Izuku and Todoroki have a discussion. Izuku actually finds out Todoroki is pretty damned funny. Ochako really wants to know what the fuck is going on. And the teachers discuss the recording of the two teens battle.

After Recovery Girl proceeded to read them both the riot act (as Izuku had apparently fractured their femur with the kickoff they did while at 40% of Full Cowling), the two teens sat silently in the office for a few minutes while Recovery Girl went off to finish the paperwork for their visit. The silence stretched uncomfortably, until Izuku couldn't help but wince.

"So uh…sorry for pushing you so much," Izuku said softly.

Todoroki shook his head slowly. "No, you…made some good points. I should not have been so stubborn. And…I suppose I came off as condescending."

Izuku blinked. "I didn't say you were?"

"You compared me to that blonde from yesterday. Considering what little you and your two friends have said of him, as well as how he acted, I can only assume it was an unfavorable comparison. Condescending is perhaps the nicest word I could use."

Izuku sighed, shoulders slumping as they looked at the floor. "...yeah, sorry, it wasn't fair to compare you to Kacchan."

Todoroki shrugged. "I was being arrogant and I paid for it. It was something I did need to learn, I think."

Izuku let the silence rest for a few moments before asking the question that was still burning beneath the surface, their voice soft. "If you don't want to explain that's fine, but um…do you mind if I ask why you don't use your fire? Or is it more limited than it looked?"

Todoroki stared blankly at Izuku for a good half a minute, seemingly frozen in place. Izuku was about to rescind the question, the awkwardness on the air too difficult to place, before Todoroki let a soft sigh escape his lips. "I…suppose I can explain. I only ask you keep this between us."

"O-of course. We all got our secrets, right?" Izuku replied with a nervous grin.

Todoroki scoffed. "Yes, that is certainly true." He took a moment to compose himself, before speaking. "I do not want to go into many details, but…do you know who my father is?"

"I have a guess?" Izuku replied, waiting for the nod from Todoroki to continue. "Well, considering you seem to have some type of fire Quirk and your last name is Todoroki, I assumed you were related to Endeavor?"

"Yes, he is my father. He has perpetually been the number two hero in the country, behind All Might…and he has never been able to get over that. So he desired a child who could defeat All Might. Let me ask you this, Midoriya…do you know what Quirk marriages are?"

Izuku blinked at Todoroki, a dawning horror crossing their face as Todoroki let a bitter half-smile cross his face, nodding at Izuku's expression. "Yes, it is as it seems. He married my mother for her Quirk, as while she herself was not a hero nor had she trained her Quirk, it was a rather powerful ice Quirk. Due to my father's overheating weakness, he desired a way to counterbalance it."

Todoroki took a moment to take in a deep breath, before continuing. "The first three children they had did not have the combined Quirk Father wanted. But then, I was born, and I was everything he wanted. Unfortunately, by this point, my mother was far too hurt by the entire situation and when I was young, she was boiling water for tea and speaking to her mother on the phone about how she couldn't stand to look at me, and, well…" he trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards the scar on his face, Izuku inhaling sharply at the realization.

Todoroki made a vaguely dismissive gesture. "I never blamed her for it. Only him. But he had her committed, and proceeded to train me alone. He still is enraged I will not use my fire, but at the very least I'm using my ice and that's enough to let him come here. I thought I'd escaped his influence finally but…I guess I was still thinking the way he wanted me to, with how focused I am on being the strongest in class. I just…I want to beat All Might, but do it solely without using his Quirk. That's…that's why I am so focused on it."

"...but it's not his Quirk, Todoroki." Izuku replied gently.

Todoroki blinked at them. "It is. I am quite certain he is my father and I inherited-"

"It's not his Quirk or her Quirk, Todoroki. It's your Quirk. No one else's. It's not two different Quirk's, it's a singular, fused thing that is its own life. We're not just fusions of our parents, you know. Each of us is an individual. We might come from them, but we're still our own people, you know? The same applies to Quirks. The flames may come from him, but they aren't his. They are yours and yours alone. And only you get to decide what to do with them. If you never want to use them, that's your call, but objectively, you'll be a weaker hero for it. But at the very least you should use the fire to mitigate your freezing. You're just hurting yourself for no reason. And…and you shouldn't hurt yourself, Todoroki. It's not…healthy," Izuku's words faltered near the end, feeling shame welling up inside them as they realized how hypocritical they sounded.

"...That was an odd way to say that last part, Midoriya," Todoroki said in a flat tone. He stared at the other teenager for a moment, before sighing, shoulders slumping. "I-I suppose you have a point, but I am not certain I can just…It's been years. So many years. I'm not…I can't. Not yet."

Izuku shoved their own feelings down into the pit once more, mentally jumping on the lid they hastily threw over it to push them down further as they swallowed. "I know. Not saying just go off and change everything right now. Just…something to think about, right? You'd want to train before using it for anything besides warming yourself anyways."

"Yes, that is a good point too. But…for now, I…yeah." Todoroki fell silent, the room collapsing into awkwardness once more. After a moment, Todoroki worked his jaw and spoke up. "Yesterday…Himiko requested we not call her by her last name because she did not like it, yes?"

"...yeah?" Izuku asked, somewhat suspicious at the random non-sequitur and worried the split-haired teen would ask something Izuku had no right to explain.

"Would…would you do the same for me? I-I do not like my last name either. If it wouldn't be an imposition, that is."

Izuku blinked in confusion for a brief moment before it clicked. "O-oh, yeah, that's no problem. You can call me Izuku then, we'll just be on first name terms!"

Todoroki, no, Shoto, gave a half-hearted smile. "Very well then. Thank you, Izuku."

Izuku rubbed the back of their neck nervously. "Do you want to ask the whole class to do so? They did it for Himiko and Tsu too without an issue, so shouldn't be a problem."

Shoto paused for a moment, looking up contemplatively. "I…I think so, yes. I would really rather not associate myself with Endeavor as much as possible."

"Well, then when we get back we'll just have to do that then!"

Shoto arched an eyebrow at Izuku's enthusiasm. "You seem excited."

Izuku shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Well, not every day you get a new friend the second day of school."

Shoto stared at Izuku blankly for a brief moment, his voice soft and almost shaking as he replied. "We-we're friends?"

Izuku let their smile turn to a more gentle one. "If you want to be."

"...I would like that very much, yes."

"Cool. That's cool, then."

"Half-correct. My right side is the cool one."

Izuku snorted. "Dad jokes now? Really?"

Shoto blinked blankly. "I do not understand. Whose dad is making jokes? Mine never does."

Izuku snorted again, a giggle escaping them. "Oh geez, you're really funny Shoto!"

"What? How am I funny? I didn't make any jokes! I am only being clear on how cool I am!"

Izuku couldn't help it, feeling the giggles bubbling up within them further at the stricken, almost offended look on Shoto's face. He managed to squeak out "Yep, you're very cool, very cool."

"Once again, only my right side is. Are you certain you are alright? Did you get a head injury? You seem to be having memory issues. We should ask Recovery Girl to check you for a concussion."

Izuku gave up, laughter escaping them as they fell back onto the bed and clutched at their stomach, Across the bond they could feel the confusion from the other two, and could only giggle more at their feelings of utter disbelief at Izuku's sudden surge of humor and joy…and the affectionate warmth that came across as a response to Izuku actually feeling happier.

"Izuku? Izuku, are you certain you are alright? I-I must fetch the nurse at once! Recovery Girl, please, I believe Izuku is in trouble!" Izuku just laughed as Shoto scrambled to reach Recovery Girl's office door.

"O-only you, Shoto, only you," Izuku snickered as Shoto turned back around, confused.

"Yes, I am only me?"

"N-nevermind. I'm fine, Shoto, I'm f-fine," Izuku managed to sputter out.

"You are very strange, Izuku."

"You're still not the first to tell me that."

Why did every day have to be so complicated, Ochako wondered. It should have just been a normal, easy, first full day of school. Classes were nice and simple, and then they got to match up for sparring under Toshinori's watchful eye and honestly? She had a blast! Okay, terrifying her classmates wasn't exactly on her bucket list, but that girl Tsu was actually really sweet to them about it, and then sparring with Himiko, no holds barred, in front of everyone was fun. Maybe it was a bit cocky of her, but for all of Izuku and Himiko's fears about their shared Quirks…Ochako never shared those fears.

Probably because she never was afraid of her own power like Himiko, nor did she lack one like Izuku. It made her feel terrible sometimes, the knowledge that she actually enjoyed the shared powers, enjoyed the strength One For All gave her, enjoyed the adaptability Transform gave, and she always loved her own Zero Gravity from the day she got it and realized how many people she could save with it.

But getting to put all of them to use against Himiko, matching her childhood friend move for move? That was fun! That was actually cool! She felt…she felt powerful. Strong. Like she could do anything, she could save anyone. When she picked up that storefront and launched it at Himiko, the blonde able to smash through it with a single punch and return fire, it was so incredible! Maybe it was arrogant…but she liked feeling that way.

But then came Izuku's match with Todoroki. At first, it seemed okay, and she was actually excited to see how strong Todoroki was, because there was someone else she could probably go all out against and enjoy it. Maybe that was why she missed it at first. Izuku's emotions at the start of the fight were…weird. Mostly confused, a bit panicked (which she chalked up to the surprise glacier opener from Todoroki), and in their calm, focused sparring mindset she often tried to emulate.

And then it changed. It felt slow to her, but with how quickly the match went, it really wasn't slow at all. Izuku became angry. Really, really, really angry. She could feel the sheer unadulterated rage taking over Izuku, and when Toshinori turned on the audio to tell Todoroki to surrender, Izuku's voice…it wasn't her Izuku. It was someone else. Someone cold, and callous, almost mocking in their tone. Not her gentle sweet Izuku with a heart of gold. It really bothered her, and she knew she wasn't the only one, meeting Himiko's now aghast expression with one of her own.

She had no idea what Todoroki had done to piss Izuku off so much, but as soon as it was there it faded seconds later, into shock, confusion, and concern…which that felt more like her Izuku. When she saw their expression change on the monitor, could see the stance Izuku would take when they were beseeching her to calm down or Himiko to take a breath, she could already imagine the comforting tone they'd use. But that led to one major question…why? Not only why was Izuku angry to begin with, but why were they suddenly concerned about Todoroki?

Not even twenty minutes later and she was still full of whiplash, barely paying attention as she had changed out of her costume and headed back to the dorms, because over the bond she could feel Izuku's emotions still…confusion, once more, followed by fear, disgust, and now even more anger, but this anger wasn't directed at Todoroki…it felt like it was for him? It was hard to parse it, but she could sense the anger was more distant now, less focused on someone Izuku knew, and she had no clue what in the world was happening…and then Izuku was happy? Laughing? Nearly exploding with joy, and she couldn't stop the mirrored smile from crossing her face.

Himiko let out a giggle as well, confusing their classmates who were walking with them as Himiko tried to quickly explain she'd just thought of something funny, her cheeks pinked with embarrassment, but even with that Ochako could feel Izuku's infectious joy within her heart making her want to laugh as well.

She finally had a chance to get her answers, when after they had settled into the dorms once more, the door opened to reveal Izuku, gesticulating wildly as they told some sort of story to a smiling Todoroki?! The blank-faced teen who had yet to smile once was now grinning and letting out short puffs of laughter, making half the class stare at the duo blankly. Izuku finally looked up and noticed everyone staring at them, and cocked their head to the side.

"Uh…hi?"

"...dude, did you like, replace Todoroki with a clone or something?" Kaminari asked, confused.

Todoroki tilted his head to the side in a mirror of Izuku. "I am no clone. Although I suppose if I were, and I had my memories, I would not know I was. Perhaps I should investigate the likelihood of me being a clone now. Is there evidence to the contrary?"

Kaminari stared blankly at him before shaking his head. "Uh…you know what, never mind. I ain't getting involved with this. Too much for my tiny brain."

"Your cranium is average sized, and you seem to operate as well as any other person. I am quite certain your brain is the correct size for your stature," Todoroki replied.

Izuku snorted, seeming to want to change the subject before Kaminari had an aneurysm. "Hey, just so everyone knows, Shoto wants to be known by his first name like Himi and Tsu do, if that's cool?" After a moment for everyone to parse it, the class collectively agreed, all giving Shoto greetings like normal, and were once again treated to a fleeting smile from the split-haired teen.

And that was more than enough for Ochako, she wanted answers from her best friend and was going to get them. She stepped up and grabbed Izuku's wrist, Himiko doing the same on their other side, and smiled up at Shoto. "Excuse us, we need to borrow Izu." Izuku's eyes went wide as the girls yanked them along, a high-pitched yelp leaving their lips as they vanished up the stairs so Ochako and Himiko could grill them about what the hell that fight was.

"The fact you called me to Nezu's office tells me something else happened with our Problem Trio today," Shouta drawled, annoyed as he drained the remains of his coffee.

Toshinori sighed. "Not…exactly. It would be simpler to show you the video, I believe." Shouta shrugged, exchanging a glance with Nezu who also shrugged, having not yet seen the video. Toshinori handed the paper which contained the file name to Nezu, the chimeric hero pulling it up and shuffling its display to one of the monitors on the far wall, allowing the video of Izuku and Todoroki's fight to play with the included audio.

Shouta's exasperation at the idea of something else being wrong with the trio of cats faded, only to be replaced by concern and worry for the ice-wielding teenager. He knew Todoroki had fire related powers, but he'd assumed he hadn't used them so far as they were weaker or unhelpful for the situation, but it was clear already there was another reason and considering Todoroki's father and the wording about not using 'his' power, it did not bode well. Not that he was a fan of assuming and making accusations off a single incident, but something was wrong with the boy, and that was obvious already.

Shouta sighed, facepalming. "...well. I already have three traumatized teenagers in my homeroom class, I may as well have four. Do we have any reason to suspect anyone else in my class is mentally ill in some fashion?"

"At this moment, nothing to this extent. There are indicators of some of them having various learning disabilities or undiagnosed ADHD, but nothing we've not dealt with before. I suppose it would be of benefit to see if we can get them all an appointment with the counselor and see if Inui can intuit anything. But it's very early in the year to do so, I would need a reason to mandate it," Nezu remarked, flicking through some paperwork on his desk.

"Maybe we just encourage them to try it voluntarily? Or simply remind everyone Hound Dog is there? Some may choose of their own volition!" Toshinori replied.

Shouta affixed him with a look. "You've been watching over the cat trio for weeks now, and Izuku for even longer. Please tell me you're not that optimistic about teenagers still."

Toshinori let out a huffed chuckle with no humor in it. "You have a point. I just…perhaps I have been too distant from the average person since I became a hero, but it is distressing to see how many of these children seem to be suffering and not being able to just punch the problem away."

"If the problem is Endeavor, at least that one you can punch," Shouta muttered under his breath, but both Nezu and Toshinori still heard him."

"I advise caution before jumping to conclusions. We only have this one incident to go off of. That said, it may actually be slightly mitigated," Nezu mused, his eyes drawn to the monitor before him with a shrewd look. At the confused look from the other two heroes in the room, he chuckled, turning his screen around to show Izuku and Todoroki walking down the hallway towards their dorm, with the image of Todoroki actually laughing and smiling at Izuku's words. "It appears during their stay in the nurse's office, they have bonded enough for Todoroki to relax his guard. While not a fix for whatever is bothering him, perhaps a friend may be of assistance."

Shouta rolled his eyes, but the smirk on his face betrayed his real feelings. At Nezu's own smirk, he pulled his scarf up over his mouth to cover the look as he drawled "Well, at least they are getting along now."

"So…I suppose for now we need to simply keep an eye on Todoroki and perhaps a better eye on the class in general?" Toshinori asked, a smile on his face at seeing his successor manage to bring some cheer to another teenager.

"That seems the best course of action. Of course, I'll be discreetly checking into Todoroki's background, but for now we'll wait and see. Do try to subtly encourage your students to go see Hound Dog though. I shall ask the other teachers to do so as well. If any of our students are in some form of trouble, or even something simple as difficulty with some of our lessons, well…I pride myself on UA being the best school it could possibly be, for all of our students, hero, business, management, or general education. We shall do our level best for them all."

"You try this every year, less than ten percent of students bother taking us up on the offer though," Shouta pointed out.

"That's still a student who reaches out for help. I'll take that. If I can find a way to mandate it without the board giving me a dozen headaches, I shall do so. Of course, if the whole school did take us up on this offer, Inui would be overworked. Luckily, if I have my way, soon we'll have a few assistants for Inui as well," Nezu replied.

"Oh? More new hires?" Toshinori asked, curious.

Nezu nodded. "Assuming the paperwork goes through, I already have one in mind! Albeit he comes with his own assistant, but she'll be performing a different duty here. We do need better cybersecurity after all…I cannot handle it all myself." Nezu sipped his tea and hummed.

Shouta snorted, standing upright from where he'd been leaning against the wall. "Well, if that's all, I'm going to finish up preparations for the USJ trip at the end of the week. I'll keep an eye on Todoroki until we have something to work off of." The other two adults nodded, silently agreeing this was the best path forward for now. Shouta put it aside for now…right now, they could only work with what they had. He'd wait and see, and make sure Todoroki knew his, and every teacher's, door was open for him if he needed any assistance. Hopefully, the influence of the Problem Trio would make an impact on the class's willingness to reach out.