Chapter 13: Best-Laid Plans
"Hey, at this rate your cells will slowly die due to frostbite and hypothermia," said nonchalant teenager with hair split evenly into half white and half red and sporting a large scarred patch on the left side of his face. "I want to be a hero so I would like to avoid unnecessary cruelty if possible," he calmly informed the nearest villain encased in ice, one gripping a long knife.
He was fairly certain any frozen villain within earshot either was tearing up out of pain or soiling their pants as ice was scattered in the Landslide Zone thanks to his Quirk; he had unleashed Half-Cold the instant his right foot touched the ground as the Warp Gate spat him out mere moments before.
He walked closer to the knife villain, who was probably silently calling for his mother, bringing his right hand just inches away from his face as cold expelled from it, his heterochromatic gaze intense and just as icy as his ability. "On what basis do you think you can kill All Might? What is your plan?"
"Someone's a bit cocky. Not even securing the area before engaging in questioning." Shouto Todoroki whirled in the direction of the voice, pivoting with a hard stomp of his right foot to expel a blast of ice along the ground as he pulled his hand back.
Instantly the ice attack found its mark and the newcomer was encased in ice up to his jaw line like the others, bits of his arms exposed. The speaker, however, did not look surprised or worried in the slightest, hooded turquoise eyes watching the teen who regarded him carefully. A wry smile formed on his scarred face as he noted in a calm if not deadpan tone, "Wow, a literal cold shoulder?"
"You." The white clad teen breathed with recollection; it was the flame user who had almost incinerated Aizawa-sensei's arm. The same scarred young man who stood next to the apparent leader, the freaky guy with the hands covering him.
He took a step toward the blue flame wielder, ice expelling from his right hand while the villains around him whimpered. "I have some questions. You're one of the heads, aren't you?" He must have arrived after them, hence why he'd missed him.
"Oh, he's intelligent too." Dabi drawled, still smiling despite his nonchalant gaze. He would have tilted his head defiantly, but given his current predicament he could only grin, his eyes glittering with amusement. "Sorry, can't help you. Though, you can call me Dabi."
"You don't have a choice." Ice wielder stalked toward him, his eyes cold like steel as he was cautious, eyeing his opponent's hands. "If you don't squeal I'm sure one of your puppets will." This earned a whimper from the villain he had been inches away from freezing completely.
"Using force to get your way? What are you, Endeavor?"
The comparison made the U.A. student flinch ever so slightly but he pressed on. He had been trained with various verbal abuse and taunts, this was nothing compared to what Endeavor had done. But this wasn't about him or his number one jerk of a father yet Number Two Hero. No, this was about All Might. The comparison was simply coincidental, he didn't use his flames in combat plus his father was acknowledged as a rather effective though abrasive—if not heavy handed—Hero as far as laws allowed.
To the public at least.
"How sad, Shouto Todoroki," Dabi scolded in his even tone, his eyes flashing dangerously as Shouto stalled for a few moments. Instantly blue flames erupted around him, melting the ice imprisoning him, sending up a wave of steam that obscured him from view.
Shouto's eyes widened in surprise at his name as well as the flames expelling from not only Dabi's hands before he threw a blast of ice in the direction of his opponent as he also stomped another icy current. The ice was met with a wall of hot blue as Dabi held out his freed hand through the steam, a different smile on his face as the ice melted away effortlessly.
"Maybe we should heat things up a little." He tilted his head as he took a step out from the steam, one hand in his pocket as he held up the other, blue flames wrapped around it. "I am feeling a bit chilly after all. Now let's see those flames you inherited from Endeavor!"
"Sorry, I don't use flames." Shouto deadpanned as he threw more ice at Dabi, jumping to the side as a blue fireball was launched at him, narrowly missing one of the frozen villains who screamed in terror. There was definitely going to be yellow snow though that wasn't his concern, attention on his freed opponent.
"I thought you'd say that." Dabi's eyes remained hooded as they were fixated on the stubborn ice user. "Let's see if we can't fix that ignorant attitude of yours thinking you can be a Hero half-assing your power. What, afraid of being your old man? Or you just that cocky?"
"You talk too much." Shouto threw another blast of ice combined with his foot's expelling, clamping down on his emotions as he felt the stokes of anger beginning. "Not that any of it's relevant.""Not really, except for when I have something to say. Could say the same about you."
The only answer was a sudden burst of ice that rushed at Dabi, exploding from the ground like an erupting glacier. He jumped to the side, blasting the ice point blank causing it to go flying in chunks and cold mist.
Instantly another icy wall was sent his way to which he threw up a large blue fire pillar, grinning as the two opposite elements collided in an explosion. More glaciers were promptly sent his way and he easily met them with his incinerating flames, continuing the standoff between hot and cold for a few minutes as the two were at a standstill.
"Funny enough, I'd say we compliment each other. That can't be too good for your health, can it?" Dabi pointed out as the younger boy panted, his breath visibly white as he stepped around the dueling elements, hands back in his pockets as he leaned against the ice closest to him, the ice bite into his hot skin with sharp relief though his nerves were dull to the sensation. "Trying to give yourself hypothermia out of pure stubbornness?"
"I'm not here to chat." Shouto grounded out through his breaths, his eyes cold and empty. He shot out another ice wall from his foot while he unleashed another wave along the ground as he suddenly knelt, letting his fingers skim the ground as ice traveled up his arm. "Your patronizing is a waste of breath."
"You do realize fire beats ice. Really I thought Endeavor's golden child would know better." Dabi chided before promptly unleashing another fire wall, this time directed toward Shouto as his other hand blasted the oncoming ice, almost twirling to avoid the attack. A cloud of steam and ice particles covered the area, blinding anyone nearby. "Proud to be the chosen one of your family? Don't hear much about your siblings. You have those, right?"
Shouto wordlessly took the chance to retreat, knowing he had to get back to his classmates and assist Aizawa-sensei. Ragged breaths assaulted his lungs though the coughs of the villains he'd subdued covered his own as fatigue crawled through him and he felt faint, the icy cold getting to him. Regretfully, he activated Half-Hot at a low percentage, letting the heat crawl up his covered left side to balance his nearly numb right side. He couldn't faint in a life or death situation, especially against a possible S-rank Villain; using that half without generating flames wasn't breaking his nearly ten year promise to himself to never use them in combat.
"See, there's the flaw in your fighting style." Dabi was suddenly behind him, somehow clearing the almost complete whiteout and covering ground quickly.
Shouto turned to hit him with ice but the scarred man promptly blasted his left side point blank, causing Shouto to let out a grunt of pain and go flying as the ice like armor crumbled off his left side. He hit the ground rolling, biting down on more grunts as he used his ice to stop his tumble, directing it behind him to make a curve that brought him back around. He gasped for air as his left side ached from the blast though it was thankfully unscathed except for nicks from the exploded armor.
"Devastation can only go so far, little Hero." Dabi took a step toward him, head tilted as he regarded the winded U.A. student, not expelling any blue flames. "You rely on your ice to put your foes out of commission instantly to avoid close combat or prolonging the fight. However against a seasoned opponent you're no match. Heroes nor villains can be one trick ponies, Shouto Todoroki. Best learn quick this isn't a training session. This is real life and it sucks."
Shouto spat, feeling as if he took a bite of metal before realizing the metallic taste was the result of having bitten his tongue during his tumble. He promptly spat again, getting the blood out of his mouth. As if his training sessions growing up had ever been filled with pulled punches. All he lacked was application of his Quirk in a real world scenario, not a controlled environment like his father's brutal training room. He was prepared, he just had to adapt. "You're not my teacher."
"No, but this is a very teachable moment. Well, if you survive."
Shouto barely had time to conjure a sizable glacier to act as a barrier as blue flames smashed into it, the heat making him sweat. The dazed feeling began to leave him as Half-Hot thawed him enough to fend off the encroaching hypothermia as frost coat his right side while blistering heat from his opponent whipped around him, clawing away said frost but the chill was still skin deep. Getting to his feet he gritted his teeth and dug down deep to Half-Cold as far he could, irritation spiking. Channeling the power through his right side an explosion of jagged ice erupted up from the ground, bigger than what he had unleashed before as there were various lives about; now only empty buildings were nearby as he had retreated down the landslide's slope.
Seeing the large glacier charging toward him like a freight train, whose size rivaled a skyscraper, Dabi's eyes widened and he leapt to the side, expelling an immense burst of flames to blast back the ice while also using his other hand to unleash a sudden fireblast that twisted him around and away from the ice wall. At the brief sight of the man using the flames to maneuver Shouto had an inkling of how he had raced after him so quickly, perhaps even monopolizing the ice paths he'd made.
There was a distinctly feminine yelp and it caught Shouto's attention for a moment. Somehow it sounded familiar though he couldn't place why as he snapped his gaze back to Dabi, afraid to take his eyes off his mysterious opponent.
"Like I said, not securing the area." The scarred man reminded, shaking his head with disapproval as he scratched it casually. "What Hero lets their teammates get caught in the crossfire?"
"Teammate?" Shouto wondered, mind racing as Dabi seemed to be allowing him a moment to think for whatever sick reason. The villain was clearly unhinged and he had to exploit that patronizing aspect of him.
"D-don't worry about m-me, Todoroki-kun!" The voice shouted, a puff of white breath appearing seemingly out of nowhere amongst the now ice encased ground. Clearly the speaker's teeth were chattering and it took but a second to realize who and why that was.
What was that one girl's name? Hagakure? The girl with the Invisibility Quirk and whose costume-
Shouto's mind flipped at the thought, diverting his focus as he realized there was a classmate nearby he hadn't accounted for. A classmate that he apparently had just trapped in ice as he now saw a pair of gloves waving at him and quickly being thrown away as his foe's attention was trained on them like a hawk. He'd made his classmate a sitting duck because he was acting solo, not accounting for others being nearby. One wrong move and his classmate could get hurt because of him while Aizawa-sensei was fighting to keep them all safe.
"Thought you were all alone, did you?" Dabi looked unimpressed, apparently disregarding Hagakure for the moment. "Then again, what to expect from Endeavor's spawn. Guess like father like son, why should you care about your friends let alone comrades? It's all about results and yourselves."
"What would a villain know?"
"Plenty. What, your Quirk make you too much like daddy? Some teenage rebellion."
Shouto's teeth locked together at the taunts, biting back words that would feed the villain as he expelled more ice to fend him off, suppressing a shudder as he ignored the visible breaths he expelled. However his silence only encouraged his opponent who gestured casually with a disappointed air as he released more blue flames, battering the ice with a loud sizzle as he stepped around, canting his head at Shouto.
"Won't even use it to save your friends, just your pride. Bet you got in via recommendations too, what a joke."
"I'm not Endeavor. Besides I'm not here to make friends." Shouto uttered, glaring as he panted, trying to form a plan as he dug down into his Quirk, pointedly ignoring the half that begged to be used as he was reaching the threshold of using his ice at a constant. His vision blurred slightly but he blinked with determination, his intense gaze meeting Dabi's evenly.
"Wow, you really sound like your daddy dearest, don't ya? Don't they call him the Anti-social Flame? What next, Anti-social Ice?"
"I'm going to be a Hero. Taking you down is merely another hurdle for me. My classmates are just competition."
"Then I guess you won't mind adding a corpse to your class roster. At least you will be able to see her now, but hey you're sticking to your conviction. Even if it seems negligently, no, villainously selfish." Dabi's hooded eyes shone as his smile widened into a devious grin. He thrust a hand toward where Hagakure's breaths had last been seen, blue flames licking his palms, "Well, they do say pride comes before a fall."
"Hagakure! Get down!"
There was a burst of blue as Shouto threw his arm forward, hurtling another glacier like the one he had unleashed before as he gripped onto Half-Cold with what energy he had left and let it out. The ice wall intercepted the flames just in time, blocking them from engulfing the apparently helpless student on the other side.
"Ice can't stand a chance against my flames, no matter what you do." Dabi insisted, unleashing another blast that began eating a hole in the frozen wall. Flames danced around him as he sent up another wall of flames for good measure, the intense heat grabbing at him but the sensation was barely felt, "Even Endeavor knows better. In these cases you've got to fight fire-"
A stream of fire shot between Dabi and the icy wall, cutting off the blue flames from his hands. The scarred man turned toward the red and white haired boy who was glaring at him, left arm extended and engulfed in wild unruly flames. The boy seemed to be huffing from either exhaustion, desperation or perhaps anger, if not all three.
"Shut up already about my old man."
"Todoroki-kun!" Hagakure's voice called from the other side of the ice wall, signaling she was alright but concern for her classmate was clear in her tone.
"Now, we're getting somewhere. Come at me." Dabi's eyes widened as an excited look crossed his face, turquoise eyes lighting up. He extended a hand toward the boy and pointed, blue flames crawling up his bare scarred arms. "You and your flames, Shouto Todoroki."
Come, my poor naive little brother.
"Now what to do with you." Kurogiri pondered as he looked at the handful of students who had managed to avoid his massive Warp Gate sphere near the USJ exit. Four boys and two girls had proven themselves capable enough to dodge the attack. Perhaps these six were truly worthy potential Heroes, even if they would surely get underfoot in the future.
"Aw, let me play with them first, Kurogiri-kun!" Toga begged, eyeing the scared looking U.A. students. She grinned behind her mask, clasping her hands together. "Some might be new friends!"
"Is it just me or is that chick psycho?" A black haired boy with an overbite inquired, grimacing and showing off his teeth even more.
"How rude!" Toga exclaimed, flipping out a knife that she wagged in the group's direction. "I'm Cheshire! We're going to have fun together until All Might shows up! Hehe~"
"Perhaps I should scatter them as well." Kurogiri informed, growing in size once more as he blocked the exit as a looming phantom. The group seemed to collectively shiver as they faced the two villains, the blue flames behind them preventing a retreat to where their teacher was fighting.
"Dabi-kun gets some to himself, why not me?" Toga demanded, stomping her foot as she pointed at the group, specifically the only girls left: a brunette and a pink haired one with pink skin and small yellow horns. "I need some new girl friends! I only have you guys in the League and these guys aren't really my type, bleh."
"Not sure if I should be relieved or scared." The dark haired boy muttered, clearly nervous as he stood with the others.
"Eek, this is not how you make friends! Points for creativity but no thanks!" The pink girl crouched behind a male student who was clad in yellow. "Can we just call off the playdate?"
"Shoji-kun, is everyone here?" A boy with glasses and wearing armor inquired. "Can you check?"
"Everyone's scattered but they're still all here within the building, but we're vastly out numbered." The tallest of the group informed, sporting various extra appendages connected by weblike flesh and a mask covering the lower half of his face down past his neck. "Aizawa-sensei needs backup."
"What are we going to do against actual villains? This was supposed to be training! We haven't even been in school for a week." The yellow clad student braced himself before the two villains, sweating from anxiety as well as the scorching flames behind the group. "Kaminari couldn't contact anyone either, we're isolated. They've jammed communications!"
"If we freeze they're going to kill us." The brunette sweated, gulping as Toga eyed her, trading the blade between hands. "We need to use our instincts and life experience, like with the entrance exams. Improvise."
"You serious, Ochan!?" The pink girl stared at the brunette who stood next to the boy with glasses. "Physical attacks didn't work on that warp misty guy and now there's a creepy girl who wants to cut us!"
"Aw, you're not going to run away? Not that you have anywhere to go~" Toga gestured as she twirled, Kurogiri resigning to merely be a wall. "And what a cute name! Plus you're smart! Can I call you Ochan too!?" She let out a giggle, eyes sparkling as she blushed with excitement. "You kinda remind me of someone I know."
"Sorry, only friends can call me that. It's a nickname I cherish."
"I think I got rejected, Kurogiri!" Toga glanced at him, seemingly pouting though a giggle escaped her. "That's okay, I'll show you what a good friend I am to have in your side!"
"This really isn't good." The pink girl muttered, still looking nervous as she hung back. "If communications can't come in or out…"
The brunette had a looked of realization next to her friend, "Iida-kun! You're the fastest one! Run to the school and tell them what's happening here."
"What? But that would be a disgrace to leave everyone behi-!" The bespectacled teen looked taken back as he tried to argue but was cut off.
"Aizawa-sensei told us to get to safety but he needs help! Our classmates need help!""Go for it!" The muscular student wearing yellow insisted as he stepped in front of Iida. "They're trying to keep us here so outside must be fair game."
"The school's got sensors and alarms right? Long as you go outside they won't follow you!" The black haired boy agreed as he stepped up next to his classmate, both taking battle stances. "Blow that mist away!"
"I'll support you like at the cafeteria, Iida-kun!" The brunette insisted, a determined look on her face as well as confidence. "It's okay to use our Quirks to save others!"
"Kurogiri-kun, they're cooperating with one another! It's teamwork!" Toga praised, prancing as she grinned beneath her mask. "Look at such friendship~ Ahhh I'm jealous~ I wanna see their blood!"
"Focus, Cheshire."
"Hehe, right, we have our own teamwork too~" Toga tilted her head as she suddenly stood still, regarding the others who seemed to come to terms with a rough battle plan. "After all, we can't disappoint Dekkun." As her golden gaze hardened she suddenly lunged forward, thrusting a knife. Instantly the black haired boy unleashed a stream of tape from his elbows, aiming to wrap her up. The attack was intercepted by a Warp Gate that promptly redirected it toward Iida who barely had time to jump out of the way as he warmed up his engines.
A Warp Gate formed in front of Toga's arm and it disappeared before promptly appearing next to the yellow suited student, promptly slashing at him. He let out a grunt of surprise and dodged to the side, barely missing the blade that sliced through his costume, making a line of red appear.
"Sado-kun!" The pink skinned girl exclaimed as he regained his footing, not bothering to check his wound.
"Aww, just a nick!" Toga pouted as she examined her knife that she pulled back through the Warp Gate, eyeing the blood faintly coloring the blade. "Not enough! Kurogiri-kun!"
"Iida-kun, go!" The brunette shouted as the pink skinned girl suddenly threw her arms forward, spraying a liquid at Toga while the tape boy unleashed another torrent of tape. "Mina-chan! Sero-kun!"
Kurogiri unleashed a Warp Gate once more to swallow up the tape, earning a scowl as the tape was redirected at Iida once more but was intercepted by Sado. Meanwhile Toga cartwheeled out of the way of the liquid which turned out to be acid, the ground sizzling as it began to corrode.
"This guy's Quirk is super annoying!" Sero scowled while Mina jumped in front of him, throwing more acid out to keep the villains at bay.
"This is so much fun~" Toga exclaimed as she twirled, flipping effortlessly out of the way before throwing some of her smaller knives at the students.
Kurogiri hung back, observing as his female ward apparently having the time of her life as he provided Warp Gates for her to hop through and dodge attacks, proving she alone was formidable against the six Hero Course students. Then again she had something they didn't: training. He thought of the hours they had trained together, namely with Young Deku, to refine their abilities and burn off excess energy while also playing to each other's strengths and weaknesses to formulate combo attacks.
While it was the younger members' first real mission, their proper debut, this was not Kurogiri's. He felt a prickle of nostalgia of when he had last accompanied the mighty All For One, Sensei, to take care of "business" when he was not preoccupied with his primary obligation: his innate duty of caring for Tomura whom he had known since the now adult had been nearly six years old, though he still seemed like that immature child. Presently he appeared to be managing fine so far without Kurogiri hovering nearby, ready to rush in if things went wrong to ensure survival.
How time flew when caring for such a taxing youth. But, it was his responsibility and he couldn't complain; something in him didn't even allow it though he didn't notice as it deflected thoughts back toward his charge like an instinctive primary directive. All thoughts and actions at their core were unquestionably driven to serve with composed concern like a prolonged employed butler well versed in long suffering, much like in the foreign dramas Kurogiri watched on occasion which he subconsciously emulated. He was to ensure Tomura's wellbeing and maintain his survival well past adulthood—even if in recent years Kurogiri had entered a less appreciated role and backed off to play referee.
Until his second charge came along he thought he would be only by Tomura's side, content to serve, until the haphazard youth took over whatever role Sensei had in store for him. How things had changed upon the unexpected but welcomed arrival of the far different Young Deku. Kurogiri was immediately inclined to nurture the green haired child, seeing his vulnerability and well meaning if not clever aptitude in areas Tomura lacked; the word from Sensei to watch over him had only cemented the primal instinct.
How Young Deku had grown from when Kurogiri had first laid eyes on him at that park. Even from when Sensei had been cruelly snatched away while they had been forced to retreat per irrefutable order he could not disobey despite his charge's pleas, screams and cries. Young Deku was becoming a man of his own making and Kurogiri felt satisfaction to see him endure under his care and even flourish though there had been some undistinguishable bumps in the road the former refused to talk about.
Part of him was saddened Young Deku was not directly involved in this, especially how at times he reminded him of Sensei. Yet despite things not going exactly as planned, Young Deku's strategy was still effective with room to improvise; a wonderful plan to end things, though that was another source of sorrow and pride. The mist man turned his head as he noticed the armored student begin to run past him as he focused on aiding Toga, redirecting the attacks toward her.
Indeed things were going to be interesting.
Deku had activated his Quirk, diverting the strength to his legs to increase his speed not long into his sprint. Never mind the law of not using Quirks in public, on the street; they would have to catch him first as he gave the illusion of a fit person simply running. He neared the street where the bar resided and slid to a stop as he cut of his Quirk, bits of Dark Aura seemingly spilling off his body. He hurried toward the bar's door, hand shaking with adrenaline and anxiety.
Please be okay. Please be okay.
He opened the door with a thundering heart and was instantly met by a stream of curses that seemed almost foreign as the voice garbled a few. His heart leapt to his throat at the scene before him, nausea bubbling up in his stomach.
Tomura was on the ground where he could conveniently throw a tantrum as red seeped from wounds in his right hand, left arm and both legs just above his knees and perhaps elsewhere. Blood was pooling around him, the young bloodied man hissing and clutching his right hand as he rolled in clear pain. Kurogiri hovered nearby, clearly concerned as he moved nervously back and forth with a towel in hand, but unable to get close as Tomura was the combination of a fish out of water and a two year old being denied some want.
Nearby Toga sat on top of the bar counter, swinging her legs while looking at the ground, an odd smile on her face though her brow was pinched. Dabi stood near the back with his hands in his pockets as he watched Tomura flounder about, his face completely neutral. The faint smell of barbecue could be detected in the air, leading anyone to believe the fire wielder had probably incinerated a few people; however the scent was mostly covered by the metallic odor of blood.
Dabi shifted his gaze to the stunned if not pale Deku, "Hey, Little Boss. We're back."
"Dekkun~!" Toga exclaimed, jumping down and leaping over Tomura to join the newly arrived teenager. "It was a blast! I think I made a few new friends!" She pointed to her cheek, which had the imprint of a hand as if slapped, grinning, "One even landed a hit on me! Sent me flying~"
"Young Deku." Kurogiri greeted, shifting his gaze from the injured Tomura to his youngest charge who managed to shut the door behind him despite his shock. He noticed Deku's fixed gaze on Tomura, gesturing with the unused towel, "Don't worry they're merely flesh wounds. Clean shots that went through."
"Like damn hell they're clean!" Tomura snarled as he rolled over, grabbing onto a nearby bar stool, barely avoiding decaying it as he pulled himself up with his uninjured hand. "Damn cheater! He cheated! Used OP summons!"
Deku blinked, looking from each of the members who seemed either impassive, enraged or excited. A lump rose in his throat as his voice barely came out, "Th-then...?"
"Damn blond gorilla is still alive! He took out the Noumu!" Tomura screamed savagely, hanging off the stool as if in a drunken rage. "He used a hack! His power level totally changed!"
"Sorry, Dekkun." Toga apologized, her smile gone as Deku's face went blank. "It was a good plan, they just were lucky. We'll do better next time! More fun, right~?"
"Might be a bit harder though, they know of our existence now." Dabi lightly scratched at his face before shrugging. "But we were prepared for that going in."
"Damn! Shit!" Tomura swore again, still gripping his hand. Kurogiri look it as a sign to attempt first aid, pulling out gauze and bandages as he cautiously opened a Warp Gate next to the seething patient to keep out of his immediate reach in case of a backlash. As soon as the first bandage was on Tomura hissed like an enraged snake and swore colorfully as he combined various phrases in a growl.
"I'm sorry!" Deku blurted, startling everyone in the room. Four pairs of eyes were instantly on the still disguised teenager as silence feel over them.
"The hell you apologizing for, squirt?" Tomura demanded, red eyes glittering with pain and anger. "The game was rigged! Damn Heroes!"
"I'm... s-so s-sorry." Deku choked on a sob as he pulled off his hat and medical mask, unable to look at the others. Toga hovered nearby, looking unsure what to do as the green haired boy started to crack. Dabi's eyes widened ever so slightly as he glanced at Kurogiri who in turned looked as concerned as humanoid mist could. "It's m-my fault you got hurt. I c-could have g-gotten you k-killed." His voice broke as a harder sob escaped him, making his shoulders tremble. Tears flowed freely from his red eyes that seemed to shift back to green for a second.
"Dekkun! No!" Toga exclaimed, throwing her arms around him as she hugged him though he flinched. "We're okay! Tomura-kun just has bad luck because they saw him as the boss!"
"Yeah anyone would want to shoot him, especially looking like that." Dabi added, gesturing with his chin toward Tomura who let out a growl at the insult. "Shigaraki is a target on his own."
"Shut up!" The shaggy haired man snapped as Kurogiri managed to bandage his arm. He turned toward Deku, pulling "Father" off his face with his uninjured hand to glare at his foster brother. "That includes you! I'm not dead! I'll kill him next time! We'll avenge Sensei, just you wait!"
Deku shook his head as more tears fell, his wall gone after the multiple blows that had been dealt in such a short time. Even with Toga holding onto him in an attempt to comfort did little as guilt wracked him. Through his tears all he saw was red pooled on the floor and a flash of his mother's face as she looked at him. Another sob escaped as his heart throbbed, raising a hand to his eyes in an attempt to stop the flowing tears. He couldn't keep it in any longer.
"I-I… I need to tell you something. All of you."