Todoroki woke up in Recovery Girl's office, his head throbbing. He could hear people talking around him, but he was struggling to put faces to the names.

"I can't believe you ran on a broken foot. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I didn't want to get blown up by Bakugou."

"And you didn't think about telling All Might or Midnight about the broken foot because why?"

"It wasn't that bad. Barely hurt."

"Toga was having to help you walk!"

"He didn't need much help! Deku-kun has a crazy high pain tolerance and he knows how to set bones. We could have fixed it on our own."

"Toga, stop picking at your bandages and sit down."

Opening his eyes, Todoroki saw the ceiling swimming in his field of vision. Slowly, he turned his head to find Shinsou sitting in the chair beside him. He was turned around in his seat to look behind him to where Aizawa was arguing with Deku and Toga. Deku was lying in a bed, his foot bandaged up, and Toga sat on the edge of it, rubbing at the wrap on her hand. Vlad King was standing by the door, his head bowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. In the bed opposite Deku was Bakugou, sleeping soundly as Recovery Girl bustled around him. If Todoroki had to guess, she had healed Bakugou's injuries from the explosion and he had fallen asleep out of exhaustion.

"What happened?" Todoroki croaked out, blinking in the harsh light.

Shinsou jumped in his seat, startled. "You're awake! Good. How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a bus."

"Doesn't surprise me. Deku and Sero used one of Bakugou's gauntlets to blow a crater into the street you were all on. Deku broke his foot jumping off the roof, you got knocked out, and both you and Bakugou have concussions. Recovery Girl has healed Bakugou and she's planning to take care of you next. Then she'll move on to Deku and Toga."

"What happened to Toga?" Todoroki asked.

"She cut her hand to smear blood on Monoma's face. Remember their match?"

Todoroki blinked again, trying to think back. "I think so? They went up against Shoda and Ojiro, right?"

"Yeah. Ojiro and Shoda are a little bruised up but no serious injuries. I think your injuries were the worst of the day."

Recovery Girl tottered over and gave Todoroki a kind smile. "How are you feeling, dear? Any pain?"

"I've got a headache. That's about it."

She nodded. "That's good. I'm going to give you some energy gummies and something to eat to help build your strength. Once I think you're strong enough, I'll give you a quick kiss. Now, you rest up," she said, patting Todoroki's cheek and moving on to Deku's bed. Recovery Girl planted a wet kiss on Deku's cheek, the green haired boy flinching at her sudden movement. She moved on to Toga, giving her a quick kiss as well to heal her hand. "Now you two, here are some gummies. Go eat a full meal tonight. No complaining. Remember to stick to the meal plan I made you both."

"They will, don't worry. Let's go, you two. Back to the dorms," Aizawa said, jerking his head towards the door.

Toga climbed off the bed and picked up Deku's shoes, handing them off to him once he had unwrapped his freshly healed foot. He slipped on the shoes and stood up, twisting the ankle back and forth, testing out the foot. He then walked across the room, away from the door and to Todoroki's bed.

Deku's face was red, his green eyes cast towards the floor. "I'm sorry."

Todoroki blinked up at him, looking slightly startled. "What?"

"I'm sorry. The explosion didn't go exactly as planned. It wasn't supposed to be so big. I miscalculated how much nitroglycerin was built up in the gauntlet. You weren't supposed to get hurt. It was just supposed to knock you both around and burn up the flags. So, like I said; I'm sorry."

"It… It's fine. Really. It was an accident," Todoroki said, giving Deku the smallest of smiles. "People get hurt in training all the time."

Deku's face grew redder as he gave a curt nod and scurried away. Back at Toga's side, he ducked his head down and followed Aizawa and Vlad King out of the infirmary.

"He really is still scared of me," Todoroki said, glancing over at Shinsou.

Shinsou's eyes were narrowed, watching the group leave. "You know, I'm not so sure about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I may know what's up with him. I'll keep a closer eye and if I'm right, I'll let you know."

The next day, Deku acted the same as he had been: avoiding everyone in class. He kept his head down and did his work, never raising his hand to answer questions. When Aizawa told the class that they could work in groups on a packet, Deku didn't even try to find a partner. He just opened the packet and started working by himself. Shinsou and Todoroki shot each other a look before getting up and walking over to Deku's desk.

"Hey, do you want to work with us?" Shinsou asked, his voice even and sounding bored.

Deku jumped in his seat and looked up at them, his green eyes looking borderline terrified. "Why?" he asked, hunching over his papers slightly.

"Because working alone sucks. Come on, we can sit in the back corner away from everyone else. It's quiet back there."

Glancing over his shoulder to the corner Shinsou gestured to, Deku narrowed his eyes. "I still don't get why you want to work with me."

"Because you're smart and have been nice every time you have spoken to us," Todoroki said. He spoke as though it were a simple fact and not actually the nicest thing anyone in the class had said to Deku thus far.

Blinking owlishly, Deku finally nodded and gathered his things into his backpack.

Todoroki frowned. "If you want, you can leave your backpack at your desk. That way you don't have to move it again later." Deku shook his head, back to looking suspiciously at Shinsou and Todoroki as he tugged his backpack closer to his chest. Seeing Deku's reaction, Todoroki quickly back tracked. "But you can bring it if you are more comfortable. I can help carry things if you need me to."

Deku didn't take him up on the offer, but he did continue to silently pack his bag and then proceeded to follow them to the back. The three arranged some desks and sat down together.

They worked mostly in silence, having broken up the packet between the three of them. Occasionally, Todoroki or Shinsou would ask a question and Deku would answer it immediately, The other two would give an appreciative nod and continue their work. Deku finished first and sat back in his seat, a notebook out that he started to write in.

As Shinsou finished, passing his packet to Todoroki for him to look at the section he completed, he leaned over towards Deku. "What's that?"

Deku snapped the notebook closed. "Don't touch it!" he hissed, looking defensive.

Shinsou put his hands up placatingly. "Not going to, don't worry. Just curious."

He studied Shinsou for a moment, his eyes searching the other boy's face. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed. "Its… Its a new analysis notebook. My old ones are with Nezu and the Detective from my case. I do private lessons with Nezu and he gave me this notebook to work in."

"That's pretty cool. Nezu is sorta scary though. I mean, what is he even like as a teacher?"

Deku shrugged. "He's not that scary. Mostly we just sit there while he reads my past analysis and my most recent analysis. Then at the end he gives me an assignment. I think that he's still trying to figure me out."

"You mean he hasn't yet?" Shinsou asked, a smirk on his face. "I thought he had everyone figured out."

"He knows the basics about me but he's still trying to figure out how to get me to open up or something. I'm not exactly a friendly student," Deku said with a laugh.

Todoroki flipped his packet closed and moved to hand both his own and Shinsou's to Deku. Seeing Todoroki's hand coming towards him out of the corner of his eye, Deku flinched backwards, whipping his head around so that he had full view of the other boy. A strange look flitted across Todoroki's face before he was back to his neutral expression. He carefully set the packets down on Deku's desk and then stood up.

"I have to use the restroom. I'll be back in a moment," he said, walking to the front of the room to ask Aizawa's permission.

"You know, he might be quiet and have a serious face, but he's actually a really nice guy," Shinsou said evenly, carefully watching Deku's reaction.

"And?"

"And he thinks you're scared of him."

"Who says I'm not? Maybe I'm scared of all of you. You guys are all hero students and I'm a villain."

Shinsou shook his head. "Villains don't save little girls, or leave traffickers alive so their victims can be rescued, or offer up their own freedom in exchange for their friend to go to school. You do a lot of heroic things for someone who claims to be a villain." Slowly, Shinsou leaned into Deku's space. As he spoke, his voice dropped, turning quiet and gravely. "Is there another reason you act so weird around our resident ice pack-heating pad combo?"

Instead of responding, Deku leaned back, his face burning and a blush creeping up his neck. Shinsou's smile grew, even as a thread of jealousy wove its way through his heart, though what he didn't seem to realize was that Deku wasn't blushing because of the accusation: he was blushing because Shinsou was so close and speaking in that flustering voice.

"That's what I thought," Shinsou said, his grin Cheshire like.

"It's not that," Deku spat, finally collecting himself. "You remember who his dad is, don't you? I don't have fond feelings for Endeavor."

"Neither does he. See, you already have something in common."

"Why are you pushing this so hard?"

"Because he wants to be your friend."

Deku scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"No, it's true!" Shinsou said, "He and I talked about it. He likes that you're not loud, like most of the people in this class, and he likes that being your friend will piss off his dad. He thinks it'd be a win-win for you guys: you both get to piss off Endeavor and you both get a new friend. "

"I'm not here to make friends. I'm here so I don't get murdered for being a traitor. I don't know what your angle is, but you aren't getting anything out of me," Deku snapped. He stood, tossing his packet towards Shinsou. "I finished the whole thing. Copy the answers from my section and give it back when you're done. I'm going to my desk." With that, Deku grabbed his backpack and stormed back to his seat, dropping down into the chair and glaring at the desktop.

When Todoroki returned, he gave a questioning glance towards Deku as he sat down in his seat. "What happened?"

"He's mad at me. Not that I blame him really. I pushed too hard."

"Trying to find out why he acts weird around us?"

"Yeah, I thought I had it figured out, but now I'm not so sure. I think he may actually be scared of us. He still sees himself as a villain and not as a student."

Todoroki frowned, his head ducking and his bangs falling further into his eyes. "It's not like any of us have tried to treat him as anything besides a villain."

"We have."

"We've tried to speak to him a few times and I treated his injury once. That isn't much. He could have thought we were being like Bakugou and trying to talk to him about his past. It is likely a sensitive subject for him."

Shinsou groaned, letting his head hit his desk. "And the first chance I got alone with him, I started badgering him with questions. Shit."

"We may need to think of a new strategy."

--

At lunch, Todoroki and Shinsou sat in their normal spot with Tsu, Iida, and Uraraka. Iida was discussing his need to go shopping for new binders, which led to Uraraka and Tsu giving each other confused looks, unsure if he meant a three-ring binder or a binder for his chest, which they all knew were difficult to find since he was so broad shouldered. At the other end of the table, Ojiro, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Koda were eating together as they typically did. Beside them at the next table were some 1-B students, which included Monoma, who looked oddly reserved that day.

"It just worries me that she is going to snap one day," Ojiro said, his voice having risen slightly. "You guys didn't see the way she was. It was like she was the old Toga. What if she snaps again?"

"It was an act," Tokoyami insisted. "As soon as the game started, she and Monoma found the nearest camera and explained their plan so that All Might and Midnight wouldn't end the match. She was fully in control of herself the whole time."

"That doesn't mean she still isn't capable. We saw what she did to Tsu and Uraraka. I mean, I'm all for a villain rehabilitation program, but are these two the right choice? Deku could have killed Bakugou and Todoroki during their match and Toga could bite someone at any time. Neither of them are really cut out for hero work either, are they?" Ojiro said, a stern look on his face. "Without a quirk, Deku could get really hurt in the field. And Toga's quirk can't be used to be a hero. She has to hurt people to use it and then all she can do is disguise herself. It's not very heroic."

"That's funny," a loud voice cut in, catching the attention of half the cafeteria. Monoma stood up from his table, glaring at Ojiro. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a quirkest asshole."

"What?"

"I heard you talking shit. I don't think that's very heroic either, kangaroo boy."

Ojiro stood from his seat, glaring right back at Monoma. "You aren't a part of this conversation. Back off."

"Did you know that your quirk could be used for villainous things? That tail of yours could easily break a neck. You could use it for plenty of criminal acts. So what gives you the right to judge her?"

Koda reached up and tried to gently pull Ojiro back down into his seat, but Ojiro shook him off. "How's she supposed to be a hero with a quirk like that, huh? She and Deku should be in support or general studies! It'd be safer for everyone, including them!"

"It's like you haven't had Eraserhead for a teacher this whole year," Monoma said, laughing incredulously. "Did you forget about underground heroes? With the right training and tools, she'd be great at undercover work! You might not have faith in 1-A's ability to rehabilitate Deku, but don't you dare write off 1-B's ability to help Toga! Wait and see; we're going to help her become a model hero student, better than anyone in 1-A! And since you don't think 1-A is good enough to help Deku, which I am sure they aren't, 1-B will help him too! I'm going to make sure they become heroes, just to prove quirkest pieces of shit like you wrong."

With that, Monoma grabbed his lunch tray and stepped away from his table. He looked at Kendo and Tetsu expectantly. "Are you coming?"

"Where?" Tetsu asked, cocking his head in confusion. "All our friends are sitting here."

Monoma huffed and stormed away, not even bothering to respond. Toga and Deku, who had been sitting in the corner as they always did, were watching the entire interaction with startled expressions, which only became more shocked as Monoma approached their table and dropped his tray down across from them. He sat down, glaring at his tray as he dug into his food. Toga stared at him, slack jawed, while Deku stared in confusion. Slowly, Toga smiled and began eating again.

Without a word, Todoroki stood, picking up his tray. He gave Shinsou a pointed look before starting to walk across the cafeteria towards the corner. Shinsou was quick to follow. The two boys sat down beside Monoma, facing Deku.

"What are you two doing?" Monomoa snapped. "Didn't you hear what I said about 1-A?"

"Yeah, but us villain kids have to stick together, don't we?" Shinsou said. He smirked at Monoma. "I got told my entire life I'd never be a hero cuz of my quirk. If you're serious about helping Toga and Deku, you're going to need help, especially from someone who understands what it's like to get shit on by society."

"Toga is going to need extra people to practice turning into and Deku needs people to spar. Figured I could help," Todoroki said with a shrug.

"People are going to be mad that you guys are doing this," Deku warned, still eyeing the hero course students.

Monoma shrugged. "People have hated me most of my life. What does it matter if they hate me now? As a hero, it's my job to help others, so I'm not going to stand by and watch Toga go through what I did."

"Was it because of your quirk?" Todoroki asked.

Monoma didn't say anything, but he did nod. Shinsou reached around Todoroki to good naturedly punch Monoma's shoulder. "Hey, look at that, we have something in common. Who would have thought?"

Seeing Monoma's scowl deepen, Toga picked up one of the onigiri on her tray and gently set it on his. When he tried to hand it back, she shook her head. "It's plum. I don't really like plum."

His frown relaxed slightly. He picked up one of his onigiri and put it on her tray. "Mine are tuna."

She smiled appreciatively, her fangs flashing in the light, but instead of looking scary, she just looked like a normal, excited teenage girl. Toga took a bite of the onigiri, melting at the taste of fresh meat. Deku watched her, a small smile playing on his face.

Todoroki found himself staring at that smile, a fluttering feeling playing deep in his gut. Beside him, Shinsou felt his face slowly start to flush and had to will his blush away.

--

Shigaraki was losing it.

That was the only way to describe it. He was off the rails. Every chance he got, he was ranting about how evil hero society was. He would complain about how they were holding Toga and Deku hostage, keeping them from their true calling as villains by his side. His bitching had gotten so bad that even Spinner had said something, asking Shigaraki gently if they could focus on something besides the kids.

"When they see the chance, they'll escape," Spinner had said, carefully keeping out of Shigaraki's reach. "I think we should maybe focus on the next step in our plans to take down the heroes, don't you?"

Shigaraki growled, his red eyes locking on Spinner. The burning anger Spinner found there made him flinch.

"You're not here to think, Lizard. You're here to do what I say. And I need those two back. It's been weeks and there's no progress."

"Why doesn't Kurogiri just warp in there and grab them? Who cares!? Let the brats rot there! I miss Toga," Twice said, flipping rapidly between his personalities and emotions.

"He can't just open a warp gate at UA. After the USJ, they put up tech to keep out teleporters of any kind using their quirks," Shigaraki said. He stalked back towards the bar and grabbed his drink, downing a swallow. "Dabi, you were supposed to be getting me information on their backgrounds. Any luck finding Deku's dad or Toga's parents?"

Dabi, who was lounging in a chair as far away from Shigaraki as he could get, gave a shrug. "No word on Deku's dad. I know the names of Toga's parents but they moved years ago. When I tried to trace them so I could ask them about Toga, I couldn't find them. I think they may have changed their names. Would make sense, if they thought their daughter was hell spawn and threw her out on the streets; they wouldn't have wanted anything connecting them to her."

"Give me their names. I can track them down."

"If you just tell me how you would do it, I can manage it just fine," Dabi said, his brilliant blue eyes narrowing.

Shigaraki glared right back at him. "The names. Now."

The room was silent and tense as the two men watched each other, waiting for the other to break. Twice shifted uncomfortably while Spinner gripped his sword, ready to step in if a fight broke out. Kurogiri and Mr. Compress stayed close to the wall, content to watch everything unfold. Finally, Dabi heaved a sigh.

"Fine. Katashi and Naoko Toga. Like I said, it looks like they changed their names and disappeared sometime after they disowned their daughter. Tell me when you find them and I'll go talk to them."

"I can handle this. You keep looking for Deku's dad. We already know his name; he shouldn't be that hard to find." With that, Shigaraki knocked back the last of his drink and retreated to his room, pulling his phone from his pocket. Once alone, he dialed a number and raised it to his ear. "Sensei. I need your help finding some people that changed their names."

"What were their original names? I can have them found for you, Tomura."