Todoroki thought he was nailing this whole date thing, especially considering it was his first.

He knew it was also Shinsou's first, the other boy not having had a lot in the way of friends before coming to UA, but that didn't stop Todoroki from being nervous. He wanted it to be perfect. So, he had booked them a few hours at a cat cafe, not far from the school, that he just knew Shinsou was going to love. The cat room was filled with overstuffed and plush furniture. Cats were sprawled on every surface, soaking in the mid morning sunlight and enjoying the pampering they were receiving from all of the guests

"How did you find this place?" Shinsou asked, looking around the room with awe.

"Did some research online. Do… Do you like it?"

"It's perfect!"

Within seconds, Shinsou was on a couch with three cats in his lap, another draped over his shoulders. When Todoroki sat beside him, one of the cats broke away to press itself into his left side, purring at the warmth.

"Aw," Shinsou laughed. "It's using you as a heating pad."

Todoroki just smiled down at theat, running his fingers gently over his fur.

The pair sat together, sharing coffees and telling stories. They laughed together, sneaking soft looks as they held hands. Shinsou scooted closer, and though they were the same height, he leaned over to tuck his head on Todoroki's shoulder, his purple hair tickling the other boy's neck.

"Thank you, for this," Shinsou said. "It's amazing."

"Of course. I wanted this to be special for us."

Before Shinsou could respond, a ringing sound caused them both to startle, causing two of the six cats piled on them to run off. Frowning, Todoroki dug into his pocket and pulled his phone out.

"It's my brother," he said, his brow furrowing. "He doesn't call often."

"You should answer then. Could be an emergency."

Todoroki nodded, answering the call.

"Natsuo? Is everything okay?"

" Did you tell your teachers about dad? "

Swallowing thickly, Todoroki felt his blood run cold. "Yes. Why?"

" Apparently Eraserhead showed up at the house last night and served the old man papers. UA is suing him for attacking a student and they have opened a case against him for child abuse, neglect, and a bunch of other stuff. The papers also said that he was losing custody of you as of that moment and that they were going to be finding you a new guardian. Fuyumi just called me to tell me all about it. Dad has been throwing a fit. "

"Oh… I didn't know Aizawa-sensei had already gone to talk to dad. I had told him everything the other day and he said they would have to get some paperwork together before anything could happen. I guess they finished."

" Damn, I would have given anything to have seen his face when Eraserhead showed up. I bet it was epic! I'm proud of you, man. You did what none of the rest of us were brave enough to do. But I'm going to warn you right now, Fuyumi isn't thrilled. When she called me, she said she was going to try to talk to you about dropping the charges. She wanted me to back her up and I said no. "

Todoroki gripped his phone even tighter. "She said that?"

" Yeah, you know how it is. She wants everyone to just be one big happy family and ignore the past. "

When Todoroki didn't respond, Natsuo spoke again. " You went quiet on me, what's the problem? "

"Well," he started, choking on his words. "When I spoke with Aizawa-sensei, we agreed that mom wasn't really in a position to have custody of me. She and I still don't speak and there's the matter of her dumping boiling water on my face. And since you are in college and Touya is… is not an option, we decided Fuyumi would be our best choice to be my guardian. She would have to move out of dad's but we thought maybe she could care for me. But if she is taking dad's side, I don't know what I'll do."

There was silence from Natsuo's end. After a moment, Todoroki heard a quiet, " Ah, shit ," and then Natsuo began speaking to him again. " Listen, Shoto, I am not going to let anything bad happen to you. I might be in college, but that doesn't mean I couldn't take care of you. Let me sort a few things out and then I'll call your teacher. I'll tell him I'm willing to testify against Endeavor and lay out my plans to take care of you. If I have to, I'll even petition for custody. Fuyumi is great and all, but I don't really want her to have custody of you, not when she is so loyal to dad. "

"Wait, Natsuo, you don't have to -"

" Got to go, little bro. I have some work to do! "

And with that, Natsuo hung up.

Todoroki stared down at his phone in his hand. "I think my brother is going to try to petition for custody of me."

"That's great!" Shinsou said excitedly. "From what you've told me about him, he sounds like a nice guy, even if you aren't super close, and he'd definitely tell Endeavor to fuck off if he ever tried to come near you."

"But he's only 19. How's he going to be able to do it?"

Shinsou rubbed at the back of his neck, thinking. "Well, most of the year, you're in the dorms. So he'd only really be watching you on breaks. He'd need to have an off campus apartment from his college, but a lot of college students do that. I bet he could make it work."

"I guess so. Hey, I think our time is almost up here. Do you want to go by the library and try to find the picture Mic-sensei was talking about?"

"Sure. I'm pretty curious about it, actually."

--

In the car, while waiting for Sir Nighteye to return, All Might had his phone out. He typed away, squinting down at the small screen. In the backseat, Deku and Toga were looking the cat over, trying to figure out why her tail was crooked.

All Might tucked his phone away as Nighteye got into the car, slamming the door behind him.

"They're going to do a sweep to try to find Dabi," Nighteye said. "For now, let's get these two back to campus. I don't want to deal with any more problems today."

The rest of the ride was quiet, the only sounds being quiet meows from the calico in the backseat. When they pulled on campus, Toga asked to go to the 1-A dorms so that she could ask Koda to talk to the cat and maybe find out what hurt so she could help. All Might agreed and Nighteye grunted, which they took to mean yes, and the four began the walk to the dorm building.

On the way, they heard pounding feet behind them.

Deku spun around just in time to get a face full of purple hair and to be body slammed to the ground.

"Shit! Sorry! You weren't supposed to turn around!" Shinsou said, struggling to get off of Deku. The pair were in a heap on the sidewalk, Deku flat on his back and Shinsou trying to push up off of him. Thankfully, All Might had had the sense to inflate to his full size while walking on campus, so there was no risk of Shinsou finding out his secret.

Todoroki quickly jogged up, a half smile on his face. Hooking an arm around Shinsou's middle, he hefted him off of Deku. He then swooped back down to take Deku's hand and help him to his feet.

"What were you trying to do?" Todoroki asked, almost laughing while he helped Deku to brush himself off.

"I was trying to jump on his back for a piggy back ride. That clearly didn't work."

"Clearly," Deku snorted. "What are you two doing? I thought you were supposed to be on your date?"

"We got done at the cafe and came back here. Stopped by the library for a little bit and then decided to go to the dorms to maybe watch a movie or something."

Deku nodded. "Find anything interesting at the library?"

"Possibly," Todoroki said cryptically, not offering up any more detail.

"As scintillating as this conversation is," Nighteye cut in, eyes narrowed at the group of boys. "We don't have all day."

"Come along!" All Might said, smiling and gesturing with a handful of bags. "To the dorms!"

As they continued their walk, all the boys crowded around Toga, fussing over the cat. Shinsou was especially talkative, rattling off facts about cats and offering up suggestions on how to take care of her. When they reached the 1-A dorm building, All Might pushed the door open and let Nighteye and the children in ahead of him.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to offer to carry the shopping bags to Aizawa's apartment for Deku, a loud and angry voice startled them all.

"You bastard!" Aizawa shouted, lunging up off a nearby couch and making to leap over an arm chair at the group. Vlad King was on his feet within seconds, bear hugging Aizawa from behind and yanking him into his chest. "Let me go!"

"No. Not until I know you won't do something you'll regret."

"That man fucking kidnapped my kid and left him alone long enough for an A-Ranked villain to approach him! How would you feel if Dabi had come up to Toga, huh?"

Vlad's face turned even stonier as he glared over Aizawa's head at Sir Nighteye. "Oh trust me, I know exactly what you are feeling. But if we start turning on each other, the villains win."

"I'm sorry, can we slow down a moment?" All Might said, his eyes flicking from Aizawa, Vlad King, and Nezu, who was perched on another chair, a decidedly disapproving look on his narrow face. "What is going on?"

"You see, All Might," Nezu said, standing and turning his beady gaze onto Sir Nighteye. "Your former sidekick has effectively kidnapped two UA students and made you an accessory in the crime."

"What? No, Mirai said he had spoken to you and that you had agreed that Midoriya and Toga could leave campus."

"We did speak on the matter. But what I told him was that we would take the two off campus in a large group, with other students, and surrounded by UA teachers. This way, they would not stick out as much as if they were two teens alone. Thus, protecting them and their identities while also giving them a chance to explore the world outside of UA. I had said I would discuss it with the two's guardians and that we would plan something perhaps a month or two from now when we were sure we had planned the trip perfectly and ensured all the students' safety. He deliberately ignored me and took both of them off campus, which led to Midoriya being approached by a dangerous criminal that could have possibly severely injured or killed him."

All Might turned to gawk at Sir Nighteye, hurt clear on his face. "Mirai, why would you do that?"

Todoroki had snagged Deku's arm in a painful grasp while Shinsou lashed out to grab his free hand.

"You saw Dabi? Holy shit are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Shinsou babbled looking Deku over for any signs of an injury.

Before either Deku or Nighteye could respond, there was a flash of movement streaking from the kitchen, along with a deafening shriek.

" DJ PUNCH! "

With a loud crack, Mic punched Nighteye across the face with a solid right hook, knocking the taller man flat to the ground.

"Mic!" Vlad shouted while Aizawa grinned.

"What? You thought I was the threat to him?" Aizawa asked, nearly laughing. "It would have been better if I got to him before Zashi."

Mic didn't seem to hear either of them as he swung a kick into Nighteye's side. All Might quickly set the bags in his hands down on a nearby chair and tried to reach out to grab Mic.

He deftly dodged away from All Might.

"I knew something was off, but I still trusted you!" Mic shouted, trying to land a kick to Nighteye's head. "You manipulated Midoriya into agreeing! You used his kind heart against him! How dare you!"

Finally, All Might wrapped a meaty arm around Mic, pinning his arms to his sides and dragging him away from Nighteye. When Deku bent to try to help the man up, Todoroki yanked him backwards, hissing under his breath.

"He's not worth it, Deku,"

"But -"

Nezu interrupted, hopping down from the chair and padding over to stand beside Deku.

"Midoirya, you do see that what he did was wrong, correct?" the principal asked in a firm voice.

"I mean, yeah. But I knew what was going on the whole time. He made a good deal with me, so I didn't see the issue. I didn't get hurt either, so it's fine."

"Just because you can make a deal with someone, doesn't mean you should. Have you ever heard the saying 'making a deal with the devil?'"

"Are you comparing Nighteye to the devil?"

Nezu ignored Deku's comment and pushed on. "When you 'make a deal with the devil,' you may get something that you want, but the cost is so extreme, it almost negates the benefits. I understand you wanted Sir Nighteye on the Endeavor case, but you had to put yourself and Toga in danger to do so. Do you see that?"

Deku shrunk in on himself slightly. "I didn't think Toga was in any danger. Nighteye and All Might were with us. Aren't they supposed to be able to protect us?"

"Yes, but it was still a danger, one that outweighed the benefits. There are other ways to get extra heroes working the Endeavor case besides putting yourself at risk."

"So tell us, Nighteye," Aizawa spat, still being held back by Vlad King. "Why'd you take our kids?"

Nighteye shakily pushed himself off the ground, wiping the blood from his dripping nose. His glasses were shattered, so he pulled them off and tucked them into an inner pocket of his jacket.

"Your kids? I don't remember you adopting them," Nighteye drawled.

Mic glared at him. "We are Midoriya's guardians, soon to be foster parents. Vlad is Toga's as well. So yes, they are our kids. And you kidnapped them."

"I would hardly call it kidnapping."

"You took them under false pretenses and without permission," Vlad snarled, his grip on Aizawa slackening.

All Might was frowning, looking far more upset than any student had seen him be before. "Mirai, this isn't right. Why did you want to take the kids out alone?"

"I needed to speak with Midoriya on a private matter."

Mic started struggling anew in All Might's grasp. "What did you do?! What did you talk to him about?!"

Nezu calmly raised a paw, silencing him. "Midoriya, could you please share with us what you two talked about?"

Deku looked between Nighteye and Nezu for a moment before heaving a sigh. "He wants me to analyze a quirk. They're having issues with it and he thinks I can help."

"I am guessing you are referring to Mirio-kun?" Nezu asked. When Deku nodded, Nezu looked back at Nighteye, expression cold. "I distinctly remember telling you that we would approach Midoriya at a later time about Mirio. Right now, Midoriya is still settling in here at UA and I hardly think he needs the added stress that your request brings."

"He's been here for months! How long does it take for him to settle in?" Nighteye snapped.

"His family passed away," All Might said, sounding hurt. "He's been through a lot since then and has had plenty of hurdles to face since coming to UA. Mirai, I told you that Gran and I could help Mirio."

"Midoriya could do it faster!"

"That's enough!" Nezu said, raising his voice. "Sir Nighteye, I think it is time for you to leave. You will not be invited back on campus until I see an honest change in your behavior."

Nighteye turned to Deku and Toga, a searching, pleading look on his face. Toga barred her fangs, shifting ever so slightly to put herself between Deku and Nighteye. Todoroki's and Shinsou's grips on Deku tightened as Shinsou pressed himself more firmly into Deku's side, towering over the shorter boy in a protective way. Deku kept his eyes cast down, his shoulders hunched and his head hanging low.

With a final sigh, Nighteye stalked off without another word. As the door closed behind him, All Might finally let go of Mic. Quickly, All Might dropped to the ground, kneeling and bowing to the group in the room.

"Please forgive me. If I had had any idea that Mirai had betrayed your trust, I would have refused to take the children off campus. He has been acting a little… off lately. I believe that the stress is getting to him, though that is no excuse. In the future, I will confirm everything before I take any action. I am so sorry that I put Midoriya and Toga in danger and I will strive to do better going forward."

"See that you do," Vlad King growled. "Toga, let's go."

"Wait! We got some stuff for Eri while we were out! Can we give them to her first before I leave?"

With a sigh, Vlad King nodded. Toga squealed excitedly, bouncing in place, making the cat in her arms meow in protest.

"Toga, why don't you go get her? She's with the Big 3 in the apartment," Mic said, smoothing out his clothes, which had been rumpled in his struggle.

Her eyes went round. "Is… is that okay?"

"It's a short walk. I think you can do it alone."

Nodding, she handed the cat off to Deku, who had to struggle out of Shinsou and Todoroki's grasps to take the cat. As Toga scurried off to get the little girl, Shinsou leaned over to gently scratch behind the cat's ear.

"She's a cute little calico," he said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, she's pretty sweet too. She's hurt though and we aren't sure what happened. Toga was hoping that maybe Koda could talk to her and tell us what happened so we could help. I think she is always hoping to take care of the cat herself, but…" Deku trailed off, glancing at Vlad King.

The large man arched one thick eyebrow. "Is she worried I won't approve?"

"Well, growing up she wasn't allowed to have pets because of an incident with a bird when she was really little. And you have a dog, so we thought you probably wouldn't like a cat being around."

"Hmph," Vlad King huffed. "Cats definitely aren't my favorite. But Captain doesn't mind them. As long as Toga takes care of her and the cat doesn't cause any issues, then I will tolerate the little beast."

"Softie," Mic cooed, earning himself a glare from Vlad.

Before an argument could break out, Toga returned with Eri, the two girls holding hands. The Big 3 followed behind, looking at Toga a little warily.

"Toga said you sent her to get Eri?" Mirio said carefully.

"Yep!" Mic said with a smile, "Eri, Midoriya and Toga brought you some gifts from their day out! Do you want to see?"

The little girl nodded, her red eyes lighting up with excitement. Toga hurried over to the bags and began pulling everything out, handing Eri stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, and other toys.

"And this one is a squishy stress ball," Toga explained, holding up the last gift. "It's got a little unicorn on it! We thought that you could carry this and if you are ever nervous or scared, you can squeeze it really really super tight, like you're holding our hands!"

Eri took the ball and gave it a test squeeze, smiling at the way it squished between her little fingers. "I like it!"

"Looks like there are still some things in the bags. Did you two get anything for yourself while you were out?" Aizawa asked, looking between Deku and Toga with a smile.

"I got some earrings! Here I'll show you!" Toga excitedly said, digging into the bag again.

Deku nodded along as she held up the earrings. "I got some stuff."

"You going to show us?"

"No," Deku said, a blush creeping up his neck and staining his cheeks red.

"Alright. I won't make you," Aizawa said, still smiling.

As Toga babbled to Vlad King about how she had made Sir Nighteye and All Might boost her up into a tree to rescue the cat, Eri pulled Deku over to look at her new toys, already making plans for them to play together later that night. The Big 3 were trying to comfort All Might, assuring him that he was still a good hero and that they would help him with becoming a good teacher. Aizawa was inspecting the cat, mumbling to himself about what Vlad was going to need to get. Meanwhile, Mic had slipped over to stand just behind Todoroki and Shinsou, smiling at the way the boys were watching Deku with soft eyes.

"So, did you make a stop at the library?" he asked quietly, careful to make sure no one else heard.

Shinsou nodded. "Who was Shirakumo?"

"Our other boyfriend. He was in the hero course with us."

Todoroki's mouth pulled into a thin line, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as he thought about the full page spread dedicated to Oboro Shirakumo in. The memorial page to him was heartwarming, the main photo in the center being an image of a teen with light blue hair situated between a young Aizawa and Present Mic. Present Mic and Shirakumo were smiling brightly, laughing, while Aizawa had a shyer, but no less happy smile on his face. Shirakumo had his arms thrown around the two shorter boys, pulling them as tightly into his sides as he could. Another photo of the three, tucked down in the corner, had Aizawa in the center of the photo, glaring at the camera while Mic and Shirakumo posed on either side of him, kissing both of his cheeks

"We figured he was your boyfriend," Todoroki said evenly. "What happened to him?"

"He died during our work study. We don't talk about it much, really. But I wanted you two to see that I do know what I'm talking about and that having more than one partner is okay."

Todoroki swallowed thickly. "My dad would hate it. He would hate it if he found out I was dating Hitoshi."

"Good thing your dad doesn't have custody. Now, go on, go play with the cat or something."

It wasn't until late that night that Todoroki and Shinsou found out what Deku had bought while at the market. Both boys had heard a tiny knock at their dorm doors while getting ready for bed. As they opened their doors, they saw small gifts in their doorway. Shinsou found a small, plush cat keychain glaring up at him while Todoroki found a pretty kitsune snowglobe. Ducking back into their dorms, the pair texted each other to thank the other for the gift, only to realize that they didn't give them to one another. Shinsou made the connection first and smiled down at the cat before texting Todoroki again.

' Maybe we do have a shot with Deku, ' he wrote.

Todoroki smiled at the snowglobe, thinking the same.