Chapter Text
Shouto Todoroki was tired. To say the least. Coming back to the dorms after a tough day of training at UA was tiring enough. But when that tough day turned into a villain attack, it felt as though every ounce of energy was sucked out of his bones, every hair on the back of his neck was erect, and every limb and muscle shaken. It was the middle of the night, and though his body was strapped of vigor, his mind was unusually awake. Lying on the futon in his dorm room, he reflected on today’s events. Everyone in his class was undeniably shaken, but it was Shouto who felt his emotions particularly on edge.
During the attack, he was the only one unlucky enough to be separated from his classmates in the chaos. But what was worse? He was separated with none other than the cremation villain himself, Dabi. Oddly enough, however, the man was not intent on killing him. Instead, he took more care to slip a note into his pocket while launching half hearted attacks at his torso. This behavior was unusual for a villain with obviously violent tendencies.
Shouto decided not to overthink the whole situation. At the end of the day, Dabi was a villain, and villains were more often than not, crazy.
So, he put his thoughts to bed and his body along with it. Rolling onto his side, he fell into a fitful slumber.
“Hey. Shou-kid. Wake up.”
He opened his eyes, which found their way to two blue orbs gazing back at him.
“Is something wrong?” He asked. “You shouldn’t be in here. You’ll get in trouble.”
“Nothing’s wrong, Shou-kid, and I don’t care about getting in trouble. I just wanted to see my little bro is all.” The boy tickled him and Shouto giggled.
“Shh. We can’t let dad wake up, okay?”
Shouto looked side with a solemn face. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Yumi and Natsu are up too. We’re sneaking out. Just for tonight.” Shouto smiled.
“Where are we going?”
“Far away. Somewhere where we can all be happy, just the four of us. At least, only for one night. Now come on, let’s hurry. We need to be back before the sun rises.” The boy picked Shouto up and placed him upright on his feet, before began to exit the room with nearly silent footsteps. Shouto followed until he stopped with a jolt. The boy was frozen in place.
“Are you okay?” Shouto asked. Suddenly, his brother whipped his head around, wearing an expression nothing short of horrified. The skin on his face was practically melting off. He stared back at Shouto with tears in his eyes, uttering a soft apology until he crumbled into nothing but dust and ashes.
And Shouto awoke his his brother’s name on his lips.
Sitting upright, he felt the memories of his dream slip away from the corners of his mind until he was left with no recollection of anything at all. The only remainder the dream had left was a slight feeling of unease in his gut which he could no longer place. He felt his thoughts drift to the past day. Staring outside the window, he realized that it was still dark out and most people would be (and should be) asleep. Usually, the dorms were a chaotic place, but at night, you were almost certain to get some quiet, interrupted peace time, where no one would barge in on you.
It was these thoughts, the sense of secrecy he was given and the certainty that really, no one would know if he ever did something reckless. This realization blurred all the lines of reason that he put into place.
He could do something irrational right now, and no one would ever have to know. He stood up out of his bed, grabbed his costume, and pulled out the piece of paper that was left for him.
He stared at the note with a sick fascination. It was a long, thin sheet which was folded neatly in half. It could only hold a small message, one that was obviously meant for him. What could it be? He spun it around between his fingers, dancing at the edges and corners. He examined all of the note’s features, searching for items that would put him at risk. There were obviously no tracking devices placed on the note, and Shouto deduced that there was likely nothing dangerous tucked within the folds after careful examination.
He wouldn’t read it either way. It was from a villain, after all. What good could it do?
But this story would go nowhere if curiosity hadn’t got the best of him. Carefully grabbing the edges, he slowly unfolded the note.
There, written in neat handwriting, was a phone number. It was quite an anticlimactic moment. Shouto sighed, and decided not to entertain his curiosity further. He tossed the note onto his bed and exited his dorm room without a second thought.
“Hey, Todoroki.” He turned around when his ears recognized the voice.
“Hello, Midoriya. Do you need something?”
“No, it’s just-” he paused. “I’m concerned about you. You were separated from the rest of the class, and you had to deal with Dabi, no less. All alone. I was scared myself, but I can’t imagine how scary it must’ve been for you, is all.”
Shouto sighed. Scared...it wasn’t the right word to describe it. It was more perplexing than anything.
“No, don’t worry. It wasn’t that scary, and I’m okay. I just don’t feel very tired tonight, is all. I was just going to grab something to eat.”
Midoriya chuckled. “I’m not too tired either. I think there’s some crackers or something downstairs.”
Shouto nodded, and followed his friend. The two took their seats and ate in silence. He found himself playing with the dangerous idea of what if ?
Even though it was reckless, he could just send him a text, right? Honestly, it couldn’t do much harm if he didn’t let the person on the other end hear his voice or learn any damning information about his class.
But the question is, who would he end up talking to? Dabi was a villain, not an idiot. He would end up giving his own personal number to Shouto, right? No, of course not. He shouldn’t get ahead of himself. He would find out who was on the other end of the phone number and figure out why he was given the number in the first place. It could provide insight regarding the League of Villains’ motivations. Yes, that’s it. This plan could yield promising results if Shouto was careful.
So, he trudged back up the steps, flopped back onto the futon, and send the mystery number a message.
Shouto Todoroki: Who is this, and what do you want?
Unknown: u actually responded
Unknown: gotta say i wasn’t expecting that
Shouto Todoroki: I got this number from a villain. I wasn’t expecting to contact this number either.
Unknown: so then why did u end up doing it anyway
It was best not to reveal his plan so soon into the conversation.
Shouto Todoroki: I’m not entirely sure. Call it curiosity. Now tell me, who the hell are you?
Unknown: kid chill out
Unknown: it’s dabi
Shouto Todoroki: What?
Unknown: i gave you this number bc i wanted to talk to u
Shouto Todoroki: Before you even start, I’m not going to become a villain, no matter what you say. You should’ve learned that lesson after you kidnapped Bakugou.
Unknown: jeez that isn’t what i was trying to do but ok cool
Unknown: u just seemed like a nice kid and all
Unknown: just wanted to get to know u and see how u were handling things and stuff
Shouto Todoroki: Do you really expect me to trust that?
Unknown: i said i wasn’t rlly expecting you to text me at all
Unknown: didn’t plan this far ahead
Shouto Todoroki: Either way, it’s apparent you have ulterior motives. Stop attacking our school and leave my classmates alone. What makes you think I won’t turn this number in to the heroes?
Unknown: this is a burner phone dipshit im not stupid
Unknown: i can throw this fucker out whenever i want lol
Unknown: i had it saved for emergencies tho
Shouto Todoroki: I don’t understand how this stunt is an emergency.
Unknown: ...nvm
Unknown: point is idk why we can’t just be...friends or smth
Unknown: even if we’re fighting on diff sides of things
Shouto Todoroki: So even though you’re trying to harm my classmates and I, we can still be friends? No thank you. Your acting is terrible.
Unknown: kid wait please
Unknown: think abt it
Unknown: u don’t rlly have to tell me anything about info on ur classmates or anything
Unknown: u can choose to tell me anything you want
Unknown: ur a smart kid im sure u won’t do smth royally stupid
Unknown: but staying in touch with me might be an advantage for u
Shouto Todoroki: Why do you want to talk to me so badly? I don’t understand your angle here. You’re a vicious murderer and now you’re playing the why can’t we be friends card here? I thought you were scary but you’re just...a creep.
Unknown: hey that’s rude af
Unknown: look how abt this
Unknown: meet me at 638 ekou street alone and we can just talk ok
Unknown: i know u don’t rlly understand where im coming from but i promise
Unknown: im not trying to hurt u or anything
Unknown: let’s just talk irl and then u can decide for urself
Shouto Todoroki: So you want me to go to all the way to Hosu with no backup...so you can convince me you’re not trying to hurt me? I’ll pass.
Unknown: ok look bro idk what else to try
Unknown: idk if u realise how important this is to me
Shouto Todoroki: I don’t understand how making “friends” with a teenager is important. Not to mention, this is weirdly out of character for you.
Unknown: fine
Unknown: but if u need anything
Unknown: anything at all
Unknown: just text me i’ll help u out
Unknown: and text me if you change your mind
Unknown: don’t do anything stupid, kid (Unread)
Dabi turned off his phone with a resigned sigh. At least the kid wasn’t a complete idiot. Even though this played to his disadvantage, in a way, he was relieved that the kid was smart. It took a weight off his chest.
He was never planning on talking to Shouto. Never in a million years would he do something so stupid. But then the nightmares caught up to him, hours and hours of thinking about what he did to the poor kid and his siblings, all the pain he had to have caused.
It was his job to make it right somehow.
And also...maybe part of it was him missing seeing the kid’s face all these years.
Should he tell him his real name? Admit to him the identity he had concealed for years?
No...not yet. Now wasn’t the right time. He hadn’t seen the kid in years, and he had no idea how he’d take to that kind of information. It was best to wait it out and survey the path as he walked on it. Leaning back on the couch, he put his phone back in his pocket.
He wouldn’t dispose of it just yet. Just in case.
~<3~
Shouto turned off his phone. That certainly wasn’t the route he was expecting the conversation to go. He’d assumed that Dabi would have been a bit smarter and more careful if he was trying to get information out of him, which means he wouldn’t show signs of desperation. But the villain had gone far past the point of desperation; he was practically begging Shouto to talk to him. It didn’t fit the persona the villain had built up over the years. The whole conversation was utterly bizarre, and he was left with the question of what to do next. It was too late to go back to sleep, and he suddenly wasn’t tired anymore. So, he got out of his bed, threw on joggers, a hoodie, and his sneakers, and went for a jog to clear his head.
He still felt unease from a dream he could no longer remember, and still felt bewildered by the conversation he could not comprehend. He lost himself in his thoughts and didn’t stop running until the sun had risen and he was tired once again.
~<3~
Shouto had decided not to contact the villain until he himself was wrapped up in curiosity, eagerly trying to figure out what the villain had wanted and why his approach to texting him was so bizarre.
He had gone out of his way to put a note him his pocket with his own phone number. He had acted strangely out of character to gain his trust. Okay. Things were starting to clear up.
Was Dabi trying to make Shouto think he had the upper hand? Trick him and lure him in until he launched a surprise attack?
Such were his thoughts after that fateful day, until he decided to take a chance once more, and send the villain another message. Just to figure things out. The fact that Dabi had suddenly changed his ways could be a clue as to what the League was planning on doing next. As long as he revealed nothing about himself, there should be no issue of safety, and Shouto could learn something to protect his school.
So, he waited until the right moment to restart their contact. He waited until he could start a conversation casually that would show that Shouto himself was trying to do nothing but accept the help that he offered.
And the time came one morning, about a week after he and the villain exchanged their first message. Shouto had an English test and he, like a fool, didn’t study. It wasn’t that Shouto couldn’t get a decent grade without help, but if he nailed this test then he’d make an A for the semester. It could potentially boost his grades, and would simultaneously bring him one step closer to figuring out what the fuck was going on. Though he could not have picked a riskier time to exact his plan, he also couldn’t pass up what he deemed a golden opportunity.
Shouto Todoroki: hey
The response was almost immediate.
Unknown: ditched the full sentences huh
Unknown: i was beginning to think u wouldn’t text me back
Unknown: alright kiddo what do u need
Shouto Todoroki: how good are u at english grammar
Unknown: english was like my best subject back in my school days.
Unknown: do u need help w homework
Shouto Todoroki: no i’m in the middle of a test and i’m going to fail
Unknown: kid u shouldn’t cheat on tests
Shouto Todoroki: and u shouldn’t be a murderer but here we are
Unknown: touche
Shouto Todoroki: now come on r u gonna help me
Unknown: ...what do u need
Shouto Todoroki: okay if i want to say that something belongs to the class should i say class’s or class’
Unknown: you only exclude the s after the apostrophe if the noun is a plural
Unknown: so here it’s class’s because there’s only one class so it’s singular
Unknown: but if it was classes then it’d be classes’
Shouto Todoroki: ohh
Shouto Todoroki: that solves like every other question i had
Shouto Todoroki: so all i gotta do is figure out which one is singular and which one is plural
Unknown: yea basically
Shouto Todoroki: ok thx
Shouto Todoroki: english is so hard
Unknown: there there
Unknown: alright go finish ur test and send a text if u have any more questions k?
Shouto Todoroki: k thx again
Unknown: anytime shouto
Shouto Todoroki: hold on why do u always call me by my first name
Shouto Todoroki: especially when we were at the training camp where u kidnapped my friend
Shouto Todoroki: come to think of it i was the only one u did that to
Unknown is typing…
Unknown: dramatic effect
Unknown: now seriously finish ur damn test
Shouto Todoroki: …
Shouto turned off his cellphone and stared back at his test. Luckily, he wasn’t caught cheating, and thankfully, the villain was helpful. He treated him with kindness and actually helped him with his test. It didn’t take away from the peculiarity of the villain’s actions but for some reason, he felt surprisingly comfortable talking to him. It was a strange feeling that he was not yet accustomed to, but the conversation felt nice.
The conversation had only worsened the situation. It solved nothing, only created more unanswered questions. Shouto sighed. He felt a mix of disappointed and content.
He turned his attention back to the test and heeded Dabi’s advice. If this conversation didn’t support his spying endeavor’s he might as well use it to boost his test score. Cars is plural so it’d be cars’. Apple is singular so it’d be apple’s. He finished the test with ease until one particular question caught his eye.
Shouto Todoroki: what abt the word people
Shouto Todoroki: people is plural so is it people’ then
Unknown: no it’s people’s
Unknown: you only drop the s after the apostrophe if the plural ends in an s
Shouto Todoroki: k thx
Shouto finished the last question and turned in his test, being one of the first people to do so. Even though it wasn’t exactly honest work, he still felt a glimmer of pride. On his way back to his seat, he saw Bakugou glaring at him. Right then and there Shouto was certain of one fact. He knew he cheated .
So, he waited for the others to finish their tests and the bell to ring. He needed to convince his classmate to stay quiet.
As soon as class ended, the others scurried out to lunch, but Bakugou got up out of his seat and headed straight for him in the back corner. The others filtered out of the room but Shouto knew that trying to exit himself would be a foolish decision.
“Never thought of you as the rebellious type, Icyhot,” Bakugou said once class ended. He glared at him, eyeing him up and down with malice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Could he really worm his way out of the situation?
“Don’t play dumb with me, you bastard . I saw you on your phone during the test. You cheated.”
Shouto averted his gaze from the angry eyes. Bakugou knew. He would stop trying to talk his way out of it, because there was no way he could convince him otherwise. Bakugou was the stubborn type, and wouldn’t let it go.
“Okay, you’re right. I just forgot to study. But I don’t want my grades to drop because of one stupid mistake.”
Bakugou looked at him with even more fury.
“What. You too scared of your dear old dad finding out you’re nothing but a cheater?”
Bakugou should’ve known what he was getting himself into when he said that. If there was one way to set Shouto off, it was mentioning his father. No matter how much the man tried to change, he was still arguably the biggest stressor in his life, and bringing his name up flipped a switch inside Shouto that he didn’t even know he possessed.
“You asshole. Take that back. Take it back!”
Shouto approached Bakugou, stance low, ready to fight. Bakugou did the same.
After all, what was Shouto supposed to say? That the main reason he decided to cheat was because he wanted an excuse to text a villain? That said villain had kidnapped him? That he was breaking school rules because he was curious about something?
“If you two start fighting in here, you’ll both be suspended. Were you planning on fighting just now?”
Aizawa.
“I’ll ask again. Were. You. Going. To. Fight?”
“No, Aizawa-sensei,” they responded together.
“I should hope not. Anyway, go to lunch. I don’t know what’s going on between you two but you better fix it. I don’t want to see this again.”
“Yes, Aizawa-sensei.”
They both grabbed their things and left the room.
“Icyhot.”
Shouto turned his head to face his classmate.
“I won’t tell anyone. But you better not do that shit again. It pisses me off.”
Shouto nodded his head. “I won’t.”
A day later, he got his test back, a 97 scrawled on his paper. He sighed internally and thought about the villain once more. He helped him. And Shouto had a revelation.
It was risky, dangerous, illogical, stupid, just about the worst plan anyone could ever think of. But something inside Shouto said that this...this was the one thing in his life that he just had to do. It was an inexplicable certainty.
He pulled out his cellphone and opened his chat with the villain.
Shouto Todoroki: 638 ekou street. i’m in.