"I know you hate going over there, but I really need your help." Fuyumi's voice comes in and out of clarity over the phone. She sounds frazzled and out of breath. "I would go myself, but I still have parent-teacher conferences scheduled for the next hour."

Natsuo pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Why'd he take her with him, anyway? Isn't that why he hired a nanny?"

"Haru-chan wanted to go as a reward for passing her test."

"Of course she did." Natsuo sighs "I can watch her for a couple hours, but then I've got to head to my next class. Will you be done by then?"

"Yes! Natsuo, you're a lifesaver! My next meeting is about to start, so I'll text you the address Dad left her at."

"Wait, he's not even with her!?"

"There was an emergency call. He promised he left her in capable hands, though!"

"If he left her with Burnin again, I'll kidnap Chiharu and move to the countryside."

"He learned his lesson after last time, I'm sure. I've really got to go, Natsuo. I'll see you later!"

With that, Fuyumi hangs up. A few seconds later, she sends the address as promised. He goes through the motions of leaving the house; packing his bag, filling his water bottle, putting on his shoes, and grabbing his keys and wallet. He does it the same way every day, a comforting routine that offers some semblance of peace in an environment that only becomes more suffocating with each passing second.

And finally, every day, Natsuo Todoroki passes the shrine of his dead brothers on his way out the door: Touya, who he loved more than anything, and Shouto, who he refused to love at all.

It felt like a betrayal to care for Touya's replacement, not while his older brother cried on Natsuo's shoulder. Not while Natsuo helped bandage Touya's scorched flesh. Not while Natsuo was the only person in their godforsaken house who put Touya first.

Their father isolated Shouto from them, anyway; how could Natsuo possibly love a stranger?

And after Touya died, resenting his younger brother became one of Natsuo's coping mechanisms. It was easier to despise his father and his favorite son, to focus on that cold, seething hatred than the empty black hole in his chest threatening to consume him every time he so much as glanced at Touya's bedroom door.

But Shouto had never deserved Natsuo's ire, and it faded into a soft regret after their mother poured boiling water over his face.

He'll never forget his younger brother's shrill scream, so loud it brought Natsuo running from outside. He was the first one there. The first one to witness his mother leaning over a sobbing Shouto, babbling apologies even as the empty kettle was still in her hand.

And when she noticed Natsuo, she threw it at him.

"STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM US, YOU MONSTER!"

Natsuo didn't leave, even though his mother screamed and cursed at him, because Shouto was still lying on the floor; his howling cries had turned into soft whimpers. He needed immediate help. And Natsuo had experience treating burns.

"I'm not Him !" Natsuo yelled, pushing past his mother to get to his brother.

It was bad. It was a large section, and the boiling water had burned through multiple layers of skin. Still, Natsuo had seen worse.

He lifted Shouto to rest against his chest and tilted his head back to lean on Natsuo's shoulder. He activated his Quirk, hovering his hand over Shouto's eye; weaker than all his siblings, the only use Natsuo had ever found for his Ice was its ability to soothe without damaging the skin further.

Shouto whimpered and lifted a warm hand to touch Natsuo's cheek.

"What have I done?" Their mother whispered, resting her head on Natsuo's free shoulder. It seemed she'd finally recognized him as her son and not her husband. She trembled as tears flowed down her face, hazy eyes locked on Shouto. "Oh Natsuo, what have I done?"

That's how Fuyumi found them not even a minute later, having run from the other side of the house at Shouto's scream. She was the one to call an ambulance.

"The doctors said it would have been worse had you not acted so quickly." Their father said after returning from the hospital. "Shouto still has his sight because of you both."

Then he patted Fuyumi and Natsuo on the head once each, and went to his room. It was the first (and only) time his father had ever acknowledged Natsuo, and he hated the warm pride the measly words ignited in him.

Shouto came home a few days later, a bandage around his eye and seemingly no memory of Natsuo's help. Their father only isolated him more, now that their mother wasn't there to advocate for contact. With Touya's ghost heavy on his shoulders, Natsuo still couldn't bring himself to love Shouto.

But he couldn't hate him, either.

When Shouto was kidnapped, Natsuo didn't cry. It didn't feel real those first few days, even with Heros and the police waltzing in and out of their house at all hours of the day. Fuyumi did her best to play hostess, offering refreshments and making anyone who looked slightly weary sit, jumping at any opportunity to be useful.

Once, walking past her room at night, Natsuo heard her muffled sobbing, calling out their brothers' names. He felt an echoing pang of misery in his chest, but quickly bit his tongue to stop the telltale sting in his eyes. He avoided the area around Fuyumi's room after that.

To Fuyumi's credit, she was right; Endeavor did not leave Chiharu with Burnin.

He chose someone worse.

In a small cafe near the Endeavor Agency, popular with Sidekicks for its discretion and tinted windows, Natsuo finds his little sister sipping hot chocolate beside the Wing Hero himself.

"Nii-chan!" The girl nearly falls out of her chair upon seeing him, and it's only Hawk's quick reflexes that keep her from needing a trip to the hospital.

"Woah there, Chibiroki! Let's wait for Nii-chan to come to us, alright?" The Number Three Hero shoots Natsuo his easy smile, the kind he reserves for magazine covers and news broadcasts.

Even here, in civilian clothes with only two servers in the building, Hawks puts on a show.

Why can't you be real in public?

Natsuo swallows his bitter feelings; now is not the time or place to rehash that argument. He joins them at their table, letting Chiharu crawl into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. Hawks slides a coffee cup towards him. Their fingers brush as Natsuo takes it; Hawks' scarred skin is calloused but warm. Conscious of his freezing hands, Natsuo pulls away first.

"How'd you get roped into babysitting duty?" Natsuo takes a sip of his coffee. (Black with just a splash of milk. Just the way he likes it.)

"I had to consult with Endeavor on a case I'm following." Hawks shrugs. "I was kind of the only option when he got the call. I don't mind though, since it let me see my favorite Todoroki."

Chiharu lifts her head from Natsuo's shoulder just enough to pout at the Hero.

"You said I'm your favorite Todoroki."

"You're my favorite little Todoroki." Hawks gives that same plastic smile and reaches out to pat Chiharu's head. "Natsuo's my favorite grown up Todoroki." He winks.

Liar. Natsuo thinks, refusing to let his cheeks heat. You chose your favorite long before you met me.

"I have class soon. We need to head back." Natsuo stands, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few bills on the table to pay Hawks back for the coffee. The Hero frowns at the money.

"There's no need to do that, you know." Hawks leaves the money where it is as he stands to escort them out the door. It can serve as a tip then. "I always pay for my friends." He waves to the girl at the cash register, and she turns bright red. Natsuo clenches his jaw.

"We're not 'friends.'" He snaps through gritted teeth.

Hawks remains unfazed, and once more gives that same practiced smile. His eyes, however, are softer than before.

"I know." He reaches out, and lightly taps the back of Natsuo's wrist, voice quiet and apologetic and more real. A bit of Natsuo's tension drains. "I'll text you later, alright?"

"Alright."

It ended up falling on Natsuo, to be the one to tell their mother Shouto was gone. She barely reacted, avoiding looking at Natsuo's face the way she was wont to do on bad days. (Sometimes, she refused to let him visit at all.) It was only after he left, closing the door behind him, that he heard her wail like a dying fox. His nails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood as he forced himself to walk away. She would not welcome comfort from him, anyway.

Natsuo stared at himself in the mirror when he returned home.

"You look the most like Dad." Touya told him once, a warm hand on Natsuo's cheek. "If you had a Fire Quirk, you'd be his favorite."

"I don't want to be his favorite." Natsuo pouted.

Touya laughed, but they both knew why Natsuo said that.

You'd hate me if I was.

He started bleaching the red from his hair, but there wasn't much else to be done about the man he was growing to look like more and more each day.

He could only be grateful his eyes were gray.

The day they pretended to bury Shouto, Natsuo wondered what the point was. Without a body, weren't they just taking up a plot of land that could be used for someone else? They hadn't bothered to do the same for Touya.

But Touya had never made it onto the news, either. Even now, no one spoke about Endeavor's first dead kid. Natsuo didn't know if that was his father's doing or not.

The news reporters kept their distance from the mock funeral, but didn't hesitate to zoom in on their faces as they left the cemetery. They especially lingered on Fuyumi, who was pretty and gave them a show of emotion that brought views. In the past, Endeavor had always been careful to keep their family out of the spotlight, most likely to keep people from asking uncomfortable questions. Shouto's disappearance painted a poor picture for the Number Two Hero, though, so he paraded them around as if they somehow proved he wasn't a negligent parent.

"In the face of adversity, we must present a united front." Endeavor had said.

Natsuo only agreed for Fuyumi's sake.

Playing the role of a dutiful son, he stood behind their father as he spoke to the press; Endeavor thanked the police officers and other Heros for working on Shouto's case, and vowed to continue the search for Shouto's killer. In the crowd, the families of the Six Lost Boys leaned on one another for support, photos of their sons' clutched tight. A few of the cameras turned away from the Todorokis to capture them.

Inexplicably, Natsuo was suddenly furious. Today was about Shouto. The nation had mourned each of the other boys. Now it was Shouto's turn. Or was his younger brother to be treated as a pawn in someone else's agenda, even in death? It was so unfair that Natsuo wanted to scream.

Fuyumi gripped Natsuo's arm and gently, slowly unclenched his fist with shaking fingers. She traced over the crescent moon cuts left by his nails, her tears still flowing. It was only after she placed her other hand on his cheek that he realized he was crying, too.

Endeavor hates it when Natsuo takes public transport, especially when Chiharu is with him, so of course Natsuo catches the train to head back. Most people don't recognize him as Endeavor's son, and the few who do seem to respect his father enough to keep their distance, which is annoying but convenient.

Right now, there's a green-haired boy with freckles staring at him with wide eyes. Natsuo tries not to make eye contact, but beside him is a blond kid with spiky hair having an angry conversation with another boy with black hair and an eye patch. He can't help but be drawn to the noise. They seem to be arguing about a book, though Natsuo can only hear the blonde's side, and it's full of profanity. Hopefully Chiharu doesn't pick any of it up, or he'll never hear the end from Fuyumi.

"Are you and Hawks-nii-san fighting?" Chiharu suddenly asks. Natsuo frowns down at her.

"Course not. What makes you think so?"

"You said you weren't friends."

"Sorry. I was just a little annoyed." Natsuo winces and rubs the back of his head. He thought she hadn't heard that. "Hawks and I are friends, alright?"

Chiharu pouts, clearly unsatisfied.

"You need to tell him sorry, not me. You probably hurt Hawks-nii-san's feelings." She looks around in conspiracy before cupping her hands around her mouth and whispering. "Nee-chan said he doesn't have a lot of friends. She thinks he's always at our house because he's lonely."

He's always at our house because he's a fanboy. Natsuo pats Chiharu on the head with a sigh.

"I promise I'll apologize to him later."

"When we get home?"

"...After I'm back from school."

Chiharu nods. She lays her head down on his shoulder.

"That boy is really loud." She says. "Why is he angry?"

"Who knows?" Natsuo stares out the window, watching the train slowly grind to a halt as they pull into their station.

As they get off the train, he doesn't notice the black haired boy watch them leave with something like longing.

After their mother's hospitalization, the few times Natsuo saw Shouto, he immediately focused on his scar. Occasionally, if Shouto's training went too far, their father would allow Natsuo to tend to his burns. Always, Shouto would sigh in relief, and rest his head against Natsuo's chest.

"Thank you, Nii-san." He would whisper before falling to sleep.

Natsuo cradled his younger brother, letting him rest until their father demanded Shouto return to his room.

For the rest of his life, Natsuo would regret that he hadn't done more.

AN: Happy New Year! This marks the end of what I consider the first act of the story. Next up, we start back with Deku's you'd like, you can also reach me at my Tumblr (same username) and ask me questions or yell at me there. Thank you all for continuing to support me in 2023! I hope to write more frequently this year!

P.S. I'm considering writing some one shots based off requests, but I haven't decided yet. What do you all think? Yay or Nay?