Runnin' with the devil

Part 1

When it came time for him to apply to colleges, his father had pushed him, dragged him, towards the schools with the music production programs, with the famous alumni, with the best connections. But unbeknownst to Enji, Shouto had applied to his mother's alma mater; a small but prestigious fine arts school—namely, a school across the country from the office of Endeavor's record label, and the sprawling Todoroki estate.

He got in, of course. Before Enji even realized what was happening, Shouto had packed up his violin and caught a train cross country. He's still not sure if he was accepted because of his last name or not, but he's determined to prove that he's much more than that, now that he's there.

University is amazing, he keeps discovering. It's not just the freedom of being away from home for the first time; it's the ability to be his own person, without wondering who is watching and scoring his every move. He can stay up late, or sleep in. He can practice his music whenever he wants. He can enjoy things without wondering if that means they'll be taken away from him later.

Which means he can have real friends now. And even if they do get on his back about his khakis, they care about him, they like him; and not because he's sort of famous.

They care about him enough that they were absolutely not having it when he showed some reluctance to go see a show at some dingy club in the city on a Thursday night. He has his first university recital coming up in a couple of weeks and most of his free time is spent practicing to perfection for that. But one of their friends will be playing at this concert tonight, so everyone wants to go.

Shouto's never met him. But then Midoriya had said, "I understand," in the saddest, most heartbroken tone imaginable, and Uraraka had actually visibly deflated, and Mina had stolen his violin bow and refused to give it back until he agreed. And Kirishima—Kirishima had done the puppy dog eyes thing. So there was no way Shouto could say no, in the end, despite his various misgivings.

He's never gone to any rowdy shows like this one. His father had been very careful to isolate him so he wouldn't be exposed to any riffraff or unworthy musicians, not wanting Shouto's tastes or talents to be "tainted". So, even growing up as the son of one of rock music's biggest stars, Shouto had been kept far away from its notoriously seedy underbelly. It hadn't interested him, anyway. He knew he wouldn't fit in—after all, like they'd all been laughing about, "Who wears khakis to a concert?"

But still, sitting on the train with them, he doesn't feel unwanted. He might not be sure where he fit, yet, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be here.

When they arrive at their destination, Shouto immediately sees why he'd been ordered to change. Even with the new clothes, he still feels like he stands out by not wearing one article of fabric that looks ruggedly-yet-artfully torn, like the jeans Midoriya and Kirishima wear, Uraraka's leggings, or Mina's t-shirt.

"So do we get to go backstage and shit?" Mina asks excitedly as they near the doors, clinging to Kirishima's arm. "Are we like, 'with the band'?"

Kirishima laughs loudly. "No way," he says, "when I told him we were coming, he told me—" Kirishima bares his teeth and snarls in a voice at least an octave deeper than normal, "Fuck off, I don't need my mommy to come cheer me on."

Midoriya grins. "Sounds like Kacchan, alright."

"I know, right?" Kirishima says. "He's gonna be so pumped when he sees us."

"Um?" Shouto says, unsure of whether or not they're joking. He's never met this friend of theirs, even though they all talk about him fairly often, always with a strange mix of fondness and exasperation. "So, your friend, he's the... drummer?"

He has to raise his voice because they've finally made it into the venue—it's loud in here, and smells like booze. It's not super crowded yet, but Shouto can tell it's going to fill up fast. Mina zooms off to buy more drinks, her dyed hair a cotton candy pink landmark in the crowd, as the rest of them start to make their way to the stage.