#but Izuku needs to make himself present and available in every sense of the words to let that happen

[siflshonen]

I’d like to point out that the panel/frame flashbacks of different ages in Bakugo’s apology don’t seem to just representative of the passing of time in a general sense, but seem to be representative of specific instances where it’s been demonstrated that Bakugo couldn’t say what he needed to say to Izuku.

As a little kid, the panel/frame is not just Bakugo being a smug little shit when they go bug-catching, but an amendment to the moment after Izuku reaches out to him in the river. This one should be the most obvious.

As a middle schooler, the panel/frame is not just a shot representing the bullying he did to Izuku in the classroom, but an amendment to his declaration to Izuku after the sludge villain incident that he didn’t need saving.

As a high schooler, the panel/frame is an amendment to his declaration to Izuku that he will “beat you/them all!” outside the school gates.

Once in his hero suit, the panel/frame is pulling double duty. Not only is this part of his apology an amendment to everything he said to Izuku during their fight against All Might when they were, you guessed it, wearing their hero suits, but it transitions into the way he feels at that moment.

It’s true that Katsuki is representing every version of himself he’s ever been in those moments, but he’s also been fixating on specific failures to say this to Izuku when he has had the chance. However, after those instances, I don’t think it’s been Katsuki’s pride that has been the thing getting in the way to saying what he thinks and feels.

Horikoshi does his best to communicate as much as he can in relatively few pages and often maximizes on Katsuki’s surprisingly understated, to-the-point and callous style of speech.

[9r7g5h]

A Week of My Enigma - Scents

Fandom: My Hero Academia, Boku no Hero Academia 

Rating: M

Genre: Saucy lmao, but not spicy

AN: A week of Enigma Bakugou prompt fills.

Words: 2154

There wasn't much information on enigmas.

With only one, maybe two born every generation or so, agreeing to be a lab rat for the rest of your life was no way to live, especially when there was no guarantee that the "research" wouldn't end up with your brain on the table of some mad scientist. With the only other two currently known enigmas an old woman in the Philippines and a woman in Australia the same age as his mom, Katsuki wasn't going to be the only one to sign up for being drained and gutted on a regular basis. Thus, the only publicly available information was the stuff that was, well, well known.

His teeth were larger, his scent stronger, his Command more than enough to drive off any potential alphas that might threaten his interests. His quirk was strong, he put on muscle easier, could command a room with ease; as far as everyone else knew, Katsuki had a ticket to an easy life, especially as a pro-hero.

What wasn't well known, and what was the bane of his existence, was his heightened sense of smell, something Katsuki would give up all the benefits of being an enigma for if he could just get rid of it.

It didn't matter most days that UA required all first and second years to take suppressants, no matter their secondary gender; he could still smell them all, the weak ass neutralized oils still building up on their scent glands, just strong enough to tease his nose and make him feel like he needed to sneeze twenty-four seven. At least the smells of the third years and teachers were pure, covered only by the everyday plastic patches that most normal people wore as the third years went through their scent desensitization classes. Those he could adjust to, categorize as pack, friend, or foe, and quickly learn to ignore. But the shitty suppressed smells that the rest of UA gave off just pissed him off, leaving him with a migraine by the end of the day if he tried to focus too much, and an itchy nose all day if he didn't.

Only Deku's smell didn't seem to annoy him, at least not the same way everyone else's did. For a teenaged beta his smell was still so childish, reminding Katsuki of afternoons in the park, evenings cuddling under blankets with ramen and movies, too young to care about the way the world actually worked. Like he hadn't grown a single bit since those days, though just looking at the nerd, his dense bulk and height (not nearly as tall as Katsuki, no, but a decent average nonetheless), told otherwise. It was a smell that paired well with his still present baby face, if not the rest of him.

Perhaps it was that childish reminder, perhaps it was the fact that it'd been there his entire life, but either way Katsuki often found himself taking comfort in Izuku's smell. Standing a little closer than he otherwise would have, or snagging a shirt from his locker to use as a mask when the migraines got too much. It might have been weird, sure, but who was going to question him? The nerd himself was fine with it, and everyone else backed off with a quick growl.

Except...except lately, there’d been something weird going on with Deku. Something was off about his scent the last few days, something that made his jaw ache, the gums around his fangs itch, his mouth fill with saliva and the bitter hint of claiming venom. He knew alphas could claim a beta, could form a mutual bond if they so desired, and he was more than interested in the dork, but it was weird that it was happening now, of all times, after so many years of them knowing each other. There hadn’t been any major change between the two, hadn’t been any quirks that could have set this off, and no one else seemed to notice.

He’d already been planning on courting him, giving him the scented collar that was part of the matching pair that would mark them as potential mates on his birthday, but it was still weird.

Not that he had a lot of time to think about it lately. Midterms were coming up soon, and the idiot squad that had managed to annoy their way into being his pack needed all the help they could get to avoid having to spend the few precious free hours they had off in remedial classes. Again. If he wasn’t running drills with them on a training ground, trying to make sure they were prepared for whatever fuckery their teachers decided to throw at them this time, he was stuck in the common room, surrounded by too many smells, fighting off the pounding in his head as he walked them through advanced calculus.

All things considered, it'd been going well, and there was real hope that they might actually not suck this time. He wouldn't call the feelings in his chest proud, but something close, something he could find a name for later, when they were solving their own homework without him hovering over them.

A future something Katsuki quickly lost all thought of as Izuku walked past the door, heading towards the kitchen to refill his water bottle, the light breeze of his movements sending the slightest hint of his scent towards him.

Fuck.

Katsuki was in control. An omega in heat, an alpha in rut, the nameless hormonal shift betas went through that still made them smell tempting; never once had he flinched at those smells, his enigma control over his baser instincts unshaken. Even Midnight's quirk was less effective on him, needing a stronger dose and longer exposure in order to knock him out, the pheromones fighting against his need to win. Despite the number of times people had called him feral, said he was a villain waiting to happen, Katsuki was in control.

He'd always been in control.

Perhaps that's why the others didn't back away when the low growl started in his throat, confused instead of the scared they should have been. Denki had even looked around the room, searching for some other source of the noise, before acknowledging it was coming from the enigma right in front of him.

An enigma with his eyes blown, mouth dropped to show the grown teeth, drool and venom dropping onto the papers and table before him. Panting and growling even as he waited, muscles tense, eyes locked on the doorframe perpendicular to their set up.

"You ok, Kats?" Mina asked carefully, nudging Kirishima until he hardened and waved his hand in front of his friend's face, not even receiving a blink in response. "You're acting kind of..."

"Dude, you look like you're gone. Stop playing around and tell me the answer to-"

Izuku moved, heading out of the kitchen back towards the elevators that would take him to his room. Away from Katsuki.

He hadn't meant to blow up the table, setting fire to the mountains of papers covering the wood, but he'd been surrounded on all sides, and the quickest way out was over. A snap at the blond, sending him toppling back with a bleeding hand, too close to grabbing him, to stopping him. Kirishima harded just in time, a deep dent in the far wall as he bounced off a support beam, dazed and clothes smoldering. Mina and Sero had been too stunned to move, to interfere, so he left them alone, a harsh snarl over his shoulder the only warning they would get to stay away.

Mate wasn't alone when he caught up, though no true threats. A swift kick to the stomach had Aoyama crying in a ball, the tiny purple fuck screaming and fleeing with a single growl. Leaving him alone with mate, with Izuku, confused but not scared as he was jerked away from helping his friend, as he yelled and tried to get through to Katsuki, ask questions, try and find an answer to what was going on. As he activated his quirk to throw a kick, Katsuki deflecting it at the last moment, putting a hole in the floor that he could hear screaming through.

Don't destroy den, a part of him growled inside. So instead of deflecting the next attack like he knew Izuku was expecting he accepted it, grabbing at his arm, his waist, wrapping himself around his opponent until his front was pressed against Izuku’s back; not to immobilize him, he didn’t give a fuck what he did next, but to give him the leverage he needed to grab Izuku’s hair, yank his head to the side, and sink his teeth into the slightly swollen scent gland presented to him.

He moaned as Izuku went limp beneath him, falling to the floor as blood and oil spilled over his tongue, the smell of an omega snapping into heat filling his nose, the hall, the entire dorm as the suppressants did nothing for this new presentation, enhanced by the particle bond settling into his skin, his bones, every sense telling him this was right. Freeing his teeth, uncaring of the blood that dripped down his teeth or stained his tongue, he rolled them so Izuku was facing upwards, no longer pressed into the wooden floors, his glazed eyes clearing for a moment as Katsuki tilted his head.

“Mate,” was the only thing he could spit out, trying to fight back the need to tear off their clothes, to fuck right there in the hall, uncaring of Aoyama watching them with bemused horror from his fetal position by his dorm. His dick could wait, he needed this, needed to smell himself on Izuku, needed to smell their bond, needed everyone to know he was Izuku’s and Izuku was his. It took a long moment for Izuku to move, to respond, long enough for Katsuki to whine, a pleading sound he would deny he made later, because he begged no one, but eventually Izuku moved, nuzzling at Katsuki’s cheek, his shoulder, his neck.

“Mate,” Izuku agreed, his own teeth breaking skin a moment later, Katsuki’s hips rutting forward at the feeling, curses forced from him at the feeling of it all. At the pain in his neck, the warmth of Izuku below him, slick already wetting his skin as Katsuki groped his ass, his infuriatingly short shorts wet through. Their kiss was bloody, sharpy and metallic as their teeth clashed, painful and the wrong angle as they rutted against each other, unable to think beyond getting closer, fucking and mating and breeding.

“Nest, now,” Izuku whined, and they were standing, his arms around Katsuki’s shoulders, legs tight around his hips, neither of them stopping their desperate movements as Katsuki stepped towards Izuku’s room.

Only to be stopped by fabric wrapping around them, twin capture weapons pulling them in opposite directions, both crying out as Katsuki found himself at Aizawa’s feet, Shinso standing over Izuku. There were others there, he finally realized, teachers and classmates and members of their packs, moving to surround them, getting too close to him, to his mate. Aizawa was smart, Katsuki’s hands forced inwards towards his chest, his eyes instead trained on the snarling omega down the hall snapping at anyone who tried to touch him, both of them trying to squirm and bite and tear themselves free to get back to each other.

Finally Midnight stood between them, half dressed in civilian clothes, her face soft as she knelt between them. “I’m sorry, boys, but we can’t let you two make any pups on school grounds. School policy, not mine. So let’s go to sleep.” He almost got the hand extended towards him, his struggles only increasing as he saw Izuku still, his snarls falling into peaceful snores. He could feel himself falling, though, no matter how hard he fought against the pull of her quirk. “He’s not going anywhere,” Midnight promised, voice soft and soothing, lulling him more, her words comforting as more of her smoke floated under and around his nose. “You’ll both be in the same room when you wake up, just with meds to let you think clearer, ok? It’s ok to sleep, Bakugou, so it’s time to sleep.”

As if knowing what he needed, seeing him fight the effects of her quirk that much more at the suggestion he had to sleep, Ochako slipped into Izuku’s room, throwing a bundle of cloth at the X-rated Hero. She caught it easily, shaking her head as she shook out the shirt.

When she pressed it over her hand, her quirk flowing through the fabric to tinge her quirk with Izuku’s scent, there was no more fighting. Katsuki quickly fell asleep to the smell of his mate, leaving everyone else to deal with their mess, uncaring of what awaited them when they woke.

[END]

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[enderham]

Todoroki teaching Midoriya how to ice skate!

This ran away from me and got way too long, like, wow, 3k words. You hit the nail on the head anon, this one's a beast.

Check it out on Ao3 and enjoy below!

~

Izuku is pretty sure he's never seen Todoroki this excited. Granted, all it really is is a small, soft smile and a slight bounce in his step, but still! It's the happiest Izuku has probably ever seen him. It was weird. Nice, but weird.

Actually, this whole situation is weird. 

Shouto had come up to him a day or two ago and asked him if he wanted to go for a walk around campus, claiming he had something to show him. Izuku of course agreed, jumping at the chance to spend time alone with Todoroki, especially when it was freely offered. What threw him for a loop, however, was the duffel bag Shouto was sporting when they met up, and still is now that they're quite a ways away from the dorms. 

Now, if this was Kacchan doing this, Izuku would be wary as hell, but because it’s Todoroki, it’s alright, right? Even though objectively, he'd learned that Todoroki was very much capable of deviousness. Like the time he threw Mineta out of the changing rooms in just his underwear for being more pervy and annoying than usual, and then suggested burning his clothes and hero costume. But anyway. 

They amble the paved roads of the grounds for a while, idly chatting about the week's events and homework assignments, but then turn on to one of the many trails that wind the more heavily forested areas of campus. Todoroki gently stees where they are going by bumping into Izuku or nodding his head before making a turn, all the while not breaking the flow of conversation, and Izuku stays close to his left side, hoping he would get the hint and activate his quirk to warm him a bit. Which Shouto does. 

Entering the forest grants a whole new meaning to winter on campus. Izuku had gone jogging on the trails in the warmer seasons but abandoned it for indoor exercise during the frigid months for obvious reasons, so he isn't familiar with the wonder that is frosted over tree bark and sparkling crystals in the rare patches that the sun reaches. The canopy of trees is thick enough to let light in only selectively even with all their leaves gone, and the snowfall hadn't been heavy yet that year, but it was enough to cover everything in a delicate layer of white. Shouto obviously wasn't ignorant to it like Izuku had been up until now, judging by his pleased expression as opposed to Izuku's amazed one. 

The conversation had died down when Izuku's attention strayed to the scenery, but it doesn’t seem to bother Todoroki, since every time Izuku glances at him he’s looking at him with a soft smile. At some point Izuku is so distracted that Todoroki has to steer him by the elbow in the right direction and he blushes, apologising several times before Shouto cuts him off good-naturedly.

"That was the last turn, we're almost there, promise." He says with a chuckle.

Izuku can’t help but smile. Looking at Shouto now, he can barely recognise the guarded, socially awkward boy from the first sports festival. He does still have his moments, and new small oddities keep popping up in his behaviour and cultural awareness, after all, he does have years of socialisation to catch up on, but he had come a long way. And he’s most comfortable with Izuku, if Deku is bold enough to say so. 

He is so deep in thought that the only indication he gets that there’s a change of scenery is how much brighter it suddenly gets. When he looks up, he finds that they've arrived in a large clearing. So large, in fact, that he'd be inclined to call it a field if most of it wasn't taken up by an impressively sized pond. There are a few benches around it and a small dock, and it’s obviously well groomed, the greenery around it strategically placed, now frosted over and pale. 

Izuku looks over at Shouto with wide eyes. "I had no idea this was here! Was this what you wanted to show me?"

The question seems redundant, since it obviously is, but Todoroki purses his lips in an obvious effort to hide a smile, which tipps Izuku off that he isn't quite right.

"Not all of it." 

Izuku gives him a quizzical look, and in response Todoroki just motions for him to follow, heading for the dock. Once there, he kneels down by the edge and reaches his right hand down towards the water. The moment his hand gets close to the surface, it starts frosting over, once there’s a big enough patch of ice, he touches all five fingers to it, and the water freezes over almost instantly and completely evenly. The surface of the lake remains smooth as there is no wind, and the resulting ice is mirror-like. Izuku watches him work in awe as Todoroki adds an extra layer, equally smooth, and looks up at him. 

"Do you know how to ice skate?"

Izuku sputters. "I- You- I mean- Um, no."

"Hm." Todoroki seems to consider that for a moment, "Would you like me to teach you, then?"

That is an offer and a half and all the ways it could go horribly wrong and perfectly right go through Izuku's head at once. "But we don't have-" his eyes snag on the duffel. "Wait, is this why you asked what my shoe size is last week?" 

"There you go, knew you'd figure it out."

"All the Frozen jokes make even more sense now." Izuku says faintly. Shouto snorts.

"Jirou and Denki made me watch it after that." He comments lightly, standing up, "So is that a yes? Momo made the skates for you."

It's not even a question at this point. Izuku looks into Shouto's hopeful eyes and nods almost without thinking. The other grins. 

They make their way over to the bench on the other side of the dock and wipe it clear of snow, and then Izuku is handed a pair of professional-looking skates with green laces. There's a lot of laces. 

By the time Shouto is done lacing his, Izuku has barely finished one. The taller boy looks over at him and clicks his tongue. "Wait, no, you have to lace it tighter, otherwise it won't hold well." 

Izuku flushes lightly, "Oh, sorry…"

"No, no, it's my fault for not telling you." He gets up nimbly and goes to kneel in front of Izuku. "Here, let me." 

If possible, Izuku goes even redder.

Shouto catches his foot between his knees and starts methodically unlacing the skate. Izuku desperately fishes for something to say to distract himself. "So, how did you learn to ice skate?" He finally settles on. 

Shouto smiles softly down at his hands. "My mom," he says, "when she was still at home, she would freeze over the courtyard when Endeavor was off on a business trip. Even the staff would join in sometimes, it was one of the few activities that got the whole house on their feet. After the- um, after." Izuku frowns, knowing full well what he’s referring to, "I tried to convince Endeavor to let me practice skating for years as a form of training. Eventually he caved and rented a whole rink, but he kept being asked to douse his flames because it was melting the ice, so he threw a fit and left me to my own devices for the next few years, since that's how long he'd rented it for." 

"Sounds like a symptom of an inferiority complex if you ask me." Izuku mutters. Shouto looks up at him with amusement, then snorts and shakes his head. 

"You have no idea." 

"Have you met Kacchan?" 

This inspires an actual laugh and it's all Izuku can do not to pump his fist in victory. Shouto finishes lacing his other skate, still chuckling, and then stands up. "Alright, give me your hands." Izuku isn't one to pass up an offer like that, and he soon realizes why it was presented in the first place. As soon as he's pulled to his feet, he wobbles on the thin blades. "Watch it." Shouto warns him with a smile while Izuku finds his footing. 

Once he's sure he can stand, Shouto regrettably lets him go, but keeps his hands ready to catch him. "Okay, now widen your stance and give them a test, they should hold your ankles secure, we both know you especially need those." He says with a smirk and he shows Izuku how to test out the skates. Izuku gives a small laugh and follows his instructions, bouncing a bit once he's angled his feet to try out the support of the skates. He wobbles a bit again, which earns him a firm grip on his biceps before he has the opportunity to tip over, but the skates seem to hold well, so he nods at Shouto with a smile. He files away the information about falling for later. 

"C'mon then." Shouto keeps a hold of his forearms and walks backwards, keeping his grip light so Izuku doesn't lean on him too much. Izuku understands the sentiment and tries to maintain balance on his own, knowing that it's a preliminary test before the ice. When they make it there, Shouto lets him go and motions for him to wait. He steps onto the ice and then he's off like a shot. Izuku watches in awe as his friend starts moving before his second skate even touches the surface, making wide turns to gain speed and kicking up dust clouds of broken ice when he makes sharp ones. Shouto zigzags across the pond, covering as much of the available space in as little time as possible. This time turns out to be around ten seconds, not that Izuku was counting. 

"Showoff." He teases when Shouto comes to a literally screeching halt in front of him. The other boy mumbles something about testing the ice, but his cheeks are red and and he isn't looking at Izuku. He can't help but grin. "It worked, I'm very impressed." This prompts Todoroki to turn even redder, but at least he's looking at him now, so Izuku gives him an encouraging smile. 

Instead of replying, Todoroki offers both hands to help him onto the ice. Turns out it's with good reason, because the moment he steps on, Izuku starts sliding all over the place. He forgoes the hands entirely and grips onto Shouto's shoulders, hoping that it'll grant more purchase. Thankfully it does, for all the embarrassment it grants, as Shouto laughs and grabs his waist to steady him. 

"Sorry! I'm so sorry," Izuku babbles, trying to find his balance as quickly as possible.

"Don't worry about it." Shouto moves his hands to the smaller boy's elbows, still chuckling. "Looks like I haven't broken in the ice as well as I thought."

"Broken in…? You mean it shouldn't be perfect?" 

"A little traction is good for beginners." 

"But couldn't you have- with your quirk… I was right! You're such a showoff!" Izuku accuses. 

Shouto's mouth tics up in a crooked little smile. This close up, Izuku isn't sure his heart is going to survive if this keeps happening, and going by his previous experiences, it will. Frequently. 

"I've also kind of missed skating, so this was my cheat before I commit to being your crutch." He amends. Izuku immediately feels guilty. 

"Oh! You shouldn't sacrifice that on my account! I can wait a bit longer it you-"

"Midoriya. I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't want to." Shouto interrupts him, "Truthfully I sort of guessed there was a strong possibility you wouldn't know how to skate. And I still brought you along. So don't worry about it." 

"Oh." Izuku doesn't really know how to reply to that. The implications are… Numerous. Thankfully Shouto isn't one to judge and so he gets away with a shy nod. Or so he thinks. 

"Alright, Bambi, you ready?" 

Izuku really should have expected to get at least a little bit of ribbing. 

So, he accepts it graciously, with a snort, a nod, and a determined look in his eye. Todoroki takes that and runs with it. "Okay, so balance and legwork are important, obviously, so you shouldn't have trouble adjusting." He chuckles, "First you need to lower your center of gravity, not too much, but give me something like a relaxed fighting stance."

Izuku does as he's told, redistributing his weight and instantly feeling better about his balance. Shouto nods proudly and slides his hands from Izuku's elbows to his palms, taking them in a firm grip. "Now try to push off. You've seen me do it, I'm sure you can figure it out on your own. It's just physics." Izuku is always up for a challenge, thanks Kacchan, so he looks down and puts one skate perpendicular to the other. This doesn't exactly work, since he would have to change his stance, so he corrects the angle and tries to push off. 

Todoroki starts slowly skating backwards, humming encouragingly and then immediately catching Izuku when he stays on one leg too long and loses his balance. "Alright, switch legs faster, got it." He says over Shouto's low chuckles. 

"Mhmm, you're doing great though." Is the encouragement he gets. 

They continue on like this for a while, in silence and concentration, with the occasional mutter and gentle comment. Soon, Izuku finds his rhythm and Shouto smoothly switches from skating backwards to moving by Izuku's side, still holding him by one hand. Izuku thinks he must look pretty stupid, what with the stilted movement and intence concentration, but whenever he chances a peek at Shouto, the taller boy never fails to smile softly at him. 

Just when he's starting to get the hang of it, and thus starts getting bored, Shouto lets go of his hand. "Hey! Where're you-" Izuku looks up at him to see the other boy pivot to start scaring backwards again with a smirk. He hasn't been using Shouto's hand for balance for a while now, so it's not dire, but he still feels less than secure now that his safety net is gone. He sends the boy skating in front of him a pleading look, but is met with the coldness that most others mistakenly see as Shouto’s only mode of operation. 

"You should learn how to fall too." Todoroki says with a crooked smile, "Try to catch me." 

Again with the challenging, Izuku sees his game. Regardless, he puts on a little cautious speed, and goes after his friend. He tries to reach out, but has to catch his balance and realises leaning forward isn't a good idea, so he focuses on testing out his range of movement before actually givon chase. Shouto keeps just outside of arm's reach, making sharp little turns every time Izuku tries to reach for him, increasing his speed every time he thinks his shorter friend has gotten comfortable enough for it. His hands are behind his back, his posture relaxed. It's getting annoying. 

"When you fall," he says and then infuriatingly dodges another swipe, "don't try to regain your footing. It'll only make things worse." 

"When, not if?" Izuku growls and reaches for him again, Shouto dodges again with a laugh. 

"Don't think you won't fall, that's arrogant and incorrect. Falling actually helps you relax on the ice." Another dodge, another frustrated sound from Izuku. "Anyway try not to lock your elbows when you hit the ice, or put strain on your wrists, but I'm sure you already know that. Not like you have far to fall anywa- eep!"

Izuku yells in victory, having taken a gamble by observing Shouto's movements and turns but not trying them out in order to catch him off guard and succeeding, but his yell soon turns into a shriek as they both go down. His mistake is immediately apparent. Shouto loses his footing in his shock and latches onto the sleeve of Izuku's outstretched hand, and Izuku's increased momentum and already compromised balance sends them to the ground on top of eachother. 

When Izuku opens his eyes, he realizes that he's practically completely on top of Shouto. Somehow, in the tumble of limbs, he had latched onto Shouto's jacket, and the other had in turn grabbed one of his sides and used his other hand to brace for the impact. They blink at each other in shock, wide green eyes looking down into almost equally big mismatched ones. But before Izuku can open his mouth and begin apologising, Shouto lets his head fall back against the ice and bursts out laughing. This in turn sets Izuku off as well, the ridiculousness of the situation catching up on them, and so they lay there, tangled up on the cold ice, wheezing for air. 

"See," Shouto says after a while, setting a hand on Izuku's bowed head, interrupting himself with what can only be defined as a giggle, "you did fall!" This sets them off again, and it's a while yet before Izuku speaks up. 

"At least I took you down with me!" He says as indignantly as he can while breathing like he'd just run a marathon. It's very tempting to keep is face pressed to Shouto's chest, but he needs to breathe, and rather wants to look at Shouto right now. When he lifts his head, the other boy goes up with him, leaning on his elbow on the ice, and to his surprise, the hand on the back of his head doesn't go away. More like it slides down towards his neck just a bit. 

Izuku freezes, in more than one sense, and stares at Shouto, who stares back. Their noses are almost touching. 

The forest around them has seemingly gone even more quiet than before. 

Then, Izuku blurts out,

"Can I kiss you?" 

Shouto's eyebrows almost reach his hairline from the apparent shock of the request and it's a good thing he hadn't gone as far as to pull back because Izuku would have seriously been offended. Then he goes beet-red and looks to the side, cursing. 

"Damnit, you beat me to it." He says quietly, but with feeling. 

Now it's Izuku's turn to raise his eyebrows, but it's short lived as he soon dissolves into peals of laughter and collapses back onto Shouto's shoulder. 

"D-does everything really have to be -aahaha -a competition?" He stutters out between gasps. 

He feels more than hears Shouto huff -and isn't that a thought -and start to chuckle himself. "Yes, it does, Izuku-" he says with great conviction, pretending to grunt as he hoists himself up and hauls Izuku to the side in order to switch their positions, "- competition is healthy." 

"In small doses!" Izuku protests to the boy on top of him, but the impact is diminished by his continued giggles. Shouto is smirking down at him and Izuku knows just how to turn the tide on him. "So you're calling me Izuku now?" 

Shouto's smile turns soft all of a sudden and he leans in a bit, locking eyes with the boy underneath him. "Mhm," he hums, then tacks on, "may I?" 

Izuku isn't sure if that last bit was directed at the name or something entirely different, but his answer is still the same. 

"Yeah," he confirms using the moment to lay a hand on Shouto's cheek and rub his thumb along the edge of his scar, "as long as I can call you Shouto." 

"Deal." Is the last thing Shouto says, before he leans in, guided by Izuku's hand, to kiss him for real this time. 

Izuku leans into it, wrapping his arms around Shouto’s neck and almost forgetting he’s laying on the frigid ice in the process. However, there’s something niggling at the back of his mind. 

“Did you plan all this? Was this a date from the beginning?” he asks, pulling back and savoring the way Shouto tries to follow him.

Shouto has the decency to blush. “Well, kind of. I wasn’t exactly expecting to end up making out with you on the ice though.”

“Oh, about that,” Izuku says lightly and then kicks One for All into Full Cowl for a moment in order to quickly flip their positions, “I was cold.”

Shouto takes a moment to catch up with what just happened and then covers his face with both hands. “Oh god I can see this turning into a trend.” he groans, “If you keep doing that, you’re going to give me whiplash one day.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, but you’re blushing.” Izuku notes delightedly, leaning in. “Are you gonna warm me up, Sho?”

He is rewarded with a very warm hand cupping his cheek and then slowly sliding under his scarf. “Better?” Shouto asks softly.

“Much.” Izuku answers, and then kisses him again.

~

Prompt me some more, I need the brain exercise!!

[rowanartist]

Fan fiction quotes 2019:

"with great foods, came great emotional baggage"[X]extra funny since I just saw Into the Spiderverse

"Just get together every couple of weeks, without Stark, and you guys can pass Steve around like a bong."[ch2]whaat? And chapter three is a dirty parody - worth a read for the humor of it

"he just hopes Tony has the sense God gave concussed baby sheep "[X]interesting phrase

"“Science,” Jane says, drawing his face to hers, “Does not require pants "[X]fun series of short fics

"Never something so hot; not like a flame is hot, but the strength of something bathed in summer sun. "[X]interesting view on attraction

"(He'd been sketching when he thought that through; now there's a page that has a little cartoon of himself, ducking, with the caption "the spoons are attacking!" although he'd ended up finishing his latte before he actually drew any flying spoons.) "[X]Steve upon learning about spoon theory

"Can you think of anything that symbolizes the eighties better than David Bowie’s crotch in tights? "[X]giggle out loud! "You drink once if someone whines, if Sarah says something isn’t fair, or if we get a shot of Bowie’s crotch. "[Same]comment

"“Like you’re going to vibrate out of your skin?” Natasha finished for him, understanding. Sometimes, after what they’d been through, it was hard just to be in your body. Easier to dissociate, to let whatever was going to happen happen while the part of you that was you floated far away. Natasha had been there before, and she knew James went there sometimes. "[X]ponder?

"They’re each wrapped up in their own blanket burrito, lying side by side in the dark, sharing one pillow. "[X]dual blanket burritos

"For most of his life he learned the safest option was to repress his emotional responses as much as possible, and over time he forgot how to access them when he actually needed to. "[X]relatable to a small degree

"Nothing too special but I’m pretty much Michael Bay’s wet dream "[X]to describe bakugo lol

"Most people," Midoriya continued gently, "don't need to be told they have a crush by the person that they have the crush on."[X]my boyfriend can relate to Midoriya here...

"about how if Midoriya could go this long talking without breathing in any new air, he'd probably be really good at kissing. "[same]lol

"God, fuck off. You look so freshly screwed that it hurts me. "[X]Bakugo ;p

"After all, shodō is one of Shouto’s hobbies. For Midoriya’s birthday last year, he made a beautiful poster of UA’s motto that is now displayed prominently above Midoriya’s bed. "[X]draw? If i can? "Please don’t use your All Might voice when we’re making plans to have sex. "[Same]lol

"He’d known for a while that his boyfriend internalizes, that he still struggles with a lot of insecurities and periodic depression from his years around his dad "[X]comment

"Shouto you’re worth more than anything. And you deserve happiness. I don’t care what micro-dick has said to you in the past or any shit he spews out of the mouth that’s somehow more obnoxious than Present Mic "[same]dam it Endeavor :/ "You’re a dork,” Izuku mutters in a break for breath. “Your dork,” Shouto says quietly "[Same]awww

"But if you ever forget your phone again I will use you as an advertisement balloon for a day, and that’s a promise."[X]lol

"First of all, I challenge you to find a dress that can fit that shoulders to waist ratio.” Shouto replied, matter-of-factly, pointing at Izuku’s entire body. “Secondly, you absolutely lack the manners to be a princess, you brute.” "[X]part of a series

"Another young woman that couldn’t be older than Shouto and Izuku looked up at the call. She had a round face and long, brown hair with little orange streaks every now and then collected in a braid. The red rimmed glasses she wore made her yellow eyes look bigger, behind the lenses. She lit up, when she saw them. "[X]need to try to draw

"You’d die of embarrassment— Either that, or Aizawa-sensei would kill you. And I kind of like you alive, thank you very much.” "[same]LOL

" is standing there in grey sweats and a loose Totoro hoodie he got him on one of their first dates "[X]draw

"It definitely didn’t help that Izuku stretched lazily, something akin to a cat just waking up from a nap, one of his legs stretching against the wall as the opposite arm reached towards Shouto with fingers spread wide-open. "[X]DRAW!

"What? They’re really short, all my boxers showed and it was weird. "[X]...

"Just because he isn’t as obvious about it, doesn’t mean Shouto isn’t beyond anxious too. "[X]comment

"He doesn’t treat Shouto like he is fragile, but he treats him like he is precious, and that is an important distinction"...."Something precious, however, doesn’t necessarily break easy, but it warrants the utmost care. It’s meant to be cherished. "[X]relationship advice

"One of the national dishes has no meat in it, but it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever tasted. I thought we were all going to die and T’Challa was going to succeed in eliminating us. Then I heard him yelling at the chef, saying none of us were used to Wakandan peppers.” "[X]https://archiveofourown.org/works/8688724/chapters/19918951#workskin

"All Tony was supposed to do was fix the alternator. Instead he built me a Jeep that tells me I have to initiate a proper launch sequence before I’m able to turn it on and drive.” "[Same]comment

"I’m sorry,” Midoriya retracts his hand, and Todoroki misses it instantly. “It’s not something I can fix, and that makes me sad. You don’t deserve to hear the things he tells you.” "[X]reread comment. Relatable to a degree personally

"But he has to admit the Docs greener side is awfully useful in a brawl; and his less menacing side has a wicked sense of humor, not to mention awfully good with a med kit. "[X]i like Bruce having a sense of humor

"That's what friends are for anyway, having your back when times are tough, and amusement for when times are peaceful. "[X]amusing

"Bucky didn't think he was being rude, but if Captain America said so, it must be true. "[Same]comment

"Steve’s always been a fan of cuddles, even if he doesn’t like to admit it, admit how much he needs that physical contact. "[X]I'm a fan of this concept

"Which in Steve-speak means that you’re feeling guilty as all hell over things you can’t control – again, mind you – and you can’t rest because you can’t shut your brain up.” "[Same]relate "There’s power in this act, Darcy thinks as she sucks and licks up and down his length. To be able to take someone apart with just her mouth and a few touches of her hands. Reduce them to tears or send them flying upwards into the heavens. And the knowledge that she wants to do this for him – for them – makes the feeling all the more potent. She doesn’t have to do this, but it’s her choice, and she wants to give this to them. "[Same]ponder more

"She may not come from it, but the closeness and the intimacy is far more important than any orgasm. "[X]remember

"He knows better, knows that Bakugou’s punches of greeting and movie nights at Yaoyorozu’s house with Mina, Hagakure, and Tsu, and that baking with Izuku are all love. That’s love, not the villain sat behind the desk. "[X]dark fic, author warns in notes. But this line is sweet

"Natasha Romanoff is a world-class spy, yes. But she’s also a potato chip thief who makes dumb jokes and uses emoticons (she had been very adamant that Steve learn the difference between emoticons and emojis), and Steve adores her for it. "[ch5]she's human

"Bucky flopped onto it rolling around like a dog on the soft surface, Natasha quietly responding by taking out her phone and videoing his nonsense. "[ch2]Mr. Kate style rug cuddle but solo

"“First of all, just because someone is good looking does not mean I should have sex with them. There are attractive serial killers Nat, do you want me to get murdered? Second of all, I don’t know him. Third of all, he’s not looking at me like I’m chicken wings, also Clint, seriously? Chicken wings?” "[same]lol, but I'm with you Bucky

"Even in just plain sweatpants, the American icon without a shirt was an image that would have anyone seeing stars and stripes, regardless of sexual orientation. "[X]:)

"Agent Bishop was hit with a biological weapon today that has a ninety-two per cent chance of ending in fatality within three days unless proper care is administered to disperse the chemical compound through natural methods. Meaning, in the case of humans, sexual release. As in, orgasming."[X]a legalese description of "sex pollen" ...

"Do the horizontal contra dance, yes," Darcy answered. "Well kind of, I mean there's only three of us and a contra dance is four to a group, but tango is just for two and I had to think of something fast. Come on, Stevie, this isn't the first time we've hooked up. "[X]lol

"He wanted something just for him again, even though he felt like a selfish asshole for even thinking it. So he would do whatever he could to chase after that feeling. Even if it was stupid. Even if it was silly. "[ch2]advice, remember "Tony must never read these, Steve thought. Bucky’s arm would never be safe. "[ch3]Steve Discovers FanFiction "Steve stayed focused on the screen, sticking out his tongue a little while he concentrated. It was unfairly adorable. "[ch4]Jarvis knows how to motivate Steve: a Bucky themed typing game "Good things would happen. Funny, clever jokes would be told. Sexy adventures were always available, no matter what was happening in the real world. "[X]relatable "There was even a page of ‘Bucky Approved Sex Words and Phrases’. The name alone never failed to make Steve smile "[ch7]lol "He wasn’t really writing this stuff for the money anyways; mostly he just wanted to see that other people liked and enjoyed what he was doing. "[Same]relatable: my redbubble rowan-artist

"Darcy’s eyes widened. “Oh god, I just imagined you naked, dusted in gold, on a satin-sheeted bed. My mind is a dangerous place.” “Hey, there’s always Halloween.” "[ch6]you being Steve

"Jane was rapidly nearing the angry-bear stage of sleep deprivation (there were seven levels on the Dr. Jane Foster Sleep Deprivation chart; angry bear was number five, between 'genius-level insane productivity' and 'sugar high five-year old'), "[X]also Dean Fury ... "Then you come to me, we'll kill a bottle of Jameson and make Thor carry our drunk asses home while we sing Les Mis horribly off-key," "[same]amusing

"This is why you should always read end-user agreements on friendships. "[X]not the fic but the start notes, lol. Also, Maria's entry is adorable, and Pepper potts!! "(“So what you’re telling me is you spent a week building a glorified roomba,” Rhodey says the first time he sees it, and Tony lets out an undignified huff and makes JUNK-E destroy and clean a grand piano.) "[Same]hahha

"And it’s better to be an asset, which at least sounds like something you value, than a glorified action figure. "[ch3]comment "Steve’s friendship is stronger than even Steve’s shield, and protects them both just as much "[Same ch9]awww

"Bucky actually is, but she knows well enough not to ask. Instead, she has started braiding flowers into Natasha's hair while the other girl of the group is busy making a flower crown for Thor. This is what it must be like to have real friends, Bucky thinks, lounging in his camping chair, trying to eat with one hand while Steve is holding his arm, drawing on the inside of his forearm with a black pen. "[ch2]flower crowns "I heard a lot of things I kind of projected on myself. It's probably stupid, but… it's always crazy to hear things that apply to oneself somehow." "It's the magic of music. Sam once told me about the Mr. Brightside effect–" "[ch4]yes "Bruce is on his own so much that he probably doesn't even notice that he has friends "[ch5]relatable, high school me

"The most beautiful thing however was the wall right next to the bed-- while all the other walls were the same off-white color, this one sported stripes of different colors down. Blue, red, green, purple, black, another shade of lighter blue. In the middle of these stripes, the Avenger signs were painted by a meticulous hand; Cap’s shield, Tony’s arc reactor, Mew Mew, and so on-- Darcy didn’t notice she was crying into Mara started wailing in solidarity "[ch1]draw?

"He knows it, like Steve and Bucky know that Tony needs praises and affection, not commands. "[ch8]...

"She thanked Sif (a habit she had started lately, thanking the Asgardian warrior instead of some non-present God, because really, if there was a god she wanted to follow, it would totally be Sif) "[X]nice Darcy "Even if she wasn’t an Avenger per say, she got to be on the team, both super and nonsuper alike. "[ch2]awww

"Elizabeth is going to make coffee happen, and in Darcy’s eyes that makes her a goddess. "[X]comment "By the end, Steve had been right in the thick of it, using a frypan as a shield and hurling pasta like nobody’s business. "[same]comment "Agent Hill’s bad ass levels are through the roof, but put her in front of a powerpoint and the result is coma-inducing. "[Ch3]lol "JARVIS, my man, I need some fat beats up in here. Help a sister out?” "[ch3]comment

"She knew now that it was almost certainly to do with her personal level of comfort and how hard both Steve and Barnes had worked to make her feel good. "[middle chapter]comment

"A video clip of the Asgardian scientist Tadeas and Neil Degrasse Tyson singing a scientific ballad of their own composition was one of the most viewed Youtube videos of all time "[X]lol "He grabbed [a muffin] and shoved it into his mouth, belatedly peeling the paper off. "[Same]haha! :D "Darcy put a box of Sour Patch Kids on top, “Those are for Heimdall.” "[X]comment "“No. Damnit, Darcy. You’re stubborn. Of course you’re stubborn! Jesus Christ, I can’t even imagine what it must like to be in the same room as the two of you.” "[X]best friend sass "But Clint is a human with a bow on a team of superheroes. "[X]Darcy's favorite avenger and why Ch4 music note "Apparently Thor is back on Earth. He showed up in New York right after we left and basically deafened all of Brooklyn with his displeased shouting about his missing Shield Sister. So now everyone knows I’m gone and my disappearance is trending on Twitter as #MissingAsgardianPrincess. How is this my life?! I can’t even with this shit.” "[X]mild spoiler? HAHAHA "Try having a conversation with one of them [asgardians]-- 4 to 1 odds it turns into some sort of ballad recitation. "[X]...

"The next day, Izuku Midoriya delivered his eleven page elaborate essay on how ordering sex toys inspired him to be more honest with himself and his boyfriend about what he wanted in life and in bed. "[X]lol

"“Fire for stop, ice for slow, and smash for go.” "[X]comment

[burntretinas]

like constellations, we’re joined (3/?)

They say that a red string binds us all, connects everyone to someone. It is around our little finger, tying us to our destined lover(s), regardless of time and place. As our lives go on, that string will stretch or become tangled, but will never tear nor break. Yagi Toshinori has led a life where his lover(s) cannot be known to the public lest they are placed in great danger, forcing the man to abandon any hope of love. His red string is stretched taut.

Maybe a man called Aizawa Shouta can change that.

link to chapter 2: https://burntretinas.tumblr.com/post/169919687607/like-constellations-were-joined-2

Loud shrieks accompany the pitter-patter of feet in the classroom. Chairs scrape the ground and tables are pulled apart as students circle around each other, hawking over one another, talking over each other, as their bright eyes and bright teeth flash, learning about one another and sizing each other up.

A bell rings clearly, silencing students and sending them running to their seats and reveals a tired Aizawa Shouta crawling out of his sleeping bag. He stands still at the helm of his desk, eyes sweeping over his students.

His face twitches as he exhales loudly, spying out of the corner of his eye, a lurking All Might. Two ridiculously tall sprouts of hair pace along the windows facing the corridor, shadowed eyes bopping up and down, glancing over at perceivably opportune moments.

His class are unaware, their eyes glued to Aizawa, afraid to peel away waiting for further instruction.

Not again, he thinks, what the fuck is he doing.

Aizawa has noticed a recent trend in All Might’s behaviour as the man tries to “secretly” spy on Izuku Midoriya. He doesn’t think he has noticed that in his larger form, he tends to stick out, especially those stupid bangs which can be clearly seen from any fucking window. Aizawa doesn’t particularly care or want to know how a grown man’s spatial awareness of his own body could be that fucking bad. Additionally, there is no goddamn way someone’s hair can stick up like that, it has to be fake. Aizawa refuses to believe anyone could just style hair like that, completely forgetting, perhaps ignoring how Hizashi achieves his certain parrot-like look.

“Sensei!” Tenya Iida’s sharp voice breaks Aizawa’s chain of thought. “Are you OK?”

Aizawa tears his thoughts away from the ridiculous spectacle outside and claps his hands, the edges of his mouth curving upwards.

“It was a logical ruse!” Aizawa’s grin triples in size as the class cower in confusion. “I was waiting for somebody to -

“Sensei, you can’t keep saying that when you forgot your lesson plan or changed your mind ya know,” Kirishima cuts him off bluntly, scratching his head.

Aizawa glares at the boy, whilst the rest of the class have turned to face him, stifling barely hidden laughter behind their hands.

Toshinori crumbles the paper in his hands, dropping it in the waste bin next to his desk. He carefully pulls a new sheet of paper and begins to rule out another lesson plan.

“All Might, have you tried making on the computer? It might be faster,” Cementoss says quietly, popping over All Might’s shoulder.

“Ah yes, but I’m afraid I’m having a hard time getting around the software, so I’ve decided to go a little old school for a while,” he gently laughs as he waves the ruler around.

Cementoss nods, satisfied with his response and walks away with a steaming mug of tea.

Is young Midoriya fit to be my successor, to inherit All For One, Toshinori scowls as he brushes away such thoughts. His thoughts were in a loop today, like a broken record, winding back to the same chords over and over. These jarring thoughts crept on him as he saw anything that reminded him of the youth. Boundless enthusiasm was everywhere he turned lately, as he worked in a school for upcoming heroes. Boundless enthusiasm was something Midoriya had plenty and all his thoughts turn to protecting and pushing him into his new role as upcoming hero. Eraserhead was an obstacle, the man renown for expelling an entire class for “no potential” was bound to clash with Midoriya, a boy who had only recently received his quirk.

Crack.

The pencil in his palm pulls him from his thoughts. It lay broken in two, split by the force he pressed on it, accidentally, unaware. Toshinori swallows. He peers at his lesson plan and his heart drops as he wonders the pitfalls of academic teaching. His palm curls around the broken pieces and he drops them into the bin.

As he stands from his chair to borrow a pencil from anyone, he bumps into a walking stack of paper.

“Offt,” it groans, as essays drift to the ground, landing in an awkward fashion, entrapping the two in irregular circles.

“Sorry, Eraserhead, I wasn’t looking,” Toshinori’s words sputter out ungracefully, his head bowing down to face the younger man, "Let me help you,” He drops to the ground, gathering up the papers in his arms, trying to find order in the messy stack.

“Thank you,” Aizawa said stiffly. Toshinori raises his head curiously, scanning his face for a way to interpret his words but finds himself at a loss, unable to read the other man. Aizawa wordlessly picks up the rest and pulls the stack from Toshinori’s arms, regarding him with a critical stare, before leaving to his desk. He sits down and begins to re-order the pile in alphabetical order.

Toshinori approaches him from behind and says softly, “Excuse me, but would you have a pencil I could borrow?”

Aizawa bristles, an almost imperceptive move that Toshinori nearly missed, and pulls a pencil from his drawer and, without turning, hands it to him. Toshinori purses his lips but holds his tongue. He sits back at his desk and slowly works. The two are alone in the staffroom as the hours tick by, silence the only accompaniment to the sounds of rapid pen marks and a pencil scratching on paper.

Toshinori slides his finished lesson plan away in his folder and tucks it in his drawer at the same time Aizawa decides to go home to finish marking. Toshinori stands first, his legs moving fast as he places the pencil on Aizawa’s desk with the quick utterance of thanks and he moves away from the younger hero who doesn’t quite seem to like him.

Aizawa’s phone beeps and he curses as he reads the text. Toshinori raises an eyebrow, tempted to ask for more, and cannot hold his tongue this time.

“Hizashi left without me so I don’t have a ride home, so I’ll probably have to catch the train,” Aizawa replies.

Toshinori blinks in surprise at the clear lack of formality between Eraserhead and Present Mic, a strange feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

“I can give you a ride,” the words leave his mouth before he can stop them.

Aizawa blinks in response and slowly replies in confusion, “OK, you can drive?”

“I’m not made of glass, I can still do some things,” Toshinori snaps in reply, unable to stop himself as the mounting pressures of his body was made apparent again.

Aizawa holds up his hands defensively, instinctively taking a step back, “Sorry, it’s not that, it’s just that I assumed that you didn’t really drive anywhere and kind of just did those All Might hops everywhere, didn’t think you needed a car.”

Ten minutes later, Toshinori finds himself telling Aizawa to put his address into the GPS and honestly wishes his stupid hero senses had not kicked in with his offer to drive the one teacher who had not warmed up to him yet.

“Ah, you don’t live too far from me,” he says as a way to fill what he believed to be growing awkwardness.

Aizawa hums in reply.

The car ride is silent, the car engine providing the acoustics for what Toshinori believes to the death of avoiding Aizawa forever. His hands clench around the steering wheel a little too tightly as he imagines having to try and interact with the very man who turned down his getting-to-know-you present and very essence of heroic style.

He moves his mouth, filling the words on his tongue, testing them out and swallows them as they prove unfit or ill-advised. He settles on stilling his mouth, unable to find the words he is looking for to broach the silence.

He slams his foot on the brake sending both men to brace for the sudden stoppage. Toshinori looks up at the red light he nearly missed, sweating as he apologises to Aizawa who appears to have spread all his limbs across the car in an attempt to stay seated.

Aizawa chokes out a gasp, staring at Toshinori with wide eyes.

Ah fuck, Toshinori sighs, settling down in his seat as blood drips down his chin. He swallows the blood pooling in his mouth, ignoring the bitter copper tang. He pulls over at the first available spot and leans over Aizawa to pull out some tissues from the glove compartment.

He wipes his face and drops the tissues in the back seat, making a mental note to pick them up later. He licks his teeth of excess blood, systematically checking them in the mirror.

“You fine?” Aizawa asks, eyes glued to the oversized white shirt soaking up the blood on Toshinori, the fabric clinging to his chest and he can’t help but stare at the edges of a large scar. Tight skin draws over each other, lines, barely covering the flesh beneath, creating ripples in the skin of Toshinori’s side.

“I’m fine,” Toshinori replies, “let’s get you home.”

Aizawa remains silent for the rest of the ride. His eyes occasionally dart over to the white shirt hugging a tiny, thin, lanky frame. His eyes snap back to the road every time Toshinori so much as glances his way, refusing to be caught staring.

“We’re here,” Toshinori says with a gentle smile, snapping Aizawa out of his reprieve.

“Thanks for the ride, sorry for imposing on you like this.”

“No worries, it was no trouble.”

Aizawa gets out of the car and hesitates to invite him in as a way of thanks, opting to stand there awkwardly, his body half in and out of the car, arm resting on the top as his brain short circuits. Finally, he decides to walk away, slamming the car door behind him as he speed-walks into the building.

Oh god, Aizawa can’t help but think, he looks terrible.

link to chapter 4: https://burntretinas.tumblr.com/post/170495229332/like-constellations-were-joined-4

[ladyhawk-s]

“With Love”

Relationships: Todoroki Shouto/Momo Yaoyorozu ; Todoroki Shouto & Momo Yaoyorozu ; Todoroki Shouto & Midoriya Izuku ; Todoroki Shouto & Iida Tenya

Characters: Todoroki Shouto, Momo Yaoyorozu, Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako (and pretty much the girls of Class 1-A)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2855

Summary:  Changes have been happening to Momo and Todoroki's relationship with her becomes different with each passing day as new features appear on her face. Confused by this new development, Todoroki tries to figure out what is happening to his dear friend.

A/N: OH BOY AM I ON A RIDE RIGHT NOW OTL So I recently got myself a DA account so I’ve been looking at content I can kind of fill it with right now and I found a bunch of Inktober fics I completely forgot to upload. It’s most definitely not the best and the ending is completely rushed and stuff but I hope it’s entertaining enough while I work on and try to finish some other fics I’m in the process of working on right now! 

Read at AO3 ; Read at FF.Net ; Read at dA

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For some reason, Shouto couldn't understand the changes Momo made towards herself. Last week, her face was neutral, allowing her natural beauty to dominate the straight lines of her face as she commanded the class next to Tenya. Yet this week, eyeliner tipped with mascara and subtle lipstick were found on her face, contouring it to have a completely different look that took a few look backs to make sure it was her. Plus, golden gems hung from her ears with a matching necklace that truly brought out the raven color swirling in her eyes.

Shouto couldn't also understand why the girls were suddenly acting strange around him, more specifically Momo. In general, the eye contact and small banter he had with her as his seat mate desolated this week. Every time he would focus in on her face to see if there was any emotions, she'd notice quickly, give out a small gasp and turn her head away, swishing her now trimmed ponytail away from him. But it wasn't just Momo, in general, the girls had a weird aura attached to them that wasn't there the week prior. In every moment he would walk into a room, instead of giving the small waves of before, they would snicker, giggling amongst themselves as sometimes their curious eyes befell on his outlook of the day. He confronted them several times about it, asking in his natural, deadpan voice what was wrong but they would just brush him off with their polished fingers, explaining that it was nothing in a laughing tone. Though, if Momo happened to be there in the mix when it happened, which was seldom, she would meet his eyes with an intriguing blush scattered on her face and bowed her apologies to him before telling the girls to knock themselves down and swivel her head away from him once more.   Everything about this change within the Class 1-A girls left Shouto in a state of confusion and he didn't know how to get to the bottom of it. Fortunately for him, he had trusted friends that could help him through the struggle and give him soundly advice: Izuku Midoriya and Tenya Iida. Surely, they could ease the apprehension that was growing within Shouto's heart.  Thus, he brought the topic up during their lunch break, isolating themselves from the rest to keep this debate between themselves. There was no need to hear unnecessary comments from others, especially with Katsuki who liked to shove himself into places that didn’t belong. Shouto wanted true and real advice and he knew he could receive that without the extras from his classmates. "Could it be that they all have gotten colds and are just feeling unwell? My mother told me sometimes girls can do strange things when they are sick, WHICH MEANS THEY NEED PROPER TREATMENT!" Tenya already began when hearing of the tale, pressing his glasses up into the ridge of his nose even further. “Iida, I’m sure your mother meant another sickness when she said that.” Izuku contributed, a sweat drop dripping from his face as he insinuated something else that didn’t cross Tenya’s mind. Before he could allow an extra comment to place in there, he turned to Shouto and gave him a thoughtful face, trying to think of a solution for his socially confused friend. “Hmmm, I think possibly something is happening with Momo since her outlook is changing but it doesn’t really explain why they’re avoiding you like that. Unless…” he drifted off, looking through Shouto in depth. “They see something different with you and don’t know how to tell you?” He contributed, confused by the situation himself. Romance was never a topic that crossed his mind so he wasn’t sure what kind of advice could be given to his friend. “Something…different with me?” Shouto asked quizzically, pulling on his uniform as he tried to figure out what could be different. He even smelled certain areas of his body and the smell still was the same from last week. Shouto cleansed himself every day and had extra jackets of his uniform to make sure he could always have a clean set available. Even the same products were being used so what about him made the girls think so differently of him? “Midoriya, do you see something different with me?” He asked with a puzzled face, tilting his face in ponderous to their answers. Both Midoriya and Iida took a good luck at him, even inspecting his cleansed pockets but couldn’t find anything that stuck out from previous weeks. Both shook their head in denial, their scanning eyes not being able to find a trace of what could be wrong with Shouto. “No Todoroki, I mean, I’m not sure what they’re seeing but I don’t see anything different about you.” Midoriya calmly said, his green eyes trying to send him a small smile to encourage him that it wasn’t about him, but maybe something else was wrong with the girls to have those preconceived notions of him. “Yes, you look completely fine to me Todoroki!” Tenya added, wanting to comfort his friend as much as possible. “Once again, my mother said girls do quite strange things when they are sick so that could be the reason!” He insisted once more, waving his arm around in 90 degree angles to emphasis his point. With only giving Tenya a small smile, Izuku found a way to use his words to combine the phrasing to make it not so obvious on what Tenya was insinuating. “Yea, maybe something is going on and they’re doing this thing where they are bothering boys or something. I know they gave Kaminari some issues last month over something small so it might be something between them, not you.” Izuku reassured again once more, trying to relax his perplexed view on the situation. However it seemed as if their words seemed imaginary to Shouto as he stood up from the seat he resided in and left his cold soba on the table, straightening his jacket as he walked over to where the girls huddled together. A goal was set in his mind and it became apparent that he needed assistance from the original source than his trusted friends. Plus, they gave him some starters to begin his conversation off with so he felt a sense of security latched onto his belt as he ignored the protests of Izuku and Tenya and pushed to see the cause from the girls themselves. Ochako was the first to notice him and a devious grin appeared on her face as her eyes shifted to a scrunched Momo before settling back to Shouto. “Hi Todoroki! What’s going on?” Soon, at her words, everyone except Momo settled their eyes on him, stumped on why he decided to stop by their table this time around. However, snickers began to arise from their throats as their attention returned back to Momo, who had a flushed face and her reddened lips tightening closer together. Her eyes still adverted from Shouto as her nose breaths grew slightly heavier under the pressure of the situation. Bluntly and without allowing their odd reactions, he began to unbutton his coat and trying to find a way to expose himself in front of the cafeteria. Even though small challenges came from the girls to make him stop, he managed to get to a point where even his manly blouse was removed and his naked chest was revealed to the eating classes. Forks dropped at that sight and even some whistles from joking students appeared in the background as he continued to give them an intense state. “For the past few days, you snicker at me when you see me and you never answer my questions. By chance, do you see something wrong with me? Did I somehow change within these past days that you may have noticed but I haven’t?” He asked them with a deadpan expression, completely serious in his questions. If there was something he could change, he would change it, he just needed to hear from their mouths what about him was just so appalling about him that would cause such indecent reactions from them. Turmoil surrounded the girls as they continued to avoid his question and more focused on having him put his clothes back on. Blushes formed on their faces as they continuously chanted phrases of “There’s nothing wrong with you, Todoroki!” “I don’t know why you ask that!” “We just have a small inside joke between all the guys in the class, it’s not just you!” Lies swished out of their mouths to alleviate the situation, hopefully to get Shouto away from them so they could enjoy the lunches that were presented in front of them. However, as Momo continued to hear what they were saying, her face continuously pinched itself in hurtful pride. She knew all of this was all her fault, that it was her doing that Shouto even felt desperate enough to gain acknowledge from her fellow female mates. It was absolutely wrong and the realization that she had even gone this far with him without giving him a proper explanation killed her and it had to stop today. Digging through her backpack that was placed on the ground next to her, she pulled out an envelope with Todoroki swiveled in cursive writing on the top. Rising from her seat, the girls ceased their lies and gave her questioning looks, making sure that this was the proper choice. Silent conversations ran through their heads as they debated within their internal minds until Momo arched her back further to show her readiness and submissiveness surrounded the table as they allowed her to take the initiative. Shooting up her face to look directly into his eyes, the flustered face that was once creased her features soon turned into elegance and poise, ready to face Shouto in a diplomatic matter. “Todoroki, if it isn’t too much to ask, once you return your clothes back on your body, can you come meet me outside?” she said in a stern voice, juicing out the last bit of confidence she had before placing her bag on her shoulder and taking the exit that lead to the outside. Shouto looked after her, mesmerized by her motions and could only find himself moving again as he heard a slight cough of attention coming from Kyoka that had her tilting head to go follow Momo’s tracks. Giving a slight nod, Shouto re-pieced himself before heading out the same door, curious as to what Momo had to tell him. Perhaps she was the one that had noticed something off that had gotten the girls to also pay close attention or maybe she was hiding a hidden secret that affected him. Only time and Momo’s voice could tell what all of that could possibly be. As soon as he reached the outside and smelled the fresh air from the spring season, he twisted his head around until he locked eyes with Momo. She brought herself by the cherry blossom trees, her hair shifting in the wind with the same tempo as the petals on the flowers that were attached onto the flimsy branches on the gorgeous trees. The scene set itself up to be peaceful and serene with a calming aura that made Momo look like she had an angelic glow attached to her. Everything was beautiful and pulled on Shouto’s legs to make him move closer to depiction of heaven that was calling towards him. Getting close to Momo, it took a bit for Shouto to speak, his words stuck in his throat as he continued to look at her, finally noticing those details that she displayed on her face. “What….what can I help you with? Is there something I did?” Shouto began to question, curiosity and repair reflected on his face as he continued to grow closer to Momo. “Please, I…I still have some difficulty the emotions of others so if I did something to make you upset with me, please tell me so I can give you the proper apologies that you deserve Yaoyorozu.” The same moments it took Shouto answer was the same for Momo as she looked down on the ground, her hands that were wrapped around her back tensing with emotion. Sighing, she looked back Shouto, this time a small blush splotching on her face. “I…I want to first start off of by saying it is not your fault. You did nothing to apologize for. In fact, it is I the one that should apologize. I told the girls something that involved you without going to you first and they took that and behaved childishly with it. I should have stopped them more from harassing you but it doesn’t change the fact I did not so I apologize for that.” She spoke up, her voice containing strength with a slight bit of resistance attached to it. She knew what was next, it was coming up and she wished she could cancel the topic of conversation but she needed to keep her confidence up. Momo didn’t want it to be the enemy this time around so broke through her spell as she tore her hands away from her backside and gave Shouto the letter that she had earlier. “I will admit, I am…too afraid to speak my feelings out loud to you in this current moment. After all, I am only getting used to these emotions since I never really had them before but this letter should convey very drop of it.” Taking the letter from Momo’s pristine fingertips, he scanned his name once more, eyeing the beautiful calligraphy placed in it. Giving her one last look, he returned back to the letter and delicately opened it, trying not to ruin the grace that was in it. Even the stationary was gorgeous as he pulled it out, opening the tri fold it was placed in. Holding the letter in his hands, he read the cursive writing that he knew belonged to Momo, charmed by every word she wrote. Everything that came from the letter was eloquent and beautiful, something that even diplomatic leaders should learn from since each word choice was designed carefully and her sentences entranced him in as he continued on. He could even hear her voice whispering the language in his ears as his eyes scanned each line, making sure he didn’t miss a drop of what she wrote. Once he completed it and allowed his eyes to follow the traces of Momo’s signature, he looked back up to her to see her bowed, her torso bent downwards as she gave him a trace of royalty. With a clearing of Shouto’s throat, she returned her posture back upwards and stared straight at him, not scaring herself from her transparency even though her face wanted to ruin the stance she was giving. “Todoroki, I know it must be sudden but I have come to realize that I harbor feelings for you. You have been an inspiration in my life and if it wasn’t for your words back during our exam with Mr. Aizawa, I don’t think I could have gained the confidence to do what I planned. However you take this confession is up to you but I believe it was time for you to know and for me to stop hiding behind my feelings.” She admitted upfront to Shouto, not leaving a trace of detail behind. This time she needed to make sure he knew exactly how she felt without any left traces and even though she wanted to run away and hide behind the gates of the building, this was a moment that tested her stamina and she needed to keep her back strong as her father always instructed her. Hearing this for the first time, all the confusion that Shouto had slightly disappeared as the puzzle pieces began to form and all their behaviors were explained in deep thought. In a way, Tenya was right, Momo was sick, but sick with love, an infectious disease that made her act abnormal from her usual poised self. Shouto wasn’t made aware of any remedies to patch up Momo’s feelings but there was something telling his heart to act the way he needed to. Without speaking, he casually moved towards Momo and planted a small kiss on her cheek, reserving her mouth for a special moment. He could feel her tensing under his lips, her cheeks slightly growing larger as her mouth opened wide in shock. Pulling away, Momo tried to speak back but everything came out in babbles and weird tones that just made Shouto smile and hold onto her hand, showing her the motions of his answer. “What…what is this Todoroki? I’m very confused…!” Momo breathed out ,swirls ringing in her eyes as she looked at him with gaping features. “This is me accepting your feelings Yaoyorozu and saying I feel the same way.” He calmly said, this time really pressing himself against her and using this chance to kiss her softly under the beautiful scenery of cherry blossoms.

[starsfadingbutilingeron]

Chapter Nine: Death Grip

Fic Title: Secondhand Hero Author: @starsfadingbutilingeron Summary: What if All Might had been able to save Shimura Tenko? Read this free fic to find out the results!! Rating: General Audiences Read On AO3: x ----

Aizawa’s words hung heavy in the air, like an expensive perfume you were wishing you hadn’t taken a sample of at the department store after your ninth consecutive hour of smelling like an elderly woman’s handbag. The office door was shut again, keeping the four men’s hallowed expressions contained where the rest of the precinct wouldn’t wonder after the reason behind them.

At the drop of Aizawa’s news, Toshinori’s jaw had unhinged to leave it gaping wide open; and he couldn’t seem to force anything other than the vaguest whine of bewilderment out. Gran Torino looked like he wanted to be triumphant, but the fact that he’d been right over something he’d wished were false overtook those feelings and replaced them with a resigned grimace.

Naomasa was the first to move after the initial shock. He’d taken the news in stride, his face an unbreachable mask of calculated professionalism. After allowing the reality of their present situation to settle in for a moment, he began milling about the room; Aizawa followed him and the two took up a tactical banter of what their best modes of handling the situation would be.

“And you’re sure you saw Tenko assist with the abduction?” Naomasa was asking, one hand dialing on the keypad of the nearest phone in the office.

“He was involved with the people who actually did the kidnapping, that’s for sure. He had one of them on the phone, but…” Aizawa trailed off, rubbing his eyes as he stifled a yawn.

“But?” Naomasa raised an eyebrow.

“But he seemed like he didn’t want it to happen,” Aizawa said, moving his hand to push back his mangled hair. “He tried to get my attention before the warp gate opened. At least, I thought he did.”

Naomasa spoke a coded message into the receiver, then hung up the office phone. “There was a warp gate?”

“Yeah, that’s how they pulled it off,” Aizawa put his hands on his hips, meeting Naomasa with a level gaze.

“What did it look like?” Toshinori asked, the first words he’d spoken since Aizawa had reported Izuku’s kidnapping. “The warping quirk, I mean.”

Aizawa regarded him with a side-eyed glance. “Total void. Like a lack of matter wherever it touched,” he said.

“Ah,” Toshinori relaxed a little bit, as much as he could be expected to relax given the circumstances.

“But then…” Aizawa spoke up again.

“Yeah?” Toshinori moved to stand closer to AIzawa.

“When Tenko vanished, someone warped him as well,” Aizawa said, tapping his foot against the floor. “But it was different. Instead of spreading and opening like a gate, it was this sort of...black liquid that swallowed him up, and then he was gone. Not a trace of either of them.”

“Oh my God,” Toshinori murmured, pressing his hands to his face as he turned to Gran Torino. “You know what the sounds like.”

Gran Torino gave a grim nod, stepping up to join the others. “What’s our first move?” he asked, looking up to Naomasa.

“First move?” Naomasa raised an eyebrow as he looked between Gran Torino and Toshinori. “The first move is for you two to go home. You’re not working on this case.”

“Wha-” Toshinori spluttered. “Like hell I’m not-”

“You’re too close,” Naomasa cut him off. “You are too close to nearly everyone involved. You too, Gran Torino. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you two work on this case. You’re incapable of seeing Tenko as a villain and too emotionally attached to Midoriya to think clearly.”

“Well, what about him?” Toshinori pointed to Aizawa. “He’s just as close to Tenko as we are, and he’s Midoriya’s teacher. What about you , for that matter?”

Naomasa held a hand up. “While I agree, Aizawa is emotionally involved; he’s also our only eye witness. That’s a resource we can’t risk to withhold from this case. As for myself, I am trained to approach these cases unemotionally and from a law enforcement perspective only. Unlike pro heroes, the police department doesn’t get to incorporate as much personal flair into our heroics as you,” he paused, giving a tired sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Now, you two just go on home and I’ll call you with any new developments.”

It took a lot of grumbling and prodding, but Gran Torino and Toshinori finally left the police station. After they’d gone, Naomasa and Aizawa got back to work; Naomasa calling in backup as the two set up shop in one of the back offices.

“So, the first thing we’re going to do is track both of their cell phone signals,” Naomasa said, typing madly at his computer keyboard while maintaining perfect eye contact with Aizawa. “That’ll tell us where the nearest cell tower is from where they are. It’s not a perfect location determinant, but it will have to do for now. You have the address of the scene of the kidnapping, I presume?”

“Yeah,” Aizawa nodded, taking out his own phone and handing it to the police officer.

“Great, we’ll go from there,” Naomasa said. “After we get a rough location, we’ll send you out to do surveillance since that’s your specialty. I’ll be on standby with a squad of officers and pros; we’ll have you wired up, and you signal me if you spot anything.”

“Right,” Aizawa nodded, looking exhausted already at the prospect of doing surveillance all night. Letting go of a sigh that shook the frame of his shoulders, his expression changed from professional to earnest as he looked up at Naomasa. “You don’t think there’s any chance this is all a big misunderstanding and Tenko’s not with the League, do you?”

Naomasa took a deep breath, his own expression flickering a bit and becoming more genuine. “I think right now we need to approach it like there is no chance of it being a misunderstanding,” he said, turning to look at his computer screen.

“Yeah, of course,” Aizawa nodded, leaning back in his seat with a sudden gruff laugh. Shaking his head, he blinked a few times and averted his gaze to the nearest wall. “Guess I am emotionally involved in this case after all.”

----

The last time Tenko’s neck had been scratched so raw had been back when Toshinori was in the hospital after losing part of his stomach. It had been in those few days, after he had yelled at his guardian and was home by himself, that Tenko had felt his deepest panic. He hadn’t regretted yelling at Toshinori; but, every time he’d let a phone call or text go unanswered, he couldn’t help but fear the last words he’d spoken to his guardian would have been out of anger if Toshinori didn’t pull through his treatments.

Now, Tenko’s neck had been under constant bombardment from his fingernails since the instant he’d been transmitted to...wherever he was. If he were being completely honest, Tenko had to admit that he hadn’t the slightest indication of where All for One had brought him. There were walls and lights and plug outlets, but a stunning lack of windows so Tenko couldn’t even get his bearings if he’d had the energy to try.

Even though Tenko was sure he was in the same place as All for One, since that was how Transmission worked, he hadn’t seen him since he’d been plunked down on the tile floor and watched the villain’s suited back disappear behind the only door in the room. Except for Kurogiri, who was grumbling something about ‘forced quirk activation’, Tenko was alone in the room; with nothing but guilt and a broken phone to keep him company.

Running a thumb over the cracked screen, Tenko marveled that the phone even still worked. Little stray bits of glass slotted in his fingers and the cracks in the screen were so deep it obscured any chances of ever being able to read a text ever again; but, in a technical sense, the phone still worked enough to send messages and take calls. But that hardly mattered, Tenko couldn’t hope for the privacy of a phone call going unlistened to in a place like wherever he even was.

There were chairs and tables available, but Tenko had seated himself in the corner of the room on the plain floor; pressed into a corner like a decorative plant. Shoving his phone back in the pocket of his hoodie, Tenko sighed heavily and leaned his head against the wall. Closing his eyes, he jammed the palms of his hands against his face and tried to ward off the insurmountable guilt racking his every heartbeat. He had no right to sit there and feel sorry for himself; this had been the plan he’d shaken hands on, it was his fault this was even transpiring.

But agreeing to an abstract concept and making that plan a reality were two different things; and Tenko found himself wishing he could go back and do it all over. Thinking of Izuku trapped somewhere in the near distance, frightened half to death as his quirk was stolen from him, Tenko realized how much he’d royally fucked up and how it was too late to change that fact. The only thing left to do was figure out where to go from that point forward, and how he could ever begin to make things right.

Just as he had started brainstorming possible ways to turn the situation around, the only door in the room burst open and All for One stormed in. He was dressed formally in a more expensive suit than Tenko had ever worn, and donned a daunting black gas mask that churned and oozed as if it had a mind of its own. But even through the mask, Tenko could tell that All for One was angry; and, to Tenko’s shock, the villain seemed a touch distressed as well.

“Go watch the boy, Kurogiri,” All for One ordered, and Kurogiri vanished in an instant with a flicker of his own shadowy form.

Tenko stood up with his shoulder blades still pressed back against the wall, feeling sweat slick his palms as he was left alone in the room with All for One. While he stood there, waiting for All for One to say something first; Tenko thought of his father and how he couldn’t always gauge when he was about to snap, only to suddenly be caught up in the backlash of an outburst when he thought it had been safe to speak up.

“I can’t take One for All,” All for One said at last, fixing his sights on Tenko. “I’ve been trying for nearly an hour and that boy is not affected in the slightest. It’s as if he’s quirkless and I’m grasping at nothing.”

Tenko let out a shaky breath, looking down to his fingers as they curled anxiously around each other. He thought back to all those years ago, settled in his bed while Toshinori told him the story of One for All, and almost laughed in relief as a thought occurred to him. Instead though, he just blinked and whispered softly, “Of course.”

“Come again?” All for One asked, clearly annoyed at the mumbled words.

“You can’t take One for All,” Tenko looked up, smirk more confident than he felt. “It has to be willingly given. It would seem you’re no exception to that rule.”

All for One, instead of getting angry, brought a hand up to his mask and tapped thoughtfully at where his chin would be if unobscured by the mess of pipes and filters around it. “Is that so?”

Tenko struggled to maintain his composer, confidence buckling as he saw how unfazed All for One was by the revelation of this information. But, keeping up his carefree smirk, he just laughed a little bit and crossed his arms. “Yeah. Did you not know that? Thought it was your quirk to begin with.”

“The stockpiling part of the quirk, yes,” All for One said, beginning to stride about the room. “But, as you know, the part of One for All that allows it to be passed on belonged to the original bearer.”

“Your brother,” Tenko said, kicking one foot back to rest against the wall as he crossed his arms.

“Yes, my brother,” All for One said, his voice denoting a hint of something that had gone untouched for a long time. Something All for One hadn’t wanted touched. “But that is of no importance. What to do about Midoriya, that is the problem at hand. Any suggestions?”

“Well, I suppose we can’t just let him go…” Tenko rubbed his chin, walking forward to stand closer to All for One. “Not sure how we could convince him to give up One for All though. He seems pretty attached to it, if you ask me.”

“Yes, hm,” All for One nodded, pausing for a moment before placed a hand on Tenko’s injured shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. A silent threat. An unspoken expression of power. “Perhaps, if someone he trusted were to speak with him.”

If Tenko was afraid, he did an excellent job of concealing it; simply lifted his chin and gazed at All for One from under hooded eyelids. “You want me to get Midoriya to give up his quirk to you?”

“For you, of course,” All for One said, turning so he could brace both hands on either of Tenko’s shoulders. “All of this has been for your sake after all, hasn’t it?”

Tenko felt a slippery smile creep onto his face, the tug of his scar tightening as his lips pulled up at the corners.

“Right,” he agreed, looking directly into the eye sockets of All for One’s mask. “I’ll get him to give up that quirk, no problem. Just give me a few minutes alone with him, and he’ll be whistling a different tune next time you see him.”

“That’s the spirit,” All for One laughed, guiding Tenko towards the door by the shoulders. Opening the door, he led Tenko out into a long hall that seemed to have no end; tapering off into shadow and giving way to a black void on either side. Steering Tenko to the right, the two came to a lone door in the middle of the wall; it was solid with no windows, and Tenko was sure that had he been on the other side of it, there wouldn’t be a door handle to speak of on the inside.

“Come on out, Kurogiri,” All for One called as he pulled the door open, as if that were an obstacle for the villain with a warping quirk. “Tenko’s decided to take over babysitting duty for a while.”

With that, Kurogiri came flashing out and Tenko felt a slight pressure on his back as he was pushed forward into the room.

“Oh, and Tenko,” All for One called as the young man stepped fully into the room. Tenko turned to look over his shoulder, suddenly apprehensive in his own choices. “If you can’t get that boy to give up his quirk in the next ten minutes, I’m afraid we’ll have to switch to Plan B.”

Tenko didn’t have to do a lot of guessing to figure out what ‘Plan B’ was, and knitted his eyebrows together in a sudden panic. “But you…” Tenko’s eyes flashed into the room and back to All for One. “You said you wouldn’t hurt him.”

All for One’s mask chugged apathetically in the wanton silence he let fall before speaking again.

“We all say things we don’t mean,” All for One said, letting the door fall shut and leaving Tenko to face Izuku on his own.

Taking a deep breath, Tenko turned back around and looked forward. There, in the only chair in the tiny cell of a room, Izuku sat; his eyes were downcast and Tenko twinged as he noticed the boy’s frame shaking with poorly contained sobs. His hands were chained and locked to the chair between his knees, and his ankles were locked around the legs of the chair. Tenko stepped forward slowly, hands in his pockets as he bit sharply into his bottom lip before opening his mouth to speak.

“Hey, kid,” Tenko began, kneeling down and placing his ungloved hand to the shackles around Izuku’s ankles and wrists. “For starters, let’s get these off.”

Izuku remained immobile, letting Tenko take away his bonds without a word.

“Now, then,” Tenko stood back as soon as Izuku’s arms and legs were free. “Let’s talk this through-”

Tenko broke off as Izuku jumped up and aimed a savage punch to his jaw. But the punch never found purchase, Tenko smoothly swerved out of the young boy’s line of target. Taking Izuku’s arm in his hand that still had a glove, Tenko twisted it behind Izuku’s back and let his ungloved hand clamp to the boy’s neck. Four fingers pressed forebodingly against Izuku’s hammering heartbeat as it thumped away in his throat, and Izuku halted any further attempts at movement as his breathing quickened.

“Smile for the camera,” Tenko whispered into Izuku’s ear as he released the boy’s arm and delved his hand into the pocket of his hoodie. “Now, keep on nodding like you’re listening to everything I’m saying,” he ordered, and Izuku began to nod jerkily. He nodded not because he understood a damn thing of what was going on, but because there were four of the the disintegration hero’s fingers pressed to his neck; and he wasn’t in the mood to run the risk of getting his jugular smoldered in half.

While Izuku nodded, Tenko took his ruined phone out of his pocket and pressed it in the sliver of space between him and Izuku. Maneuvering the broken glass with an already scabby thumb, Tenko sent a single message to all of his contacts; a trick he’d picked up during the Hosu Incident. Then, shoving the phone away once more, Tenko pressed his mouth right up next to Izuku’s ear.

“I know this all must be very confusing for you,” Tenko whispered, unsure if the room was bugged for audio as well. “But just trust me on this one.”

Tenko let go of Izuku’s neck and the kid yanked away, spinning around to face Tenko as his chest heaved in an attempt to catch his breath.

“Trust you!?” Izuku panted, holding his throat where Tenko’s fingers had just been. “Why should I trust you?”

“Do you really have a choice?” Tenko raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the four solid walls around them that were punctuated only by a single door with no handle on the inside.

“What do you-” Izuku shook his head, even more perplexed than before. “I don’t understand. Are you with the League of Villains or not!?”

“Before I answer that, let me ask you something,” Tenko said, crossing to the far wall and pressing his ungloved hand to it. As the wall gave way to a burst of cool night air, Tenko flashed a grin over his shoulder at Izuku. “Are you ready to run for it?”

----

Toshinori sat begrudgingly still at his living room table, and couldn’t stand the sight of the empty chair across from him. He hadn’t realized it but, for thirteen years, he’d been taking Tenko’s presence in his home for granted. Being alone before adopting Tenko had been easy, it had been his default mode and he’d thought it was better that way for the Number One Hero to be alone; Shimura Nana’s philosophy of solitary heroism had taught him that getting close to someone was opening them up to be targets, and that the selfless thing to do was isolate your loved ones to keep them safe.

But Toshinori had ignored that in taking Tenko into his home. Now, after years of coming home to the sound of another person greeting him and talking to him about his day and vice versa; Toshinori was starting to wonder if Nana’s isolation hadn’t been motivated a bit by self-preservation as well. Being alone was so much more difficult after having known what it’s like to share a life, to share a home with someone else. Toshinori had taken it for granted that, no matter the turbulent changes the world threw at him, Tenko would always be there to welcome him home. And now that he didn’t have that, Toshinori found himself feeling like a stranger in his home.

Giving Mii a soft pat where she lay curled in his lap, Toshinori held his phone at arm's length and groaned; being on the other end of the rescue mission where he was the one waiting for news instead of doing the saving was proving to be just as unsatisfactory as he’d imagined.

Then, as if feeling his impatience and deciding to throw him a bone, Toshinori’s phone pinged and the screen lit up with a message notification. Lurching forward in his seat, Toshinori gave a quick apology to Mii as she was jostled from her slumber and then leaned in to examine the message closer.

Puzzling the message over and over once it was opened, Toshinori went to call Naomasa for a personal explanation; only to pause and realize he hadn’t even read who the message was from. Toshinori could’ve smacked himself in the head with his own phone, especially after he’d gone to so much trouble to get Izuku to help him craft the string of heart and hand emojis around the singular most important contact in his phone; the person he’d been waiting for weeks to hear from had finally texted, and Toshinori hadn’t even noticed.

Taking the message in a new light, Toshinori stood up in a rush and, offering another apology to Mii for knocking her straight to the ground, bolted immediately for the door with no heed for what Naomasa had told him earlier. His son needed him and Toshinori would be there if it was the last thing he did.

----

“Where the fuck are we!?” Tenko panted, pausing to catch his breath as he braced a hand against a nearby building. It had been a gamble disintegrating a random wall when he didn’t know the building’s layout; but once talks of killing Izuku were in the air, Tenko knew he couldn’t let the kid stay there any longer. Still, it would have been enormously helpful if the surrounding area resembled anything Tenko recognized.

“It looks…” Izuku wheezed, having been dragged at a faster speed and pace than he was used to. “It looks like some sort of...abandoned city...like the Ruins Zone at USJ.”  

“So, the middle of fucking nowhere,” Tenko ran a frustrated hand through his hair and jolted in surprise when a few overgrown locks shredded off; he kept forgetting that he didn’t have a glove on one of his hands anymore. Looking over his shoulder to Izuku, Tenko let go of a deep sigh. “You wouldn’t happen to have your cell phone, would you?”

“No, All for One kind of took it when he kidnapped me,” Izuku said, an edge of bitterness cutting into his voice.

“Dammit,” Tenko snapped his fingers, taking his own phone out. “Mine’s busted, but it still works on a basic level. See if you can pull the GPS up.”

“Okay,” Izuku nodded.

“In the meantime,” Tenko tugged Izuku along down the street. “Let’s keep moving before that masked fucker shows up.”

“You know the old saying, I presume,” a familiar-enough voice spoke out, half-lost under the mess of cogs and whirring pipes that made up his mask. “‘Speak of the devil and he doth appear’?”

Tenko whipped around and faced All for One, shoving Izuku behind him while keeping a firm grip on the boy’s arm.

“Yeah, I always hated when pretentious bullshit like that actually applied to my life,” Tenko sneered.

“And so the truth comes out,” All for One said, stepping closer. Tenko tried to back up but could tell from the way Izuku let out a small uncertain whine, that Kurogiri had appeared behind them; and Tenko froze in his tracks.

“I can hardly say I’m surprised you were pulling the wool over my eyes. In fact, I was almost counting on it,” All for One continued, letting the moment drag on without making any move to attack; luxuriating in his own control. “You are a crafty nuisance though, aren’t you? Just like she was.”

“What can I say?” Tenko snarled, pulling Izuku closer to his side. “It runs in the family.”

All for One actually laughed out loud at that, and Tenko could almost see the smarmy grin permeating through the villain’s hulking mask. It made Tenko’s lungs feel full of smoke to see All for One so smug, and he wanted nothing more than to drag him back to hell like the devil he’d proclaimed himself to be.

“You’ve been using me just like every other mediocre villain uses me,” Tenko curled his lip. “You think because I’m All Might’s kid, that makes me a perfect pawn to use against him. Well, you assholes always forget one crucial detail,” he drew in a deep breath, setting All for One with a spiteful glare. “I’m a hero too.”

All for One took a breath to speak but, before he could the sound of fabric rustling through the night air, followed by a shout of surprise from Kurogiri, proactively shut down  All for One’s monologue. Tenko and Izuku jumped apart as Kurogiri’s body came slamming armor-first between them; spinning around, Tenko and Izuku each felt relief flood their veins as they caught sight of Aizawa’s bright yellow goggles piercing through the darkness.

“Pro hero Eraserhead,” All for One said. “You hardly ever show your face in public. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“This is hardly public,” Aizawa said as he kept his quirk trained on Kurogiri beneath him. “Midoriya, get out of here. Leave these villains to a real pro.”

“I don’t think so,” All for One said, striding forward at a leisurely if not somewhat speedy pace.

Aizawa flashed his gaze up to focus his quirk on All for One, and then it was all over. Kurogiri fazed out from beneath Aizawa and reappeared to tackle the pro to the ground. The two vanished from sight in a mess of void and swirling fabric, leaving Tenko and Izuku standing alone against All for One.

Tenko moved to grab Izuku, but before he could, All for One’s arms were grabbing Tenko roughly around his waist and hauling him back against his chest. One of the villain’s meticulously manicured hands came up to brace over the better half of Tenko’s face; his hold was sloppy, rushed, and inexperienced-looking, but it was absolute in its strength and Tenko could hardly move a centimeter away from the villain gripping onto him. Tenko thought back to the first time he saw All for One, how frail and sickly he’d looked; it didn’t feel right for a person so physically ill to still be so strong, but it was befitting of the overpowered villain to have as much power over others as he wanted and still be unable to save himself from his own ailments.

“Now, then,” All for One spoke to Izuku, who stood trembling looking up at the villain as he loomed in front of him. “I understand that One for All can only be willingly given, is that right?”

“Y-Y-Yes,” Izuku stuttered, hands shaking as he tried to figure any way to rescue Tenko when All for One was so unpredictable in what power he possessed.

“Choosing a successor can be a difficult decision,” All for One said, his voice a sickeningly sweet imitation of sympathy. “So, let me make this easy on you. Give me your quirk,” he said, tightening his grip on Tenko, his fingers digging into the young hero’s face. “Or I’ll take his.”

Tenko laughed. A strangled noise that startled not only Izuku, but even gave All for One a jump of surprise. Shifting as much as he could in order to give All for One a side-eyed glare, Tenko curled his lips back to reveal a set of blood streaked teeth. Running around had caused his stitches to burst open, and being grabbing so roughly hadn’t helped his injury any either; but Tenko wasn’t focused on that, the only thought on his mind was how much he wanted to take down All for One.

“You fucking kidding me? You’re gonna take my shitty quirk, so he should give you One for All!?” Tenko scoffed, more blood spurting between his teeth as he choked out another laugh. “Don’t do me any favors,” he said, shifting his gaze to look at Izuku. “Kid, if you give him One for All, I will kick your ass myself. Do you understand me?”

Izuku’s eyes swam with tears, shaking his head as he looked up at Tenko caught in All for One’s stranglehold. “But you-”

“Dammit, Midoriya!” Tenko exclaimed. “If anyone deserves to come out of this a hero, it’s you. Don’t give this asshole what he wants.”

“How admirable,” All for One spoke up before Izuku could respond. “However, the decision really isn’t up to you two. So, how about we make things even simpler?” he looked to Izuku. “Give me One for All, or I’ll kill Shimura Tenko right in front of your eyes.”

Izuku opened his mouth to reply, his face a tangled mess of conflicting emotions; but before he could even get one word out, a thunderous boom shook the earth and sent the three of them sprawling to the ground.

Tenko hit the pavement face first, and groaned in frustration as he felt the frame of his glasses snap clean through and one lense shatter completely. He moved to stand up, but found he was already being hauled to his feet again by All for One; who had all but fallen directly on top of him. As he was locked again in the villain’s impossibly tight grasp, Tenko squinted through his one good lense at the figure that had caused the ground to shake so cataclysmically. To Tenko’s immense relief, he could just make out the ridiculous silhouette of two bunny ear stalks of hair that told him All Might had finally arrived.

“What the hell are you doing to my boys, you scum?” Toshinori glowered from where he stood aways up the abandoned road.

“Toshinori, how good of you to join us,” All for One turned towards the pro hero, yanking Tenko along with him. Tenko gasped as his already aggravated injuries were jarred even more by the gruff movements of All for One. Toshinori jerked forward as if to move to help his injured son, but forced himself to stay rooted to the spot.

“I was just telling your successor here that it’d be in Tenko’s best interest for him to hand over his quirk,” All for One said, giving Izuku a sneer from where he remained half-crouched on the ground. “What do you think?”

“You make me sick,” Toshinori snarled, beginning to walk forward. “Using people as your toys...Willfully deceiving them so they’ll do what you want...It’s despicable.”

“Despicable, you say?” All for One asked. “Funny you should say that. Considering your son did the same thing to you,” he paused, tilting Tenko’s chin up so he was forced to look into the villain’s eyes at an ungodly angle. “Isn’t that right, Tenko? Go on and tell Toshinori all about your little scheme.”

Toshinori’s tilted his head to the side, his voice falling soft as he spoke to his son. “Tenko?”

“Toshinori…” Tenko said, reaching up and pressing a hand to his forehead to hide his expression. He paused like that for a moment, trying to take in a decent breath through his worn out lungs before speaking again. Looking up at his guardian with a shine of tears in his eyes, Tenko gave Toshinori his biggest smile and spoke out in a wavering voice.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Tenko gave a soft laugh, shrugging his shoulders apologetically. “You’d better win.”

Slamming the ungloved hand which had been resting against his forehead back, Tenko gouged all five of his fingers into the inner mechanisms of All for One’s mask. Immediately, there was a cacophony of pops and hisses as the mouthpiece of the mask began to disintegrate under Tenko’s touch.

All for One let out an inhuman growl, pressing his own hand against Tenko’s face and holding tight. Toshinori charged forward then, unable to stay still any longer; bringing his arm back, he struck a punch to All for One’s exposed face just as Tenko’s hand fell limply to his side.

With a noise of disgust, All for One tossed Tenko away over his shoulder the way someone who was too cool to walk to a trash can would chuck a piece of litter on the ground. Izuku ran after Tenko, leaving All for One and Toshinori alone to fight each other one-on-one.

Tenko’s body tumbled across the pavement and slammed against the nearest building like a ragdoll, unresponsive and limp. Izuku dropped down beside Tenko and carefully rolled the pro onto his back, trying not to worsen his injuries any more than they already had been.

“Mister Shimura,” Izuku said, pushing the hero’s gray hair back off his forehead to get a better look at his face. Tenko’s eyes were vacant and glazed over, like he could barely register his own consciousness. “Mister Shimura, please...Please, be okay, please.”

As the battle between All for One and Toshinori raged on in the middle of the road, Izuku heard a chorus of sirens and the incoherency of people shouting out orders all at the same time grow in the distance. Soon, pros and police officers alike were swarming the scene; focusing on the villain facing down with All Might and leaving Tenko and Izuku unattended to the side.

Izuku tried his best to block Tenko’s body from the thickening carnage of the battle scene, but could feel himself growing frantic the worse the backlash of so many pros and police officers attempting to take down one villain became. He weighed his options, considering how well he was qualified to carry an injured person from a battle zone without worsening the situation and cursing the fact that he’d never gotten any First Aid training.

Just as he was about to flag down the nearest pro for help, Izuku felt a thick band of fabric wind around his waist and haul him backwards. He landed with a thud on the pavement about twenty or so feet back from the battle, and spotted Aizawa standing over him; his homeroom teacher wasn’t looking at him though, he was busy pulling Tenko carefully from the crosshairs of the battlefield.

As Tenko’s limp body drew nearer, Aizawa crouched down to sit on the ground and deposited his former student across his lap. Keeping Tenko’s head elevated with one hand, Aizawa pressed the other to the bleeding stab wound that was soaking through the black material of Tenko’s sweatshirt.

“What happened to him? Why isn’t he moving!?” Aizawa snapped at Izuku.

“He…” Izuku faltered, eyes darting back and forth between All for One and Tenko. “He used his quirk on All for One’s mask and then All for One threw him against that wall, and I...I think he…” Izuku bit his lip, tears spilling down his face as he looked again at Tenko’s vacant expression. “I think All for One took his quirk.”

“Took his quirk?” Aizawa stared at Izuku in shock, instinctively holding Tenko a little closer to his chest. “But he...Wait, you said he used his quirk on that guy in the mask? Why would he do that?”

“He was faking it the whole time,” Izuku sniffled, wiping his sleeve across his tear-soaked face. “He never was a villain, he was tricking us all.”

“He what !?” Aizawa’s eye widened with outrage, his fingers digging tighter into Tenko’s side in reaction to his anger.

At the increase of pressure on his injury, Tenko gave a sudden gasp as the pain shocked him out of the daze he’d fallen into. Shooting upwards with his arms flailing out in all directions, Tenko grabbed blindly at Aizawa’s shoulders to steady himself. Aizawa kept his arms securely around the younger hero in case Tenko suddenly fell immobile again.

Tenko breathed heavily through his mouth, blinking his eyes rapidly to try and recollect what had happened; his forehead pressed against Aizawa’s chest. Pulling away slowly with his shaking arms, Tenko squinted to make out who exactly was holding him; even with his glasses completely gone from his face, Tenko could see Aizawa’s expression - a cross between scorn and relief - as clear as day.

Chest surging with panic, Tenko noticed for the first time that his bare hand was clasped completely around Aizawa’s shoulder. With a sudden jerk, he pulled his hand away; but was so shocked to find that not even a thread of Aizawa’s shirt had been disintegrated, that he reached out and lightly tapped his five fingertips to Aizawa’s shoulder again. He let them linger for a millisecond before recoiling and then, when nothing happened still; Tenko let his fingers rest against Aizawa’s shoulder for longer and longer increments until he finally realized that nothing was going to happen. Slumping his hand against the curve of Aizawa’s collarbone, Tenko sighed in bewilderment at the sight of something remaining intact under the press of all five of his fingertips.

And then, Tenko felt another emotion take over entirely. Relief. For the first time in his life, he was touching someone with his bare hands and nothing was happening other than he was awkwardly running his fingers across his old tutor’s shoulder. Pulling his bare hand away, Tenko pressed it to his face and stifled a laugh. Aizawa and Izuku looked down at him like he had maybe hit his head a little too hard against that building, but Tenko couldn’t stop himself as he became overwhelmed with the urge to laugh. Even when his injuries panged in protest, Tenko could only wrestle his laughter down to small burbling chuckles.

“Okay, okay, cut it out,” Aizawa rolled his eyes, settling Tenko back to lay still in his arms. Tenko nodded, laughter cutting out and his expression growing somber.

After that initial flood of relief, Tenko seemed to realize how grave his circumstances were; and let go of a heavy breath as he settled into Aizawa’s hold and looked up at his former teacher.

“When did you get back here?” Tenko asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Right around the time that black mist villain threw his hands up in the air, muttered something about needing a raise, and vanished,” Aizawa said. Sighing, Aizawa tilted his downwards and stared at Tenko in disbelief. “You...You were faking it the whole time?”

Tenko nodded slowly, a hint of his characteristic smug grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. “It was a logical ruse,” he murmured.

Aizawa laughed in spite of himself, bowing his head so his long hair covered his expression. It wasn’t until Aizawa’s frame began to shake ever so slightly and he took in a ragged breath that Tenko and Izuku noticed how emotional their teacher had become.

“Mister Aizawa, are you crying ?” Izuku asked, expression caught between amazement and horror.

“Yeah, I am,” Aizawa’s head snapped back up, and he shot Izuku a warning glare. “And if you tell any of your classmates about it, you’ll be looking for a new school. Got that, Midoriya!?”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Izuku gave a nervous whine.

“Good,” Aizawa nodded, turning back to Tenko. “And you! Next time, let someone else in on the secret before you go galavanting off to your doom like that, huh!?”

“Yes, sir,” Tenko nodded, letting his eyes fall shut as he turned his face against Aizawa’s chest.

“Now, you two sit back and let me handle this,” Aizawa muttered, pressing the intercom in his ear and giving Naomasa his approximate coordinates. “Clear me a path to this villain in the mask, pronto. We’re ending this now.”

Naomasa, wherever he was working amidst the mob of authorities, got Aizawa’s message across in impressive time. The scores of police and scattering of pros shifted around Aizawa, giving him a clear line of vision to All for One. Hair shooting up on all ends, Aizawa’s eyes burned red through the night and landed directly on All for One’s turned back.

The villain noticed the loss of his quirks immediately, whipping around and fixing his sights on Aizawa. That instant where All for One’s attention was divided from the target of his fight was all it took. Coming up from behind, All Might channeled all of his strength into one finishing blow and struck down All for One.

The kickback from All Might’s smash knocked nearly everyone off their feet; it was the most powerful punch any of them had seen the Number One Hero deliver. When the dust from the attack cleared however, shocked gasps filtered through the crowd of heroes that had gathered; in the release of such an immense power, Toshinori had timed out on his hero form and stood, staggering and skeletal, amidst his peers.

But that hardly mattered to Toshinori. Once the other pros and police had gotten over their initial shock and resumed their work, charging to take hold of All for One’s demolished form; Toshinori pushed away from the crowd without a second glance back and made his way to the outskirts of the battle scene.

“Tenko,” Toshinori rasped, falling to his knees next to where his son lay distressingly still in Aizawa’s arms. Tenko had been resting with his eyes shut against Aizawa’s shoulder; but when he heard Toshinori’s voice, he turned his face up to his guardian and gave as much of a smile as he could manage through the blood drying on his face.

Toshinori fought against his own fatigue and pain of his injuries, suppressing it all to reach out and cup Tenko’s face with both of his hands; turning his kid’s face gently from side to side to check the severity of his injuries.

“Toshinori...” Tenko said, his voice a small whine of pain as he lay curled into Aizawa’s chest.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m here. What do you need?” Toshinori asked, leaning in closer.

“I gotta tell you something,” Tenko murmured.

“What is it?” Toshinori knitted his eyebrows in concern as he inched closer to his injured son.

Tenko raised his eyes to meet Toshinori’s, squinting them dramatically as he looked up.

“I broke my glasses again,” he said at last, a weak laugh bubbling up from his chest.

Toshinori blinked, uncomprehending for a moment, before his face softened and he gave a light chuckle of his own. “What am I going to do with you?” he shook his head, tears threatening to spill over the rim of his eyelids.

“Too late to go back on that whole adoption thing,” Tenko shrugged, a smile settled on his lips. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

“You…” Toshinori’s voice faltered, cracking on a sob of relief he was determined to keep in. “Are you alright?”

Tenko’s smile widened as Toshinori’s face flashed with embarrassment at the seemingly stupid question.

“Better than alright,” Tenko said. Toshinori wrinkled his brow in confusion, figuring it must have been Tenko’s snark coming out to cover up how distinctly not-alright he was. But at the sight of Toshinori’s confusion, Tenko only lifted a shaking hand from where it had been settled in a small pool of his own blood, and reached towards Toshinori. “Check this out.”

“No, wait! Don’t-” Toshinori panicked, reaching out and clasping Tenko’s hand in both of his to stop the reach of his fingers. It took Toshinori a moment to realize that, in his attempt to prevent getting disintegrated, he’d taken a hold of all five of Tenko’s fingers. Giving a sharp yelp, Toshinori tried to pull away; but Tenko tightened his own grip, letting all five of the fingertips on his right hand press into the back of Toshinori’s palm.

“What the hell are you doing, Tenko!?” Toshinori demanded. “Are you still mad at me or something? Because trying to take off my hand isn’t the way to vent your anger-”

“Would you shut up and look at your hand for more than five seconds already!?” Aizawa cut in, not looking up from where Tenko’s blood seeped through his fingers.

Toshinori’s eyes dragged away from Aizawa and back to the hand Tenko held with his own. It was bony and frail, smudged with ash and rubble; but the actual hand, to Toshinori’s astonishment, remained completely intact under Tenko’s touch. Toshinori felt his heart drop, eyes widening as he reached up his free hand to press over Tenko’s bloodstained fingers.

“Your quirk...” Toshinori whispered, feeling as if all of the air had been suckerpunched out of his lungs.

“All for One took it,” Izuku said, confirming the fear that already had its hooks in Toshinori’s heart. “After Tenko destroyed part of his mask, right before All for One threw him against that building.”

“Oh, my boy,” Toshinori murmured, pressing his hands against either side of Tenko’s face and smoothing his shaggy hair away. “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t feel too bad,” Tenko tried to laugh, only to end up wincing. “At least now I can wash the dishes like a normal person.”

Toshinori laughed, but it was mingled with the sobs he could barely struggle to keep a lid on any longer. Taking a deep breath, Toshinori closed his eyes and pressed his forehead solemnly against Tenko’s.

“And are we still alive over here!?” a familiar voice called out; and everyone’s gazes snapped up to see Naomasa crossing to where they were all huddled, proud grin on his face as he laid eyes on Tenko.

“Barely,” Tenko laughed, leaning heavily into Aizawa’s hold.

“Don’t worry, paramedics are on their way,” Naomasa said, hands on his hips as he glanced over his shoulder at All for One being locked away in an armored car. “Well, Tenko,” Naomasa turned a smile to the young hero. “Looks like this mission was a success from where I’m standing. Good work.”

“Wait, what!?” Toshinori’s eyes bulged out of his head as he turned his stare back to Tenko. “You were faking being part of the League of Villains the whole time!?” Tenko offered an innocent smile as Toshinori whipped around to point an accusatory finger at Naomasa. “And you knew!?”

“I…” Naomasa held up his hands and tried to suppress the amused smile on his face. “I may have coordinated with Tenko after his initial confrontation from the League of Villains.”

“He was the first person I called,” Tenko said quietly, giving Naomasa a sarcastic glare. “Got his voicemail, of course.”

“You...You little...I-I thought you were…” Toshinori’s words sputtered to a stop as he reached up and rubbed at the tears of relief that had started falling down his hollow face. “I...I thought…” “I know,” Tenko nodded, feeling his own lip begin to quiver. “I’m sorry.”

Then, Toshinori’s frail arms were going around Tenko’s shoulders; despite protests from Aizawa about aggravating Tenko’s injuries, Toshinori held on as tightly as he dared. Pressing his face into his son’s silver hair, Toshinori tried to hide just how much he was beginning to cry.

Tenko was still at first, unsure how to react. But when he felt the sobs racking Toshinori’s rail of a body, he stopped caring how he was supposed to react and raised his own tired arms to go around his guardian. Closing his eyes as he tucked himself against Toshinori’s chest, Tenko stayed like that until the paramedics came; all ten of his fingers digging into the loose pooling fabric of Toshinori’s hero suit.