Midoriya's shriek shatters the calm of the 1-A dorm. Shouto wakes with a start, scrambling out of bed and bolting downstairs before any of the others.
Izuku's phone is face-down on the floor, the boy staring at his hands as though he hasn't even realized he dropped it, and he doesn't respond as the other students ask if he's alright.
Shouto's not sure what to do, but they're- friends, of a sort, he thinks, so he slips forward and calls his classmate's name.
Izuku's eyes snap up instantly.
"Oh no." he breathes, clenching his hands and then clearly realizing he dropped his phone, he begins to rapidly look around, panic growing on his face.
Shouto's-
Not quite sure what he's done wrong, can't tell if Izuku is more or less stressed than he was before, but then Bakugou swoops in, grabbing Izuku's phone a second before he can grab it.
"Honestly, Deku." he scoffs, flipping the phone around and unlocking it deftly.
Shouto wonders how he knows the locking code.
Bakugou sneers, clearly about to say something, before he freezes.
And then those burning red eyes focus on him, about as close to soft as he's ever seen the explosive teen manage, and Shouto has no idea how to interpret that.
Bakugou tosses him the phone with a crooked grin, something so off about his face that Shouto nearly fumbles the catch.
He looks away, down at the phone, so he doesn't have to see that strange look.
Musutafu Vigilante Kills #1 Hero Endeavor!
The headline reads, bold and unmistakable.
Distantly, Shouto hears Midoriya whimpering about how Bakugou shouldn't have handed him the phone, but it doesn't quite-
Process.
Endeavor's dead? He thinks, distantly, staring at the picture of that house, engulfed in flames.
Someone tries to take the phone from him, and he tightens his grip by reflex.
But he can't quite bring himself to scroll, staring at that headline, that photo, and it's like the entire world just-
Disconnected.
He's dead?! Shouto thinks again, hysterically, because-
He can't quite fit this into his worldview, the idea that Endeavor could be dead, that Shouto could be-
What?
He's not sure, suddenly, and he needs to- to talk to- Fuyumi, or Natsuo, someone who can tell him this is real because he's holding the report in his hand but it could be a- a prank or a joke or-
He reaches for his pocket, but then remembers he's still in his pyjamas, his phone's upstairs, and-
It feels like if he moves, maybe the spell will break and this will all be a lie and that's too cruel he can't-
Everything hurts and it's good and bad and something he doesn't have words-
Something presses into his hand, still hanging by his side, and he glances down, confused-
Jirou's fetched his phone, he processes, and it's ringing.
For a single, agonizing moment, he thinks it's Endeavor, calling him in a fury over the story, but no.
That's Fuyumi's name on the caller ID.
He tries to accept it, but his fingers shake too much, he misses the window, and the call cancels.
He needs to call her back, he thinks, but everything's so fake, so unreal, he's not sure he knows how-
She calls again, and Shouto couldn't put his relief into words if he tried.
He doesn't quite mean to drop Izuku's phone, but he can't miss the call again and he needs both hands to make sure he hits the right button and he doesn't quite process that he still had something in one of them until he hears it clatter, distantly, against the floor.
He answers the call, and then realizes he can't bring the phone to his ear.
He should, he knows, that's how you talk on a phone, but-
But what is he going to look at if he can't look at the phone?
He's not sure, but he doesn't think he can look at anything else, doesn't want to see reality crumble away in front of him so he stares, Yumi's voice getting louder and louder but still so distant and-
A hand comes into his vision, covering his phone for just a second and then disappearing.
Fuyumi's voice is suddenly clear as day.
"-swer me, Shouto! Shouto!"
"Fuyumi." he says, and he thinks he sounds surprised-
Maybe he is. He can hear Natsuo in the background, and why are they together, don't they both have school?
Does he have school?
Suddenly that question's very important.
"Do I have school today?" he asks, interrupting something Fuyumi said, but he doesn't remember what, and the room goes quiet.
Then he can hear Natsu, suddenly in the foreground.
"Shouto? Did you see the news?"
That's weird. Shouto's never heard Natsu sound so gentle before. It distracts him for a moment, before he remembers the question.
"Yes." he pauses. There's- he has to ask. "Is it a joke?"
He holds his breath, feels like the entire universe stands still, waiting for an answer.
He doesn't know what he's hoping for.
He thinks he knows what he should hope for, he's a hero, but-
He doesn't know what he wants to hear.
He thinks Fuyumi gasps, but that's not what he needs, he needs an answer-
"Is it a joke?" he asks again, and Natsuo takes a deep breath.
"No. It's- it's real. We're at the police station right now, they think the vigilante attacked me-"
"What?" Shouto's grip spasms on his phone, a temperature warning flashing on the screen. He tries to calm down - he can't lose the call now.
"Well, I invited Yumi over for a sleepover last night, apparently. She said I was super into it - but I don't really remember inviting her? Or I guess I do, a little, I wasn't surprised when she came by, but I don't remember why. They think the vigilante may have done something to my head, to make me get her out of the house or something. So I'm being held under observation or something, and they're calling in a specialist for mind-altering quirks and stuff. Took ages to get them to let us call you, but- shit. We were hoping we could-"
Natsuo trails off, but Shouto thinks he actually knows what his brother wanted to say.
A breath he hadn't realized he was holding lets out, and Shouto collapses bonelessly to his knees.
It's real.
It's real and-
And whoever killed Endeavor made sure his sister was safe first which means Shouto doesn't have to be upset because-
Because-
He drops his phone, hears Yumi and Natsu say something but he can't quite process and-
He curls his arms tighter around himself, and doesn't understand.
The tears don't stop, and he curls deeper into himself, so confused because why is he crying he-
He doesn't deserve your tears!
The voices get louder, someone says his name, again and again, but Shouto can't process this-
Warm arms drag him up, into a hug, and his blurred eyes catch a glimpse of curly green hair.
His own fingers dig tighter into his sides, but Izuku's grip doesn't falter, warm and all-encompassing and so familiar-
He continues to cry, and right now it doesn't matter if the tears are relief or mourning or anything else.
He can think about all of that later.
For now-
He slowly uncurls his arms from himself, and hesitantly hugs Midoriya back.
He buries his face in his friend's shoulder, and lets himself cry.
For now, for once, he can just feel.
And there's no one here who will tell him that's wrong.
No one who will tell him to do better or look stronger or- or-
He can't stop crying.
Midoriya never once lets go.