There are choices that haunt me like a demon. Choices I regret the instant they were made, and I crossed the point of no return.

Grrrhh! I'm such an impulsive shithead.

Especially in love.

Now I'm shivering with regret, reflecting on my same old mistakes.

Yes, I burned the letter.

"I'm a fucking idiot!"

But I also lied to Deku. When he asked me if I had read it, every single stroke of his pen was already seared into my memory—all four pages, every character, every sentence. I've committed to memory like a creed. It is my poetry, my lullaby. To this day, I can recite it all by heart because that's where those words were engraved in stone.

I could not process Deku's confession and my heart's fears at the same time. I could not accept his love when his death was imminent. I felt unworthy of his final love offering because who have I been to him? What would become of me if I accept his love and never see him again?

( ◣∀◢)ψ

"Why was he apologizing to me? Making winning so easy for me by bowing out like that?" I said to Kirishima when he finally forced himself into my room. "Like a charity case?"

"If it makes you feel better, he told us the same thing, bro. He's not dumping you," he tried to reassure me, as if he were taming a rabid dog.

I narrowed my eyes on that moron. "It's not the same, and you know it." Kiri shrugged and stared at me, finally just listening to me vent. "How could he say he loves me, then leave me behind?"

After reading Deku's letter, I shut myself in my room for the entire day. Where could he be so that I could yell at him? Battling alone to save us? To save me like I'm some helpless, Quirkless extra.

No way.

Not me.

Not MY hero.

-8-

Kirishima wouldn't leave me to wallow in restless peace for Deku's two weeks away. He kept checking on me, forcing me to eat, taking away all my sharp and dangerous things, urging me to let him in. It was exhausting and annoying as hell. But it saved me. I was spiraling, and my boys surrounded me, bombarded me with calls, texts, and knocks on my door to make sure I didn't crash out. Damn, did I want to.

"DEKU'S GOT ME FUCKED UP!" I'M GONNA KILL THAT BITCHASS NERD!"

"Bro, calm down, alright? We're all scared."

"Eijiro's right, Bakugo. After reading our letters, the whole class is worried about Midoriya and wants him back safely home."

I couldn't receive any of their support. "Fuck YOU! I'm not scared!" I was too paralyzed by confusion and a sudden neck grip of fear to move without feeling dizzy. My heart felt shattered to the very depths of my soul, reduced to ash. "It's not about that!" I grumbled. They know what I did, but not what I said.

"I think there's a saying that goes something like if you love something, let it go, and if it comes back, then that's how you'll know," he crooned like he's singing a love song. How pathetic—the lyrics and my life.

"How you'll know, what?" I flatly asked. Kiri's face went blank, like he missed something, too.

He hummed thoughtfully. "Ya' know what? I don't know."

I punched his shoulder. "YOU MORON! What was that all for then?"

"Something manly to think about until you figure it out."

"You're an idiot," I snapped, but it held no bite. My heart's too knotted to lash out.

But I held onto his words, anyway. I don't know why, because I ended up doing so much dumb shit anyway.

-8-

I didn't start regretting burning the love letter until it filtered into my dreams.

A letter burned to ash. Orange sparks of phoenix wings form, shake, and rise from the dust pile and explode bombs of light and plumes of green smoke against the darkness. Deku turning to ash. Deku's ghost. Deku's disappearance. Deku's bloody heart in my hands. Deku's grave. My hands. My blasts. My fault.

Deku wouldn't seek permission. He left me with no option, so I wouldn't either. It was time for him to face the harsh reality of his savior complex: he couldn't save everyone by himself. His confession spurred my decision, yes, but it was about more than that to me. This war was too big for him to handle alone. He needed support. He needed to know he wasn't alone.

To defeat Shigaraki and All For One, Deku had to rely on me.

I was sure, so certain in my newfound resolve that Deku needed me.

I could not wait for the sun to rise the next morning. I flung my door wide, ready to make Deku regret leaving me behind.

"Good. You're alive."

The bane of my existence stood in front of me in his training uniform. I groaned. Something in me should've known he'd be waiting, that he'd beat me to the punch.

"Don't be stupid! Of course, I'm alive, Scarface! You think I'd let that weak-ass injury kill me?"

"So, you're done crying, then?" Shoto inquired, and I could've sworn it sounded like he was mocking me.

"Great to hear. I know you're worried about him, too. Let's go get 'im."

I rolled my eyes to blink away my tears. "I'm not worried about that idiot. He has a death wish and a savior complex. He can die for all I care," I grumbled, shoving my hands in my pockets.

But Shoto saw behind my angry veil, "Okay, whatever you say, Bakugo. But let's go. Midoriya needs our help, even if he says he doesn't want it. We don't have time to waste."

"Don't tell me what to do! Where the hell do you think I was heading anyway?" It was late, and the dorm was quiet, but for our conversation.

"You don't have to argue about saving our friend. We're on the same team, you know?"

I scoffed at that. Then his question sank into my bones. I stopped in my tracks. My neck cracked to the side, my teeth grinding down in my jaw. "What makes you think any of that is true?" My face flushed with the raw truth, but my mouth refused to swallow my pride. "That he's my friend or that you are too, you second-rate hero?"

Shoto made this… look that made my palms prick with fresh sweat . His piercing, pitiful gaze was a mix of neutral acceptance and poignant truths I wasn't prepared to confront. Like ice beneath his intense gaze, the humiliation of being so transparent sent a chilling wave down my spine as he maintained a calm, even expression.

"You didn't read his letter to you?"

"You think I care about Deku's shitty letter? You're wrong! I don't!"

Shoto blinked, but held his peace and led us down the hallway to Deku.

So, why did I lie? Dammit…! I DON'T KNOW.

He was willing to sacrifice his life for me! How could I let that be rewarded? He wished to die for the sake of saving the world, but I couldn't come to terms with that once I saw him in the pouring rain. That I never wanted him to endanger himself for me again? How was I supposed to say that I'd rather die a thousand deaths than lose him after crying in front of our entire class, especially the boy I saw slowly, diligently pulling Deku's heart away from me? How could I admit I was afraid of losing him in more ways than one? After all we had to do to drag his ass back to UA, it felt too raw and sudden to request more than an apology and a genuine bid for friendship.

It would've been absurdly selfish, and I'm an asshole, yeah, but I can read the fucking room. War was not the time for love.

Then… Once Deku made it back, my pride got in the way, and I reasoned that his mental state couldn't have handled such intimacy. Even with him submitting to me, opening his heart and body so willingly to me in my bed, I tucked away my feelings. I decided to bury them until graduation in the grave I refused to let Deku meet to protect him .

What a convenient excuse.

I may be arrogant in speech, but I've always preferred actions to speak for themselves. I have to admit what made my heart grow and break at the same time. I saw something in Shoto about Deku that I couldn't find within myself—a confident, calm, and emotionally balanced presence amidst such profound uncertainty regarding Deku's current state that I had yet to reach. Regardless of his feelings and the connection they shared behind closed doors—things I didn't know and didn't want to think about—Shoto trusted Izuku. Fully. He trusted him in a way I couldn't even begin to comprehend, let alone accept with my heart.

I loved Deku, and it scared me.

I wanted to protect my heart.

.

My eyelids fly open, and the harsh sting of being flooded by fluorescent lights forces them back closed."F-Fuck. W-What happened?" I groan, my voice too dry and broken to say much else.

Propping myself up by my elbows and squinting into the blinding white light, my breath hitches to discover I'm in a hospital bed. My body is overheating on the outside, my chest is weighed down by a thick, heavy insulated blanket, yet I feel as cold as death internally. My head feels like it's been smashed against a cinderblock, and a metallic taste in my mouth makes me feel nauseated.

The last voice I want to hear when I'm feeling cold and confused responds, and it sends shivers up my spine.

"You plummeted to your death." A bored, dry tone that makes the baby hairs on my nape stand on end."I glance in his direction. Ice-hot fury meets my eyes."Way to break the ice, Todoroki," a friendly, gruff voice calls from my side.

"You're welcome. And you're lucky I was there to stop you from actually dying," Shoto stated, quite plainly, as though expecting recognition.

"Pfft!" I scoff through chatting teeth, "I didn't need you to save me."

"Hey, Bakugo, you must still be out of it, right? He doesn't mean that, Todoroki," Kirishima nervously laughs as he steps into my line of view, his friendly presence grounding me.

My breath hitches as fragmented memories flood back.

The jealousy in my core from seeing Deku with Shoto. The iceberg slope. I challenged Deku to burn off my anger, took off down the steep slope, and then came back up, but everything went ice-black.

"I-I thought I died," I choked, soberly closing my eyes as thawing ice crackles in my veins. My Quirk's core feels like doused coal in the pit of my belly.

"You should be dead, the way you blasted off with such reckless abandon, Bakugo," Shoto flatly rebuffs. "What the hell did you think you were doing out there? Do you have a death wish? That drop was over sixty feet into the Pacific." His tone is a stony reprimand, void of any genuine concern for my safety. So I resist looking at him to see the expression I know he's making— that stupid, dumb, grizzly, deadpan look when he's talking to someone he doesn't respect.

"Where am I?" My voice sounds as brittle as my throat feels raw as I look around the small room. "W-Where's D-Dek-Iz-Izuk-k-k—"

"Bro! I thought you were a goner for real!" He's doing on-site trauma counseling for civilians." Kaminari smiles. "A lot of people saw that death-drop and were terrified. They thought you died. So he's out there doing peace symbol-y stuff. Holding space and all that cheesy therapy jazz."

Just like the Symbol of Peace would.

"Wait—aren't you in a hero therapy course right now?" Kiri remembered, to which Yellow Hair just shrugs like he forgot, but doesn't care. I try to roll my eyes, but my eyeballs feel like crystals lodged in their sockets. Besides, I think it's kind of—

"Cute," I admit without thinking. My lungs rattle from trying to laugh.

The reaction was immediate. There's more sound in space than there is in the room.

I close my eyes and squeeze them tight to access the heat in my core. "What I mean is—" I clear my throat and shake my head. "I thought he was the one…" My voice falters. I open my eyes and stare out blankly past Shoto's apathetic, stoic face at the awkward grimace on Kiri's. It looks like he's holding in a big shit and I gotta say, I feel like he's mirroring my expression.

"Dude…" Kami drawls out pitifully through bubbling laughs. "Not in front of the main ," he cracks through a crooked smile.

"Shut it, Denki! You're gassin' shit," Kiri snaps under his breath, but Kaminari is high and unbothered.

He shrugs his shoulders, the sports coat he was wearing when we arrived no longer on his arms. "Hey, I'm not the one making heart-eyes talking about Todoroki's man, in front of Todoroki!" He throws his hands up in surrender. "I'm just providing colorful commentary."

I'm not even listening anymore. My mind is too overwhelmed by my embarrassing admission and my near-death vision; was it a false memory? That feeling of being caught and carried through the air in Deku's arms felt too real to be fake. Was it just another near-death experience?

The door slides open with pulsating force. "Bakugo, are you all right!" Tenya rushes to my side, talking faster than he flew into the room. "That sudden drop you took was the most terrifying thing I've witnessed in a while. Thank goodness Shoto was able to brace you for a sudden impact like that; otherwise, all your bones would be broken and your flesh, fish food! And I'm so glad I opted for the premium medical insurance option for this party! This med bay is high-tech, so don't worry, Katsuki, you are in safe hands. See, Shoto, be sure to tell Natsu I wasn't being an overbearing worrywart," Tenya's sharp paternal voice sounds like lashes against my frigid body.

Why won't my Quirk activate?!

I clear my throat, more to hide the anxiety in my question than to break up the frost biting the folds. "So, he didn't save me?"

"No, you asshole," Shoto snapped. "I did. You went into shock from the drop and hypothermia from the watery plunge." The air in the room grows a half-degree colder, but it feels like sitting in a snowstorm. "You're lucky I—"

I cut him off, dismissively waving him off, not caring about whatever he expects me to do or say to stroke his ego. "I need to see Izuku."

Tenya and Kiri glance at each other warily and look Shoto's way with worried expressions, no doubt deferring to his decision. The steam boiling off his skin is a relief against my shivering flesh and bones.

"Bakugo," Tenya calmly tries to warn, "You should really be appreciating Shoto for what he did. He saved your life."

But I cut him off before he could finish, "I didn't ask him to do that. Tell Izuku I need to talk to him."

When no one moves, I frown, sneezing. "What's with you two dumbasses?" I scowl at Kiri and Kami. "G-GO G-GET D-D-DEKU—"

"I need to speak to Bakugo alone," Shoto informs our friends in a voice that brooks no argument.

"T-They c-can stay," I calmly retort through chattering teeth. I stare Kiri down. Stay.

His eyes flicker between me and Shoto, and he stutters like a little bitch and shifts in his seat. "A-Actually, Iida and I need to go check on the rest of the bachelor party and on-site medics to see who needs our heroism. R-Right, Iida? I'm sure someone needs your help somewhere."

Tenya nods, "Yeah, someone indeed may need my assistance somewhere!"

Kirishima hops on his feet. "—Oh, what was that? I think I hear someone crying out for a phone charger, too!"

Tenya, who was never sitting down to begin with, hops to it and rushes out the door. "Right! Let us make haste!"

The room is cold and detached, and the silence stretches out across the sterile space. There is nowhere else to look but at Shoto sitting coolly at my bedside, but it is not a comforting visit. His hair is cropped around his temples and ears, windblown and flat against his flushed face. If one of us didn't break the silence, I was going to erupt.

"So…are you gonna get him, or…?"

"I'm not."

"So, why are you here?"

"Why are you?"

"Iida, duh."

"You could've declined. You did decline."

"I'm not about to make my friend's wedding about me."

"You already did."

"Yeah, well, that was a fluke. I'm here to celebrate Legs and Tits."

Shoto crosses his arms. His broad chest, still in his blue hero's uniform, tightens in annoyance. "Did you return for Midoriya, Bakugo?"

I grit my teeth as a spark flares my pupils wide. My Quirk quickens back to life. "What do you want, Icy Hot? An apology? Appreciation? A round of fucking applause for your Billboard ranking?" I spit my mockery out like venom, though I know the bite carries nothing in it as it grazes over Shoto's nerves. Still, I managed to get a cutting eye roll out of him. I win.

"You weren't supposed to return." Shoto's steely gaze studies me. The blizzard sweeping through his gray iris and the wildfire raging in his blue iris set me on edge. I've seen what his combined powers can do.

I set my jaw, ready for a fight. "You weren't supposed to assume you could ever stop me. So, what now? You came to renew your vow to kill me, or to just get it over with and fuck me already?" I bare my fangs, daring him to try either way.

"You've never been my type," he flippantly dismisses. "I just wanted to see something."

I frown, thrown off by how placid his entire demeanor just shifted into. "To see what?" I grumble, pissed by my own curiosity.

Shoto crosses his legs as if he's patiently waiting for his trap to snap shut. He yawns and shrugs. "Doesn't matter. I'm just glad to see that some things never change."

My Quirk crackles with fresh vigor in my chest. "What is that supposed to mean? Stop being all cryptic and creepy!" I hoarsely snap back.

"That it's good to see that what you see is still what you get when it comes to Katsuki Bakugo." Shoto's eyes slink down to the popping, sparking emitting from my upturned palms, unimpressed. "Careful, now. I had to freeze your heart to stop your body from freezing to death when you…took your plunge. Give your heart time to thaw and the blood to start pumping," He sounds like someone who has said this a thousand times. "I'm sure you'll return to your explosive asshole ways soon enough."

Averting my gaze from the turned-off television screen, I squeeze the bed sheets beneath my fists and stare at our concave reflections, humiliated, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of making me sweat. I push the words out, "Fuck this shit, man. Why did you save me?" I finally ask before muttering curses to myself at how remorseful I sound.

He rolls his eyes as if he's bored of talking to me, but he'll still entertain my question. Whatta dick!

"Because what you fail to realize, Bakugo, is that I am not your enemy. I'm not even your rival."

"Bullshit! You stole-"

He straightens his body into a threatening posture in his chair and holds up a rigid hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there, Katsuki . I stole nothing from you, Bakugo." His words, low, sharp, and firm, leave me blinking for a rebuttal. "I chose Midoriya. Midoriya chose me. You chose, and it looks like you continue to choose, your pride and fragile ego."

I growl to clap back, but Shoto leaves no breathing room. "Are you such an entitled brat that you really believe something…someone was stolen from you? We are not on the same league, Bakugo. We're not even fighting at the same level as heroes. Check the Billboard charts," His laughter cuts through the tension. It's mocking, menacing, and downright mean. "You are not my competition! So, why do you count yourself so exceptional as to demand an audience with my partner? You never had or owned Midoriya. Do you think you're so special that I would want anything that was yours first if I didn't think I could make it better?"

I press my lips into a thin line, biting back so many words that I know I have no right to shout. Still, they're thoughts I know to be true, and I'm not backing down in this pissing contest. "Deku loved me first . Gave me head first. "

The scoff that thunders out of Shoto's throat is so venomously breathy that I brace to be frozen in a block of ice. I question my sanity for even saying such a brazen thing, but I can't take it back now.

"Wow, how audacious of you. Did that feel good? Did it make you feel better to degrade my partner like that? Do you feel big and powerful now, hmm? Aw, you're such a tough guy! Midoriya does love that in a man," Shoto mocks me in babyspeak, and I just gotta have my Quirk work right now so that I can choke him out.

Suddenly, he adjusts his hands to cup his knees; his face, once tight with irritation, is now expressionless. "Is that what you're still holding onto? Is that why you came back? Because you think you have a shot at happiness with him? That you have a shot at destroying my happy life? I should kill you right now."

My eyes narrow, and my lips curl into a devilish grin. "You don't have the balls to do that, Todoroki. If you did, you would've left me to plummet to my freezing death. You saved me because you're too pussy to let me die."

"I saved you because I'm a pro hero and take my job very seriously. I saved you because…" he sucks in a sharp breath, "Contrary to your wicked schemes, I love Midoriya more than I hate you, and my kindhearted, longsuffering partner still considers you his best friend. And lucky for you, I'll do anything to make my man happy."

I stare, frozen in disbelief. Then, a thought clicked.

"So, you're mad at me that he came to rescue me the other night!"

It's an imperceptible crack in his armor, but I noticed it. How Shoto quickly blinks, stunned into silence as his mouth opens and closes like a fish gasping for a lie to say, I'm sure.

Yeah, bitch. I got him!

But my victory is short-lived as the room door slides open with more careful force this time. At the same time, Shoto's right hand freezes, hovering over my throat.

Deku enters the clinic room.

About damn time!

"Shoto! You're still here!" he sounds happy, breathless, and relieved as he walks over to grab his lover's hand. His wide, sparkling eyes glow into Shoto's face, ripping my chest apart until those deep green eyes flutter to the right and (finally) see me. "Kacchan! You're awake! Are you alright? Are you still cold? The onboard doctor said—"

Suddenly, my voice is low, unsure of itself. "I'm fine, Deku." I look down at the bedding covering my legs. "Thank you—" My voice cracks as I glance up at him, my heart racing, my stomach somersaulting, and my eyes revealing too much for me to hide. "For saving me. The last thing I remember before passing out was your green streaks carrying me out of the water. So, thank you, Izuku."

Deku's eyes grow wider, an awkward blush playing on his face. His gaze flashes between me and Shoto. "Oh, you didn't tell him?" he sounded hesitant.

Shoto shrugs and sighs, rolling his wrists in careless defeat.

"I never listen to what he says," I reminded both men. It's been a while and people have started to forget who the fuck I am.

Deku lets out a nervous but good-natured chuckle. He glances at Shoto, who is now only acknowledging him (good, I don't care), and then addresses me. "Kacchan, I wasn't the one who saved you. Shoto was. He sped past you once you took off to create an ice bed with a warm pool in the center to catch you from falling. But your speed was too fast, and you cracked through the ice bed, and he dove in after you before you plunged too deep into the ocean. That's when he passed you off to me while he stayed back to destroy the ice slope. I only stayed back to calm civilians down. Shoto was the true hero."

He pats his partner's shoulder with pride and stares at him with lovesick eyes, and threads his fingers into it with such intimacy that makes me wish they didn't rescue me so I didn't live to witness this shit. "I only carried you here as support. But I'm so glad to see you're up! How are you feeling? Not gonna lie, you had us all shook in the first half-hour, buddy!"

I start, then pause, my face scrunching skeptically.

Buddy?

When the FUCK has Deku EVER called me BUDDY?

That shit don't sound right coming from him.

My stomach growled, and that's when it struck me. The sun was coming up out of the porthole window to my right. How long was I out?

As if reading my mind, Deku continues excitedly, "I'm sure you're hungry by now. I brought you some greasy food." He holds up a folded white paper bag I hadn't noticed him holding, and my nose is immediately assaulted by the savory goodness of a greasy burger and fries. How did it feel to experience Shoto's new cryonic ultimate move, Ice Age? I didn't expect you to be knocked out for four hours. Shoto, is that a new record freeze?"

Scarface hums thoughtfully, his face fully animated now that he's talking to Deku, his index finger scratching his temple. "I believe so. But it wasn't intentional. I was just trying to stabilize his body temperature to keep his heart from failing. It wasn't supposed to last longer than the usual hour or so."

Deku excitedly muttered data, facts, and his observations of Shoto's speed and situational assessment from the summit as they talked. Shoto seamlessly matched the same muttering cadence as his partner, giggling with his own commentary. They looked comfortably in love in their sleek, complementary looks—

"I'm so proud of you for figuring out how to adjust for body temperature and climate conditions on the spot like that. I saw your instant judgment call and found it both genius and sexy," Deku flirts, slowly rubbing Shoto's chest.

Shoto blushes with a lustful smile, "That's all you, baby. You've taught me a lot about that. You know I love it when you talk nerdy to me," he winks, his eyes undressing Deku out of his hero costume, a low kitten purr tickling his words, and my flesh crawls with angry, red ants.

"Shoto!" Deku squeaks, embarrassed and playful.

—And that shit made my blood boil over like lava.

I fist my hair at my temples. "Would you two dorks just shut the fuck up for a second?!" My irritation rang out like a siren. They stop and look at me in unison.

"Oh, forgot you were still there," Shoto deadpans. My palms and forehead were drenched with sweat, and I was shaking. The burning taste of the metallic, salty film filling my throat threatens to pour out like a fireball. "What did you do to me? Where the fuck is my Quirk! Explain!"

Shoto stands up and wraps his arms around Deku's waist possessively. "Oh, the cryonic move freezes Quirk genes, too. Long story, don't wanna tell ya, but you'll get full functioning of your Quirk back in ten minutes or so," he nonchalantly says over his shoulder as he walks them to the open door and kisses Deku's forehead, cheeks, neck, and the soft flesh just beneath his ear.

When he finally speaks, it's barely above a whisper into Deku's skin, "I'll leave you to speak to that fool." He teasingly bites and tugs at the taut flesh as if to leave a mark— his mark. Deku's face dusts pink, but he does not shy away from his lover's affections. "But if that bastard does anything to you that makes you uncomfortable, you know I'm right here." They share a quiet moment staring into each other's eyes, expressing things I don't know and don't care to understand. All I know is that I cannot take this lovey-dovey shit a second more.

I clear my throat, "Um! Can you two freaks not eye-fuck each other in front of me?"

Deku straightens up, his blush now reaching his ears. "Oh, sorry, Kacchan!"

But Shoto barely moves. A dark cloud forms over his eyes as they flicker from the softness they had for Deku towards me. He says nothing, only turns back to Deku to plant a slow and deliberate but tongueless kiss on his lips. It's deep, and though they're closer to the door now, I can feel the kiss's heat from the bed. He cradles the back of Deku's head with his hands. "I'll be waiting with Iida and the others. Don't take too long. You need to eat and rest, and I want to take care of you," he says as his tongue gently intrudes into Deku's mouth. "I love you, baby."

I see the nerd of my childhood, the strongest man in the world today's knees buckle like he's in a fucking fairytale. The man can hardly speak without his voice trembling. "I-I love you, too," he whispers, his eyes fluttering with affection.

An ice wall, as high and wide as the door, slides harshly to block my view. I can't see, but I can hear what's happening on the other side. I can't see, but I can hear Deku moaning into the deep, slow, and wet kiss they shared.

My Quirk explodes in my belly at the mental picture. I thrash out of bed, my hospital gown shuffling around me, my body sore with bruises from the fall and wires needled into my arm. Ripping them out stings, but the pain is nothing a pro hero worth his Quirk would acknowledge. My palm is already melting through the ice and I catch a glimpse of Shoto shamelessly groping Deku's ass.

"Get a fucking room, dammit!" I demand, though my voice holds no other emotion but envy. I'm fired up and feeling like myself again.

"This one's nice enough," Shoto observes, seemingly lost in their kiss rather than answering me directly. Deku says nothing; neither of them even looks my way.

My face flushes with embarrassment. "Not mine, you pervert!"

Shoto laughs softly, his shit-eating grin splitting his face in half, "Stay hydrated, my hero." He gently smacks Deku's ass as he opens the door to leave, "And don't talk to this bozo for too long," he says in a stern tone, cutting his sharp eyes at me. "It'll damage your brain."

My heart is hammering in my chest, but my body remains frozen, trapped in its own icy mental prison. That same bitter bile returns, filling my throat upon realizing that Shoto Todoroki has won once again.

"By the way, you should drink water, too, Kacchan. You threw up on yourself. A lot," Deku sheepishly suggests.

( ◣∀◢)ψ

happy birthday, kacchan!