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.
[ The corners of his mouth quirk up again at that admission, because - well, he finds he feels the same. It's easy to fall into sync when they're in the thick of it, and it's a relief, considering how dangerous his quirk is. She knows how to navigate it, and he knows how to incorporate her with it.
Iida, too, in a way. The three of them are good together. But when it's just Deku and Shouto... ]
Mm. I know you have my back, and I'll definitely have yours. [ Simple as that. ]
With this, it's... at least we're going up against my old man and not the League.
[She has a good handle on all her classmates quirk, forever enamored with all of them, always taking notes on their developments. But it's one thing to absorb all her research and another to put it into practice and know how well her notes serve her.
Shouto's quirk is dangerous, both fire and ice have a high chance of hurting somebody, but they work well together. It's as natural as breathing to be at each other's side.]
We've got each other, no matter what.
[As far as she's concerned, that's just the truth.]
When you put it like that, he's not nearly as scary.
[ That knowledge is probably only part of what allows Izuku to keep up with all of their quirks, with the rest being sheer determination. Now he knows where a lot of that determination comes from, with her inherited quirk right alongside a very, very compassionate heart.
It's crazy to him that someone exists who would throw their all into something, even when it wouldn't benefit them in the least in the end. The sports festival was certainly a turning point for him, and it's left him trusting her and falling into step with her like second nature. ]
He's... something. [ Disdain, there. ] But known. And he's been off his game for a while now.
[ Ever since the reveal of All Might's true form, he's been watching his father grit his teeth and throw tantrums when the public eye wasn't on him. It's a damn good thing they're all living in the dorms now. ]
[She's quiet as she studies his reaction, his distaste for his father is well known to her, at least. And every time she learns more about him, the more she detests the man. Shouto is Shouto, not Endeavor.]
Maybe we'll have an edge there then...
[Oh, that's right. They live in the dorms. The dorms with all of their classmates who have definitely heard the news by now.]
He's been throwing tantrums a lot lately. I'm surprised he hasn't burnt down the property yet, but it'd tarnish his image and he can't have that.
[ A vindictive part of him is delighted by the idea of breaking this contract just so he loses face, but he mostly is just tired of Endeavor trying to get his way through him. And Izuku isn't All Might - he needs to leave her out of this.
Though, there's also other nosy people... ]
... yes. [ Shouto just barely cringes. ] I snuck out when I left.
[ Especially when it comes to All Might... not that he'll tell her that now. There's enough going on. So Shouto just nods, looking off over the patch of city that the hill overlooks. ]
I dropped down from my balcony to Bakugou's and then Iida's, and snuck out through his room. [ Because, well. No one would suspect that, is his reasoning.
But he shakes his head in response. ] No, I figured I'd be recognized if I went anywhere else.
You... [You're so weird sometimes, Todoroki.] Well, nobody would expect that. It's a good thing they weren't in their rooms.
Mm, that's true, you do kind of stand out. I can probably run and get us something and we can eat here. [She knows how easily she blends into a crowd, after all.]
They were in the hallway on my floor, so it was fine. [ At least, Iida was, trying to contain the chatter and gossip. Bakugou was who knows where, but he doesn't really care about Bakugou's shenanigans that much as a rule.
Shouto reaches up and touches his hair where it splits down the middle, his hand blocking the view of his scar. He'll admit that the disguises they had to wear certainly hid him rather well, but, well. He can't really carry one with him wherever he goes. ]
[ Despite how much he's wanted to be a hero, ever since he saw All Might's smiling face on the television, Shouto... hasn't really had much of an interest in being well known outside of heroics, ever since his personality did a one-eighty.
So, he relents with a sigh, dropping his hand. ]
All right. Hopefully you won't be spotted by anyone that's put their research into the gossip.
I tend to blend into a crowd. [She shrugs, it's not like that's every really bothered her. She knows she's plain, though... after the sports festival people did start noticing her on trains.
She tugs up the hood of her jacket before walking over to the fast food joint.
Sure enough she isn't recognized. Or at least, nobody started harassing her while she was there. Good enough, she supposes as she walks back.
Once she is back, she hands him one of the cheeseburgers.]
[ Shouto's not entirely sure how true that statement is, but that might just be the fact that they've spent so much time around one another talking. He's biased, and he seeks her out in a crowd on instinct nowadays just to find the familiar face.
He does do it with most classmates, although many are harder to lose track of than others.
But while he waits, he just drops to sit on the park bench rather than the table, drawing out absent shapes on the wood with the fingers on his right hand. It keeps him from looking at his phone.
And then Izuku keeps him from looking at his phone when she comes back, and he takes the burger. ]
It's fine, I don't really have any food I don't like anyways.
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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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Iida, too, in a way. The three of them are good together. But when it's just Deku and Shouto... ]
Mm. I know you have my back, and I'll definitely have yours. [ Simple as that. ]
With this, it's... at least we're going up against my old man and not the League.
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Shouto's quirk is dangerous, both fire and ice have a high chance of hurting somebody, but they work well together. It's as natural as breathing to be at each other's side.]
We've got each other, no matter what.
[As far as she's concerned, that's just the truth.]
When you put it like that, he's not nearly as scary.
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It's crazy to him that someone exists who would throw their all into something, even when it wouldn't benefit them in the least in the end. The sports festival was certainly a turning point for him, and it's left him trusting her and falling into step with her like second nature. ]
He's... something. [ Disdain, there. ] But known. And he's been off his game for a while now.
[ Ever since the reveal of All Might's true form, he's been watching his father grit his teeth and throw tantrums when the public eye wasn't on him. It's a damn good thing they're all living in the dorms now. ]
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Maybe we'll have an edge there then...
[Oh, that's right. They live in the dorms. The dorms with all of their classmates who have definitely heard the news by now.]
... Want to stay out a little longer?
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[ A vindictive part of him is delighted by the idea of breaking this contract just so he loses face, but he mostly is just tired of Endeavor trying to get his way through him. And Izuku isn't All Might - he needs to leave her out of this.
Though, there's also other nosy people... ]
... yes. [ Shouto just barely cringes. ] I snuck out when I left.
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I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
I was wondering how you managed to get out. I just said I had to be somewhere and I'd talk to them later.
[She's a little faster than most of their classmates, and Iida's not going to use his quirk to chase her through the dorms.]
Did you have lunch already? I got caught up with everything and forgot.
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I dropped down from my balcony to Bakugou's and then Iida's, and snuck out through his room. [ Because, well. No one would suspect that, is his reasoning.
But he shakes his head in response. ] No, I figured I'd be recognized if I went anywhere else.
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Mm, that's true, you do kind of stand out. I can probably run and get us something and we can eat here. [She knows how easily she blends into a crowd, after all.]
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Shouto reaches up and touches his hair where it splits down the middle, his hand blocking the view of his scar. He'll admit that the disguises they had to wear certainly hid him rather well, but, well. He can't really carry one with him wherever he goes. ]
I wouldn't want to make you go alone...
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It's alright, Todoroki-san. I don't mind, and I won't be long. I saw a fast food place a block away.
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So, he relents with a sigh, dropping his hand. ]
All right. Hopefully you won't be spotted by anyone that's put their research into the gossip.
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She tugs up the hood of her jacket before walking over to the fast food joint.
Sure enough she isn't recognized. Or at least, nobody started harassing her while she was there. Good enough, she supposes as she walks back.
Once she is back, she hands him one of the cheeseburgers.]
Sorry, I forgot to ask what you liked.
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He does do it with most classmates, although many are harder to lose track of than others.
But while he waits, he just drops to sit on the park bench rather than the table, drawing out absent shapes on the wood with the fingers on his right hand. It keeps him from looking at his phone.
And then Izuku keeps him from looking at his phone when she comes back, and he takes the burger. ]
It's fine, I don't really have any food I don't like anyways.
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