Tamaki narrowed his eyes as he flexed his fingers in tighter toward his palm. The outstretched tentacles that had exploded from each digit tightened around his quarry's arms and torso, holding the villain aloft and against the wall. Tamaki was breathing hard, and a trail of blood lazily worked its way down the side of his face from the base of his hairline. He kept his eyes locked with those of the villain in his grasp and fought back the urge to blink as best he could.

The villain in question was a man in his mid-twenties, with an unhealthily thin frame. His collarbone and ribs were visible beneath the black and orange jumpsuit he wore, and the tendons in his neck were prominent and straining as he wriggled against Tamaki's grip. The man's jaw was open as he gulped for air, his sweat-dampened and blood-streaked black hair plastered to his cheeks and the sides of his mouth. His wild, deep green eyes remained fixated on Tamaki's, and he began to laugh raucously while clenching and unclenching his bloodstained hands in a steady rhythm.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time," Taishiro Toyomitsu asked in an aggressive tone from his place standing next to Tamaki. "What does it mean? Why did you write it?"

Another steady stream of maniacal cackles left the man before he shook his head and once again tried to wriggle out of Tamaki's grip.

"Not for me to say," he replied airily. "But you'll be seeing it again. And again. And again, very soon…"

The hero known as Fat Gum grit his teeth as he directed his gaze higher upon the wall to which Tamaki had the villain pinned once again. There, smeared in blood with each letter as tall as him, was the word "BROTHER" with several messy, jagged underlines.

"At this point, we're just wasting our time," Taishiro spat while shaking his head. "Tamaki, hand him over to the cops, and get yourself some medical attention. I'm going to go try to dig out more survivors."

"Yes, Mr. Toyomitsu," Tamaki acknowledged as he lowered the captive villain along the wall. "But I'm fine. I can come and help y-"

"Tamaki," Taishiro interrupted sternly. "That's an order."

"…yes, Sir," Tamaki replied, a little ashamed. He watched his mentor begin to jog deeper into the mall and toward a heap of fallen concrete. With a weary sigh, Tamaki wrapped a tentacle firmly around the villain's mouth to stifle the man's laughter before beginning to walk toward the gathering of police officers that had set up a staging area within a vacated storefront.

"…Suneater, right?" a dark-skinned female officer asked as the boy approached. She cuffed the villain as he was lowered to her level, and Tamaki offered her a nod while retracting his tentacles.

"…yes."

"…good work, kid. My son's a big fan," the woman acknowledged with a friendly nod and smile.

Tamaki immediately looked off to the side, before turning his entire body and beginning to walk briskly away from the scene with his shoulders tense and hood firmly pulled down.

"…nice to meet you, too!" the woman called as she turned and walked the perpetrator into the holding pen.

Upon reaching what he felt to be a comfortable distance from the various professional heroes, victims, and volunteers milling about the evacuated mall, Tamaki took a moment to lean up against a wall and catch his breath. He could taste the metallic sort of flavor of blood within his mouth, and upon looking down, he found that several of the food pouches upon his chest had been torn asunder. A long gash ran up his right arm, tearing through his long black sleeve and staining it with dried blood. His left knee ached and his pants had been ripped in several places, with nasty cuts and bruises visible beneath the fabric. His snow-white cape was in tatters, and the left side of the cloth had been singed and mangled.

Tamaki reached a shaky hand into one of his pockets and withdrew his phone before beginning to tap out a text to Nejire.

No luck. Do you need help, Hado?

A message came back almost immediately, and Tamaki bit his lip as he guessed at the implied tone of the writing.

You need medical attention. Don't worry about the rescue crew, you've done more than enough. Get yourself taken care of. Now. No excuses.

Tamaki reached a hand up and pulled his hood lower before replacing his phone within his pocket. He slowly began to trudge toward the large medical tent that had been set up within the food court, before noticing just how many people were in and around the structure. Suddenly overcome by guilt, the boy turned and began to walk away, only to pause as he caught sight of a familiar face approaching.

"…Togata…?"

Mirio Togata looked up toward his friend as he continued to walk, supporting a limping bystander with her arm slung up and around his shoulder.

"Tama? You're here, too?"

"So is Hado," Tamaki replied as he instinctively ducked and threw the woman's other arm around his shoulder before beginning to keep pace with Mirio. "We were both here when the attack happened…"

"What happened?" Mirio probed as they worked together to bring the woman to a waiting healthcare worker. Mirio gently transitioned the woman into the nurse's arms before turning to his friend and raising a brow. "And why aren't you in the tent, yet?"

Tamaki cast a nervous glance toward the nurse and the woman, before emphatically shaking his head and pulling his hood down to obscure his view entirely.

"…no. I can't. They need it first."

"Nejire's gonna kill you," Mirio scolded as he put his hands on his hips.

"We can argue later," Tamaki protested as he began to walk again with Mirio in tow. "As for what happened, I… I don't know. Mr. Toyomitsu and I were in the food court when an explosion happened on the other side of the mall. Then another. Then… more…"

"And you fought off villains?" Mirio asked as he looked his friend up and down.

"Yes. Several," Tamaki confirmed. "But there are still people trapped. And… casualties…"

"Then we can't afford to linger," Mirio pointed out as he began to jog. He looked over his shoulder only to find Tamaki hobbling after him, his gait unbalanced and his teeth clenched. The blond slowed to a stop and turned, his expression stern. "Tama, seriously. Go and get patched up."

"I…" Tamaki began.

"…am here!" All Might finished for him as he appeared between the two boys, his hands on his hips. "Suneater! You need to go and take care of yourself! If you refuse again, I'll escort you there personally!"

Tamaki let out a deflating sort of noise before offering All Might a respectful bow.

"…yes, Sir…"

"Now, Lemillion!" All Might began. "I wish our introduction could be under better circumstances, but in all honesty, I feel like I already know you from Sir Nighteye's reports alone!"

Mirio paused and exchanged a meaningful look with Tamaki before his friend began making his way to the medical tent once again.

"…reports, Sir?" Mirio asked curiously as he turned his attention to All Might.

It was All Might's turn to pause as he blinked, though his grin never faltered.

"…well, of course, young Togata! All Work Study mentors keep notes, and given that Sir Nighteye is my sidekick, I've taken a look at the records he's made!" All Might explained before clapping a hand upon Mirio's shoulder. "But enough about that- we have people to save, and your Quirk is especially helpful for extracting trapped civilians, is it not?"

"It could be, absolutely," Mirio agreed as the pair began to run down the rubble-strewn walkway. "I can permeate through rubble and find people for you to dig out, if we're sticking together!"

"I have a funny feeling that we should!" All Might offered as he flashed Mirio a smile. "In fact, I'd suggest… we…"

Without warning, All Might slowed to a jog, and then a complete stop. Mirio followed suit a moment later, only to see All Might's smile turn to a tight-lipped scowl.

"…Sir…?"

All Might didn't acknowledge the question. The number one hero merely kept his eyes high upon the wall, and in time, Mirio followed his gaze. As he finally caught sight of the massive, bloody smear of "BROTHER" across the concrete, he felt a foreboding chill and shivered horribly.

"W-what… is that? What does it mean…?"

Slowly, All Might's teeth became visible once again, though instead of a smile, his lips twisted into a hateful, twitching snarl.

Mina pulled her blanket tighter around herself and drew her knees in closer to her chest, her back up against the frame of her bed. She sniffled as she continued to watch the television on the opposite wall, her eyes stinging.

"It's an absolute disaster, Kenji," the female anchor acknowledged as the camera flipped over to her view of the scene. The woman stood before the besieged mall, where an entire chunk of the exterior wall had collapsed and given way to smoking rubble. "We haven't seen an attack this blatant and costly in over a year, and the heroes on scene are still finding people buried within the rubble."

"…any updates?" Eijiro asked from his place in the doorway, his usually confident tone hollow and flat.

"…three more dead," Mina answered, her eyes glued firmly to the screen as the boy sat down beside her. She briefly looked at him as he handed her one of the mugs of hot chocolate in his hands, before turning her attention back to the news. "Thanks, Eiji…"

Eijiro moved to sit beside Mina in silence and trained his eyes on the TV. He took a slow sip as he watched live footage of a body covered in a blue cloth being wheeled out of the mall's main entrance upon a stretcher. Despite the warm liquid in his throat, his stomach felt like it had suddenly been coated in ice.

"…I need you to promise me something," Mina said as she continued to watch the report, her drink untouched.

"If it's what I think it is," Eijiro began, only to pause for a moment. "Then I… Mina, I can't do that. Neither of us are ready t-"

"People died," Mina interrupted as she finally met Eijiro's eyes. "If we could have saved one person each, then it would have been worth it, Eiji."

Eijiro let out a heavy sigh as he looked down into his drink.

"…not to me. I know the risks that come with being a hero, but what you wanted, and what you're asking me to agree to just isn't… we'd be a burden, and potentially get even more people killed..."

"You don't know that!" Mina insisted, her voice rising. "And are you really scared of the law!? You really think that if we'd rushed in and used our Quirks for the greater good, the authorities would've locked away two high school kids?"

"I'm scared of losing you!" Eijiro admitted as he looked over to Mina. "It's not about the law, and you should know that, given some of the stuff I've told you! I'm scared that you're going to get hurt, and I won't be good enough to pull you out of the situation before it gets to be too late, alright? You're the best friend I've had for all of high school, and you're… you've changed my life in a matter of weeks, Mina. I'm not saying we shouldn't risk our lives to save others. I'm saying we should wait, and do it the right way."

Mina echoed Eijiro's heavy sigh and shook her head.

"Well… that's not me. I can't wait. If you won't go in with me, then if something like that ever happens again, I'll go in alone. If I can do something to help, I can't just sit by and watch, or run away again. This hurts, Eiji."

"Damn it…" Eijiro cursed, before shaking his head and hanging it in defeat. "Then if and when that happens… I'll be right behind you," he said quietly.

"…what?" Mina asked curiously, her eyes wide.

"I told you," Eijiro emphasized as he stared angrily into his chocolate, "I don't want to lose you. So if you're gonna run in and try to help, then I really don't have a choice, do I? I'm not happy that you're pulling this move, but I… I get it. I wanted to save people today, too, but I don't have the confidence you do. I don't have the kind of crazy faith it takes to run in and stand toe-to-toe with real villains right now. I'm not ready."

"…but you'd still do it for me?" Mina asked in a near whisper.

"I'd do just about anything for you," Eijiro mumbled before taking another sip and returning his attention to the TV. "Even if I'm not happy about it."

Mina simply stared at Eijiro for a while, before finally swallowing the lump in her throat.

"…I feel the same way, you know. So… let's compromise."

"Huh?" Eijiro asked as he looked back over to Mina, confused.

The girl looked down at her blanket, before slowly returning her eyes to Eijiro's.

"…even if I'm pushing to do the 'heroic' thing… it's kind of a bitch move to force you to do something like that when you're just trying to look out for me, and I know it."

"Mina," Eijiro began, only for a bright pink finger to press against his lips.

"No- it was," Mina protested before removing her digit from her friend's mouth. "I'm just… an emotional wreck right now, and I'm sorry for doing that to you. Here's my offer- if something like this ever happens again and there are pros on the scene, like today… we'll get out of there. But if villains start something in public, we take a good look, and it's just you and me around with a bunch of innocents… we have to step in. Deal?"

Eijiro nodded slowly and leaned to set his drink up on the TV cabinet before giving Mina his full attention.

"Deal," the boy said happily before offering his hand.

"Mm…" Mina considered before setting her own mug on the nightstand and tilting her head coyly. "I think a promise this serious needs something more binding than a handshake, Eiji."

"Oh," Eijiro replied before pulling his hand back and then offering it once again, with only his pinky extended. "This, then?"

Mina arched a brow, pretending to consider the offer.

"Nuh-uh," she denied while shaking her head.

Eijiro let his hand drop, suddenly feeling very stupid as he watched Mina unwrap the blanket from around herself and let it hang over her shoulders.

"Then what are we supposed t-"

"How about… this?" Mina asked before closing the distance to Eijiro and planting her lips firmly upon his.

Eijiro's eyes widened as he watched Mina's close. Over a period of seconds, he allowed himself to mirror her expression and focused upon the kiss, only to find her lips leaving his just as he started to return the intimate gesture. He took several quick breaths as he opened his eyes once again to find Mina's fixated upon him with an expectant look.

"That… uh, that definitely works," Eijiro confirmed as his cheeks turned a color to match the new shade of his hair. "But… actually, I'm not sure if that counted. I mean, I wasn't ready, after all…"

"Then we'll just have to have a do-over," Mina said with a shrug before closing the distance once again.

Eijiro closed his eyes and sank into Mina's lips, her warm blanket wrapping around his back as he placed a hand around her own. Within seconds, he found himself with his back to the floor and Mina atop him, her cold hand working its way up and under his shirt. Her fingers traced the outlines of his abdominal muscles before gliding lower along his skin and making their way down into his waistband.

Author's Note:

Maybe I should rename this story Tonal Whiplash.

-RD