Chapter 5
I'm sorry
Todoroki looked at his phone. The message was typed, but he hadn't pressed send. He was sorry but he was hesitating. He couldn't figure out why he'd done it. He wanted to explain why.
Shouto couldn't even remember what he'd been arguing with Momo about. Nothing important. But he'd had been feeling so frustrated, and without thinking he'd raised his hand…
And froze.
She'd looked up at him with wide eyes and Shouto had seen Momo open her mouth, ready to say something.
He'd fled.
He hadn't known what else to do.
Todoroki had wandered for a while before he'd come into this coffee shop. He had ordered something. He wasn't even sure what it was and took the seat that was at the back of the store. He was nursing his drink now as he stared at his phone.
The single question was running through his mind. Why? What had he almost..? He grimaced. He didn't even want to think it but he had to. He had almost done that. Why?
His mind provided the answer in far too much detail.
Because that is what Endeavor did. Shouto could remember it, vaguely. His mother, Rei had been sent away when he was young but he could still remember the way Endeavor had treated her when she was there. She was allowed to question domestic affairs, to a point. She was not allowed to question hero work, or training. The only questions she could ask then was how the day had gone and what food was required to ensure optimal performance.
But there were times he could remember when she questioned more. And Endeavor had shut her down. At first, he'd simply ignored her, then berated her, and then, he had hit her. It hadn't been all the time but it had been enough that Shouto knew it was happening, had seen it happening.
Of course, his father was now… Actually, Shouto didn't know where Endeavor was these days. His mother was in a nice little house and was getting therapy. He visited her once a week and she had told him she was seeing someone. He had been happy for her.
But he… He had still done that. He'd still raised his hand, and he knew what he was about to do. And he just didn't know why.
Shouto.
His phone pinged. The message was from Momo.
Since he was staring at his typed message, she would know he was there.
Shouto, it's okay. The new message followed.
No. It wasn't okay. He'd almost…
You didn't do anything.
He hadn't done anything. At least there was that. But that was this time. What about the next time? Would he be as restrained then? He didn't know.
Shouto
Todoroki heaved a deep breath, closed his eyes and jammed his thumb on send before he lost his nerve. He was such a coward. His phone dinged to indicate the message was sent.
I'm sorry
It's okay Shouto. Momo replied quickly.
Come home. She added.
How could he go home?
We can discuss it. It's not your fault.
People were too ready to say that. If it wasn't his fault, then who's fault was it? He had done it. No one else.
Your father never gave you a better example, but you aren't him. You are better than him.
You stopped. You didn't do it.
Momo was persistent.
Come home so we can discuss it.
He heaved another breath. He couldn't sit here forever. He could probably afford a hotel but… that was just running from the issue.
Alright. He typed, pushing the glass of something away as he rose. He couldn't run forever.
Todoroki walked to the door, giving a nod to the cashier before he walked out. The instant he got out though, everything changed. He could hear screams. There was the sound of gunshots and… he looked up to the horizon. There was smoke in the distance.
Shouto grimaced and pulled out his phone. I'm going to be late. He told Momo before he put it away. She'd see the news. It was his day off but with this much chaos he was sure he'd be called anyway. While legislation said he couldn't be a hero, the government had made sure that people were integrated. New jobs were offered. He had taken a position with the Police, in Special Forces. It was the closest thing he could get to being a Hero.
At least the legislation was good for one thing. The Hero Public Safety Bureau assessments had made it clear to him that he wanted to be a hero, even if later that had no longer been an option. Still, he enjoyed being with the Special Forces, but he knew it wasn't quite the same.
His phone rang. The caller ID told him it was Captain Shirei. "What's the location?" Shouto asked, forgoing the pleasantries.
"You've seen?"
"I see the evidence, what is it?"
"I'll text you the address," the Captain told him.
His phone beeped, and Todoroki looked down at the text. He knew where it was. Todoroki began running, holding his phone to his ear. "It looks like one of the League's Noumu's but we aren't sure," the Captain told him.
"Is there rest of the League there?"
"Not that we've seen."
"I'll be there soon," Shouto reported, cutting off the call. It was still his day off so the Captain better appreciate this. Todoroki knew he was getting close when the stream of people fleeing the area got thicker. Todoroki pushed his way between them.
"Idiot, get away!" Someone shouted at him.
"I'm with the police," he yelled back. That got some attention and a small path formed. It allowed him to get to the police line quicker. Shouto pulled out his badge. It might be his day off but he still carried it.
"You're quirk licensed?" The officer forming the cordon asked.
"Yes!"
"Get in there."
Shouto took a few steps through the cordon. He could see buildings damaged and there was a fire in one. Best deal with that first. He stepped over to it and carefully laid his right hand on the side of it. He'd done this before at UA, but unlike UA, he didn't want to freeze the entire building, he just wanted to stop the fires. It required power, but a far more delicate touch. Thankfully Aizawa had ensured he had that control. At least with his ice.
Frost appeared on the side of the building but the flames died out. And he hadn't damaged the structural integrity.
But he knew this wasn't what he was meant to deal with, and right on cue, a roar sounded. There was the sound of concrete shattering and Shouto looked down the road to see something charging towards him. It was huge and black. He remembered it from the USJ. It had an exposed brain and an almost bird like beak. It roared again.
The sound of gunshots filled the air. Todoroki would like to say that the thing didn't even notice but it did. The bullets did no damage, but it took note of where they were coming from and charged towards the cops who were hiding behind their cars. Shouto erected a wall of ice before it got there. He'd gotten better with them. In the past, his ice walls were opaque, now they were clear. There was some distortion but he was no longer in any danger of losing sight of whatever was behind it.
"Thanks, Todoroki."
The voice surprised him. "Kirishima."
The other Special Ops Officer emerged. He had on his full tactical gear but Shouto could see it was a bit battered. "It got you?" he asked.
"Just punched me," Kirishima told him. "And it hits like Mirio."
Todoroki hissed. He didn't need that reminder. In their first year of UA, the third year Mirio had come to see their class with a couple of the other big names. He hit hard!
"You're okay?"
"Fine," Kirishima waved off the concern, and Shouto could see that his quirk was active.
"You're okay?" he asked again. Kirishima had a quirk license just like him, and his quirk was hardening, but that didn't harden everything. It was possible for Kirishima to be scrambled within even if he looked fine and he'd probably think it manly not to mention that.
"Fine," he repeated. "Here's an earbud," he added, holding out the device.
Shouto took it and put it in his ear. The feed from operations was a soothing buzz. "Is there a plan?" He asked.
"Not yet," Kirishima replied.
"So, it's like that time?" Shouto pressed.
Kirishima grimaced, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Just after All For One's death, one of the League members had attacked. He was huge, and had fought well. His name had been Gigantomachi and he had been a pain to put down. Thankfully none of the rest of the League had come out to play then.
There was an unofficial rumour going around that Dabi had written a note to the Police Commissioner after Gigantomachi had been taken into custody, denying that the giant was a part of the League. No one believed it, but no one could do anything about it either.
"God I hope not," the Special Forces officer said.
Shouto nodded. He shared that hope but he was practical. The League hadn't disappeared but over the years they had gotten sneakier. He wondered what this thing was covering for but he had no time for further questions as both their attentions were taken by the shattering of Shouto's ice wall.
He reinforced it but he already knew it was going to shatter. Mentally he prepared to release a blast of fire if the ice was going to endanger anyone.
The Noumu roared again as the ice crumbled. It crashed through the remains and Shouto could feel its eyes on him. Somehow it knew he'd created the ice. Shouto wondered if the Noumu remembered him from USJ.
"Be aware of the others," the warning sounded in his ear.
"We have to fight it!" Kirishima growled.
"Be aware of the others," the warning was repeated.
"We'll be careful," Shouto replied this time. He gave Kirishima a look. Command sometimes just needed to hear what they wanted. The other man knew that.
"Do you think you can lure it there?" Todoroki asked, pointing to a geyser of water formed by a ripped up fire hydrant.
"I'll do what I can," Kirishima said and ran towards the Noumu. At the last moment he veered away. Shouto was thankful for that. Kirishima was fast but hopefully he remembered this particular Noumu had been created to kill All Might. It was strong.
But why had the League released it? What were they playing at?
"Has the League appeared anywhere?" Shouto asked command while he watched Kirishima dodge. The other man had gotten faster, and he never tried to meet the Noumu head on. He was using a technique that involved almost flowing around the attacks, redirecting them so they never hit. It was a good plan, especially against something this strong.
"There is nothing on the League. Initial reports indicate that this thing was released through some black liquid."
"Ujiko," Shouto identified the League member from her quirk. Even after all this time they didn't know much about her.
"Probably. Facilities are on alert but there have been no other attacks."
He nodded, recognising the security inherent in the vagueness of the word facilities. Operations would not give away that information incase the League, or anyone else was listening.
He ran forward as Kirishima got close to the hydrant. The Noumu was following him, and didn't seem to mind the water.
"Clear!" Shouto screamed as he slammed his right hand to the ground, into the pool of water. It froze instantly, and the ice raced over the water, trapping the Noumu which was standing under the gush of water.
It was odd to see the frozen spray of water but Shouto could see that the Noumu was mostly trapped. Its legs were frozen and one of its arms was trapped but the rest was free. It made a noise, almost like a whine and then he watched it rip itself free. Blood gushed, freezing on the ice and Shouto gritted his teeth as the Noumu moved.
Without legs it collapsed, still hemorrhaging blood but as he watched, he could see the flesh reforming.
"Hit it with fire!" Kirishima yelled. "Don't let it regenerate," he added the explanation.
Todoroki remembered that the Noumu had regenerated easily. He also remembered procedure. "Command?" And the reports on the Noumu. Despite the regeneration and the odd looks, even by today's society, this was still a man.
"Hold. Reason with it."
"It can't be reasoned with," Kirishima snarled into the comm.
Shouto was expecting that answer. He stepped forward, making sure he made eye contact with the Noumu that was still regenerating. It seemed slower than his memory but it was definitely happening. Red bulbous flesh was sprouting and forming into new limbs. The bleeding had stopped.
"I don't want to hurt you," Todoroki said. He tried to sound calm. He wasn't sure how well he managed that but from the disbelieving look Kirishima gave him he either succeed or failed spectacularly. He hoped it was succeeded.
The Noumu snapped its jaws at him. It was not an attack. Just a noise. Hopefully that meant it could talk but Shouto remembered the report. This thing was mostly catatonic when captured. It was awake but unresponsive.
"I don't want to hurt you," he repeated. "But you have to stand down."
Another snap and the Noumu's regeneration was complete. The Noumu stood. Shouto tensed as he watched.
"This is stupid," Kirishima muttered but moved to support him.
"Will you come with me?" Todoroki asked.
The answer wasn't reassuring. The Noumu charged and this time there was a wild shine in its eye that was unmistakably mad. When Shouto had last seen this Noumu it was at the USJ. It had been powerful but its eyes were different somehow… in control. There was no control here.
It picked up a car and flung it at him. He'd learned his lesson about burning or freezing things midair and moved with Kirishima to dodge.
"We have to kill it," his old classmate told him.
"Reason with it," Command yelled into their ears.
"It can't be reasoned with," Kirishima argued.
"Something has enraged it," Shouto reported to Command. "And no one here has the ability to calm it," he added. The League obviously did since they'd kept it for so long but equally obviously they'd turned it lose for some reason. Maybe they could no longer control it? That was the simplest answer, given the seemingly random nature of the attack. Command was checking to see if there was something else happening. Shouto had to deal with this now.
"And we just took off half its body and it didn't stop!" Kirishima added as they continued to dodge.
"You are to continue to reason with it," Command repeated.
Kirishima took out his earpiece. He looked at Shouto in askance. Todoroki knew his lips formed a thin line. He recognised manipulation when he heard it. What was Command playing at? The easy answer was they wanted to study thing thing. He hoped it was for something more practical, like they had a lead on the League but in private, he would say it was the first reason.
He gave Kirishima a half smile. The other man had been through enough with him in UA to know what it meant. Todoroki was used to rebellion while seeming to obey.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said to the Noumu, dodging under one of its arms.
It hissed at him and he barely managed to avoid the kick that followed. He'd forgotten how fast it could be. This thing had been created to kill All Might and while Todoroki knew he was strong, he also knew he wasn't All Might. And that thought gave him some pleasure because it meant, despite everything else that had happened, his Father's goal had never been fulfilled.
"I don't want to hurt you," he repeated, sending a gout of flame at the still frozen hydrant. Water was leaking through at the bottom forming a large puddle.
Steam hissed and the area became muggy. Visibility wasn't impacted and the Noumu charged towards him again.
"I don't want to hurt you," Todoroki said again, this time as he manipulated the water on the ground, forming it into ice shards that appeared in jagged rows in front of the Noumu. It ran straight into them, impaling itself. Blood flowed down the shards.
Kirishima ran forward, raising his hands high and hit the bottom of the shards the Noumu was impaled on. The bottom shattered, letting the creature stand, still impaled. It made no move to remove the ice. Blood continued to pour from around the ice. Kirishima leapt back before the Noumu could hit him.
"Now what?" he asked. He'd figured out that Shouto was saying everything to keep Command happy while actually doing what was necessary to keep them safe. The beat cops, those who had confronted this thing would appreciate that more than obeying command.
The shards of ice weren't going to constrain the creature much. It was strong enough to just ignore or punch straight through them.
"You don't have to attack," Shouto told the Noumu. It growled at him. It seemed to operate very simply. It attacked whatever attracted its attention. He was not the centre of attention for the Noumu. "You can come with me," he continued.
The Noumu roared, showing off rounded teeth that lined its beak. Shouto saw it raise one hand. The movement was the same as his. He flinched but stood firm. He hadn't actually done anything. He wasn't his father.
The swipe came down. Todoroki was already moving. He lunged forward, driving his left hand to the ground. There was water there. It boiled with the application of heat. The Noumu screamed as it was steamed. But Shouto wasn't finished. It could regenerate, and while it had to have a limit, he didn't know what it was. He raised his left hand, and sent a gout of fire towards the Noumu.
If he could carbonise the flesh, then there was a chance. He just had to make his fire hot enough. He could have tried to put the Noumu into a state of suspended animation with could. Shouto was sure of his control with that part of his quirk, what he wasn't sure about was that if the Noumu had any defences against it. Probably not, since it had been designed to kill All Might but in this, there could be no doubt.
"Keep everyone away," Shouto ordered Kirishima.
The other man gave him a look. It told him that only idiots would come close to this. Todoroki cocked his head.
Kirishima rolled his eyes. It was his agreement. He remembered the same incidents Shouto did.
Todoroki kept his flame going. He felt hot but at least he had better thermoregulation now. While he had passed his Hero Public Safety Bureau Assessment, it had taken several years of therapy before he accepted that his fire side was his, not his father's. His control wasn't as good, but it did mean he could now use his ice far more. And fire when the case needed it.
The Noumu screamed and advanced. He was ready for it. The ice that had been impaling it was gone, but the wounds were now burned. They weren't cauterised and Shouto could see the way they were closing. But the rate was slower.
He meet the Noumu's punch with more flame, stopping the creature. He willed his flame to be hotter. His brother could do this. Touya's flames were usually blue. They burned very hot. His father could do it. His flame was yellow… Shouto pushed the thought aside. His brother could do it. Dabi. He was better than a villain!
Todoroki had been taught as a child to suppress his emotions. UA had taught him to harness them. He did that now, using the thought to power his quirk. Shouto felt his fire burn hotter. He let the ice covering his right side creep over him. It melted on the left.
The Noumu screamed. It was remarkably human. It was human, Shouto remembers. He gritted his teeth. This had to be done or others would die.
The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nose. He could tell from Kirishima's grimace that the other man smelt it as well. It was not a nice smell. Oils, muscle… He wasn't going to be having steak any time soon. He tried to hold his breath. Shouto knew he wasn't the only one. Kirishima was as well.
The Noumu continued screaming.
"What are you doing?" Command screamed as well.
Shouto saw a drone overhead. Ah, they'd seen. "It would not surrender," he replied.
"Don't worry," Kirishima told him. "There's wounded, and... "
Todoroki knew what the pause meant. There had been casualties, or some of the wounded weren't expected to make it. Of course, they wouldn't. Not if they'd confronted this. His fire burned hotter. He probably didn't know them but… that wasn't the point. They were fellow Police Officers. They weren't meant to die.
There was an odd hick from the Noumu. Shouto didn't cease his fire but he gestured to Kirishima.
The man moved around the flame, his quirk active, but Todoroki could see the sweet pouring off him. This patch of road was going to need replacing too. "Nearly," Kirishima reported.
It was sick in a way. He was reporting on how close the Noumu was to death. How close the man who had been changed was. This was the villainy of the League.
"Stop it!" Command actually commanded. "You can't kill it."
"Lethal force is the only thing that will be sufficient to contain this creature," Shouto replied.
"That is true," Captain Shirei's voice came over the comm.
Kirishima's eyebrow raised. "He likes you," he mouthed at Shouto. Captain Shirei was a stickler for the rules but in this case…
"It has already killed several officers," the Captain continued to tell Command.
Whoever was on the comm at Command huffed, and Shouto could almost feel their growl at him.
"Just finish it Shouto," Captain Shirei told him. He knew it was on another frequency.
It gave him a burst of energy and he poured it into the flames. The Noumu's cries ceased, but Shouto knew it may still regenerate. He didn't want to think of the pain he'd put it through. Regenerating even as burning… It was a sickening thought but he did not let it affect him. He kept the flames up until he felt that there was nothing there to fuel his fire. Only then did he let them fade.
It was only then that Shouto let himself breath deeply. The Noumu was gone.
The cheer surprised him. He looked up. There appeared to be officers everywhere. They were grinning at him. They were cheering for him. Shouto staggered. Kirishima caught him. "That was manly!" he congratulated him.
Todoroki sighed. "It's what I'm paid for," he replied, modestly.
Kirishima gave him a look but then there was lights, and sirens and Shouto didn't remember much of anything. He recognised the symptoms of quirk shock. A medic looked him over but said he'd be fine after a rest. After that, Shouto knew he accepted a drink and the thanks from everyone. He knew Kirishima put him into the back of a car and that they were at the station.
Kirishima sat with him but didn't appear to know what to do. "There was no other attack," the hardening quirk user told him. They were alone in the room. Debriefing, Shouto realised.
Todoroki didn't reply. He'd told Momo he'd be late, but this was beyond late. He should message her. He was about to pull out his phone when the door opened and a man entered. It wasn't the captain.
The man had green hair, and a very well tailored suit. Shouto recognised that, because he knew what they looked like. Endeavor had similar suits. There was a ribbon rose on the man's lapel and Shouto thought he should recognise him. Green eyes met his and the feeling of familiarity grew but he still couldn't place the man.
"You did good work today, both you," the man said.
"Thank you, Sir," Kirishima said. He was standing ramrod straight. Shouto inferred that he knew who this was. And since the man hadn't introduced himself, he expected to be recognised.
He wasn't Police. Shouto could conclude that much. If he was Command, he would be upset, and in uniform, so he had to be someone else.
Politics. That was the only explanation for why someone was allowed here.
"You need to keep drinking, Shouto," the man said to him, nodding at the cup in front of him. Guiltily Shouto picked it up and took another sip.
"Representative Kakurete, Sir," Kirishima said formally.
That's who this was! Todoroki was controlled enough not to let his surprise show but from the twinkle in the politician's eye, he somehow knew that Shouto had only just realised his identity.
"May I ask why you are here?" Kirishima asked.
"Of course, though please sit! You both have had a long day," the Representative said, gesturing to the chairs. This was a debrief room, not an interrogation room, which meant it was set up more gently. The chairs were softer, and more inviting. There was no place to affix the perps chains, and things like that. It was more like a coffee break room, without the coffee facilities.
The Representative sat opposite them.
With the restorative drink beginning to take hold, Shouto looked over at Imoku. He was well dressed, and radiated a pleasant air. He didn't feel like some of the politicians Shouto had met growing up, those whose favour Endeavor was currying, or those seeking to curry favour. This was a man who had power, and was sure of his power and who didn't need to suck up to anyone.
Shouto rather liked the way he felt.
Except… There was something in the way Kirishima was sitting that told him Imoku was dangerous. More so than the simple fact he was a Representative, a member of Parliament, the same Parliament who had made the Assessments and who had voted on Hero Reintegration. Counter to all of that, Todoroki remembered that this was also the Representative who had arranged for Touya to be heard. Endeavor had found out every sordid detail about the arrangement, only to find there was nothing he could use. Kakurete had simply ensured that Dabi was Touya and had provided those proofs to the TV network. From there, the network had run with the story.
Endeavor had also looked into Kakurete's past. It was clean. Squeaky clean. The former hero had been enraged about that and while Shouto had been pleased at the time, because anything that frustrated his father was good, he was also forced to admit that it was a little suspicious. No politician was that clean.
Yet Kakurete apparently was.
"I came to congratulate you," Representative Kakurete told them.
"Congratulate us?" Kirishima asked.
Imoku gave them a look but then he smiled. "I admit, it's not normal," the politician laughed. "But I was here to see something else, when I heard the dispatch. You were both very brave."
"Thank you, sir," Shouto said before taking another sip from his drink. It was mostly sugar water with some flavouring. It was designed to replace energy lost after over using or straining a quirk. He hated the taste. He'd practically lived on this stuff with Endeavor.
"Though you need to be careful," Imoku added, and reached into a pocket. He pulled out some sort of foil wrapped bar. "Here," he said, tossing it gently towards Shouto.
He caught it and looked at it. It was a high calorie energy bar.
"You need it," the politician said.
He did. Todoroki nodded his thanks, except he wondered, why did the politician have one? Many people had high output quirks and needed these things but a politician didn't! Gah, he was being an idiot! Imoku had probably requested one, to appear friendly.
It was a friendly gesture though.
"You will both go far in the Police," Imoku said. It was a nice statement. Kirishima grinned. "If, you remember a few things."
It was subtle but Shouto could see the way Kirishima's face changed. The politician hadn't said anything bad but it was a clear rebuke.
"We had to kill it, Sir," Kirishima said.
Imoku's green eyes examined him. They were piercing. "Him," he corrected. "No matter what else you might think, you had to kill him. The-" Kakurete frowned, and from the tone of his voice he was searching for the correct word. "-what were they called..?"
"Noumu, Sir," Shouto provided the answer.
"Ah, yes, Noumu. Thank you. You have to remember that the Noumu are human. No matter what the League has done to them, no matter how they have been twisted and changed, the Noumu are human. You killed someone today."
It was a sobering thought. Shouto felt sick as he thought about it. It wasn't the first time. Special Forces took the hardest cases and most times the culprit didn't want to surrender. Suicide by Cop. Except, this was a Noumu. From what he understood, it really wasn't thinking.
Todoroki wasn't sure that made it any better. He glanced at Kirishima. The other man had tholed the same things he had.
"I don't say this to be cruel," Representative Kakurete.
"Then why have you brought it up, Representative?" Kirishima asked.
Imoku's eyes were fixed on Shouto. They didn't move, even as he acknowledged Kirishima's question. "I say it to remind you. You are both Police Operatives. Your Captain assures me you are two of the best, but were you trained as Heroes. It is important for you to remember that there is a difference between a Hero and a Police Officer."
Todoroki would have said there was a sharp needling in Imoku's voice but there was nothing. He was simply stating facts but Shouto wasn't foolish. He knew the Representative was insinuating something far more.
The Representative reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a photo. Kirishima took it. "Who is this?"
"It is believed this man was the base of the Noumu."
Kirishima almost dropped the image. Shouto took it when the other man pushed it towards him. He glanced down. There was no resemblance. Todoroki was thankful for that.
"The public expect different things from the Police than they did Heroes. Thus I emphasise the difference. The Police are the guardians of the Law, they uphold it. Heroes were…" Representative Kakurete sighed heavily. "Too often were they considered above the law."
Shouto didn't need anything to interpret the look the Representative was giving him. There was a myriad of doubt, there was a lot of reminder about his father and his father's actions. He felt sick again, for an entirely different reason, and couldn't help but swallow at the memory from earlier in the day. It had nothing to do with the Noumu but he was sure Imoku thought it did.
"Will we be charged?" Kirishima asked. There was a note of worry in his tone.
"That is up to the Department," Imoku told him, finally turning away from Shouto. "It may also depend if that man's family presses any charges."
"Charges?" Kirishima almost yelled.
"I'm no expert in law but there may be some to answer," the Representative said, waving one hand.
Todoroki wanted to snort. No expert in law? The Representative might not have a formal qualification in Law - he wasn't actually sure - but the man made up many amendments to Law and had them introduced through Parliament. He knew more than enough about the law.
"It is something for you to remember, going forward, that the Police are not above the law. They are not heroes. I ask you to remember, not just because the Police are the guardians of the Law but for your own mental stability."
Shouto nodded. He wanted the Representative to leave. Kirishima gave off the same air. Surely the man could feel it. From the smile on his face, Todoroki knew he did and if in answer to his thoughts, the Representative rose. "You need to be debriefed," he said, "and I've taken up enough time. My congratulations again," he added, turning to the door.
"Thank you, Representative Kakurete," Shouto said. He kept his face blank but allowed a small smile to crease his features.
Imoku Kakurete looked back at him. There was a challenge in his eyes. "I hope you listen, Shouto, we don't want another Dabi," the Representative added before leaving.
Shouto forced himself to count to ten. Then he increased the number to twenty, and started counting in reverse. Kirishima just stared.
"What the?" Kirishima gasped. "What the hell was he going on about? That was way out of line."
"Maybe," Shouto replied. Maybe not, he thought to himself. With what had happened earlier, the warning was… He was being warned against becoming the wrong Todoroki. Yet becoming like his father was what he feared, not his brother, no matter what the villain and done.
"There's nothing we can do about it," Shouto added.
That brought Kirishima up short. It was the truth. They couldn't complain about the Representative because while the conversation had no doubt been recorded, there was nothing that bad. Not to anyone listening and the Representative's warning was one that the Captain would no doubt repeat.
Shouto looked at Kirishima. "When he came in, you tensed," he made the observation.
"He's a Representative!" Kirishima said. "You mean you didn't?" he questioned.
Todoroki just gave him a look. Kirishima tensing was more than just the fact the man was a Member of the House of Representatives.
Kirishima sighed. "You know I keep in touch with everyone," he said finally.
Shouto almost smiled. He still had the 'look'. He nodded, downing the last of his drink.
"Let's just say the foul mouth has some interesting theories."
It took Shouto a moment to translate the sentence and when he did, he understood the reason for Kirishima's code, even if it was a bad code. Bakugou was wanted for vigilantism. If it got out that Kirishima still had contact with him then… well, that would not end well.
"Tell me later," he instructed as the Captain walked in.
Captain Shirei looked grim. It was to be expected given what had happened today. "You've got the next two days off, Todoroki. But you will be expected to see the Counselor before you are cleared for duty again."
Shouto nodded. That was standard procedure. And… he didn't shudder but it was a close thing. It would give him time to talk to Momo… He hoped he could tell her what was wrong but he suspected she already knew.
"You too, Kirishima," came the addition.
The Captain sighed, but seemed happy that they hadn't argued. "Now, let's get on with this debriefing," he said, moving on to business.
Again, Shouto nodded. He had a feeling this talk was going to be easier than the one waiting for him at home. But… The fact that there was a talk waiting for him at home proved that he wasn't his father.
He had to focus on that.
-afop-
I know some people (a lot of people) will be angry that I had Shouto almost hit Momo but some abused children do follow the example of their parents. Thankfully, it's a much smaller percent than you would think, which speaks well for humanity.
I want to point out though that Shouto, is going to be one of those who doesn't follow the example of his father, but that doesn't mean it's easy. He is doing better than Endeavor because he didn't hit Momo. He ran, yes but he didn't hit her, which is a huge improvement. While he can have a happy ending, Endeavor has left his mark and that is going to make things difficult for Shouto.
I am not trying to underestimate or trivialize the effects of domestic abuse, but I didn't want to show a perfect happy ending for Shouto. This was more realistic to me.