Chapter Text
Shouto is six years old. Tomorrow he will be burned by a tea kettle after his mother proclaims the real Shouto was taken and he was a “Changeling”. Today he sits outside his house in his mother’s fruit garden. It’s foggy in the silent night and that is one thing he is great fun for.
Shouto sits near the strawberries absentmindedly looking through a picture book when he hears a noise crashing near the gate. Instead of moving towards the noise, Shouto closed his book and pressed his body against the wood of the shed behind him. “Who’s there?” he called out in a small voice.
Someone no bigger than him appeared through the fog. He has an outline of wild curls and a too-thin frame. Shouto caught his breath and squished his boy even further from view. This is exactly what my mother warned me about he thought.
That is until they moved closer.
“Whatcha got there?” they asked, a smile brighter than the glaring moon.
Shouto looks up and down at the person in front of him. It was a boy just like him. Well, not really like him. Compared to Shouto, the boy was wearing rags and his face was dirty. But the light from the moon and the fog that surrounded the boy made him look very very pretty. “My mother says things like you are fairies,” Shouto told the boy.
The fairy beamed, “People like me?” he said through his giggles. “Others are not usually so kind to people like me”
“But you’re so pretty!” he admonished “And you don’t look like a bad fairy to me,” he said putting his hands on the other boy's face and squishing them together, making them both giggle.
“My mommy,” the fairy starts, sitting down next to Shouto, “says the real fairies don’t exist.”
“No!” Shouto exclaimed, turning towards the boy.
“Yes!” the boy responded with the same energy, flapping his tiny hands. “And my auntie told me that grownups made up fairies ‘cus they were too stupid”
“She said that?!”
“I know right!” he says giggling even harder.
“Well then I'm going to ask my mother about that tomorrow,” Shouto tells the boy, feeling pride that his mother will prove the boy wrong.
“You will?” the boy asks.
“Yes,” Shouto answers. “My mother has never been wrong”
“Okay,” the boy said, finally quitting his giggles and stilling his hands. He points to the book in Shouto’s lap. “What book are you reading”
That made Shouto giggle “A book about fairies”
The other boy’s giggles joined his own and soon they were making far too much noise with their joy. His father would surely wake up at the disturbance but Shouto didn’t care. A boy who didn't believe in fairies had appeared to him and made him laugh. Today was a good day.
Then a flashing red light then appeared in the sky. The boy’s laughter immediately died and was replaced by a scowl. “I have to go now,” he said, standing up.
“You have to leave now?” Shouto whined, getting up and tugging on the boy's shirt.
“Yeah,” he gnawed his lip in thought for a moment, “hey I have to bring something back with me too can i-”
“You can take me!” Shouto says jumping up at the thought of leaving.
The other boy smiles softly “They said I can’t bring back people anymore,” he chewed on the inside of his lip again “how about I take you a book, and then when I get big and strong I’ll come back to get you!”
Shouto wanted to say no. Fuyumi gave him this book and told him to always keep it safe. But on the other hand, who would it be safer with than with his new friend? “Do you promise to come and get me when you’re big and strong?”
“Yes” the boy who doesn't believe in fairies stated holding out his pinky finger “I pinky promise”
Shouto wrapped his pink around the other boys “Pinky promise” he says. Then he gave the other boy his book. “Bye-bye,” he said, scowling at the ground.
“Bye-bye,” the other boy said. And then he rounded the corner from the way he came and just like that he is gone.
_____________
Two days later Shouto sat outside again. This time his eye has a bandage on it and he is holding a book about sails boats. The night is clear and the moon is no longer full. He wonders if he is the real Shouto.
Was it really a fairy he met the other day? After meeting the boy he did in fact ask his mother whether or not fairies were real. She had told him he was asking too many stage questions. She told him the way he always asked too many questions was odd and unnatural. She had also told the way he looked at her with his father’s eye was unnatural and dangerous. Then she spilled the tea kettle. She was just scared and it was an accident. Yes, it was just an accident.
That was what Shouto told himself.
But that boy from two nights ago kept coming back to him.
The boy with wild hair that gleamed in the night. The boy with a contagious giggle. The boy who didn’t believe in fairies.
Did the boy from two nights ago steal away the “real” Todoroki Shouto and leave a Changeling who says odd things and asks weird questions? His sister told him he was the same old Shouto and his father said his mother was crazy.
Also, a boy who doesn’t believe in fairies could possibly be a fairy, right?
Whatever he was, Shouto decided to wait for the boy who doesn’t believe in fairies. Maybe he would know whether or not Shouto was really Shouto.
————-
Fifteen years later Shouto stands aboard his father’s ship alongside his father. The memories of the boy who didn’t believe in fairies are faded but not lost. He was nine when he decided to stop waiting for the boy.
As for now, after reluctantly agreeing to sail with his father he is trapped in a conversation about pirates of all things.
“Enji does your boy know about the pirates of the Hero’s Revenge,” one of the crewmates says, completely overlooking Shouto as if he isn’t there. Shouto doesn’t say anything but looks to his father for an explanation.
“They’re pirates that call themselves heroes but all they do is loot and kidnap children.” Enji gruffed out, “You’ll do your best to avoid them, that wild band of perverts and thieves”
“I heard they’ve got magic in their fingertips,” said another crewmate.
“I heard that if they catch you on your ship they slaughter everyone on board,” said Kamiji, the first mate.
“Oi!” a voice shouted from above Shouto’s head, “If we killed everyone then who'd be alive to tell our stories! HAHAHA,” Shouto followed the voice to see a face hidden by a mop of green hair swing onto his father's ship and land in front of him. Instinctively he pulled out his sword but was instantly disarmed and was put into a headlock by the invader.
All around him colorful figures boarded his father's ship and he could see dueling his father in his peripheral vision. To the right of him, another green figure hopped on board.
Wait. Hopped?
“Watch your front half n half” snapping his head forward he saw a large explosion. Coming out of the ashes came an absolute unit of a man with pale blond hair. “I wasn’t talking about me,” he growled, a subtle smirk playing across his features, “Oi! Captain, we got three minutes” he called before stalking out of Todoroki's line of vision.
“Got it Kacchan” the green-haired invader in front of him ( the captain? ) lifted his sword to point directly at Todoroki’s chest. “Is this your first time on the water?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Todoroki almost forgot how to breathe. The man had vibrant green eyes and dark freckles trailing his tanned cheeks. His smile was too wide, almost as if he were mad with pleasure to have Todoroki at his mercy.
“Ye- yes,” he said choking on the spit lodged into his throat.
“Will you take my hand?”
Shouto took a deep breath, he let the initial panic subside and forced his brain to think clearly. He was on his father's ship. His father's ship had been boarded by pirates. Someone with crazy huge biceps had him in a headlock. The huge biceps guy also smelled like cake. A beautiful stranger and captain of the pirates had him at the mercy of his sword. The man was also asking for his hand.
What did he mean by hand? Did he want to marry him? Sure random girls in his town had joked about marriage before but he had never been asked by a pirate before and much less a man.
“What?” he asked the pirate.
“Either you take my hand and join my crew, or,” he pointed to their surroundings. Shouto followed his finger and saw the ship in flames and his father in a losing battle between him and two smaller figures. “or I leave you on this ship destined to sink”
“I doubt that this ship is near unsinkable,” Shouto might hate his dad but he knew how much time and money had gone into crafting the vessel.
“Are you certain? I know as sure as I am standing here that the only thing currently keeping this ship afloat is a member of my crew and to insult her like that is a really shitty thing to do” the stranger was still smiling at him. And his sword had not moved an inch. A beautiful stranger was a second away from ending his life. Shouto thought to himself that there are definitely worse ways to go.
“Her?” Shouto questioned, it was common knowledge that women on a ship were bad luck.
“Don't tell me you believe those fairy tales, I thought you were educated” he cackled.
Shouto felt like he had been slapped in the face. He had been educated. More educated than the scruffy pirate in front of him he estimated. And any captain -or just anyone Shouto wagered- knew that women on ships were bad luck. “I-”
“SHOUTO!” bellowed a familiar voice.
His father was currently tied down with long white strips of tape. Parts of the exploded deck had covered most of his lower body. Pieces of the wood were launched into his side. “DON'T FORGET HOW I RAISED YOU! FIGHT!!” he howled, still pinned to the ground.
Shouto felt a wave of something hot and nasty at his father's words. How he raised me?? how he raised me he says? The burn marks and failed branding on his back itched like sticky sores. He turned his head back to the green captain who had turned a confused look at his father.
“Does your offer still stand?” he asked harshly.
The pirate captain regarded him a moment before opening his mouth “Yes”
“Then take me with you,” he said before he could change his mind.
The stranger shot Shouto another smile that made his legs weak. “Sato, we’re taking him,” he said to the biceps guy.
And then Shouto felt a slight pinch in his neck and everything went dark.
_____________\\
“What do y'all think his quirk will be?”
“God, Mina you can't just guess what someone's quirk will be”
“Well I’m curious, maybe it’ll be peppermint themed”
“Both of you are wrong my gold is on that it'll be candy cane themed”
“Candy canes are peppermints, dumbass”
“Nooo I mean he’ll probably be able to shoot candy out of his-”
Todoroki sat bolt straight up and immediately twisted for his sword which was nowhere to be found. All that movement had knocked him over flat on his ass. He looked curiously at his surroundings to see the table which he had fallen from and three rather colorful figures staring back at him with very different reactions.
The tallest of them had their hair pulled back into a high pony and far fewer clothes than should be deemed appropriate. They wore a red one-piece and pants that had a long split down the middle and golden buttons trailing the belt loops of her pants. The second tallest had blond hair with bold lighting on his bangs. Now that is a pirate he thought. The man wore a leather black jacket and a white collarless shirt with matching black leather pants. He also had more piercings than Shouto had ever seen in his life. The final person he looked at had scared him shitless. They had pink skin and hair. It wore a full-body skin-tight one piece that looked as if it were made from animal skin.
The tallest seemed vaguely disgusted with his presence, the second and third were holding back laughter.
“What are you?” he asked the strangers. In hindsight, maybe another question would have been more appropriate but he was weaponless and in an unknown place.
“I'm human if that's what you're asking.” The pink one answered, “And so is Momo and Denki” she continued smirking and pointing at her comrades. “Also we’re pirates”
Now that he had time to let his brain catch up with the world around him he considered his life up until that point. A beautiful stranger, his father screaming face, the smell of chiffon cake. He had grabbed the captain's hand. He felt the ground lurch and the table he was crouching behind rocked.
“Okay, so where are we now?”
The cool blond- Denki- spoke up “Do you mean in like the entire world like latitude and long-”
“Kaminari I love you but for the love of Hakko shut up,” Momo said, cutting him off. “You’re on a ship. But shouldn’t you already know this? I can’t believe I thought Deku was lying when he said you weren’t very bright.” she tutted. “All that money and for -“
“I am not stupid, I am Shouto” he stood up from behind the table “And I’m finding it hard to believe you two are pirates,” he said eyeing Momo and the pink one.
“Call me a girl again and I’ll cut your fucking balls off” the pink one growled.
“What Mina means to say” Momo started, “is that they are not bound by gender norms, you may call her a legend who uses she/they pronouns”
Shouto looked at the pink one- Mina- again. They definitely have tiddies , he thought. He looked to Denki to get any sort of clarification. All he got back from the man was a shrug of the shoulders as if he couldn't understand what Shouto wanted. Then again it was three against two and all of them had weapons and definitely looked as if they could use them properly. Especially the pink one “Got it”
Just then the door opened and in walked another group of three. This one had the pale blonde he remembered from before, a redhead with spiky hair and an immense amount of earrings similar to Denki, and finally, the beautiful stranger whose hand he had taken.
“Denki, pillar of manliness, you didn't tell me our guest had woken up?? Bro? How could you??” the redhead said before charging into the Denki with outstretched arms, tackling the other man in a hug. “So what do we think about the fresh meat?” he said, whispering and covering his mouth as if everyone else in the room wasn't already staring at the two and could hear their conversation.
“We don't have any fresh meat” the beautiful stranger interjected, “At least not yet,”
Shouto glanced at the other six pairs of eyes glaring back at him and thought quietly to himself. There's six of them and one of me…..and they all have guns and sword and scary piercings and she/they pronouns and all I have are the cotton clothes on my back… speaking of which why do I suddenly feel like the weird one and why is that redhead wearing no shirt and why does he only have sleeves and that tattoo is so cool and how is he so fucking ripped oh my god and why does the pale blond have spiky orange thing coming out of the back of his head and why is that green one muttering to himself did I already do something to piss him off and-
“Izuku, you’re scaring him,” Momo said, interrupting his thoughts.
That seemed to snap the man out of his trance. “Uhh sorry anyway, you joined me of your own accord, yes” he nodded to Shouto.
“...yes”
“Then will you become an angel of revenge and justice on the high seas?”
“A what?”
The pale blonde scoffed. “Pirate is what he means' ' he said to Shouto. “I hope you know that is the lamest fucking thing you've ever said in your life, nerd,” he said to the captain.
“Don't be fucking rude Kacchan, and if you wanna be pissed at somebody be pissed at Shinso, I lost a bet and-”
“Guys!” Momo yelled, again. “Focus!”
After that, the captain- Midoriya (?)- explained to him his proposition. Become a pirate and sail around with the “best crew” imaginable or be dropped off at the nearest port. Or, the angry blond Bakugou- was sure to include “be thrown off the ship”. Shouto chose to former and signed a somewhat lengthy but overall pretty simple contract about the ship's rules and that any secrets that come from the ship stay on the ship. The phrase “seal your fate” etched itself in his mind.
_________________________________________
“Everyone, I am pleased to announce the newest member of the Hero's Revenge, Todoroki Shouto!”
“It’s just Shouto”
“Okay! Everybody, please welcome Just Shouto!”
Todoroki twitched his hands and glanced uncomfortably at the sea of forty or so people staring back at him. He looked to the person who had announced him, Iida, he was told only moments before entering the room. The man looked kind of old-fashioned in his sorta fancy knight costume but he also had glasses which made Shouto think that he may come from a place of wealth.
Iida gave him a reassuring smile and then looked back to the crowd so Shouto followed suit. “Hello, scary and colorful people” he waved.
The room erupted in tiny snickers and grins. Someone in the back shouted, "What are your pronouns bland pipsqueak?”
Shouto had been called many things in his life. “pathetic” and “heir” by his father, “exotic” and “ugly” by different village girls but never in his life had someone called him bland. He realized the people were still staying at him so he cleared his throat and started to answer but something stopped him. If the pink icon could have she/they pronouns and the person with soy sauce colored hair have they/them pronouns they could Shouto choose different ones too? It was a guess, no one had ever asked him that type a question before. Then another voice from the crowd yelled again.
“You can just choose later Peppermint!”
“Okay Candy Cane have you got your quirk yet?!” another voice from the crowd called out.
“You know we have to meet the fresh meat before they get their quirk Monoma”
“That was a terrible joke Tetsu-kun”
“I THOUGHT IT WAS MANLY TETSU”
“What’s a quirk?” Shouto meant to ask that when he woke up, it just slipped his mind.
“Deku-kun did you forget to tell him?” a girl in a grey pink outfit in the front row said giggling.
Deku, Midoriya, Izuku -Shouto wasn’t really sure what the captain's name was anymore- they blushed deeply before muttering a quiet “shit” and then looked to Shouto and grabbed his arm “Come on Shouto-kun I forgot to introduce you to our most important crewmates”
“Meeting adjourned,” Iida said “See you all at lunch”
___________
He took him out of the room and down a hallway until making a stop at a door. It had pastel-painted pretty flowers and crudely drawn fictional creatures out of a children’s storybook. “Who is-“
“Shhh.. they might be sleeping,” Izuku said before quietly pushing open the door.
Inside had a triple bunk bed with a table in the middle of the room. Around the table were three kids who looked to be no older than 8. “Deku-kun!” one of the girls said before throwing herself into hugging the captain.
“Eri-chan! Did you miss me?”
“Yeah! I even drew you a picture look look!” The little girl shoved him a picture that seemed to have the captain and a few others he recognized from the meeting room standing aboard the ship. “Do you like it?” she asked Izuku with wide eyes.
“I think it's amazing,” he said, patting her head. He stood back up and reached out for Shouto who was standing awkwardly in the back. “Eri-chan, Katsuma-kun, Mahoro-chan,” he said pointing to each of them, “this is Shouto; he’s new”
“Shouto-kun,” said Mahoro, she came up to him so he crouched down to eye level “Why are you here?”
Shouto thought for a moment before answering. Ehh why am I here? I grabbed the captain's hand but why? and for what? “Well because I grabbed the captain’s hand” he decided upon.
“Well why did you grab the Deku-kun’s hand,” the girl said now playing with his fingers.
“Because I wanted to leave my father,” Shouto answered honestly.
“And why did you want to do that?”
“Be-”
“Okay! Mahoro, I love how much you want to get to know Shouto-kun but now is not the time” the captain interjected. “Eri-chan for quirks?”
“Wait,” Shouto said, stopping them. “Why are these three even onboard? And why do you call them your crewmates? These are children.” It was also common knowledge that children shouldn't sail until 16 years of age.
The captain gave him a wry smile “Yes these are children but they are children with no place to go. Within my crew aboard the Hero’s Revenge, there are seekers who sought us out themselves, aristocrats like you who we borderline kidnapped, and those like these three who we saved from a terrible fate and have chosen to stay with us.”
“Deku-kun taught me how to smile” Eri smiled at the captain.
But children aren't supposed to have a choice echoed in the back of Shoutos mind. It just simply isn't done.
“Moving on,” he said, clapping his hands. “I guess I should explain this before it happens,” the captain said nervously, laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. “Quirks are basically magic abilities. Everyone in my crew has one and they need it to keep others and themselves safe. To be a hero you must keep yourself and others safe” he repeated, almost like he was chanting a mantra.
“Your quirk can be anything, it could change your body in different ways or you could still look the same though with immense power. Eri-chan‘s quirk is what enables us to have this power.” he pointed to her head, “This horn right here is a part of her quirk and with it, she is able to awaken your own magic”
“My own magic?” Shouto asked.
The captain nodded enthusiastically “Ages and ages ago humans had the power of gods! One man became greedy and took it all away,” he looked down, “My predecessor and those that came before him were the only one to keep their power, but that was until my small crew at the time and I found Eri-chan who somehow was born with a quirk. Her’s allows her to rewind a person’s life and in doing so she awakens the blood in your body that still wishes to feel the power of a god.”
Shouto pressed his forefinger and thumb to his chin “What kind of powers will I have” he asked.
That made Izuku grow a devilishly wide grin “Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Shouto said with zero hesitation. he had already made up his mind about the captain.
“Then stick out your arm”
Shouto obeyed and watched him pull out a knife. He rolled up his sleeve and for the first time Shouto noticed how scarred and calloused the captain's hand was. He beckoned for the boy, Katsuma, to come forward. “Katsuma-kun are you ready?”
The boy nodded his face ablaze with excitement. The captain took a deep breath and in a flash, he cut a gash across the top of Shouto’s arm. Immediately Katsuma pressed his hands onto the cut part of Shouto's arm and within seconds his arm was healed. They didn’t even give Shouto time to scream.
“What… just happened?” he asked, looking up at the captain whose smile was getting increasingly hard to look at.
“Magic,” he said and Shouto could swear he saw tiny little stars surrounding the captain's face.
“Will I be able to do that too?” he asked.
The captains let out a small laugh “Probably not” he said, “Katsuma-kun is the only one so far with such powers. My crew seems to think your quirk will be peppermint oriented, but I have another suspicion”
“What do you think?”
The captain brought either of his hands to each side of his face squishing it together and bringing it closer to his own. Shouto felt a warmth spreading across his cheeks “Your tone is cold as ice yet the look of each of your eyes burns burns burns.” he repeated, “One side of your hair is white like the tips of mountains and the other red as the glow from the setting sun. also half of your face is burned. I think you will have the powers of either fire or ice. My money is on fire” he released Shouto’s face and stepped back. This feels too familiar, Shouto thought.
“Anyways,” the captain continued, “let’s go before we miss lunch”
“Go? Where are we going?”
“When you first get your quirk it’s wild and untamed, if Eri-chan gave it to you here you could probably destroy this whole room, and not to mention you could still have a mutation quirk which gets kinda bloody,” he said laughing at the end.
_____________
The captain brought them into a heavenly insulated and brightly lit room. The room had wood paneling and a faded blue mat in the middle. He removed his shoes. Then he sat in the middle of the mat and Eri sat down next to him. He gestured for Shouto to sit in front of him.
Shouto followed the captain and removed his shoes before sitting across from him.
“Okay, so what’s gonna happen is Eri-chan is going to put each of her hands on your temples and then… well I guess we’ll see what happens then”
Shouto nodded his head “Just like I’m the boy who doesn’t believe in fairies” he mumbles. Woah . It had been a long time since he thought about that.
“What?” the captain asked.
“Nothing, I’m ready,” he says. Maybe it because that captain reminds him of the boy. His hair is just as wild and tho Shouto had yet to hear the captain's giggle, he suspected it would be just as contagious.
Eri scooted close to him and put each of her hands on Shouto’s face. She pressed her forehead against Shouto’s and closed her eyes. Moments passed, and Shouto’s face began to prickle. At first, it's like the tickles of a feather but before long half of his face burns and the other is numb. It takes half a second before he is forcibly shoving Eri off of him and his boy explodes.
Well, not really.
Half of his body is covered in flames and the other coated in ice. The ground around himself is frozen with jagged ice coming up from the ground. The ceiling and wall beside him are threatening to be singed. Shouto looks wide-eyed at all of this and is paralyzed. The smoke invades his lungs and ice seals off his circulation.
“SHOUTO-KUN JUST BREATHE” The captain is yelling, and maybe he has been yelling this for a while. Shouto looked to the captain. He was standing now and had Eri on his back. His hands were out in front of him to show he meant no harm.
Shout grimaced at the captain and tried to follow his instructions. The flames licked all over the left side of his body and he was sure it had singed off his clothes. The ice coming from his right had frozen his leg in place and was quick lying spreading the rest of that side. He took another deep breath. The ice stopped growing and the fire melted some as they quieted. Another deep breath. The flames died completely and ice around his leg broke.
Shouto collapsed onto himself. His heaving quickly turned into coughing and the captain came quickly with a blanket. He wrapped it around Shouto and rubbed his back until the fit subsided.
“Thank you Cap-”
“Izuku”
“What?”
“Call me Izuku” he repeated.
“Thank you Izuku” Shouto was still unsure about the other names the captain had, but for now he was content with knowing “Izuku” as for what to call him.
Eri, standing behind Izuku, made an indignant sound. Izuku and Shouto looked to her questioningly and she made another “hmph” before very seriously stating “I wanted him to shoot out candy canes.”
Izuku locked eyes with Shouto before breaking down in a fit of giggles. Shouto’s eyes widened when Izuku flapped his arms. He looked very closely at Izuku who began wiping tears from his eyes.
“Do you believe in fairies?” He asked very seriously.