Chapter Text
"Fuyumi-nee?"
When Natsuo got news that his brother was back, he dropped everything and ran to be by his side.
“Natsuo? L-Listen to me very carefully, okay?”
He wasn’t sure what to think, when Fuyumi told him to come to the hospital immediately. He wasn’t sure what to believe when he heard her trembling voice explain that their brother came home, alive. That it wasn’t just a body. That it wasn’t just a memory. That really, truly, Todoroki Touya was not dead.
He felt like he was breathing fire, his chest heaving as the air scorched his throat with every step he made. Eyes watering, he threw the door open.
“Nichan…?”
He felt like he was six again, looking for his older brother after a scary dream.
“...Natsuo,” Touya, who was just as he remembered, all lean muscles and casual posture, looked back at him and gave a crooked grin, “you gained weight, you fatass.”
His brother.
-
His brother was quiet, for the most part.
“So uh,” he opened his mouth to talk instead. It wasn’t that he thought that the silence should be filled, but his brother nodded along. And when he moved, it didn’t feel like he was dreaming. It felt like he was real, really alive, really real. “Yeah, Fuyumi graduated and she’s working to be a teacher now. Teaches little middle schoolers.”
Natsuo couldn’t tell if it was because he missed his brother and just wanted to hear his voice at all and every time. When his brother was quiet, just staring out the window to the parking lot of the hospital, it felt like Natsuo was staring at a picture. It wasn’t real. It was just a capture in the moment.
"I can drive now. The picture came out soooo badly, but they said I can't take it again. But, just look at this! It looks like a mugshot!"
The thought scared him. He swore that that encroaching fear, making his fingers run cold and his throat constrict painfully.
"I've been in university. Ah, I'm taking some time off right now, but the professors said that it's fine as long as I get my papers in by next month."
He took the week off of classes to be here. He didn’t regret it, but maybe going to class would be good. That normality would have anchored him better. That it was really real and then he went home to experience a dream.
“But man, Fuyumi always takes my professors' side in everything. Like, take my side, sis! And she told me to be more mature and see it from my professor's point of view.”
Don’t talk about the dungeon. Don’t talk about hunting. Don’t talk about dad. Don’t talk about mom. Don’t bring up Shouto. Don't fucking bring up Shouto.
All of these things were easy, because the Todorokis were masters at not talking about certain things.
-
When Todoroki Touya was discharged from the hospital, it was Natsuo that brought him home, that stood steadfast by his side, that paid painstakingly close attention to anything and everything to maximize his comfort. Natsuo cleaned up his room (not a lot changed, so just a little bit of dusting), and ordered his favorite food (no one else was home), and it was fine and it was perfect.
His brother was lost in a gate for five years. A fifth of Natsuo’s life.
Touya ate food and showered and it was like no time was lost. Which was good, right? Some habits never changed. He didn't act like a PTSD victim who was gone from home for five years. Natsuo talked until his throat was sore, and then kept talking. Anything.
He brought up the things he was learning in class. What his high school friends were up to, some updates on old teachers, the new amusement park and how they closed their favorite park. Things that he thought Touya would be interested in, but in reality, it felt like he was throwing darts in the dark.
In all his memories, Touya talked about training and fighting and hunting and dungeons and how worthless he felt. The Touya in his memories shined brightly in the five years he missed him, but now that Touya was sitting right in front of him, whole and home, he could only remember his crying face.
These kinds of thought plagued Natsuo.
But still. The last thing he expected was for Touya, not even two days after being discharged, to be looking for gates to enter.
“Nothing too high,” Touya said, starting a conversation for the first time in about two weeks, “Just a D-Gate or something. One open for tomorrow at four.”
Natsuo didn’t understand. He returned to school, yes, but one day. He went to classes for one day. He didn’t get it. Why did Touya want to go? He just came out of a five-year gate, didn’t he? Why did he want to return?
What did Touya do today? He didnt have a tracking device on him or anything, but maybe he should have done it. Recovery was supposed to be a step by step thing. It was supposed to be a slow thing. But in the eight hours that Natsuo was out getting his notes from the time he missed in class, what the hell was Touya doing?
He was looking for another gate to go to.
“...Niichan?” Natsuo said, “You… You just got back…”
How come, after 17 days, he was already moving on? Maybe it didn't bother him? Maybe he missed the gate? Maybe, the same way that Natsuo could remember Touya's cries vibrantly but none of his laughter, Touya couldn't remember anything worth smiling about either.
His chest twisted.
“Yep,” Touya said, standing up, “There’s no way to get my armor customized for tomorrow. I’ll ransack through Otou-sama’s wardrobe. There has to be something he’s not using.”
“W-We need… raid permits,” Natsuo added.
“Otou-sama’s secretary said she has that covered...” his voice trailed off as he looked at his phone, “Oh nice. She said she grabbed an E-Rank.”
When Natsuo said he’d do anything for his brother, especially since a lot had changed in five years, he didn’t mean to send him back into a dungeon.
“...I’ll be coming too,” he said, coming a decision instantly.
Just in case.
That way, if his brother gets lost in a dungeon (this time because he wanted to), Natsuo would be one step behind him. He wouldn’t be left behind this time.
-
Enji signed off on their permit.
Natsuo felt disgusted and disappointed, which was surprising because he didn’t think that there could be a new low for his dad.
-
“...Are we waiting for someone?”
“Yeah, Midoriya.”
Natsuo nodded, Touya didn’t speak much to begin with, or at least, Natsuo can’t remember Touya saying anything that wasn’t filled to the brim with negative thoughts. But since coming out of that gate, Natsuo couldn’t help but feel like his brother was silent. There were no more cruel words. No more bitter tones. Gone were the soulless stares and the burning despair.
It was as though someone took the rage and the envy out of his brother, and now there was nothing left.
He didn't know what that would make him. He knew this name. He heard of it before.
“Midoriya?” Natsuo rolled the name about, “Oh, the Supporter in the group that pulled you out of the gate?”
Was that the problem? That supporter. Was he the reason why Touya wanted to get back into a gate? What did he do? Even thinking about the gate Touya was in for five years had his stomach twisting painfully. He didn't want to bring it up. He didn't really want to think about it. Was it even okay for him to bring it up to Touya?
“He did more than that,” Touya replied back, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
They scanned their passes in and got on the train. It wasn’t the right direction for the gate they were planning on going to, but Natsuo supposed that it was because they were going to go and pick up the Supporter Midoriya.
It was a little weird that they were decked in some simple armor, chest plates and guards for their arms and legs, but Touya didn’t even bat an eye at being stared at. Well, looking around, Natsuo knew that they were not the only people who were on the way to a gate. It was common practice that gate-commuters travel about an hour or so after the civilian-commute rush, but they were going in at the time people were starting to head home.
Additionally, it was only polite that weapons were wrapped up completely when not in a dungeon. Natsuo's shield, the old thing it was, was a little tight but he wore it as a backpack. Touya's bow was folded up and tucked in a bag under his cloak. When they were little, Natsuo would have looked at pairs like them and wondered if they were cosplaying or something.
He didn’t know when this became a common sight. He didn’t know when this became a normal thing to see, like people who smoke or people who don’t hold the door for the next person.
His eyes trailed to his brother again. Touya stared blankly out the window. He wondered what he was thinking, when they zoomed past tall skyscrapers where their favorite park used to be. Did he even notice? Now that Natsuo was thinking about it, what changed in five years?
Had he changed in five years? If he had, would Touya even notice?
-
Natsuo wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he decided to follow Touya-nii out.
“You’re not going to call him?” he asked when they were twenty minutes past the promised time.
His older brother shrugged, but answered him. ”Don’t have his number.”
How did you guys even meet and plan this? Natsuo wanted to ask. Ultimately, he didn't, scared that one day, he would ask something and Touya wouldn't answer. If that happened, what was the difference between Touya being in a gate or not. He tried to think of something, anything, to talk about. They were surrounded by all sorts of buildings and there were people everywhere at the crowded train station, but he couldn't find anything to say.
Physically, they were less than two feet apart. Physically.
Midoriya appeared then. He was hard to see, and probably since Touya’s senses were sharper than Natsuo, his older brother found him with ease.
“Midoriya!” Touya shouted over the crowd. He raised his hand, and the people around them shot them nasty glares, but Natsuo just watched as the supposed Midoriya turned to them.
He waved back, a small wave from a small child (like seriously, he was smaller than Shouto) with the tiniest smile. With the bruise on his face, it looked as though his entire life was nothing more than pain and suffering. They were going to a gate, right?
The kid didn’t look gate-ready. No, Natsuo would go even further and say that the kid didn’t even look ready to be outside. No jacket. No shoes. No socks. He was barefoot in a thin t-shirt and battered jeans in the middle of the city when the leaves were changing colors. His stomach twisted.
Like, the kid could have walked off a poster for those posters in counselor's offices at school. The ones that always talk about ‘if you see it, report it’ or whatever.
The Supporter came up to them, an uncertain smile on his ashen pale face, and Natsuo wondered if the kid ate anything in the last week. His eyes had bags so dark it looked like someone punched him, and his cheeks were concaved in. It was a specific type of helplessness, the kind that all the adults say that it’s important to “say something if you see something” but in reality, it meant, “I am not responsible for the things that I choose not to see”.
He was a supporter-type hunter, right? Why did he look like someone scraped him off the ground? This guy? Found Touya? Brought him home? The magazine spread of hunters never looked like this, even when they were coming out of gates and rushed to hospitals and the like.
Normally, Natsuo would turn the other way and pretend he didn’t see it. It was easier. He understood why his mom did it, once he got older.
“D-did you wait long?” the kid, because what else could he be called he barely came up to Natsuo's chest and looked like he could be stuffed into a bag, asked. His voice was breathless, like he had ran the whole time. His eyes flitted to Natsuo, as though seeing him for the first time and he paled. Quickly sketching a deep bow, he looked back up, “H-Hello,” he stammered, like Natsuo was anything like his demon of a father, “My name is Midoriya Izuku, I’ll be the Support for this raid.”
But this was him. This was the kid who brought his big brother home.
“This is my brother, Natsuo,” Touya said, never knowing the amount of giddy butterflies he set inside of Natsuo by saying that, “He’s a tanker. Figured we could use him, so he’s tagging along.”
“Hello Midoriya,” Natsuo said, bowing his head because it was respectful and trying not to wince when he saw the kid flinch. He wasn't yelling or anything. “Nice to meet you.”
The kid bowed again, even though there was no need to, mutter and mumbling something or another.
“Actually, Nii-chan,” he said, relishing every opportunity he had to say it as he spoke, “I’m hungry. Let’s eat something before we head out. You mind, Midoriya?”
“N-not at all,” Midoriya said, his voice as quiet as his presence. If Natsuo doesn’t actively stare at him, he might actually disappear like he was never here. Maybe that's why Touya hadn't stopped staring either.
There was a long silence and he turned to see what was taking his brother so long. To his shock, he was looking right at him. Touya gave him this look, a new kind of gaze that he had never seen before. Was it that surprising that he would offer?
“...Yeah, that train ride made me famished, too. Let’s go. Meatbuns okay?” he finally said.
It was probably a coincidence, but Natsuo wanted to know if Touya recommended the food truck that the two of them used to squirrel their allowance away to eat back when they were in elementary school. He wanted to hold onto that thought. It had nothing to do with Midoriya and feeding a kid who looked like he could catch a break.
Natsuo was more selfish than that.
-
“Lady, give me twelve of the king meatbuns,” Touya ordered. Natsuo choked because that was a lot. While he knew he could eat it, going into a dungeon with a full stomach was never a good idea. Doing anything with a full stomach was not a good idea.
"You boys heading out to a gate?" she asked.
"Yeah. Need the energy," he replied back, sounding so much more sophisticated and human than the one worded answers and nods Natsuo pulled out of him for days.
"Alrighty, you boys be careful."
"We will," he said with a nod.
The black of Enji’s credit card shined, and Natsuo wondered when Enji even saw Touya long enough to remember that people need money to survive. Touya probably didn’t loot their dad again, right? Five years but some things don't change.
Natsuo took one, and figured that they were expected to eat four each or something. He’ll work through the first two easy, and stash the rest to eat when they return or something. Cold or not, these were good meatbuns. No need to waste them.
Touya took a bite into one and scowled. “Augh,” he said, disappointed as he stared at the snack.
Natsuo felt his heart plummet to the ground. Yeah, it didn’t taste as good as he remembered, but it didn’t taste that bad. It was just nostalgic to eat. It was about the memory, wasn't it?
But then his brother turned to Midoriya next to him, “How’s it taste to you?”
“...Fine? Good? Delicious?” Midoriya tilted his head, looking like someone was threatening his life, “the outside is well-steamed and warm all the way to the center. The mixture of the meat is sweet and savory, and not dripping with juice. I think that the aroma of it is really lovely. The bread part is super soft too-”
Holy shit this kid talked. Was he breathing?
“-and I’m really grateful to eat it-”
“Midoriya, do you like it ?” Touya cut him off, arching an eyebrow.
“I like it,” Midoriya decided, nodding his head.
“Great, then you can have these because I really don’t,” he said, passing the rest of the buns over. And Natsuo, who never thought that Touya was picky before, came to an abrupt conclusion that he didn't like.
“R-Really?” Midoriya asked, staring at the meatbuns with wide eyes.
“If you don’t want them, just throw them away,” Touya said with a shrug.
And the young Supporter, eyes bright, shook his head. “I won't waste it,” he said. He turned to Natsuo, “Do you want some?”
His older brother scowled, blue eyes narrowing dangerously, but there was no point in that. Ever since a long time ago, Natsuo really cared about what Touya did and said. At this point, it was just a matter of relearning what those priorities were.
“Nah, I get motion-sickness when I go through gates,” he said, because lying was easy now that there was a brother to lie for. “It’s better if I’m not too full.”
“I see. Then, thank you for the food!”
Midoriya ravaged those meatbuns, eyes shining with every bite, and Natsuo wondered what tasted so good about them. His eyes trailed to his older brother. Natsuo had childhood memories in every bite, but Touya watched Midoriya go through the meatbuns with a lazy grin on his face.
Not for the first time, he wondered what his brother was thinking about.
"Eat while moving," Touya said, using his body to block Midoriya's right arm from being interrupted by anyone who might bump into him.
Did his brother even remember?
-
The E-Rank gate was simple as it was plain. No reporters, no miners, no collectors, nothing. Just the Commission's agents and hunters.
They would be joining 12 others in clearing the same gate. Gate etiquette stated that the highest-Ranking hunter would take point.
That would be A-Rank Todoroki Touya. And the following one was B-Rank Todoroki Natsuo. Aside from the fact that they were Todorokis and everyone had Expectations of Todorokis, they quickly became the center point of discussion.
“I didn’t realize that it would actually be Todorokis here…”
“Didn’t he just get discharged? Is he fit for duty?”
“Why are there Todorokis even here?”
Of course, there was no goodwill in those statements. These were people that made a livelihood from a gate. Seeing high-Ranking hunters at a low-grade gate was as insulting as it was annoying. These were people who could not clear higher dungeons, for whatever reason. Seeing people who are actually strong, who could handle tougher dungeons, at a low-grade gate felt like something was being stolen.
But they were Todorokis. The most they could do was share some mean comments online and grumble to themselves.
“...Don’t mind them,” Touya said, nudging Midoriya’s arm. “They’re just grumbling adults.”
Green eyes stared at his brother warily, “Still… I don’t like hearing bad things about you…”
As far as Natsuo was concerned, Touya was lost in a gate for five years. At least, it was five years to Natsuo and everyone here. What he didn’t know was when Midoriya got locked into an Emergency Gate and came out with Touya, how much time had passed for the two of them in that gate? Even if he asked, he wouldn’t be able to get an answer, since a person's internal clock went whack in a dungeon.
Touya gave this huff, like he was exasperated and amused, and dropped a hand to ruffle Midoriya’s unruly locks.
“C’mon, let’s make some cash.”
Time was a strange thing. Jetlag was a common phenomenon among hunters.
However, jetlag could not explain the hole in Natsuo’s chest.
-
E-Rank and D-Rank Gates didn’t have much going for them. In terms of equipment drops, rare item finds, and monsters, there wasn’t anything really worthwhile. Of course, if a dungeon break occurs, buildings would be destroyed and civilian lives will be lost.
As a result, they still had to be properly closed and removed from the world.
Majority of all E and D-Rank Gates were under the Commission's regulation, just to ensure that they were closed and dealt with. Hunters who were unaffiliated with a guild or party were the people called to handle these problematic and unrewarding gates.
Obviously, the mana stone found even in an E-Rank Gate could make more money than the average salary man does in a work week. As unrewarding as it may seem, it wasn’t actually that bad. Case and point, there were plenty of hunters at every dungeon without fail.
“The three of us will go a different route than the main group,” Touya told the other hunters in the area right before they entered. “We’ll stay out of your way, so long as no one interferes with us. We’ll leave the boss to you all too, if you’d like.”
The grumbling and rumbling died substantially. If Touya had said that in a gate, where only hunters were witnesses, it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly. However, with the Commission’s Agents as witnesses, the other hunters were willing to believe him.
“W-why should we believe you?”
“I just wanted to be in a gate while I wait for my application to get through,” his brother replied back smoothly.
Natsuo felt a dull pang in his chest. While the others might whisper about what a monster Todorokis were, that they would get lost in a gate and immediately search for another one, all he felt was that he was going to be alone again. He didn't even know that Touya was sending out applications. He didn't even know what Touya was sending applications out for.
“Let’s get started,” the next highest hunter, a seasoned man who was a regular at these Commission Regulated gates, called out. The other hunters eventually followed suit. Out of sight, out of mind, hopefully.
“An application?” Natsuo asked, staring at him in shock. To what? He wasn’t going to join Enji’s Guild? Well, Natsuo didn’t blame him, but it was the easiest way to get a footing, and he could leave later. It wouldn't be binding. Then what was the application for, if it wasn't hunting? College? A part-timer?
“Yeah,” Touya replied back. He pulled at his compound bow, staring at it with a frown. It was the bow he used back when he first started his training as a hutner, back when he was a foot and a half smaller. Needless to say, it was small for him now. Flushing Natsuo’s inquiry, he turned to Midoriya, and spoke, “Ready?”
“Y-yes,” Midoriya said, flinching. Was it nerves? Natsuo didn’t blame him, even if he was a little annoyed at being pushed aside so easily. It peeled open raw wounds, poking and prodding at it.
But Touya wasn’t looking at him. Instead, summer blue eyes stared at the Supporter Hunter for a moment longer, before he wrapped his arm around Midoriya’s shoulders. The young man gave a little gasp, but his eyes could replace the stars in the night sky with how brightly he shined.
“C’mon, let’s head in then,” Touya said, a wide grin on his face.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
A dry chuckle spilled from the archer's lips. “Don’t be so stiff.”
Natsuo stared at their backs for a moment before he realized that no one was going to call for him to keep up.
-
In reality, Natsuo hadn’t been in a gate in a long time either. Five years, actually. He should have debuted in his father’s guild last year. Maybe if he didn’t throw up every time he went through a gate after losing his brother, he would have been a decent hunter like everyone expected every Todoroki to be.
Stepping through the gate, it felt like all his organs in his chest cavity flipped inside out and upside down. There was a surge of magic swelling up inside of him. It made his skin crawl, like passing through a slimy membrane, before a glow of green came down on him instead, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
“This… should help with the motion sickness,” Midoriya’s voice came. “It’ll keep all debuffs and ailments away until we leave the dungeon and stabilize your condition.”
Which was a wild claim and one that Natsuo had never heard of. Most debuff resistance skills rarely lasted longer than thirty minutes, and that was among the higher A-Ranks. Concerning the fact that they were in an E-rank gate, maybe it was possible. Or more likely, Midoriya was just saying that to assuage his feelings. Strange enough, since the kid cowered when strangers stared too long.
It wasn’t that he was looking for reasons not to like or believe Midoriya. And it definitely wasn’t because he’s seen Touya smile more times in an hour than he did in two weeks. It should be a good thing that Touya was smiling. It should be a good thing that Touya was moving on from those five years even though Natsuo felt like he was still in that ditch that he was born into and he couldn’t-
“Damn, E-Ranks are dry,” Touya said, exhaling slowly. His voice broke his thoughts before they spiraled out of control.
What was he doing?
Natsuo opened his eyes, the gray cave they were in looked the same. The thrum of mana came off of the walls and the ceiling and everywhere. He pulled a deep breath in and felt fine. He blinked slowly. No matter how he personally felt, they were in a gate now. He needed to get his act together.
“Looks pretty standard,” Touya said, looking forward.
He took a deep breath, magic forming at his fingertips. He lifted his bow, and even though it wasn’t strung, went through the motion as though it was. As a result, a bright blue arrow formed from his magic. There was a brief second of silence, when everything in the gate was still, and he released the arrow.
A streak of light flashed, like lightning, and illuminated the gate as it passed through. It eventually hit something, and a flash of blue fire came. The sight of the blue flame brought shivers down Natsuo’s back. Even now, after everything, seeing the flame that once ruined his brother still scared him.
“... Is it the bow?” Midoriya asked. Eyes sharper than what Natsuo saw when they were outside. "It didn't fire straight."
“Yeah, it’s not regulating my mana very well,” Touya said, showing him the bow.
Natsuo stared at the two of them in shock. Even if they were in an E-Rank dungeon, it was hugely frowned upon to do weapons maintenance, or even show his weapon like that to another, unaffiliated hunter. In a dungeon, hunters should be aware and wary. The cautious lived to exit a gate, after all. Being prepared was the most basic fundamental thing-
There was a thrum of magic, a glow of green, and Touya’s bow shined.
Touya whistled, “As expected of Midoriya-san,” he said.
“You should have checked this before we entered a dungeon,” the young man chided.
“To be honest, I thought I was going to be going free-style anyways.”
And Midoriya actually laughed at that, “What are you saying?” he asked. “There’s no one freer than you, Dabi. You don’t need anyone’s style other than your own.” The magic spiraled around Midoriya’s finger, the light danced in his eyes, making his eyes glimmer like gems as he gave a coy smile, “remember?”
How about they remember that Natsuo was here?
“Shut up,” Touya said, his words and his tone totally mismatched. He reached out and aggressively ruffled his hair. The action was in complete contrast to his painful looking grin and that a look in his eyes that Natsuo had never seen before. “C’mon, these mana stones aren’t going to collect themselves.”
-
“Todoroki-san-”
“Call him Natsuo, we’re all Todorokis,” Touya called from the front.
Natsuo understood that he hadn’t been in a dungeon in a while, but this was ridiculous. Shouldn’t a backline fighter, an archer like Touya, be behind him? He was the tanker. He should be in the front, for obvious reasons. They had no rogues. They had no scouts. He was the next best option. The Tank.
Midoriya, who looked like he would rather die than follow Touya’s suggestion, kept pace with him.
Natsuo sighed, “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“R-Really?”
Natsuo couldn’t tell, was Midoriya braver in a dungeon? Could he only find his voice when there were only two other people here? Was he just comfortable with Touya, the way Touya was comfortable around him? Well, he supposed that made sense, since he knew Touya and met Natsuo for the first time today. Still, Natsuo didn’t think that he was a scary person. There was no need for him to look at him like that.
“What’s up?” he asked, because there had to be a reason why the young man called for him.
“I… I was curious on why you were here, Natsuo-san,” Midoriya said, even though he called Touya 'Dabi'. “To my understanding, I thought that the Todoroki's only had one active hunter. I figured that you, since you were an B-Rank, would also have the means to join a higher ranked gate.”
It had to be the dungeon. Midoriya barely said a peep when they were out with civilized people, but now they were making eye contact as they were traversing through the dungeon. They looked forward after a few feet, since the dungeon floor was lumpy and did require some attention. Or maybe Natsuo looked away because he didn’t want to be read so easily.
“I-I’m sorry if I asked something too personal. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
He gave a sharp exhale through his nose. It wasn’t personal or anything. He just wasn’t expecting it from Midoriya, who recoiled when someone ran into him. “Part of it's because Nichan, Touya-nii, is still learning how to live in the modern world, and I'm in charge of that. But when he got discharged, he said he wanted to join a raid,” Natsuo said, a friendly smile on his face even though his empty heart ached, “and the other part was because I wanted to meet the person that brought my brother back home. Thanks, by the way. For bringing him home.”
Midoriya nodded slowly, tripped over a root, got back up, and nodded again. At the part where his jeans were ripped, his knee was already skinned. Natsuo stared blankly at him.
“Oh, you okay?”
“I-I hope I live to standards,” he stammered out, face flushed and unable to meet his eyes.
Natsuo blinked back. Were they going to pretend that didn’t happen?
“Be careful,” Touya called out (when did he turn around and come back?), grabbing the young man by the arm and yanking him up to his feet. He looked over him quickly, “Let’s take a break.”
“I-I’m fine-”
“I’m tired,” Touya snapped back. “So we’re taking a break.”
Green eyes peered up at him, and weakly, he tugged on his arm. Touya released him with a sigh, and ruffled his hair. Again.
"You get into trouble as soon as I turn around."
"It wasn't on purpose!"
"Coulda had me fooled."
"I can keep going."
Touya was silent.
"It's a skinned knee."
"Then heal it."
Midoriya blinked, as though the thought didn't occur to him. In a second, the wound on his knee was gone. In fact, his face cleared up too, looking like he wasn't being beaten in an inch into his life.
With a long sigh, Touya patted him on the back.
"Alright, break's over. Let's move."
"Making a big deal out of nothing," Midoriya muttered.
Touya's arm came around his shoulder, and smoothly, he had him in a headlock. Midoriya's arms thrashed and the older man looked unrepentant. After a few seconds, he released him. The two shared a glance between their annoyed expressions were replaced with small smiles.
Natsuo pursed his lips, feeling as though he was the outsider meeting strangers for the first time.
As Midoriya walked forward, however, Touya's eyes fell to Natsuo. The previous shine was completely gone as he eyed his younger brother.
“Keep a better eye on him if you’re going to stand next to him,” he warned, blue eyes a familiar shade of disappointment, before stalking off.
Whose brother was he?
-
The first battle they did face was a simple one. The dirt on the ground vibrated when salamanders appeared. Dark gray in color with white stripes, they slithered on their way in.
E-Rank Dragon-Class, Snapdragons.
Instinct kicked in. There were some things that people didn’t forget. When a monster came out, the Tankers’ job really kicked in. Natsuo rushed forward, shield-first, to create their frontline. Just as fast, Touya was fell back to increase distance. It was habitual. Training didn’t lie when they were born and bred and beaten for it.
And then, a green wall appeared.
A transparent kind of wall, and the wave of magic was already familiar to Natsuo as it brought a gentle warmth on his skin, like a trickle of sunlight in this dark and dingy dungeon. He stared, in slack-jawed surprise as the salamander came crashing against the wall. They climbed over each other futility, fifteen feet from where Natsuo was.
There were about 10 of them total, all over six feet long, and looking at their scaly bodies slither around, Natsuo felt all the hair on his neck stand up. The light emitting off of the translucent green wall glistened across scales.
Next to him, Touya stepped forward.
“Ready when you are,” he said, arrow notched.
The translucent wall shined, like a light was running across it, and from behind, Midoriya called out a, “Go ahead!”
And Touya launched the arrow. The heat passed Natsuo’s neck, like a shooting star shot right by him and into the barrier. Most would drop the barrier, but the shot went through the barrier instead, and disintegrated the monsters inside. They skipped the burning stage and went straight to char. The wall closed in on them, compressing the fire and the smoke into a smaller and smaller box on the ground.
And then, it disappeared, leaving behind nothing but glistening mana stones.
Natsuo stood up, shocked and astonished.
“Alright, I get the refractory limit on this now,” Touya said, waving his bow at the Supporter, “Good cover, Midoriya.”
“Yeah, good shot, Dabi!” Midoriya agreed as he came up. The two exchanged a high-five and the young man turned bright eyes to Natsuo, “You were so fast, Natsuo-san! I didn’t even realize that they were here until you moved!”
The words fell to deaf ears because Natsuo didn’t feel anything. After a fire spell like that, one that could cremate that many monsters in seconds, it was only right that they were standing in a sauna at the moment. Natsuo, as the person closest to the fire, should be sweating, if he wasn’t burned. But he wasn’t burned. He wasn’t even hot.
He was just Natsuo, the same Natsuo who walked onto a train just an hour ago.
He stared, slack-jawed, and Touya slapped his back. With a wide grin, he bragged, “You’ll never find a better support than Midoriya.”
The young hunter flushed bright red, dropping his gaze on the ground while he gave weak protests.
“No, that was,” Natsuo motioned at monsters, “God, that was amazing.”
Touya preened like he was the one being complimented, all puffed-out chest and wide grins. Midoriya’s face flushed darker. Natsuo tried to wrap his mind about what happened.
“I’ll collect while he works this out,” Touya said, patting Natsuo on the shoulder, as he left to go pick up the mana crystals.
“Oh, I can do that,” Midoriya said, rushing to his side, “since I-”
“Rank lower?” Touya poked him in the forehead, “I’m telling you, take the reassessment test.”
“I told you I don’t have that kind of money-”
He thrust the bag of mana crystals towards Midoriya, “Don’t worry. There’s going to be a guild that takes you in soon. They'll pay for it.”
Natsuo placed his hand on the ground, drowning out the conversation between his brother and the supporter. It wasn’t hot. If he was under some kind of debuff protection, or had something to help maintain his body temperature or something, he would understand why he didn’t feel anything. He would understand, but the ground would still be warm.
The ground was cool, as it was when they first came in. No one, except for the three of them, would be able to say that there was a fire here. Or a fight at all. There was no smoke. No scorch marks. Nothing.
His heartrate raced in his ear. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long while coursed through his veins.
His eyes fell to Midoriya, barefoot in an E-rank dungeon, and suddenly, he wasn’t looking at the hunter who brought his brother home or the kid that could make Touya smile.
Suddenly.