//

'Dabi ' Dabi! ' The video shakes as the reporter jogs to catch up to him, his faithful cameraman dogging his steps. 'They 're calling you the Hero of The World ' what do you have to say to that? '

For a moment, it looks like Dabi 's about to just brush him off, continue on his way. Just like he does most of the reporters that have managed to accost him so far. Then he pauses, as if the words land their mark on him. Delighted, the reporter stalks forward, microphone at the ready.

The white-haired man turns to him.

'I 'm

no one 's

fucking hero, ' Dabi says, with a surprisingly austere candor.

The reporter takes a step back.

Dabi flicks his shades off to glare at him, the full weight of those glorious eyes impossible to look away from. They 're cold, like the unforgiving vacuum of space, the icy emptiness of the distant stars. 'And the world doesn 't need a

hero.

The world needs to save itself. Maybe the world needs to stop waiting around looking for a new symbol, and start solving their own damn problems. '

He pushes his shades back up, and with a vague salute of dismissal leaves the reporter stuttering on the street.

This is going to be front page news in a few hours,

Hawks thinks with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

He flicks the video off his phone screen, returning to his idle scrolling of social media 's take on Dabi 's international debut. There 's a few other clips like that, Dabi being harassed by paparazzi on the streets of what he assumes is Switzerland or some other landlocked Western European country. Maybe it was Otheon. Wasn 't Otheon a part of Switzerland at some point? He shakes his head. He wouldn 't be able to tell the difference either way; the closest he 's ever been to Europe are trashy foreign romcoms Echo keeps recommending to him. Most of the clips were of Dabi being his usual irreverent self, dismissing questions entirely out of hand or coming up with outlandish answers for them instead ' this is the first one Hawks has seen where he actually has some bite to his responses.

He feels a disconcerting sense of vertigo, staring at the veritable mess Dabi 's made of the international news in the past few days as he flicks through his news app. Especially when he remembers the easy, effortless way they 'd chatted just last night. Some days it feels utterly impossible to reconcile the two halves of the man 's life ' the charming and clever and surprisingly sweet young man who loves pastries and jokes about singing him to sleep, and the impossibly powerful and dangerous villain-turned-international hero who can terrify a full grown reporter to tears with just a glance of his eyes.

Hawks sighs. He feels eons better about the whole thing after hearing Satoru 's voice and getting a chance to speak with him, but it doesn 't make the gravity of him completely changing the entire world order any easier to handle.

He 's disrupted from his spiraling thoughts by heavy, familiar footsteps vibrating against his feathers as they near the door to his commandeered office. Hawks just shoots off a feather to unlock the door, and sprawls back in his chair as he continues to browse through his phone. If he hadn 't wanted Endeavor to be able to barge in on him whenever he was trying to trudge through his paperwork, he wouldn 't have taken up the man 's offer to work out of his agency.

'What 's up, big guy? ' Hawks greets without looking up. Then he tears his eyes away from his phone and winces at what he sees. 'You doing alright there, Endeavor? '

The man ' doesn 't look well. He looks like he hasn 't slept in a handful of days, the whites of his eyes bloodshot and the set of his brows somewhat manic. There 's stubble across his jaw that Hawks doesn 't normally see, and even with his cropped style his hair looks a bit mussed, like he 'd tossed and turned all night and rolled right out of bed and into the office without even looking at himself in the mirror. At least his uniform looks fresh, but then again, no matter how out of sorts Endeavor is, he's not the type to be so cavalier with his work.

'Fine, ' the man replies, stiffly.

He 's most assuredly not fine, but Hawks just nods in commiseration. It 's hard to sleep at night with all the unrest Dabi is once again causing. A part of him genuinely hopes the government strong arms the HPSC into conceding to the UN 's terms and acknowledging Dabi 's international hero license. Last he 'd heard they 'd been up in arms over dismissing any known charges against him in light of his new diplomatic immunity, but he thinks the Diet will talk them off the ledge eventually. Dabi 's maneuvered himself into an incredibly favorable position on a global scale, and the federal government is going to want to take advantage of that. Right now, Dabi is the most famous Japanese citizen abroad, and with All Might 's shocking and sudden retirement, Japan needs a fresh face to represent them on the international stage.

Hawks is perfectly happy to admit his own reputation doesn 't even come close. He 's only just recently begun to expand his reputation across the country, with most of his fan base still being located in Fukuoka. And Endeavor ' well, he 's been a hero for much longer than Hawks, so he has his legacy going for him, but even then he 's not a global brand like All Might had been.

If Japan acknowledges Dabi as not only an international hero, but also as one of its citizens, that could go a long way in settling the worst of the unrest that 's spreading like wildfire across the country right now. They don 't even need to concede and give him a domestic hero license if the HPSC is truly so unwilling to compromise ' just recognizing him as a hero at all will appease the more vocal dissenters of the current hero industry.

It 's not that Hawks doesn 't see where the protesters are coming from ' the industry and the laws need to change. But what the country emphatically

does not

need right now is riots, average citizens intentionally stonewalling heroes and law enforcement, and people so disillusioned with the system they turn to anarchy and mutiny.

Dabi 's very existence as neither a licensed hero nor a true villain had exposed the weaknesses in the tenuous framework that modern society operated on. And it had laid bare the intrinsic problems that existed within the current system.

Now that Dabi is a hero ' albeit not one beholden to the Commission 's standards ' there 's an angle the government can work with here, if they could swallow their pride long enough to do it.

'Any word from the Bureau Chief? ' Hawks asks, assuming the current state of affairs is what has the Number One so agitated.

Endeavor shakes his head. 'There 's push back from the Hero Commission. But the decision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs has remained unchanged, and the rest of the Cabinet is likely to back him up. '

Hawks never thought he 'd end up getting this bogged down in domestic politics. Even his training at the Commission had never prepared him for this ' they probably thought he 'd never need it, since they 'd be the ones liaising with the federal government on his behalf. And the basics that he had been taught had bored him to tears. But look at him now, personally invested in foreign policy and everything.

'So Dabi probably won 't be a Japanese hero, but his international license will be considered valid in the country, ' Hawks surmises, propping his feet up on the desk. 'How will that work, exactly? If a crime happens in front of him, is he just supposed to ignore it? '

Endeavor sits across from him in one of the empty rolling chairs lined up with the desks at the edge of the wall. Hawks hadn 't wanted anything special, so he 'd just asked the front desk for whatever space they had available on short notice. Calling this an office was rather ambitious; extended storage closet might be more accurate.

'Theoretically, he will need permission from both the HPSC and the Ministry of International Affairs for authority to operate, ' Endeavor replies, as the paltry chair creaks a bit ominously under his bulk. Hawks scoffs incredulously at the very thought. Dabi, asking for permission? Endeavor catches his expression and adds, in that same flat tone; 'In practice, he has diplomatic immunity and a powerful foreign backer that the government doesn 't want to make an undue enemy out of. '

'So he can

technically

do whatever he wants? ' Hawks summarizes, brow furrowing.

Endeavor frowns. 'He 'll risk courting an international incident if he does so, but ultimately the worst that could be done to him is deportation. '

'Huh. ' Hawks leans back in his chair, head tilted up towards the ceiling as he blinks.

He 's honestly impressed by how smoothly Satoru managed to reverse his entire situation to work in his favor. He went from being Japan 's most wanted villain to the one person in the world the government can 't touch.

'On the subject of Dabi ' '

Hawks drags himself out of his own thoughts, focusing back on the conversation at hand.

'Has he ' spoken to you? '

Endeavor 's bright blue gaze is focused with unerring fixation on a random spot on Hawks 's desk. His posture is rigid and unapproachable, and the way his hands grip tight against the armrests reads almost as ' uncomfortable? Hawks wonders if he 's reading this right, or if all his training in body posture is failing him right now.

Now that Dabi 's name has basically been cleared, he wonders if he really needs to keep their relationship as clandestine as he has been. Probably not, but just the thought of opening up about the true intimacy of their relationship with anyone sets his teeth on edge. Even if it might not be strictly illegal anymore, that relationship is

private.

He has no interest in letting others know about it. That 's a part of Dabi he wants to keep for himself.

Nonetheless, strictly speaking he doesn 't

have

to be as cryptic on the subject as he has been. And Endeavor ' he 's been good to him. They 've had difficult moments since they 've started working together, but ultimately they 've built a mutual trust between them that has that instinctual defensiveness he feels whenever anyone brings up the subject of Dabi lowering ever so slightly.

Still, he has to ask; 'Are you still dead set on arresting him? ' He tilts his head, looking benignly curious on the surface even as he studies the other man closely. 'Even though we all know he 's going to be exonerated by the end of this? '

Endeavor shakes his head. 'That was never what I ' ' He cuts himself off, mouth shutting with an audible click as his jaw flexes. 'No, ' he finishes, after an offbeat. 'I am not. '

Hawks isn 't sure how to read that response. Then again, Endeavor has always been a hard person to read ' and he gets even more inscrutable whenever the subject of Dabi is brought up.

But regardless, he 's not a liar, so if he says he has no interest in arresting Dabi then Hawks believes him.

'He called me last night, actually, ' Hawks reveals. He watches carefully as Endeavor reacts to this; the chair creaks beneath his grip as his knuckles turn white, his head jerks upright as his spine snaps straight. When his gaze flies to Hawks, his expression is shockingly open, yet still entirely impossible for Hawks to read. He 's surprised, for certain, maybe even ' hopeful?

'You spoke to him? ' He asks, quickly.

'For a bit, ' Hawks downplays. 'It was a brief conversation. '

He waits patiently to see how Endeavor responds, posture intentionally arranged in an artless sprawl with his wings trailing behind him and his arms clasped above head. He wants to know what Endeavor wants out of this conversation, what he 's after with Dabi. What will he do, with this new information presented to him?

Endeavor digests his words with a distant look in his eyes. Hawks can always identify anger or irritation easily on the other man, but when he gets closed off like this he 's nearly indiscernible. All Hawks can say for sure is that his thoughts have turned far inward, to somewhere Hawks cannot hope to guess.

'How ' ' He stops. This too is rather anomalous. Endeavor is always blunt and concise with his words, and he never hesitates to say what 's on his mind. Hawks watches him swallow once, then twice. He 's clenching his jaw so hard Hawks swears he can feel the grinding of his molars with his feathers. 'Does he intend to return? '

Hawks blinks at the question. 'I can 't say for certain, but from what he 's said I believe so. '

The other man did promise to explain his quirk to him in person, after all.

Endeavor nods, unfocused gaze dropping back down to some indeterminable space between them.

Hawks kicks his feet back up onto the desk, spinning lazily in his chair. 'Why this fixation with Dabi, anyway? ' He figures it 's fair to ask, since Endeavor is always bringing him up to Hawks.

It 's not as if other heroes aren 't aware of Hawks 's history with Dabi, now that it 's a matter of public record. But aside from a few offhand remarks, he never gets questions on the man. Not like he does with Endeavor, although that 's not to say others weren 't curious. Echo of course accosted him the moment she heard the news, asking him all sorts of mildly invasive questions about the white-haired man. Hawks had fended her off with admirable aplomb, but she had unfortunately gotten him to admit to finding Dabi 'sinfully attractive '. Echo had seconded that notion immediately, and then asked him to describe the man 's abs in intimate detail when she 'd also gotten him to reveal that he 'd seen him right out of the shower ' to this day Hawks still has no idea how she managed to get him to fess up so many secrets. He supposes she 's in intelligence and reconnaissance for a reason. She 's hardly the only hero with a marked interest in the man 's looks, but fortunately she 's the only one with enough balls to ask Hawks about it personally.

Hawks stills in his chair, a thought occurring to him; 'You 're not, like,

into him,

are you? '

At first the flame hero doesn 't seem to understand what he means, blinking blankly at Hawks. Then Endeavor splutters hilariously, going so red so quickly his Hellfire bursts across his face. When the flames cool down, the flush is gone entirely and he actually looks a bit green as he chokes out; 'Absolutely not! '

'Just checking! ' Hawks spreads his hands out in front of him, grinning. 'You 'd be surprised how many heroes are! '

Endeavor scowls deeply, brow twitching. He no longer looks mortified, rather just slightly discomfited. He folds his arms as he stares Hawks down balefully. 'Do you mean to tell me you 're not one of them? ' He asks, sounding unimpressed.

'He 's very good looking, that 's just an indisputable fact, ' Hawks replies, evenly.

Endeavor scoffs. 'What nonsense. How can you consider yourself attracted to someone you don 't even know? '

I know a great deal more about him than you think.

'Like I said ' he 's objectively handsome. And that 's all anyone 's saying. '

Hawks regrets even bringing up this conversation. He should have known Endeavor wouldn 't know how to laugh something off.

Endeavor shrivels his nose, as if he finds the whole thing rather distasteful. 'But you said people were '

into

him. How can anyone feel a connection to a person they have no knowledge of beyond their physical appearance? '

Hawks opens his mouth. Closes it. Then sighs. 'Um, big guy ' being 'into ' someone really just means, uh, y 'know, wanting to be with them. Like, physically. Not necessarily emotionally. '

Endeavor seems to process this in slow motion. His face gets very red, but this time he doesn 't quite light himself on fire again. Then he once again looks a bit disgusted.

'Look, it was just a joke ' let 's just forget it, ' Hawks brushes off, hastily. 'I know your, uh,

preoccupation

with Dabi has nothing to do with that. And if you don 't want to tell me what it is about him that has you all agitated, that 's fine too. '

Endeavor 's expression closes off. 'It is nothing you need to know about. '

Well. Hawks knows a dismissal when he hears one, and Endeavor seems to want to shut this conversation down in its entirety, even though Hawks would like it on record that

he

was the one to bring it up in the first place.

'Fair enough, ' Hawks shrugs. 'Did you need something else? '

Endeavor shakes his head, standing. 'No. And ' ' He seems to realize how rude it is to just barge in here and ask what he wants and then shut down the conversation the moment it 's no longer convenient for him, for he adds, gruffly. 'Thank you. For your time. '

Hawks nods silently, not entirely sure how to take that. Endeavor sees himself out, leaving Hawks alone with his news feed and the light off the wan, overcast sky outside his window. He reaches for his phone, possessed with the sudden urge to hear Satoru 's voice again, but it 's probably somewhere around four in the morning where he is. He settles for a text instead.

+81(092):

Let 's meet up, when you get back. My treat ;)

//

@ru-kun | Bad Karma no Re Rolls

Hello everyone thanks for checking in I 'm ?still a piece of garbage?

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@ru-kun | Bad Karma no Re Rolls

and no i was not banned (again)

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@ru-kun | Bad Karma no Re Rolls

not for lack of trying though

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Replying to @ru-kun

@jupiterx777 | Kinomoto

THE RETURN OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR RU-KUN ??

//

'You look nice, ' Todoroki says, when he catches sight of him.

Izuku blushes to the roots of his hair even as a wide smile lights on his face. Todoroki likes his outfit! He thinks he looks nice! He feels as if he 's floating '

Then he adds; 'My mother will like it. '

And then he promptly crash lands back to earth.

'Y ' Your ' Your ' Mom? ' He squeaks out, feeling like his brain is just one long record scratch.

Todoroki nods, glancing down as he scratches his cheek. 'Or at least, I think she will. I haven 't seen her in years. '

'Oh.

Oh,

' he stutters. 'Your, um, mom, huh? We 're going to see your mom? '

That 's what Todoroki wanted to do with him this weekend.

Go see his mom.

In a mental hospital.

Izuku feels like an idiot.

He also deeply regrets his choice in attire, now. He hadn 't told his mom it was a date when they 'd chatted on the phone earlier today, but he was hardly subtle after his tenth meltdown over the depressing state of his wardrobe. She 'd helped him pick out an outfit that even he could admit wasn 't entirely awful, and promised they 'd go shopping for clothes on his next day off. It was a decidedly nice outfit, not too formal but also much dressier than his usual t-shirts. It was also not at all what he would have worn had he known he was meeting Todoroki 's

mother.

What do you even wear to meet someone like that? Or maybe he 's overthinking this? If they 're going to go see his mom ' whom Todoroki had already told him was in a psychiatric facility ' then there 's no way this was really a date, right? Izuku had just ' just totally, mortifyingly, misread this.

'Yeah. ' Todoroki nods, and starts walking outside the school gates. Izuku hastily jogs to follow him, shaking himself out of his spiraling thoughts.

Okay, so he misunderstood Todoroki 's intentions here, which was horrifying and had him mentally wanting to bury himself ten feet underground, but this was ' well, this wasn 't awful.

He was still spending time with Todoroki. And Todoroki still wanted to spend time with

him.

In fact, he apparently wanted Izuku to meet his

mother.

'So, it 's been a while, huh? Since you 've seen her? ' Izuku asks as he falls into step beside him. 'How does that, um, make you feel? '

He knows, from what little Todoroki has told him of his family situation, that things are ' strained, in the family. He imagines if Todoroki hasn 't seen his mother in years, there 's a reason for that.

If the question makes him uncomfortable, it doesn 't show on his face. 'I don 't really think I feel anything. '

That ' was not at all what Izuku expected him to say.

'But you must feel something, right? If you wanted to go see her, after all this time? ' Izuku presses, gently.

Todoroki doesn 't respond until they 're nearing the train station. Izuku is content to simply walk alongside him quietly, letting him mull it over in his head. That 's the thing he likes about Todoroki, or well, one of the

many

things he likes about the other boy. He might not show it on his face, but he 's always paying attention. He gives every word Izuku says a level of consideration that still leaves him a bit breathless; he remembers even the most offhand remarks Izuku makes, as if they 're all profoundly important treasures he doesn 't want to forget.

'To be honest, it had never really crossed my mind.

She

didn 't really cross my mind. ' He pauses, just as they reach the station. 'Not until I brought her up to you. It was because of you, I think. '

Izuku turns to him, shocked. 'M ' Me? '

'Mm. ' Todoroki nods, looking back at him with those bichromatic eyes of his. 'I 'd never told anyone about my family, until you. I think ' talking about it with you made me realize I wanted to see her. '

'O 'Oh. ' His face is on fire as Todoroki finally turns away and heads to the turnstiles.

This time Izuku is the one left floundering, at a loss for words. It takes him until they 're boarding the train and seated to finally settle his thoughts long enough to form a coherent sentence. Its his pervasive, bubbling anxiety that finally does him in.

'Is it really okay for me to come along? ' He asks, nervously. 'I mean, this is kind of a big deal for you, right? To see her again? Isn 't it kind of, I dunno, private? I don 't want to intrude ' '

Todoroki 's gaze is focused on the passing scenery, expression unchanged, and Izuku would almost have thought he hadn 't heard him at all, if not for the way his hands fist into his jeans. His face might be inexpressive, but he feels things just like everyone else, Izuku thinks, watching the other boy 's knuckles turn white against his knees. Izuku just wishes he knew more about Todoroki, about his thoughts and his feelings, the things that keep him lying awake at night and the things that make him smile. He wishes he could reach out and support him, somehow, just to let him know he 's not alone.

'No, ' Todoroki says, quiet but adamant. Izuku almost doesn 't hear him, at first.

'... No? ' Izuku echoes, confused.

No to what, exactly?!

'No, ' Todoroki says again, peeling his eyes away from the city flashing by to once more strike, quick and unerring, right at Izuku 's heart with nothing but a flick of his gaze. Their faces are so close he can see all the flecks of color in both his eyes; the ultramarine ring just at the edges of both of them. 'You 're not intruding. I need you. '

He says it so simply, it takes until he 's turned back to the window for Izuku to process it.

He 's unaccountably glad for the fact Todoroki has gone back to his idle scenery viewing, because he 's fairly certain his face is about to combust and not even Todoroki 's ice is going to be enough to cool him off.

'Oh, ' he squeaks out. 'Okay then. '

I need you.

Izuku doesn 't understand it, at first.

They get off after a few stops, turning into an unfamiliar part of the city. Todoroki leads them up to a tall building, gleaming pale on all sides.

I need you.

Izuku glances down, to where Todoroki has his hands in the pockets of his jacket, fisted so tight he can see the fabric protesting from here. There 's a furrow creasing in his brow, and Izuku watches as the muscle in his jaw jumps as he grits his teeth. Without thinking too much about it, Izuku reaches over and tugs one of his hands out of the death grip he 's got on his own jacket. Todoroki is so surprised he lets him, relaxing as Izuku folds his fingers over his palm. Izuku is too embarrassed to acknowledge what he just did, and instead tugs Todoroki by their joined hands towards the front door.

His bravery lasts him up until he 's greeted the nurse and realizes he has no idea what he 's supposed to ask her for. Luckily Todoroki steps up beside him, hand still clasped in his own, and tells her they 're looking for the room of Todoroki Rei.

His first thought, upon meeting Todoroki 's mother, is '

this explains a great deal about Todoroki 's preternatural beauty.

His second thought is '

jesus christ I just walked in here holding her son's hand someone let me jump out this window and end my suffering.

He tries to discreetly tug his hand back, but Todoroki just tightens his grip and doesn 't let go.

This is

not at all

how he expected today to go.

But he sits through it, even as it dips into awkward territory plenty of times. There 's nowhere really to sit, aside from the bed, which Rei immediately offers to them as she goes to sit in the singular chair in the room. Somehow that 's even worse than lingering oddly by the door, because Todoroki still hasn 't let go of his hand. It 's his warm side too, his entire arm burning like a furnace and overheating him in his winter jacket. Todoroki appears immune to his own rising temperature ' aside from his palm, which is sweaty in Izuku 's grasp.

I need you.

Izuku squeezes his hand reassuringly. Todoroki squeezes back.

Todoroki 's mom is perfectly nice, if a bit soft-spoken, and doesn 't interrupt him even as he blathers on for at least a full ten minutes on the subject of their teachers. The conversation is stilted and difficult, clumsily trundling along in fits and starts. Todoroki is never much of a conversationalist on a good day, and it appears his mother isn 't one to chatter on either. Luckily Izuku is enough of a chatterbox for the three of them, happy to ramble on whatever tentative subject they 've managed to land on.

Todoroki doesn 't let go of his hand the entire time. When Izuku concentrates, in the middle of a winding commentary on Lunch Rush 's lunch specials, he feels a slight tremor from their joined hands, where Todoroki is trembling, just slightly. He 's nervous, Izuku realizes, then feels like an idiot for being struck dumb by the thought.

Of course

he 's nervous. He hasn 't seen his mother in years, she 's basically a stranger to him, and he 's not exactly good at talking or conveying his own feelings.

Todoroki has always seemed so strong and confident to him.

He 's got an incredible quirk, and he 's obviously very skilled with it. He 's unbearably attractive. He doesn 't get hung up on what people think about him or what they say about him. He 's smart and hard working. And he holds Izuku in impossibly high regard, for reasons that remain forever unfathomable to him.

He never seems like the kind of person that ever needs help, from anyone.

Yet here he is, asking Izuku for help. He

needs

Izuku, right now. He can 't do this alone. And what kind of hero would Izuku be if he didn 't do his absolute best to help someone in need?

So he grips Todoroki back just as tight, and when the two-toned haired boy haltingly explains to his mother how he decorated his dorm room, he swipes the back of his thumb up and down the back of the other boy 's hand in a reassuring gesture. And when Todoroki 's quiet, halting voice stutters to a halt, Izuku immediately picks up the slack.

'And, um, our friend Jirou has been teaching us how to play the guitar! ' He rushes to say, after Todoroki trails off.

Rei-san 's expression twists in an odd way when Izuku says this. Not quite nostalgia, but not quite regret, either. It 's something soft and sad, but she 's still smiling as she replies, 'The guitar? '

'Through a series of unexpected events, we sort of, well, decided to start a school band together? '

Rei 's smile grows wistful as she claps her hand together. 'Oh! A school band, how fun! With your classmates? '

Izuku nods. 'Yes, with other members of Class 1-A. Jirou-chan is

super

talented, she can play just about any instrument! And she 's been really patient with us during our lessons. Todoroki-kun is definitely better at it than I am, though. '

'Not really, ' Todoroki huffs. 'I just have more practice. '

Izuku scratches the back of his head as he laughs, sheepishly. 'Well either way, we 're very far off from being able to play in a real band. But Kacchan ' err, another one of our classmates

'

already plays the drums. Between him, Jirou-chan, and our other friend Yui-chan who apparently can sing well even if she doesn 't like doing it often, we kind of have all the pieces for it! '

'That 's lovely. It sounds like you 've made quite a few friends at school, Shouto. '

Todoroki shrugs, looking down. His face is as impassive as ever, but Izuku thinks the tips of his ears are getting a little red. 'I had nothing to do with it, ' he replies, gruffly. 'It was all Midoriya. '

'It ' it really wasn 't! ' Izuku protests on instinct, but when he thinks about it a little more, he has to wonder if Todoroki might be right.

The thought is a bit humbling.

He 'd spent years unable to make a single friend, and suddenly he 's the reason for this entire burgeoning friend group.

'It really was, ' Todoroki retorts. 'None of us would have been friends without you. '

'W 'Well friendship is a two way street, you know! ' Izuku returns, flustered. 'It was because of everyone 's efforts! And ' and you were the one who showed up at the beach first! We wouldn 't have been friends if you hadn 't followed us to meet D ' Satoru-sensei! '

'Satoru-sensei? ' Rei repeats curiously, causing all the color to drain out of Izuku 's face. 'Is he another of your teachers? '

'Well that 's ' ' Izuku blusters.

'He 's Izuku 's friend, ' Todoroki talks over him, not nearly as tongue-tied over discussing the fake identity of a known supervillain with his mother as Izuku would have expected. 'He 's not really one of our teachers, but he 's taught us a lot this year. His teaching methods are a bit unconventional, but he knows what he 's doing. '

'Unconventional is one way of putting it, ' Izuku sighs. 'He once chased us around for an entire afternoon with water guns. And he likes to have us run through crazy obstacle courses while he laughs and throws stress balls at us. '

'He has very good aim, ' Todoroki concurs, and when Izuku glances over he 's actually smiling a little bit, the sadist.

When he looks back at Rei, she 's wearing the biggest smile he 's seen of her all afternoon.

'It sounds like you 're having a great time at school, Shouto, ' she remarks, and the look in her eyes as she watches them is very soft. 'And you 've found some very special people to enjoy this time with. '

She looks at Izuku while she says this, which makes Izuku blush bright red. And instead of helping him out with a tactful change in subject, Todoroki just looks at him too, fingers interlaced with his, and says; 'Yeah, I really have. '