Chapter Text
"Hey Todoroki, I've always wondered," Izuku started. The begging phrase was no surprise to Shouto because Izuku was always wondering. The way his mind work fascinated Shouto.
Add that to the list of things he'd never say out loud.
"What about?" Shouto asked.
"Your hair never burns when you use your fire," Izuku pointed out. "I mean, theoretically, hair is hair. So, shouldn't it burn?"
Shouto shook his head. "My hair doesn't burn. I guess it's just a genetic modification."
"Wait, I think... I might know why," Izuku said, eyeing down Shouto's hair. Shouto didn't know when Izuku got into the habit of touching and running his fingers through his hair, but he never complained. Honestly, that was probably the reason Izuku never stopped. He seemed to analyze each strand as his head went a million miles an hour. "Do you tire easily? Or do you get vertigo from standing up often?"
Shouto shook his head minimally, not wanting to disturb Izuku's observation. "Not really," Shouto replied. "I've been training all my life, but I only ever really get dizzy while standing if I overuse my fire."
"I think... your cells have adapted," Izuku muttered. "What probably happened is that your your body has naturally harvested more metals in order to make your cells resistant to thermal extremes. You probably have more aluminum and iron in your body than the average person. But you're still human, you still get cold or hot if you overwork one or the other. And it doesn't seem to protect you from thermal shock."
Izuku glanced to the dead skin surrounding Shouto's eye. It didn't take more than a few seconds for Izuku's face to turn red and start bowing to make up for his statement. Apologies immediately began sputtering from his mouth for saying something so abrupt and uncalled for.
"Midoriya, it's alright," Shouto reassured quickly. "You're probably right. It's not something I had ever much thought to, but it makes sense. Don't feel bad for pointing out a fact. My body is not immune to thermal shock and it's okay to acknowledge that."
"Right, right, sorry," Izuku chuckled pathetically.
"I'm not offended," Shouto said, messing with his bangs. "Your theories interest me."
"They do?" Izuku asked, eyes lighting up with hope.
"Yes, I envy your critical thinking skills. You're extremely smart and I enjoy listening to what you have to say."
"Oh, that means a lot," Izuku smiled. "Thanks, Todoroki."
Shouto nodded his head in response, tying back the long strands as he set his costume case in the locker. "Of course."
The few times they were lucky enough to be put on missions together, Izuku would always stand behind Shouto and french braid his hair as they were going over the final debriefing. At first, it seemed as though the officers were agitated by the lack of attention Izuku had during the debriefing.
"Deku," the chief said. "Do you have a good understanding of this case?"
Izuku looked up from the red and white hair that was tangled around his fingers. "Yes sir," he said with a smile. "We're going after a moderate-sized Yakuza group in southern Hosu who are laundering triggers, illegal weapons, and stolen military intel to a Vietnamese terrorist organization who will be waiting 20 kilometers north of the Akita port in a desolate area. We'll split into three teams. Team A will go to Hosu to retrieve the laundered goods and arrest any members present. Team B will go undercover and approach the terrorists with duds and lure them into a staged area. Team C will keep watch and surround the area where Team B will lure them and then B and C will disable the ship and arrest the terrorists with granted permission and request of the Vietnamese government."
The chief looked unamused, probably hoping to catch him with his pants down and lecture him about paying attention. "Right," he muttered. Clearing his throat, three photos were presented up on the screen. "These are three faces you will see among the Vietnamese terrorists. These three are Vietnamese heroes who have infiltrated the organization. They will keep watch and help us to lure the terrorists into position. The heroes are on our side, refrain from harming them."
Shouto set a silicone hair tie into the open palm that was presented to him. Taking the tie, Izuku tightly bound the hair and finished off the braid. Izuku took and tied on one more for safety measures as ran his fingers over the hair.
Thanks to Izuku, it became second nature to lower his body temperature every time he felt his cheeks begin to burn.
As they split off into their teams, the police handed gray and brown outfits to all the members of Team B.
"These have been tailored to hold the properties of your hero costumes as much as possible while still looking identical to Yakuza's usual attire. Get changed," the team B chief announced.
The guys and girls split off into two different dressing rooms as chatter here and there began as to what they were getting themselves into.
"We really got the short end of the stick," Izuku chuckled. Shouto tilted his head along with Tenya. "This is definitely the most challenging out of the three. I mean, A and C are doing what they've been trained for through and through. We're heroes, not actors. We have to put on a show and act like we know a lot more than we actually do."
"I guess you're right," Shouto muttered. "I'm sure they thought about that when splitting people up though."
"It makes sense they'd put you two together on B," Tenya smiled. "You two know one another like the backs of your hands. If one of you slips up, the other can cover for you in an instant, I'm sure of it."
"Oh," Izuku laughed, cheeks turning pink. "T-thanks, Iida. But the same goes for you, in a sense. You always loved to get into the villain character back in school."
"It is my duty to play the role assigned to me and get the job done for the greater good of humanity," Tenya smiled. Izuku let out a melodic laugh that made Shouto feel like he was high. God, Shouto would do anything to hear that laugh for the rest of his days.
"You haven't changed a bit," Izuku giggled, tying off the cloak. "Please, never do."
"I don't plan to," Tenya replied. "The same goes for you two."
"I pinkie promise."
"Okay."
Izuku laughed again at Shouto's response. "That reply is proof enough."
All of them made their way back out to the lobby, guys and girls all dressed similarly in cloaks hiding their beings. A woman stood there with the police. Her deep golden skin was hidden away by black jeans and a pale yellow sweater. Her dusty rose box braids made her seem like the most approachable person on the face of the earth. Shouto wished he could have such natural beauty.
"This Suzuki Simone," one of the officers introduced. "She'll be assisting us in concealing your identities and warding off suspicion."
"Hey," she smiled. "My quirk is called Makeup. I can alter and conceal some facial features and manipulate hair characteristics. The effect will last around twelve to sixteen hours. I hope you don't mind, but I'll have to touch the areas I change, so I apologize for any discomfort in advance.
All the heroes got in a police lineup, watching as Simone went down the line. Greeting every hero as she went down the line, she made everyone look like completely different people. When she got to Izuku, she gently held the side of his face with her fingertips with one hand and brushed two fingers over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose with the other. Unable to help himself, Izuku scrunched his nose and began giggling.
Shouto's lips curled into an involuntary smile as he felt like he was falling in love all over again.
"It tickles," Izuku giggled.
"Just a little longer," Simone replied, dragging her fingertips across Izuku's cheeks. "Alright, any color preferences for your hair?"
"Hm," Izuku thought. Izuku reached over and messed with Shouto's braid. "How about this shade of red?"
"Red it is," she smiled. Shouto watched in mild jealously as she carded her fingers through Izuku's hair and messed with it until it was all a uniform red. On closer examination, the fingertips on his face must have gotten rid of his freckles because they were nowhere to be seen.
"Alright," she said, smiling at Shouto. "Hello, Duality. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Suzuki Simone. I'm actually a big fan of yours."
"The pleasure is all mine," Shouto replied. Simone hesitated as she held two fingers over the general area of Shouto's scar. Nodding his head, Shouto closed his eyes and allowed her to run her fingers along the area. Her fingers were soft like cosmetic brushes.
He knew it wasn't her fault, but it didn't make him any less uncomfortable that someone was touching his scar. "Simone isn't Japanese, is it?" Shouto asked, wanting to take his mind off the fingers that brushed against the reminder of his past.
"Yeah, my mom is from Baltimore in the United States. She's in the military and was stationed in Japan years ago. She met my dad and ended up staying and getting a job here. So I have a Japanese family name but a more American given name," she explained.
"Your mother just up and left the States?" Shouto asked. Simone hummed her response.
"Love makes people make life-altering decisions. Rational or irrational, it's a powerful motive, is it not?" She asked.
"It seems so," Shouto replied. Simone laughed as she ran her fingertips over his forehead.
"Are you saying you don't have any experience to verify my theory?"
Shouto cooled down his face quickly. "I don't see how that's relevant to covering up striking features."
Izuku let out a dramatic gasp. "Todoroki, are you saying you have a crush? And you didn't tell me? Your best friend?"
"You're trying to dive into surface-level words," Shouto replied. "No, I do not. I simply don't see the relevance."
"No catfights while I work," Simone warned. "Now, any color preferences?"
Shouto thought for a while, wondering what the best option would be for a sting operation. "Not particularly," he ended up muttering.
"Okay, how about a dark brown?" She asked. Shouto nodded his head as Simone began twirling her fingers around his bangs and running her fingertips along his braid. Quickly touching up his eyebrows, she smiled as she looked over Shouto.
"You're good to go," she said.
As Simone went down the line, Izuku didn't seem done with his interrogation.
"So are you saying you've never had a crush?" Izuku asked.
"Exactly."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Then you better start trying harder."
Izuku held back his laugh as he thought of his next response. "One day, I'll get it out of you," he vowed.
"Good luck on your search for nothing," Shouto replied. He prayed that Izuku didn't notice the way he couldn't look him in the eye.
They were shoved slips of paper with names on them into each of their hands as they began boarding the small plane. Looking over the name, Shouto began memorizing his alias as everyone grabbed their seats.
Everyone began going in a circle and introducing themselves under their new name. It felt like primary school as everyone went around and just repeated each name. Shouto was surprised that there wasn't a fun fact that he had to share with the class.
"My name is Shinjou," Shouto said.
"My name is Katsuragi," Izuku smiled.
Around and around until everyone could point and name each alias in the place. Soon enough, the chief got up and gathered everyone's attention.
"Alright, I want to remind you of the roles you are playing," the chief said. "You all are to play the roles of South Hosu Yakuza members. Your false goals are to make a successful transaction and make money. We've gotten intel from the Vietnamese heroes: the Divine Light and the Yakuza are not friends. The terrorist organization and Yakuza are not extremely trusting of one another and do not have a great relationship. So do not, I repeat, do not act friendly toward them. Charisma will be seen as a method of deceit and will quickly blow our cover. When you are out there, it is strictly business. Read the room and become the role you've been given. Got it?"
The heroes all nodded their heads and gave their verbal affirmations. The captain announced landing in five minutes, making the heroes all get ready and make sure they had everything. Everyone put their slips of paper into Shouto's hand. Quickly burning them all, he dropped the ashes into a small metal container and wiped off the soot on the leg of his costume.
Shouto felt the rumble of the plane hitting the runway. Once at a stop, the back opened and everyone got off, unloading placebo triggers, faulty weapons with dud bullets, and binders filled with fake intel. A fake trigger was put into everyone's hand as a touch of realism. Inspecting the syringe, it was probably just water with neon green food coloring in it. People began loading four cars with the fake goods as everyone began calling shotgun and playing nose-goes to see who had to drive.
Since Izuku was a pushover, he got a pair of keys thrown his way. And since Shouto was a pushover, he agreed to sit in the front seat in the car with him. Everyone put in their earpieces and piled into cars. The dirt roads were completely desolate as they began to drive toward the port. A quick beep in Shouto's earpiece caught his attention.
"Team C is in place," Setsuna's voice reported. "I have an eye on the Divine Light. They're in the meeting area. The three heroes are there and there's no suspicious behavior. There are ten or so more people than originally anticipated."
"Did everyone hear that?" Izuku asked. Everyone in the car nodded their head. Izuku pressed the button on his earpiece before talking into it. "Car two received."
Shouto heard others' voices repeat similar phrases into his ear as they drove towards their destination. There was a reiteration of information as everyone mentally prepared to get their mission on their way.
Soon enough, they all parked the cars in the area surrounded by Team C. Looking around, Shouto didn't see a single one of his allies. It was probably a good thing, but it didn't make him any less uneasy.
They braved the five-minute walk to the port together, not a word being muttered. Izuku must have also noticed how everyone was expecting him to take the lead as everyone paced themselves behind him. Of course, Deku, the highest in the polls out of all of them, would be the one to lead the sting operation.
Shouto knew what a stupid idea that was. By the way that Izuku ushered him to the front of the pack, he must've known too. Go ahead, put the most well-known face at the head of the sting operation. He was glad that he and Izuku wordlessly came to the conclusion that line of action wasn't the best route.
Shouto gritted his teeth as he looked at the terrorist organization that was now in sight. Shooting a quick glance behind him, he was the one at the head of the pack. Great, he would most likely have to do most of the talking. Izuku and Momo trailed behind him along with Tenya, the rest seemed to stay behind them.
"Act like equals," he barely heard Momo say as they approached. The group clumped more together as the opposing group shifted and looked over at them.
There was nobody in Shouto's peripherals. He was designated the leader. With his hand behind his back, he beckoned everyone forward. People picked up the pace so there was less of a gap between him and everyone else. Momo and Izuku stood beside him with Tenya right behind Shouto.
The moon provided enough to see what they needed to. The faint city lights made up for the lack of lights nearby. The ship had a few lights that were dimmed as to not draw attention.
"I'm glad we caught you on a good night," one guy said. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Everyone behind him seemed ready to follow his word. Scanning the crowd, he saw the three familiar faces among the rest of the terrorists. Nobody behind him uttered a word in reply. Looked like Shouto would be taking the reigns for this one.
"Likewise," Shouto replied.
"Maybe it's the dim setting, but you all seem to be empty-handed," he said. Shouto grew up lying and coming up with quick excuses to save his ass. He had this in the bag.
"They're in cars a half a kilometer back," Shouto said, pointing a thumb behind him. "Last thing we need is our faces caught on camera with the goods. You all can come and retrieve it and bring it back to your ship."
"We have all signals blocked," he replied. "No cameras, no radios, nothing's working in a half a kilometer radius of us."
Nothing's working in a half a kilometer radius. Shit. He needed to get them back to that circle where their backup was in screaming range.
"While I'm sure you're a man of honor, we're not going to take that chance. Your faces are known and you'll be leaving within the hour. We're not leaving Japan. We'd rather not be seen carrying anything," Shouto said.
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" He asked, taking a few steps toward Shouto. He heard people shifting around him. Putting up a hand, he heard everyone around him settle down. The man was getting dangerously close to Shouto.
"I'm saying even jamming quirks have their off-days," Shouto reasoned.
The standoff was intense. Shouto glared down the leader as he did the same. His eyes drifted to Izuku, making Shouto's stomach drop. They couldn't tell it was Izuku, not in this dim lighting, right?
"X," he said. "Check him out."
"Yes sir," a woman said. Izuku's eyes widened as he took a step back. Everyone else around began to get ready to fight as she approached him.
"Not another step," Shouto threatened. Everyone around him stopped as Shouto scrambled for something to do. "We're not here to date, we're here to make a deal; so stop checking out my men."
"X, what do you see?" He asked, completely ignoring Shouto.
Her eyes landed on Izuku's foot. "He has what seems to be a trigger on him, but he's quirkless," she said. "He also has on iron-soled boots, unlike the rest of them."
"Interesting combination," the leader said. "Why is that? Why would you carry a trigger if you're quirkless?"
"The one logical conclusion would be that I'm not quirkless, wouldn't it?" Izuku replied.
The guy glared Izuku down. "Listen," he said. "I don't know what you're hiding or what your angle is, but I don't appreciate the attitude that's coming with it."
"If you wa—"
"That's enough, Katsuragi," Shouto growled.
"Yes sir," Izuku muttered. Shouto couldn't tell if Izuku was playing along or if he genuinely felt bad.
"Quite ballsy for someone with supposedly no quirk," he growled. He took a few steps toward Izuku. "I think I'll see for myself."
If Izuku used his quirk, it was over. There was nothing more iconic than those green zips of lightning and the second they were unleashed, his identity would fly out with the lightning. On the other hand, if Izuku tried to rely on brute strength alone, he'd run the risk of hurting himself or underestimating that guy. The second anyone saw signs of struggle coming from Izuku, quirks would fly and it would be an all-out war. That guy getting near Izuku was not an option.
Without thinking, Shouto ran and hid Izuku behind him. Before he could even realize it, the syringe of the fake trigger was in his hand and the needle was pointing at his own neck. "Don't you lay a finger on him," Shouto scowled. He could see some of the heroes beginning to panic ever so slightly out of the corner of his eye.
The guy laughed dryly as his eyes bored into Shouto's soul. "You have a trigger too? I'm starting to think you really don't trust us."
"We both know you'd do the same," Shouto countered.
"So, should I be scared if that needle gets in your neck?"
"Do you want to find out?"
The leader didn't take that smug ass smirk off his face as he stared down Shouto. The fact that nobody could hear his heart pounding amazed Shouto. Just keep up the act. Don't let him call the bluff.
After a bit, he chuckled and put his hands in the air. "Alright, we won't get ugly. I don't wanna know what you'd do if anything happened to your boy toy right there," he teased. Shouto cooled himself down as quickly as he could. Capping the syringe and shoving it back in his pocket, he subconsciously kept Izuku behind him as he tossed his head back towards Team C's hideout.
"Enough of my time has been wasted. Come and get what you came here for before I decide to leave," Shouto demanded. After the millionth silent standoff, the leader beckoned his group with him. The two groups walked side by side, a good few meters of distance between them. The walk was silent, both groups eyeing each other down. Shouto just begged nobody would cause another scene he could barely clean up.
The cars were in sight. A few people began unloading boxes and crates as the leader looked them over. X seemed to be scanning the surrounding area, her eyes darting from one place to another. Shouto's stomach dropped as she scanned every place the heroes were hiding.
"Your quirk is some sort of x-ray, isn't it?" Izuku said, drawing her attention to him. "You saw the trigger in my pocket and I'm willing to bet you knew I was quirkless because of the joint in my pinkie toe."
"Why are you talking to me?" She scowled, her eyes ready to go back to scanning the trees and distant buildings.
"Quirks interest me," he admitted. "You know, I'd kill to have a quirk like yours. What kind of—"
She held up a hand toward Izuku as her eyes shifted between specific places. Shouto gave a subtle hand signal for everyone to get ready. They couldn't even communicate with team C to synchronize because their radios were useless. They were in deep shit and everyone knew it.
X said something in Vietnamese that Shouto couldn't understand. The leader turned his head as she kept talking to him. His eyes began to dart around as well, making Shouto feel nauseous.
There was a pregnant pause that loomed agonizingly long before the leader said something. He laughed venomously as he looked straight at Shouto. "Heroes," he chuckled. "Kill them."
All Hell broke loose in a matter of seconds as objects began to fly, lights began to flare, people jumped out from hiding places, and yells became the only thing Shouto could hear.
Shouto was immediately elated that the leader had a fire quirk. That was great. Nothing could be better. He began battling it out, trying to get him in ice. All the ice melted almost immediately as everyone fought their own individual fights.
Using fire would be stupid. He'd hurt his allies and he wouldn't put it past the terrorists to have combustibles on them. With more strength than Shouto anticipated, the man grabbed his throat and began choking him with a flame-filled hand.
Encasing the hand in ice did nothing as it melted straight away. The smoke was going straight into Shouto's lungs, being the only thing he inhaled as he struggled to do even that.
Green lightning zipped by and hit the leader away from Shouto. Collapsing on the ground, Shouto coughed and gasped for air.
"Duality!" Izuku said, kneeling down in front of Shouto. "Are you alright?"
Shouto saw the shimmer of metal out of the corner of his eye. With a gasp, he jumped at Izuku and shoved him as hard as he could. Building up as much ice between him and the leader as he could, he did what he could to get Izuku out of the way.
The sound of ice cracking and shattering rang out as Shouto felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He yelled in pain as he built up more ice between the two of them and the gun. Shouto's eyes widened as the leader came around and pointed the barrel of the gun at him. Suddenly, white snatched up the gun as Hanta wrapped an unholy amount of tape around it to render it useless.
Jumping up, Shouto wrapped his arms around the leader. "Cellophane! Somewhere away from trees!"
"You got it!" Hanta yelled out. White tape surrounded them as they suddenly went flying. Shouto grunted as he and the terrorist leader hit the sand and tumbled. Quickly burning the tape off of him, a wrestling match of fire began. Deep down he knew it was stupid, but it was his only option.
If his ice had no effect, he'd just have to gamble on hotter flames.
Shouto pulled back and got a good punch on the face as he ended up on top of the leader. He got a hand around the throat and skyrocketed the temperature of his hand and his flames. Hotter. Hotter. Hotter.
The leader grabbed back at Shouto's throat with his own flames, but not nearly as strong as before. Hotter. This was an endurance match he couldn't afford to lose.
His head felt light as his vision began to double. Just a little bit longer. His eyes were fluttering shut already. Colors began to lose their vibrancy. Time seemed to slow as Shouto stopped feeling overheated.
After what felt like years, the hand choking him fell limp as he kept his hands and flames in place for a little while longer for good measure.
Stopping his flames and letting go, the guy was out cold. A prominent burn lay on his neck in the shape of Shouto's left hand.
His vision refused to get better as he tried to catch his breath. Shit. There were more people.
Shouto got up and ran toward the direction of the fight. It didn't take long before he began to stumble and feel his head spin. Oh, he was falling. Oh, he was falling fast. In a panic, he tried to mentally prepare himself to slam into the brutal earth below. The ground was so much softer than he thought it would be. The ground cradled him in its arms and moved underneath him.
"It's alright, I got you," it whispered. "You did amazing."
No, the ground needed to let go of him. He needed to fight. His friends needed him. He needed to be there for them.
"They're all in handcuffs, the police are loading them up right now. It's okay, Todoroki," the ground said in return. Shouto had no idea that the ground could read minds.
"It's me, Midoriya," Izuku said. "And you're talking out loud."
No wonder the ground felt so loving, it was Izuku. Beautiful, strong, and perfect Izuku.
"I'm having a hard time understanding you," Izuku said softly as shifted Shouto to make him more comfortable. "Your words are slurring together. It's okay, save your strength."
It was okay, he didn't need strength if he had Izuku. Everything about Izuku was amazing, perfect, and took his breath away. Speaking of, was it always this hard to breathe?
"Okay, I think we need to get you to the hospital. You're really hot," Izuku said.
Izuku thought he was hot? Was this a dream come true?
"I-I meant that you're overheated because of your quirk! Y-you need medical attention, Todoroki."
Oh, yeah he probably did. He did feel a tiny bit hot. No, he was fine. He felt warm because he was being cradled. It was nice and it was loving. It was all he ever wanted.
"No, your heart rate is way too high and you're not even sweating anymore. This is bad," Izuku countered.
It was fine because Izuku was there. His heart rate was always high when he was around. Plus, of course he wasn't sweating, he wasn't doing anything. People only sweat when they do things or when they sleep. Sleeping was one of those things where bodies just did stuff without permission, like sweat and think about bad things.
"Todoroki, you're not making any sense. Take some deep breaths, okay? The paramedics are a minute or so away."
No, hospitals were gross. They always asked him questions and poked him. He just wanted to stay with Izuku who made the world spin. Izuku was probably the sole reason the world spun to begin with; he was so strong.
"I know you don't like hospitals, but this isn't up for debate, Todoroki," Izuku said softly yet sternly. "You're currently delusional and you have concerning symptoms."
Okay, yeah, Izuku always knew what was best. He was just smart and amazing like that. Shouto could feel as Izuku shifted him around while trying to take off the cloak and any unnecessary clothing. "Hopefully that'll help cool you down," he muttered aloud.
Izuku's hands were nice and cold against his back. It was nice, being held with Izuku supporting his back. Held back... shit, he didn't restrain that guy, did he?
"Sero got him, it's alright. You did great, Todoroki. You were awesome out there."
Okay, that was good. The guy was arrested and Izuku thought he was awesome. Shouto could rest knowing he was in captivity.
"Wait no no no don't fall asleep!"
Shouto closed his eyes and melted into the warmth that swallowed his body. Nuzzling into Izuku's chest, he let the darkness put him to rest.