Chapter Text
Touya did not sleep. Well, he did sleep a little, an hour or two. Natsuo had talked to him until he went to sleep. Touya hadn’t been able to stop talking, his mind racing with the possibilities. He couldn’t stop thinking of the potential, of all the possibilities that UA brought. He wakes up before the sun is even up, even more energized than he can ever remember being.
Shouto has already left by the time Touya rushes out of his room. Enji had insisted that Shouto and him get there extremely early to introduce him to his instructors. However, nothing could come between Touya and his happiness on this day. Luckily, Natsuo is able to catch him before he falls face-first on their floor.
“Be careful,” Natsuo insists, already turning him to inspect his uniform. He pulls at Touya’s sleeves, pulling the white-shirt from underneath the blazer. Touya’s tie lays over his neck, definitely untied. Natsuo quickly works to tie it, slightly humming as he fixes it.
“We should have gotten you a smaller uniform,” Natsuo says, taking a step back. Touya looks down, his blazer sleeves pool over his hands but he can’t find it in himself to care. His dress shirt is way too big. His trousers are also huge. He had taken to his belt with flame and a needle to fix that unfortunate part of his uniform.
Fuyumi is in the kitchen, the smell of food invading the house. Natsuo-nii looks as though he’s already eaten, but there is still a steaming bowl of soup for the youngest of the three. Touya slots himself across from Fuyumi. He doesn’t have much time if he wants to make it to the subway, but he was so busy training last night that he hadn’t eaten. Besides that, Touya has some inquiries.
“When did Shouto and dad leave?” Touya asks, eyes moving to the floor as he starts on his small interrogation.
Fuyumi’s eyes grow wide. When Fuyumi answers her voice is as light as it usually is when concerning her father or the youngest brothers of the family. “Only a couple minutes ago.”
It’s a lie, but Touya is too mellow to argue. Natsuo slides closer to him, and Touya bumps his hip before resuming his questioning. “Did dad––
Natsuo and Fuyumi exchange glances.
“—say anything about me?” Touya asks, weirdly hopeful. He already knows the answer, but Fuyumi’s white lies are more comforting than the truth.
“We didn’t talk much,” Fuyumi responds, instead completely avoiding the topic that looms over all of them. They both know why he had agonized over the UA admissions for the past few months. They were not completely pure reasons, though Touya didn’t think his brother or his father’s motivations were entirely genuine either. If anyone would consider genetically engineering a child anything close to genuine.
Fuyumi and Natsuo talk as he eats. Eventually, Fuyumi swipes the bowl right from under him and Natsuo is lightly tugging on his arm. Touya follows him out the door, leaving Fuyumi with a wave and a smile in their wake. They chatter continuously as they head towards the subway. Natsuo gossips about his classmates, Touya exchanges some facts about the stars he was reading up on the other day. If either of them takes a breath it is when the other is talking, the conversation never stopping. Eventually, it is time to part ways. Touya takes out his bus pass and Natsuo places his hand on top of his younger brother’s head and ruffles the white strands.
Touya ignores the gesture and tackles his older brother. Natsuo-nii’s arms immediately wrap around him. “I promise I’ll do well.”
His older brother takes a deep breath, then offers a somber smile. “I just want you to know that you will never, ever disappoint me.”
“Stop being so serious!” Touya proclaims, but his voice breaks on the last word. Sometimes Natsuo doesn’t know what to say to him, fumbling around responses to Touya’s insecurities or inquiries, but it seems as though the words are easy today. But again, that might just be Touya’s mood.
They quickly part and Touya rushes onto the subway. He grabs onto one of the poles and grips the front part of his backpack. His nerves are finally starting to kick in. He hopes that everyone is nice, and prays that none of him will get too critical. He’s Endeavor’s son and the perfect one’s twin, there are high expectations. Then there’s also the being defective, but Touya’s working on it. He hasn’t spent the past few months training and researching for nothing.
The burns that litter his arms have to prove something. They will mean something.
He scrolls through his phone as he looks outside the window. The subway is quick and before he knows it, he steps out of the compartment. UA is close, only a small walk away. Touya takes a deep breath before walking towards his new high school. As he gets closer, he thinks he sees some more students walking into the building. Touya takes a deep breath and rushes into the building. The hallways are huge, but the class 1-A sign is vibrant and Touya’s able to slip into the room without much trouble.
Half of the students seem to be there already. There’s a red haired boy, the one who had placed third in the entrance exam. He was in Touya’s district and was pretty impressive, from what Touya is able to remember (which isn’t much besides pain and a constant want to throw up.) There’s also the first place of the entrance exam, that Bakugo kid who’s perched upon his desk as though it’s his personal throne. Touya keeps himself from rolling his eyes, and just walks towards his seat in the back of the classroom. “Endeavor’s kid, you were second for the entrance exam right?”
Touya turns to the blonde. There’s an ugly feeling in his chest that rises at the word second. What does he want? “And you are?”
The blonde kid recoils. Touya tries his best to keep in a smirk, but his hands start to shake. Suddenly, the blonde beats the desk with his hand, small explosions falling from his hands. The sound is offensive. “I’m the one who beat you bastard!”
Touya flinches the slightest bit, and covers his eyes with his fringe. He searches for words, but his courage has already dissipated. He did beat me , Touya thinks. Some nobody.
“Hiding now?”
Suddenly, the red haired boy speaks up. “Are you guys getting into a fight this early?”
“Stay out of it,” Touya snaps, still looking at the ground.
“This kid thinks he’s better than me,” says the other boy at the same time.
Not thinks, knows. But, those are empty words. A response for the sake of being the most taunting line possible. Touya is a failure, before Touya is anything else. But Touya is also a Todoroki, and being a top hero is his motherfucking birthright. He will show that he at least deserves a chance at becoming a hero when compared to his twi—
“And maybe he’s right,” someone says in response to the blonde. It’s obvious what part he’s agreeing with, meeting the other boy with a mismatched glare. That voice. Touya looks towards the back of the room, the desk right next to his. In seat fifteen there is a boy of red and white hair, of mismatched eyes but a perfect power.
“He was only a point behind you. You sure you weren’t just lucky?” Shouto responds.
Touya’s mouth opens, I don’t need you to defend me, but someone already beats him to the chase.
“I don’t think Endeavor’s kid needs you to speak for him,” Bakugo shoots back.
Shouto and Touya both glance at each other. It’s the first time they’ve interacted in a month. Their similarities are strong, but with both of them entering at different times, Touya can see why they haven’t put it together.
“We’re both Endeavor's kids,” Touya says, as Shouto replies, “We’re twins.”
Suddenly, conversation breaks out. Touya can barely hear it, but he does hear some specific sentences. There’s two of them and this isn’t fair, how are any of us going to have a chance at anything? All of the eyes in the classroom focus on them.
“What are we going to call them?” the red-haired boy responds, effectively breaking the tension.
“Who’s older?” a pink haired girl inquires.
“Why weren’t you both recommended?” the girl on Shouto’s other side asks.
The blonde finally turns away. Though, he’s already engaging in another fight. The other boy is tall, with glasses and hand motions that make him look like he’s going to school to be a pilot and not a hero. Touya already doesn’t like him, but he doesn’t think he likes anyone. The blonde kid was annoying as hell, and the glasses kid doesn’t look much friendlier. That doesn’t even account for the masterpiece child currently staring at him.
“Can you stop?” Touya snaps at his twin. Shouto is already getting on his nerves.
The masterpiece leans back in his seat and Touya smiles as he sees the other’s frown deepen. He quickly reaches to grab a pen, but exhales as he feels his shirt run against one of his new scars. He typically wears long sleeves for obvious reasons, but they were usually lightweight and without tight cuffs. The one he has on currently is big on him, but the fabric is rough enough to irritate the blisters that trace his forearm.
“Did you hit your arm?” Shouto asks, his focus back on his twin brother.
It takes everything in Touya not to throw his pen at him. Shouto knows nothing, and Touya doesn’t offer an answer. He just grips his pen and sets his head on his arm, eyes away from the boy in the next seat over. However, Touya can’t really wallow in his self-pity for long with how loud the other students are getting. Even with the room at basically full capacity, the blonde boy and glasses kid are still exchanging rough words.
“It’s the first day at school and you’re already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!”
“You’re kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?”
Touya wonders how this is going to end.
“Let’s start over. I’m Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy.”
“Somei, huh? So you must think you’re better than me.”
Sounds like the boy has a superiority complex, Touya thinks. However, his arrogance is deserved. He did get first during the entrance exam. Just from that, he was probably the best in the class, after the masterpiece. The other kid was also talented though, Touya could tell that from just name. He had never interacted with any of the Iidas personally, but he had heard about them.
“I’m gonna have fun tearin’ you a new one,” Bakugo barks.
Touya can’t stop the shiver that goes down his spine. This time he sneaks a glance over at Shouto. He looks unphased, as though nothing is happening.
“You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you’re in the right place?” Iida proclaims.
“Ha!”
“Huh? It’s him.”
Everyone looks over. The kid in the door frame stands there with wide eyes, a tight grip on his bag, and an open mouth. He’s gonna catch flies, Touya thinks as he takes in more. He’s got green hair and emerald eyes, with freckles that litter his face. “Uh, hi.”
“Good morning!”
“My name is Tenya Iida fro—”
Touya has already stopped listening.
“Hello, I’m Shota Aizawa. Your teacher. Right, let’s get to it. Put these on and head outside.”
Fuck. Touya’s arms haven’t had enough time to heal since the entrance exam. There aren’t many blisters, but there are enough to make people suspicious. He can’t look like a failure, not when all they’ll be doing is fawning over Shouto’s quirk. But, he doesn’t have time to dwell on it now. He inhales as he stands up and grabs a uniform, before heading on towards the restroom.
“Your backpack?” A girl calls out.
Oh, he’s still wearing it. Touya knows it isn’t a big deal. He’ll just come back and grab it on the way back to the classroom. He doesn’t want to hold anyone up. He looks at the uniform, with it’s half-sleeves. Touya huffs as he brings his hand up to his hair and tugs. He shuffles inside his bag, looking for anything. He doesn’t remember putting bandages or anything similar in his bag, but he prays for a miracle.
The universe responds with a small mercy. Inside his bag, there’s a pack of bandages. The nice water resistant ones that Natsuo gets from his girlfriend. There’s a small note attached, just in case of an emergency! accompanied with salve and some packaged aloe. There’s also a small quantity of painkillers, disguised in a mint bottle. Touya smiles, and promises himself to let Natsuo have all his fish later. He takes out a bandage and gets to work. Thankfully, his right arm doesn’t have many burns and can be left bare. He proceeds to change as quickly as possible and slips out the restroom, sliding his backpack under a stall.
Almost everyone is already out where the quirk test is. Touya looks around, but no one looks inviting. He stays behind, not wanting to draw attention. Especially from their teacher. He rubs at the bandage he hastily applied. He’ll have to use as little of his quirk as possible, but it’s fine. All he has to do is not let Shouto beat him.
Then Bakugou throws a ball. Touya tries not to let his unease show. He doesn't want to fail. He can’t fail. He promised Natsuo he wouldn’t disappoint him. He won’t be a disappointment.
There’s a running test. He knows that they’ll be going in order of seats. Just knowing that he’s before Bakugo and Shouto makes him shiver. He’ll have to do well. He already knows he’s going to burn his shoes off, flashfire requires it. Fortunately, they’re expendable. He waits as he watches the first couple students go up to race.
He doesn’t spare time watching anyone except the Iida kid. He’s obviously the fastest in the class. Three-point-o-four seconds the robot exclaims. Two more students run across the floor, but they all score between six and eight. Two more take their place and the process continues. He goes to take his position. His hands are shaking, and he feels vaguely nauseous. Touya tries to calm down, but it’s all in vain. The students next to him all look calm, but he feels like a flickering candle. It’s hard to maintain a fire when it rains, and Touya feels like he’s currently in a downpour.
“Runners, on your mark! Ready—”
He looks over. Shouto is looking at him.
He stumbles, almost falling. But, he quickly recovers. He’s already burnt the sole of his shoe by his acceleration, and he crosses the end of the marked ground. Touya doesn’t even hear his time. His feet are warm, but there are no burns. The white haired boy looks down, he doesn’t know if he wants anyone to look at him. He probably scored something after six seconds with his fumble, and now—
“Good time, white-haired Todoroki!” the red haired boy next to him says.
“W-What was my time?” Touya asks.
“Uh, I don’t exactly remember,” the other boy scratches the back of his head, “but it was definitely under five.”
“Hmm.”
“I thought you were cool.”
“Huh?” How would Touya be cool? Everyone else had to have seen him fumble.
“During the entrance exam, you know. You were fearless out there.”
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Touya says.
The other boy punches his shoulder, and Touya almost topples over. “Come on! Just admit you were cool.”
“I was cool,” he exclaims even though he felt everything but cool, literally. He had actually felt like he was on fire, which he was.
“Oh, your brother!” red haired boy replies, pointing at the other Todoroki getting ready to run.
Shouto crouches, and watches the robot. Touya looks away, not wanting to have to watch the other. Suddenly, he’s off and Touya can already hear the praise from the other students. It’s under four seconds, the time is second in the class after the kid that’s basically descended from a car. Touya sneaks a glance. It’s ice. Touya would have assumed flashfire would have been the efficient alternative, but apparently it wasn’t Shouto’s preferred application of technique. The ice is completely smooth, no ridges, peak control over the element. Touya would be impressed if he wasn’t seething.
“Wow! He’s so impressive.”
I know Touya's mind taunts. “Yeah, he’s always been.”
The red haired boy looks a little taken back, but he quickly recovers. “I still can’t believe there are two of you.”
“There are four of us,” Touya says before he can stop himself.
“Your dad must be really busy then,” the red haired boy states.
“What time did you get?” a voice suddenly interrupts them.
Touya rolls his eyes. Shouto approaches the other boy without hesitation. There is no pause and no introduction. “About six seconds.”
“Hmm,” Shouto says and then proceeds to do his best impression of a wax figure.
There are more tests. Shouto excels in every single test. Grip strength is easy with the amount of training he’s gone through, the long-jump is simple, and the side steps are as easy as regular walking. Touya also does well, but never as well as his brother. It’s only made worse as after every single exam, Shouto just hovers next to him. Touya is always called first and Shouto will just aimlessly wander until he finds him and then proceed to stare off into the distance.
Eventually, it was time for the ball throw. Many students went up, most with good scores even if they didn’t have a quirk suited for the sport. Some girl with a gravity quirk scored infinity, which was definitely a little scary when Touya pondered what she could do when she was mad. He did the best out of the first half of the class, minus gravity girl. He didn’t have to use his quirk much, but it did sting the tiniest bit. He rubbed over the small spot, letting out a sigh of relief when there was no visible damage to his skin.
Suddenly, it was Shouto’s turn. Touya felt as though he didn’t have to watch. Shouto would use flashfire with his weaker flames and he would still manage to get the ball to go farther. Touya crossed his arms, and watched as the masterpiece went up to try.
Shouto grabbed the ball and threw it. No light fell from his hands.
It dawned on Touya. He knew Shouto was stubborn about using their fire, but he had to be over that by now. Touya felt heat gather inside his body as his twin simply watched the ball fall, then quickly moved on, already looking like he was heading towards Touya. The nerve of the fucking brat. The one blessed with the perfect quirk and he wouldn’t even use it.
Touya felt like he was capable of spontaneous combustion.
Shouto came and stood next to him without saying a word, just like every single other test before. The white haired boy was ready to rip his hair from his skull. However, his inner rage was calmed when the invisible girl went. That was at least comforting before he had to watch Bakugo and everybody else.
Then the green haired kid went up.
It was like watching a ticking time bomb. The kid was obviously scared, and from what Touya could tell, his quirk wasn’t used when he threw.
“I erased your quirk. The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school.”
More stuff was said, but Touya was not listening. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school. He dug his nails into his palm. That statement sounded awfully similar to something else that had been drilled and drilled into his head. Failure.
“ You’re not ready. You don’t have control over your power.”
Touya’s hands start to shake, and his lip starts to tremble. He can't cry, not in front of these people. He digs his nails harder into his palm, hissing when his nails come in contact with the part of his palm he used to accelerate the ball.
“Were you planning to break your bones again?”
I don’t want you to get hurt, you understand that, right Touya? His brother’s voice echoed in his head. Words ushered in that concerned tone had been frequent over the past few months when Touya would beg him to watch as he trained. Natsuo would grab his arm and wrap his wounds, but never without sneaking in how this might not be a great idea.
“Counting on someone else to save your useless body?”
Touya couldn’t keep watching. His eyes found themselves being pulled to the ground. He tried to block everything out, but he couldn’t completely ignore the monologue that he knew would someday be directed at him.
“With your power, there’s no way you can become a hero.”
The white haired boy was five seconds from throwing up.
The green haired boy threw the ball.
“Wow,” was all that anybody could muster.
“You see? I’m still standing.”
Oh. That gave Touya the tiniest bit of hope. It felt as though the sun had finally come out. He wasn’t the only one who’s quirk was completely incompatible with the rest of him. He felt a smile start to appear on his face. It wasn’t over yet.
Two more students went. After that nothing was particularly exciting. The rankings were put up on the scoreboard. Touya shook his head when he saw that Yaoyorozu girl come before Shouto. Shouto had come second, and Touya fifth. It wasn’t even close to being unexpected with how everything had previously unfolded. Touya was confident he had done the best on the seated toe-touch and he wasn’t a slacker with the long-distance run or the sit-ups. Being lean, or more accurately scrawny did have it’s benefits. Besides that, Bakugo and Iida were incredibly impressive, it was obviously in their natural talent and the time they had put towards the development of their quirks.
The rest of the trials themselves weren’t particularly interesting. Shouto had still trailed him like a lost dog, and they had done basically every trial together. The dual haired brother had put his hands on the other’s feet the moment Touya had moved to start his sit-ups. Shouto had very obviously stared back at him during the distance run while Touya kept his eye on the other when they were doing the seated toe-touch. They stayed in each other’s orbits, never too far apart. The end of the trials did leave Touya with one more task.
“My bag,” Touya complains, mind going back to his backpack in the bathroom.
Everyone was already exiting the classroom, slipping away to go home. However, Touya was still in his athletic uniform and his backpack was far away. Time wasn’t an issue, as he still had a decent amount of time before he had to get to the station, but he didn’t want to fight through a crowd of a bunch of students.
Touya rushes through the hall, keeping close to the wall as he navigates the campus. Slipping into the bathroom is quite easy, and Touya is able to swiftly grab his bag. He enters the stall, and presses himself against the back wall. He grabs the aloe out of his bag and gets to work on applying it to his hands. There isn’t a burn there, but the memory of how it stung still unsettles the white haired boy. In a way, the bandages had become a habit, similar to how the burns were a reminder of progress. The bandages were small comfort, and a visible reminder that he had to keep trying.
However, all those thoughts fell from Touya’s mind when he heard the door to the restroom swing open. The person was muttering heavily, and their stomping could probably be heard by people half-way across the campus. Touya’s brain went into action before he could, and he swept his legs over the toilet seat, completely hiding himself from sight.
Touya heard the sound of the closest stall door slam. The person was going through their bag, pieces of paper appearing on the floor as they aggressively went through papers. “Goddamnit, quirkless Deku!”
He shifts until his back is completely against the wall, feeling a weird mix of wariness and interest as the boy rages in the stall next to him. He’s assuming it’s Bakugo, with the loud voice and mocking tone concerning his other classmate. The quirkless part is interesting, but Touya is no stranger to denial. The kid’s probably worked up is all, the white haired boy can’t think of another explanation.
Touya waits until the other boy slips out of the bathroom, counting to ten before stepping outside himself. Just when he thinks he'll be able to quickly escape the empty hallways, he collides into the masterpiece himself. Shouto still looks absolutely lost, or maybe even bored. Touya clearly isn’t a mind reader. “I was searching for y—”
“Let’s go.”
There is no further discussion. Touya walks fast, on the border of using flashfire with how much Shouto’s presence irritates him. It makes him even more angry when Shouto can easily keep up, his longer legs easily covering more ground than his twin brother. It’s not fair that Touya’s easily the boy shortest in their class barring bird boy and Shouto is well the perfect child.
He’s better with his quirk, he’ll show them. He’ll show all of them.
They both quickly get to the station, easily taking their spots in the subway. Touya’s hand aches for his phone, wanting to see the buzz about them. Technically, UA is supposed to keep the safety of their students their topmost priority, but that won’t stop the masses from speculating and spreading pictures. Touya was sure the internet detectives had already done quick work to be around UA when the orientation had taken place. He wouldn’t even be surprised if there were leaked pictures of Shouto and him.
Touya can only imagine the press after the Sports Festival. He had always watched his dad’s performance during the festival when he had been down. It had been one of the only things to cheer him up after days spent endlessly working on his quirk. But, he finally has the chance to prove himself. He won’t throw it away.
Eventually, the subway stops, and they’re closer to home. They quickly exit and they’re suddenly homebound. Shouto turns to him, mouth open and eyes downcast, but stops before he can actually say something. Touya disregards it, he doesn’t want to hear about whatever Shouto would talk about anyway. There is no further conversation as Touya easily operates their mansion’s security system and slips into the genkan.
The pure white-headed Todoroki can already see Fuyumi rushing to greet them. She’s already smiling as she sees him, but her grin only increases as she sees him and Shouto existing in the same vicinity. Not ready for questions and the whole elder sister experience, Touya nimbly slips under her arm and heads off to his room. He deposits his bag on the floor. He rummages through it, pulling out the training uniform and the other small items they were given in the campaign of school spirit.
They’re simple items, a couple pencils and some pens. He clicks them over and over, almost making them break with how much force he applies. He slips them onto his desk. It had been empty except for the books that he had used to study with, but he now has decorations. He folds the training uniform over and over, even though he knows Fuyumi will quickly slip it out of his room before he goes to sleep.
Fuyumi has been incredibly ecstatic lately. It’s not hard to notice why. Touya knows he can be difficult sometimes, or a lot of the time, and he knows that he has especially been more mellow with getting into his dream school. He also knows Fuyumi feels less stress from Shouto being away from their father. She’s been wearing a concrete smile for the past week, and has been almost skipping around their house. Her unbridled enthusiasm only makes him more determined to succeed. They never seem to be on the same wavelength, but it seems as though this has temporarily restored peace to their home.
Eventually, the door slides open. “Natsu-nii!”
Natsuo looks exhausted. He collapses onto the floor, his shoulders hunched and his hand quickly goes to rub his eyes. Touya wants to inquire about his brother’s current state of being, but he also can’t sit still, desperate to talk about his first day with anyone willing to listen.
“You good?” Touya settles on.
“I’m fine,” Natsuo responds, already making more of an effort to sit up. “Don’t ask about me though. I want to hear about how the orientation went.”
“So! Someone thought my quirk was cool! I actually did pretty well when it came to all the trials. There was also this one kid, Bakugo, really fucking annoying--”
“Tiny bit less vulgarity little bro,” Natsuo remarks, leaning closer.
Touya gives a small sigh but continues, “Incredibly agitating, almost like a kitten on adderall but also eternally constipated. Impressive though. Then there was also one of those Iida kids, who was also impressive but also exasperating. And there was this other student who had like green hair and freckles and his quirk also hurts him! Oh, this one girl–”
“Are you forgetting something?” Natsuo teases, already pulling out some of his work from his university.
“Yeah! I’ll totally show you my uniform,” Touya responds, just to get on Natsuo’s nerves. His older brother leans over, then quickly bats his head with his stack of papers. Touya yelps, tempted to light the paper on fire, but instead settles on sinking his nails into Natsuo’s wrists.
“This is assault!” Natsuo proclaims, yanking his hand back.
Touya laughs, the sound clear and bright. He’s satisfied he’s able to pull Natsuo out of his fatigue. “You provoked me!”
“You’re literally impossible,” the older one of the two says. Natsuo only rolls his eyes, but Touya opens his mouth, ready to actually vocalize his appreciation.
Suddenly, they both hear the sound of someone stomping through the hall. The sound is too loud to be Shouto or Fuyumi, which only leaves one person. The playful mood dissipates and the somber feeling settles over the room like the promise of heavy rain. Touya clutches the pen he had been holding tighter while Natsuo leans closer to their door. The younger boy holds a little faith, hoping his father would care enough to inquire about how his first day at school went, his first day at such a prestigious school nonetheless. However, their father passes by like always, never indicating any interest in anything Natsuo and Touya are doing.
Touya knows it’s like waiting for snow in summer. He knows how his father feels about the failures in their household, but he still wishes there was something tangible that proves that he wasn’t completely useless. But, he has that opportunity now. The Sports Festival is barely a month away, and Touya hasn’t been working nonstop for nothing. Natsuo lightly taps him with the papers from before, stopping Touya from further retreating into his own thoughts.
Suddenly, Natsuo’s phone goes off. Touya watches as a blush blooms on his brother’s face. A smile breaks out on Touya’s face as he realizes who it is. “Hasumi texted?”
“Nezumi-chan was just asking about our project,” Natsuo insists, already sending a pleading glare towards Touya. Touya not teasing Natsuo about this is somehow even more unlikely than their father sparing them the time of day.
Touya clicks his pen, the sound permeating around the room. “Nee-san will enjoy this. It’s like one of her dramas. Now what did she actually say?”
“We were–” Natsuo stutters, looking off to the side.
“You can say it,” Touya encourages, being the opposite of encouraging.
“We were just trying to figure out exactly—”
“Say it!” Touya insists, reaching for Natsuo’s phone. Natsuo pulls back, but Touya is quicker and more agile. He has the tip of the phone pressed between his thumb and index finger, which makes Natsuo pull harder. In a small fit of desperation, Touya warms up his index finger just enough to startle his older brother. Natsuo drops the phone, but before Touya can grab it, he ices Touya’s left hand. Natsuo grabs the phone with his other hand, taking advantage of the smaller boy’s confusion.
“Say what?” a voice calls out from the now open door. Touya and Natsuo both direct their gazes to the door. Shouto stands there, gaze flittering like a spooked butterfly. The sight of him instantly puts Touya on edge. Did father already ask him about how his day went? Touya wonders.
“That you shouldn’t interrupt people,” Touya snaps, melting the ice off his hand.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Natsuo says.
Touya spares him a betrayed gaze, but Natsuo only flicks his forehead. Before Touya is able to declare war, Shouto says, “Dinner’s ready.”
The war declaration is quickly scrapped in favor of arguing over whatever Fuyumi decided to put together. Touya has an intense hatred of family dinners, probably only rivaled by his older brother. Touya for the past three months, has basically only shown up to one per week, and with his absence, Natsuo wasn’t there either. When Touya, sick with heat exhaustion would stumble into their room, Natsuo would already have a bowl of takeout made for him. Fuyumi disapproved of that specific song and dance, but Touya couldn’t pinpoint one thing that didn’t prompt her exasperation whenever he did it. Touya assumed it just came along with being the universal family disappointment.
Their father was already settled at the head of the table. Touya and Natsuo slid into their normal positions, mirroring Shouto and Fuyumi respectively. There was no conversation, the room as quiet as if they were sleeping but lacking the serenity that usually accompanied that action. Sometimes Touya even wondered if they could be labeled a family or if eugenic experiment should be their official title. The Todoroki Project, starring Enji and Shouto Todoroki, with the other siblings playing supporting roles and their mother written out of the script.
The whole thought brought a laugh out of Touya, the others’ eyes immediately gravitating towards them. Touya only proceeds to laugh harder, the whole experience feeling like a sick joke.
Shouto’s face suddenly changes, his features quickly shuffling into a worried picture. He leans forward, eyes intensely focused on his twin. “Are you choking?”
If only, Touya thinks. “Kind of.”
Fuyumi uses this as her excuse to create something similar to a peaceful exchange. Her practiced smile fits on her face with ease. “So, you two, how was the first day?”
There is silence. Shouto looks at Touya to say something, but the pure white haired boy just stares back. Eventually, Natsuo digs his thumb into Touya’s knee. “Fine.”
Natsuo’s thumb presses harder. “Did you know Natsu-nii’s girlf-”
“Natsuo, is Nezumi-chan doing well?” Fuyumi questions. Natsuo resorts to digging his nail into Touya’s knee. Fuyumi easily picks up the mood, flashing
“She’s doing great. Sadly, our group project is not as interesting as their first day of high school. Touya, don’t you want to tell us more.”
“There was this really annoying kid,” Touya responds, inviting the annoyance of his older siblings.
“Very loud,” Shouto comments, already knowing who Touya is referring to. Their gazes meet and Touya actually offers something similar to a smile.
Fuyumi's eyes light up and she gives a small clap of her hands. The smile that graces her face looks genuine, stretching from ear to ear. “I didn’t know you guys were in the same class! That makes me really hap-”
“You’re in the same class?” a loud voice interrupts them. Something shifts. The tension is strong enough to break a knife if someone even dared to try and cut it.
“Dad, didn’t you—” Touya rushes to say.
“What do you mean you’re in the same class?” Enji’s voice leaves no room for anybody else. Fuyumi outright flinches. Natsuo’s gaze is drawn to the tatami flooring. Touya fiddles with his hands, feeling like someone is blowing out the fire that he finally just got to light.
“We’re both in class 1-A,” Shouto says, as monotone as always. He doesn’t look away, instead looking straight back at their father.
Flames erupt across their father’s face. His hands turn white where they are gripping the table. His jaw clenches and his gaze directs itself to Touya. The news outlets assume that he’s just like a demon when he’s enraged. They’re right. “What did I say to you?”
“What do you mean?” Touya responds, avoiding the question.
Their father gets even angrier. He slams his hands against the table, loud enough for Fuyumi to curl in on herself. Natsuo pulls Touya into his side, but still averts his eyes. “What did I say about high school.”
It is not a question.
“That I was going to the same school that Natsuo attended,” Touya responds, his eyes already starting to water.
“I’ll have you pulled out of UA by tomorrow,” Enji states.
Something in Touya breaks. “No, you won’t! I work-ked to get into that school! People already know I’m attending—”
“I’ll have Shouto tell your instructors that you were just accompanying him—”
“That’s bullshit!” Touya basically screams. Natsuo tries to put his hand on Touya’s back, but the younger one shakes him off. He won’t be placated into silence, this is too important. “How did you not know I was going! My acceptance letter was out here for d-days. I got second in the entrance exam, did no one—”
“Don’t use that language with me,” their father insists. He stands up, rocking the table and the dishes. Fuyumi quickly grabs onto the dishes. Natsuo stays eerily still. Shouto continues to eat, as though nothing is happening.
Touya huffs, feeling his eyes get warmer. “You didn’t respond to what I said!”
“I thought this obsession of yours would be over by now,” his father retaliates. Touya absolutely bristles, like you’re one to talk.
“You’re all dismissed, except you,” Enji addresses all of the Todoroki children except the one standing up.
Fuyumi speaks up, her eyes also a tiny bit damp. “Touya, I know this is important to you, but none of us want you to get hurt. Your health—”
Touya is absolutely furious. Fuyumi had been the first person to congratulate him when the letter came in. She had been all smiles and skips the whole day. Now, she falls like a house of cards. Touya shouldn’t be surprised, the chance of Fuyumi having an actual backbone is about as slim as a family dinner actually going the way she wants it to. “Don’t tell me you’ve also adopted this useless speech.”
His sister opens her mouth to speak, but quickly closes it. She knows arguing with him is a lost cause, even his father probably knows at this point. If there is anything that unites the Todoroki family, it’s an unhealthy amount of denial. “Don’t talk to your siblings that way.”
“You don’t get to say that,” Touya snaps. The fucking hypocrisy of it all, the guy who treats them all like pawns in a Shogi game trying to dictate how Touya talks to others. Fuyumi gasps and Natsuo contracts his hand. The hair on his arm tingles, quickly starting to sting. Touya doesn’t even have to look to know what’s happened. Before their father has even moved, a hand has reached across the table, clasping his arm.
The hand on his arm is cool, but not cold, like iced tea when all the ice has melted. Touya’s twin didn’t even flinch when he went up in flames. There is no emotion in Shouto’s face. No smile, no frown, nothing but the two toned eyes and hair. He didn’t even have to think before reaching out to grab his wrist. He just did it.
Touya fucking hates this place.
He leaves, storming off away from the table. He thinks he can maybe hear Fuyumi, but he truly just doesn’t care. He almost rips his futon with how quickly he works to get it onto the ground. He pulls out his phone and puts his face against the small box. He wipes his tears, but he recoils with how warm they are. They’re almost warm enough to burn, stinging his eyes like the sun would in the middle of summer. He longs for something cool, but he wouldn’t dare risk going back out there where the rest of his family resides.
The small boy opens up social media. He types his name and a small smile appears on his face. He knew he would collect fans swiftly. Gossip travels quickly, and he even checks the blogs and accounts dedicated to their class in general. Todo Twins is trending and there are multiple fan accounts titled with Shouto & Touya, some even succeeded with taglines such as pretty boy duo or flame on! Touya whimpers as he remembers his dad somehow didn’t even notice he had gotten into UA.
Did Touya matter that little? Was he so insignificant?
He read through their exchanges. Most of them were as anxious for the Sports Festival as he was, already predicting them as the top of their class. There were also photos taken of them exiting the station, since it would be basically impossible to get photos of them while inside UA’s classroom. Their quirks are known, the official names public. Half-Cold Half-Hot and Hellflame aren’t exactly enigmas. Besides that, there is a bunch of talk about how adorable the two of them are. There are also many more comments than Touya would have liked concerning the difference in their respective heights.
It gives him a small feeling of solace, that there are some people that support him. That there are some people who think his quirk is cool and anticipate all that he has to show. Even the Endeavor accounts seem more supportive than his own father. They all have comments under the slightly illegal pictures of Shouto and him, either giving them their approval or showing outright enthusiasm at the prospects of seeing their quirks.
He wipes the tear that rolls down his cheek. He tries to disperse the steam coming off from him, but it only further lowers his morale. Suddenly, light floods into the room as the door is slid open. Natsuo quickly strides across the room, lowering himself to where Touya is laying. The minute that Natsuo sits across from him, Touya jumps up to embrace his older brother. Natsuo runs his hands through his hair and presses his hand to Touya’s under eyes, trying to cool down the scorching area.
“It’s all fine now, you can cry.”
Touya only sobs harder. “You’ll be fine. I know it.”
“You don’t,” he accuses, but it’s barely audible.
“I do,” Natsuo insists.
“I’m so tired.”
“I know,” his older brother responds, knowing physical fatigue isn’t what’s being touched upon. Touya had almost collapsed over and over again when either training or studying for the entrance exam. Nothing was close to the exhaustion that came from his father constantly being disappointed in him. Having to chase after Shouto was like trying to capture a star, utterly impossible and instigating the risk of burns.
However, Touya did eventually calm down. Natsuo had held him as he continued to decompress, the tears tampering off as sleep loomed closer. Eventually, Touya gave in to the pull of sleep, all of his worries being bookmarked and pinned, ready to be interacted with in the morning.