Chapter 1
It's not shocking that Shoto Todoroki has night patrol again. It's been barely 2 years since he debuted, and despite ranking in the top 100 already he still had to 'pay his dues' as the older crowd remind him. No the shocking part, is that he enjoys the night patrols.
Most big jobs happen at night, most small jobs happen at night. It's true there's less cameras, but less cameras catching him misunderstanding a question. Not to mention until something happens, the night is serene. It's beautiful to walk a silent street, to sit with legs dangling off a rooftop, to just stare at the sky and know it will not question you.
Shoto is enjoying his night, with only the buzzing of streetlights tonight. He hums a little as the breeze rolls across the rooftop he's on with just the edges of winter in it. Lost in the peace of the night, he lets himself hope that it will be a good night. Maybe he will see his old teacher, or one of his old Class A classmates just patrolling. Maybe he will even be able to enjoy some soba with one of them.
The universe must sense his hope cause no sooner does he let himself hope than the comm piece in his ear cackle to life.
"Disturbance at Milgram University, building 7B, Quirk Diagnostic and Observation," the voice says void of emotion. Shoto doesn't even think before he turns his body and makes and ice ramp toward the campus described. Barely two blocks from him, just his luck, hopefully it's just drunk kids.
"Pro hero Cocytus in route, eta 5 min" he responds blandly back. He skates along, propelled by the flames he makes behind him that also melt the ice trail.
"Icy-hot! I'm 10 minutes away! You better leave some for me!" Bakugo's voice is a roar in his ear. Knowing Bakugou and his need to be on the scene he's probably farther out and trying to rush. Not that Shoto minds, the hot headed blond is good at what he does. He just wishes he was not always so passionate about it.
"Police are also in route, but stretched thin tonight. Eta 10 min" the emotionless voice cuts in again.
Instead of responding, Shoto just goes faster. It's probably wiser to wait for the backup, but he can not seem to help it. Bakugou and he have been rivals a long time, respectful now, but still rivals.
Shoto glides over the fence and deposits himself on yellowing grasses. Several different buildings surround him, all with numbers and letters. One is brick, one is marble, one is glass, and so on, like they are all trying to stand out. That's the trouble with everything standing out though, nothing does in the end. Shoto starts scanning buildings but there's no rhythm or reason to how they seem to be labeled.
Just as he's about to give up and radio to ask where the building is, a smashing sound comes from one of the buildings right next to him. The one made of natural stone, a window was broken out several stories up. He weighs his options for only a second before he dashes into the building. He spent so long wandering around, he knows Bakugouwill be close behind him.
As he's running up flights of stairs, he cannot help but curse that there was not more information on what the disturbance was. Is it a fight? A murder in progress? What is he getting into? He curses himself too for not asking for more information.
Shoto opens the door on floor 9, where he's pretty confident the smashed window came from. He immediately hears yelling but cannot make out any words. Taking off in the direction he quickly comes on two angry sounding men, yelling at the locked door, next to the smashed window. Relief sings through him. Just drunk kids. He walks up calmly to them.
"Pro Hero Cocytus, here, what seems to be the issue?" As the two men turn, Shoto realizes his mistake. They are not college kids, these are indeed full grown men. No sooner has one turned than a giant cactus arm swings at him. Shoto jumps just in time, and freezes it in place, arm stuck to the floor. The hall is narrow though Shoto now against a wall, and the other man uses that to his advantage. He throws a knife at Shoto, and it hits the upper thigh, Shoto hisses in pain.
Shoto shoots a blast of ice at the other man, the knife thrower pinning him to the wall. He limps over and just looks at the men with a bored face.
"What was the goal here?" Shoto asks as he puts a quirk suppressant cuff on the cactus man's free hand, his frozen hand going from trapped cactus to trapped normal arm.
The men stay silent however. As sirens approach, Shoto hears the faint sound of explosions, the tell-tell sign of Bakugou flying his way here.
"Two perps neutralized, Cocytus injured" Shoto states in the comm link. The pain seems to awaken at the mention of its existence. Suddenly, all the nerves in his leg feel like they are alive with agony. Shoto wants to scream, wants to pull the knife out. He knows he knows better, but he grips the handle.
"Don't," a voice calls out quickly. A short figure stands in the now open doorway, where the men were yelling. Shoto is unable to tell anything all of a sudden, details are fuzzy, the world is burry. This figure taking his hand off the knife is beautiful though. Green, like a summer day, like every fresh hope in the world, the are looking at him fiercely and they are saying words but Shoto catches nothing. All he knows is green eyes, like a deep jade, precious.
Suddenly the glorious jade is gone, replaced by noise, and blonde, and blurry motions. Shoto is loaded into an ambulance, and he drifts off in a sea of pain, thinking of rolling hills.
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In his dreams he is searching for a lost amulet. An emerald that grants a wish to whoever finds it. Shoto knows what he will wish for, but the emerald eludes him.
Shoto finds all of it quite dramatic as he wakes up in a hospital. He was barely stabbed, but here he is in a hospital bed, Bakugou sleeping in a chair beside him. Shoto reaches over and gently flicks Bakugou's forehead. In a rush Bakugou is on his feet and yelling.
“The fuck you do that for?” Bakugou demands, arms spread palms already sparking. A nurse peaks in and he sits down quietly.
“Why am I here?” Shoto asks after the nurse moves along. He had been stabbed before, and he had just gone to Recovery Girl, or someone else with a healing quirk. Bakugou grunts, but after a moment of silence elaborates.
“You don't remember? That nerd explained it, but you were pretty fucked up already. Basically the douche that stabbed you has a quirk, that if he hits you with a blade, and you remove it you basically start hallucinating. Deku stopped you from totally removing it but you had already moved it so it started to kick in I guess.”
Shoto thinks for a moment. The urge to pull out the blade was strong, probably part of it. Then there was a lovely green figure. Jade eyes on his. Was that real? Probably, he decides.
“Ah, so his name is Deku?” Shoto questions.
“Fuck off,” Bakugou replies, standing. “I only stayed to make sure you didn't go insane. I'm not your guide back to the real world.” The chair scrapes the ground as Bakugou leaves.
Shoto knows he should feel touched that Bakugou stayed at all. Still, he cannot help but feel like he did something wrong at the end.
The rest of the early morning goes by very quickly. He is released with no fanfare and on his way. When he returns to the agency, only Shinso is there to greet him. Technically speaking this is Hawks’ agency, but since almost all of Shoto's class signed up to it, it was jokingly called the A Team pretty often.
“Hey man heard you decided to try hallucinogens. How was it?” Shinso teases lightly.
“I can't say I recommend the method I used but the dream felt very real.” Shoto replies dryly. Shinso laughs.
“Boss around?” Shoto inquires looking at all the empty desks.
“Nah, you just missed him. Said he was going to go get fried chicken. Again. I swear everything since he got free of the commission that's all he eats.”
“Probably, I would eat cold soba for every meal if our teammates would let me.”
“Don't we know it? Bakugou filled out the incident report already though. So just go over it and adjust anything you need to add.” Shinso says, laughing again. Shoto nods and looks over the report.
He amends “Cocytus let his guard down” to “was caught by surprise” and completely crosses out the part where he was apparently “blathering on about finding the wish emerald”. Then he signs.
Shoto feels so drained already, but he has other plans today. He needs to stick to the schedule. Sighing, he stands to leave, and looks over at Shinso.
“Wait, why are you here in the daytime?” Shoto cocks his head at the street clothes clad underground hero.
“Unfortunately, some people are only awake during this time. Even people with information.” Is all the reply Shoto receives.
On the train he tells himself this time will be different. This time will not be like the other times. It will not be as heartbreaking, it will be productive.
As soon as he's in Tartarus, in front of his heavily restrained brother though, Shoto knows. It is still not any different.