[ Carefully drawing his hand away, Shouto sets both down in his lap, lacing his fingers together and feeling the stark difference in temperatures where they meet. It's a way to keep himself in check, while he thinks about what his father's done. ]
I am, too. [ Sincere, if definitely still awkward. But... ] He was probably the one that approached her. He did the same with my mother's family, although he was a lot more forward about it.
[ He sighs, agitated all over again. ] At least we heard about it this way, and not in the media.
He announced it to my mother's family as well as her, and then spoke to the media about it. It was a lot more direct than this, no sneaking around, or anything.
Some hero. [ His father does his job, but Endeavor doesn't act like much of a hero, really.
But that thought leaves his head as he blinks at her phone suddenly in front of him, absorbing the words the same way he did the letter.
And then Shouto's left side immediately catches fire, though it's embers compared to an inferno, and he reaches over with his right hand to encase and kill them with ice as he rises to his feet and storms over to where his phone is. ]
[She gets up when he does, worried about what he's about to do. If he's about to chew his father out well- she can certainly understand that. But she's pretty sure it would be better to be calm about this- even as hard as it's going to be for either of them to manage that today.]
[ Not quite furious, but no longer neatly contained in agitated, Shouto picks his phone up and - pauses, at first, once he's pulled up his contacts. His father's name is listed without a contact name, just his number, and he's the only one like that in the list. So it glares up at him from the top of it, as if it's taunting him.
He scrolls down, hitting Fuyumi, instead, and bringing the phone up to his ear. ]
You should call your mother. We're going to need all the help we can get to sort this out.
[She nods, and settles herself on the edge of Todoroki's bed, calling up her mom.
There's the usual exchange of pleasantries, after all she did promise to call. Then she has to get down to business, asking about Todoroki Enji, and why she's suddenly engaged to Todoroki Shouto.
Which seems to have been a misunderstanding on her part, that Izuku seemed to like that boy and arranged marriages are honestly common enough that it would probably be best if she just got it out of the way. There was no mention of it being a quirk marriage by Enji, but she's very certain that's what it was. That's the only thing somebody like him would want.
In the end she gets her mother's go ahead to annul if she's really so against it. She is- though her resistance has wavered a little at her mother's thoughts on the situation.
Still, there's no way Todoroki would be happy in an arranged marriage like that.
Once she's finished with that, she flops onto the bed, hand over her face. What an incredibly exhausting morning.]
[ Though he half listens to her conversation, Shouto's focus is on his sister's voice, high and stressed and flustered. From the moment she answers the phone, she's nothing but apologies for not realizing what their father had been doing behind his back. It's not as if she could have done anything to prevent it, though - she doesn't really have much power in their family, and the kindest thing that Endeavor has ever done for Todoroki Fuyumi is ignore her.
He loves his sister. He doesn't want her to have a target painted on her back.
So he soothes her calmly, the only calmness he has left in him today. They're definitely going to have to talk to his father, but right now, he needs as much information about the annulment of arranged marriages, and all the information she can possibly get for him about this particular arrangement. They have to understand every backwards and forwards of the contract that's been signed, and where they stand. If they can find even one loophole - though it's Endeavor, he suspects he made sure it was ironclad as he could - then they should take advantage of it.
With that taken care of, and another reassurance that there's nothing for Fuyumi to apologize for, he hands up and resists throwing his phone in his frustration.
He does, however, come to drop down on the edge of his bed. When he flops over, Shouto winds up with his left side next to Izuku, feet at the head of his bed and right arm and leg hanging off onto the floor.
And then he just groans, putting his hands on his face. ]
[Occupied with her conversation, she wasn't paying much attention to Todoroki's- though somewhere in the back of her mind she's sure he hasn't talking to his father. He's far too calm for that right now.
And then he comes over and flops just like her, probably at least a little drained by the day that's been unfolding. She could get up, but honestly lying here for a while longer sounds pretty appealing.]
Mom said she wasn't aware it was a quirk marriage. She just thought it would be a nice arranged one since the two of us are friends. She also thought your father had already asked me about it before approaching her.
She gave me the go ahead to annul though, so at least there's that.
[She can't actually manage to be mad at her mother when she was so convinced it would be good for her.]
[ Listening to her speak with his hands still over his face, there's no visible reaction as he processes that. His foot thumps against the floor as his leg slides further, but it's more him just - settling in for the long haul. It's too early in the morning for all of this to be happening, and soon they'll have to go out into the rest of the dorm and meet a barrage of questions from their classmates.
He's not ready for that.
But Shouto takes a deep breath and drops his hands down finally, staring up at his ceiling. ]
Unfortunately for pretty much everyone, the bastard's managed to cultivate a media personality that can fool anybody that doesn't know better. He'd have no problems whatsoever spinning it into his favor, especially since people know of quirk marriages, but not a lot about them. So he's probably been getting information about us, about you and your family, ever since the sports festival.
[At least they chose a weekend. At the very least they have two days to collect themselves before they have to deal with schoolwork on top of this.
She sighs.]
That's kind of creepy, you know. It's not like my family's all that prominent or anything. [Except- he probably also knows that Izuku's quirk doesn't line up with either of her parent's. Which means he probably also knows that she looked quirkless for 14 years of her life.] I've been friends with Kacchan when I was little and I was bullied a lot. My dad can breathe fire and my mom has minor telekinesis.
Endeavor will do anything to further his legacy and his place at the top of the hero world. Creepy is minor compared to much else he can get up to. [ His tone is scathing, but his left side manages to not heat up much more than it already is. Especially with some lingering ice on his shoulder where he'd put on the embers that'd sprung up before. It's a reminder to keep himself under control, this close to someone else.
He's already hurt Izuku once before, in the very sports festival that caused all this in the first place. Never again.
His head tilts and turns towards her, though, when she tells him about her parents' quirks. ] Did someone else in your family have a strength-based quirk, or did you just manifest separately from your family tree?
[What she did during the sports festival was entirely Izuku's choice. Her broken fingers and broken arm- that was all on her. She saw how much Shouto was suffering and she couldn't just leave it alone.]
... It was separate... [Entirely. There's a reason it feels like All Might's.
She sits up suddenly- She needs to talk to All Might about this.]
[ Guilt is a curious beast for him, so he sees it as an exchange, but also his fault. Maybe it'll pass with time. Especially since they're going to be spending a lot of time together...
Blinking mismatched eyes up at her in surprise, Shouto doesn't move when she sits up. There's a lot of people they're going to have to talk to, together and separately, and his mind is more wrapped up in the mechanics of the arrangement. So he's not suspicious about this sudden reaction.
Instead, he just frowns, an unvoiced question on his face - what? ]
[If he ever brought it up, she'd insist that it was her decision, the only person who breaks her bones is her.
She winces at the face. She can't... She really can't say it to him yet. Her quirk isn't genetic like everybody else's- this quirk marriage isn't going to work but she can't just say that to Endeavor. She has to talk to All Might-
She looks at the door and tenses, she's also going to need to get through all their classmates. This is going to be a full day.]
I... I need to talk to somebody. Right now. I'll be back after!
[She stands up, and steps over his body, bee lining for the door. She at least opens and closes it quietly, but then it's the sound of running.
She manages to dodge most of their classmates as she makes a run for it. Those that try to stop her get a hurried sorry and she's out the door.
It's about three hours of talking with All Might about the quirk marriage, Endeavor, Shouto, where the world is now. There are people who know his secret- their secret. Does she trust Shouto? Yes, absolutely. He's the person who responded to her distress call, he's the person she has the easiest time talking to about potentially heavy topics. One for All isn't just her secret- it's All Might's too. Even if All Might's retired now, she still looks up to him as a mentor and looks for him for guidance.
[ Opening his mouth to say something as she says she'll be back, Shouto snaps it shut again when she steps over him. There's no comment made about the fact he gets a good look at her upskirt, even if he feels his face get warm where his scar hasn't marred the skin, and his left side heat up again. Besides, she's gone much too fast for him to be able to say anything, and he rolls over to put his weight into his elbow so that he can look at his now closed door.
... he should probably go talk to their classmates. Find Yaoyorozu, at least, because he can always count on her to listen to him when he needs someone to talk to. The only other alternative is Iida, who... is not the best to talk to about personal matters? Maybe Kirishima, now, after the hours they spent talking before going to help Bakugou.
Instead, he avoids as many people as possible for the entire day, stealthily dodging through the dorms until he can get out. His hair and scar make him easy to identify out on the street, but - he's going to flee, now, while he still can.
The idea of going to see his mother occurs to him, but even if she's unlisted to protect her from the media, he doesn't want to risk it.
So when Izuku texts him, Shouto finds himself in the peace and quiet of a park, capable of replying to her. ]
You remember the hospital I told you my mother was staying at? North of the station there's a park.
[ With this secret place - there's hardly ever anyone here, at least as far as he's ever seen - Shouto feels like he's got some sort of sanctuary from whatever it is that could happen next. His father hasn't tried to contact him yet, but he's probably smugly waiting for his son to do that first, the bastard.
At least there's Izuku, right there in the same boat with him, and he looks up when he hears his name in her sweet voice. He scuffs his shoe against the picnic bench he's got his feet resting on, perched on the table itself. ]
[She takes a seat at the edge of the table, looking at her shoes for a moment before focusing on him.]
Um... could you promise me- don't tell anybody else about this okay? It's just between us.
[She knows it's big- All Might's always treated it as his best kept secret. The number of people who knew about it could fit on one hand.
She fidgets with the edge of her skirt, it feels... dishonest somehow, to say One for All was her quirk, when it was so many other people's before her. But that doesn't change the fact it's hers now. Or the fact that she's kind of been lying about it through omission.]
[ Rather than say anything right away, Shouto just watches her, takes in the way she fidgets and how she looks at her shoes before him. He knows she's full of nervous gestures a lot of the time, along with her muttering, but this is... different.
And so is this request.
But he still inclines his head in a nod, fingers laced together between his knees and focus solely on her now. Whatever else could happen today, Todoroki Shouto isn't someone that breaks promises. ]
I promise that I won't tell anyone, no matter what it is.
[She gives him a nervous little smile, and then she starts talking.]
Do you remember during the sports festival? Where you asked if I was All Might's illegitimate child? Ah- that's not true, by the way, I was at least honest about that. But... there's a reason my quirk reminds you so much of his.
[She looks back down at her shoes as she continues on, tensing up, awkward and a little uncomfortable. She didn't even say this much to Kacchan.]
I was quirkless for fifteen years of my life. My quirk... it was given to me by All Might. So... it's not genetic. That's why I couldn't control it at the beginning of the semester.
[She chances a look over at Shouto once she's done explaining, bracing herself for the worst.]
Whatever he could have expected out of this, Shouto can say that this sort of thing wasn't it. His eyebrows raise as she speaks, but otherwise his expression remains much the same. Not unfazed, not when there's surprise and dawning realization in it, but. Placid, almost. Patient.
And when she seems done, he leans towards her, tilting his head to better meet her gaze from where she only peeks at him. ]
I didn't know that was possible to do.
[ That's it, his voice as even as always, if curious. ]
[She catches Shouto's gaze and quickly redirects hers to her shoes. He looks as calm as he usually does but it's kind of hard to get a read on him. He doesn't seem mad, and he's not calling her a liar... At least he's already been sworn into secrecy.]
It's um... It's just All Might's quirk. My quirk, now. The original user had the ability to pass on a quirk and his brother forced another one on him. A quirk that stockpiles power- combined they makes One for All.
[ The information turns over in his head, and he partners it with images of hia father, memories of how he'd been practically cultivating a qurik that could stand up to All Might's. Endeavor would go mad, if he knew the truth of the former number one hero's qurik, tear up more thab their training room with the knowledge.
Especially since, in his opinion, nothing truly stands up to a quirk like One For All. Not when he knows the truth, and looks at the girl that carries that power now. The name is appropriate, given who she is.
So he simply nods, accepting the explanation. ]
That does explain a lot about how bad your control was, and how you've grown since then.
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... I'm glad we're friends. [She manages a shaky smile, as awkward as this situation is, she's glad for the confirmation of that.]
I can talk to my mom. I-I think if I explain what happened she'll understand.
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I am, too. [ Sincere, if definitely still awkward. But... ] He was probably the one that approached her. He did the same with my mother's family, although he was a lot more forward about it.
[ He sighs, agitated all over again. ] At least we heard about it this way, and not in the media.
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This still seems pretty forward. Asking to marry us without either of us knowing.
It's definitely better to find out in a letter than having the internet say we're engaged before we even knew about it.
[Wait.
Does the media know about this now? She pulls out her phone, and regretfully types in both their names- and yes. Yes, the media does know about this.
She was hoping for some kind of quiet annulment but with the headlines being their eventual marriage it's not in the cards.
She flips her phone over to show it to Todoroki.]
We've... We've got a problem.
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Some hero. [ His father does his job, but Endeavor doesn't act like much of a hero, really.
But that thought leaves his head as he blinks at her phone suddenly in front of him, absorbing the words the same way he did the letter.
And then Shouto's left side immediately catches fire, though it's embers compared to an inferno, and he reaches over with his right hand to encase and kill them with ice as he rises to his feet and storms over to where his phone is. ]
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[She gets up when he does, worried about what he's about to do. If he's about to chew his father out well- she can certainly understand that. But she's pretty sure it would be better to be calm about this- even as hard as it's going to be for either of them to manage that today.]
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He scrolls down, hitting Fuyumi, instead, and bringing the phone up to his ear. ]
You should call your mother. We're going to need all the help we can get to sort this out.
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There's the usual exchange of pleasantries, after all she did promise to call. Then she has to get down to business, asking about Todoroki Enji, and why she's suddenly engaged to Todoroki Shouto.
Which seems to have been a misunderstanding on her part, that Izuku seemed to like that boy and arranged marriages are honestly common enough that it would probably be best if she just got it out of the way. There was no mention of it being a quirk marriage by Enji, but she's very certain that's what it was. That's the only thing somebody like him would want.
In the end she gets her mother's go ahead to annul if she's really so against it. She is- though her resistance has wavered a little at her mother's thoughts on the situation.
Still, there's no way Todoroki would be happy in an arranged marriage like that.
Once she's finished with that, she flops onto the bed, hand over her face. What an incredibly exhausting morning.]
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He loves his sister. He doesn't want her to have a target painted on her back.
So he soothes her calmly, the only calmness he has left in him today. They're definitely going to have to talk to his father, but right now, he needs as much information about the annulment of arranged marriages, and all the information she can possibly get for him about this particular arrangement. They have to understand every backwards and forwards of the contract that's been signed, and where they stand. If they can find even one loophole - though it's Endeavor, he suspects he made sure it was ironclad as he could - then they should take advantage of it.
With that taken care of, and another reassurance that there's nothing for Fuyumi to apologize for, he hands up and resists throwing his phone in his frustration.
He does, however, come to drop down on the edge of his bed. When he flops over, Shouto winds up with his left side next to Izuku, feet at the head of his bed and right arm and leg hanging off onto the floor.
And then he just groans, putting his hands on his face. ]
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And then he comes over and flops just like her, probably at least a little drained by the day that's been unfolding. She could get up, but honestly lying here for a while longer sounds pretty appealing.]
Mom said she wasn't aware it was a quirk marriage. She just thought it would be a nice arranged one since the two of us are friends. She also thought your father had already asked me about it before approaching her.
She gave me the go ahead to annul though, so at least there's that.
[She can't actually manage to be mad at her mother when she was so convinced it would be good for her.]
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He's not ready for that.
But Shouto takes a deep breath and drops his hands down finally, staring up at his ceiling. ]
Unfortunately for pretty much everyone, the bastard's managed to cultivate a media personality that can fool anybody that doesn't know better. He'd have no problems whatsoever spinning it into his favor, especially since people know of quirk marriages, but not a lot about them. So he's probably been getting information about us, about you and your family, ever since the sports festival.
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She sighs.]
That's kind of creepy, you know. It's not like my family's all that prominent or anything. [Except- he probably also knows that Izuku's quirk doesn't line up with either of her parent's. Which means he probably also knows that she looked quirkless for 14 years of her life.] I've been friends with Kacchan when I was little and I was bullied a lot. My dad can breathe fire and my mom has minor telekinesis.
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He's already hurt Izuku once before, in the very sports festival that caused all this in the first place. Never again.
His head tilts and turns towards her, though, when she tells him about her parents' quirks. ] Did someone else in your family have a strength-based quirk, or did you just manifest separately from your family tree?
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... It was separate... [Entirely. There's a reason it feels like All Might's.
She sits up suddenly- She needs to talk to All Might about this.]
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Blinking mismatched eyes up at her in surprise, Shouto doesn't move when she sits up. There's a lot of people they're going to have to talk to, together and separately, and his mind is more wrapped up in the mechanics of the arrangement. So he's not suspicious about this sudden reaction.
Instead, he just frowns, an unvoiced question on his face - what? ]
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[If he ever brought it up, she'd insist that it was her decision, the only person who breaks her bones is her.
She winces at the face. She can't... She really can't say it to him yet. Her quirk isn't genetic like everybody else's- this quirk marriage isn't going to work but she can't just say that to Endeavor. She has to talk to All Might-
She looks at the door and tenses, she's also going to need to get through all their classmates. This is going to be a full day.]
I... I need to talk to somebody. Right now. I'll be back after!
[She stands up, and steps over his body, bee lining for the door. She at least opens and closes it quietly, but then it's the sound of running.
She manages to dodge most of their classmates as she makes a run for it. Those that try to stop her get a hurried sorry and she's out the door.
It's about three hours of talking with All Might about the quirk marriage, Endeavor, Shouto, where the world is now. There are people who know his secret- their secret. Does she trust Shouto? Yes, absolutely. He's the person who responded to her distress call, he's the person she has the easiest time talking to about potentially heavy topics. One for All isn't just her secret- it's All Might's too. Even if All Might's retired now, she still looks up to him as a mentor and looks for him for guidance.
And then she makes her decision.
She texts him.
Todoroki-san, where are you?]
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... he should probably go talk to their classmates. Find Yaoyorozu, at least, because he can always count on her to listen to him when he needs someone to talk to. The only other alternative is Iida, who... is not the best to talk to about personal matters? Maybe Kirishima, now, after the hours they spent talking before going to help Bakugou.
Instead, he avoids as many people as possible for the entire day, stealthily dodging through the dorms until he can get out. His hair and scar make him easy to identify out on the street, but - he's going to flee, now, while he still can.
The idea of going to see his mother occurs to him, but even if she's unlisted to protect her from the media, he doesn't want to risk it.
So when Izuku texts him, Shouto finds himself in the peace and quiet of a park, capable of replying to her. ]
You remember the hospital I told you my mother was staying at?
North of the station there's a park.
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[It takes a few minutes, but she eventually finds her way to the park, and from there it's not hard to notice him.
He stands out in a crowd, after all.]
Todoroki-san. [She waves before approaching.]
I... I need to tell you something.
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At least there's Izuku, right there in the same boat with him, and he looks up when he hears his name in her sweet voice. He scuffs his shoe against the picnic bench he's got his feet resting on, perched on the table itself. ]
Did you get whatever answer you wanted?
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[She takes a seat at the edge of the table, looking at her shoes for a moment before focusing on him.]
Um... could you promise me- don't tell anybody else about this okay? It's just between us.
[She knows it's big- All Might's always treated it as his best kept secret. The number of people who knew about it could fit on one hand.
She fidgets with the edge of her skirt, it feels... dishonest somehow, to say One for All was her quirk, when it was so many other people's before her. But that doesn't change the fact it's hers now. Or the fact that she's kind of been lying about it through omission.]
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And so is this request.
But he still inclines his head in a nod, fingers laced together between his knees and focus solely on her now. Whatever else could happen today, Todoroki Shouto isn't someone that breaks promises. ]
I promise that I won't tell anyone, no matter what it is.
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Do you remember during the sports festival? Where you asked if I was All Might's illegitimate child? Ah- that's not true, by the way, I was at least honest about that. But... there's a reason my quirk reminds you so much of his.
[She looks back down at her shoes as she continues on, tensing up, awkward and a little uncomfortable. She didn't even say this much to Kacchan.]
I was quirkless for fifteen years of my life. My quirk... it was given to me by All Might. So... it's not genetic. That's why I couldn't control it at the beginning of the semester.
[She chances a look over at Shouto once she's done explaining, bracing herself for the worst.]
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Whatever he could have expected out of this, Shouto can say that this sort of thing wasn't it. His eyebrows raise as she speaks, but otherwise his expression remains much the same. Not unfazed, not when there's surprise and dawning realization in it, but. Placid, almost. Patient.
And when she seems done, he leans towards her, tilting his head to better meet her gaze from where she only peeks at him. ]
I didn't know that was possible to do.
[ That's it, his voice as even as always, if curious. ]
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It's um... It's just All Might's quirk. My quirk, now. The original user had the ability to pass on a quirk and his brother forced another one on him. A quirk that stockpiles power- combined they makes One for All.
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Especially since, in his opinion, nothing truly stands up to a quirk like One For All. Not when he knows the truth, and looks at the girl that carries that power now. The name is appropriate, given who she is.
So he simply nods, accepting the explanation. ]
That does explain a lot about how bad your control was, and how you've grown since then.
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So a quirk marriage wouldn't work, because mine's not genetic... You're not mad or anything, Todoroki-kun?
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