[UNEDITED]
"It was me."
Mika nodded, eyes red from tears and the acid taste in their mouth still there. After dismissing Himiko, Shoto was the last one standing, ready to be questioned.
He didn't seem to mind. His face looked rather calm. He was always monotonous, but there were times like these where being quiet didn't look good on him. Especially after doing that.
"It was you. You killed her. And now you are going to tell me everything that happened one by one. Leave nothing out, is that clear?"
Shoto nodded, not one look of fear in his eyes. And as he told everything one by one, Mika's eyes widened more and more. It was the same thing Touya and Himiko had previously stated, yet when spoken from
His point of view it seemed as though Mika wasn't talking to a human being.
"I had to let my brother get the revenge he had always seeked from me before I became his ally. He tortured me everyday yet, he would call it a dance. He would say, 'Oh little brother, dance with the sinner! Feast with the killer! Live with the monster! Be our hero. Be the savior from hell!'"
The way Shoto mimicked each word sent shivers down Mika's spine. He yelled them the day way Touya had. He carried the same expression Touya had. He moved his hands the same way Touya had.
It was all the same. He left nothing out.
Later, he told Mika that those words repeated in him everyday, so it was impossible for him to forget. He said how he would dream of that day most nights, so he knew every gesture Touya did by heart.
"When Himiko-San started spying on her, it was hard to get her out of it. She was an addiction for her. Yet, I could not seem to tell her no even when the spying was not needed. I knew how she felt, and I would feel horrible if I had to stop meeting with my only love."
Mika sniffed, "So you felt the same way as Himiko did? How so?"
Shoto looked up at the wall behind Mika, trying to find the words to explain it the best way he could. He was not good with emotions—trying to explain them was worse.
"Himiko fell into a depression after her death—when realization finally hit her. I feel like if someone were to take Izuku away from me, my life would feel hopeless. I would feel hopeless"
Mika flicked there pen, the pen emitting small clicks when it landed on the table. "What if I told you Izuku isn't yours?"
Shoto smiled, soft and innocent. "I do not worry. He is still mines, I am just taking a small vacation."
How innocent that sounded.
"What do you mean? Do you plan on doing something if you're released?" Mika worried over that, wishing that all of them would get life in prison.
"If I get out, I would like to fix things with Izuku and start another chapter in our lives. Time away means time to think about my actions and how I could possibly fix them." Valid enough, yet Mika didn't buy it.
"By actions do you mean drowning, abusing and mentally abusing? Do you think Midoriya would forgive you even after all of that?"
Shoto hummed, "Of course he would. He knew I never wanted to hurt him. He just confused the warmth I gave him with the pain he hallucinated."
"Even after the incident where he destroyed a whole city after he decided to leave you?"
"Yes."
It took everything in Mika not to shout. But before they could say anything, Shoto started speaking.
"He said some really hurtful things. He found out things he was never supposed to see. He was going to abandon me and break his promise. I was the one who would always keep the promise safe with me, but Izuku never did the same!
But that does not mean I do not love him. That does not mean I do not want to live the rest of my life with him. I love Izuku. I love him so much. And that was the reason I killed her.
That was the reason I killed Miku Hirami, your sister."
~~~~~
Shoto had few friends. Socializing was never easy for him---his friends were Izuku's friends. And Izuku's friends never paid too much attention to him. Shoto was the lovely wallpaper and pretty decor. The son of the Ex-Number One Hero and partner of the Symbol of Peace. He was the add on, nothing important.
He never really had real friends. The ones he had i High School were the only ones, other than that, he felt awfully alone. Especially when Izuku wasn't there to fill in the void.
That changed of course in one typical early-spring morning. By typical Shoto meant meant either using ice or fire on another villain who seemed to love the screams and cries of innocent civilians.
'Do they have nothing else to do?' He would think to himself. Ironic.
But it was that day that he couldn't even mutter words of annoyance or even think. His mind was hanging onto a string, his heart beating faster than his own ice. He ran as he called back-up, Izuku on the other line promising to be there as soon as possible.
He called the other Pro-Heroes, but it seemed that when he needed friends the most was when they were too busy on the other side of the city.
He chased the man in the dark suit, the man throwing anything metal right towards him. Of course, the man was foolish enough to do such a thing, considering the fact that Shoto practically melted every piece in a fraction of a second.
So, it wasn't to anyone's surprise when Shoto caught up to him rather quickly. He told the other heroes that there was no need to show up and was able to corner the man onto a corner of an alleyway.
Frantically, the man looked for a way out. Yet, when he turned around, his mask covered his entire face except his widened eyes and the young lady he carried.
Her head was bleeding as she laid unconscious in the man's arms. The man holding her as tight as possible, practically clinged onto her like dear life. Something about his tender fingers on her clothes made Shoto confused, because why would a villain care for his prey?
"There is nowhere for you to go. Give up and hand her over."
The man sneered, offended by how gullible Shoto thought he was. "Oh? You think I'm just going to give up just because you tell me too? Well apologies for bursting your bubble, but I have no intentions of doing so."
Shoto clicked his tongue, "I was not expecting you to give up so easily. If that were so, the fight would have already been over." He walked closer, ice prepared to be shot at and fire warmed up enough to be used as a skin eater.
Yet, the man decided to fix his composure. The frantic demeanor he carried vanished almost immediately as he stared dead in Shoto's eyes, the grip in the woman's flesh tightening even more if possible.
When Shoto took another step however, the man let go on one side and in a fraction of a second, was holding onto her neck. With his unused hand, he extended it and without warning, grabbed a gun hidden in his pocket.
"Take one more step," he placed the gun right next to her, "And she's dead."
Of course, Shoto had already been in a situation like this once or twice. Yet, it still sent shivers down his spine knowing that if he messed up, everything would be over.
He stopped then, his power going back inside his veins except the little small flame he preserved in the palm of his hand. Silence filled the alleyway besides the heavy breathing both of them tried to bring back to normal.
"Why do you want her?" Shoto asked. "Why do all of this?"
Shoto was a hero. That he knew. Yet, everyday as he captured villains no matter how strong or how weak, he always caught himself staring at them with pity and understanding. When flower petals and fresh leaves surrounded him, all he could think about were those lost souls that drowned in misery.
The man scoffed, as if that was the most foolish question to have been asked. "Why? Because she saved my mother's life. That day my mother tried to jump, she held onto her like it was her own life she was worried about. She brought my mother home, listened to her when I was too busy with my own job, hugged her when I couldn't. I wanted to repay the generosity, yet when I asked to take her home she refused and ran away. The last thing I want is to die with regrets. So I knocked her unconscious."
The hero's eyes widened, flabbergasted. "You did all of that just to thank her? You hurt her more than you did thank her." The man nodded, "That's the point. I'm giving myself an excuse to help her."
"You are foolish," Shoto spat, his body still like ice, one of his fingers twitching, itching for a new plan.
He sighed as he slouched, his shoulders dropping and the tension in his muscles leaving. "Alas, I too, am foolish. I cannot really judge now, can I?" The man raised ana eyebrow, suspicious of Shoto's new aura. Still, he gripped on the woman and stood tall.
"What would a hero like you know? I'm selfish, that I know. I'm cruel, that I know too. Yeah sure, I say I do it for kindness, but at the end of the day hurting is hurting. All you know is that you're great and grand and you would rather die than be selfish and save your own ass."
Shoto's lips turned into a little smile, amused by said thoughts. "Is that really what you think? Humans will be humans. When it comes to death and discontentment, we will do anything. You may be the kindest person in the world, but kindness can only go so far. At the end of the day, we were designed to be greedy and cover the greed with need."
With that, fire surrounded that tiny alleyway. Metal melted at the sight of the flames, debri flew everywhere and smoke blinded the man's eyes. The pressure broke the lonely windows, fire roaring over the cries of the wind though it howled as strong as it could.
"I hate to admit it, despise it even. Though, I am a hero so I thought if I shared my insight, it would make you feel a bit better." Shoto said, his voice surprisingly calm---airy. After all, it was planned, already thought of.
He carried the woman in his hands, dried blood covering her face as her hair blew along with the wind.
"From what I heard, you are a very kind soul. Apologies for not coming to your rescue sooner. It seems as though your kindness consumes others into a fever."
~~~~~
The young lady was able to recover rather quickly, her sibling visiting as much as they could. Shoto was there too. Though he didn't have to, he felt the need to do so. Slowly, he became close with her. She was rather a strange, kind being, he found out. Everytime he went to visit, he would make a quick stop at the convenience store to get apple juice.
The juice boxes...for little kids.
And sweet tarts, though Shoto would cringe just thinking about those.
Yet, it wouldn't really matter. If it was to see that awkward smile or that ugly laugh then so be it. He enjoyed her calm but crazy company and soon saw her as a younger sister.
"Shoto, how have you been today?" She would ask, tired yet kind eyes looking at him so tenderly it was hard not to smile back.
"I'm good, Hirami-Chan. How about you? Is anything hurting?" His concern would make her laugh, cover her face with her hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine. And how many times do I have to tell you: call me Miku."
Shoto sighed, sitting down in a chair the hospital left for visitors. "You're almost getting discharged, Miku. I just want to make sure you're well enough to leave. Even if it's a little scratch, I will feel guilty if I let you leave this place hurt."
Miku shook her head, "Todoroki-San, my head hurts a bit but the doctor said it was normal! Thankfully, that jerk didn't hurt me too bad. Please don't worry."
He sighed again. How stubborn she was. Since the first day they had an interaction, she was stubborn enough to only call him an acquaintance. Yet, days later here she was, joking around and begging him not to worry.
Mika was a picky one. Back in high school, she chose no friends. After all, her world was too small with people too limited. She didn't like any of them, for they believed in pride and prejudice and that was something she did not like. But as her world grew, so did the people living in it. And soon, she found herself being able to pick and choose who she decided to share her world with.
Something about Shoto was rather interesting. She wanted to know more about him. Wanted to know how his mind worked, how he perceived the world as. She wanted to know if he was hurting, and if she could help.
She was a curious one.
"I'll try not to. Anyways, any fun facts you have to share with me?" He said. Though his voice was serious, unintentionally cold even, both him and Miku knew he was trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
He unfortunately sucked at that.
However, Miku didn't care. She hummed, tapping her finger on her chin as she thought of the most random thing she could come up with.
"How random do you want this?" She asked, a serious (jokingly) tone in her voice. Shoto hummed, rubbed his chin as he pretended to be deep in thought. "As random as you can be."
Miku smirked, "Did you know...that a chef's hat has exactly one-hundred pleats?" The room stayed silent, before the both of them erupted in laughter. What Miku didn't know was that Shoto wasn't laughing at the randomness like she was. He was laughing at her, who had a ugly laugh that she tried covering with her hands. Yet failed as her broken humor got the best of her.
Their laughter was soon interrupted when Shoto's phone started rining. He excused himself out the room and into the hallway, where there he was greeted by a smiling Izuku.
"Hi Sho! Where are you? You know your lunch break is only thirty minutes. I know you've been checking on the woman you rescued, but are you at least eating something?" Back when their relationship was at it's blooming season, Izuku constantly checked up on Shoto. He enjoyed that. Enjoyed the thought of his 'safety' caring.
A small smile crept up his lips. "Hello. I'm with her at the moment. Yes, my lunch break is only thirty minutes, that is why I ate my food on the way. Do not worry, love. How was your day so far?" A huge flex Shoto had was being able to hold onto every question Izuku said, answering each one of them calm and steady.
Izuku hummed, "It's been alright. Today I got to talk to All Might! Though we haven't been much in touch lately, i'll try my best to always see how he's doing." Shoto hummed, signaling that he was listening. "Other than that, patrolling hasn't been too flashy. Maybe I'll get out early and you can introduce me to the woman you saved."
Shoto chuckled, "Alright. Hey, maybe we can go out to dinner later-"
Suddenly, a clash of loud noises was heard from Izuku's end of the call. "Izuku? Are you ok?" Izuku got up from where he was sitting, running down the street using One for All.
"Sorry Sho! Something came up! I-I'll talk to you later, bye!" With that he hung up, leaving Shoto hanging with no dinner plans late that night. He sighed. This happened often; Izuku leaving at random times where it was supposed to be a moment in which Shoto and him could talk in peace. Part of Shoto didn't like that.
The day he got rid of Izuku's quirk, part of him was happy it worked. Even if Izuku would never be the same person. Eve if Izuku would never be the same man he fell in love with.