-the night before the raid-
"Shoto," Midoriya says, smiling. "Welcome home." The former No. 1 Hero is in a sleeveless hoodie and baggy sweatpants, a favorite bedtime pairing Todoroki fondly remembers. He takes note of the bandages wrapping the length of Midoriya's arms and Todoroki can't help but think how attractive he looks.
"Hey Midoriya," greets Todoroki with a small wave. He perches on the step of his entryway to take off his shoes. A bead of sweat trickles along his scar, his heart pounding in his chest. You don't have to stay long, he tells himself. You can always go back to Bakugou's.
"It's a little dark in here," he calls out, setting his shoes aside. He reaches for the light switch on the wall.
"Wait!" Midoriya blurts out. "Leave it. Let's talk in the living room."
With a furrowed brow, Todoroki follows him into the common space. A silhouette of another person is standing in front of the wide window, gazing out at the distant city lights. Todoroki shakes his head as the silhouette takes shape into a familiar friend, his crimson eyes twinkling in the moonlight and black hair now in a messy bun on top of his head.
"It's dangerous for you to be here," Todoroki says, shrugging his jacket off.
"There's been some new developments," offers Kirishima. "And there's a lot to go over. I'm not going to get another chance to talk to you before tomorrow night."
Todoroki grabs a remote from a nearby side table, points it at the window, and clicks. A loud buzz follows and blackout curtains begin to come down.
"Ooh, Mr. Technology!" exclaims Kirishima, stepping back. "When did you become so hip and fancy?"
"I'm allowed to evolve," Todoroki answers, which earns him a laugh from the other two. He turns on the light and sees several large blueprints, case files, and photographs strewn all over his coffee table.
"We got a head start," says Midoriya, slightly abashed. "We can catch you up."
They spend the next couple of hours ironing out the details of the raid. Midoriya steeps a large pot of tea and Kirishima goes over the plan specifically for the Echo Squad (or Team E). A diversion outside of the hotel will draw the attention of most of the security team outside the perimeter, allowing for Todoroki to slip in through the back entrance and Midoriya from the roof.
"What about Bakugou?" asks Midoriya.
"He'll get through the front easily with my invitation if he's disguised well enough," says Kirishima. He glances at Todoroki. "You gave him the suit I picked out?"
Todoroki groans. "He yelled at me for an hour about it." He scratches the back of his head. "Is the oversized western hat really necessary?"
"Absolutely," defends Kirishima. "That's his whole cover: American. Tell him he needs to wear the hat or it defeats the purpose of the whole identity." He throws a crumpled piece of paper at Todoroki for good measure.
"The spurs too?" Todoroki questions, incinerating the ball of paper in mid-air.
"Those are functional just as they are fashionable," Kirishima says with a wink, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. He tried, and failed, to hide it.
Todoroki raises an eyebrow at him. "Why do I have this sinking feeling that you're just trying to satisfy your own impulses and put Bakugou in a cowboy outfit?"
Kirishima returns his remark with nothing but a naughty grin and a pen between his teeth.
"Isn't he going to have an escort anyway?" Midoriya pipes in. "I thought his date was going to outshine him and direct attention away from him."
"Yes, that's right," replies Todoroki. "Her and Bakugou will be in charge of taking out the King's Advisers on the first floor."
"And I'll detain his Advisers on the second floor," Midoriya recounts. "How many total are there?"
"Six," says Kirishima. "Three will be in the dining hall where Bakugou will be, three will be stationed in front of the ballroom where you'll be. Here." He tosses each of them a manila envelope. "It's best if you memorize their faces."
"What about you, Shoto?" asks Midoriya while looking through the Advisers' photographs.
"If all goes according to plan, he'll be with the King." Kirishima explains, "Todoroki is going to get caught on purpose. The fastest way to get in front of His Majesty with the least amount of casualties is to become his prisoner. And since he's the No. 2 Hero, I bet the King will ask his guards to bring Todoroki directly to him."
"And you're sure he's not just going to lock me in a room and leave me there?" Todoroki asks.
Kirishima chortles and clears his throat. "Well...no." He pours himself another cup of tea. "It is a gamble, but I honestly don't think he'll just leave you alone or even leave you to his henchmen."
"What if he tortures information out of him?" Midoriya questions, worried. "I doubt he treats his prisoners like honored guests."
Kirishima looks at Todoroki with the same worry in his eyes. "This plan was never void of risk or crazy ideas. But, if we don't detain him before chaos ensues he'll just escape."
Todoroki nods in agreement. Reluctantly, he locks eyes with Midorya. "Just promise you'll find me before he kills me."
\\\
-present day-
The first thing Todoroki notices when he comes into consciousness is the bristly, textured carpet against his face. He shifts around and realizes he's laying on his side. He blinks a few times and immediately cries out. A high-pitched ringing begins to blare inside his eardrums. He tries to lift his arms, but they're cuffed behind him. Something warm leaks out of his ear, along his swollen jawline.
A heavy boot collides with his stomach and Todoroki gasps. A loud moan escapes his lips as he curls up, bringing his knees to his chest. The metallic taste of iron and salt linger in his mouth.
"That's enough," a voice says. "I didn't ask you to break him."
A pair of legs walk past him and Todoroki flinches again in anticipation. All he hears, though, is a door closing. He exhales and waits for his hearing to adjust until he tries to move again.
"I'm really sorry," says that strange voice again. "Can I clean you up a little?"
It takes all of Todoroki's strength to pull himself up into a sitting position. He raises his head, his vision focusing slowly. A young man in a yukata is kneeling beside him. He recognizes the man as the King, but he seems different in person. Kinder, softer. Todoroki grunts in affirmation, unable to find his voice.
"I'll be gentle," the King says, raising a cloth slowly toward the Hero.
Todoroki closes his eyes and pulls away as soon as the cold, damp compress touches his jaw. He watches the King from the corner of his eye, who smiles and waits patiently.
"Can I try again?" the King asks. "It'll be best if we clean it immediately so it doesn't get infected." The King lightly dabs Todoroki's face. "I'm Makoto, by the way."
Todoroki's muscles relax. The way Makoto's hand supports his head is as caring and attentive as a nurse. He wipes Todoroki's face cautiously, rinsing the bloodied cloth in a nearby bowl every so often.
"I can take the cuffs off," says Makoto after he finishes. "But, promise me you'll be civil?"
What is with this guy? Todoroki shifts, his legs getting numb. He nods. "Okay."
Makoto smiles in consensus. He leans close and reaches around Todoroki's waist.
There's a faint whiff of lavender from Makoto's neck and Todoroki has a sudden urge to protect him. To follow him. I feel strange. He hears a click and the weight of the metal bracelets drops from his wrists.
"Come," Makoto says, standing. "Let's sit on the couch." He helps Todoroki up by swinging the Hero's arm around his shoulders and guiding him to the seating area.
Todoroki feels sore, but his legs are steady. He wishes he had a sense of time, but he isn't sure how long he's been knocked out. The Hero teams were instructed to wait until Midoriya's signal to charge in after they apprehended the King's Advisers. But, did that happen already?
They plop onto the sofa, Makoto's knee touching his.
"Shoto Todoroki," says Makoto. "I'm going to skip the pleasantries. You're going to tell me who in the guild double-crossed me."
I should tell him. Todoroki does an internal double-take. Why would I do that? What's going on? "I don't know what you're talking about," Todoroki manages to say.
Makoto frowns. His hand reaches for a remote on the table in front of them. He points it at the TV on the wall and turns it on. Onscreen are a group of people in what seems to be a ballroom.
"We have a mole and they are in this room," Makoto says plainly. "I ordered the guards to kill them all in exactly five minutes unless I share a passcode with them to cease the attack."
"No!" Todoroki stands, but before he can generate fire, long fingers tightly grasp the bottom of his likely broken jaw. He yelps out, his legs giving in beneath him. His knees meet the floor and he grabs onto the table to keep from crashing into it. Those same fingers snake around his neck.
"You promised to be civil," says Makoto, his tone darker than before. He clicks his tongue."You must be in excruciating pain. I can help."
A strange, cold wave ripples through him and every ounce of pain exits his body. Confused, Todoroki lifts a hand to his jaw and can still feel the warm, swollen inflammation in his cheeks. He's not healed, but he surprisingly feels...fine. He doesn't feel much of anything.
"What did you do?" Todoroki demands, his voice hoarse.
"I guess this is the part where I reveal my quirk?" Makoto says, smiling. "My ability allows me to redirect the brain signals connected to what someone is feeling, be it emotional or physical. You would be surprised at how submissive humans are to their feelings."
Todoroki hands shake. True, he may not be the best at expressing or even confronting matters of the heart, but he knows full well how easily he surrenders to anxiety, fear, and sadness. He's especially vulnerable when his thoughts lead to Midoriya and, most recently, Bakugou.
"You seem nervous now," Makoto continues, "But, I can change that. I can make you extremely excited about killing 40 random strangers in a room. Or..." He reveals a small dagger from his sleeve. "I can cut you open and you'd beg for more."
A loud bang fills the room and the door swings open. A disheveled guard appears, his eyes gleaming with panic. "Deku, Your Majesty. He and the other Heroes -"
"Take care of it," the King hisses.
"That's not all," the guard says. "We know who the mole is."
Todoroki glances at the King, his warm face now stoic. "Who?" the king demands.
"It's one of your Advisers," the guard answers before he suddenly disappears from the door with a shriek. A streak of green light rushes in and a Hero emerges.
"Get away from him," Midoriya growls.