Touya had stuck to his promise and stopped using his quirk for a whole week, allowing you to treat his burns every other day. Your fourth birthday was in a few months and you could already dread what came with it.
Quirks.
Now, normally you would have been extremely excited to finally be of age for your quirk. But being born in the Todoroki family meant that your quirk would either make you or break you, in the eyes of Enji. You knew he was simply waiting for the day Shoto would develop his quirk so he could start his rigorous training, so Touya had been very insistent on training before that, because he wanted to show his father that he didn't need to train Shoto, the latter's quirk was all he needed.
At this point, you can only feel disgusted of Enji, it's not even hatred anymore.
You genuinely feel repulsed by that man.
After a whole week of resting, Touya had hauled you to Sekoto Peak with him, demanding to know what this training regime was that could 100% get him stronger.
And so, here you were. Sitting through this pleasantly chill weather, your book placed securely in your hands and the only sound that surrounded you were that of nature, the wind rustling the branches of trees and...
Touya's tortured screams.
The boy was currently running up and down the whole mountain, while the cooling air due to the changing seasons depriving him of oxygen even more.
One thing you realised is that Touya lacks muscles. His body isn't just weak to his quirk, it's physically weak. If he needs tolerance, he's gonna have to gain some muscle and some strength.
Another thing is that he wants to give his 100% on everything. He doesn't want to learn step-by-step, he thinks that if he does everything to an extreme, he'll learn it eventually.
That kind of thinking will get him killed, especially with his quirk.
The problem with Touya is that his body is not adaptable to his quirk. But according to what you've been told by Fuyumi and Natsuo, it wasn't always like this. Touya didn't always get burned by his quirk, it was only when he began to increase the intensity of his training.
This means that his fire is getting stronger much faster compared to the rate of how strong his body is getting. The only way for him to get his body adjusted is to start using small amounts of flames and getting used to their heat before moving up on to bigger flames.
Like it supposed to happen naturally.
At first, convincing him of this training regime was a pain. But a few promises of strength (and a little bribery of giving him your share of cold soba at dinner) and he was good to go.
So now, you were currently waiting for him to finish his daily laps on the mountain before moving to push-ups, sit ups and squats. Since you had been training him for... over a week now, he's gotten somewhat better at this training.
Although, only a week more later, he declared that he was going to use his flames and train his quirk. You agreed, only on the condition that he would keep his flame output to an all-time low.
With hesitance, he followed your advice and used his flames at very little output, and surprise surprise!! It doesn't hurt!
"Look, [Name]!! I'm doing it!" He showed you the small fire and your lips quipped in a small smile. While it wasn't a lot, in fact, it was even smaller than what he started training with when he first got his quirk, it had been a long time since he hadn't gotten hurt while using his flames.
"Well done, Touya. If you keep this up, you'll be stronger in no time." He looked ecstatic to receive praise, even if it was from a 3-year old and turned to you again, "I'm gonna increase my flames!" He declared and your eyes immediately widened.
"No, wait–" He didn't listen and increased the flames, only for his hand to burn the moment they increased in magnitude, "Ow!!"
"You idiot!" You couldn't help but sneer as you rushed over to see his injury. Seeing that it was red and slightly swollen, you brought him over to the pond nearby and stuck his hand in the cool water, making him freeze up.
"It's cold!!" He cried out, but you just rolled your eyes, "Yeah, cause it's autumn." He pouted at your sarcastic reply but didn't say much after that as he let you do your thing and patch him up.
"When I say, listen. That means you should listen. Don't try to get off track, stick to one training." You advised while rubbing petroleum jelly on his burned hand.
"I want to get stronger! If I keep working at such a slow rate, then Shoto will surpass me! He's getting his quirk soon, you know that, right?" You could only scoff at his words, "Shoto still hasn't gotten his quirk, and you've got years of practice under your belt. It's safe to say that he won't be surpassing you anytime soon, so calm down."
"You're just defending him cause he's your twin!"
"If that were the case, then I wouldn't be helping you train."
He quietened down after your last sentence, seemingly busy in thought at what you said. After you were done with patching him up, he kept his head hung until finally starting, "Why are you helping me, though? It doesn't even concern you."
Technically, it doesn't. You may have been reborn as a member of their family, but it's still hard for you to see them as such; as your family.
You don't necessarily see Touya or Shoto as your brothers, but rather... you see them as children.
Children you feel sorry for. And children you feel a responsibility towards.
Your brother was pretty young too, around the same age as Touya or maybe a few years older than him. But it doesn't change the fact that you cannot sit still and watch a child burn himself for the simple approval of his father.
Or perhaps... This is your way of atonement for all the lives you've taken during your life as [Last Name][Name], even if they were all bad people.
Realising that you have yet to answer Touya's question, you shrug and put the stuff away, "It probably doesn't, but I can't bear to see... my older brother hurting like this."
His eyes widened, and after a very long time, tears welled up inside of them. Touya isn't one to cry, he thinks it makes him weak. But there's something so touching about having someone care about him so much...
It warms his heart, but not in the way when he uses his flames. But rather, it's when he used to be praised by his father; he is happy to know that you care.
"W-Whatever... You're so sappy!" He immediately sputters and you almost give him an amused look.
"Tsundere..." You mutter and he immediately snaps his eyes in your direction, "What did you call me?!"
"Nothing." He shakes his head, swearing that he heard you call him a tsundere, "You must be imagining things, Tsun–I mean... Touya."
"There, you were about to say it again!!"
"No, it's just your imagination."
"Don't try to gaslight me, you brat!"
"What are you talking about? You really think a 3-year old is capable of gaslighting someone?"
He grits his teeth in frustration, "You're not a normal 3-year old, so yeah!"
"What? I'm as normal as one can be. It's not my fault that you're an idiot." He gasps very loud, like he just heard a very juicy secret and you continue, "I'm sure it must be so hard, being dumber than a 3-year old..." You playfully pat his back.
"But it's okay, Touya. You may be dumb, but we will always love you." He smacks your hand away, but not in a way that it would hurt you.
"No, I'm not!! Shut it!"
"Oh, really? What's 6x7?"
"It's... uh... 42!"
"Only an idiot would take this long for such a simple multiplication, you idiot."
You walk away and he yells at you to come back and fight him.
————
Shoto had been very moppy ever since that one day that Enji called him for a talk, and more than ever, he's very clingy. Everytime Enji walks in the room you guys are in, Shoto runs over and clings onto you, then proceeds to glare at your father until the former finally leaves.
You find out only a few days later, the reason for his behavior.
"Dad said that once I get my quirk, I'll have to train... and I'll be separated from you, because I need to focus on surpassing All Might." Your twin tells you as you both lie down to sleep for the night.
You hear the tremors in his voice as he holds back his sobs and clutches onto your hand for comfort. Your first reaction is anger. Anger at Enji for scaring this poor child about how he will be taken away from his twin.
But you would never show your anger to Shoto, so you hug him tightly and feel the boy relax in your hold, "It's okay. I won't let him separate us. I'll protect you, alright?" He sniffles as he peers up to look at you, "B-But... I wanted to protect you..."
As he trails off, you can't help but giggle, "Then how about this? I'll protect you, and you'll protect me? This way, we'll both protect each other."
Although it comes out very delayed, but he ultimately voices his agreement, "Okay..."
"Good, now let's sleep. I'll teach you some more kanji tomorrow." He smiles at the notion of learning how to read (he simply wants to accompany you when you're reading) and nods as he tries to lull himself to sleep.
Months go by in the blink of an eye, and your training with Touya is going as well as it can be. He's gotten a bit more resilient to his own fire, thanks to him slowly gaining some muscle. His growth spurt still hasn't hit, and he still looks younger than he is, thanks to his short stature.
But it doesn't change the fact that he is definitely getting stronger. Just a few months ago, he could only light up a small fire without getting burned and now he's able to envelope his whole hand in fire without getting hurt very much.
He's training his body at the same rate of his quirk now, and that's definitely helping.
But still, you make sure to advise him to keep his output to low so he doesn't get hurt a lot. God knows how many bottles of petroleum jelly you have used up during those months.
Anyways, your and Shoto's birthday came and went during those months and you are officially four now. And now that you are of age, you start wondering what your quirk will be.
Since you are now a Todoroki, technically it would make sense if you have one of the two quirks of your parents. From what you know, twins get their quirks almost always, together or there's just a small difference in duration.
So you expect that you'll get it alongside Shoto's.
But other than that... you and Touya have also gotten somewhat closer. He doesn't neglect the advice you offer and he actually listens when you tell him to take a break. During dinner, he sometimes tries to take your food behind the watchful eyes of your mother, who wants to make sure everyone eats to the full.
But thankfully, Fuyumi always catches him annoying you and smacks him on the head, scolding him about not taking your food, especially because you don't even complain to your mother. Truthfully speaking, you appreciate him stealing your food. You just don't feel comfortable eating this much and this often.
Being born during an era of war meant that there was hardly ever enough food and even after joining the army and climbing up the ranks, you would always feel sick while eating because you were constantly haunted by the guilt of taking lives.
You may have been one of the strongest soldiers, but you were much more weak-hearted than a soldier of the lowest rank.
You can still see the blood that coats your hands, whether by your actions or by the fact that you failed to protect countless people.
And sometimes... Just sometimes, Touya catches you awake in the middle of the night, throwing up in the toilet, everything that you ate before, while constantly shaking like a leaf. As if you had just seen a ghost. He doesn't dare enter the bathroom or speak to you, but when you walk out of there, you are always met with a glass of water waiting for you outside the door.
And that's when you realise, that the reason Touya playfully steals your food during dinner, is to help prevent you from throwing up.
He looks out in his own ways... What a tsundere.
But still, you appreciate his gestures and after realizing that he doesn't mind finishing your meals, you give him your leftovers.
At first, he scoffs as you give it to him, acting like it's a burden to finish your food too. But you see the smile he tries to hide and the happy glee shining in his eyes when he realises that you are depending on him too.
He realises that he enjoys looking out for you, just like how you look out for him.