p style="text-align: justify;"It seemed like everyone knew about his past. At least, the teachers clearly knew. They ogled him in such a strange way, as if they weren't sure he would attack them, which made no sense. Maybe no one had believed that Sam actually wanted to murder him, but he still acted to defend himself. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""He is the son of that pro hero… the number one!" He could hear some whispering. There was a group of seven year olds staring at him. How come they recognized him? Sure enough, his dad never talked about family outside of work. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"His question would be answered later, when he found a newspaper with the photo they had taken of him when he first entered the institute along with the headline: "emThe tragic life of Shouto Todoroki/em". /p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku observed how the cycle began again, with all these whispers and concerned looks, the question lingering in the air: is this student yet another threat to us? He observed the boy with parted hair, who acted seemingly indifferent to his environment, choosing to stare at the door. He didn't seem concerned by the fact everyone was whispering about him. Izuku didn't know his story, but he guessed he would check out once again the cafeteria's newspapers. They always brought information about newcomers. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"It was rare getting someone new in the class, especially in the middle of the year. Izuku paid attention to the whispers, trying to gather information./p
p style="text-align: justify;""His mom went crazy and his dad is Endeavor, the one who went to prison!" One girl said, so open, as if unaware everyone was listening./p
p style="text-align: justify;""We get another unstable kid like Midoriya." Monoma, one of the kids, said with venom. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku stood up, observing how everyone noticed it and stared warily at him, as if they thought he would come over and actually do something about the whispering./p
p style="text-align: justify;"However, he had something else in mind. He walked over and took the seat next to the boy, and held an hesitant palm towards him./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I'm Izuku" he said, unsure. Should he really be bothering to talk to someone who would turn his back at him once they knew the truth, as everyone else did logically?/p
p style="text-align: justify;"As the boy stared at him with clear surprise on his mismatched eyes, Izuku found the answer. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's Shouto, but you probably know the name, since… you know, all these whispers." Shouto replied, a serious look on his face. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh! I a-actually didn't know" Izuku felt uneasy at his own stuttering. Why did he have to sound so painfully insecure?/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Well, now you do." Shouto stared at him, and Izuku could feel his curiosity. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""You don't mind if I sit next to you?" He had to ask. Maybe Shouto didn't know about his terrible past and the fact that he was a murderer, but… "I don't want you to feel bad for having to sit next to me, you know, since I talked to you for no reason, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Of course I don't really need a reason to talk to you, you seem so nice! Not that I was judging you, but you really seem nice, you're probably better than any of these kids, since you know" he kept repeating the words, a nervous habit "they're actually pretty mean and, not that I judge them but I do because…" he would have kept on ranting, but Shouto interrupted him. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"No, it 's fine, you can sit next to me. And yes, these kids seem mean." To Izuku's utter surprise, he was smiling softly./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh, w-well!" Izuku wasn't used to talking, not at all. He normally kept silent the whole day unless the teacher asked him something. "I could show you the school after this class if you want to! Or, I don't know, I could answer any question you have about this place." He said, hoping to sound welcoming. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""I would like that. It would be nice if we could figure out the institute's weaknesses, like spots where we could actually exploit to get out of here. I know enough about this place to know I don't want to stay here for long." Shouto suggested, and Izuku felt shocked. The newcomer wanted to get out of the institute as soon as possible? Maybe he did bring them a terrible reputation./p
p style="text-align: justify;"But he wasn't going to ask if Shouto knew about that. He would not make a fool of himself and ruin his only chance at making a friend in this school./p
p style="text-align: justify;"If he had to keep Shouto in blissful ignorance for that to happen, then so be it. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto seemed to sense his surprise, and asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"Or is this some kind of place you actually enjoy and… wish to stay in?" /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Of course not!" Izuku denied, waving his hands in dismissal. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Well, then we need to do something about it. We have to find a way out. My mom once said, "You must guide yourself by your own opinions" and that's exactly what we're going to do." Shouto smiled, but this time, the smile was wide, and his eyes sparkled with determination./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto and Izuku quickly explored the institute, as Izuku showed him around. They were currently nearby the exit gate. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""No one seems to think we're acting strange, although we are checking every single location with detail." Shouto commented, as they both stared at the exit. Freedom was so close, yet so far. There were guards over the open doors, forcing them to stay far away and act normal./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"I doubt the adults care at all. They just don't want us to use their quirks outside of class, and if you don't, you're pretty much free to do what you want." Izuku replied, as he guided Shouto to a secluded area; it was the spot where he would hang out, far away from the kid's looks. "This place is quite perfect. I think I could melt off these walls, and it wouldn't be so obvious since there are lots of trees here covering the place" Izuku kept on saying, as he touched the cemented walls./p
p style="text-align: justify;""You can burn cement?" It was Shouto's turn to be surprised./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don't think there is anything I can't burn," Izuku smiled, confident. It was the first time talking about his quirk didn't mean shame./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Impressive." Shouto nodded. "What do you say, if we wait for everyone to be asleep and then simply… burn out the walls?" He asked, and Izuku could sense his excitement in the way he stared at him /br /"Why do you speak so seriously?" Izuku asked, wondering what kind of answer he would get. From what he got from the whispers, Shouto's past didn't seem to carry anything too good, just like his own past./p
p style="text-align: justify;""My father, the number two hero, trained me to be the perfect hero. A hero must not reveal his feelings, he kept saying. I don't actually care about his teachings, but I think it just got stuck on me. I used to speak freely… with my mom." That probably was a touchy subject, if his sad tone wasn't an obvious give away. Izuku quickly answered, as they both sat on the ground, waiting for the break to be over:br /br /"Then why don't you just get rid of it? Talk how you want? He is not here, isn't he?" He smiled openly, as he stared at Shouto's eyes, who seemed thoughtful./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"That 's true…. I could literally talk the way I wanted to, and no one can give me shit. You're right, he is not around anymore." Shouto's expression softened, and he seemed to relax slightly, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"The bell rang, and they walked together back to class./p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"They learnt their rooms were right next to each other, and so, they hung out after class at Izuku's room. Today they hadn't done anything crazy, and the sparring was canceled due to Mineta's recent death. Instead, there had been an extra quirk teacher who watched them do their usual brutal training routine, and they hadn't used their quirks at all./p
p style="text-align: justify;""For the first day, it was quite brutal" Shouto murmured, as he laid on Izuku's bed, clearly tired to the bone, just like him. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku was busy opening a small chest, where he kept his toys./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"Look! I have All Might" Izuku showed him the figure, and he could see Shouto's interest as he perked up only his head, his body unmoving from his spot in the bed./p
p style="text-align: justify;""You should pack him on a bag before we go" Shouto slowly sat up. "We need to have some clothes and some valuable stuff, and then we should actually execute our plan."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""emExecute our plan!/em That sounds so cool, like we're spies" Izuku smiled, and for some reason he could see Shouto blushed, maybe out of embarrassment. "I actually never got the chance to play with All Might, because…" he trailed off. He couldn't explain to Shouto the truth, that his parents always yelled and he always ended up losing any interest in his toys. It was too hard to concentrate into creating a storyline with all the screams. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto stepped close to him, staring at Izuku's eyes, a kind look on his face. "We will have plenty of time to play with All Might when we leave. My mom would actually play with us" He smiled, and Izuku could tell he seemed to be reminiscing a good memory, as he nodded at his words. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku and Shouto packed their belongings into a bag./p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Here it is." Izuku started to melt off the wall, and he quickly left a hole on it. As they motioned to cross the hole that lead them to the street, they heard a whistle./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Stay right where you are!" Izuku recognized one of the guards, standing behind them from a quite far distance. Both of them attempted to run, but they were stopped right in their place. The guard's eyes were shining red./p
p style="text-align: justify;"A quirk was stopping them from escaping./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku saw Sakura, grinning wildly behind the guard./p
p style="text-align: justify;"So they had a snitch./p
p style="text-align: justify;""He is the son of that pro hero… the number one!" He could hear some whispering. There was a group of seven year olds staring at him. How come they recognized him? Sure enough, his dad never talked about family outside of work. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"His question would be answered later, when he found a newspaper with the photo they had taken of him when he first entered the institute along with the headline: "emThe tragic life of Shouto Todoroki/em". /p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku observed how the cycle began again, with all these whispers and concerned looks, the question lingering in the air: is this student yet another threat to us? He observed the boy with parted hair, who acted seemingly indifferent to his environment, choosing to stare at the door. He didn't seem concerned by the fact everyone was whispering about him. Izuku didn't know his story, but he guessed he would check out once again the cafeteria's newspapers. They always brought information about newcomers. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"It was rare getting someone new in the class, especially in the middle of the year. Izuku paid attention to the whispers, trying to gather information./p
p style="text-align: justify;""His mom went crazy and his dad is Endeavor, the one who went to prison!" One girl said, so open, as if unaware everyone was listening./p
p style="text-align: justify;""We get another unstable kid like Midoriya." Monoma, one of the kids, said with venom. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku stood up, observing how everyone noticed it and stared warily at him, as if they thought he would come over and actually do something about the whispering./p
p style="text-align: justify;"However, he had something else in mind. He walked over and took the seat next to the boy, and held an hesitant palm towards him./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I'm Izuku" he said, unsure. Should he really be bothering to talk to someone who would turn his back at him once they knew the truth, as everyone else did logically?/p
p style="text-align: justify;"As the boy stared at him with clear surprise on his mismatched eyes, Izuku found the answer. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's Shouto, but you probably know the name, since… you know, all these whispers." Shouto replied, a serious look on his face. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh! I a-actually didn't know" Izuku felt uneasy at his own stuttering. Why did he have to sound so painfully insecure?/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Well, now you do." Shouto stared at him, and Izuku could feel his curiosity. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""You don't mind if I sit next to you?" He had to ask. Maybe Shouto didn't know about his terrible past and the fact that he was a murderer, but… "I don't want you to feel bad for having to sit next to me, you know, since I talked to you for no reason, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Of course I don't really need a reason to talk to you, you seem so nice! Not that I was judging you, but you really seem nice, you're probably better than any of these kids, since you know" he kept repeating the words, a nervous habit "they're actually pretty mean and, not that I judge them but I do because…" he would have kept on ranting, but Shouto interrupted him. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"No, it 's fine, you can sit next to me. And yes, these kids seem mean." To Izuku's utter surprise, he was smiling softly./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh, w-well!" Izuku wasn't used to talking, not at all. He normally kept silent the whole day unless the teacher asked him something. "I could show you the school after this class if you want to! Or, I don't know, I could answer any question you have about this place." He said, hoping to sound welcoming. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""I would like that. It would be nice if we could figure out the institute's weaknesses, like spots where we could actually exploit to get out of here. I know enough about this place to know I don't want to stay here for long." Shouto suggested, and Izuku felt shocked. The newcomer wanted to get out of the institute as soon as possible? Maybe he did bring them a terrible reputation./p
p style="text-align: justify;"But he wasn't going to ask if Shouto knew about that. He would not make a fool of himself and ruin his only chance at making a friend in this school./p
p style="text-align: justify;"If he had to keep Shouto in blissful ignorance for that to happen, then so be it. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto seemed to sense his surprise, and asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"Or is this some kind of place you actually enjoy and… wish to stay in?" /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Of course not!" Izuku denied, waving his hands in dismissal. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Well, then we need to do something about it. We have to find a way out. My mom once said, "You must guide yourself by your own opinions" and that's exactly what we're going to do." Shouto smiled, but this time, the smile was wide, and his eyes sparkled with determination./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto and Izuku quickly explored the institute, as Izuku showed him around. They were currently nearby the exit gate. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""No one seems to think we're acting strange, although we are checking every single location with detail." Shouto commented, as they both stared at the exit. Freedom was so close, yet so far. There were guards over the open doors, forcing them to stay far away and act normal./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"I doubt the adults care at all. They just don't want us to use their quirks outside of class, and if you don't, you're pretty much free to do what you want." Izuku replied, as he guided Shouto to a secluded area; it was the spot where he would hang out, far away from the kid's looks. "This place is quite perfect. I think I could melt off these walls, and it wouldn't be so obvious since there are lots of trees here covering the place" Izuku kept on saying, as he touched the cemented walls./p
p style="text-align: justify;""You can burn cement?" It was Shouto's turn to be surprised./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don't think there is anything I can't burn," Izuku smiled, confident. It was the first time talking about his quirk didn't mean shame./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Impressive." Shouto nodded. "What do you say, if we wait for everyone to be asleep and then simply… burn out the walls?" He asked, and Izuku could sense his excitement in the way he stared at him /br /"Why do you speak so seriously?" Izuku asked, wondering what kind of answer he would get. From what he got from the whispers, Shouto's past didn't seem to carry anything too good, just like his own past./p
p style="text-align: justify;""My father, the number two hero, trained me to be the perfect hero. A hero must not reveal his feelings, he kept saying. I don't actually care about his teachings, but I think it just got stuck on me. I used to speak freely… with my mom." That probably was a touchy subject, if his sad tone wasn't an obvious give away. Izuku quickly answered, as they both sat on the ground, waiting for the break to be over:br /br /"Then why don't you just get rid of it? Talk how you want? He is not here, isn't he?" He smiled openly, as he stared at Shouto's eyes, who seemed thoughtful./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"That 's true…. I could literally talk the way I wanted to, and no one can give me shit. You're right, he is not around anymore." Shouto's expression softened, and he seemed to relax slightly, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"The bell rang, and they walked together back to class./p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;"They learnt their rooms were right next to each other, and so, they hung out after class at Izuku's room. Today they hadn't done anything crazy, and the sparring was canceled due to Mineta's recent death. Instead, there had been an extra quirk teacher who watched them do their usual brutal training routine, and they hadn't used their quirks at all./p
p style="text-align: justify;""For the first day, it was quite brutal" Shouto murmured, as he laid on Izuku's bed, clearly tired to the bone, just like him. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku was busy opening a small chest, where he kept his toys./p
p style="text-align: justify;"br /"Look! I have All Might" Izuku showed him the figure, and he could see Shouto's interest as he perked up only his head, his body unmoving from his spot in the bed./p
p style="text-align: justify;""You should pack him on a bag before we go" Shouto slowly sat up. "We need to have some clothes and some valuable stuff, and then we should actually execute our plan."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""emExecute our plan!/em That sounds so cool, like we're spies" Izuku smiled, and for some reason he could see Shouto blushed, maybe out of embarrassment. "I actually never got the chance to play with All Might, because…" he trailed off. He couldn't explain to Shouto the truth, that his parents always yelled and he always ended up losing any interest in his toys. It was too hard to concentrate into creating a storyline with all the screams. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Shouto stepped close to him, staring at Izuku's eyes, a kind look on his face. "We will have plenty of time to play with All Might when we leave. My mom would actually play with us" He smiled, and Izuku could tell he seemed to be reminiscing a good memory, as he nodded at his words. /p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku and Shouto packed their belongings into a bag./p
p style="text-align: justify;"*/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Here it is." Izuku started to melt off the wall, and he quickly left a hole on it. As they motioned to cross the hole that lead them to the street, they heard a whistle./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Stay right where you are!" Izuku recognized one of the guards, standing behind them from a quite far distance. Both of them attempted to run, but they were stopped right in their place. The guard's eyes were shining red./p
p style="text-align: justify;"A quirk was stopping them from escaping./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Izuku saw Sakura, grinning wildly behind the guard./p
p style="text-align: justify;"So they had a snitch./p