Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It’s Monday,” Natsuo announced. He tried not to turn and just stare at Touya, so he turned his beaming smile at Midoriya instead. “It’s Monday, you know?”

The young supporter tilted his head, cute and adorable as he gave a small smile. The time where Midoriya only smiled at the ground felt so far away, and Natsuo felt like he was walking among the clouds. Was it because of the buffs that Midoriya laid on him?

“Yes,” Midoriya agreed, a smile on his face like it was good enough that Natsuo was happy and that was all he needed. “It is.”

Behind them, Touya shook his head. Which was fine, he could shake his head as much as he wanted. He could sigh and roll his eyes and all of that and more. He knew that Natsuo was right. He knew, because from the moment that they met up with Midoriya again, Touya’s impassive expression melted like ice cream on a hot day. As he always did, but this time, Natsuo stood next to him with a wide grin on his face.

Even if his brother didn’t verbally confirm it, Natsuo knew better. After all, Touya wasn’t someone that had a lot to say to begin with. He wasn’t someone that concerned himself with others. That’s why the people he did concern himself with were so important.

Midoriya was that important. And more importantly, Midoriya thought that they were that important, too. And that was enough for Natsuo.

“The gate’s supposed to be a D-rank,” Natsuo said, a spring in his step and his shield on his back. “What do you think will be inside?”

“It’ll be nice if it was something simple. Maybe some more Fire Salamandars or something,” the young man said, quietly. Natsuo always thought that it was interesting how Midoriya loved going into gates but preferred not fighting anything difficult. Well, he supposed that was in-line with a supporter. Stronger fights meant that it would be harder on them, after all.

But he thought it was a shame, because Natsuo didn’t even realize that magic could be a beautiful thing until he saw Midoriya cast.

Four steps into the gate, however, Midoriya slid, and in the time it took Natsuo to grab his arm, Touya’s arm was around his waist and pulling him against him.

“Steady,” Touya said, voice low and his eyes bright like stars. “You don’t have anything for your own balance?”

So smooth. Damn. Natsuo had goals to be smooth and reliable, too, but his brother took it to the next level. Wow. Natsuo’s heart skipped a beat, and he wasn’t Midoriya, pressed against Touya's body like that, held by a hand that could span his back. 

“S-Sorry,” Midoriya replied. His cheeks were such a pretty red though. It took up all of his attention in an instant. 

“Don’t apologize,” Natsuo said, “It’s only natural we look after each other, right?”

“I-I see,” their supporter replied back.

“Instead of apologizing,” Touya added quietly, “Thank someone. It’ll mean more to them.”

Green eyes looked between the two brothers and then he nodded again, “Th-then,” his cheeks were that dark red, probably Natsuo’s favorite shade of red, and he flashed a shy smile, “thank you for the catch.”

This time, he didn’t scrape his knee.

-

The D-Rank they went on was a goblin’s nest. Nothing too hard, nothing worth noting.

Still, they were about an hour into the dungeon. Since no one could tell how big a dungeon would get until they were inside of it, taking breaks was good. Constantly walking through a brand-new place whittled down on their stamina, and it helped give them a break to reorient their focus as well. Some monsters, like lamias and goblins, have huge sprawling tunnels and could take hours to clear out each bit until they get to the boss room. Other monsters, like griffins and lichts, prefer shorter paths with bigger rooms. 

In any situation, the negligent hunter was the dead hunter.

“Uhm… Could we try something?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Midoriya’s cheeks darkened, a little shy, but that was fine. Natsuo and Touya didn’t mind waiting however long they needed to.

“I… I-I was wondering,” he bit down on his lip, his soft, kissable-looking lips, and peered up at Natsuo, “If it’s okay, I-I wanted to try a spell…”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Natsuo said, “Do you need us to help line up targets?”

Touya tilted his head and then asked, “What were you thinking?”

Green eyes looked at them, wide like he wasn’t expecting their agreement. A smile bloomed across his lips and he nodded.

“I wanted to try sending my magic to do a cast. L-like what Twice-san does.”

Natsuo nodded, ignoring how “Twice-san” sounded from Midoriya’s lips. He was, after all, “Natsuo.” It sounded pretty basic, all things considered. “Yeah sure, how do you want us?”

And no magic could compare to the shine in Midoriya’s eyes. He straightened in his seat, and the galaxy could probably fit in his eyes from how they shined and shimmered.

“After Twice-san showed me that trick, I thought about being able to use it myself. You set up a seal as an end-receiver, and whatever you send it will hone your magic to it. I can do it over a few kilometers but I wanted to try it inside of a dungeon. Since a dungeon has more latent magic, I think I could try some higher-level spells than the ones I have tried at home. Without the use of mana crystals, I wanted to give it a shot first. Once I figure that out, I think I can set the mana crystals so that they never miss and applying debuffs would be a lot easier…” he trailed off, eyes coming back up to meet Natsuo’s, before his face paled considerably.

Natsuo wasn’t sure why, because Natsuo thought that Midoriya made smart look so cute, but Touya spoke up before he figured out a response.

“Sounds good. How do you need to inscribe spells?”

“A-applying them while mid-combat was the idea,” Midoriya said, “I’ll apply some basic speed-boosters, and some defense-buffs, so please be aware.”

And while Natsuo had no idea what he was agreeing to, he nodded back, “Sounds good!” He doubted that Midoriya would intentionally hurt him. 

Midoriya was so cute when he got so excited. The sight of his smile made his heart warm like it was soaking in sunlight. He didn’t even realize that he had a big grin on his face until his eyes caught his reflection when he went to drink some more water.

"Thirsty?" Touya asked, handing his water over to their supporter.

"N-No, I'm okay," Midoriya replied, his hands coming up to shake them in front of his chest, “Thank you though, Dabi.”

And it was fine. Maybe they could talk about his spell during the post-raid snack or something. Natsuo would love that.

When they wrapped up their break, and started their uneventful hike through the large tunnel, Natsuo felt a warmth on his back. A small bit of warmth on the middle of his back, right over his spine, before it wrapped around his entire body like a cacoon. By this point, he recognized the feeling of Midoriya's magic, gentle like sunlight, encasing him in an embrace. Natsuo gave a shaky breath, his fatigue melting away and he felt his muscles jump.

For reasons unrelated to the magic condensing around him, his breath was stolen out of his lungs and he gave a breathless laugh.

His shield was light, he wondered if it was because of a magic spell, or the small gasp of wonder from Midoriya's lips.

"I-I did it!" he gasped, Natsuo's ears attuned to that sound. In his head, he could already see the smile, the shade of red, the shine in his eyes, and he grinned right back. He wanted to turn around and see for himself, but a dungeon was not a place where he could act frivolously. 

The feeling that took root in his heart grew when given warmth, and Natsuo wondered if this was a feeling he could feel for the rest of his life. It was probably too selfish to think about like that, but he supposed that if anyone could do it...

"Incoming wave!" Midoriya yelled out, "Thank you for your patience."

"Natsuo, hold your ground!" Touya called out, and a different warmth shot out like a shooting star past Natsuo.

Shield up, nothing seemed scary anymore. An umbrella of green light shined over him, shining and sparkling, and as it disappeared, he felt his own magic fortify into something stronger. 

"Ready when you are!" he called back. 

-

“...Thought you were going to say it today,” Touya said from where he was looking through the take-out pamphlets on the table, trying to figure out what they were going to eat for dinner now that he was sick of eating Natsuo’s questionable (but totally edible) fried rice.

“I-I’m working on it,” Natsuo said, face flushed. No matter how angry he got, however, the underwear he folded remained dry and not-frozen as he placed them in a pile to the side. He wondered who bought the detergent and stuff in his brother’s place, or if this was what he remembered from before. It smelled like home in the strangest way. “It’s not like you were doing any better. You missed three times.”

“Twice,” Touya snapped back, narrowing his eyes.

“Still more than one!”

“Fuck off, Pitaschio!”

“Leave my ice cream out of this!”

-

Green eyes stared at Natsuo and the wrap on his arm. He turned around, where Dabi was ordering, the ugly bruise under his eye, and then went back to Natsuo.

“You guys fought?” he asked, quietly as though he was scared that speaking too loudly would set them off again.

Natsuo rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. “Of course we fight. No one not fights.”

And Midoriya peered up at him so curiously at that, and Natsuo couldn’t imagine what fighting Midoriya would be like. He hoped it never came to it. Maybe it would be about the gem he got on the wedding ring or something. The thought made him giddy all over again, and nothing hurt.

“Each other?” the supporter asked, bringing him back down to earth.

“Huh? Well yeah,” Natsuo replied, because it was systematically impossible for him to imagine anyone else slapping around big hunters like them if it wasn’t each other.

More importantly, there were some steps before marriage, weren’t there? He didn’t want to end up in some cold and unfeeling marriage, so he was going to do this right. He wondered if he had enough in his savings…

But Midoriya’s steps stopped, his eyes hard, and Natsuo startled. He rarely saw that kind of expression on his face. The last time was that little magic show he did when they first met Twice.

“...We should call it off today,” he said.

“Call what off?” Touya asked, joining the two of them with a bag of meatbuns from the same lady they always got meatbuns from. She was starting to recognize them now and gave them a couple of freebies when she saw Touya's face.

“It’s not that bad,” Natsuo said with a frown, “we fought, but we don’t hate each other.”

Midoriya pursed his lips, but his eyes remained on the ground.

“...We fought?” Touya asked, eyebrows furrowing as he took a meatbun out of the bag and took a bite into it. 

He threw the rest of them at Midoriya, who caught it much easier than he did the first few times he did. He lifted the bag up to Natsuo, and the tanker took one, shooting his brother a dirty look before turning back to Midoriya with a smile. 

“Thanks,” he said, “I only want this one.”

And Midoriya, despite the fact that his elbows looked like they were scabbing from a bad fall, lifted his hand and healed them without any prompting. Thinking about how shyly he used to ask them before casting, Natsuo felt like they came a long way. The familiar feeling of Midoriya’s magic washed over him, like getting into a hot bath after a stressful day, and the pain ebbed like it was never there. 

“Well, yeah, uh… Remember?” his younger brother blinked at the older one and made some vague hand gestures between them. “My ice cream?”

Touya rolled his eyes, “Too damn sensitive,” he sighed. He looked back at Midoriya, “He’s fine. He’ll get over it. Come on, this gate isn’t going to clear itself.”

“G-get over it?” Natsuo hissed back, the previous feelings of irritation scraping back together into something ugly. He turned towards the gate, scowling hard as he walked in line with his older brother.

And as one, they turned around when they realized that they were one short.

“You coming, Midoriya?” he asked.

Next to him, Touya silently waited.

Midoriya’s eyes looked from left to right and then shook his head, to their shock. His voice came out quietly, “I… I think we should clarify what we’re fighting.”

And suddenly, all Natsuo could think about were the ugly bruises that Midoriya came in with, the ones that swell his cheeks and stain the skin on his arms, and felt the fight leave him. He wondered what it meant for Midoriya, to never cower as he stood in front of every gate, and every monster. Midoriya, who healed hunters with atrocious injuries without batting an eye, who never complained and was always reminded by Touya to patch himself up, stood firm in front of them.

The way that Natsuo and Touya learned that humans were just as scary, if not worse than monsters, he wondered if that was something that Midoriya continued to face every day.

“...We fight the monsters in the gate,” Touya said, like he was reciting it straight out of the hunter’s manual, “And hunters that threaten the safety and well-being of the party.”

“The party is one, and in-fighting is prohibited,” Natsuo added, because he had been drilled about that from everyone that he ever had to party with before because everyone expected Todorokis’ to demand spotlight and center attention and everything.

“....We won’t fight,” Touya said, “Not while we have to face monsters...”

“We won’t fight,” Natsuo reiterated, because he’d do anything to get that wary gaze off of Midoriya’s face, “and we don’t want to hurt each other.”

It took everything he had not to turn around when he felt Touya still next to him. Vaguely, he wondered how his brother actually saw him, if he was still that little kid that cried when Touya took the last chocolate chip cookie for himself. It was probably a push to grab him, the way they used to when they were kids and Natsuo couldn't go to the bathroom at night by himself.

“Okay,” the young man took a step forward, “I… Let’s go.”

Focus, Natsuo told himself. He couldn’t get lazy just because he got a little high everytime Midoriya’s gaze met his.

Gates weren’t something that he could half-ass through. And Midoriya deserved nothing less than the best.

So Natsuo would just have to become the best.

-

“Thought you’d ask him today.”

“Niichan, I swear to god.”

Natsuo scowled as he scrubbed at the mugs and set them to the side to be rinsed later. Who the fuck puts his meal in his cup and tosses it into the microwave with little to no care about who has to clean both the mug and the microwave? His brother, that's who. It didn't matter that it tasted so good and Natsuo almost licked his cup clean, because he's the one that has to clean the godawful mess that Touya made.

Imagine his shock when his brother showed up to lean against the counter where he was working. He didn’t help, of course not, Natsuo was working for his stay and saving his money for some pretty rings, but Touya had his arms crossed over his chest.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked.

And Natsuo wished he had a better answer other than, “I want to time it right. The last few times we met… It wasn’t right.”

And then he stopped.

“Wait, why aren’t you helping?”

“I pay for rent and utilities. Paid for the down payment and everything when I signed the lease, too. The furniture and appliances and everything. The least you could do are the chores,” his older brother deadpanned, eyes on his phone screen as he pulled down to refresh the page again.

“Not about-”

Natsuo cut himself off and just sighed. He thought about it. The way Touya didn’t confirm his answer, but looked for Midoriya from the moment they got off the train station. He and his brother, and his whole family really, had this awful habit of running when they felt vulnerable. Despite being hailed and regarded as “combat-geniuses” and stuff like that, the truth was that the Todorokis’ were just a bunch of cowards.

Especially him.

Guess five years in a gate didn’t take the Todoroki out of him.

-

“You good?” Natsuo asked after the fifth time he caught Midoriya looking up at the sky and around. Was that okay? Was that normal? He had to be cool. Be casual. Calmly worried about his Supporter and future-boyfriend as soon as the stars and the planets lined up.

Naively, Natsuo figured that it was just some gate-jitters, even though Midoriya had never gotten them before. He just figured, it had been a while since they took Twice and attended a C-Gate together, after all.

“Y-Yeah,” Midoriya said, but he was rubbing up and down his arms. It made Natsuo itch to give him his jacket, but the mental image of the way it would dwarf him might make him do something not very cool. Play it cool, he told himself. He needed to cool off. Chill. Be chill about the fact that Midoriya rubbed his arms in the cutest way possible, reminding him of a small kitten.

At the time, he was so engrossed in breathing techniques that he didn’t realize that Midoriya, who was more sensitive to mana than arguably anyone else in the world, had already sensed that there was something terribly and horribly wrong.

“...We can cancel,” Touya said, eyeing the supporter with a frown. An antsy supporter wasn't ideal, in any situation.

“But I finally got a chance to come with you again!” Twice whined loudly, “Baby, don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe from harm!” and added, just as loudly, “ // I’ll throw you into harm!”

Natsuo scowled at him, his good mood popping like a bubble, but Touya’s eyes didn’t leave Midoriya’s figure as he waited for an answer.

“It’s fine,” the young man said, “I… There’s something weird about the mana, but I think it’ll be fine.”

"You sure?" Touya asked, kicking Twice before he could say anything else.

Midoriya faced forward, "Yeah, a C-Gate has some good money."

“...Alright,” Touya said. He reached over, pulling Midoriya in close and tucking him under his arm. He squeezed his arm and held him close for a second before he stepped back as though nothing had happened. His long jacket flew out behind him and he holstered his new crossbow on his shoulder as he stood in front of the gate. “Let’s go.”

In Natsuo’s unbiased opinion, his brother really was just too damn cool. He didn’t blame Midoriya for staring, but he did feel a little lonely. He licked his lips, and tried not to think about how empty his hands felt as he carried his shield in.

He should be prepared if Midoriya didn’t want him and just wanted Touya. He wouldn’t blame him, since no one who mattered to him did, but he couldn’t help it.

Hope was like a weed, like that. It just kept growing back.

-

"Todoroki's are like... bred for hunting," Twice said, callous as always.

He took a step back from the ripped remains of the red wolves he tore through. The fur was unsalvageable, but there were a couple of horns they should be able to pawn to the commission. Natsuo felt sick as he cut them out and placed them into his bag, but it was easier to do this one at a time and grab the bags on their way out, than to do it all at once.

"But what about you, Izuku? How did you get involved in this? // I don’t care at all!"

Which was honestly a great question. Natsuo really, really wanted to know the answer to this one too. Because Midoriya was young, even for a hunter. Of course it was possible that people awakened young, but unlikely like being quirkless was unlikely. Actually, even less. It was rare for people under 20 to awaken, but 15 was practically unheard of. Not to mention, just because someone awakened doesn’t mean that they would be chucked into a dungeon. Not even his dad did that. Mortality rates in dungeons were atrocious and scary for good reason. If it wasn’t for the money, many people wouldn’t be hunters. 

Midoriya stared forward, his expression blank. For a moment, no one knew if he didn’t hear the question or if he was ignoring him. Natsuo, who still hadn’t called him “Izuku,” hoped it was the latter.

"Have you heard of the Aldera Incident?" he replied instead, disappointing Natsuo a little.

"Oh, the gate that suddenly opened inside of a school, right?" the shielder asked, and then slowly paused. He remembered people bringing it up when Fuyumi first said that she wanted to be a teacher. There were stacks and stacks of invitations for a B-Ranker like her to come and teach at their school since that incident. It made huge news a few years ago, but that’s all he remembered about that incident. 

Funny how that worked.

"A what?" Touya turned around, shocked and Natsuo didn't blame him. When it happened, it was a national tragedy. Almost an entire school worth of children, dead in an instant. Monsters in the city, wrecking buildings and livelihoods just by walking in.

Natsuo quickly explained, "Uh... It was a few years back, so while you were in a gate. But a B-Rank opened up in a school without anyone noticing. It was when there was a sudden spike in active gates, so it went under the radar. Long story short, monsters went into a school while class was in session. It took about an hour to get hunters to the area, and even then another day and a half to hunt down each and every single monster that had escaped and ran loose in the city."

The realization dawned as the group paused. As one, they turned to the young man. Midoriya smiled back at them.

"You don't mean..."

Midoriya nodded and confirmed, "I was one of the 22 survivors. At that time, I awoke as a supporter."

"Oh damn," Twice whistled, "You were... in high school?"

Natsuo, remembering Midoriya's current state of schooling, felt like he had eaten something spoiled.

The supporter shook his head, "Middle school. Getting ready to graduate. I can…” he hesitated, eyes forward and focused in the dungeon still, and then he finally turned to give them a sheepish smile, “I can still remember the lecture that my teacher was giving me when we heard the commotion. We need to think hard about what we want from the future, and that starts with what we do today."

There was a common belief that a Hunter’s greatest desire when they awakened would determine the kind of hunter they would become. If that was true, than Natsuo's heart ached at the fact that Midoriya awakened as a supporter, before he ever got into high school. He did the math in his head.

Midoriya was 13 when he awakened, monsters in his school and his classmates murdered in an instant. What was Natsuo doing when he was 13?

“...Damn,” Touya said, “You were the only one that awakened?”

Midoriya shook his head, “Ten of us awakened that day.”

“Are they all as good as you?” Twice asked, “//Are they all as bad?”

The supporter paused, clearing his throat before trying again, “Just me,” he explained. "It's just me now.”

A cold silence fell between them as Natsuo tried to remember how to breathe. He thought about Midoriya, he was always thinking about Midoriya, but somehow, the memory of Midoriya in Touya’s kitchen, telling them, “I won’t let anything happen to you,” kept replaying in his head, and it made his throat burn.

If he had been a good person, he would have been sad that a bunch of youngsters died and all that, but in reality, he wasn’t a good person. He was a Todoroki, born and bred, and that meant that he was jealous about a bunch of faceless, nameless kids that weren’t anything more than a faded memory from a long time ago. Natsuo couldn’t remember half the kids that were in his class for any of his years in middle school.

But they would live forever in Midoriya’s mind, and Natsuo hated that.

A hand came to grab his. He stared, where Midoriya's kind eyes looked back at him and his small fingers squeezed two of his. That dirty feeling festered inside of his heart, ebbing only under the radiance of his gaze.

"It was a long time ago," he said, voice as gentle as a spring breeze. "I'm okay." He squeezed Natsuo's hand again. "You don't have to look so sad."

He squeezed back. A thousand words came crammed into his throat, and not a single one managed to come out. Old thoughts and insecurities cropped up and flooded his heart. He had no idea where to even begin with this. While he ran and hid, Midoriya just found another gate to jump into. Regardless of what and how they did things now, that thought seeped back in. How could he ever think to support someone like that? Could he support someone like that?

Instead, he was supported instead.

"Midoriya, you have two hands," Twice pointed out, "so hold my hand, too. // Don’t hold my hand!"

And Natsuo really wished that Twice would learn how to read the mood. Instead, Touya stepped forward to grab Midoriya's free hand. He interlaced their fingers and waved it in front of Twice.

"Oooh, too slow," he said, and in Natsuo's humble opinion, not smug enough.

Midoriya gave a breathless laugh, probably having no idea how badly Natsuo wanted to wake up to that sound every day.

-

“Hey, if you’re free, let’s get some drinks,” Twice called out, mainly to Midoriya but Natsuo would rather die than let the two of them go somewhere unsupervised.

“No, thank you,” Midoriya shook his head, and gave a polite bow, “I’m underage.”

“Aw, no one cares. You’re a hunter, can’t get drunk with magic like yours,” the blond said, with a laugh. "// I won't take advantage of the underaged minor."

Touya loaded another arrow into his crossbow. Ignorant, or maybe he didn't care, Twice tapped his chin.

“But you know, I want to talk to you more, let’s exchange numbers. // I'll leave you on read!"

Midoriya’s expression brightened as he pulled out his phone, and Natsuo did a double-take. Didn’t they just get new ones? It hadn’t even been a year, right? And still, Midoriya’s screen was shattered and the back cover for his phone was missing. His battery was exposed to everything, and it looked like there was a scratch going across it. Amazing was the fact that Midoriya could still use it.

“What… what happened to your phone?” Natsuo asked, incredulous.

“I uh,” Midoriya’s face darkened and his gaze dropped to the ground, shame. It was an emotion Natsuo was intimately familiar with, personally, but felt weird to see it on Midoriya. Quietly, Midoriya admitted, “I made a mistake.”

“Well who cares?” Twice replied, pulling his equally-battered phone out.

For comparison reasons, Natsuo would like to say that he had dropped his phone a total of two times, and Touya’s phone looked as pristine as though it came right out of the box (not fair since he's seen Touya kick his phone across the room before).

The two exchanged numbers since Natsuo couldn’t stop them in time.

“Cool it,” Touya said, eyes sharp, “We don’t fight in dungeons.”

But they weren’t in a dungeon, Natsuo wanted to snap back, but the look on Touya’s face, as he watched Midoriya stand awkwardly as Twice took a picture of him (for the profile picture, obviously) had his mouth clicking shut.

Touya had looked at monsters much kinder than the way he was looking at Twice at the moment.

“Pot; kettle,” Natsuo muttered darkly, eyeing the loaded weapon in his brother's hand.

“I have to get home today,” Midoriya said, “Excuse me, but I have to leave.”

“Yeah, be safe,” Touya said.

As soon as Midoriya was out of sight, Twice turned to the two of them.

“When are you guys turning your license in?” he asked, “I’m about to join a guild, and I’m gonna ask Izuku,” and like they wouldn’t know, clarified himself with, “Midoriya, to come with me.”

All of Natsuo’s frustrations suddenly hit a boiling point.

“What did you say?” he asked, voice frosty as he took a step closer.

“You’re a little young, but I guess your hearing is shit too, huh? I said I’m gonna ask Izuku to come join a guild with me so fuck off. // You didn’t hear shit!”

“Twice,” Touya stepped in, but the blonde shook his head and tutted his tongue.

“Shut up, Dabi! Don’t even know who you are anymore!” he snapped back, and that image of a guy who was always laughing as he tried to stand next to Midoriya melted away. “What the hell is wrong with you? Since when were you someone that lugged around trash like this around?” he demanded, pointing at Natsuo. “// You ain’t trash, babe.”

“Trash?” Natsuo snapped back feeling as though someone was peeling at his worst insecurities, layer by layer just to watch the way his muscles jumped at being prodded and laugh.

“If a supporter gets hurt, it’s a tanker’s fault. And what else would you call a tanker that can’t even protect a supporter in a bunch of D-Gates other than trash? It's not like you to care about someone's feelings, so what the hell are you doing, Dabi? Supporters are rare enough as they are, and Izuku's actually good! If you can't take care of him, turn in your license and live your peaceful life, bocchan! The rest of us got bills to pay!”

Natsuo didn’t know how he got home, but he didn’t realize what had happened until he realized that he was standing alone in the kitchen, scrubbing at the frying pan. Did he and his brother talk? He couldn’t remember. He doubted it, because they both had the nasty habit of shutting down completely when they were vulnerable. 

His tears mixed with the soap, and when he went to rub at his eyes, ended up rubbing the soap into his eye.

-

“....As hot as it is,” Touya suddenly said. "Are you okay in that? Dungeons are usually colder than not."

And Natsuo’s eyes dropped to Midoriya’s feet. At some point, he had gotten used to the young man in his stained t-shirt and ripped jeans and torn open shoes. Dungeons were always a mixed bag that no one could predict, but having something on was always better than going in bare. There were plenty of tankers that carefully kept every last inch of their skin covered up.

He checked. He could see Midoriya's toes. They were small (and adorable, but Natsuo thought all of him was), and most importantly, he was pretty much barefoot in the city. That couldn't be sanitary, or safe, and that wasn't even talking about what lurks in a dungeon.

Especially for Midoriya, who Touya had to remind to cast heals and buffs on himself.

“Hm?” Midoriya lifted his head up and then back to his feet. “Oh, uhm… Okay.” And the way he said it, eyes downcast, and Natsuo wondered how many times he was turned down at stores, how many times people looked down on him, that he couldn’t even find a pair of shoes and was running barefoot in Tokyo.

Natsuo bit his bottom lip and figured that since they pushed this hard already, he might as well go the whole way.

“You uh… If you aren’t busy after the gate today, you wanna go get some shoes together?” He lifted his foot up, as though to show him where he had worn the soles down, “I need a pair, too. And I’m sure Niichan does too, even if he doesn’t ever mention it.”

“Would… that be okay?”

And Natsuo, who wanted the moments he shared with Midoriya to stretch into years and everything else to disappear, grinned back. It wasn’t as hard as it was yesterday, despite Twice’s words beating on his head like a bad hangover.

“It would be perfect.”

Midoriya shined, as he always did. It made Natsuo’s chest swell until it hurt. He pursed his lips, careful not to grin too widely. He turned to the side, his eyes locking with his brother and he gave a wide grin.

And Touya, who normally would have smiled right back, shaking his head before he gave them a reminder to focus on what was in front of them, pulled his gaze to the side like nothing was said.

Suddenly, Natsuo was reminded of a time, long ago. It was a memory he didn’t want to remember. And it scared him.

The last time Touya did something out of love, he ruined himself and got lost inside of a gate for several years. And now that Natsuo understood it, he had a girlfriend once, and it turned out that she really just wanted to be able to say that she was dating an A-Ranker. They didn’t get very far, or last very long.

Twice's words wrapped around his brain again, rattling it until Natsuo felt vertigo.

The weight of Midoriya’s smile settled on his shoulders. Would he be okay? Would they be okay? Midoriya, who dropped out of high school and was out hunting while Natsuo cribbed out in his brother's apartment, somehow still looked as radiant as ever.

Touya was good in all that he did, so Natsuo wasn’t worried about him. But could he do it? What could he do?

“Midoriya,” he said, unable to stop himself as the emotions crashed against each other, “Why do you live like this?”

“...Like… what?”

“This,” he motioned at him, “t-the injuries, the cell phone, the shoes, you-why do you live like this? Are you homeless? Is someone hurting you? You-you’re the strongest supporter out there, you’re better than this, so why are you living like this?”

The words came out unexpectedly, Natsuo, who didn’t even realize what he was saying as he was saying it, could hardly believe that he was speaking. It almost felt like someone had possessed him, and was using his body as they pleased. He covered his mouth to stop speaking, and closed his eyes. Even without looking, he could feel his brother’s gaze, disappointed and he would never tell him, but it really showed the resemblance he had to their dad.

"... Sorry, I don't know what came over-"

"Money."

Natsuo looked up, and Midoriya's smile, as gentle as it always was, looked back at him.

"I need money."

"Oh," Natsuo said.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, that he felt hollow again.

"I need a lot of money," Midoriya explained, "And the only way I can make money is through gates."

What do you need the money for? Natsuo felt the burning curiosity. It lodged in his throat, and he second-guessed himself. What if Midoriya didn't want to answer? What if this was too much? What if he was pushing forward too much, and Midoriya wasn't into that? Touya was fine not knowing, so why couldn't Natsuo be the same?

“As for why I live like this,” Midoriya said, looking down at himself and then straightening up to meet his gaze again, “this is how I can protect myself.”

But Natsuo was a coward, so they ended it there for the night. His brother didn’t look at him for the rest of the evening, and didn’t even take dinner before he went straight to the only room. Natsuo, who slept on the couch, took a deep breath through his nose as he buried his face in his hands.

-

"Getting cold feet?"

Natsuo chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Looks like your crush ran out then."

He covered his face with his hands.

"Coward."

He knew. His hands trembled and he couldn't even bear to look at himself in the mirror.

"Coward," he repeated to himself.

-

Midoriya looked tired.

"You good?"

The young man nodded once, and then one more time. And then his eyes fell shut and Natsuo realized that he was nodding to sleep.

Natsuo covered his mouth, at once jealous and overwhelmed when Midoriya's head dipped and landed right on Touya's arm.

He stood there, hand clenching on the train handle, careful not to destroy it with his hunter-enhanced strength, but his heart was doing this palpitations. Touya, meanwhile, looked frozen like a statue.

It was a good look for him.

Natsuo gave a wide grin, pulling his phone out to take the picture. He was going to make this his phone background.

"Turn around," Touya said, voice low enough not to rouse Midoriya, but loud enough to catch his attention. "Make it a selfie."

Natsuo stared at his brother for a moment longer, and gave a wide grin. He lifted his phone up and crouched down for a better angle.

His brother was just too damn cool.

"And send it to me."

"Yes, sir," Natsuo grinned, and felt like his heart might explode at the smile that hung on his brother's face.

It made the next words come out much smoother.

"Niichan," he said, "How do I get stronger?"

Touya looked at him and then to the ground.

"First, find something worth fighting for."

Natsuo blinked back, and summer blue eyes flicked back up to him.

"Then, fight until the brink of death. When you feel the edge of death, remember what you're fighting for, and you'll come back twice as strong."

"That uh... sounds really intense."

His brother looked up and then laughed.

"It was."

Before, Natsuo thought that he spoke too much or said the wrong things. Sometimes, he felt at a loss about what to say and how to say it. Scooting closer so that their legs were against each other, even though the train car was practically empty, he wondered if happiness was something that was supposed to be so easy to obtain. The distance between them, it felt like it was becoming smaller. It felt like it was harder to be upset than it used to be.

It made him feel like he suffered uselessly as a child for no reason. The thought, somehow, didn't make him feel as bitter as it normally would have.

"Ah, he's drooling," Natsuo said.

"Get him off," Touya replied.

"You wanna wake him up?"

A deep scowl twisted his handsome features, and unrepentant, Natsuo beamed back.

-

"I wanna get stronger," Natsuo admitted, "I don't think this is the best I can do, so I wanna get stronger."

His brother looked to him and then back forward.

"...Yeah," he said, "Me too."

"Any... idea where to begin?"

Touya flashed their dad's credit card at him. "I got a few ideas."

-

"H-hello..." Midoriya's voice trailed off, and his eyes took in Natsuo's and Touya's features. "...You look tired?" he asked, like he wasn’t certain of what he saw.

Natsuo stared, because he had worked so damn hard and stared so long in the mirror, and spluttered. "Maybe."

Touya snorted like he didn’t spend twice as long in the bathroom today and nearly made both of them late.

"We were doing some training," he explained.

"Training?" Midoriya tilted his head, and the exhaustion melted off of Natsuo's shoulders. The young man lifted his hand, and then the warmth of his mana came across Natsuo's skin.

"It's not money," Natsuo said, "but there's something I want too." He looked at Midoriya and gave a wide grin. "I wanna get stronger, and the only way to do that is through training."

The young man stared at him for a moment longer, and then looked back down.

"...Getting stronger, huh," he said quietly.

"Any tips?" Touya asked from the other side, "Mainly we've been working on our physical capabilities, but any input would be good."

The young man hesitated, and the older two waited patiently.

"What always helped me was moving my mana around."

"Huh? Like how?"

The supporter lifted his hand and they watched his mana form. At first, it was a cloud of a vibrant green appearing at his hands, and then slowly, he condensed the cloud to form a cube. The solid lines of a translucent green appeared, reminding Natsuo of what he kept Twice in that first time they met, and slowly, he turned it into a sphere.

"Simple shapes are best for concentration and mana manipulation," he explained, "but then you can make some other things, based on how well you know them," he continued. The sphere turned into a car, a small little compact car before it returned into a sphere and he closed his hand into a fist. "At least, that's what helped me."

"That's... really helpful," Natsuo said, bringing his hand up to stare at his palm. He called the magic to his hand, and his magic gathered like the wisps of a cloud. Holding it there for a few seconds was starting to make him tired, and he stopped. 

He looked back at Midoriya, again astonished at how easy he made things look.

"Do it afterwards," Touya said, and looked at Midoriya, "Thanks for the tip. Do you wanna come over to monitor your students?"

The young man's face flushed immediately, "S-Students?"

Natsuo grinned back, "Please, Midoriya-sensei?"

His face darkened even more, and he spluttered for a moment longer.

"Sensei, I'd do anything for an A," Touya added, wiggling his eyebrows.

"D-Dabi!"

His hand closing into a fist, Natsuo felt heartened. Twice’s words rang in his head, but it didn’t hurt anymore.

A reason to become stronger. A way to become stronger. All of these things were within his reach. He took a deep breath, and with his shield shining under the glow of the gate's magic, he stepped in through first.

He didn't know this, but unlike before, he didn't hesitate anymore. He didn’t get motion sickness anymore.

-

Japan’s second S-Rank Gate had appeared over in Okinawa’s skies. The last time they had an S-Rank was about twenty years ago. Japan lost 10% of her population and almost all of Hokkaido was lost in half a day. They lost half of their A-Rankers, and an entire guild in three hours.

A tragedy, but it was also what really placed Yagi Toshinori and Todoroki Enji’s, and therefore Japan’s, place on the map as a hunter powerhouse. A tragedy, but that incident was what made sure that Natsuo would never need again.

And, as the only S-Rank Gate in the world for the last five years, all eyes turned to Japan to watch what and how Japan would react to this State of Emergency. Needless to say, Japan was pulling out all the stops for it. Starting with, all hunters were required to report in and remain on stand-by.

It took about two weeks for a gate to break, if no one touched it. There were some exceptions to it, and just in case, there was a 24-hr surveillance set on the gate. A single S-Rank monster could wreck a town in a minute. No one wanted to take chances here.

At the same time, if Japan successfully takes down this gate within a week, it would show a strong front to every country in the world. Depending on how the monsters in the gate are taken care of, a lot of money would be coming in as well. Regardless of what the monster would be, or the mana crystals that could be found, a stupid amount of money could be made here, so long as everything doesn’t go belly-up. If it does, then Japan would quickly become the laughingstock of the world, and no one would take their S-Rankers seriously. 

Which, as Natsuo always did when politics weaseled into his life, meant that he needed to run or duck and cover.

"They're recruiting for the S-Rank raid that appeared," Natsuo said, reading the notice from his phone, "All Hunters, inactive or active, and required to be on standby. At the very least, registered parties are allowed to stay together. We'll probably be grouped up together somewhere around Tokyo then."

And by that, Natsuo meant that he was glad that they would be together and not with the rest of their family like they normally would be. Little blessings.

Touya shrugged, "If it looks bad, we'll skip," he said.

"I'm going to the Gate," Midoriya confessed.

Touya froze. His spoon slid out of his hand. Natsuo turned his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

"What?"

"They scheduled me for my official reassessment," he said, "So that I will be the S-Rank Supporter that will join the Assault Team in the S-Rank at Okinawa."

"They... can't make you do that," Natsuo said, his voice quiet even to his own ears.

Midoriya nodded, "I volunteered."

Desperately, he tried to gather his thoughts and find his voice, preferably in that order. Instead, a broken, "Why?" escaped his lips. He was unable to wrap his mind around the news he was given.

Midoriya smiled, the same way he did when he offered a meatbun to him.

"I'm going to the Gate because I’m a hunter."

Deep inside, Natsuo always thought that he was born wrong. That the universe made a mistake for making him awaken. That he grew up wrong because he grew up in a household so skewed compared to ordinary people but so successful that no one noticed. Feeling as though the ground was taken from under his feet, Natsuo felt like he was lost in the middle of the ocean, at the mercy of the waves. The familiar feeling of encroaching doom, like he was going to the manor, crept up his throat.

"...Nothing we say is going to change your mind, is it?" Touya said, finally speaking up.

Natsuo’s head snapped to him, because he couldn’t believe it. Touya? Give up? He never gave up. It sounded too much like they lost, like they were okay with Midoriya going off into that gate, and Natsuo felt his heart squeeze. There was a good chance that he wouldn't come back. There was a very, very good chance that they wouldn't luck out like they did with Touya.

Midoriya nodded.

Fighting Midoriya, Natsuo understood, was like asking a mountain to turn flat, was like asking the ocean to stop being salty. Impossible and without consideration.

"...Come back safely," Touya said, a thousand times more mature than him. "Should we suspend Gate-Jumping until after the raid?"

Midoriya nodded again, "Sorry about this."

Natsuo felt sick. If, when Touya went into that Gate all those years ago, they said goodbye, would Natsuo have moved on smoother? He didn't think so.

Natsuo felt cold. This was why Midoriya agreed to meet up on a date without any planned Raids or equipment checks. He did it to say goodbye.

Natsuo felt...

"Yeah," Midoriya asked, nodding his head. "I'm sorry I won't be able to come with you."

"Don't worry about it," Touya said, waving his hand. "Just worry about coming back, alive and intact."

The young man nodded, and Natsuo focused on keeping his mouth shut. If he opened his mouth, he might throw up. Obviously, Midoriya didn't want to go. Obviously, Touya was even more torn up about this than he was. Obviously, there was no place for him here to be worried or even care-

"I will," Midoriya said, straightening up a little more. "So let's raid together afterwards."

And Natsuo, the stupid idiot he was, opened his mouth and blurted out, "Midoriya, I don't want to lose you. I love you. When you come back, please look at me like a man."

He didn't get to see what kind of expression Touya shot him, because all he could see was how red Midoriya was turning.

"Huh?"

-

"Nat-kun," Touya said, "You're a fucking idiot."

Natsuo covered his face.

"I know."

"No," Touya said, staring blankly ahead, "You really don't. You're a fucking idiot."

Natsuo tried not to cry. His throat burned. It felt like his heart split and his stomach was throbbing in his throat.

"He should be focused on the Gate."

"He should focus on coming back."

Touya gave this sigh, turning around and Natsuo wondered if this was the difference between an attacker and a defender. The difference between someone who couldn’t leave a gate and one that couldn’t enter.

"Do you even fucking hear yourslef? Do you know what an S-Rank Gate will do to people? If those monsters burst through, we're fucked. We, as a country, are fucked. We're just counting down to the time when we all die because that's what an S-Rank is going to be. There's no home if he doesn't focus on the gate. You, of all people, should know what Midoriya’s capable of."

And Natsuo knew, he did. In theory and in practice, he did know. He heard him and he understood, but then he thought about the smile Midoriya gave the ground, his fingers on the shield and a spell so that he didn't trip over his own feet.

"Natsuo," Touya's eyes were bloodshot, and without once hitting him, knocked all the air out of Natsuo’s lungs. "Do you think that you're the only one being left behind?"

But what the hell would Touya know about waiting on the other side of the gate?

-

They watch the Raid on their phones. All hunters, regardless if they are retired or what, were required to suit up and take to the streets. Just in case.

Hilarious, because if that S-Rank ripped through their S-Hunters, they were just tissue paper waiting to be torn asunder. It would be shocking to think that they would even be noticed among civilians given how weak they were.

However, several hundred kilometers away from the fight, the majority of hunters could feel a magnificent amount of magical energy swirling where the S-Rank Gate was.

Beyond any shadow of doubt, Natsuo knew that Midoriya was preparing for the gate as well. Next to him, Touya rolled his neck.

“...Now, this is a family reunion, isn’t it? We’re just missing the youngest one, right?”

Touya’s cold eyes looked over their sister. All hunters received orders concerning where to go and where to wait for more orders. As a family full of attackers, in addition to having the same last name, it was inevitable that three of the Todorokis’ were told to monitor the same place. Apparently. a nation-wide lock-down was put into place, to reduce the amount of traffic getting in the way of evacuation, should the worst-case scenario occurred.

...Natsuo didn't want to think about what had to happen, who had to die, for the worst-care scenario to occur.

Instead, he focused on what was in front of him. It had been a long, long time since he had seen Fuyumi with her naginata. She looked as natural and comfortable with it as she always did. No one would ever think that she came out of retirement for this. Sometimes, he wanted to ask why she decided to quit being a hunter.

“...Fuyumi-nee…” Natsuo said quietly.

“...You guys should come home for dinner,” Fuyumi said, her expression tight and her voice low, “Every once in a while.”

“I do,” Natsuo sniped back, eyes dropping to the ground as his shoulder hunched up, “go home and eat dinner everyday. With my family.”

She flinched backwards. Touya looked to the side and nudged him with his elbow.

“...I don’t have anything to say,” he said, turning around to leave. Reluctantly, Natsuo scowled as he turned around to follow his brother out. “So we’ll switch out with someone else. Good day, Todoroki.”

“Wait!” Fuyumi’s voice trembled, “you-you’re my niichan too, aren’t you?”

Touya paused and gave a sigh. “Dunno,” he said. “I never saw you guys as my little siblings,” he admitted. He hoisted his crossbow over his shoulder and then turned back around. “And I don’t think I was much of a brother to you guys either. While I was in that Gate, it didn’t feel any different than if I was here or there.”

Natsuo’s heart dropped.

“If we hadn’t partied together,” Touya continued, looking at Natsuo, and then slowly lowering his eyes, he shrugged back, “I don’t think I would have ever returned to that place.”

In that hospital room, when Touya saw him, what did he think then? When Touya chased after a pair of green eyes by checking each and every single gate, what was he thinking about? If he was thinking, it wasn't about his blood-relations, right?

Fuyumi forgotten, Natsuo ran up next to his brother. “Niichan, you don’t mean…”

“...Natsuo, I mean everything I say,” Touya said quietly, “Sorry that I didn’t meet your expectations. Let’s meet back up at the end of this, okay?”

“Niichan…”

Leaving both of his siblings behind him, they were faced with a familiar scene, and served as a cold reminder that there were wounds that they didn’t even realize they had. As easily as Midoriya volunteering without once talking it over with them, Touya had smoothly walked out as well to join the sniping crew. Natsuo stood there, on the street, and with all the hunters in the area, still felt alone. 

A tanker who couldn't protect anything, Natsuo thought numbly. What a strange title to have, as a Todoroki. Somehow, dragging That name through the mud didn't bring him as much joy as he thought it would.

-

The Raid was a resounding success. 

As though to mock him, Midoriya Izuku was crowned as the Best Supporter the world had seen. Natsuo, who was on duty at the time, didn't know until he was watching the clips of it on social media and the news, but once he started, he couldn’t stop. Which was funny, because there wasn’t a TV that didn’t play it, a mouth that didn’t talk about it, or an account that didn’t mention it.

“Midoriya Izuku, World’s Best Supporter!”

“Out like a shooting star, Midoriya Izuku lights up the future not just for Japan but the whole world!”

“Raising the expectations of Supporters and S-Class Hunters everywhere, Midoriya Izuku!”

There was no end to them.

Natsuo’s trembling fingers hit replay and he watched the entire stream of the raid again. He was one of many, and it took a few tries to watch it because of how many people were trying to watch it. He had no doubts that people all around the world were tuned in to an S-Rank Raid, and even more so to see the so-called Best Supporter that the world had ever seen.

It was simple. Midoriya set up a large barrier, even Natsuo knew this. And the naive reporter and some of the hunters said some rude comments that Midoriya was just showing off, that he was just wasting his mana, but Midoriya didn’t drop them. And Natsuo, in Tokyo, remembered feeling that barrier in Okinawa. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be there instead. 

Then, the raid party entered the gate. The film broke, and just as fast, the frontline tanker was thrown backwards, and a cyclops came out. It was planned. It was an ambush. Just like that, the Japan’s Greatest was fighting on home turf. 

Luckily, because of Midoriya’s barriers, there were no buildings or civilians harmed. Natsuo watched, and in his head, already knew how it all panned out. The sudden appearance of a monster threw them off, but they recovered quickly. Buffs were laid out, fast like lightning, and those who weren’t used to Midoriya’s cast time wasted seconds of it. The rest of them, like his father, jumped right into the fight. 

And at the 20 minutes and 43 second mark, Japan's Pillar of Light, Todoroki Enji was torn in two by the cyclops beast that shoved its way out of the gate. Dead-dead. It was brutal, it was graphic, no one would doubt it. Since it was on camera, they blurred out the majority of the gorey details, but it was enough. It was more than enough. A human being couldn't live when they were cleaved in half, shoulder to hip.

The news-cast expressed their condolences with their cry of shock and Natsuo couldn't believe that his dad was dead. He watched this video over ten times and still couldn't believe that his dad was dead. There was something out there in the world that could actually kill his dad.

And while he was numb and unfeeling, he had just enough thought process to understand what would happen. Midoriya, who was the Supporter of That Man, was suddenly down his strongest Attacker. In pure blind rage, his Tanker ran out forward, and was nothing in a minute.

No, no, no, no.

Natsuo, even though he watched this several times, still felt that swell of fear and despair as the cyclops went barrelling to the next person. Midoriya. No doubt, it could feel it. The barrier that kept it from the rest of Japan was Midoriya’s doing. If Midoriya died or canceled his spell, it would be free to consume Okinawa with all its friends.

A group down two people was a group that was fraying at the ends. Natsuo had no idea how the S-Rankers were supposed to have set up their team to enter the raid. It was explained to him at the beginning of the video every time he watched it, and he could recite it back now from memory, but he still didn’t understand it. 

And even though he wasn't there, he could imagine it. The sheer amount of magic that condensed from the lands and the gate, as Midoriya raised his hands and Todoroki Enji was standing again. That Man looked as confused as everyone felt, but wasted no time entering the battle again. At this point, the newcaster fell silent, probably understanding that he had no idea what he just witnessed.

A few moments later, Midoriya was raising the Tanker.

The combined might of Japan's Pillar of Light, Todoroki Enji, Japan's Greatest, Yagi Toshinori, and a new and up-coming S-Ranker debuting for the first time, Shigaraki Tomura, finally felled the cyclops.

After that, the stream was over and the new-caster would rattle on and on about random information that didn’t mean anything to Natsuo, because Natsuo ate with Midoriya and tanked for him. 

So Natsuo rewound the video and watched it again.

-

Even before the raid, the Okinawa's S-Rank Gate was the hottest topic ever. And then, after the raid, "Midoriya Izuku" became the most searched term.

Touya had been out more often. He hadn't seen his brother in a while. He wasn't sure what would happen, if it turned out that their party was going to be dissolved. Could he go back to school? What would he do?

He covered his face. No confirmation, and he's already set on running away. Lost and annoyed with himself, he flinched when he got a text message from Fuyumi.

[Visit. Room 501]

He sighed. Right, the press and all of that. He wasn’t sure why he needed to go. If Todoroki Enji was revived, was healed by Midoriya, there wouldn’t even be a scar left. Security was working double to make sure the press stayed away, and Natsuo wondered what the point even was.

He didn’t make it to the hospital, and instead, stood outside a store. Looking up at the giant TV screen displaying Midoriya’s “Miracle Revival,” he felt nothing. Probably because he was no one.

-

Natsuo knew something was up when Touya came home with two tubs of pistachio ice cream.

“...Just in case,” he brother told him.

“...Just in case what?”

Touya shifted from foot to foot and then looked at Natsuo before he sighed and caved.

“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath, “Calm down and remain calm. I ran into Midoriya earlier.”

Natsuo’s phone clattered to the ground. His hands came to his mouth.

“What?”

Touya looked up at him and took a deep breath before he made a motion for Natsuo to follow him. Grabbing a spoon, he passed both tubs to Natsuo and then covered his mouth. He was clearly thinking of the right thing to say, or a way to even start, but he didn't start until Natsuo made it through the first tub.

He might have been a little nervous.

Touya took a deep breath, and spoke all at once. "His phone is broken,” he said, “and that’s why we haven’t heard anything from him. I told him if he wanted us to come to our usual on Friday."

Natsuo stared at him. A moment passed. Then another. The words slowly sank into his head.

"...What did you do?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Touya said, dipping his head forward to express the first and probably only apology Natsuo ever heard from him that he meant, "I'm really sorry."

“Do you think he’ll stick to partying with us?” he asked quietly. And seeing the expression on Touya’s face, felt all the blood drain out of his face. “Oh, you mean… you mean about-”

“Natsuo. We’ll get an answer on Friday.”

But Natsuo couldn’t help it. The unknown threatened to choke him out. His eyes burned, and he wondered why it was so hard to have expectations of people. If Midoriya rejected him (them), then what? He goes back to those classes?

He looked back at Touya, and what would happen to his brother? Even if it wasn’t him, shouldn’t it at least be Touya? His brother was handsome and smooth. He was strong. And if it was him, then Natsuo didn’t mind being their shield. He didn’t mind it at all. It didn't have to be him.

But Midoriya was an S-Ranker now.

As though to really put the final nail in the coffin. Touya was quiet with a glass of water in his hand. Lost in his own thoughts, the two were a mess in the kitchen, early Tuesday afternoon.

Friday came as slow as a crawl, but unrelentingly fast. It made Natsuo feel like the hunted, instead of the hunter.

-

Midoriya came, four pm on Friday at the train station they always met him at.

He looked at them, his hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white, and licked his lips. Natsuo couldn't help but wonder what happened since he became the focal point of the entire world, because he was in a clean sweater Natsuo had never seen before and some snug jeans. In sneakers and socks, he looked like he came right off the front of a fashion magazine. In clean clothes and not a single injury visible, Midoriya Izuku, the World's Greatest Supporter, stood in front of them.

"I-I'm not here to do the right thing," Midoriya explained when he stood in front of them.

He took a deep breath before he looked at the brothers who offered more than their hearts.

"I'm here because I want to be happy, too." He gave a polite bow, "If-If you are willing to have me," he straightened up, his face bright red as he yelled out, "I would love the opportunity to get to know you as... as..." his face flushed. He cleared his throat and peered up at them shyly, "as people closer than a party."

Natsuo didn't realize that he was screaming until Touya kicked him in the side.

"...Let's take this to our place," he said, eyeing the way people were pulling their phones out to tape the Hottest Topic in Japan right now. 

"Niichan, you're moving way too fast," Natsuo gasped. He knew for a fact that they didn't have any condoms. They wouldn’t be able to buy any in these circumstances.

"Not for that," Touya snapped back.

"I don't," Midoriya shrank back when both of them turned to him, but bravely, he said, "I- I don't mind."

The two turned to just stare at him, and Natsuo was torn between grabbing Midoriya and screaming, or grabbing his brother and screaming. His hands trembled and his tongue twisted in his mouth. 

"One step at a time," his brother said, saving him from a response, and Natsuo stared at Touya, the flush on his face, and felt his face burn. “So… Come over, and let's talk there.”

“Okay,” Midoriya nodded his head and smiled back, “I-I’m ready when you are. W-Whatever you want.”

Touya took two steps closer to him, and then as though remembering all the cameras on them, scowled. His face darkened even more and he turned on his heel. “Keep up.”

Their Supporter, as bright as he was when he left and not a single new scratch, smiled back. Natsuo felt his heart squeeze.

"Uh..." he looked at Midoriya, and he couldn't help but grin even though his cheeks were hurting. "Welcome back."

And Midoriya laughed back, a sound sorely missed, "Yes, I have returned."

Midoriya did a lot more than just return, but Natsuo supposed they had the time to talk about it now.

He wondered if Midoriya had a spell for the way his heart was stuttering in his chest. He probably wouldn’t get cardiac arrest on the way home, right? 

He stood next to Natsuo, their arms touching just a little, and when their gaze met, Natsuo felt oddly fine. Midoriya had this magic about him that had nothing to do with his hunter ability. He just made Natsuo feel like everything was okay.

There were only two people in the world that would notice when he died, and both of them had returned to his side.