffled; like he was burying his face into Mr. Aizawa's hair. "It's like a cat cafe, but it's in a hotel. They have rooms for the cats and for humans a like. You can even request a room with a cat. It'll be heaven for you."

"A cat hotel, huh?...tempting. I'll…think about it."

Present Mic gave a hum. "That's a better answer than 'no'."

There was another noise, a noise that Denki couldn't identify at first. Then it hit him after few minutes. 'Oh, yuck! They're kissing!' He realized and silently gagged. 'Nope! Not gonna stick around any longer.' Denki was quick and silent as he crawled away from under the window. Well, he must not have been that quiet because he heard-

"-I thought I heard something, damn raccoons." Mr. Aizawa huffed before the window promptly shut.

Denki exhaled a slow and deep breath before he got off his hands and knees and moved up towards the last window-

"-What did he do?!"

Denki dropped to the ground at Izuku's voice. Only for him to realize it was coming from the other side of the house. His curiosity got the better of him. Ducking under Hitoshi's window, Denki jogged passed that and went around the back of the house. Denki then poked his head around the side of the house.

'Is that Todoroki?!' immediately Denki drew his head back before he accidentally got caught.

"One of the servants told him that I wasn't in my room this morning. I tried to tell him I left school earlier than normal, but he didn't believe me…" Todoroki mumbled weakly. "Oh, and I brought the pants today. Sorry it took so long."

Denki took a risk and looked over at Todoroki. Todoroki was sporting a big bruise on his cheek. The fist that served that big of a bruise must have been massive. Denki pulled away just as Todoroki turned his head.

"What's wrong?" Came Izuku's voice from inside the house.

"I thought I saw-...nevermind. Just let me in."

Denki took that as his turn to leave. 'Oh man, so Izuku and Todoroki are a thing?! Now that I think about it, they've gotten close after the Sports Festival, and Izuku's been spending most, if not all, of his time with Todoroki since. Hell, the other day he and Todoroki just stayed hulled up sitting with one another in the back of class.' Denki was mentally slapping himself for not seeing the signs.

Getting right outside Hitoshi's window Denki knocked.

No answer.

" 'Toshi!" Denki whispered-yelled to his friend.

Nothing.

Denki felt a little worried as he started to knock again-

The window opened and next thing Denki knew he was being dragged inside of the house. Denki did a whole summersault and landed on his back. He looked up at Hitoshi as his friend shut the window. "Sorry, I was in the bathroom." Hitoshi explained in a hushed whisper. He then got down and helped Denki to his feet.

"Hey, man it's no problem." Denki smiled and then looked around Hitoshi's bedroom. "Wow this is… er… plain." He admitted with a shrug. "I expected a poster or two."

Hitoshi blushed and scratched at his face. "I don't need much." He whispered.

"Hey, to each their own, right?" Denki smiled-

There was a knock at the door and Hitoshi reacted swiftly. He pushed Denki directly into his closet. "Oof!" Denki gasped when his back struck the wall. Hitoshi shut the closet door.

"Come in!" He called almost breathlessly. The door opened.

"Hey." Izuku rose up a pair of Hitoshi's school pants. "I don't know how it happened, but a pair of your pants landed in my laundry."

The wheels were turning in Denki's head. 'Wait…did Todoroki…No!'

"Oh, I noticed this morning I was missing a pair. Thanks." Hitoshi took the garments back from Izuku.

"Yeah, no problem."

That was the exetent of their interact. Something that made Denki frown when the door shut. Hitoshi gave a sigh of relief and approached the closet. "Sorry about that." He whispered to Denki as he opened the closet door.

"Wow…when you said you two were giving each other space you weren't kidding." Denki whispered right back. Hitoshi marched over towards his door and locked the lock.

"Yeah, it's still a little tense right now…" Hitoshi walked up to the window and reopened it. He quickly tossed his pants on to his bed. "Let's just go. I don't think I can handle another night like this."

"Yeah, of course."

Hitoshi stepped out of his bedroom and Denki followed directly behind him. Hitoshi kept his window open just a smidge so he could get back in with ease. "C'mon." Denki tugged on Hitoshi's sleeve and led him around the house. They avoided Mr. Aizawa's window and instead went around to Izuku's side. Izuku's window was shut which made going around easy. They just kept low until they hit the driveway, once they hit the drive way the two of them both took off in a jog towards the bus stop.

Hitoshi gave a little laugh as he kept up with Denki. "This is crazy." He shook his head while grinning. "I…I can't believe I'm doing this!" He just continued to laugh as both of them jogged towards the nearby bus stop.

"Trust me, man! You haven't even seen crazy. Wait until you meet my dad, you'll love him!" Denki smiled and Hitoshi couldn't help but blush a little.

The bus stop wasn't too far from Hitoshi's home, thankfully, and together both of them sat on the nearby bench. Hitoshi smiled once they sat. He felt gitty, like an excited little kid. Denki sat right next to him and looked at the map. "Yep, my house is in this area." Denki pointed on the map and Hitoshi looked.

"You live that close to Kamino?" He asked a little concerned. "That's not the best place…"

"Yeah, I know, but it's all my dad could afford…" Denki whispered. "So, Kamino. It's fine, we just lock the doors at night. Besides my dad has an electric quirk, like me, so they wouldn't dare try anything unless they want a shock." Denki winked.

Hitoshi gave a 'hm.' instead of a laugh. "Dad has patroled around Kamino before. He says he knows he's always in for a long night whenever he goes there."

"Yeeaahhh. I always wake up to sirens going off at least once or twice during the night." Denki gave a bit of a sigh. "This place now… this is nice…" He looked out at all the suburban houses. "Mr. Aizawa chose a good neighborhood."

Hitoshi gently leaned into Denki's shoulder. "Hm." He could only agree with a soft hum. This neighborhood was nice and now it was just making him feel bad for Denki. "So, what about the house you and your dad live in? Surely it can't be that bad. Even if it is in Kamino."

Denki made a noise and looked over at Hitoshi. "Well…" Hitoshi could see the bus start to approach, but said nothing as he let Denki continue. "We don't live in a house. We live in a tiny two bedroom apartment." He explained almost in an embarrassed tone.

"Oh, that's cool!" Hitoshi caught on to the tone.

The bus stopped at the stop and the doors opened. Both of them walked on to the bus. Denki slipped his hand into Hitoshi's. Hitoshi blushed heavily at the contact but didn't drag attention to it. The bus was quiet with only a few other passengers sitting. Together Denki and Hitoshi sat together in a seat. Hitoshi looked out of the window for a moment before the bus started to move. They kept their hands interlocked as the world started to pass them by. "I just…can't believe I'm doing this…" Hitoshi whispered excitedly.

"I know. That's what makes it exciting."

"Have you ever done something like this?"

"Uh- yeah!" Kaminari laughed. "Why do you think I suggested you just sneak out? Yeah, my dad tried the whole 'you're grounded!' shtick with me." Denki shrugged with a laugh. "I just started sneaking out. This was back in grade school to! When we lived in America."

"You snuck out when you were in grade school?!"

"Yep! I think I started sneaking out when I was ten? Maybe eleven? I can't remember the exact age. Regardless! It's not exactly hard- you know what forget I said that…" Denki coughed a little and turned to look out the window with Hitoshi.

"Huh. Okay…" Hitoshi let it drop at Denki's request. Hitoshi then smiled as he leaned his head against the window "Well, let me just ask. Were you one of those kids that would band together with your friends and try to sneak into adult movies? But your plan for doing so was stacking on top of each other and wear a ridiculously large trench coat?"

Denki looked at Hitoshi for a moment. Then the corner of his mouth upturned into a smile as he tried to suppress his laugh. "I-" He started to snicker softly. "No. But that's very nice of you."

"Huh?" Now Hitoshi was confused as he raised an eyebrow at Denki. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Hitoshi. With my quirk nobody wanted to be my friend growing up. I would shock anybody I came in contact with that and… well, you know how I can be sometimes. My ADHD helped solidify their hatred towards me. I was an outcast all through grade school. Middle school really wasn't much better until-...well…until I went to your school. Hitoshi. You were the very first person who ever stuck up for me. Not Izuku, you. When you called Akisho a fuckmouth I knew-" Denki blushed.

"You knew?" Hitoshi urged him to continue. He felt almost breathless as he and Denki locked eyes.

Denki smiled brightly at him. "-That I had to befriend you no matter the cost!"

Hitoshi's face felt like the surface of the sun. "I-I was just trying to piss Akisho off at the time…" He admited a little breathlessly.

"Give yourself some more credit, Hitoshi. You're a nice guy deep down."

Hitoshi was afraid if his face got any hotter he was going to turn into a pile of ash. "I-I-I-" Hitoshi had no words. None. All were his words were caught in his throat.

"That's why I voted for you for class rep."

Hitoshi smiled before it dropped at the realization. "Wait…you were my second vote?" He asked bewildered. "I thought you voted for Zuchan?"

"No, at the time I was actually a little upset with Izuku. So, I gave my vote to you." Denki explained.

'Huh…' Hitoshi couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Oh, I'm sorry I threw away your vote by giving my spot to Iida."

"Nah, it's cool! It just proves my point! You are a really nice person deep down, Hitoshi!" Yep, Hitoshi was going to disintegrate any second now. The compliments were just too much. Denki laughed at Hitoshi's growing red face. "You're like a tomato!" Denki grinned as he cupped Hitoshi's cheeks with both of his hands.

Contact with someone who wasn't Izuku or his father felt so…so…foreign. For so long Hitoshi has closed himself off from others that weren't his family. So, to allow this… He felt like he was going to faint. This mixed with the fact that he was disobeying his father. It was almost too much.

Hitoshi had to stop looking at Denki, fearful that this literal ray of sunshine was going to blind him if this kept going. Denki didn't seem to mind as they both looked out of the window. Denki did move his hands down. The blonde was being a little daring as he kept a hold on Hitoshi's hands with his own. It was a pleasant silence that accompany them through the remainder of the bus ride. At one point Denki rested against Hitoshi's shoulder and Hitoshi didn't mind the invasion of personal space for once. They finally made it to the right bus stop, both teens got off and Denki grabbed Hitoshi's hand. "This way!"

They broke off into a jog. The only lights around them were the occasional street lamp that helped keep the encroaching darkness at bay. "Thankfully, we don't live far from the bus stop!" Denki looked back and continued to smile at Hitoshi.

He was right, Denki lived about a block away from the bus stop. He lived in an apartment complex that was at least five levels high and he lived on the third level. They went up the stairs until they made it to Denki's apartment on the farthest right. Before they even approached the door Hitoshi made out loud rock music being blasted through the entire apartment. When Denki unlocked the door the music got ten-times louder.

"Oof…" Hitoshi winced at the volume as he stepped into the apartment. The air conditioning was on full blast, making the place an ice-box to fight against the heat from the outside.

"Dad- dad!" Denki called for his father, but Hitoshi just barely heard his friend over the blasting rock music. Denki walked farther into the apartment, but Hitoshi didn't. He just stayed in the doorway and watched as Denki vanished behind a wall. Hitoshi never been to anybody else's house before. Ever, so this was all almost surreal for him.

There was a moment where all Hitoshi could hear was just the music until the music came to an abrupt halt.

"-Hey!" Came the indignant voice of, who Hitoshi presumed to be, Denki's father.

"Dad, they could hear that shit all the way in china! There's no need for it to be that loud!" Denki huffed.

Hitoshi's eyes wided in shock at the tone Denki was using. 'He talks to his dad like this?'

Mr. Kaminari gave a huffing laugh. "Riiiight. And where did you go in this late hour?"

"Oh, I brought- 'Toshi?" There was a moment before Denki poked his head into the small hallway. "Whatcha doin'?" Denki inquired innocently with a smile.

Hitoshi just stood there. "I-... I've never been to anothers house." He admitted softly.

Denki gave a soft laugh and offered his hand. "We don't bite. C'mon-" Denki started to pull but Hitoshi stopped just as quickly.

"My shoes!" He went to take his shoes off and Denki scoffed.

"Leave 'em."

"Excuse me!?" Hitoshi couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Denki laughed. "Leave 'em! Dad and I usually just leave our shoes on when we get home so it doesn't matter."

This was surreal now. Just complete and utterly surreal. Not taking off his shoes inside of a home- someone else's home!? Denki just didn't care as he started to move Hitoshi towards the living room. "Seriously, Hitoshi, it doesn't matter. We don't care. We're from America remember?"

"They don't take their shoes off in America?!" Hitoshi could see the carpet coming up and nearly stopped his walking.

"I mean…sometimes, it depends on the people. But most just walk around their house in their shoes, especially after they've come home from work or school. It's just the norm there."

"But it's not here. Denki, this is-" Denki stepped on the carpet with his shoes still on and Hitoshi froze instantly before Denki could get him to step on the carpet. "-Rude. Denki, it's rude." Hitoshi jerked his arm out and took a step back before he could step inside. This was the first place he was ever invited to and he wasn't going to muck it up by being rude!

"He has a point, son." Mr. Kaminari said suddenly. Hitoshi looked up in fright. Mr. Kaminari was sitting in the living room on a couch in front of a large TV that was playing rock music at a moderate volume. "It is considered rude by Japan's standards and don't forget…we are in Japan. Just because we find it okay to do so, doesn't mean your friend here does. Go ahead, you can take off your shoes."

"Thank you!" Hitoshi gave a quick and polite bow before removing his shoes swiftly.

Mr. Kaminari hummed and took a sip of his drink. The drink was definitely beer from what Hitoshi could see. Once his shoes were removed, Hitoshi walked into the living room with a lot more ease than before.

Now that he was less tense he got a better look at Mr. Kaminari.

The Kaminari patriarch had the exact same yellow hair as Denki. This told Hitoshi that Denki got his yellow hair from his dad. However, his dad did not have the black stripe interwoven in his hair as Denki had. When they locked eyes, Mr. Kaminari's eyes were a striking yellow color. Again, similar to Denki's. They didn't have the same nose, however. Mr. Kaminari's nose was larger and more hooked compared to Denki's own nose. He smiled a lazy smile at Hitoshi. His front teeth were slightly crooked and he had a set of two extra canines above his normal canines. His skin was also slightly more ashen than Denki's. He, like Hitoshi's own father, also had dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were bloodshot. But, Hitoshi had a feeling these were for different reasons from his own father.

"So, you're Hitoshi! Nice to meet you." Mr. Kaminari brought his hand out for Hitoshi to shake. Hitoshi froze.

"Now, who's being rude-" Denki smiled at his dad while poking his cheek. Then Denki did something Hitoshi never would have suspected in a million years. Denki grabbed his father's beer can and took a drink. "-You bow dad, shaking hands is only for strong friendships." Denki explained with a slight hiccup.

Hitoshi was going to pass out.

"Right." Mr. Kaminari brought his hand down and just bowed his head. "Call me Richard."

'This was a bad idea!'

Yet…

"Ri-Richard Kaminari?" Hitoshi whispered as he shook from his spot in the living room. "That-...that's a strange name…"

Richard looked at him. Hitoshi's whole body trembled even more if that was possible. "Oh! I never explained!" Denki, sweet Denki, came to his rescue. Denki walked up to Hitoshi and wrapped an arm around Hitoshi's shoulder. He still had his dad's beer in his hand as he did this. "Sorry, dude. So, like, my mom named me. She gave me her last name, not my fathers. I told you they hate each other. Kaminari is my mom's last name."

'I have been giving this man the wrong last name?!'

"Heh. You might want to sit your friend down, Kid. He looks ready to pass out." Richard laughed a little and then he noticed the missing beer. "Oh!"

'I'm going to witness Denki get his ass beat.'

Denki gave his father a shitty grin and made it a point to drink the rest of his father's beer. Right there. Then. Then. THEN! When the can was empty Denki flipped his father off!

'I'm going to witness a murder!' Hitoshi Could never with his own father. Hell, Cujo only said a few slightly mean things and he was nearly strangled. To- to…to do that in front of Shouta Aizawa. Hitoshi's soul was gone. It left his body- it left this vicinity- it fled japan! This was all too much.

There was silence between Richard and Denki. "Well… go get me another, you shit!" Denki's dad laughed as he chucked a pillow at his son. It nailed Denki right in the head. Denki laughed joyfully while he grabbed the pillow and chucked it back at his old man.

"Yeah, yeah."

Richard looked at Hitoshi. "You want a beer?"

"No! No." Hitoshi's tone changed from shock to firm. The meer idea of drinking alcohol while underage scared him. Not only that his dad was wicked smart. Hitoshi was sure his father could smell the beer on him if he dared to take a sip.

"Suit yourself." Richard leaned back against the couch. Denki walked off towards the kitchen and emerged seconds later with not one but two beer cans.

"Here, and I'm claiming this as a tax." Denki told his dad as he set down on one of the cans.

Richard shrugged. "Whatever."

"C'mon, 'Toshi, I'll show you my room!" Denki grinned as he took Hitoshi's hand and led him away.

"Wear protection!"

Hitoshi wanted to die.

Denki's room was on the far right of the apartment and when he opened the door Hitoshi got a whiff of… incense?

"Welcome to my room!" Denki could only grin as he gestured to the bedroom.

Denki's floor was polluted with clothing; something Hitoshi had honestly figured out on his own. But there were also posters on every wall in this room. Posters of bands, mostly american rock bands. Some that look like they pre-date quirks. Denki jumped on to his bed, his shoes still on, and he crossed his legs. He then popped the can to his beer and took a greedy sip.

"Whew." He winced and gave his body a shake. Hitoshi could only stare at Denki, who raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You scare me..." Hitoshi whispered almost fearfully.

Denki blinked and just stared for a second before he grinned and laughed. "Not what you expected?"

"Your father just…lets you drink beer?"

Denki shrugged. "You didn't expect every dad to be like Mr. Aizawa, did you?"

"Well no…" Hitoshi rubbed the back of his head. 'I just expected him to be a bit more strict than what he actually is.' He thought to himself.

"Well, regardless. This is why I wanted you over! I can't imagine how strict is at home."

"So you wanted me in a lawless land where children drink beer?" Hitoshi asked with a bit of a laugh to show he wasn't serious.

Denki kept his grin as he shrugged. "It's not entirely lawless… then again, any laws are met with sneaking out." He kept that lackadaisical shrug as he took another sip of his drink. "So…you wanna play some video games?"

"Uh…sure what should we play?"

"Well-" Denki looked up at his ceiling. "I have Stardew Valley, Minecraft, or Seven days to die. Those are my multiplayer games.

"What's Seven days to die?"

"Zombie survival. You have to hunt for resources in the world and you have seven days to make a shelter to protect yourself from a hoard. It's pretty fun."

"And if we live after the seventh day?"

Denki shrugged. "You keep going until the next seventh day."

"Huh… okay. That sounds fun."

Denki jumped up from his bed and booted up his gaming console. "Good! Here-" He shoved a wired controller into Hitoshi's hand. "-Do you know the buttons?"

"My dad doesn't keep me under a rock, Denki. Yes, I know the buttons. I just don't play a lot of games." He grumbled while he inspected the controller.

"Okay, great! Hey, do you want anything? We have soda, chips, and cookies."

"Uh… maybe a soda and a bag of chips?"

"Cool. Cola, root beer, cream, or orange on the soda? And for the chips do you want Salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion-"

"-Surprise me." Hitoshi stopped him right there. "Just… surprise me." He breathed out softly. 'His diet can't be good if he drinks beer and soda as well as eating all of this junk.'

"No problemo. I'll be right back." Denki left while the game loaded in.

Once Hitoshi was alone he gave the room another glance around. He found where the incense scent was coming from. There, on Denki's dresser was a little incense burner. There were no incense burning at the moment but there were ashes. "Now, why would he want to burn incense?" Hitoshi whispered as he looked at the ashes. He touched the soft ashes with his index finger. The ashes stuck and Hitoshi sniffed it. 'Nag champa.' he confirmed. 'Why does he have this?...'

He then looked over at the beer sitting on Denki's nightstand. Out of curiosity he walked up, wiping the ashes on his pants, and looked at the beer. Suntory Rich Malt is what greeted him. He sniffed the air above the can. It smelt like yeast and like…well… beer.

"Okay! You get Root beer and hot chips-" Denki came in with a drink and a bag of chips in hand. He stopped when he saw Hitoshi looking at his beer. "-You want a sip?"

"No." Hitoshi backed away from the can. "Nope."

Denki grinned again and then handed Hitoshi his drink and snacks. Hitoshi sat back on the floor and grabbed the controller. "So…why do you have incense?" Hitoshi asked in a soft voice.

"Oh, I just like the scent." Denki shrugged and sat next to Hitoshi.

"Fair enough, I suppose."

Denki booted the game up and Hitoshi allowed himself to relax, if only just a little while they played together. Once Hitoshi figured out how the controls worked it was over. He was lost in the game and was able to put his worries behind if only for a night.


Izuku knew it was only a matter of time. He knew the moment Hitoshi told him that he, Izuku, took Endeavor's quirk, that he was going to have to tell Shoto the truth and now it was the moment of truth.

Together the two of them just finished watching a movie. It was just shy of three AM now. Shoto was laying down on Izuku's bed, petting Sora between the ears. Izuku looked at the bruise on Shoto's face and anger stirred inside of his gut.

I'm not giving the quirk back.

Shush.

"Shoto…I need to admit something to you…" Izuku started off slowly as he sat next to Shoto.

"Ye-yes?" Shoto whispered his face growing a light pink as he looked at Izuku with hopeful eyes.

Izuku reached over and scratched under Sora's chin as he hesitated for a moment. "This isn't going to be easy." He admitted while scratching his face. "But… it's about my…quirk."

Shoto seemed to deflate a little but any disappointment was covered up by curiosity. "Oh? What's this about?" He asked with a head tilt.

"Well… my quirk isn't… it's… How do I word this?" He scratched at his face again. "I-... I've recently discovered that I have a third quirk."

"A third?!" Shoto looked at him with wide eyes. "A third?!"

"Well…no, but yes…"

"Izuku, you're not making any sense, do you or don't you have a third quirk?" Shoto asked now growing confused by this. Izuku didn't blame him he was confusing himself at this point.

"Shoto… I was born with a sentient quirk."

Shoto's confusion only grew. "I don't understand… I've never seen this quirk."

"That's because of my shotty memory." Izuku whispered, he didn't want Shoto to know that Hitoshi has been wiping his memory of his sentient quirk. "It's only come out recently."

"Oh… is it like Dark Shadow? Can I see it-"

IT?!

"Sh!" Izuku shut Shoto up swiftly. "Don't call him an 'It'. His name is Cujo."

"Cujo?"

Izuku nodded vigorously. "Cujo." He confirmed.

"Isn't that name of a rab-"

"Sh! Sh! Sh! He doesn't need to know where it came from!"

"...Are you tricking me? Making fun of me?" Shoto suddenly asked looking, rightfully, upset. "Are you just pulling my leg?"

"No! I swear!" Izuku yelled and quickly lowered his voice right back down so not to wake his father or Hitoshi. "I-... I'll show you." He whispered and looked at Shoto with soft eyes. "Please, I'm not pulling your leg and I'm not making fun of you." Izuku desperately grabbed Shoto's arm.

"...Okay?... show me."

Cujo, I'm giving you control…don't scare him off, I like him.

He's pretty. I wouldn't dare.

Izuku took a big step away from Shoto and sucked in a breath. "Just… don't freak out." With those final words, Izuku let his control slip and gave Cujo free reign.

Sora jumped off of Shoto's lap in fear. The smoky cat hid under the bed.

Shoto only watched with a mix of horror, excitement, and vindication when he watched Izuku's hair turn white. He watched as the hair straightened out and how Izuku dropped like a puppet with cut strings. Izuku got right back up only seconds later with a grunt. "This is getting easier…" he whispered. His voice was different in the tone alone. It reminded Shoto of yesterday when Izuku called Bakugo a 'self-absorbed ass.' that tone that had stunned the class. Even more so when he had spun to bark at Hitoshi of all people. Jaws were dropped at that alone.

Still, seeing Izuku like this and with that tone told Shoto something else. "Iida was right. You did have white hair that night, and your tone was off." Shoto said out loud and the white-haired Izuku turned to look at him. This wasn't Izuku anymore, no, this was Cujo.

Cujo looked at Shoto. He got right into Shoto's face. Then, he reached up and touched the new bruise. His fingers were gentle. But his eyes were alight with fire. "He hurt you again, didn't he?" Cujo whispered as he caressed Shoto's other cheek with his thumb. It sent chills up Shoto's spine. Cujo then smiled as he stared. "Pretty…" he whispered.

Shoto felt his left side heat up at this. "I- wait… you know of my father's abuse?"

"What the other me knows, I know…kinda. Sometimes faces get muddled, especially if I've been shut in for a long while. That being said…I thought maybe it would have humbled your father when I took his quirk, but it seems I was wrong." Cujo sighed a little.

Todoroki was only half-listening. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "He's worse-" Then it clicked. "-Wait what!?"

Cujo smiled at him. It was a mischievous smile. He then opened the palm of his left hand and a small flame burst off. "Surprised? Let me tell you, Izuku was even more surprised when he woke to his hands burning."

"Y-...You took my fathers flames?" Shoto whispered.

Cujo shut his fingers around his palm, stifling the flame. "He didn't deserve it. So, I took it. Izuku has been trying to figure out how to give it back. I don't understand him. Your father clearly doesn't deserve this quirk. He abuses it, he abuses you. He's a bully. I'd rather give it to someone who deserves it."

"You can…give quirks?"

"Those that I've stocked up on, yes. I can take quirks to keep and I can give quirks that I don't want. I don't want your fathers quirk. I just took it because of the reasons I stated above." Cujo explained.

"So…the telekinesis quirk and that powerhouse quirk?"

"Neither are mine. Though, I got them through different means."

"So, if you wanted to you could give me a quirk or take mine away?"

"Yes, why? Do you want a quirk- yes, I know how to give quirks away-" He twitched suddenly. "-I never said I didn't know how to give quirks back! You don't know how. I do!" He suddenly snapped at himself and Shoto realized that he was talking to Izuku. Cujo suddenly turned into a little kid with one sentence. "No, it's mine!"

"..." Shoto reached over and tugged on Cujo's sleeve. Cujo looked at him in alarm. His face turned red when he saw how close Shoto was.

"Ye-yes?"

"Thank you." Shoto smiled at Cujo. It was a soft smile. "I can see you're looking out for me. So, thank you."

Cujo's brain short-circuited as he stared at Shoto for a very long minute. "I-... I've never received… 'thanks' before."

"It's call gratitude."

"I-...you're welcome.- don't ruin this for me, Izuku!-"

"The thing is, Cujo. My dad needs his quirk. He's a hero."

"A shitty one- shut it!-" Cujo rolled his eyes, no doubt at Izuku.

"Regardless, he needs his quirk to make money. If he doesn't have a quirk, he can't make money, and me and my family…we'll be homeless. Surely you don't want that…do you?" Cujo looked at him seriously for a real moment. Shoto can't lie, he was finding it hard to look into Cujo's eyes. There was something menacing about them. Something that chilled him to his core. Izuku's eyes were so soft and loving, but Cujo's eyes were cold.

"But…he hurts you."

"He hurts me more without it." Shoto whispered the last part as he grabbed on to Cujo's cold hands. "If he had his quirk he wouldn't be home so much. Please, Cujo. Can't you return it…for me?"

Cujo looked into Shoto's eyes. He looked uncomfortable as they held eye contact. "Just because you're pretty…" Cujo grumbled as he backed away from Shoto.

A red aura surrounded Cujo suddenly.

"Whoa…" Shoto whispered in shock as he took a couple of steps back in alarm. The red mist picked up in speed, swirling around Cujo's body. Then, almost just as soon as it happened the mist was gone in the blink of an eye.

"There, it's returned. Your father now has his quirk back. But understand this. I can take this quirk back at any time I see fit. Not just me, Izuku can now take it if he wants.-If you want!-" Cujo turned to yell at the invisible Izuku behind him. "-Regardless. My point stands."

"...If you want a fire quirk-..." Shoto raised his left hand up for Cujo to take. "I…I wouldn't object." He whispered almost fearfully. He felt unsure of himself for doing this. A part of him didn't want this, but a part of him did want this. He still hated his left side with a passion. He knew Izuku was right. That this was his quirk. That didn't mean he had to like it.

Cujo reached over and grabbed Shoto's fingers. Then, he closed Shoto's fingers around his palm. Closing them. "I have no need for a fire quirk." Cujo whispered. "Keep it. It's yours."

'It's mine… just as Izuku said.'

"- Urg!"

Cujo suddenly grabbed on to his own head, burning his fingers into his bright white hair. His breathing picked up a little. "Oka- okay! I'm leaving-" His eyes rolled up suddenly into his skull before he fell to his knees. His hair started to curl right back into coils as green and black pigment took over.

Izuku came back with a shocked gasp.

"Izuku!" Shoto got down to his knees.

"You…" Izuku looked at Shoto while he panted. Izuku was panting like he just ran a five-k marathon without a break. His breathing was heavy and un-subdued. "You…did it." His eyes were wide while his body shook.

"What did I do?"

Izuku smiled. "You got him to show me how to return a quirk…"

So, while writing this chapter I knew that in Japan they always took their shoes off before entering a home so I did a bit of research to make sure my facts were right and lookie what I found:

"in many countries like Germany, Switzerland, Skandinavian countries, Turkey, Japan, Korea etc. it is common use to take off the shoes when entering someone's home. In these countries it is considered a major faux pas to walk through a house with shoes on."

In short: It's not just 'rude' it's "I will kick you out of this house." levels of rude. In fact, if I'm reading this right. Then America is one of the only places that don't consider this rude.

I was having fun writing this chapter! I loved Hitoshi's interactions with Richard and Denki as well as Hitoshi having extreme cultural shock during the WHOLE thing. I loved the idea of Denki's father being the complete opposite of Shouta. He treats Denki as a friend, not a son, and he just doesn't seem to care. I like the idea of a dad that basically gave up. Denki was just too much for Richard to handle so he just lets Denki do whatever now.

Hitoshi: I snuck out and now I'm scared. Denki and his father are insane.

Shoto: I'm going to guilt trip this quirk so bad right now.