Chapter Two:

Ten seconds after Shouto experienced the symptoms of first love, someone shouted, "Shouto Todoroki saved us again!" Then his fans stampeded toward him.

Shouto couldn't handle more of that nonsense right now. Grabbing the green-haired boy's wrist, he shouted, "This way!" They ran.

A good distance away, the two of them sat on an outdoor bench. Shouto leaned backward, trying to calm his nerves after his near-brush with death. The presence of a certain cute green-haired boy, so close their shoulders were nearly touching, did not help with his racing pulse and sweating.

Shouto swallowed and tried to speak normally. "I had no idea someone else with such a strong quirk attended this college. What's your name?"

"Name? Oh, I'm Izuku Midoriya." Izuku lowered his head and flushed. He looked adorably shy.

Putting his hands together to stop them from shaking, Shouto tried to summon his calm mask that he used for press conferences. He flashed a charming smile. "Have you ever thought about joining the hero team on the police force?"

…Unfortunately, when Shouto had switched to charm mode, he'd also automatically fallen into recruitment mode. But it wasn't such a bad idea! If Izuku joined the heroes, then Shouto would have many opportunities to get closer to him.

Izuku's head jerked around to stare. "Pardon? Oh, uh, I'm not that great. I don't think it would be possible for me."

"But you were amazing back there!" The air around Shouto heated up in his excitement. "Right now, the heroes need every bit of help we can get. Black Rabbit attacked our school, probably to get at me."

"Black Rabbit?" Izuku looked confused.

Maybe Izuku didn't follow the news much. Shouto explained, "Black Rabbit is a dangerous criminal who tried to kill me three times now. Here, I'll pull up a picture." He typed quickly, then held up his phone to show a photo of the villain in a gas mask.

Izuku turned completely pale. No wonder—of course such a sweet boy would be terrified of a deadly criminal. Izuku whispered, "E-excuse me, did you say this is a picture…of a villain?"

Shouto nodded. "He passed a letter to me saying that he'd kill me. He told me to cherish my life before he came to take it away."

Izuku looked duly horrified at this revelation.

Shouto continued, "This is my first time saying this, but to be honest, I'm scared. Black Rabbit is ridiculously strong. What if I can't win against him? What if civilians die because of my failure? What if I die?" Shouto swallowed. How embarrassing, for the most beloved and strong hero in Musutafu to admit that he was scared of dying. But he was scared. "My father married my mother because she had an ice quirk to match his fire ability. Because Endeavor faced many villains who he could not defeat in the early days of his career, he wanted to produce powerful children who would be able to stand up to any villain. I was his first successful experiment. Ever since I was a child, my father always told me that Japan—no, the world—was counting on me to win. If I die, then what happens to everyone else?" Shouto's voice choked.

Izuku swallowed. "Todoroki—"

"We're the same age. Please, call me Shouto."

Izuku's eyes sparkled, then he looked away. His voice became even more nervous. "I'm sorry. I don't think it was right for your father to give you a job before you were even born. My parents have never pressured me to join the family business. You definitely don't have to fight alone. Wait, more importantly, you don't have to fight at all because Black Rabbit is not—"

"You're bleeding!" Shouto cried, noticing the trickle of blood dripping down Izuku's cheek. He pulled out a black-and-white plaid handkerchief. "Please take this." He searched his pockets. "If only I had a Band-Aid."

"Thank you." Izuku's cheeks turned as red as his blood.

Shouto touched his chin. "Hmm, what power did you use to appear in front of me? It looked like teleportation, like how Black Rabbit—"

"Superspeed!" Izuku leapt to his feet. "I have superspeed! That's how I destroyed the building too, I just kept hitting it super fast."

Shouto nodded. "That makes sense." It would be very unusual for another person to have two abilities, like him and Black Rabbit. As Izuku sat down again, Shouto said, "It's been a long time since I talked to someone so comfortably."

Izuku asked, "Don't you have a lot of friends? And a lot of fans."

Shouto shook his head. "I was always too busy with training for friends. And I can't talk like this in front of my fans. They expect me to be perfect, like my father."

Izuku's shoulders sagged. "That's tough. But we could be friends—" His phone rang. "Ah! It's Dad!"

"I've taken up too much of your time," Shouto said, standing up. He needed to report back to his father and clean up the mess left by Black Rabbit's attack. "It was nice to meet you. See you again, Izuku."

Izuku's answering smile was brilliant.

While Izuku was still in a state of shock that he'd had a conversation with the Shouto Todoroki, he let his phone ring so long that he missed the call from Hisashi. And his phone battery was too low to call back. Afraid his parents would worry, Izuku hurried home. Bad things happened when his dad got worried.

His head was a jumble of thoughts. Shouto thought that Izuku was a villain? How on earth had his attempt to confess gone so terribly wrong? His letter must have gotten wet in the rain until it had been illegible.

Come to think of it, Izuku's early encounters with Shouto had involved some grabbing and quirks activating. But Izuku had just thought that was normal. His fathers flirted by attacking each other all the time. Even the occasional murder attempt was playful. That was how people with strong quirks showed them off.

Izuku had nearly told Shouto the truth. He didn't want his crush to be scared for no reason. But now, clutching the handkerchief to his chest, Izuku couldn't bring himself to ruin their precious encounter. Izuku didn't even want Shouto to find out that he was a fan. Fans seemed to be treated as a nuisance. Since meeting Shouto in-person, Izuku had gotten a little bit greedier. He wanted his crush to keep smiling at him.

As soon as Izuku left, Shouto had many regrets. How could he have blabbed all his family background and insecurities to a stranger? His ears flushed just remembering. But Izuku had been so kind. And adorable. And brave. Shouto was embarrassed, but also a little happy.

A stream of angry texts from his father made Shouto turn and run for the heroes' headquarters.

He arrived to find the building devastated. Cementoss was on the scene, working on repairs. The entire back wall was missing. Wait—had Black Rabbit thrown the wall at the school? What a bold criminal! This must be a declaration of war!

As Shouto made his way across the wreckage, Katsuki intercepted him first. "Half and Half bastard, you're all over the news. Your videos got more likes than me, again." His eyes narrowed. "Funny, because you're clearly not the one who stopped the rubble from hitting the school." He held up a picture on his phone. "Not a trace of fire or ice here. Spill."

Shouto looked away. "No, no, it was me." He couldn't reveal Izuku's powers without permission. Society had a lot of prejudice. If Shouto had never heard of someone else his age with such a strong power, there was a good chance that Izuku was hiding it. Also, it was illegal for anyone with powers to use them unless they were part of the hero division of the police. Izuku might get forgiven because it had been an emergency—or Enji might use it as an excuse to force him to join the police. There was a lot of pressure for people with strong powers to become heroes whether they wanted to or not. Shouto did want to become comrades with Izuku, but only if that was what Izuku wanted too. Until then, he would keep this secret.

Katsuki bellowed, "Like hell! Tell me the truth, right now!"

"My father is calling me, gotta run!" Shouto shot away, using ice under his feet to increase his speed.

His heart felt a bit lighter, after meeting Izuku. There was someone else as strong as Shouto, therefore Japan wouldn't be hopeless if Shouto fell. Come to think of it, Shouto never got Izuku's phone number.

Enji met his son in a temporary office, since Cementoss said that headquarters wouldn't be repaired anytime soon. The basement room was mostly undamaged except for some dirt on the stairs. It was serviceable, with cement walls and a cool temperature that did not bother Enji who had his flames. He'd hauled his desk downstairs. A single lightbulb swung on a chain overhead.

"Sir, I must report that it was not me who stopped the damage to the school." Shouto stood sharply at attention, formal even with his father while at work. "The student in question prefers to remain anonymous. However, I would like to highly recommend that person for the hero task force. Would you be willing to negotiate a starting bonus?"

Enji froze in horror. No ordinary person could have stopped the Disaster Trio's attack. In a world where powers were rare, the odds were astronomically low of another strong young adult besides his son and the villains' child. Enji's entire family existed because he believed that only people with strong abilities could produce children with the same, so he did not hesitate to leap to conclusions.

Placing both hands on Shouto's shoulders, Enji said, "Absolutely not. Stay away from that person."

"Excuse me? Regardless of if you can afford a recruiting bonus or not, we're already friends." Pink tinged Shouto's cheeks and a dash of flame crept from behind his ear like a flower.

Unfortunately, Enji knew exactly what feeling that particular manifestation of flame meant—and it wasn't friendship! The Todoroki family curse had struck again. His son had fallen in love with Black Rabbit.

Unwillingly, Enji remembered the first time he'd met Empress Inko, the dark queen of the villains. In those days, powered heroes had still been largely loathed by the police, and he'd been called in as a last resort after Inko had trashed a military base. When he'd arrived, she'd been perched atop a pile of wrecked tanks like an angel on a Christmas tree. Her feet had been bare and her green hair had hung in wild tangles around her face. She'd leapt down, landing right next to him. Then with a mischievous smile, she'd flicked him on the forehead, sending him flying halfway across Japan.

Enji had woken up with little flames dancing around his head. He still maintained that if he hadn't lost control of his fire at the sight of her beauty, he would have been able to arrest her. That was his story and he was sticking to it.

Shouto had clearly inherited his father's deadly attraction to villains. But how would the Disaster Trio react to a hero chasing after their son? Enji was certain that Shouto would end up a red splat on the pavement. Gripping his son's shoulders more tightly, Enji said, "You're confusing fear with love. Trust me, I would know."

The fire rose up hotter around Shouto. "L-love? Who said anything about love? Just because I admire that person and want to get closer to them doesn't mean…l-love…"

"Never speak to that person again," Enji ordered.

Shouto threw off his father's hands. "What business is it of yours? Why are you being like this? You always told me to recruit strong heroes. I had to go on so many television shows reciting your script about the duty of quirked people to help Japan."

Enji exhaled a puff of smoke. "Shouto, this is about your life."

"Yeah, you're trying to control my life, like usual!"

"You don't understand." And Enji didn't dare reveal what he'd guessed, for free of bringing down the Disaster Trio's wrath. They'd warned him quite clearly to never, ever touch their child. And someone like All for One only delivered one warning.

Enji had been at the Diet Building the day that All for One and Empress Inko had battled for control of Japan. He'd been ordered to kill them both while they were distracted with each other, but he hadn't even been able to get close to the dizzying whirlwind. Entire buildings had been ripped out of the ground and tossed like projectiles. All for One's punches had each possessed the force of a tornado. His arm had swelled up and millions of quirks had jutted out from under his skin.

Just briefly, Enji had fought his way close enough to see the tail of All for One's black coat waving in the wind. The King of the Underworld had stood in a crater of his own making. Lightning crackled, highlighting his red eyes. He'd been beautiful and terrible.

All for One had glanced at Enji, briefly, then looked away as if Enji hadn't even mattered in this fight. It had twisted a knife deep in Enji's heart, a mixture of jealousy and loathing and something covetous. In that moment, Enji had wanted more than anything for All for One to look at him the way the villain looked at Inko. So Enji had broken free of his paralysis to charge—and then All for One had punched him all the way across Japan.

Years later, Enji had mostly convinced himself that he'd only been jealous of All for One's coat and definitely never thought the villain had looked good in it. However, now Enji would tap into those memories to try to understand his son—and get through to the boy before he got himself killed.

Enji cleared his throat. "Shouto, I understand there's a certain appeal to a dangerous, seductive villain. Trust me, I understand. The appeal seems to run in the family. But ultimately, it's only a mirage brought on by adrenaline. Those types will throw you away—throw you so far you land in the ocean, sometimes."

Shouto stared with a mixture of disgust and incomprehension. "Sir. Dad. What the hell are you talking about? My type is sweet, shy people with hearts full of kindness." Shouto's eyes glazed over as he imagined his crush. "N-not that I'm thinking of anyone in particular."

Oh, no! Black Rabbit must be a deceptive type of villain pretending to be innocent! All Smite had been like that, so good at convincing the masses that he was a hero even though he was nothing but another vile villain. Enji had always hated how the public had worshipped All Smite even more than Endeavor, the hero protecting them.

Sure, sometimes All Smite would carry out vigilante deeds to improve his publicity. But All Smite had also stolen the addresses of every Diet member who'd voted in favor of a mandatory draft for people with quirks, then hunted them down and threatened them individually.

Enji had confronted All Smite outside the Prime Minister's house, pleading, "This isn't the right away! If we all cooperate with the law, then we can change public opinion about people with quirks. I know you have good intentions. You could join our side and become a hero."

All Smite had leaned forward, and unlike the other two top villains, he looked straight into Enji's eyes. It had felt intoxicating, being noticed by that massive amount of power contained in a single man. All Smite had shaken his head sadly. "If I gave them my power, then the people in charge of this country would only become convinced they'd done the right thing in taking away our rights. It would be rewarding them for bigotry. But I'm glad that at least you got to fulfil your dream of becoming a hero, Enji. If you keep working on public perception, and I remind the politicians why they'd better not push us too far, then perhaps together we can change this country." All Smite had smiled.

Enji had raised his fist, about to strike, but in that moment, he'd been unable to attack. Even today, Enji did not like to examine what he'd felt back then. It would be easier to convince himself that he'd only hesitated because of another fleeting moment of attraction brought on by the suspension bridge effect. Not because, for one moment, Enji had wondered if All Smite might be right.

Then during Enji's hesitation, All Smite had flung him into the air. Enji did not appreciate that he'd landed on a bouncy castle for a soft landing for once. This just proved that All Smite did not take him seriously as a rival.

Stupid All Smite and his stupid grin had tricked Enji and prevented him from carrying out his duty! Now All Smite's charming, seductive brat was working the same wicked wiles on Enji's son!

Pressing their faces close, Enji growled, "I'm your father, and I said no! That child is dangerous, and you will not spend any more time with him, and you will definitely not invite him to become a hero."

Shouto didn't back down, leaning so close their noses nearly touched and spitting, "No matter how much you disapprove, I'll offer Iz—that person a chance to join the heroes. He has the talent to deserve a spot if he wants one. Why do you always act like everyone with powers who didn't run to become a hero before even graduating high school must be a criminal? The draft was repealed!"

"Only because All Smite threatened he'd come back if anyone ever tried that again!" Enji bellowed.

"Yeah, and I think he was right to do that! No one should be forced into this dangerous job. I'll be strong enough that I can take care of all the criminals myself, so no one has to be drafted." Shouto scowled. "Is it so wrong that I want to make one friend to help me? Maybe he wouldn't want to be dragged into this mess, but I'll at least give him a choice, which is more than you ever gave me." Then Shouto stormed out.

Enji stared after with his jaw hanging open. He'd fought with his son before, but Shouto had never defied him like this. That villain's child was a bad influence already!

After teleporting, Izuku took a moment to steel his nerves. Then he pushed open his front door. "I'm back. I hope I didn't make you worry."

Hisashi ran forward and hugged his son. "Ducky! You became a villain! I'm so proud of you!"

Izuku stiffened. "How did you know about that before I did?"

"You left your mask lying around, dear." Inko held up the gas mask. "I think you can do better for your costume. Let me dig up the business card of my old dressmaker."

Toshinori wrung his hands. "I would support you in anything you want to do, but are you sure of this? Once you have a criminal record, it will follow you for the rest of your life and limit your options. The police have gotten much better at tracking people these days with facial recognition programs and public cameras."

Inko raised her eyes to the heavens. "Our son would be perfectly safe from all retaliation if he was prince of Japan right now, which would be possible if some people had kept to their own business."

Izuku shouted, "I'm not a villain!" His voice trailed off. "It's all a misunderstanding…the death threat was supposed to be a love letter…" Belatedly, he clamped his hands over his mouth.

Red, green, and blue eyes turned on Izuku with identical alertness. Inko tapped her chin. "The youngest Todoroki boy, huh? He's pretty, at least."

Izuku scuffed his feet on the carpet. "I doubt he'll want anything to do with me if he ever finds out I accidentally became a villain."

Toshinori snatched the mask. "I'll declare myself to be Black Rabbit to save your good name!"

Izuku ran after, shouting, "Papa, you're too big to wear my costume! Stop!" He successfully dragged his father away from the door.

Hisashi slung an arm over Izuku's shoulder. "Todorokis are all a bunch of masochists. If you beat this boy up a few times, then he'll fall in love with you."

Izuku squeaked. That couldn't be true, right?

Inko grumbled, "If some people hadn't ended my career as empress of Japan then I could have the boy brought to you in chains."

Hisashi shrugged. "We could still do that."

"Don't you dare!" Izuku screamed, his face bright red. "Stop it, you're all embarrassing me!"

"Sorry," Toshinori said, taking off the mask. "We only want you to be happy."

"Ah, first love!" Inko's gaze became distant. "Very well, I won't let your fathers interfere in your love life. Of course, if this boy ever hurts you then I'll rip out his heart and crush it while he watches in terror."

Hisashi said, "I'll sink Japan into the ocean if anyone ever lays a finger on you."

"Papa, you'll stop them, won't you?" Izuku made pleading eyes at Toshinori, the only sane one.

Calmly, Toshinori said, "If anything ever happened to you, I would burn down Japan alongside them."

Izuku groaned. Involuntarily, his hand crept to the Band-Aid recently added to his cheek.

All three of his parents noticed. They sprang around him.

"What happened to you?" Inko gasped.

"My poor ducky, let me heal you." Hisashi touched the injury, and it vanished. "Now I must murder whoever hurt you."

"Not if I get there first." Toshinori was headed for the door again.

Actually it might not be a bad idea to get rid of the Black Rabbit impersonator framing him for more crimes. Izuku said, "It was whoever threw a wall at my college."

All three of his parents froze with sheepish expressions.

Izuku stared wearily. "…It was you three, wasn't it?"

They coughed and elbowed each other. Toshinori said, "I mostly blame Hisashi."

"Hey, it was your idea to hunt down Enji," Hisashi grumbled.

Inko said, "We won't pester the head of the heroes again, as long as he stays away from you."

Toshinori added, "Unless you're in danger, we'll let you sort it out with the Todoroki boy. Of course you can always come to use for help."

"I thought you'd be more upset about that," Izuku mumbled. "At the least, I thought Dad wouldn't want me dating a hero."

Hisashi snorted. "None of us here have any right to ban you from dating the enemy. We all understand the appeal." He winked. To Izuku's mild horror, Toshinori and Inko both blushed.

"We're not enemies," Izuku insisted. "It's all a big misunderstanding. I'll find a way to straighten it out."

Inko sighed and placed a hand on her chest. "Ah, the thrill of battle and the heart-pumping adrenaline! It sets the perfect mood for romance."

Toshinori tucked back a lock of Hisashi's hair. "I remember the precise moment when I realized that I couldn't rip off your beautiful face."

"You and that quirk of yours will always be my weakness," Hisashi purred.

Inko stood on her tip-toes and slung an arm around both of them. "As if you boys would ever have gotten past making eyes and aggressively ripping off each other's clothes without me."

In a practiced motion, both men leaned down and kissed her on either cheek. Hisashi whispered, "I was certain you just wanted to rip out my organs the first time you lured me into a bed, and I was right, but it was worth it."

"Oh my god!" Izuku shrieked. "You three are so embarrassing! If you're going to get lovey-dovey, then do it outside my apartment." He shoved them out the door.

Hisashi, Inko, and Toshinori went willingly—only to open the door of the neighboring apartment.

"What are you doing?" Izuku demanded. "You'd better not be committing breaking in and entering against my neighbors!"

Inko said, "Nonsense, this is our apartment now. We paid five years' rent to persuade the previous inhabitants to move quickly."

Hisashi winked. "Now that you're debuting as a villain, we've got to keep an eye on our little ducky."

Toshinori waved. "You're welcome to come over for dinner."

Slamming his door shut, Izuku collapsed with a moan. This had been the most ridiculous day ever.

But he'd gotten to talk to Shouto. A small smile formed on Izuku's lips.

Dabi had planned his revenge for an entire decade. As a child, Touya Todoroki had burned alive trying desperately to prove himself to his father. A mysterious man had picked him up and taken him back to a laboratory for healing. When Dabi had awoken from his coma, he'd learned that All for One had saved him as a part of a scheme against his father. But over the years, All for One had retired as a villain and no longer had any use for him. Booted out on the streets, Dabi had plotted revenge on his own. He'd taken dance classes and prepared his monologue. Now Dabi would debut as a villain—by killing the younger brother who had replaced him!

Naïve, foolish Shouto was walking down the street, not even in his uniform, probably relaxing and having fun. Their dad had never let Dabi relax. His fingers twisted into angry claws.

Striking a pose on the roof, Dabi declared, "Shouto Todoroki, I'm Dabi! Remember that name. I've returned from hell to kill you!" Blue flames danced around his body.

Below, Shouto kept walking. Apparently he'd been too far away to hear.

Behind Dabi, a deadly voice growled, "I won't let you kill Shouto!"

Dabi turned around to see the infamous Black Rabbit. Ha, taking down another more renowned villain would raise his reputation! Dabi raised a hand, shooting blue fire.

Black Rabbit moved in a blur, kicking Dabi off the roof.

Izuku was following Shouto around, which he'd done a lot lately—but not because he was a stalker! He had a good reason! Izuku planned to wait for a crime to occur, then help Shouto. That way Shouto would see that Black Rabbit was actually a good guy. After restoring Black Rabbit's reputation, Izuku could admit his identity to Shouto, but only after ensuring that he wouldn't be arrested, or worse, hated by Shouto.

Today was a lucky day. Izuku had found a villain who wanted to kill Shouto for real. This would be Izuku's first true fight. He became nervous when the blue flames came toward him, so he moved as fast as he could and kicked the villain off the roof.

Dabi dropped like a stone. Huh, that had been easy. Maybe Izuku had struck a bit too hard? He'd been very angry by the villain's threat toward Shouto.

Izuku teleported down from the roof. Dabi lay on the ground, moaning. His legs looked broken. At least he was alive. Izuku paled under his gas mask. He'd never wanted to kill anyone. "Ah! Ambulance, I have to call an ambulance."

Someone on the street pointed. "Black Rabbit just murdered someone!"

"No, no, he's alive!" Izuku shouted. "Please call an ambulance. I mean, this man is a criminal. Call the police too."

No one seemed to be listening. Instead, everyone fled, shouting, "Villain attack!"

Shouto Todoroki swept down the street, ice gliding under his feet. "Black Rabbit, release your hostage at once. Your target is me!"

Oh no, this was all another misunderstanding! Izuku didn't dare speak, because Shouto might recognize his voice. Nor did he dare let Shouto get within attacking range of an assassin. Even if Dabi was injured, he might still be able to throw fire. Izuku stepped between them, typing a message on his phone.

Shouto lunged, grabbing Izuku's wrist. Izuku froze, blushing. This grip was exactly how Papa grabbed Dad during their play fights. This boldness…it was too much for his heart…

Taking advantage of this hesitation, Shouto threw Izuku aside. Then Shouto scooped up Dabi in a princess carry. "The hostage is secure! You're safe now, sir."

Semiconscious, Dabi moaned, "Don't you dare save me."

Shouto gasped. "You're telling me not to worry about you and take care of the villain first? Sir, you have such a noble heart! Fear not, I'll protect you and still defeat Black Rabbit."

Izuku held up his phone, with a message: This man wants to kill you.

Shouto glared ferociously. "Yes, I already know that you want me dead. It's old news."

Izuku wanted to cry. Somehow, Shouto must have misunderstood who "this man" referred to. Izuku tried again, typing into his phone: I protected you from a villain who wants you dead.

Shouto's eyes narrowed. "I see. You're saying that you're the only one allowed to kill me."

Izuku frantically typed in his phone. An ambulance pulled up, sirens wailing. Shouto shot over to drop off Dabi inside, then shot back.

Before Izuku could finish typing his longer explanation, a police helicopter arrived. From a loudspeaker, a female voice shouted, "Drop your weapon and surrender, Black Rabbit!"

But Izuku didn't even have a weapon! Did they mean his phone? Izuku tucked away his phone just to make sure there were no misunderstandings.

A woman wearing a police uniform dropped from the sky. From her white hair with red streaks, Izuku recognized Fuyumi Todoroki. She slid down a pillar of ice to land besides her brother. Raising her fists, she said, "We can take him together, Shouto."

Izuku realized this situation had spun badly out of control again. He teleported away.

Back in his apartment, Izuku wondered how it had all gone so wrong. Should he keep trying to do good deeds? Or would no one believe him now he'd been labeled a villain? But what about the assassin after Shouto? Izuku was the only person who knew about the real killer still at large. He had to protect Shouto!

Late at night, Izuku tossed and turned.

Izuku arrived at school the next day with baggy eyes. He'd barely slept, but he was determined to come to school so he could return Shouto's handkerchief.

Throughout his morning class, Izuku yawned. He was taking a very difficult physics course as part of his quirk studies major.

In the hallway, Izuku heard whispers that Shouto Todoroki had come to school again. As usual, there was a huge crowd around the celebrity. This time, Izuku refused to be intimidated. He pushed and shoved his way through, despite several people protesting. "Shouto! It's Izuku, I have your handkerchief!"

A young man with glasses and a badge claiming to be the Shouto Todoroki Fanclub President grabbed the back of Izuku's shirt. "How dare you steal our idol's handkerchief?"

"I didn't steal anything! Let me go!" Izuku struggled free and fought through the crowd. "This is for you!" As he held out the handkerchief, he slammed into someone.

Izuku landed on his bottom with his arm extended. He looked up at a purple-haired college student with huge bags under his eyes. Izuku vaguely remembered him from his Support Gear Studies class: Hitoshi Shinsou.

"Thanks." Hitoshi took the outstretched handkerchief, blew his nose with it, then walked away.

"Wait," Izuku cried, but his voice was lost among the crowd. When he saw that the fanclub president had rallied the other members to chase him, Izuku ran.

Shouto had finally lost his admirers by fleeing outside. Yet he still felt a prickling on his back. Whirling around, Shouto pushed aside the bushes. "Who's there?"

Wide green eyes looked up at him. Izuku appeared on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry I startled you." Shouto stepped back. "What are you doing there?"

Izuku swallowed. "I was looking from you…then I hid from your fanclub…"

Shouto winced. "Yeah, they can be extreme."

Looking down, Izuku whispered, "Can I buy you a new handkerchief?"

Waving his hands, Shouto said, "Oh, you don't need to return that."

"But I did bring it. I washed it and…" Izuku flinched. "I lost it." For a brief moment, something scary flashed across his face. Then it was gone and Izuku once again gazed up at Shouto with doe-like, teary eyes.

Hastening to be reassuring, Shouto said, "I don't mind at all. I'm sorry you had to fight your way through my fanclub. Next time you can call me—oh, wait, I haven't given you my number yet." He held out his phone.

When Izuku hesitated, Shouto wondered if he'd been too bold. Then Izuku smiled and they swapped phones to add their numbers. Izuku had a very cute, shy smile that made dimples appear on his cheeks. He seemed like a cute chipmunk or a loveable rabbit—nothing like that terrifying Black Rabbit, of course.

Shouto said, "If you ever want to join the hero team, then I'd be happy to recommend you. I'll even negotiate a starting bonus. Ah, but you don't have to. I won't tell anyone about your quirk. I know there's a lot of pressure on people with powers to join us. Still, your speed would be invaluable to catch Black Rabbit."

Izuku had started to smile, but now wilted. "Y-you really want to catch Black Rabbit, huh?"

Shouto nodded. "He's grown bolder. Yesterday, he broke both legs of an innocent civilian. Attacking me is one thing, but I can't forgive him for taking hostages!" Shouto clenched a fist.

Izuku hung his head. Perhaps this was too scary to talk about with an ordinary person.

Katsuki ran down the pathway, waving. "Hey, check out the latest comments online! You're in trouble, Half and Half. It looks like some of your fans are abandoning you after you failed to catch Black Rabbit again. Heh, there's even one person who says I could have done it if I'd been there."

Izuku's eyes narrowed. As Katsuki approached, Izuku hip-checked him.

"Ah!" Katsuki yelped, nearly falling over.

Izuku vanished. He was adorably shy.

Shouto glared. "Bakugo, be more careful! With your strength, you can't run into civilians."

"The hell? I think that bastard broke two of my ribs!" Katsuki rubbed his side.

"How dare you?" Shouto drew himself up. "No excuses! Don't expect me to believe such a sweet, harmless angel hurt you."

"Of course I wasn't hurt!" Katsuki shouted back, the conversation quickly dissolving into a screaming match.

That night, Izuku slipped outside in costume. He teleported around the city, looking for Shouto who often had late night patrols. Then Izuku followed Shouto, staying out of sight. Although Dabi had broken his legs, Izuku was still a little worried about another assassination attempt. What if Dabi was part of a team?

What should Izuku do? No matter how he tried to clear the misunderstanding with Shouto, he only seemed to make it worse. He'd been typecast as a villain and everything he did got misinterpreted. Should he throw away the mask and hope no one ever found out? But then Izuku remembered Shouto being blamed by people online for not catching Black Rabbit. How could he let his hero face censure?

Lost in his thoughts, Izuku tripped on a trash can. He hastily righted it and put the trash back in. There was a banana peel stuck on his mask, so Izuku took off the mask to clean it off.

"Black Rabbit?" Hitoshi Shinsou stood in the entrance to the alleyway, wearing pajamas. He pointed. "Izuku Midoriya?"

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: If Shouto Knew About the Crushes

Shouto: Dad, I can understand Empress Inko and All Smite, but you had a crush on All for One?

Enji: No, I had a crush on the coat!

Shouto: Oh, well, I can't blame you for that. Mmm, Izuku wearing the coat…

Author's Note: FYI, I've written a new collaboration with RianMoeru on Archive of Our Own. My handle there is katydid.

Title: The Ascendance of Humanity

Summary: Izuku Midoriya's father is always too busy to spend time with him, until Hisashi gifts his son with a virtual reality headset for his birthday. Within the safety of the virtual world, Izuku can become the hero he's always wanted to be and help people, even if they're only NPCs. Going on fantastical adventures with his father is a welcomed reprieve to the constant bullying he faces in middle school, and the increasingly worrying news reports about missing people.

At least he doesn't have to worry about such things in the game…right?