[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.
[ Almost immediately, Shouto knows what he's going to say to that.
Without missing a beat, he hops off the picnic table, dusting his pants off before he turns to face her. He's remembered these words since they were said to him, and, now, he can repay them. ]
It shouldn't matter where your power comes from, Midoriya. All that matters is what you do with it.
[She very clearly remembers the time she shouted that at Shouto, and hearing it from him-
She ducks her head as she feels tears come to her eyes, and she wipes it away with the back of her hand. Eventually she looks up with a wavering smile and eyes still shimmering with tears.]
[ It's your power, she'd said to him. Shouto looks back on that fight, on how she'd spent much of their encounters in the festival targeting his left side. He remembers those words, and the conviction behind them.
And he holds them in his heart, as a reminder. The very heart that flutters, oddly, when she smiles at him like that. He thinks he gives her one of his own, but he can't be sure when he doesn't do it often enough. ]
I understand why you're keeping it a secret, but at the same time, it's true. It's your power, just as much as it's your secret.
And I don't break my promises. So we'll find a way to break the contract without it.
[Her smile gets more solid when she sees Shouto's own. She doesn't see it often, but it's such a nice one- if he willing to smile for her sake- she really does appreciate it. Even if tears are still rolling from her eyes, it's always been easy to make her cry.]
I think I needed to hear that.
And we will! We'll figure out a way to deal with it.
[ The tears aren't much of a surprise, but he still feels like he needs to do something about them. It's a weird kind of urge, the same as the one that causes him to smile despite how rare it is for him. Less rare, these days, he supposes. But Shouto ducks his head, tucking his hands into his pockets as he almost seems to hide under his bangs a little. ]
I know I needed to hear it, so it's only fair I return the favor. [ His shoulders twitch in an aborted shrug. ] But I think we've worked well together, ever since the sports festival. This is just another challenge we'll have to tackle.
[She wipes away the tears and hops off the table. If she was maybe a little closer to him, she'd hug him for his words- but as it stands she just smiles.]
I'm glad you think so too. Working with you feels... right, you know?
[It's a hundred times easier than working with Kacchan, that's for sure. But Shouto and her tend to be on the same page, especially in the heat of battle.]
It's a definitely different from anything we've faced before, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.
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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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Why would I be mad? Of course we can't use the truth to break the contract, but there are other ways to fight back.
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It's... not my quirk to begin with? Everybody thinks it's my power but- it was given to me.
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Without missing a beat, he hops off the picnic table, dusting his pants off before he turns to face her. He's remembered these words since they were said to him, and, now, he can repay them. ]
It shouldn't matter where your power comes from, Midoriya. All that matters is what you do with it.
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She ducks her head as she feels tears come to her eyes, and she wipes it away with the back of her hand. Eventually she looks up with a wavering smile and eyes still shimmering with tears.]
Thank you, Todoroki-san.
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And he holds them in his heart, as a reminder. The very heart that flutters, oddly, when she smiles at him like that. He thinks he gives her one of his own, but he can't be sure when he doesn't do it often enough. ]
I understand why you're keeping it a secret, but at the same time, it's true. It's your power, just as much as it's your secret.
And I don't break my promises. So we'll find a way to break the contract without it.
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I think I needed to hear that.
And we will! We'll figure out a way to deal with it.
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I know I needed to hear it, so it's only fair I return the favor. [ His shoulders twitch in an aborted shrug. ] But I think we've worked well together, ever since the sports festival. This is just another challenge we'll have to tackle.
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I'm glad you think so too. Working with you feels... right, you know?
[It's a hundred times easier than working with Kacchan, that's for sure. But Shouto and her tend to be on the same page, especially in the heat of battle.]
It's a definitely different from anything we've faced before, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.
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