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He didn’t know where he was. If the ropes restraining him and bare gray walls were any indicator, he’d have to say in the clutches of some kind of villain. He tried to ignite his arm and burn the ropes with little success. They must’ve given him some kind of quirk suppressant while he was unconscious. He tried to recall what had happened but just worsened the headache he hadn’t even realized he’d had until that moment. Only one thing was clear: Momo was no longer with him.
He struggled against the bindings but only managed to rub part of his skin raw. Whoever his captor was, they weren’t an amateur. He managed to sit himself upright but couldn’t quite stand and sighed, accepting his temporary position. He wondered how much time had passed since his inevitable abduction and whether Momo had gotten away.
The only light came from a grainy window in the door and he found himself nodding off. His whole body ached and he was so tired…
“Think he’s dead? If he is, can I cut him up?”
“Knock it off, freak. We need him alive.”
The voices seemed to grate at him and he begrudgingly opened his eyes again to two familiar faces.
“He’s alive,” Toga said, sounding disappointed.
“Alright, take whatever you need from him and get out of here. And stop smiling like that, it’s fucking creepy.”
She flashed Shouto a toothy grin and pulled a knife from seemingly nowhere. “Don’t worry, I don’t need much…”
He couldn’t move as she drew closer, crouching down. A choked gasp escaped him as she sliced cleanly through his costume and broke the skin. He could feel the blood running down his arm and he forced himself to stare straight ahead. The pain was nothing compared to some of the things he’d endured. He wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him.
It was over after a minute and she skipped away with a vial of his blood, humming something to herself. He grit his teeth and tried not to focus on the still bleeding wound she’d inflicted. It seemed to be deeper than he’d originally thought and although he wouldn’t show it, he was afraid.
Dabi sat across from him and smirked. “I know, she’s absolutely psychotic.”
“What do you want from me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Straight to the point, aren’t we? You seem to have a bigger problem there. Let me close that up for you.”
He drew back as the man approached.
He feigned insult. “You want to bleed out? Be my guest, but you’ll never find out what we did with that girl you were with--”
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“I’m trying to help you. Now stay still, dammit.”
Shouto bit his tongue as he was roughly held down and familiar burning pain erupted along his arm. Dabi sat back and observed his handiwork. “Now we can talk.”
“Where is she?”
“That’s not how this works. You give me the information I want, and I’ll consider telling you where she is. If I’m feeling generous, I might even show you.”
“I’ll never give you any information--”
“Then we’ll just kill her. You’re the one we need, after all. We only brought her in because we couldn’t have her getting help.”
“...You’re bluffing. You don’t even have her. She’s on her way here right now.”
His gaze hardened. “You think this is some kind of fucking joke?”
Shouto didn’t even get to respond before he was being roughly lifted up and dragged out of the room. He stumbled and nearly hit the concrete but Dabi’s death grip on his arm kept him up. He lost track of the turns they made and he wondered just how big the facility was.
They finally stopped in front of a door identical to the one Shouto had been behind and his breath caught as he looked through the window. Momo was laying on the floor. He could see the steady rise and fall of her chest and he gave a small sigh of relief. She was still alive.
“Not for long,” the villain said. “Oh, sorry. You’re thinking she’s alive, right? Not for long if you don’t cooperate.”
“...What do you want from me?”
“That’s more like it. You’re going to tell me where the number one hero is and what you know of his weaknesses.”
He hesitated and Dabi scowled.
“If you’re not in the mood to talk then we’ll just leave you alone until you are. Hell, I’ll even let you be with her. Not that it’ll do the two of you any good.”
The door was wrenched open and he barely had time to turn around before he was pushed and he found himself falling. His head smacked the ground and everything went dark.
“--to?! Shouto!”
His eyes fluttered open and he found Momo looking over him. His head throbbed and he couldn’t sit up.
“I was afraid they’d killed you,” she whispered. “I came to awhile ago and you were just laying there in a pool of blood…”
He craned his neck and felt something drip over his eye. Red tinged hair distinctly on the right side hung in his face and he took a deep breath. “They want information on Izuku. Where to find him and what his weaknesses are. I didn’t tell them anything and they threw me in here.”
“Is it the League of Villains?”
“At least Dabi and Toga so I’d assume the rest are involved.”
Her shoulders slumped. “They’re suppressing our quirks somehow. And these ropes--!”
He finally managed to sit up and winced as the blood continued to flow. “Turn your back to me if you’re able. I can try to undo the knot.”
“It’s no use. I already tried on yours. We’re not getting out of this,” she said quietly.
He swore under his breath. “Dabi said he needed me alive. They might use us as hostages or for some kind of ransom.”
“At least they’ll keep us alive,” she mumbled. “What happened to your costume? And your arm--!”
“Toga needed some of my blood for that cursed quirk of hers.”
Momo was silent for a minute and Shouto wished he could brush her bangs out of her face. Her hair had come out of its ponytail and hung in the way. “If only we had our quirks--”
“There’s no use agonizing over that. We don’t know what they’re suppressing it with so we don’t know how long it’ll last. All we can focus on is what we can do right now.”
She nodded. “I-I’ve been thinking but I haven’t come up with anything. I feel so useless…”
“Momo, don’t beat yourself up over this. Sometimes there isn’t a way out.”
The door opened before she could respond and Dabi entered, looking over them with a sneer. “You two look like hell. Are you willing to talk yet?”
“Never,” Shouto spat.
“Then I’ll guess we’ll just have to go ahead and find ways of making you do so. Starting with her.”
He grabbed Momo and she gasped as he gripped her jaw.
“Let her go,” he demanded.
“I thought nothing could get under your skin, Shouto… but this woman seems oddly important to you.”
“Don’t you dare hurt her--!”
“It would be a shame if I just…” His free hand ignited and he saw fear flash in her eyes.
Shouto felt bile rise in his throat as he realized he wasn’t bluffing.
“Musutafu,” he said at last. “That’s where Deku is.”
“A good start. Just for that, I might not kill her. And his weaknesses?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Momo’s scream rang out as he cupped her cheek with his flaming hand.
“Don’t lie to me, Shouto.”
“I’m not! I don’t know! Don’t hurt her!”
“You do know! You’re closer to him than anybody!”
“He doesn’t talk about his quirk!”
“You’re lying!”
Tears streamed down Momo’s cheeks. “Tell him,” she whimpered.
He hesitated and Dabi squeezed her jaw harder, her cries growing louder.
“Alright, I’ll tell you! Just let her go!”
“Tell me.”
“He’s compassionate to a fault! He can’t turn down a plea for help!”
“Endanger civilians to draw him to the scene and get him involved because he’s such a goody two shoes--”
“I told you what you wanted. Let her go.”
He extinguished his hand and shoved her forward, laughing as she stumbled and fell. “There’s no need for civilians when I’ve got two people he cares about right here. All we have to do now is set the trap.”
The door shut again and Momo finally broke down. “I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this,” she whispered.
“I don’t think we are,” he admitted. “All we can do is pray Izuku manages to save the day like he always does.”
They didn’t know how much time passed. They tried to sleep whenever they could, there being nothing else to do.
After what felt like an eternity the door opened again and Dabi and Toga entered. “Which one should we take first?” she asked excitedly.
“The girl.”
“You’re mean, Dabi,” she teased. “He’s not going to like that.”
“It doesn’t matter what he likes or doesn’t. Just grab her.”
She giggled and did as she was told, Shouto only able to watch in horror as Momo was taken away.
Dabi approached him and crouched down, his permanent grin seeming more sinister than usual. “That suppressant is probably wearing off by now.”
“Don’t touch me,” he growled.
“Don’t get testy.”
He couldn’t fight back as a hand wrapped around his throat and he felt something prick him.
“There we go. I’ll be back for you once they’re done with the girl.”
“What are you doing to her?” he demanded.
“You’ll see for yourself before long.”
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling at the man again. He seemed to take the hint and got up, lingering by the door.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be out of here soon enough. As long as your precious Deku comes to save you like you said, of course.” He laughed and Shouto was left alone again, only able to wonder what they were doing to Momo.
He must’ve somehow nodded off again because he jolted awake as the door slammed open and she was dragged inside. She seemed to be unconscious and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of what they might’ve done to her.
Then he found himself being lead down the hall and into a room with a single chair and a camera aimed at it. No words were spoken and he took a seat, unable to stop his body from shaking. What were they going to do to him? Record him saying what they wanted? Or something much worse?
Shigaraki cleared his throat as he entered the room. “Try to speak clearly here, most people can barely get through a single take without breaking down and a second is out of the question. Now repeat after me: my name is Shouto Todoroki, better known as the hero Frostfire.”
“My name is Shouto Todoroki, better known as the hero Frostfire.”
“I’ve been captured by the League of Villains and the hero Deku isn’t coming to save me.”
He was too tired to refuse their demands. “I’ve been captured by the League of Villains and the hero Deku isn’t coming to save me.”
“They’ve been nice enough not to kill me.”
“They… They’ve been nice enough not to kill me.”
“I’m going to repay them now.”
He swallowed thickly. “I’m going to repay them now,” he whispered.
“Now look at the camera for this next part. I’m sure people will want to see the look on your face.”
He kept his head down, shoulders slumped and nearly falling over. They were going to kill him.
“Insolent brat,” Shigaraki spat. “Do as I say before you make me do something I’ll regret.”
“Just kill me already,” he mumbled.
“Kill you? Oh no, that would be merciful. You’ll wish you were dead after this.”
He picked his head up and confusion flashed across his face as someone entered the room. If they didn’t intend to kill him…
The stranger punched Shigaraki without warning and flipped down his hood to reveal a very concerned looking Izuku.
“Shouto! C’mon, we have to get out of here!”
“Momo,” he said automatically. “I know where they’re holding her.”
He briefly rubbed his now free wrists and ran down the now familiar hall. She was still unconscious and Izuku picked her up.
“Let’s go. I managed to knock out most of the guys guarding the place but they’ve no doubt called for reinforcements.”
Shouto noticed he was favoring one leg over the other. “You’re hurt.”
“Nothing they can’t fix later. We need to get out of here before anyone catches us like this. Your quirk--”
“They suppressed it. Momo’s as well.”
The other boy was silent and they continued to run, neither of them speaking.
Alarms blared as they made their way down corridors and someone stood at the end of the one. As they got closer they realized it was Momo. “I finally found you! C’mon, I found a way out of here!”
Izuku hesitated a second.
“Toga,” Shouto growled. “She took some of our blood.”
“Shouto, how can you say that?” she cried. “If anyone’s Toga it’s probably that thing you’re carrying.”
“Hold her for a second,” Izuku said and Shouto took the unconscious girl from him. “Momo wouldn’t talk like that.”
“Most people hear the voice and just assume it’s whoever I’m posing as. I’m impressed.”
Izuku threw a punch but she easily dodged, the disguise melting off of her as she pulled a knife and stabbed his leg. Shouto realized too late it was the one he’d been favoring and he nearly fell.
“What a shame there’s no time to take your blood,” she said, pouting. “Imagine all the trouble I could cause as the number one hero! Oh well, you’ve won fair and square here. Especially since we got the better half of what we needed.”
She giggled and disappeared around the corner. “We need to get out of here,” Shouto said.
He tore part of the sleeve off his costume and tied it around his leg before taking Momo back. “We can… go to Yuuei or something. There’s some people who’ll want to hear all about this.”
Momo didn’t regain consciousness until the next day. The police interrogated Shouto while they waited for her. He couldn’t answer most of their questions and his head began to ache as they repeated themselves.
They were interrupted by a scream and he jumped up, racing down the hall with them right behind him.
He entered Recovery Girl’s office and found Momo sitting upright, knees curled to her chest and tears streaming down her cheeks. She seemed to stare through him and he stood by her, placing a hand over hers.
“My quirk,” she whispered. “They took my quirk.”
Time seemed to slow down as the pieces fell into place. Toga had said they’d gotten the better half of what they needed. The fact that Shigaraki said he was going to repay the League of Villains for sparing him. They were stealing quirks.
And Creation is much more useful than Half-Cold, Half-Hot, he realized.
“Momo--”
“Did they get yours too…?”
“...No, Izuku saved me just in time.”
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes. “Why is this happening?” she asked, her voice cracking. “All I’ve ever wanted was to help people. What did I do to deserve this?”
“Nothing. Of course you don’t deserve this.”
“Then why is it happening?” she repeated. “Why me?”
Because you had an extremely powerful quirk.
“My career is over when it barely began… of course there's no way I can be a hero without a quirk. What am I supposed to do now? My parents--”
“If they truly love you, they’ll support you no matter what you do.”
She kept her head down. “...What if they don’t?”
“Then the rest of us will. We’re going to be here for you every step of the way.”
Her body shook as she cried and he clasped her hand.
“Thank you, Shouto.”
Someone cleared their throat and they found Izuku looking nervous. “Shouto, there’s something I think you should see.”
“I’ll be back in a bit,” he told her quietly. She just nodded and curled further into herself.
Izuku lead him into an empty classroom and all but collapsed in a chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There’s a reason I knew were you guys were. I’m sure you remember that video Shigaraki was recording.”
He was silent.
“Momo got one as well. They broadcast it to agencies all over the nearby cities as soon as it was over. Mine was one of them. This is… not something I wanted to ask, but it’s for the good of the police and everyone else. Would you take a look at it and see if you recognize the guy who takes her quirk?”
He swallowed back the bile he felt rising in his throat. “You want me to watch the video of her losing her quirk--”
“I’ll stay here, of course. Shouto, please, it’s for the good of everyone else.”
“...Fine.”
Izuku dimmed the lights and the screen lit up, the camera shaking a moment before focusing on a bound and scared looking Momo. Shigaraki’s voice could just be made out in the background.
“My name is Momo Yaoyorozu,” she said. “I’m better known as the hero Creati. I’ve been captured by the League of Villains and the hero Deku isn’t coming to save me.”
She paled as he spoke the next line.
“They… They’ve been nice enough not to kill me.”
“C’mon, say the next line for all your fans. Show them what a good hero you are.”
“...I’m going to… repay them now…”
“Now make sure to look at the camera for this. They’ll want to see your face, after all.”
A man in a suit and a black mask entered the frame and she began to cry.
“Please don’t do this,” she whimpered. “I’ll do anything… please…”
“I won’t need to worry about that once I have your quirk,” he said.
“Please…!”
Her cries grew more desperate as he covered her face and his hand glowed with a strange red light.
“Please! Please!”
Her words became indistinguishable as she screamed and Shouto flinched, unable to watch. Izuku rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
It ended just as soon as it began and she slumped forward. The man left the frame and Shigaraki took his place, looking straight at the camera. “She isn’t the only one we have waiting to have their quirk taken, Deku. They seem to be under the impression that you’ll come and save them. Maybe you will, but not in time. The clock is already ticking.”
The feed was cut and Shouto’s whole body shook.
“Did you recognize…?”
“No,” he whispered.
“Shouto, I’m so sorry, I truly didn’t want to do this to you--”
“That was supposed to be me.”
“Don’t do this to yourself--”
His head snapped up and he glared at the other boy, his mismatched eyes blazing. “They didn’t even want her, Dabi told me himself! It was just chance that she got captured with me! She could still have her quirk right now if she hadn’t gone on that patrol with me!”
“It’s in the past. There’s nothing you can do to change it.”
“It should’ve been me,” he mumbled.
“Don’t even say that!”
“It’s a hero’s job to protect people!” he snapped. “I was supposed to protect her but I didn’t, and now her career is over!”
“She’s a hero too, and she knew exactly what she was getting into when she attended this school. Of course she knew the dangers of this.”
“It still shouldn’t have cost her her quirk.”
Izuku sighed. “No, nothing should cost that.”