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#Fuyumi shielding Natsu
gigglingcloud · 10 months
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Story of a mother,, rei
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A hero is someone you feel safe with Even in the depths of the darkness A hero is the light A hero is the anchor
But rei never felt safe when he was around.
It's ironic how his presence has this duality to it , one moment he is the epitome of piece and the other he brings nothing but pain and discomfort behind closed doors, Hypocrisy at its finest…
Rei never imagined things to turn out the way it did, no one has ever raised their voice at her when she was back home and here is she now throwing herself at her husband and getting beat to not let him hurt her oblivious weak children.
Right, her children, Her "hope" she once thought, when she fought for her life at that bed to meet the same blue eyes that haunted her later on , a carbon copy of his father, bright red hair like no other, at least my husband will be proud she thought.. But all hope crumbled when her first flame tore and went with the. Winds , when he told her " he is your responsibility now" He gave her a lifeless clone of her son, the comforting flame turned into cremation and a storm full of anger. Right then and there she knew she fuck up. She knew when the warm blue turned into a raging red, bloodshot even, he wasn't going to stop And said husband won't letting go off the hook either.
𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦
She was supposed to feel bad, when her second and third flame of hope were declared quirkless, to their father at least, the case being their ice was too much for their bodies to bear, but it didn't matter to him he saw them useless, nonexistent one might say, but she was secretly happy or maybe she did.good to mask it all too well but she didn't care, at least two of her children were spared the pain, she was spared their rage, Touya died, even before his body was found as nothing less than ash. It was when he attacked her and shouto, when fuyumi and natsu were at the back but she never realized they were there, she was more focused on who's faster, her child's sanity slipping out of his grasp or the same hand that usually brought her pain to try and shield her from the unexpected revenge's heat. It didn't matter, the damage has been done, she lost him, and now she focused on trying to keep shouto alive at least, it's not his fault his quirk was powerful it's not his fault he was born in such a family, it's not his fault she unconsciously gripped the boiling pot and poured it's content on the same blue that haunted her evry nightmare, maybe it'll go away now? And then she knew she fuck up again She knew she finally cracked and there was no going back
𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦.𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭
She was supposed to feel bad, but that little selfish voice at the back of he head said it's for the better to detach for a while, to take a "break", for natsu and fuyumi were there for shouto so she could rest assured, as for Enji the letters were enough,
𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦.𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳
Her two little flames came in regularly, and she can't help but feel guilt deepens for not spending much time with them back in the day, but who was she fooling? Her self perhaps? There was no such a thing since her supposed home was never a home, it was that of she couldn't be taken back at the himura household, they sold her willingly, as for the cold long corridors and the rooms that were big for nothing were her only shelter, Sadly he was the only reason she had a roof over her head, and she wishes everyday she coud have more cozy time with fuyumi, and bring touya and natsu closer to herself after along day of them arguing about evrything and nothing and maybe enjoying more of the cold soba with shouto but she knew that was never going to happen.
𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵
Thus she apologized, For the three of them remaining flames she apologized for what she did and what not, And to her surprise, they were feeling just as guilty but never blamed her for a thing for them all going through hell and more together, bless shoto and him never guilting her of the permanent evidence that she too went insane.
𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦
Turning and tossing in the bed, between lingering thoughts she knew she could never forget him Her son Her pride Her child Her flame Her hero But he was gone, once and forever.
Perhaps she had to tug him and grope the tip of his ear giving him a much needed scolding then embrace him in a much more needed hug Yes, that what was supposed to happen, but instead he spat out hateful words and got out full of rage and sadness that he had to be back in a coffin to prove he was suffering too.
𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
"Mother " He called her, the hairs at back of her neck rose whenn shem stared at the grown man in the screen, a man that death lingers wherever he lands, a mann that you think of suffering and burnt bodies if someone happened to utter his name, a man that once used to be her child, her child who she was told died and nothing was left of him expect a couple of bones. He called her mother, He reminded her that she ones fucked up evrything and she wasn't able to run away from the truth no matter what, at that moment tears rolled down her cheeks but she wasn't going to step aside and watch hell unfold, no Now she got up and headed to her husband, Her children are waiting for he She needed to save him "mother" They called..
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niks-minion · 3 years
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Me: ok, Hawks is the cutest kid!
Bnha 301: yeah? Think again
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Me: ....I take that back.
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makeste · 3 years
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"Those regrets and guilt. Everyone has bore much more than you have"
mmmmm....does she mean the rest of the todoroki family or ppl in the world in general? If it's the latter then yeah? But this situation in particular lol I have to heavily disagree. Who is she talking abt has done something as regrettable as Endeavor has?
I actually think she is talking about herself and the rest of the family, anon. and I think she’s absolutely right.
keep in mind, having regrets has nothing to do with actually being culpable. you can blame yourself for something even if it was absolutely not your fault. and it’s hard to imagine that anyone else in that room is as familiar with the feeling of regret as Rei is. she spent years locked away with her own guilt over what happened to Shouto, and over subsequently not being there to prevent what happened to Touya.
was any of that her fault? absolutely not. but that’s not going to stop a mother from being haunted by the memory of injuring and scarring her five-year-old child. even if she wasn’t in her right mind at the time, even if it was Enji’s abuse which actually drove her to it -- you can’t just switch those feelings off, or logic them away. particularly when it’s someone you love who got hurt. when it’s your children, whom you naturally and instinctively want to shield and protect. there’s no doubt in my mind that Rei is more intimately acquainted with guilt and regret than almost any other character in the series. she literally spent years trying to recover from it. it tore her apart, and it wasn’t until the child she’d blamed herself all those years for hurting finally came to her and told her it was okay that she finally started to get better.
so yeah, I absolutely think she’s referring to herself here. she knows all too well what it’s like to have regret and guilt weighing down your heart to the point where you just feel helpless, like Enji does now. and she’s not wrong when she says that the others understand those feelings as well. you don’t think Natsuo has spent all these years wondering whether Touya would still have died if he’d managed to be there for him more? wondering if his family would still be intact if he’d only been a better brother? you don’t think Fuyumi has wondered the same thing? or that Shouto blamed himself for reminding his mother of Enji? again, it’s nothing to do with actual culpability here -- that much is entirely on Enji. and it’s not that they don’t blame him for it as well, because we have of course seen that they do, Natsu and Shouto in particular.
but one of the unfortunate things about guilt is that there’s always plenty of it to go around if you want it, and plenty of second helpings available for anyone who feels like indulging. and humans are very, very good at assigning blame, including among themselves. whether they’re deserving of it or not. when something really bad happens, especially to those close to you, it’s a natural response to have that voice of doubt in the back of your head wondering if it might have been your fault. eating at your peace of mind and your self-esteem, and just generally making your life miserable. and it can be so, so hard to shut that voice up sometimes. especially if you’re never quite able to fully convince yourself that it isn’t true.
anyway! so pardon the angst, lol, but yeah. “the rest of us have borne that burden much more than you have” -- absolutely. because even though Endeavor’s burden of guilt is HEAVY, don’t get me wrong, it’s only recently that he finally started paying attention to it. whereas the rest of them have already been carrying their burdens this entire time. burdens that they should never have had to carry in the first place. but burdens that they’ve dealt with nonetheless.
and that’s what makes this such a powerful moment on multiple levels. the first being that this is the man who’s actually responsible for ALL of their burdens, and so it’s nice to see that acknowledged. and the second is that everything he’s going through now -- they’ve already experienced it. and so Rei can speak with authority when she tells him that it absolutely won’t do anything to help, and that the important thing now is that he actually takes action to save their family and to help their stray murderchild. and it’s also kind of a demand that he put those feelings aside to wallow in on his own time. because sorry friend, but you made this mess, and now they all have to deal with it. and so if he really is feeling that regret, and he really does want to do something to alleviate it -- then stop crying and do it. figure it out. if he really does want to atone, then this is the most important part of it. figuring out some way to make things right, however he possibly can.
anyway so tl;dr Rei is speaking from experience here, and that’s what makes this such a BAMF moment for her imo. tell him girl. don’t hold back. I honestly can’t wait to see how this discussion goes. this is why I can never get enough of you Todorokis and your endless ongoing soap opera lol.
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vannahfanfics · 3 years
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Here is the masterlist of all the drabbles written as part of my yearly Trick-or-Treat event!
One Piece
A Break in the Monotony (X Drake)
Cinnamon Spice and Peaceful Nights (Luffy/Nami)
Funny Business (Law/Nami)
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Fairy Tail
Old Habits, New Traditions (Flare Corona & Risley Law)
The Unspoken Joy of Peppermint Hot Chocolate (Natsu/Lucy)
Arachnophobia (Beth Vanderwood & Araña Webb)
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Naruto
The Wonders of Coffee Cake (TenTen & Rock Lee)
The Burden of a Mentor (Iruka & Konohamaru)
Repose (Asuma/Kurenai)
Of Common Colds and Herring Soba (Neji/TenTen)
Official Hokage Business (Shikamaru/Sakura)
Fall Fun (Himawari & Boruto)
A Taste of Your Own Medicine (Shino, Kiba, & Hinata)
It Runs in the Family (Minato/Kushina)
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My Hero Academia
Candy Duty (Bakugo & Eri)
Lollipops (Bakugo & Kirishima)
Sweet Tooth (Bakugo/Melissa)
Simple Things (Jirou/Reader)
The Night is Young (Mei Hatsume & Melissa Shield)
Staying Warm (Izuku/Ochako)
On Top of the World (Keigo Takami & Fumikage Tokoyami)
Mei on a Mission (Tenya Iida & Mei Hatsume)
Carrot Hijinks (Rumi Usagiyama & Keigo Takami)
Read the continuation for the 2021 Event here!
A Healthy Scientific Curiosity (Melissa Shield & Fuyumi Todoroki)
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Avatar
Normal (Azula, Ty Lee, & Mai)
Read the oneshot adaptation here!
Sweet Revenge (Bolin, Mako, Korra, & Asami)
All Part of the Tradition (Aang, Zuko, & Katara)
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Pokémon
You Reap What You Sow (Ash & Dawn)
Of Sound Mind (Keith/Kate)
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Rise of the Guardians
A Frosty Halloween Night (Jack Frost)
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How to Train Your Dragon
For the Sake of Sweet Rice Pudding (Ruffnut & Tuffnut)
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chidoroki · 3 years
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My Hero Academia S5EP18
aka: fine lines
Aw Bakugo liked Fuyumi’s cooking so much he’s asking for the recipes.
Even Endeavor’s driver is as aggressive as he is.
.. zounds?
This psycho villain really wants Endeavor to kill him?
Dude keeps using Natsu as a shield to block Endeavor’s oncoming attacks, what a cheap little trick.
Aah look at Midoriya using black whip to save others!
Bakugo and Todoroki have improved too!
Poor Bakugo got caught up in Endeavor’s hug with Natsu.
Bro Bakugo is so damn ecstatic that they captured a villain before Endeavor. Too bad it only happened because he hesitated with Natsu as the hostage.
“Even so, don’t you still show up for Fuyumi’s and Rei’s sakes?” Is this the first time Rei’s name is actually mentioned in the anime? Don’t remember but I could be wrong. I know in manga we learned it back when we were first introduced to Natsu.
This touching family moment is sgoing on in the middle of the street with frustrated drivers trying to pass and this villain still raging on about Endeavor.
Midoriya and Todoroki were both so curious about Bakugo’s hero name.
God the family looks so happy in Endeavor’s dream though, building them a new house would be nice.
Preview thoughts:
Ah back with the entire class again.
Ohh no, Aizawa and Mic visit Kurogiri, which means we finally learn more about their cloud friend who’s name I can’t seem to remember at the moment.
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autumn-foxfire · 3 years
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While im on topic of dabi i think he suffers from jogging in place too much. Like what do we know about him? Hes a mysterious emo n his regular level not caring assholery is sometimes punctuated by points of delighted sadisam. He has plans seperate from shigaraki but we arent sure what exactly those plans are aside fromhhhhh kill endeavor
Like i cant even really say that his character arc is stretched out too much, because its more like prequel to his character arc is stretched out. Like all of his character is leading up to the reavel of his identity and while that was fun to theorize about one year ago, now everyone and their mother acepts that hes Touya. Its old n its honestly not very engaging and it doesnt really make me want to explore his character more because their is nothing that interesting for me to work with.
Like i feel his character arc will properly start once the truth is out and once we see his fellow villains, heroes, public at large and especially his family react and cope with this knowledge. Like dabi was introduced saying that he'll reavel his name later so that really makes me think hes waiting for the right opportunity to kickstart his plan with reaveling his identity (while also being the absolute worst in actually manipulating sittuations in his favor)
Ok dont take this next part too seriously cuz i just thought of it while typing n it has 1.5 thought put into it but with this arc really shaking up the status quo and all the injustices about endeavor n comission being made clear to the reader, i hope the next arc will be like about dealing with the flaws in hero systhem n trying to come up with better solutions. With that in mind i think it would be really interesting for dabi to kinda rise up n take shigarakis spot (or share it, depending on what happens to shigaraki) as the final boss cuz after all isnt he all about the flaws of the hero systhem n odd one out in the league for having a hero personally turn him into a villain. Idk i just thought of that so i might mull it in my head a bit more. Maybe i just want dabi to have an actual character arc to sink into cuz the wast majority of what we have for him now are easily disaprovable headcanons.
Also i want more todorokis, especially rei natsu n fuyumi i know they are supporting cast but i really wanna know how they react to reavel, do they try to shield rei from it, how it effects fuyumis longing for a complete family and how it effects natsu as the one closest to touya
Not me interested in dabi development for every reason other than dabi himself.
Fuck now im thinking about dabi being the next big bad n he n hawks having a rematch aaa i should not be allowed to send asks i always loose track
I do agree that Dabi can be a very stale character (and I honestly don’t think the League is helping him here because he just falls back on them whenever he fails. I’d love to see him have to develop himself as a character/villain outside of the influence of the League due to his current actions with Hawks causes him to become alienated from them).
As you said, we haven’t really gotten a chance to see Dabi really shine as a villain due to the fact that Horikoshi is building up to that big reveal. The times we see him be an interesting character actually is when he’s in the middle of conflict (when he approached Hawks and Endeavor after the Hood fight, when he fought Geten by himself during the MLA arc and this arc with his fight with Hawks) because that’s when his character moves forward. It’s the same reason I liked his scenes with Hawks because during them, Dabi felt like an actual person rather then the distant emo long ranged fighter for the League.
Horikoshi hasn’t really done Dabi any favours by stretching out his reveal though I understand why he did though, I think. Originally, Dabi revealing himself as the fourth abused child of the awful Endeavor would have almost been cathartic to see, Endeavor is finally facing justice for being a horrible person and so it would almost belittle every horrible thing Dabi has done to reach that point. However, by making Endeavor have a atonement/redemption and change his ways, we actually see how Dabi’s actions are selfish and how his goals are nothing but for personal revenge and it won’t have an impact on anything as Endeavor has already changed without having to be shocked into doing so by Dabi. I think Horikoshi is trying to show us that Dabi’s actions aren’t justifible, even if he has an understandable reason why and I think that’s pretty cool and has turned the “getting revenge for abuse” on it’s head by showing us that Dabi’s actions have done nothing but hurt the innocent.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Dabi double down and become even worse because of this either but a part of me is hoping that because Endeavor was able to see the error of his ways and change, that Dabi might be able to do the same (but still pay for his actions against others). However I wouldn’t mind if Hori makes Dabi the antithesis of Endeavor and has him go in the opposite direction.
It really depends on what he wants to do with him.
(Also if the reveal doesn’t focus on all the Todoroki members then what’s the point? Endeavor and Shouto aren’t going to be the only ones effected, give me that Natsuo, Rei and Fuyumi angst as well XD).
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junionigiri · 5 years
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Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea Ch 9: Still A Crybaby
Summary: Do they talk this time??? Eh.
Relationship(s): Todoroki Shouto/Uraraka Ochako; the Todoroki siblings
Rating: T (canon-typical violence)
Warnings/Notes: Hi to the 5 people still reading this! :)
Shouto remembers the night that Touya-nii ran away.
He doesn’t see his big brother a lot, so he doesn’t remember a lot about him. Shouto knows that he’s tall, and has red hair and blue eyes like the left part of himself. When they posed for a picture with Mom that one time, Shouto remembers his skin feeling cold, like his own right side.
He also knows that like him, Touya is always wrapped in bandages. But he’s always smiling when he plays with Fuyumi and Natsuo, like they don’t hurt. It makes him look cool, and Shouto wants to look cool like that one day.
It’s late, maybe past midnight when Shouto wakes up from another bad dream and feels very thirsty. Not wanting to wake anyone up, he decides to go down to the kitchen himself.
At first he’s scared because it’s dark and he might fall. But to his surprise there are lights near the front door. And voices.
“... are you sure about this, Touya?” That’s Fuyumi-nee, and her voice sounds weird. It sounds weak and froggy, like it does sometimes when she sees Shouto after a hard day of training with Dad.
“Yeah…” Touya-nii. He isn’t whispering, but his voice is really soft. “I can’t do what he wants anymore. I’d rather die.”
“Yeah, but… running away… where will you go? What if you get hurt? I mean, maybe we can try talking to Dad about you and...”
“Fuyumi-nee, there’s no other way if it’s Dad. You know that.” Natsu-nii is also there. Shouto peeks from the hallway and sees his silver hair and Touya’s Samurai Blue duffel bag in his hands. “But nii-san… you’ll try to keep in touch with us, right?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Touya is silent for some time as he ties his shoes. It’s weird that he’s putting on his shoes even though it’s dark outside. Shouto kind of wants to ask why, but he doesn’t know if it’s okay to talk with him. Or any of them.
(Dad was extra mad today, so maybe he shouldn’t.)
But before he can turn around and leave, he sees Touya stop and slowly turn to him. Bright blue eyes land on his, wide like he’s scared at first, before they change into something else. “Shouto.”
Fuyumi and Natsuo look at him too. They don’t move for a while, and Shouto is suddenly too afraid to move too.
Touya breaks the silence among them. He smiles and puts his arms out to Shouto. “Don’t just stand there, Shou. Wanna come here?”
He nods and quietly pads over the tatami and then next to his older brother. He doesn’t understand why he hugs him, but he does, and Touya does the same thing. When Shouto feels his arms with their messy bandages around them, he wonders why they feel like coals instead of ice.
“Where are you going, Touya-nii?”
Touya smirks. “Dunno. An adventure. An awesome one.”
“That sounds fun,” Shouto says in awe. Touya is so cool. He’s big and strong and he can do whatever he likes without feeling scared. “I wanna go too.”
Fuyumi bites her lower lip and shakes her head. “No… Shoucchan, come here, okay? It’s way past your bedtime, and… and Dad will be mad if he sees that you’re not sleeping.”
Natsuo starts to look weird too. “I dunno nee-san… Maybe Shou could go with him? Maybe--”
“No!” She whispers so that no-one will hear, but she sounds angry. She pulls Shouto from Touya’s arms and holds him close. “You can’t take him too… he’s too little, it’ll be too scary…”
“And what Dad does to him isn’t scary?” Natsuo’s whisper is louder and angrier. “I don’t like watching Shou go through the same thing as nii-san, you know?”
“But Touya doesn’t even know where he’s going,” Fuyumi hisses. Her grip on Shouto becomes tighter. “What if they get hurt out there?”
“They’re… already getting hurt here.”
They fall silent after that. Shouto doesn’t know why they’re worried about him and Touya-nii. Training hurts, but Dad says that once they’re the best, nothing will hurt anymore. So all they have to do is train more, until he and Touya-nii become the strongest heroes, and then everything will be okay, right?
“It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt that much.” Touya stands up and ruffles Shouto’s hair. “Anyways, Shou, crybabies aren’t allowed in adventures, so I can’t take you. You’re just gonna get in my way.”
“I’m not a crybaby,” he says with a pout. He hasn’t cried in a while, not even when Dad hit him in the tummy after breakfast.
“Yeah? Who cried when Natsuo blew out the candle on his birthday cake, huh?”
Shouto puffs his cheeks. “That was last year.”
A long time ago. Shouto doesn’t remember the last time someone had a birthday party at their house. Touya’s eyes suddenly look sad. “Yeah… last year, huh. Oh well.” He takes his bag from Natsuo and slings it over his shoulder. “Anyways, I’m outta this joint. You brats better take care of that crybaby, you hear? Or else I’m going back and takin’ him with me, no matter what you say.”
Natsuo nods and does a salute like they do in the Gundam animes they watch together. Shouto tries to do the same. “Yes, cap’n.” His voice sounds weird, like Fuyumi’s, but he smiles.
Touya salutes back, and goes for the door. It opens and it closes, as doors tend to do, and the house becomes unnaturally silent. Shouto remembers staring at it and wondering if he’ll see Touya again in the morning, playing football with Fuyumi and Natsuo like nothing happened.
By the time the weeping Fuyumi takes him upstairs with a cup of tea though, he suddenly understands that he’ll never see Touya outside his window again.
Shouto isn’t a crybaby anymore, but he sleeps with a saltwater-soaked pillowcase that night.
*
The weeks have been hard for Shouto.
He hasn’t been able to sleep well, eat well. Work had been terribly busy thanks to the upsurge in villain activity. He can’t complain; he doesn’t have the energy to. His days are spent in the OR, his nights spent collapsing on the bed or on the couch or on the floor, wherever his mood and energy levels take him.
People stare at him. At the empty space next to him. Then back at him, as if adding two and two together. It was only a matter of time before the rumors circulate. And they do, with a vengeance.
He doesn’t care, although it becomes extra troublesome when Endeavor catches wind of them and asks him questions about it. Leaving him on read is a simple matter, but it’s a little difficult when Fuyumi-nee starts to ask, and Natsu-nii.
Mom has been quiet about it, but her eyes look a little down when they do their video calls. She’s happy enough seeing him, she says, and she can’t wait for his next visit.
He doesn’t want Mom to be sad. She shouldn’t be, because Shouto’s been alone all this time. He isn’t technically any different from the time he went to see her and everyone else in Shizuoka.
(It’s just that now, he doesn’t have any of Ochako’s stories to listen to.)
But. He doesn’t recall being alone--truly alone this time, without the shield of a fake relationship to distract him--ever felt like this: a confusing state of too wide, too narrow. Too noisy, too quiet. Too much of himself, and too little at the same time.
He doesn’t enjoy it. But he doesn’t suffer in it either. He doesn’t know what to do with himself while in it.
There’s lots of space to take a good look at himself. All his scars and cracks and soft spots. Most days he doesn’t like what he sees, doesn’t like the stories that the sight of each blemish gives him.
Other times he doesn’t care. Those times are okay. He doesn’t have to hate Endeavor or himself as much. The past weeks aren’t any different from most of his life, in retrospect.
The short time with Ochako just made him believe that maybe a life other than that is possible. Even though it was pretend from the start.
Tonight is two weeks… three weeks? since they last spoke. He’s tired and alone and his hands are shaking and freezing and burning again. It’s not different from any other bad nights, but there’s a period of lucidity that makes him conclude:
This isn’t right. Being alone like this isn’t right.
He… needs help.
Real professional help.
Maybe… just this once, he can ask for it. Endeavor isn’t around to tell him that he can’t.
Fuyumi could help. Or Natsuo. Mom needed help, and was helped before, right? It wouldn’t be so bad. It would be logical to ask.
Maybe there’s someone in the psychiatry department that can help him. Shinsou works with them frequently because of his quirk. He’s a trustworthy guy, and quiet. Maybe he can ask him too.
He stares at into the emptiness of his apartment, and at his shaking hands. It’s silly, but just thinking of that feels like a breakthrough. That there’s a way out of this odd despondence that he has plunged head-first in.
Strange, that out of nowhere he wants to tell her. Maybe just to let her know that he doesn’t know if there’s a meaning to all of these things he’s feeling, but he found a way to find out, at least.
It’s way past midnight of a busy day. Shouto stares at his phone and begins to compose a message.
*
Ochako (0032H): hey, so about last time, im sorry. if ur not busy lets talk for real this time
Me (0032H): Can we see each other soon?
Me (0033H): …
Ochako (0033H): …
Ochako (0034H): haha
Ochako (0034H): at the same time… r u kidding me
Me (0035H): Yes.
Me (0035H): It’s pretty… amusing.
Me (0036H): I’m surprised that you’re still awake at this hour.
Ochako (0038H): ur not sleeping yet either
Me (0039H): No… I’m not. Not at all.
Ochako (0041H): so
Me (0041H): so
Ochako (0042H): again? Hahaha
Me (0043H): Yes, it’s uncanny.
Me (0045H): You said you wanted to talk?
Ochako (0046H): … yea, i do
Ochako (0047H): i mean,, i know we havent been… since that time
Ochako (0049H): i think i have things i want to say to you. And to myself too.
Me (0051H): I understand.
Me (0052H): It’s the same for me.
Me (0053H): Is tomorrow all right?
Me (0054H): I am free in the morning. But we don’t have to meet that soon, if you’re not ready.
Me (0056H): I understand if you aren’t comfortable yet.
Ochako (0059H): no, it’s okay.
Ochako (0100H): tomorrow’s perfect.
Me (0103H): …
Ochako (0105H): i’m not kidding. It is.
Ochako (0106H): my shift is in the afternoon, so… we can just see each other early?
Me (0109H): All right.
Me (0110H): We can have coffee, if you like.
Ochako (0111H): that would be cool, im ok with just 7-11 hehe
Me (0112H): No. The coffee there is terrible.
Me (0113H): You aren’t drinking any of those awful drinks if I can help it.
Ochako (0114H): omg lol i figured,,, u boujee
Me (0115H): … boujee?
Ochako (0117H): u rich kid. ur just like yaomomo
Ochako (0118H): haha but ok, we can maybe go to bakugous place if u want good coffee
Me (0119H): Oh. Will that place be okay for you?
Ochako (0120H): ah
Ochako (0121H): … yeah…. Bakugous scary, but… i mean he’s cool and his cafe is near the hosp, and if doesn’t matter if you, before… i mean, i rly dont mind going there
Me (0122H): All right. :) I’ll see you tomorrow, then.
Ochako (0125H): !!!!!!!
Ochako (0126H): is that smiley… real
Me (0127H): ? Did I use it correctly?
Ochako (0129H): oh! Yes. Yes you did
Ochako (0130H): lmao i must be dreaming its so late
Me (0132H): It is, haha.
Ochako (0133H): and now ur goin haha
Ochako (0134H): i think ur brain is also shuttin down shouto
Me (0135H): I don’t know about that.
Me (0136H): I don’t feel as terrible as I have a few hours ago.
Ochako (0138H): thats great… hehe
Ochako (0140H): so… im getting sleepy…
Ochako (0141H): im dizzy too… kinda too drunk, maybe
Me (0142H): … all right.
Me (0145H): I’ll let you sleep it off.
Me (0146H): Good night, Ochako.
*
The sun has just risen when Shouto sees her in the hospital lobby.
He sees her on most days, although he hasn’t looked her in the eye for a long time now. Ochako is in her scrub suit and a Hosu Gen jacket. Her hair is a little messy and is mostly up in a messy bun, exposing the back of her neck. Her eyes look a little tired, but they’re as bright and brown as he remembers them.
She smiles quietly. A little dizzily. Maybe she's hungover. It's not as off-putting as it should be.
“Hey,” he says.
The smile brightens and somehow reach her eyes. “Good morning, Doctoroki. It’s been a while.”
He nods and stares at her, instantly forgetting his script, not quite knowing what to do next.
“So… Bakugou or Jirou aren’t here yet to open the cafe, and we don’t have anywhere else to go,” she says with an awkward laugh. Maybe she notices how he doesn’t seem to know what to do next.
“It’s fine.” There are a few people walking by, with more important things to do. They don’t spare them a second glance. “We can start talking here.”
So they flop down on the worn lobby couch determinedly and stare each other down. Open their mouths, and close them again at the same time. It’s funny how they do that often.
“I’ll start,” Ochako says with an amused glow of her pink cheeks. They’re also as round as Shouto remembers them. A surge of nostalgia overwhelms him. “So… um, first of all… I’m sorry, I messed up. You didn’t deserve the things I said to you last time we saw each other.”
She pauses and assesses the look on his face. “I really am, okay? I was… am, insecure. I kinda got mad at you for things that I had no right to be mad at, and I didn’t even give you a chance to explain yourself. I was too focused on myself, but even then I sucked at focusing on myself because I didn’t really understand what I wanted and what I was afraid of. Like… maybe it’s just a perpetual fear of being alone and discarded and unwanted, because I had a lot of that in the past, and maybe… maybe I need to know for myself how to deal with that first, before I even think about you, and...”
She stops for a breath and laughs humorlessly. “And… you’re just staring at me like that. I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“Oh,” he says apologetically. “I didn’t want to distract you. I am listening, promise.”
She makes a cute little whining noise. “I know, just… urgh, I feel ridiculous, just monologuing like this. I’m beggin’ ya to stop me, ya know?!”
His mouth twists upward. “I kind of don’t want to. It’s nice listening to you talk.”
Her cheeks flush and puff and he realizes how long it’s been since he last saw that. How he missed it. How he missed her.
“You have to talk too, Doctoroki,” she says, jabbing him at the side with a finger. “I’m not the only one screwed in the head here, ya know?”
He catches her hand and forces it down on her side. She freezes at the feel of his hand on hers, and he does too, for a moment.
It’s nice, but he shouldn’t be distracted. “You’re right. I am… not okay.”
It’s a little hard to continue, with the look of warmth and concern on her face, like she’s ready to do anything for him again and he knows that’s what got them into trouble in the first place.
Well, he has to say words properly this time, so no misunderstanding occurs. “... I feel exactly the same way about myself. After thinking about it, I think the best thing for me to do is--”
Alarm spikes in his gut, so sharp he flinches.
Ochako stares at him with wide eyes. “Shouto? What’s wrong?”
He knows what this is. Even though it’s been years since the last time he was out on the field as a pro, his body remembers. All his nerves are alight, his muscles tense. His brain tells him to calm down, look around, find out what it is that’s wrong about this situation.
When the rumbling starts, he’s already pushing Ochako’s head down and facing the glass windows. An ice shield is already up before the floor in front of them collapses, and the people start to scream.
He hears a lot of things shattering beyond the wall, likely the glass and concrete. He hopes it isn’t his ice.
“Run,” he tells Ochako sternly, standing his ground. “Help everyone else get out of here.”
“But--wh-what is that, what’s going on?”
“Doesn’t matter. Evacuate.”
More shattering noises. A black shadow is on the other side, getting closer and closer. He wills fire to form on his hand, burning the sleeve of his coat.
Ochako, pale as a ghost, finally nods. With the people screaming around her, she starts to yell, “Everyone, please follow me, the fire exit is this way--”
The moment the ice shatters, Shouto’s hand bursts into flame. He targets the brunt of the heat onto the black thing’s face, not even bothering to see if it’s human or not. He can only target focus so much heat and smoke before the sprinklers come on, so he has to do as much damage with one blow.
He knows he applied enough heat to melt human flesh. But the thing that stares back at him--vacant, and only mildly offended by the fire--is obviously not.
A hand made of pure power starts to go down, fingers twitching as if to clutch him. It’s too close, he doesn’t have time to roll away or to fight back.
“Todoroki!”
Silver and black fill his vision, as do the sounds of metal hitting metal. When he opens his eyes, he’s up in the ceiling, and a person made of steel is in his place, holding back against a fist to the top of his head.
“Fuck, that hurts what the hell!” Tetsutetsu screams. Next to him, Shoji and Awase yell their expletives, a mass array of randomly fused bits of steel in their hands. “Let’s kill this thing you guys!”
Shouto stares at this bug-eyed before he realizes that he’s going down. In the next moment, he drops to the ground, the dark matter around him unraveling until it’s in the shape of a crow, floating next to Tokoyami Fumikage. “Todoroki, are you all right?"
“Yeah,” Shouto says, half in awe, half in panic. “What are you doing here? Everyone’s supposed to be evacuating.”
“Shouto!” Ochako yells from behind him. She is panting, along with Kendo, Honenuki, and Shiozaki, who are followed by a rather large group of pale-faced civilians. “There’s no way out. There’s more of them out there roaming the streets.”
“... a whole lot more of them,” Honenuki adds, with a swallow. “I saw at least five of them trying to break in here when we tried to evacuate just now. I made them sink to the ground, but it’s only a matter of time before they make their way out. They seem strong.”
Five more of these. He looks away from them briefly to form a wall between the fight and the civilians.
“We called the police, but I’m not sure how quickly they’ll respond,” says Kendo, as more shattering and rumbling noises emerge from around them. “And the pros too, but…”
Shiozaki sniffles. She’s a little paler than everyone else when she speaks. “I… called Emily. She’s responding to the call, but… it’s not just Hosu that’s suffering from the wrath of these beasts. Nomus, she called these abominations.” Her trembling hands are clasped in front of her, as if in deep prayer. “Who are these sinners who would dare play god like this, and terrorize so many innocents?”
The League of Villains, Shouto thinks in despair. Is this another stupid war against heroes? Another war against the number one hero?
Endeavor’s face flashes in his mind briefly, along with a concerning rush of emotions he cannot name. He shakes these off and stands up. “We have no time to waste, whatever this is,” he mutters, before running back to the fray, with fire and ice in his hands.
“Shouto!!!”
He noticed something while he was fighting the Nomu. There are people all around them, but it only seemed to target Shouto first. Its arms curl, as if in an effort to grab him. When Tokoyami caught him, its eyes went from Dark Shadow to Tokoyami, and were it not for Tetsutetsu distracting it with his steel skin, then it would have chased after the two of them…
This Nomu has targets, it seems. Shouto, Tokoyami, and Tetsutetsu are among some of them.
“Todoroki, watch out!” Shoji shouts, as he himself is thrown backwards with a blow to the stomach.
Is it because of their quirks? Is the League of Villains collecting innocent civilians with destructive quirks? What are they going to do with them?
The answers aren’t very important right now , Shouto reprimands himself as he throws more fire and ice against the Nomu.
“Todoroki! What the hell are you doing?!” Awase screams, as Shouto catches the Nomu’s eye with a small fireball to the face.
“Distracting it,” Shouto says evenly. “It comes after you if it sees you use a quirk. I’ll lead it away from everyone else--”
“No, don’t be stupid!” Tetsutetsu chokes, even as he bleeds from broken skin at his head. Ochako, who hears everything, pales more than ever and begins to move towards him. Kendo thankfully has the sense to hold her back with a normal-sized hand.
“--and when it’s far away, Shiozaki should form a barrier all around the lobby with her quirk. I’ll reinforce it with ice from outside.”
He doesn’t know why his voice is so calm and distant when he speaks. All eyes are on him as the Nomu blindly chases after him, seeking out his fire like a moth to a flame, too fast, too fast. He forms ice under his feet and slides out of the building on freezing waves.
In a matter of seconds, he’s outside of the building, the Nomu stumbling after him. As soon as they’re out in the sun, vines begin to emerge from the ground, forming a wall. To his relief, even though Tetsutetsu and Awase run to stop him, the vines seal them safely inside the lobby.
Now, he just has to deal with the Nomu by himself.
He hits the monster with fire and ice, but it’s difficult because his stance is unsteady, and it’s not doing his aim any favors. There are holes in the concrete, all manner of things falling around him as buildings crumble. There are screams and gunshots and blasts and rumbles of thunder from a distance.
He needs to fight. Fire, in his hand, now.
It doesn’t form. Something hits him at the back of his head.
It’s heavy and it comes from above, accompanied by a body falling somewhere close by. Debris, he realizes. He hopes that the person thrown is still alive. He hopes that it isn’t a civilian. Or a pro.
But there isn’t time to worry about someone else. His vision goes blurry, nausea filling his senses in waves. He tries to form ice when he can’t aim the fire anymore. The glaciers are hollow and weak, easily breaking when the monster moves.
The Nomu tilts its head at him curiously, hands going for his neck.
“Shouto!! Move!!”
Out of nowhere, the nausea at the pit of his stomach blooms into a complete weightlessness. Someone’s arms are around him. The Nomu misses and looks up at them, temporarily at a loss on what to do.
He looks at the owner of the voice. And the arms. And the reason why he’s floating. “Ochako.”
He means to sound angry, because he really is. He wants to tell her that she isn’t supposed to be here and why is she putting herself in danger for him when she was already safe inside? But his head still feels odd, and he only manages a slightly befuddled question aimed vaguely at all.
“We have to get you out of here,” she tells him in a voice that sounds too far away. They’re twenty feet in the air, and the higher they get the greener Ochako’s face becomes. “We can hide up the roof until the pros--”
She doesn’t even have the time to scream as the monster leaps from the ground and gets a hold of their legs. The tug jars them both, and despite zero gravity, they find themselves being pulled to the ground.
Ochako hisses in pain as her ankle is violently pulled down. “Shit! Get off me, you--”
He struggles and kicks and tries to burn and/or freeze the monster’s arms off. But he can only do so much without burning their own legs off. He can’t think straight, can’t aim well, can’t do anything--
When they sink, they’re suddenly engulfed in blue flame. It’s so hot he wonders if they’ve descended to hell.
The monster screeches like a pterodactyl and lets them go. Ochako appears beyond her limit of using her quirk and releases them as soon as they’re on concrete that’s not burning.
He crawls to her, coughing from the smoke and ashes billowing around them. He tries to form ice around them and then holds her with his right hand. “Ochako,” he calls out, weakly.
She stares at the flames in front of them, eyes as wide as saucers. “It’s… you,” she says weakly.
Amidst the chaos all around them, Shouto wonders why it’s the first thing that comes out of her mouth. And then he looks at the person she’s talking to: jet-black hair, burnt skin, stitches that make him look like a patchwork doll rather than a human. Flames are sprouting out of his hands, blue and hot that it stings his skin from a distance.
Blue eyes, cold with anger, stare down at the Nomu and then at the two of them. “Get outta here. Take Shouto with you.”
“Wh… who are you?” How does he know his name? Why does Ochako know who he is? How is this fire possible?
Does he know him?
The man glares at him for a split second before turning his attention back to the Nomu. The temperature is so high, the blasts so loud that the steel bars sticking out of broken concrete begin to wilt like flowers. His skin begins to burn, his ice quirk at his state can only do so much to counteract the heat.
“Shouto, let’s go,” Ochako says urgently, tugging at his sleeve. She’s burning up too, even though he’s trying to cover them in frost. “I can still make us float, just hold on to me, okay?”
He knows that leaving is the best thing to do right now, and that Ochako is their best bet. The Nomu looks like it’s in pain, its movements duller and slower. If they had to escape, it has to be now.
He knows that, but it’s then that something comes back to him. It’s trivial, but it’s when he sees how the blue of the man’s eyes matches the blue of the flames. It’s when he thinks of the way he says Shouto. It’s in the dark of his clothes, the fighting stance, the way his jaw clenches in excruciating pain when he incinerates the monster--
Kodai’s voice in his head: Todoroki-san… are you related to a vigilante named Dabi?
As powerful as it is, the man’s fire isn’t enough to hold the Nomu back. It hits him square in the jaw, making him fly in a smoking heap towards the wall of vines.
Shouto’s eyes snap open from the haze. “Touya-nii!”
His right hand moves without thinking. Another wave of ice emerges from the ground and in between him and the Nomu. There’s fire all around, the hissing heat enough to crack the shield, just enough to slow it down. Shouto moves to form another one, ignoring the dizziness of rapid temperature change around him, all efforts directed on saving him.
The next wave of ice from him is still weak. But the one after that is large and strong, and doesn’t come from him.
“Nii-san! Shou!” a familiar voice screams from behind them.
Shouto momentarily wonders if all he’s seeing is a mirage, because out of nowhere Natsu-nii is running in the scene, dressed in his physical therapist scrubs and bare arms white with frost. He brakes in front of Shouto, onyx eyes shining with worry. “Ochako-chan, go and float! I’ll take care of nii-san!”
“Okay!” Ochako yells, moving to touch Shouto, but he stops her.
“Shouto--”
It’s not the best place for confrontations. He knows that, but his brain’s too jumbled up to care. “Natsu-nii, you knew… you knew that Touya-nii was--”
“We’ll talk after we survive, okay? Just get outta here already!” Natsuo turns away and sends shards of ice careening towards the monster. He’s able to distract the monster enough to get to the dark-haired Touya’s side and to help him up.
“Shouto,” Ochako says, her voice edging at a sob. “Please, your… your brothers are letting us escape, we have to go now . ”
Shouto stares at the scene in front of him, hardly believing it. Natsuo touches Touya in practiced movements, cooling down very specific areas on his arms, face and chest hit the worst by the blue flame. After which, Touya becomes functional enough to shove him aside and throw another pillar of fire at the Nomu, and its friend--
Shit. There are two Nomus now.
Ochako sees this too, and tenses. She looks at him, opening her mouth to probably stop him from doing what he wants to do.
But he doesn’t stop. He stands up, ice and fire forming over both sides. His clothes are all but destroyed now, but he can’t care.
Running forward with a cry, he throws all that he has within him and directs them at the monsters threatening his brothers’ lives. At the same time, great pillars of ice and blue flame cover the two Nomus, leaving them screaming in an inferno of extremes.
It takes a while for the ice to completely shatter and the fire to die down. When they do eventually, one Nomu lies unmoving on the concrete. The other is still standing, but it twitches and trills, arms frozen in mid-air.
Shouto falls to his knees, suddenly too weak to move. Across from him, Touya does the same, steam rising from his skin. Natsuo also has to lean against the wall, his face covered in frost, breath coming out thick and white through chattering teeth.
It turns to Shouto. Blue flames begin to emerge from within--is this a copy quirk?--running at full speed, ready to burn him--
“RELEASE!!!”
A meteor shower falls over the Nomu, burying it under boulders and rubble. The pile shudders once, and remains still.
Silence falls over them. He hears Ochako gasp and fall next to him, feels her soft arms around him and her sigh of relief.
“Oh my god… I can’t believe that worked,” she says, voice cracking, eyes leaking with tears. “D-don’t ever do that again, Shouto, don’t you dare-- ”
“I’m sorry,” he says, holding her close. “It’s… it’s over now. We survived.”
“Really?” she sniffs.
“Yeah. Really. You saved us, Ochako-chan.” Natsuo and Touya stumble in their direction, looking like they’d fall over if they weren’t leaning on each other.
His… brothers.
Shouto is on his feet before he knows it, looking up into blue eyes and black hair and burning skin. His mouth opens and closes. He probably stares for too long, because he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
The man looks back at him, tired as hell, but still smirking.
“Don’t just stand there, Shou. Wanna come here?”
He nods, and embraces him. The smell of ash fills his nostrils and almost chokes him, pushing tears out of his eyes. He’s so weak and spent that his entire body starts to shake, and--
“Geez. Still a crybaby, huh, Shouto.”
“Stupid nii-san,” he grumbles. He has too many things to say, but he can’t think of anything else right now except how his older brother is alive and well and breathing in his arms.
Touya chuckles and ruffles his hair. “Okay, that’s enough, yeah? I think the pros are here, so I gotta get outta here before they catch me doing a better job of protecting the city than them.”
True enough, people in colorful suits suddenly rush the scene, falling down on the monsters littering the streets like arrows. The turn of the tide is visible and dramatic, with heroes of all shapes and sizes plucking civilians from the streets and/or pummeling Nomus to the ground.
“We gotta get you out of here, nii-san. It’ll be harder to keep you outta sight if we stay here,” Natsuo says, mustering up enough energy to lift him more decidedly by the shoulder.
Shouto looks up at them meaningfully.
Touya rolls his eyes. “Are ya really gonna throw a tantrum about me running away from home years and years ago? Right now? ”
Despite the situation, he hears Ochako snort behind him. Natsuo huffs, giving Shouto an amused smile. “We’ll talk later, promise. Right now, you and Ochako have to help out all the injured and--”
A flash of light cuts off his sentence.
“LOOK! Up in the sky!!!”
Simultaneously, they turn to the sky, the mess of people around them doing the same thing.
At the center of the Hosu skyline, the vision of an exploding star rises. Orange and green and blue flames as hot as the sun, expanding twenty meters in all directions. Shouto sees the gaudy blue and orange of his suit, the flashy flames of his face bursting with the rest of the flashfire.
“It’s Endeavor! We’re saved!” Someone screams in relief from below.
“The old man’s still at it, huh.” Touya’s voice is ragged and cold, his smile sardonic. Still, he’s looking up at the sky, watching the fight. Natsuo, too. His mouth is twisted as if he’s tasted something bitter, but he can’t take his eyes off the sky, the sun.
All of them are watching him.
People are screaming, cheering for him. He’s never heard such a strong approval of him. He wonders how he’s going to flaunt this after all this chaos is over…
And then, it happens. It probably lasts a second, but Shouto sees the moment stretched out, painful and slow.
Something gleams, pointed and silver, from the Nomu’s hand. It’s strong, and aims for the middle of Endeavor’s forehead. It misses.
It hits the side of his neck instead.
And as quickly as the brilliant sunfire comes, they disappear. Endeavor falls like a comet from the sky, a streak of crimson trailing from his neck as it does. He crashes into the side of an office building, the sound of crushed glass and steel and stone echoing across the sky, onto the street.
The silence that follows is deafening.
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niks-minion · 3 years
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Fuyumi ‘the guardian’ Todoroki
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Shielding baby Natsu and worrying about Touya .
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