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Chapter Text

~~PRESENTING~~

THE KRYTOS TRAP

"We're doing what?" Bakugou asks. Tenya sighs.
"Bakugou, please. Aizawa-sensei said not to complain about the assignment." he says.
"Shut up and tell me this is something we should do." Bakugou says.
"Shut up and tell you?" Kirishima asks, laughing. Tenya aggressively places a paper on Bakugou's desk.
"Roles have been assigned randomly, as it seems. You're fortunate enough to be the lead." he says, somewhat exasperated with Bakugou's...Bakugou-ness.
"And you're unfortunate enough to be the main romantic interest of said lead." Bakugou said, grinning at the roles listed. Tenya looks at the paper himself.
"Oh." he manages.
“Cool, I’m directing!” Sero announces.

Tenya hands out the papers to the rest of the class with no further comment, but Bakugou's laughing in the background as he reads the script is no small annoyance.
"I'm going to crush this, you hear?" he asks.
"Crush the assignment paper?" Kirishima asks, leaning over. Bakugou puts a hand on his face and pushes him back.
"No, you idiot. The role." Bakugou says, smiling evilly, and Tenya feels a dangerous sort of trepidation.
"You can act?" Kirishima asks. There's a slight squeaking sound; it's Midoriya, attempting to hide underneath his desk.
"Kacchan was, uh. In school play one year." he says. His voice is like a pin falling in an empty room, with the tone it carries.
"This is going to be incredible--and I'm going to be better at it than every single one of you!" Bakugou laughs.

"So Stupid Hair is my evil dad--Pierre Krytos." Bakugou reads, later, looking over to Kirishima, who shrugs.
"HalfnHalf is my older brother, Blue Krytos, who fakes his death and then tries to kill us all. Regular soap opera stuff, I guess." Bakugou continues.
"Blue? Is that really a name?" Todoroki asks.
"America has odd naming conventions, and we are going to be acting an English drama." Tenya points out.
"But Blue?" Todoroki asks, incredulous.
"Frogface is my sister Felicity, and Tail is my other brother Nathan--two brothers? Thought there was just one." Bakugou snaps, flipping through the sheets.
"Nathan's plotline is pretty much about being ignored and forgotten, so who cares." he huffs.
"Hey." Ojiro complains. Tenya wonders how, and if, to interfere, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. It was a novel assignment, definitely, for the class to make a movie; but Aizawa had allowed a certain amount of creative license to take place as long as they stuck to the established characters and plotlines.

"And you?" Kirishima asks. Bakugou shakes his paper, and laughs.
"I am Corran Krytos, the youngest of this ancient family...and yet, the heir. I've been blessed with an improved version of the quirk belonging to the head of the household--Living Flame--and with it I'm to become the greatest hero of the age. But what no one knows except myself is that that is a lie...that the Living Flame is not a quirk, but a curse, and over the years it has begun to falter as the relationship between the members of the Krytos family falls apart. And I am in love with Miran Horn, a rebel who wishes to bring change, to end the rule the Krytos family has over the country--and naturally, my father's sent me to capture him, with dire consequences if I don't succeed." Bakugou says, summarizing his plotline before looking rather oddly at Tenya. Who has been cast in said role.
"You better not flunk on me, Glasses. Your role's adjacent to mine, and while I know you'll never match me in talent, I'll deck you if you don't at least manage near equality, understand?" Bakugou says. Tenya squints at the lines he and Bakugou are to share.
"Understood. I'll do my best, of course. I would never do less." he says. Bakugou seems to find this adequate.

***

"This is going to be so much fun! Todoroki, I'm so excited--although I'm wondering how we're going to manage the quirks of the characters as opposed to our actual quirks, I can see faking them with clever combinations but Tsu's character, Felicity, has weather control, that's a little crazy...I wonder who wrote this." Midoriya says to Shouto, who smiles at his friend's joy, though he's a little unsure.
"My character ends up killing yours." he says. This doesn't deteriorate any of the sparkles in Midoriya's eyes.
"Acting is just--it's so cool. You get to pretend to be someone else, to have a stake in someone else's story...I remember Kacchan, in the middle school play. He was intense about it, I don't think that's changed. But! I get to have a role that intersects with yours significantly...that's pretty great, isn't it?" Midoriya asks. Shouto shrugs, and decides to read out their character sheets in full.

"I've got Blue Krytos...apparently, he was to inherit the curse of the Living Flame, had been training to recieve it his whole life--but he also held the quirk of foresight. Seeing a terrible future for the family, and Pierre's downfall, he was cast into the shadows; Corran was decided to be the next heir, and holding no actual quirk of his own, could more easily hold the ever-growing power of the Living Flame. Blue didn't like that, though, and in the story, he tries to steal the Living Flame to gain its power for himself, and prove to his father he should be the next heir, but all he does is destroy himself, the power of the curse ripping him apart. Except...plot twist...he didn't die, but became a monster, a being made of a corrupted version of the curse--staggering away from the home that thought him gone, he came across a group. This group, the Alliance, they had decided the world, the Krytos family, had wronged them---and they were not all wrong--and they took Blue in; he was tormented by the curse and turned to evil, while all his family thought him dead. And now, years later, he returns for his revenge, his identity hidden by the curse marks that have seared themselves across his body. He's here to kill his father and his brother Corran, for letting him lose himself." Shouto reads. He looks at Midoriya cautiously; there was something odd about the role, something tapping at his mind.

"And I am to be...Jay Venture. His life was saved by Pierre when he was very young, and he looks up to the man, unknowing of the terrible laws he sets to keep active the family curse; he's infiltrating the Alliance on Pierre's orders, so he can defeat them. But upon meeting Blue--going by the name of Scar, hiding his identity--Jay falls in love. He fights against his thoughts and his mission, struggling within himself, but in the end chooses to try and stop Blue's murder mission, and he be a hero. He fails, though, and after an emotional fight where all truths are stripped bare, Jay is killed by Blue, who's almost entirely consumed by the curse, by anger, by fear." Midoriya says, looking into Shouto's eyes.
"Are you all right with acting that out? You seem worried about something, and Aizawa said we did have creative license. If we wanted to change something." he says. Shouto shakes his head.
"I'm worried about you, mostly." he says, but he realizes, then, he shouldn't be; Midoriya is practially bouncing in his seat from excitement.
"I'm just so happy to be doing something amazing with you! I love having friends, and you're one of my best ones." Midoriya says.
"That's...thank you. I'm glad to be doing something amazing with you as well." Shouto says. In truth, though, there's things he doesn't want to say; he gazes across the room, where Kirishima and Bakugou are practicing lines.

"You have the power of the Living Flame! You're to be stronger than me, stronger than all of us, the greatest hero. I will not let you throw that away." Kirishima says, face twisted in a faltering angry grimace.
"I never wanted to be a hero! Let me live my own life, Father!" Bakugou yells, and Shouto jolts at the pure emotion, pleading and anger, in his tone. He hadn't known Bakugou had the skills, and yet.
"So you can run off with that villain?" Kirishima snarls, voice hitching as he attempts to make his words drip with derision.
"You only want me for what I am. What I can do with the power you've forced on me. You don't--you don't want me." Bakugou says, and he looks like he's going to cry.
"Bro, are you all right?" Kirishima starts, and Bakugou suddenly combusts with anger.
"Are you trying to make be break character? I'll kill you!" Bakugou roars, and now Kirishima's stepping back where Bakugou was stepping back from him before, his entire being suddenly shifted.

"I told you Kacchan was intense." Midoriya says. Shouto, though, can hardly hear him, and Kirishima takes a deep breath.

"CORRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAN! You used both parts of the Living Flame--the light and the dark, the brilliance and the corruption--I saw you, fighting that...that Horn. You summoned up your full power, and you beat him--and now, you wish to fall for him? When you're at your greatest? It's not happening. Not with me as your father." Kirishima says, stumbling over the words and wincing as the paper shakes in his grip. Even with the lackluster delivery, the words are too familiar not to harrow at Shouto's soul.

"I'll be a hero. But not for you. Never for you." Bakugou says.
"You bear my power, boy!" Kirishima shouts--he steps forwards, and Bakugou visibly flinches though he holds his ground; this causes Kirishima to flinch in return, obviously conflicted at the role. He opens his mouth, but no more words come out as he stares at Bakugou, who notices something's up and shifts back into his usual Bakugou pose.
"Bakugou, you're...oh my God, that's so manly!" he shouts.

Shouto blinks.

"Dude, why didn't you ever tell me you were that good at acting--you're incredible!" Kirishima whoops, clapping his hands, and Bakugou looks highly gratified.
"You could try harder." he says. Kirishima looks slightly uncomfortable.
"Yeah...this Pierre Krytos dude, though...he's such a bad guy. And not the cool kind of bad guy either." he says, apologetic. Bakugou huffs.
"But I can manage it! I can totally manage it--we're going to make this the best show ever, Bakugou! I won't let you down!" Kirishima announces. Bakugou places his hand on Kirishima's shoulder.
"Just--pretend you don't care. Pretend there's nothing left in your life other than reaching the top, and you'll tear down everyone around to get there." he says.
"Uhhh..." Kirishima says.
"I know what you're thinking." Bakugou snaps. Kirishima's mouth abruptly closes.
"The difference between this bastard of a character and my goals, Stupid Hair, is that where to him other people are stepping stones, to me they're obstacles in my path. Easily tossed aside. There's a difference, a huge difference, in between fighting through the path you're worthy of, and building a bridge of bones."

"Every day I think you have reached your pinnacle of awesomeness--and every day, you defeat it!" Kirishima yells; he jumps around, but stops when Bakugou grabs his hand.
"Wha--" he starts, suddenly getting dragged across the floor.
"Come on, let's practice lines with Glasses. Maybe you'll do better at bullying him than I." Bakugou says, oblivious to Kirishima's whines that he doesn't want to bully anyone despite the character he's been assigned; the two troop over to a highly resigned Iida.

"Want to get practicing on ours?" Midoriya asks.
"Absolutely." Shouto says. He wonders if he'll feel the same euphoria the others seem to, upon successfully rehearsing a scene.

***

"You betrayed me. You betrayed all of us!" Shouto screams, advancing on Midoriya as he tries to run away.
"I had to--you're a villain! And this whole time...this whole time, I've been a hero." Midoriya says.
"I thought you were our friend--no, I suspected you from the beginning, but this is how you prove me right? I'll kill you." Shouto says.
"You won't get away with this! Look at what you're doing, they're your family. You can't." Midoriya says; Shouto's arm ignites with flame.
"They're no family of mine." Shouto snarls, reaching forwards to grasp Midoriya by the front of his shirt, slamming him against the wall. Shouto's expression of anger fades, though, once Midoriya starts laughing.
"Did--did you really--Todoroki, oh my GOD!" he giggles, grinning. Shouto blinks, and looks down at himself; his jacket had opened to show he was still wearing the Endeavor shirt Kaminari had gotten a marker to and drawn some extremely pertinent words and images all over. Shouto lets go of Midoriya, leans against his hand on the wall, and smiles; the amusement was catching.

"That's a cut, I guess." Sero says, spinning his desk chair around.
"You're scary." Midoriya laughs.
"Thank you?" Shouto says, confused by the unusual compliment.
"Seriously, Todoroki, you're better at this than you might have thought! I think you're doing a great job." Midoriya reassures him.
"Uh....you too." Shouto says back, before looking at the script again. He's not quite sure what to think of the whole thing...there's something very odd he can't quite put his finger on.

***

"We don't talk about Blue. No!" Tsuyu says, and Iida steps back from her vehemence.
"Seven feet tall, scars along his back--he calls your name, and all'll fade to black. He could see the future, you know. And such fates did he bring upon us all!" Ojiro cries.
"Says the one blessed with forever." Katsuki says.
"Eternity is a curse, my brother! Blue looked, he tried to find my end, but there was none to be found. Do you not understand the terror of infinity?" Ojiro asks.
"If I had forever, I would use it well. It is wasted on you." Kirishima says, before turning to Iida.
"And you, why are you here? What cause do you have, to try and find the secrets of the Krytos family? They are not for your eyes--do not defile Blue's memory any longer. Leave, before I make you." he says.
"After the truth I discovered! Never! I may not know it all, but I tell you, there is something happening here, and I'll find it. I promise you'll pay for what you've done, Pierre Krytos." Iida says.
"And what have I done?" Kirishima asks.
"We'll find that out, won't we? Come on, Corran! We must go onwards, to the tower!" Iida announces.
"Blue's tower? But it's broken, and dangerous, and filled with demons of the past. I worry, Miran. I fear what we may find there. What made him lose himself? Will we lose ourselves as well?"

Blue's tower is old, and full of sand; light shines through green windows, bathing the area in an eerie light.
"What are we looking for?" Katsuki asks.
"A story, of course!" Iida says; above them, there's a separate stage, where Todoroki and Izuku walk out in sync.
"But why--what cause have we to look for what's old, what's forgotten?" Katsuki asks.
"Are you really wanting to listen to your father? After everything he's done? Corran, please! We can be free--I did not come here so we could lose ourselves, but so we could find ourselves!" Iida cries.
"Find ourselves, by finding what's left of my brother?" Katsuki asks.
"He could see the future, could he not? And you have sworn never to use the Living Flame, to let your father's legacy die with you as the last heir of the power--but you need a different power, in return, and in truth, I don't know what to do, how to find it. I know there is an answer somewhere. So we should look to the past, where one looked to the future, because our whole life is ahead of us! There's so much more for us to find, out there! Away from here!" Iida cries.
“Miran, I love you, and I love your hope, but do you really believe there is a chance? Really believe there can be some good hidden deep in the Living Flame?” Katsuki asks.
“I don’t know what to think of that awful magic. But if there is a way, you will find it. Corran…I believe in you. So believe in the me that believes in you!”

"I never found what I was looking for. I tried, and tried, and fought against the fire until I could fight no more. Because I saw what would come, and I wasn't enough, and all I wanted was to show him what I could be. So I took the Flame. Is that what you wanted to hear? And look at me!" Todoroki screams. Those below give no indication of hearing him; Izuku, however, steps forwards.
"I agree. Your story is a tragedy--" he starts.
"The Living Flame devoured me!" Todoroki roars, gesturing at himself; because Blue Krytos is living a force of corruption, hardly alive, holding on for one reason. One reason! I will take from them, what they took from me! And you...I know you have some motives I cannot see. But I will see, and you will regret hiding them from me." Todoroki says.
"Blue, I--I'm here to fight with you, and the rest of the alliance!" Izuku protests.
"But are you?" Todoroki asks.
"Are you?" more voices repeat; those of the Alliance exits the shadows, and surrounds Todoroki.
"All...all of you? Halcyon, Tycho, Slasher…here, for me?" Izuku asks. Shoji steps forwards, towering over Izuku, a sword in each hand; the floorboard beneath him creaks.
"If you want to be one of us, Jay, you have to be one of us. So prove your truth--prove your power, and bring down the tower!" Todoroki says.
"The tower?" Izuku asks.

"Here, are held all the books, all the secrets of the Living Flame. In code and hidden text lie the way to overcome the corruption, what is destroying us all. What destroyed my brother." Katsuki says, head bowed.
"It is surely one of the reasons my family is falling apart."
"Is that not because of your father? But either way--once you master this power, Corran, you can take him down. Make everything as it should be; and then, we can be together, and your siblings will be free!"

"Destroy what used to be mine, but what could never be; what I fought for so long but could never reach. Do this for me, for us, remove the power of the Living Flame from existence--all that is keeping the Alliance back from truly taking control! And then we will be able to consider you one of us." Shouto calls, Izuku backing up from his fierce gaze.

***

"Look at this. Jay's got a tragic backstory too." Midoriya says, showing Shouto the script for the battle with the Lady of Mirrors. Hagakure's even more excited than they are, for that; she gets to be the mysterious prophetic figure, showing up and disappearing while giving cryptic bits of advuce, with appearance always changing. In the end, it's found she's a spirit, and there's nothing behind her many masks, nothing at all.
"He's been trained by the family opposing the Krytos, the Isards; they want him to help Blue destroy the Krytos so they'll remain the greatest hero families. They took him in when he was younger, after Pierre defeated his villainous father--all this truth comes out in the fight with the Lady of Mirrors, while at the same time Blue tells Jay everything that led up to what he is. About the corruption killing him at the foot of a mountain; about the demonic power of the Living Flame seeping into his soul, keeping him alive through hate." Midoriya explains.
"He's...he's really having a bad time, isn't he?" Shouto asks, but he knows the answer. All this stuff about fire, about fighting--it almost seems familar, and he doesn't like that very much. He feels like he's a bit to the left of what he should be, and looking at Bakugou and Kirishima yelling at each other, is slightly grateful. There was something that bothered Shouto, about the character of Corran Krytos.

"And after then, they go and attack the tower, but Corran and Miran are there, and the groups encounter each other and fight. Jay tries to hide his identity, and in the end is forced to drop his act to save their lives--he kills one of the members of the alliance, Tycho. Who's playing Tycho again? The one who can be in multiple places at once?" Midoriya asks.
"Kaminari." Shouto says.
"Right. Then Halcyon--that's Jirou--another of the alliance, absolutely loses it and it's all Miran and Corran can do to escape with their lives. Jay, though...he gets trapped by the crumbling tower, and after then we have our final battle." Midoriya reads, grinning.
"Then back to Blue--he decides that after Tycho's loss, after Jay’s murder, he needs to take his revenge, and he and the rest of the Alliance attack the Krytos residence, where he reveals his identity to those he once called family. It's going to be a powerful scene." Midoriya continues. Shouto flips his script paper, and looks at it.

"Yeah." he says. A good portion of it depended on his delivery of the lines, but it was also greatly dependent on the reactions of Bakugou and Kirishima.
"It'll be difficult." he says. A brother, consumed by fire, returned from death to destroy what had once been his family; a man who worked them to succeed in what he couldn't, a boy who denied his own power, a girl who tried to hold them together, a boy who wanted to run away. Shouto peers suspiciously at the script, and a theory of hidden relation he'd come up with, and shoved aside, long ago, once again returns. He carefully pushes it aside once more, the edges of the thought like heated shards of glass.
"I had lots of ideas as to how to use our quirks to create some epic special effects--Sero approved them, look!" Midoriya says excitedly, showing Shouto his notebook.
"You want Kirishima and I to..." Shouto reads.
"Don't worry, he thinks it's hilarious." Midoriya says.
"Well, I'm all for it." Shouto says, and he loves the brilliant in Midoriya's smile.

***

"They're no family of mine." Shouto growls, pushing Midoriya up against the wall. Midoriya struggles, but he can't escape; the tower around them shivers, light glowing eerily through green windows.
"Blue--please! And if not them, for me!" Midoriya cries.
"Is that what Tycho said? When you killed him?" Shouto asks.
"He was going to kill Corran and Miran, you have to understand. I couldn't--I couldn't let him!" Midoriya pleads.
"Well, I can't let you live. Glad you understand." Shouto huffs; Midoriya twists in his grasp, and pulls a knife from his jacket, lunging; Shouto leaps out of the way before his hand begins to glow with the evil of the Living Flame.
"Jay, Jay, Jay. Named after a bird; and so like a caged bird, you will die." Shouto says, striking at Midoriya with a fist that burns a hole into the wall.
"I brought you here so you could prove you were one of us, but I guess that didn't happen, did it? Think the Krytos will be proud of you? The Isards? The only thing they'll be able to be proud of will be your corpse!" he screams.

"I always wanted to live a hero." Midoriya says, eyes glancing around at the pillars holding up the crumbling tower. He swings around, and jabs his knife into one of them; it creaks and cracks, sending lines of destruction splintering through the building. The Alliance steps back, suddenly seeming to realize what's happening.
"But I guess I'll have to be happy with dying one." he says, and as it all comes down around them, Shouto lunges forwards with his hands full of fire; but managing to hit Midoriya, and watching him fall to the floor finally silent, trailing a thin line of smoke, isn't enough to save the rest of the Alliance from the deaths that came from the tower crashing down on them. Only Shouto, barely alive and surviving through the fire that powered him, lives; but it's as much a life as a death.

"And...now they're hugging. Excellent death scene, guys." Sero says, watching Shouto and Midoriya after the scene ends. Kaminari pushes a foam piece of wood from on top of himself.
"Go out with each other already." he laughs. Jirou whacks him with the foam.

***

"What," Bakugou snarls, "is your problem?"
"Erm." Ejirou answers, inching away from him. Bakugou gestures furiously between himself and Iida, before sighing.
"Stupid Hair, you need an education in acting. You're lucky I care enough for the success of this play to give to your idiot self. Even Glasses is doing better than you." Bakugou huffs. Ejirou glances at Iida, who seems extremely flustered. Bakugou glowers at him.
"It's...I don't feel manly." Ejirou says, helpless before Bakugou's fiery gaze.
"I believe you said you considered Bakugou's skill at acting to be manly, so why does it change for you?" Iida asks. Ejirou sits down, slowly sliding against the wall until he hits the floor.
"Bakugou gets to be the seemingly emotionless protagonist who's got to fight against not only his past, but his family's past as well; Iida, you get to be the bad boy type who helps the protagonist realize who he is and what he's worth. And I'm...I'm not even the cool bad guy, I'm Corran's jerk father who is a hero, but still is just as bad as some of the villains. And Pierre Krytos isn't manly at all!" Ejirou protests.

"Are you manly?" Bakugou asks.
"I...I like to think so." Ejirou says. Bakugou grins at him.
"There you go, then. See--Corran isn't that cool. He's a whiny jerk who's keeping himself away from his own power and it takes another idiot stumbling into his life for him to realize he can do more than what he's been told he could. Only reason he isn't an extra is cause he's the protagonist. I'm much better than him. At the same time, though--if I can pretend to be him, it shows others how awesome I am--what I can do. What I can be. So you, you and your hair that appears to have grown into your brain, need to realize that the farther from yourself you can go...the more incredible it is." Bakugou says. Iida seems rather surprised by the fact that the motivational speech isn't half bad, and Kirishima smiles. Bakugou reaches down, grabs him by the shirt, and hauls him up until he's standing.
"So get up on stage and start acting like a bastard, would you? A good deal of my character's stuff depends on yours and if you don't deliver I'll deck you for it. I've spent too long already on your hesitant stumbling!" Bakugou barks, continuing to push Ejirou into the center of the room.

"Thanks, bro. You really know what to say, to get me motivated." Ejirou says.
"Cool. Now work on de-motivating Corran." Bakugou answers; Ejirou laughs, and stretches his arms out before him.

***
"Maybe the only reason I'm not like you is because I haven't used the Living Flame. Think of that?" Katsuki asks, glaring up defiantly at Kirishima, who's attempting to seem furious.
"You are certainly lacking in power. Corran, I will not let all the time I spent training you go to waste--you are ready to hold the Living Flame, and so I will give it to you." Kirishima says.
"I'm thinking passing it on by force won't end well. I refuse to take it--to become the Krytos heir." Katsuki spits.
"You're just going to run off with Horn, aren't you. That boy...I refuse to let you see him again. He's ruining you." Kirishima says, and Katsuki hides the brief spike of happiness that comes from Kirishima finally getting his head in the game.
"Him? Him? He's been the only good thing in my life since--since anything I can remember! He loves me! And look at what you've done to all of us; Felicity's falling apart trying to hold us together and Nathan's long since left. He's lucky he could. And Blue...what about Blue? There is no love in this family, not from you.” Katsuki cries.
"Blue was my greatest failure. I will not lose you, like I lost him." Kirishima says.
"Then why are you throwing me towards the fire that killed him? There’s nothing good about that power!"
"You are our only chance!" Kirishima roars. "Our only chance to become what we once were. My mastery over the Living Flame is nothing compared to what you could do with it--quirkless, and yet with power to rival us all. You have the most brilliant gift by having none; you must fulfill the Krytos legacy, and master our fire." Kirishima says.

"I will not. If you want me to take the fire in, you'll have to force me to it. But I don't expect that'll be a problem for you, will it? After everything you've done." Katsuki says.
"It will not. Now come--or do I have to make you?" Kirishima growls, managing to somehow tower over Katsuki despite the fact that they're near the same height.
"You can try." Katsuki answers.

***

"Kirishima's...getting better at acting." Shouto says, watching the redhead hesitantly.
"He can be pretty scary when he tries...I hadn't've thought it." Midoriya comments, turning to Shouto.
"You too, of course. Don't worry--I know you'll manage the reveal scene marvelously." he says.
"You aren't there, though." Shouto mumbles. He likes it when Midoriya's beside him on the stage.
"I'll be there, watching you." Midoriya says; Shouto finds himself staring into the other's sparkling eyes.
"I know you'll do an amazing job, Todoroki, and out of everyone cheering for you when the play's over--because I know you'll be cheered for as loudly as a storm--I'll cheer the loudest, and make sure you hear me. Because I know you're unsure about this, but you've been doing an excellent job, and think about the future. You can't say acting talent isn't useful for a hero." Midoriya points out, and Shouto's surprised to feel himself smiling. Being around Midoriya just...made him happier.
"Then I'll do my best. For you." he answers, and suddenly finds that Midoriya's hands are wrapped around his. Shouto carefully wraps his hand around Midoriya's grasp in turn, and it feels...nice. He doesn't think, not really, that he's felt this way before...he's good at regulating his temperature, but he can't stop the warmth that rises in his hand at Midoriya's touch.

And it's on his ice side.

Shouto looks over as Bakugou shouts; he rises slightly from his seat upon seeing Bakugou apparently being thrown across the floor.
"Don't worry about Kacchan. He doesn't fall easily, not unless he wants to." Midoriya says; Shouto sits back down. It's all right; it's Bakugou, and Kirishima. After Bakugou falls where he lies, Shouto watches him get up again; he swings himself around Kirishima's shoulders, berating him excitedly, and Shouto reminds himself that everything is all right as the room fills with Kirishima's laughter.

***

"Scar? Is that what you've been calling me? Rude, really." Shouto says, a mock look of offense on his face as he touches his chest.
"You killed Jay!" Iida screams.
"And?" Shouto replies.
"We won't let you get the Living Flame." Bakugou growls; Shouto's gaze falls from him to Kirishima standing beside him.
"Last thing I heard, Pierre, you were trying to send Corran the way of Blue. And now you're working together to stop me? What an inspiring story." Shouto drawls.
"KEEP BLUE'S NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" Kirishima roars.
"Don't talk about my brother. Not when you're here to steal his legacy." Bakugou hisses.
"I see you don't recognize me. Of course, if you cared any, you would have before now, but I already knew you didn't, didn't I?" Shouto asks.
"Shut your face, Scar." Bakugou snaps. Shouto raises his hands, laughing softly, already torn face split by a deranged smile.
"Oh, please. There's no need to call me that any more, not when I have a perfectly good name of my own.

Blue Krytos. It's a nice name, isn't it?"

Shock hits like a thunderbolt striking a pine tree; wood shivers to ash surrounded by a white like that breaks through darkness, followed by rolling thunder of understanding.

"Blue?" Katsuki asks, voice broken like waves against a rocky shore.
"Corran, Corran, Corran. I've missed you." Shouto says, softly.
"You...you can't be." Katsuki whispers.
"He is." Kirishima says, face frozen in horror. "He is, and it's all because of me."

"Now stand aside, and let me reach the Living Flame; the power I've always been meant to have. What, it killed me? It was too strong for me, so you'll pass on the torch to little Corran? Because he's powerless and perfect. But I saw the future, Pierre--I saw where we'll all end." Shouto laughs.
"Blue--I lost you once to the Flame, I won't lose you again." Kirishima insists. Shouto tilts his head back, hair falling behind him.
"Lose me? You act as if the Flame consumed me. No, I consumed it--and now, it will consume all of you!" he yells, gesturing wildly, and the brazier behind Kirishima surges in light.

"Activate the Krytos Trap; something that’s been held back for ages! The power you rely upon is cursed, evil, and it will destroy you all." Shouto says, sneering as the fire leaps and lashes, a dormant magic only he was aware of suddenly awakened. Katsuki and Kirishima scream, and he screams with them, flame glowing from inside of them to tear them apart.
"BLUE!" a voice yells; Tsu, followed by Ojiro, the two are making their way into the courtyard even as glowing energy spirals around them. Tsuyu staggers, and Shouto can barely lift himself off the ground, but they're all falling, falling apart, the true curse of the Living Flame that ran through the blood of every Krytos. Enough to kill them all slowly, falling apart and decaying in horror, but conscious enough all the while to feel every single second of pain. No power as strong as the Flame was came without a price; without a disease that was slowly, and now quickly, consuming them all.

"This is what I saw, all of us lying still in death! And you can do nothing about it!" Shouto cries.
"No." Ojiro says, somehow still standing; unlike Shouto, who is rejoicing in the pain, Ojiro is the only Krytos to stand against it.
"I...I ran away, last time. I did nothing, last time. I've never been able to do enough. So maybe I can manage it--once." Ojiro says; before anyone can do anything, he's run to the brazier, and reached his hand around the glowing coal in the center; it begins to howl, and he howls with it, taking all the pain of the corruption onto himself. “Nathan!” Tsu screams, but it is too late.

"What...what have I done?" Kirishima whispers. For the first time in years his mind is clear.
"I'm dead, and living off hate and hope...please, just look at me! Look at what I can do—Nathan, you have ruined us!" Shouto cries.

Bakugou staggers to his feet, Iida holding him.
"It's time." he says.
"What was the future you saw, Blue?" Iida asks, watching Shouto writhe on the ground, Ojiro fall silent by what was once full of flame and is now empty. He took it all within himself, from everyone, and it destroyed him.
"I was to die to kill them! I cannot live like this--why did Nathan die, to save them?" Shouto asks.
"I'm glad I could do my part." Ojiro says, standing where a moment ago he had fallen. Shouto flinches towards him.
"Did you forget already that I'm immortal?" Ojiro asks. Kirishima, slowly, pushes himself off the ground.
"It's not over, not yet. Because...I have no power, Blue. And now that the Living Flame has no power, too...I'll get what I never wanted, with it. Control, and connection." Bakugou says, a soft smile on his face.
"Bring Blue back to us." Tsu says. Bakugou nods; the power of the Living Flame glows like a brilliant light in the center of his chest, shining enough to overtake the entire stage.

Shouto stumbles to his feet, stepping forwards.
"Corran...I'll...kill you." he hisses.
"I don't know if I can do this, Miran." Katsuki says, ignoring Shouto entirely. Iida places a hand on his shoulder.
"Remember what the Lady of Mirrors showed us? What we saw would happen in the future, when we were in Blue's tower?" he asks. Katsuki nods.
"I am powerful, I am powerless. I have everything, I have nothing--half and half, both at once. Do you know what happens, Blue, if the Living Flame is destroyed, and brought back once more? It is not a line, but a circle." Katsuki says.
"Is that it, then? You're accepting our father's decision to be the perfect heir?" Shouto asks. Katsuki shakes his head.
"Nah. I still, and always will, refuse to hold the Living Flame, after what it did to all of us. No, I'm going for something neither he nor you would have wanted--to save you both." Katsuki explains, and Shouto suddenly grabs his chest.

"What...what are you doing? I feel all...the Living Flame is the only thing keeping me alive, letting me endure through the corruption and disease of the Krytos Trap--letting me endure so that I can destroy you!" he yells.
"The other side of a Living Flame is Dead Ice." Katsuki says, gesturing towards the empty brazier with one smooth movement; there's a beat, the sound of a note like a fork hitting the side of a glass; and then, cold.
“I…I couldn’t do this without you, Miran.” Katsuki says; his breath is visible in the air, as a chill descends.
“I told you, didn’t I? The power of the Living Flame is hate. It is evil, it is what tore your brother and father up inside. But there’s something more to it, always something more, and the only emotion that flows with the same passion as hate is love.” Iida says.
“Love; for what we could have been, what we are. And with love, your love, I can reverse the Living Flame. Thank you.” Katsuki says, and holding Iida’s hand, he breathes, and the a blanket of snow rises into existence.

"Ice." Shouto says, staring at the frost that envelops everything with shining blue.
"This what you saw, isn't it? All of us, frozen and cold." Katsuki says.
"We were to die. Not to live, not to love!” Shouto cries. Katsuki sits down next to him.
"You won't die. Not when you're finally alive again." he says.
"You don't know me. I killed Jay--you really have hope, after that?" Shouto says.
"I don't. But we're brothers; and you don't let go, do you? I'm the same, Blue, and I tell you, I won't let go of you." Katsuki explains.
“Your brother has eternal love in his heart.” Iida says. “It is what saved me, what saves us all.”

"What have you done? The Living Flame, our power! It's destroyed!" Kirishima yells; Iida places one hand on his face, and shoves him to the ground again.
"You've got nothing, now. How's that feel?" he asks, laughing.
"CORRAN! How could you do this? The magic that's been passed down the Krytos family for years, gone, just like that!" Kirishima screams.
"You still holding onto him?" Shouto spits.
"He deserves a chance. I think he'll throw it away, though." Katsuki answers, watching Kirishima attempt to call on the Living Flame once more; he screams as ice overtakes him, and he, with no ability of controlling it, begins to freeze solid.
"I'll master this power--it cannot be kept from me--it is mine!" he screams, staring in horror as his arm becomes immovable, hardened.
"I thought you said it was Corran's to master." Iida says.
"Father--you have to let go--please!" Katsuki pleads.
“NO! I won’t lose it! I already lost Blue, my life, to this magic—why is it not responding to me? It must!” Kirishima yells, fighting and petrifying against the power of the ice. Katsuki reaches for him, wearing a look of desperate confliction, but it’s too late, and Kirishima becomes as solid as a statue in his mindless pursuit to get what he was never meant to have. Shouto reaches out, and taps him; Kirishima falls over with a loud crash.

"I'm gonna be honest, I didn't expect him to go out that way." Ojiro comments. Tsu's just staring.
"What now?" Katsuki asks.
"Look." Iida says. Katsuki follows his gaze to Shouto, who's staring at his hands, at the blackness of the corruption that has devoured him slowly becoming healed with frost.
"It's over." Shouto says, and suddenly he's crying.
"I'm over." he says, staring up at the sky.
"The Krytos disease, the evil of the Living Flame--it was all that was holding you together--Blue, no!" Katsuki shouts, but Shouto is becoming slowly covered in ice even as he burns apart, the only and final victim of what he activated himself; the Krytos Trap.

THE END

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~~FEATURING~~

Todoroki Shouto as Blue Krytos
Bakugou Katsuki as Corran Krytos
Kirishima Ejirou as Pierre Krytos
Ojiro Mashirao as Nathan Krytos
Asui Tsuyu as Felicity Krytos
Midoriya Izuku as Jay Venture
Iida Tenya as Miran Horn
Hagakure Toru as the Lady of Mirrors
Jirou Kyoka as Halcyon
Kaminari Denki as Tycho
Shoji Mezo as Slasher

Directed by Sero Hanta

Chapter Text

~~PRESENTING~~

THE KRYTOS TRAP - AFTERMATH

Before

Shouto stands before Midoriya’s dorm room, old memories spinning in his mind like a kaleidoscope of knives. He’s…he’s been thinking, about things, ever since the class completed the play; and these time, the thoughts are far too sharp to push away, and holding them is making him bleed, the edges tearing through what little shields he has left. But he can’t let go.
“Todoroki?” Midoriya asks, opening the door.
“Can I come in?” Shouto asks. Midoriya nods, and Shouto walks in, the sheets of papers in his hands seeming like the weight of shackles. He hands them to Midoriya.
“This is…this is our script for the Krytos Trap…what’s wrong, Shouto?” Midoriya asks.
“Did I ever tell you about Touya?” Shouto asks.

He hadn’t. So, he does.

***
After

“Seriously?!” Dabi yells, stumbling out of his chair as the door to the League’s hideout swings open with a startling crash. He hears deranged giggling, and sighs. Sounds like Toga’s back.
“Warn a guy, will you?” he asks, looking over at the girl; he pauses. And stares.
“Oh, Dabiiiii~~! Look who I found!” Toga laughs; she’s covered in swaths of blood, holding a knife near her face as she grins with that fanged smile Dabi knows so well. It’s that expression, plus the familiar sweater and fanged neck-brace that allow Dabi to recognize her, as she’s in the form of Midoriya Izuku. Dabi’s gaze falls from her glimmering green eyes to what she’s dragging behind her; a teenage boy with a torn hero costume Dabi knows well, and thick, dark blood covering half of his face. His eyes are closed, and he isn’t moving; he’s breathing, though, and his usually fluffy green hair seems oddly floppy and straight.
“Looks like you had fun. Little miss yandere.” Dabi says, squinting at the boy. There’s something slightly wrong about Midoriya, Dabi thinks, that he can’t quite put his finger on though it’s tapping at his mind, watching Toga spin as she pulls the boy further across the bar’s floor.
“Izuku was being mean.” Toga pouts.
“Mean?” Dabi asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I found him with the Todoroki boy—and my Izuku can’t be with someone else! He’s my boyfriend! So I took him. And I can be him now, see? Because I love him, even if he decided to run away with Todoroki. That was mean, but I’ll forgive him.” Toga says, bending down to kiss Midoriya on the forehead.
“He’s so perfect…” she trills, kissing the side of his face that’s still clean of red; it leaves what looks like, but is definitely not, a lipstick mark.
“What happened to Todoroki?” Dabi asks, something odd tilting inside of him. There was no way Toga could manage to kill Shouto…not when much of what Dabi was still living for, was to kill him.
“Oh, I left him, he’s fiiiiiine. I wanted to kill him for taking my Izuku, but Izuku said please don’t kill him, and I want Izuku to be happy.” Toga says, and Dabi sighs with imperceptible relief.
“Happy?” he asks, watching Toga croon as she traces Izuku’s face.
“Yes! He’ll learn to love being with me; if he doesn’t, I’ll make him, of course. It’ll be a…bonding experience. Binding experience.” Toga giggles, standing up.

“Please don’t get blood everywhere.” Dabi says. Regardless, red continues to drip onto the floorboards as Toga sings a terrible song, her tone wavering in Midoriya’s voice as she purrs words of awful love to her victim. Dabi doesn’t envy the boy, but hey, it’s not his problem.

“Red and green are just so right;
Far far better than red and white.
You’re meant for me, I’m meant for you;
I’ll do anything, I—zu—ku.
Stay with me, cause I won’t let you go;
We can be each other, you know.
Drink your blood, and give you mine;
Pain is love and love is life.”

***
Before

“Shouto…God.” Midoriya says, rubbing his forehead.
“Yeah.” Shouto answers. He can feel sadness weighing on him, but this time, it’s also broken through with splinters of a painful hope.
“After playing Blue, I—I don’t know who wrote this play, Midoriya, but it lines up with my life in terrible parallels. And my brother Touya is dead.” he says, taking a deep breath.
“Touya’s quirk was blue fire. It burned him.” Shouto says.

Too bad, little Todoroki Shouto, Dabi had said.

Blue’s words are on the tip of Shouto’s tongue, words he’s said over and over again in recital; the story of a boy who wasn’t strong enough to handle the Living Flame, who was covered in twisted curse-scars. Blue…Dabi has blue eyes, like the shining turquoise of Shouto’s own. Like Touya had.
“Blue fire.” Midoriya says, and Shouto can pinpoint the moment he realizes what Shouto means.
“You think Dabi is your brother?” he asks, and without waiting for an answer, pulls out a notebook.
“He does have that terrible hatred for Endeavor…and everything…and you’d know, wouldn’t you? If there’s a chance Touya isn’t dead…” Midoriya mumbles, writing things down, and finally he hands his notebook to Shouto.

1) determine whether Dabi is Touya
2) find a way to speak to him away from the other villains, in a controlled environment
3) …hope he doesn’t kill us??
4) success, I guess

“Excellent plan.” Shouto says. There is zero inflection in his voice, and Midoriya sighs.
“It’s Sunday, we’ve got a free day. I wouldn’t mind spending it trying to find if Dabi is your brother.”

***

Shouto and Midoriya encounter Bakugou and Kirishima on their way out of the dorms.
“What are you doing?” Kirishima asks.
“What are you doing?” Shouto retorts, looking at the multitudes of papers spread out on the table before the two.
“We’re writing another play!” Kirishima says, excitedly.
“Uh.” Midoriya says.
“Last one was super fun, and we got permission to set up another, even got access to a props storage…except Nezu decided it was a great idea and now everyone has to do some acting again. Not necessarily in Bakugou’s play. But still.” Kirishima explains.
“And this time, the play’ll be even better. I demand it.” Bakugou says.
“Who’s going to be in the play?” Midoriya asks.
“I’ll find people. Like you. Unless you find something better to get involved in this weekend—unlikely—you’ll both be part of it. You weren’t half bad last time.” Bakugou says. Midoriya and Shouto exchange a glance of similar trepidation at being in a Bakugou-run play.
“No thank you, Kacchan.” Midoriya says. Bakugou glowers at him.
“You will be participating.” he says, in a tone that leaves no room for argument.
“Unless we find something better to do.” Shouto says, thinking about Dabi. About Touya.
“Unless you do some other acting that’s enough for the grade Aizawa reluctantly set up, joining my play is the only thing you can do.” Bakugou says, smugly.

“Hey! Shinsou!” Kirishima calls, yelling to the purple-haired boy who’s walking out of the hallway.
“You’re a part of the play now. Get over here.” Bakugou says. Shinsou looks fearful.
“He doesn’t have to—he’s with us!” Midoriya says, grabbing Shinsou by the arm.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m with them.” Shinsou says.
“And what is it that you’re doing?” Bakugou asks.
“We are…finding that out.” Midoriya says. And with that, the three walk out of Heights Alliance.

“What are we doing?” Shinsou asks.
“Finding Dabi.” Midoriya explains. Shinsou blinks.
“Maybe being in Bakugou’s play would be a better idea.” he offers.
“Dabi is quite possibly my dead brother Touya.” Shouto explains.
“O…kay.” Shinsou says; Shouto assumes he has not thought of a suitable response. No matter, as there isn’t really one. He sighs…if they’re actually doing this, they might as well do this.

“Touya burnt himself to death on Sekoto Peak ten years ago. We found—we found his jawbone, and nothing more in the ashes.” Shouto starts, faltering. The idea that…that Touya is alive, that he left, that he didn’t come back, and now he is a villain. Now he wants to kill Endeavor, kill Shouto, and never mind all those he’s killed since he left.
“And Dabi…how would we find out? How to make sure it’s him?” Shouto asks.
“If he survived, he can’t have survived what happened to him without help. Especially considering those scars. So somehow he got medical care.” Midoriya points out.
“What, you want to look through hospital records? That’s illegal.” Shinsou says. Shouto realizes this is true.

“Hey…look at this!” Midoriya says. Both boys turn to him; on his cellphone is an old news article, of an orphanage that burnt down in a fire seven years ago.
“First off, wrong year, second off, that’s not a hospital.” Shinsou says. Midoriya shakes his head, and Shouto watches him flick through pages.
“I looked for usage of fire quirks that reach cremation temperatures—besides Endeavor, there aren’t too many of that level of power. Except for some murders that started around after Stain got captured, that were later attributed to Dabi—and before then, multiple counts of arson that reduce things to complete ashes. There are…a lot of arson cases, but not many with blue fire. And while they don’t really start up until a while after this orphanage burned down, they have a similar manner of destruction; although, the actual aftermath of the destroyed orphanage is different. As though someone was trying to make it seem like it wasn’t Dabi. If it was.” Midoriya explains.
“But…that’s three years after he died.” Shouto says; he thinks, though. Three years—how long would it take to recover, from what Dabi did to himself?

“We can’t prove this is Dabi, though.” Shinsou points out.
“With everything else? It’s proof enough for me.” Shouto says.
“So then we find him. And talk to him. And hope we don’t die.” Izuku summarizes.
“I’ll…I’ll come with. Help you not to die.” Shinsou decides.

***
After

Dabi feels a strange sort of trepidation. Of foreshadowing. He can hear the other members of the League, all in their rooms, and Toga’s is beside his; the voices inside are muffled, and occasionally pierced with terrible screams.

He shuts his book. Something is wrong, he can feel it; he jolts in shock once his door is knocked on.
“Oh, Dabi! I’ve got something for you!” Toga calls. He sighs, and gets up to open the door.
“Thought you said you hadn’t killed Todoroki.” Dabi says, staring at Toga in Shouto’s form. She grins at him, and it makes Dabi’s stomach flip, her smile on little Shouto’s face. The rage inside him devours his soul; but this isn’t his brother.
“I didn’t, just took a little blood…because Midoriya wants Shouto, you see? So now I figured I could go get Shouto too, and have them both! He’s not my favorite, but, if it makes Midoriya happy…and I know you want Shouto, too! So my plan is, we go out and grab him.” Toga says.

Dabi actually isn’t opposed to this.

“For now, though, I’m showing Midoriya just how perfect I am—I can be his Shouto too! I don’t love Shouto, not like I love Midoriya, but I’m sure that will change with time. After I slice him up and see how pretty his blood is…” Toga mumbles, smiling slightly, before she grabs Dabi by the hand.
“Come on! Let’s gooooo!” she sings, and he follows.

Dabi watches the red-white hair swing around the fanged neck-brace, and his eye twitches at Himiko’s movements, so unlike what he’s seen of Shouto. Endeavor’s perfect masterpiece, his most powerful creation. Dabi had to admit, he didn’t know what Shouto was really like, but he didn’t need to. Not when the boy had done what he had, by existing; his very life was a curse.
“Did you leave Midoriya at the base?” Dabi asks.
“Don’t worry, Midoriya isn’t going anywhere. Hm…why do you hate Shouto, Dabi?” Toga asks, looking at him curiously. There’s a small, partly wiped off. spot of blood on her left cheek, but other than that, and the streaks on her sweater, she’s clean.
“Because he’s Endeavor’s son. You remember where you left the kid?” Dabi asks. Toga nods, and gestures for him to follow.
“What did Endeavor do to you? And why hurt his children for it—they didn’t do anything.” Toga says.
“I’m going to destroy his life, Toga. And that means destroying all his creations, too.” Dabi snarls, imagining Shouto’s neck under his crushing grip. Imagines burning that scarred face; the one that’s looking at him now.
“Why are you still in his form? It’s freaking me out.” Dabi says.
“First for Midoriya, but now to scare Shouto once we find him.” Toga says. Dabi squints at her; is that some green, in her white hair?
“Weren’t you calling him Izuku before? And the other, Todoroki?” he asks.
“No.” Toga answers. He stares at her. She stares back, her face oddly blank before it twists back to maniacal joy; Dabi decides not to question it.
“So…Todoroki Shouto.” Toga says, the name vibrating oddly at the tip of her tongue; she smiles at some hidden amusement.
“If you kill him, I won’t get to keep him—are you gonna kill him? Or do you just want to hurt him, cut him up…I do that to those I love, you know.” Toga says. It’s probably the fact that she’s speaking with Shouto’s voice, Dabi thinks, that it’s grating on his ears.
“I want to kill him, Toga. Remove him from the face of the earth.” he says, feeling the familiar hate rise up inside him.

“Sounds like you hate him. Him specifically. Like…you want to kill him and Endeavor for different reasons.” Toga says. He glowers at her.
“You’re wrong.” he says.
“Awwww, I wanna hear more.” Toga complains. A shuffling noise comes from up ahead, and both turn towards it.
“It’s Shouto!” Toga says. The villains walk forwards, and there, lying in the darkness of an alleyway, is a teenage boy, facedown on the pavement with blood spreading around him. Dabi ignites a hand with blue fire.
“Roll him over, Toga. I want to see his face.” he says. Dabi can’t even see Shouto’s stupid half and half hair, thanks to the hoodie he’s wearing. Toga creeps over to the boy, and grabs his shoulders; a hiss of breath escapes him.
“Who’s—who’s there?” he asks.

“Your doom.” Dabi answers.

(this is what dooms him)

***
Before

The three are having lots of trouble in finding Dabi.
“There are actual pros out looking for this guy. Why did we think we had a chance?” Midoriya asks.
“I didn’t.” Shinsou says.
“Bakugou is exploding my phone.” Shouto says, neutrally.
“I think he’s exploding everyone’s phone. He’s really enthusiastic about this.” Midoriya says; an enthusiastic Bakugou was somewhat terrifying.
“It’s not like we’ll just randomly run into a league member. And even if we did, that would be bad.” Shinsou points out.
“Look.” Shouto says, directing their attention to someone crossing the other end of the street.
“…is that Toga?” Midoriya asks, watching the blond girl skip into an alleyway. It was, due to some abundance of narrative convenience, Toga.
“Let’s follow her.” Shouto says.

Walking into the alleyway after Toga, surprisingly, reveals no one. At least until Toga swings off a fire escape, directly at Izuku with a knife; Shouto launches a barrier of ice in her way, which she slams into before sliding to the ground.
“Is she knocked out?” Shinsou asks. Toga is, in fact, knocked out. All three boys stare at her.
“That was anticlimactic.” Midoriya says.
“Now what?” Shouto asks.
“Get her to tell us where Dabi is?” Midoriya asks.
“We should probably call Aizawa-Sensei.” Shinsou says.
“💡!” Shouto says, and both look at him; he’s suddenly gotten an idea.
“Kirishima said he had access to a props storage, didn’t he? I know how to solve both our problems—Dabi and avoiding Bakugou’s play.” he says, a slight smile on his face. It was, he thought, one of his more clever plans; although, he needs Shinsou and Midoriya to agree.

“What’s your plan?” Midoriya asks. Shouto tells him.

“Holy frick.” Shinsou says, emphatically.
“You’d have the easiest part.” Shouto says. Shinsou waves at him frantically, eyes wide.
“Dude. Dude, I’m not worried about me, about you two, that’s so dangerous…and it’s so weird.” he says.
“It’s a little weird. But it’s not bad if we’re both okay with it.” Midoriya says.
“You are, then? Okay with it?” Shouto asks, feeling his face turning red. It was…rather weird, honestly, but for some reason he didn’t think he’d mind. Especially if it was for something as important as this.
“Shouto, you’re a genius. I’m just—how do we know what too far is?” Midoriya asks.
“You discuss it beforehand.” Shinsou offers. Shouto and Midoriya look at each other.
“We’ll talk on the way back to UA, then. What do we do with her?” Midoriya asks.
“Bring her with us, I suppose.” Shouto says. And so, they do.

***
After

Dabi curses in his mind, that he hasn’t realized in that split second, that that hadn’t been Shouto’s voice.
“I can’t believe your stupid plan actually worked.” the boy sitting on the ground says; he pulls his hood off, revealing a shock of purple hair as Dabi finds himself frozen where he stands. The boy winces, looking unconcernedly at his sweater soaked with red.
“Why is fake blood so gross?” he asks.
“You’re not the one who had to cover your scar with it.” Toga says from ahead of him as he stands still, trapped in his own mind; but it isn’t Toga at all, is it?

No, the grin of deranged bloodlust has been replaced with a blankness as flat as the side of a blade, the fanged neck-brace now looking incredibly out of place on Shouto’s shoulders. If Dabi had control of himself, he would have choked at the audacity.
“I’m here!” a voice calls; footsteps sound, and Midoriya runs into Dabi’s vision, running his hand through his fluffy hair. His hair…how had Dabi not realized? The “Midoriya” whom “Toga” had dragged in had had straight hair, that had been Shouto, his half-face hidden by false blood. And Midoriya…God, if Dabi wasn’t feeling so furious at having been pulled around like a fish on a hook, he’d be laughing. He hadn’t even considered that it hadn’t been Toga!
“Dabi. Answer me truthfully; are you, or have you ever been, Todoroki Touya?” the purple boy asks, and the answer to the unexpected question forces its way from Dabi’s mouth.
“Yes.” he says. The look of horror on Shouto’s face is beautiful, but it isn’t perfect. He wasn’t supposed to find out this way!
“Todoroki?” Midoriya asks. Shouto sighs deeply, shivering.
“I…I expected this. The only question is…what now?” he asks. The three boys look at Dabi, and the purple one suddenly grips his head.
“Shinsou!” Shouto says.
“He’s fighting me!” Shinsou cries, and Dabi can feel the mental bonds weakening as he pushes at them. These kids would regret making a mockery of him—regret ruining his plan! The only way to salvage it would be to kill Shouto here and now—before Endeavor can learn the truth.

He explodes from his constraints with a whirlwind of blue fire; the true challenge here was to kill Shouto without killing himself as well. That needed to wait for Endeavor.

***
Before

“You want to, as Toga, sing a creepy song about yourself?” Shouto asks. They’d brought the teenage villain to Aizawa, explaining she’d jumped them in an alleyway.
“It seems like something she’d do.” Midoriya says, carrying the bowl of green hair dye over to Shouto. Shinsou is holding a bag of fake blood. Shouto hums.
“It should probably rhyme.” he decides, working the temporary dye into his hair.
“Need some help with that?” Midoriya asks. Shouto nods, and then Midoriya’s hands are in his hair too, brushing against his fingers, which feels nice. Shouto catches a brief look of Shinsou’s face in the mirror; he’s wearing an emotion Shouto can’t quantify.
“So…you, as Toga, bring Shouto in, as you; then, you switch out disguises, and lure Dabi out to me?” Shinsou asks.
“Yep.” Midoriya confirms.
“You make it sound so easy. I know you guys did that play, but this is…this is serious. If you mess up, if Dabi believes either of you aren’t Toga for a second, he’s going to kill you. And you’re…you’re pretending to be Toga. That’s. That takes mental fortitude.” Shinsou says. Midoriya shudders.
“Yeah, she’s. Yeah.” he says, and looks at Shouto, who’s drying his hair with steady application of heat as Midoriya fluffs it. It won’t be fluffy enough to properly pass for Midoriya’s hair, but hopefully Dabi won’t look too hard.
“Maybe try something out. Before you go any farther with this.” Shinsou says, sitting down and placing the bag of fake blood on the table.
“Good idea.” Shouto says. He immediately lies down on the floor and closes his eyes.

“Todoroki…what are you doing?” Midoriya asks. Shouto opens one eye to look at him.
“I’ll need to be seemingly unconscious when you bring me in. Because otherwise Dabi will look too closely, and figure it out; never mind that I have a different voice than you. Also, he can’t see my eyes aren’t green if they aren’t open.” Shouto explains.
“Good idea!” Midoriya says, grinning. The two stare at each other.
“Go on. Toga.” Shinsou prompts. Midoriya fidgets.
“I, uh…don’t want to cross any boundaries…” he mumbles. Shouto waves dismissively at him.
“You can do anything that isn’t stabbing.” he says.
“I wouldn’t stab you!” Midoriya yelps. Shouto closes his eyes again.
“Er. Um. Izukuuuuuuuu…look at you all torn up, aren’t you beautiful? God, this is so weird—“ Midoriya says; Shinsou throws an empty water bottle at him.
“No breaking character!” he snaps. Shouto hears the bottle hit the floor.
“I love you, I love you so much, it’s not fair that you keep leaving! You aren’t leaving this time.” Midoriya says, his tone reaching an unnatural cadence, and something inside Shouto shivers. The cold emotion increases when Midoriya traces his arm with two fingers, all the way up to softly touch his cheek.
“Dabi, look at him! I can’t believe he wants to be with Todoroki…I’ll kill Todoroki, cut him up real nice, how dare he try to take my Izuku. Look at his pretty little face.” Midoriya continues, and Shouto feels the other’s hand wrap around his chin, fingers with a slight grip but deliberately nowhere near his scar. Now he feels hot, where he felt frozen, and with these such terrible chills of fire he realizes; he wants Midoriya to hold him. To say he loves him. And even with the nature of the twisted words that are falling from Midoriya’s lips, Shouto can’t help but wish they were true.

Well, the parts pertaining to love, at least. But this is as much an act as Jay Venture had been; Midoriya does not love him. Because who could?

“Okay, that was…incredibly disturbing. Todoroki, your turn!” Shinsou calls, and Shouto finds himself awkwardly switching positions with Midoriya, avoiding eye contact. Right. How did Toga act again?
“Midoriya! I’m so happy I can have you, finally! It wasn’t nice at all for you to run off with Shouto, come on, I know you’re better than that. You’re mine, Midoriya. I won’t share you. I’ll savor every little bit of blood and give you the sweetest little cuts and I’ll murder Shouto for taking you I will never let you go—“ and now Shouto’s soft giggles erupt into full on laughter, he’s threatening to kill himself, and the worst part, he thinks, as his arms are wrapped around Midoriya’s shoulders, his face in his friend’s hair, is that he doesn’t want to let Midoriya go.
“I love you!” Shouto cries, and sadness jerks through his misplaced joy because the words are true.

***
After

“Before you kill me,” Shouto says, standing with his friends and facing Dabi, who has blue fire flickering all around him, “let me tell you what I know.”
“You know nothing.” Dabi sneers. Shouto takes a deep breath, and remembers Blue Krytos.

“You fought for something our father would never give to you. You destroyed yourself, in trying to master it. You left, and you—I don’t know what you did. You didn’t come back, because the house was not a home. But you found the League, and joined them because they gave you what you never had; a purpose. But Touya, I..I’m not what you think I am. I’m not Father’s weapon or soldier. I’m me. And I…I never knew you, Touya, and you, you never knew me.” Shouto says.
“So, what, you’d like to? Some pretty words aren’t going to make us all buddy-buddy, although you do have some insight.” Dabi says. Shouto looks at him, at his brother, and wonders how he’s alive. Wonders at who he is. Blue dies because he lost his hate, and that had all that had been animating him; Shouto remembers falling still and staring blankly at a ceiling, and he swears the same won’t happen to Touya.

“You want to kill Father for what he did to you. I can’t speak to that. But why do you want to kill me?” Shouto asks.
“To kill him inside, of course. For the utter despair Endeavor will feel when I destroy his perfect creation.” Dabi says, fire flowing off him like a cape as he approaches.
“Would it not kill him further for me to join you?” Shouto asks. Dabi laughs.
“You’re a little hero, you can’t trick me. I’ve killed people, you know. I live to destroy. One day, I will die to destroy. Because you wouldn’t understand, but I have nothing left but to kill you both.” Dabi says.

“You want to destroy us. With all you have left. But what if you could change? What if we could?” Shouto asks; he launches forth a bolt of ice to block Dabi’s rush of fire. It engulfs the entire alley, splashing and steaming.
“CHANGE? I’ll change you into a corpse!” Dabi roars.

“You’re determined to die, but think about where you’d be if you lived!” Shouto screams, sending fire spilling from his right side to match Dabi’s overwhelming azure heat.

“I can’t live while you two survive!” Dabi yells back.

“Do you think you’re worth more leaving this world than existing in it? I won’t lose you, Touya, not when I’ve just found you!”

“I can’t live when all I want is death!”

“Then you’re afraid of living? Who will you be if we’re gone?”

“I’ll be dead!”

“What if you weren’t?”

“It’s not a question, little brother.”

“Too bad! I’m giving you my answer—and that’s that you can’t die!”

“I’m trying to kill you, and you’re trying to save my life?”

“You’re more than you think you are, Touya!”

“Not my name!”

“You consider me Endeavor’s weapon. That’s it, isn’t it?”

“A weapon I’ll torment him with the death of!”

“If that’s true, you’re his weapon too!”

Silence, no sound aside from the crashing of flames like waves.

“I see you, Touya. If it’s the last thing I do—I used to not use my fire, to hurt him. But I was only hurting myself, and focusing on him. He deserves no focus. And you? You’re doing that, too. You just need to let go.”

“Natsuo made the right choice by leaving, huh. He’s lucky in that he never had a chance.”

“I will always give you a chance.”

“Really?

“Aren’t you my brother?”

“Yeah, but—“

“SHINSOU!!!” Shouto and Midoriya yell, spinning around to glare at the purple boy, who’d interrupted the convo with a question of his own.
“What?” Shinsou asks. Suddenly, Dabi, frozen from brainwashing, is wrapped in capture tape; the boys look over to see Aizawa approaching from the end of the alley.

“Detention.” he says.

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~~FEATURING~~

Todoroki Shouto as Midoriya Izuku / Toga Himiko
Midoriya Izuku as Toga Himiko
Shinsou Hitoshi as Todoroki Shouto
Todoroki Touya as Dabi

***

“What are three of 1A in detention for?” Monoma asks.

“Me, for following these idiots. Them, for falling in love and bringing about forceful family reunions.” Shinsou answers

“Falling…in love?” Shouto asks, though he can’t deny it.

“Please. Kiss already. Watching you two has been painful.” Shinsou complains.

“We did kiss though. Kind of.” Midoriya points out.

“Doesn’t count, there was too much fake blood in the way. Kiss again.” Shinsou orders.

“What the frick.” Monoma whispers.