When Shoto finished Algebra, he celebrated. He'd added just a pinch of sugar to his tea the following morning, satisfied he'd done a good job. Perhaps most people wouldn't call that a celebration, but it was enough for him.

Moving onto Geometry had been nice. He wasn't gifted at it, that was for certain, but they didn't grapple like rival barbarians. Algebra had been difficult for him. After the hell it put him through, moving upwards felt like a vacation. He doesn't know why mathematicians considered Geometry a more difficult subject. It tickled his brain in a way that didn't make him want to bring the next ice age a thousand years too soon. He'd let himself relax; enough that he'd even reached out for help from Izuku Midoriya. No pride held him back. His conscious was clear and his intellectual independence remained satisfied.

They only worked on Geometry together once. Shoto could admit it was due to laziness on his part; it was a single question, but that didn't tell the whole story. One question, four parts, and three answers to each part. Izuku had called him and had walked him through each part, explaining everything up until the actual answer. It'd been nice; he'd appreciated it, but Shoto didn't plan for it to become a habit. He spent what little remained of his Geometry workload by himself.

When he'd learned that there was a fucking Algebra 2, he damn near burst into flames—scratch that, he fucking did. Chika almost shat herself when the packet she handed Shoto started smoldering, his thumbs digging blackening holes into the A and 2 at the top.

Of all Shoto's virtues, his favorite was his self-discipline. Perhaps it wasn't always in his favor, manifesting in a stubbornness that often bothered his family, but it was ideal for the trials he faced day-to-day. You need truckloads of self-control when your blood was fire and ice incarnate. Upon receiving the first of his new class work, he'd gone straight home to his room and meditated.

He considered Algebra 2 as a nemesis; a monster to overcome not unlike how his father had planned All Might to be. Algebra 1 was a hint of what was to come; a precursor to hell itself. A thousand thoughts had filtered through his head during that three-hour stretch, but eventually, only two schools of thought remained.

He could dominate the subject by himself, once and for all proving that he was better than it. The gladiator-method, he'd called it. Brawling with equations with his bare hands. Fight to live, only to live to fight. A one-on-one battle of wills where the loser would fall into obscurity and the victor would bear his scars, proud till his dying days.

Or, he could skip the scars and reach out to Izuku again. Both seemed good to him at first. Let his arrogance take over and struggle with it like a man or ask for help and get it done easily. In retrospect, he didn't know why he'd struggled with the decision so much. Bearing his victory scars? He had enough of those. Letting his arrogance take over? No matter how much his father had improved, he still didn't want to be anything like him.

So, for the past four months, he'd chipped away at Algebra 2 with Izuku's help. What started out as explanatory texts turned into voice messages, which turned into calls and then into video calls. Eventually, video calls turned into library meetups. All throughout, Izuku and Shoto turned from bare-bones acquaintances into something akin to friends.

Neither of them was very social, as Shoto found out. The only evidence Shoto'd seen that Izuku had friends was today's innocuous call at the library. Izuku seemed to zone out as the caller spouted happy nonsense that Shoto couldn't catch, with the other boy smiling and nodding all the while.

"Of course, Set. Also, my mom wanted to know about Friday's dinner..?" He'd said. The following babble seemed to put a frown on his face; though it might've been closer to a pout.

"Oh… well if he's sick again then it's best he gets his rest. Tell Mr. Tokage I want him to get better soon. I'll tell my mom. Next Sunday?" Izuku asked. He got an affirmative buzz. "Alright, great. I'll probably swing by sometime before then. Can't waste weekends with you, you school-goer." The conversation ended with what sounded like a huff from the caller's end.

"Set?" Shoto asked. Izuku had frozen, his face exploding into a blush like Shoto caught him naked. The heterochromatic boy shrugged off the boy's subsequent apology. It hadn't seemed like a very private call, just a little friendlier than how he acted around Shoto. It didn't bother him. Though, if he was missing a dinner event, maybe…

Nothing was going on this week at their house; it was shaping up to be quite a boring weekend. His father would be radio silent, as normal, so maybe there was a chance to alleviate some boredom. He didn't want his father's crap to catch up to Izuku, but there wasn't any risk. Plus, his siblings always complained about how he didn't show off his friends. Maybe they could hop off his case.

"You're going to miss a dinner on Friday?" He asked. Izuku nodded, his face a little glum.

"Apparently. Set—the girl on the phone—and her family eat with mine every other week. Seems her dad is sick again, though. It happens." Izuku said, shrugging as he pulled out a different binder from his backpack.

"How big's your family, anyway?" Shoto asked.

"Oh, just me and my mom. Dad walked out, could be anywhere for all I care." Izuku said. Shoto raised a brow, holding out a fist. Izuku bumped it with confused hesitance.

"Crap dads. I hear you there. If it's just your mom, do you want to try my house? I'd have to ask Fuyumi, but…" Shoto said, trailing off as Izuku winced.

"S-sorry, I'll have to pass. You're the one who told me to stay off Endeavor's radar, remember? I don't… really want to risk all that. No offense! The offer was really nice, it's just—"

"My dad won't be there. I haven't seen him at dinner, since…for… I don't really remember. It's been a few months." Shoto said, leaning forward a bit. He saw his father often enough for training, but that was always in the morning; Endeavor was active later in the day. Izuku seemed to pause, as if running the calculations in his brain like it was an equation on the papers below them. If X was risking sounding rude to a dinner offer and Y was risking Endeavor, which unit had the higher value?

"I…uh… a-are you sure?" Izuku asked, his voice cracking. Shoto shrugged.

"I guess. It'd just be my siblings, and my sister has been dying to meet you." He said, ignoring how the green-haired boy flushed.

"C-can you ask her first? I really, really wouldn't want to impose. My mom even less than me." He said. Shoto didn't even respond, instead shooting off a text to his sister. Not even ten seconds passed before he got a thumbs-up emoji. He flipped the phone around and shoved it in the boy's face, his hand covering their chat history.

"She doesn't like that you've basically replaced Chika, but she's been bugging me about our little library meetups since I mentioned them. I don't think Natsuo gives a crap about anything other than what kind of food there'll be."

"B-b-but don't you still tutor under Chika? I just help you with what you know, I don't teach you anything!? I wouldn't want to steal her job!" Izuku said.

"I guess, but Chika doesn't teach me much anyways. The only reason she still has a job is 'cause my dad doesn't know. Well, I guess she's helpful since you're so busy, but I get more value out of this than her sessions anyways." Shoto said.

"T-thank…you? I don't want to speak ill about Chika, though. She seems nice?"

"Sure. What's your mom say?"

"H-her message s-said…" Izuku started, checking his phone. He seemed to deflate. "Yeah…"

"Cool. See you then, I guess." Shoto said as Izuku nodded, his eyes still clouded with obvious doubt. They both glanced down at the rest of his Algebra work. It felt kind of awkward to keep doing math after the way he just said that, so he decided to not.

"Peace."

[x]

Setsunasaurus: There is absolutely no chance you're being fr. Absolutely none.

Izuku: 100% He's the guy I've been helping at the library.

Setsunasaurus: Get the hell outta here. Ur cozy with Endeavor's son? You're going to meet Endeavor?

Izuku: I'm not cozy with him. His sister goes to Shimisuka and we met there by chance. And no, I don't think so. Apparently, Endeavor doesn't go to family dinners often.

Setsunasaurus: I can imagine. The guy patrols at least sixteen hours a day. Sucks for your guy tho

Izuku: I guess. My mom took it surprisingly well.

Setsunasaurus: If by that you mean flipping her shit, then sure. How about u doe? Kinda sucks that you're missing out on the number one hero.

Izuku: I'm not going to meet Endeavor, Set. I'm going for Shoto cause he offered.

Setsunasaurus: So what I'm hearing is that I'm being replaced. Can't make one dinner and suddenly you get a new best friend. Thanks alot bruh

Izuku: Don't say that

Setsunasaurus: Why? It's clearly so true. I'm wounded and you're leaving me behind.

Izuku: It's not and you know it.

Setsunasaurus: Sure. And the world is flat. Anyways, when are you introducing us?

Izuku: What do you mean?

Setsunasaurus: Me and your guy. I don't get your apprehension at all; I totally want to meet endeavor. So, when are we meeting up?

Izuku: He's not a ticket to endeavor. I don't see any reason for you guys to meet since you're still on algebra 1. Plus, it's not like we ever meet with your friends.

Setsunasaurus: I know he's not a dad-ticket, you dork. The only reason you haven't met my friends is cuz you never ask. I'm asking. If u want to make a new bestie, then he's gonna have to go through me first.

Izuku: He's not your replacement.

Setsunasaurus. W-H-E-N are we M-E-E-T-I-N-G

Izuku: IDK. If dinner goes well I'll ask.

Setsunasaurus: U better, dawg. I wanna meet icy-hot.

Izuku sighed as he slid his phone under his pillow, his eyes dry from staring at it so much. Rolling onto his back, he sighed. Of course, he did want Shoto and Setsuna to meet; his only friend and his pseudo-friend being in the same room sounded fun. It'd be a dangerous collision of worlds, however. Setsuna was bubbly and bombastic while caution and a dash of snark defined Shoto.

With his clock reading 11:56, Izuku groaned. He couldn't sleep; he was too nervous about tomorrow. For the life of him, he wasn't sure why he accepted the invitation. Izuku and Shoto had gotten relatively close, but it was all surface-level. He knew the boy was training to be a hero and had a good head for math, but outside of that? His home life was mediocre, so wild at both ends that it balanced in the middle. His sister was nice. His brother was a little less. His dad didn't seem to be whatsoever. Mom out of the picture. All filthy rich.

They didn't discuss personal interests outside of their quirk training; of which Izuku learned Shoto also partook. Still, they'd developed closer than such impersonal interactions suggested. The biggest reason was the horror house that was their bodies. With Shoto's ruined face and Izuku's ruined silhouette, they looked like two halves of the same victim. It made their relationship easy.

They were like a Venn diagram. On Shoto's side were his stoicism and quiet pride. On Izuku's side were his weighty presence and work ethic. In the middle were their disabilities, trash fathers, and general ability to stand in a crowd unnoticed. They meshed well.

Izuku hadn't thought they meshed well enough for Shoto to invite him, however. Even if he had, he hadn't expected it given Shoto's ominous warning at their first meeting. That warning had put a wedge between them in his mind. They could be acquaintances, maybe even friends, but they couldn't be close. Enji Todoroki's personal stake in Izuku Midoriya had made that impossible.

Yet, for whatever reason, Shoto had thrown that away. Caution to the wind, carefree. He must be incredibly confident Endeavor would be a no-show. Anxiety gripped his gut as the thought rolled over in his gut. The whole situation sucked.

He liked Shoto. The boy was nice to him and held steady conversation, even if it came at the cost of being about math. Coming to terms with never getting to truly be friends with the boy had been hard, but doable. He'd divorced the idea of a close companionship within a month of their library sessions.

Then Shoto dropped the ball; an evil ultimatum. Turn down a dinner invitation and risk seeming rude to his pseudo-friend, or risk exposure to Endeavor, the man whose suspected intentions sent his gut churning.

Really, he should be mad at the heterochromatic boy. This was a horrible position to put Izuku in. In any other circumstance other than a charitable offer for dinner, he might have given Shoto a piece of his mind.

He rolled onto his stomach—who was he kidding? The second Shoto made the offer, he'd made his decision. No matter how much a blessing Setsuna was in his life, he knew he needed more friends. Dr. Fujimaki had been adamant in their last session; Setsuna was just the proof that he could make them. Now he needed to "expand his horizons."

His phone buzzed under his face.

Setsunasaurus: Alright, Imma head to bed. I can tell ur kinda nervous, so imma remind you that you don't have to go. Just do whatever ur comfy with. GN big boy

Izuku sighed. She was right, as always. Be brave, he reminded himself. He wasn't training tomorrow; all he was doing was tuning into a big lecture at Shimisuka. It'd be a low-stress day. No matter what, he'd go in hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

[x]

Shoto Todoroki felt like a moron. It was unseemly for a Todoroki to mope, but Shoto couldn't help it today. He lay face-down on his couch, groaning into the cushions. What the hell was wrong with him?

Jumping Izuku with a dinner invite was, perhaps, the most thoughtless thing he'd ever done. His father had drilled solid decision-making, reasonable deduction, and situational awareness into him for his entire childhood. Fuyumi and mom had always reinforced respecting others' circumstances and Natsuo made it a point for him to understand the balance of social power. He knew his father's interest in Midoriya; he just about shouted it from the rooftops. Shoto was so intimate with that knowledge that he'd even warned off Izuku at their first freaking meeting.

Then, in his most genius maneuver yet, he'd strong-armed him into a dinner at his house. Where Endeavor lived. None of that knowledge had helped him at that moment. He'd just invited him; saw a chance for… something? And he took it.

There wasn't a single logical reason he did it; there wasn't even a way to twist it in hindsight. He couldn't kid himself; whatever the reason, it'd been selfish. That alone made his gut twist into knots he wasn't familiar with.

A poke brought him back to the real world; Fuyumi stood above him, blocking out the overhead light. Sporting dimples on her cheeks, she looked like she was holding back a giggle.

"C'mon, Sho. It's not that bad; it's not like dad'll show up. It's nice that you've invited a friend over! You know Nat and I won't spill the beans." She said, pulling him up by the shoulder. He let his head sag as he was brought up to a sitting position, looking off.

"It was dumb." He said. Sparkling teeth peeked out from her lips as she smiled.

"Yeah, but it'll be fun. I'll start dinner, yah? You go give Natsuo the run-down and then you can finish it. I'll serve." She said. Sighing, Shoto nodded, patting her elbow as he slipped past her.

His older brother was a bit on the denser side. Well, he was smart, but he didn't care much for anything outside of weight lifting and eating. Tact was something he saved for rare occasions, and Shoto needed to remind him that not only was tonight rare, but a unique occasion.

Leaning against his brother's doorframe, Shoto peaked in. Natsuo was in for once, and it looked like he was trying to eat his hydro flask the way he was gulping down water.

"Good set?" He asked. His brother held up one finger as he continued to inhale his whole bottle. Shoto rolled his eyes. When only a few drops remained, Natsuo choked, staggering as he tried to balance breathing with not spilling.

"I PB'd! Got a great burn in, too. What's up?" He said, wiping his lips.

"I invited Izuku Midoriya and his mom over for dinner. I need you to not let that slip to dad after the fact, please." Shoto said, stone cold. He liked to think that he and his brother, despite their differences, operated on similar wavelengths. Natsuo was not, however, wired into him in this instance.

"Pfft! No way in hell! I swear, are you trying to ruin this guy? Did he correct your formulas one too many times!?" Natsuo said, howling with laughter. Shoto groaned. Doubling over, his brother continued to laugh.

"I just need dad not to find out. I invited him because I felt like it. I might've forgotten about how creepy dad was." Shoto said. Natsuo's laughing dried up at the mention of their father.

"Well, Endeavor could certainly be described as creepy. I think there are a few more… appropriate adjectives, though." He said.

"Will you just keep your mouth shut and play nice?" Shoto asked, ignoring how blatant Natsuo's disrespect had grown. Ever since All Might had died, his brother had grown more and more obtuse with his feelings toward dad.

"Oh, Endeavor's not getting a peep out of me. You kiddin'? He's basically on his hands and knees asking about the Midoriya kid; this'll be a great way to hold something over his dumbass." Natsuo said.

"Cool. Soba tonight." Shoto said.

[x]

A buzzer going off in the living room alerted Shoto to the arrival of his guests. Not bothering to grab a towel, he let his internal heat evaporate the lingering water on his hands. By the time he reached the front door to reply to the buzz, he was dry.

"Hey. Follow the steps with the round stones sitting on the right edge." He said, holding the buzzer next to the door. If they took any other set of stairs, they'd end up in the wrong parts of the compound. A tiny screen next to it played a live feed of the outer gate. Izuku and someone who Shoto could only assume to be his mother was standing outside his house, starstruck. He couldn't imagine why.

"Fu! Guests are coming!" He called across the house. Instead of his sister's white-and-red hair peeking out from the kitchen as he expected, Natsuo's goofy dome made its appearance.

"Yo! Is his mom hot?" He called across the living room, peeking around the threshold of the kitchen.

"I want you to die."

Natsuo laughed, pulling his head back into the kitchen with dubious intentions written on his forehead. Shoto'd prepped the meal, with Fuyumi organizing it and readying it for the guests. If Natsuo so much as touched the meal before it came out of the kitchen, he decided he'd freeze him. Following that, he'd have him flown out in a refrigerator to the antarctic. Future generations of anthropologists could unfreeze and study him for all Shoto would care.

Counting to ten in his head, he slid open the front door. The Midoriyas were only halfway up the path, but that was perfect. It gave him time to greet the two before his family weaseled their way in.

"Yo. Hello, ma'am." Shoto said, looking from Izuku to his mother. Ms. Midoriya smiled, reaching out a hand.

"Hi! So, you're the one who my son's been helping. Todoroki…?" She said, trailing off into a question. Her tone was warm, friendlier than he'd expected.

"Shoto. Yeah, Izuku's been helping me." Helping was an understatement. Shoto would've burned the world to a crisp by now without him. This dinner was a small thank-you. It was why he'd helped Fuyumi with it so much; the responsibility fell to his shoulders. Ms. Midoriya nodded.

"I'm glad. It's so nice of you to invite us—" The front door slamming open interrupted Ms. Midoriya, revealing Natsuo at the threshold.

"Is this the kid that's stealing Chika's job!?" He called out, shuffling out the door to shake their hands. Shoto's lips tugged down a little, even as his brother's face burst into a toothy grin. "It's good, too. She's kinda controlling—" This time, Fuyumi interrupted Natsuo as she slipped past him, throwing him a threatening look.

"Keep your opinions to yourself, especially around guests. Hello, Midoriyas." She said, dropping into a medium bow. Izuku looked a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Chika, but his mother was beaming.

"No, no! It's your house, be at your leisure! We're just so grateful for the invite to your lovely home." She said. What went unsaid was that she also wasn't Chika's biggest fan; she'd heard enough stories from Izuku to form her own opinion. Fuyumi blushed, waving them in.

"Thank you so much, ma'am. We try to run a clean ship around, with father being such a busy man. He won't be showing up, of course, but we like to make sure he has it easy when he is occasionally home." Fuyumi said, guiding them through the mudroom into the living room. What went unsaid was just why they wanted to avoid their father's vindication. He'd mellowed out; not become a saint.

Shoto watched, intrigued as the Midoriyas surveyed their living room with wide eyes. Had they never seen a living room before? He became even more confused when he heard Izuku mutter "so spacious…"

He set the table while they inspected the room and made small talk with his brother. Fuyumi was putting the finishing touches on his soba, but he could tell she was listening in on the conversation, just in case she needed to reprimand him again.

It was weird, he decided, to have an older woman in the home again. Without his…mom, or any maids, the only girl in the home was Fuyumi. He felt the way his siblings seem to gravitate toward her warm and casual demeanor. Nostalgia flickered in him as he watched Natsuo laugh at Ms. Midoriya's remarks.

Nowadays, he didn't see his mother. Outside of their training, the rare things his father spoke about revolved around Izuku. His father didn't even know they had grown closer; all he knew was that he had proximity to the boy. Whatever interest the man had in Izuku went deeper than he cared to know, let alone risk.

After bailing on Izuku after inviting him, Shoto had been kicking himself. He didn't know why he invited them; it was spontaneous, almost random. He couldn't take it back afterward, even if he wanted to. Once he made up his mind about something, he forced himself to see it through.

At the very least, he was comfortable that his father wouldn't interrupt them. An open hero-stream on his phone spoke for itself: Endeavor was occupied.

The dinner itself was good; he'd put a decent amount of effort into it, and soba being his favorite, he knew how to optimize it. One might refer to him as a soba-genius, if one considered Izuku to be a quirk-genius. He kept his musings to himself.

Shoto enjoyed himself throughout. Despite the little voice in the back of his head warning him of impending doom, it wasn't that bad. Dinner guests came to the Todoroki's on occasion, but they were few and far in between. Usually, they'd be diplomats or his father's sidekicks; with rare appearances from his sibling's college friends. Never before had someone his age come by. Maybe it was the presence of Izuku's mother, but it wasn't as awkward as he was expecting.

Everyone emptied their bowl at least once, with the boys, excluding Izuku, doing it twice. Izuku managed an incredible three-and-a-half bowls for his stature. Record breaking, in his house. Pound for pound, the boy who sat even to paperweights on a scale had out-eaten their father. Fuyumi giggled.

"Wow. Did Shoto really do that good of a job? Maybe he should do dinner more often…" She said, keeping her laughter polite. Ms. Midoriya laughed.

"Oh, he seems to have done well. You should see Izuku at home though; thank god for Sasaki! Even with him footing most of the big bills, I can barely afford to fill his stomach." She said, her own giggle matching his sister's.

"Mom!" Izuku exclaimed, horrified. Shoto looked between the two, confused.

"Sasaki..? I was under the impression you two ran a two-person ship?" Shoto asked, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. Izuku and his mother had a matching blush, he noted.

"Oh, I meant Nighteye. He… he pays the medical bills. Ms. Fujimaki's payment also comes from him." Ms. Midoriya said. Shoto tilted his head, but didn't push the issue; it wasn't their business. Seemed weird though. A glance at Fuyumi told him she agreed; Natsuo looked as oblivious as ever.

"How's that happen?" Natsuo asked. Shoto just about dunked what remained of his soba on his brother's moronic head, but Fuyumi beat him to it.

"Nat! Re-lax!" She said, whisper-shouting. Nervous laughter tickled their ears as they all turned to Izuku.

"N-no, it's ok. I kinda…" Izuku began, before rolling up the cuffs on his left sleeve, revealing the prosthetic. "Blew off my arm. Nighteye and his friend kind of saved me; well, they at least saved what was left of me. They took me on as a sort of… pity apprentice afterward."

Fuyumi gasped, with Natsuo doing a doubletake. He'd neglected to mention Izuku's amputation. Shoto picked at the very last of his soba. Spinning on Natsuo, Fuyumi slapped his shoulder and pulled on his ear.

"You are your questions! I'm so sorry, Midoriya. My brother is a moron." She said, bowing to each green-haired guest, her bow a little deeper for the boy. Izuku's nervous laughter trickled on.

"N-no. It's all… fine to talk about. Just, please skip on the details for your father?" He said, ignoring the way his mother looked at him, surprised.

"'Course. My invitation was basically a trap; sorry for that, by the way. Dad won't get a peep out of us. Right, Nat?" Shoto said, casting a small glance at his brother, who was still rubbing where Fuyumi abused him. The two brothers met eyes, the older nodding.

"Yeah. Endeavor's always ranting about you, Midoriya. I'd never give up a chance to shove it in his face that we know you and he doesn't." Natsuo said, shrinking away from both his siblings. That comment seemed to break the growing tension in Ms. Midoriya.

"What are you talking about? Izuku, what has Endeavor been doing?" She asked, looking all around the room. All at once, the children winced. Shoto shot Izuku a look, surprised he'd kept it from his mom. He cringed.

"M-mom, well, I don't really know; I just know what Shoto told me. It seems…" Izuku looked around the room, pleading for help without asking. Natsuo saved the day.

"Endeavor's always been rough. We don't really know why he cares, we just know he won't shut up about it. It's basically all he talks about when Shoto's around." He said. Fuyumi nodded.

"I doubt it's bad; our father has a very… strong moral compass. Have you," She said, turning to Izuku. "Done anything of note? That might've caught his eye?"

Izuku went rigid; Shoto doubted his siblings noticed, but he'd known the boy long enough to recognize it. He could tell the boy's mother noticed as well when she slipped a hand to his lower back. She cleared her throat.

"Perhaps we could speak of this another time. It is getting late, after all; maybe it's time we about head out. It was quite fun." She said, standing up with her son. The three siblings stood with them. Natsuo gave Fuyumi a look that screamed "Well look who's done it now?"

Like possessed by demons, the Todoroki siblings cleaned and cleared the dining table and escorted the Midoriyas back to the mudroom. Fuyumi shot him a questioning look, and he shrugged. Ms. Midoriya was whispering to a stiff Izuku as the siblings regrouped to say their farewells.

"It was lovely having you; as Shoto's friend, you're welcome back anytime!" Fuyumi said to the mother and son. Ms. Midoriya nodded, thanking her.

"That'll be up to Izuku. No offense to any of you, you were lovely, but I'm considering filing a complaint to the Endeavor agency. I don't like the sound of what Endeavor's been up to. Izuku's been through enough." She said. Each sibling had a different reaction. Shoto nodded, not disagreeing. Fuyumi cringed. Natsuo actually looked happy, like he'd been hoping she'd say that.

"It's not… that big a deal," Izuku muttered, staring into the floor. With an almost imperceptible poke from his mother, he went around to shake their hands and bow. When he got to Shoto, he paused, caught between the action of bowing and reaching a hand out. Shoto decided to grant him mercy by holding out a fist for him to bump. Izuku seemed grateful.

Sneaking past the Midoriyas, Fuyumi grabbed the door before anyone could. It was a simple tradition; the male host greets the guest, and the female host fares them well. With a pleasant smile and perhaps a bit more courtesy than necessary, she faced the Midoriyas as she slid open the door behind her. She didn't quite understand why all four people in the mudroom froze.

"What the hell?" Endeavor said, his silhouette blocking out the last rays of the sun.

[x]

He groaned as his ribs flared up, tripping him up. Shoulder checking a brick wall sent him to the ground, curses stumbling out of him. Nothing felt good in his body; his ribs hadn't shut up in days, the bottoms of his feet were raw where his shoes had deteriorated, and his face still fucking itched.

His head laid on something soft—trash, he suspected. The thought wasn't enough to warrant movement. Sprawling across the filthy alley like the coziest mattress he could imagine, the man let out a sigh. The world came in and out of focus with his breath. Nothing made sense.

Blood oozed down his neck, re-wetting his already blood-stained hands. Dimly, he was aware it was because he'd been picking at the massive scab that was his neck again. The afternoon sun had dipped low in the sky, and the shade of the alley chilled his bones. Touching the light was out of the question.

So, instead of crawling out to the warmth of sunset's rays, he just pulled his shirt tighter around him and ignored it. Something alive scampered over his bare ankles.

His head bumped against the same brick wall as he sat up, but who cared? What was one more ache to his hundreds? Palms up, he studied the way his fingers warped and spasmed in his fluid vision. The sun would reveal cracks, torn cuticles, and pasty white digits. In the shade, they just looked like claws.

He turned them over in front of him. He was missing the end of one of his pinkies. It handicapped his quirk, and that more than anything else reignited the rage in his heart. Mud and misery had dimmed the flames of wrath, but they still burned.

The red hue of rage tainted his already warped vision, blacking out splotches of his peripherals. It was a bright black, if one could find such a thing. Darker than any grey, but not the deepest darkness. That rabbit hole; the one of the deepest darknesses, was the reason he was in this mess.

Nothing ever seemed particularly dark after what'd happened. Even the evidence of his lacking nutrition.

Out of the corners of his eyes, where his vision was the darkest gray and otherwise blank, a darker shape manifested itself. Foggy, void black, and stressed. Whisps of smoke darker than deep space contrasted against two horizontal slits that represented eyes, all contained within a rustled suit.

"Oh thank the lord, Tomura. I've finally found you." The smoke-man said, rushing to his side. Like a mother hen, the smoke-man checked him over, pulling out gauze and vitamin supplements as he noted each injury and ailment on his body. For a moment, he didn't resist; falling back into the familiar pattern of his caretaker taking care of him.

"What've you done with your hair?" The newcomer muttered, turning his arms this way and that as he inspected him.

The hesitation didn't last for long. Before his vision even finished wobbling, the young man scrambled away, out of reach of the man's smoke-hands. He knew distance mattered little to this gaseous man, but the space instilled him with much-needed additional strength.

"Piss off! Tomura isn't your…! Get out of here!" The young man said, scrambling back. The smoke man was caught off guard; frozen in his surprise. A million things passed through the young man's head before the next words spilled out, none of those thoughts leashing his insolence.

"Tomura is dead god damnit! Tomura… T-tomura…? Fuck you!" The young man said. The smoke-man made something similar to a sigh as he floated towards him. The man raised his hands in the air like a surrender as he approached. Knowing the smoke-man, he'd probably think it'd placate him. It only brought back worse memories.

"I know you're confused and frightened, and probably hurting a lot right now, but it's ok. I'm here to take you back; back to base, back home. We'll fix you up good. Me and the doc, just like old times…" The smoke-man said. The young man grit his teeth, his fingernails digging into where a fresh wave of rage had flushed his cheeks.

"Bullshit! The doc is busy caring for… for that fucking body! That bastard doesn't give a damn about me. All he cares about is his little corpse." He said, spitting onto the smoke-man's leather shoes. The smoke-man sighed.

"Tomura, you know it's not a corpse. Master will recover, given enough time and effort. He always does."

"Stop fucking calling me that! I'm not fucking Tomura, you damn weasel. I'm… I-I'm T-t…" The young man stuttered, realizing he didn't quite know what to call himself.

"Yes, my boy, you are. All of us are waiting on Tomura to come back to us, so we can regroup. Ignore the doctor. You are our prince, and our king wishes you return to the castle."

The young man clutched at his stomach with the hand that wasn't scratching himself. Every word the familiar man said felt like a hammer blow, each worse than the last. A glob of blood splattered against the man's other shoe as he spat for a second time.

"The king is a filthy, dead fucking liar. The king took everything from me. My dignity, my goal, my fucking name." The young man spit out. Deep in the depths of his muddied, wrathful heart, a tiny light blinked on. One that hadn't been powered in a long time, one that looked a little different than it used to. A light tinged with the age of its bulb and the abuse of its technician.

Leaning against the brick wall, Tenko Shimura began to limp away. Kurogiri did not follow.

[x]

AN: Been thinking about that eragon fanfic I started and never finished. It was so swag but it all got deleted :(((. I liked this chapter, I hope y'all will too. The end part was really fun. Chapter fifteen hasn't been started yet but I think it (might) be the end of this little arc. Hopefully I can transition to the next big thing cleanly. Pray for me.

Review! last chapter got me like three, I need more to live.