Shouto's POV:
"... I have a proposal to make," Endeavor said with an annoyingly satisfied smirk on his lips, everyone's attention now on him, "why don't we settle this with a fight?".
"Like hell we will..." I growled right back at him as I kept my hand on Midoriya's shoulder, keeping him by my side. Midoriya had gone silent as soon as Endeavor had threatened us and so had I, his threat wasn't to be taken lightly.
"And why is that?" Endeavor then asked as he crossed his arms and glared at me, "do you think I'll cheat?" He then asked as a result of our silence. Of course you'll cheat you scumbag... I thought and couldn't help baring my fangs for a moment.
"I'll be kind and explain it to you. We'll fight in a two vs. two, me and Rin against the two of you. Weapons will be provided for us humans and nekos will fight in whichever form they want, but you guys can't use any weapons. Sounds fair, right Midoriya?" Endeavor said as all eyes were on Midoriya. Midoriya didn't reply, instead, he just kept his gaze focused on his feet.
"There's nothing fair in that..!" I decided to reply for Midoriya as I tightened my hold a bit on his shoulder, seemingly bringing him back to reality as he turned his head and looked at me.
"Rin, give the boi a zap." Endeavor then spit out the cold, emotionless order as I instantly turned my glare to Rin, watching him reach into his pocket for the remote.
"RIN I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU--" I yelled as I leaped towards him to try and snatch the remote from his hands, but I was stopped by Midoriya's painful scream as all my hair stood on edge.
"NO!!!" I quickly turned and saw Midoriya, tears running down his face, eyes widened and mouth open as his scream echoed throughout the basement, "STOP IT!! RIN, STOP!!" I yelled as I turned my glare to Rin, murderous intent filling my gaze as Rin looked to Endeavor before stopping the electrical shock.
Midoriya's screams stopped the exact instant that Rin had let go of the button on the remote as I turned and quickly reached out to Midoriya. I caught him in my arms as he couldn't keep standing, his eyes closed as he gasped for air.
"Midoriya..?! A-Are you okay..? Shh... Try and take slow and deep breaths, I'm here..." I tried to calm him down as he clung to me as if his life depended on it. He was silent but the tears still fell slowly one after the other.
"So, how does that fight sound to you now?" Endeavor asked, his expression and tone of voice unfaced by what had just happened. I didn't look at him, my attention was solely on Midoriya as I tried to help him calm down. His body was still warm and trembling as an aftereffect of the shock torture.
"I'm sorry, this was my fault, I shouldn't have protested against him..." I apologized through telepathy as I couldn't keep upright and slowly sat down on the floor, Midoriya leaning against my chest as I placed my head on top of his.
"... Y-You just p-proved to us that there's n-nothing stopping you from... Cheating a-and killing us in that fight... Y-You're proposing a fight to the d-death... Aren't you..?" Midoriya suddenly said as his glare locked on Endeavors. I raised my head and glared at Endeavor for a moment before turning my glare to Rin.
Rin was standing by the wall now, keeping his distance from us as he held the remote in his left hand. I noticed how he wasn't trying to kill Midoriya anymore and how he actually looked displeased with his display of violence.
"A fight to the death can be arranged if that's what you want." Endeavor said as I felt Midoriya's body tense up a bit, "But a death match would be a waste of young potential, don't you think? I gain nothing by killing you anymore." Endeavor said as Midoriya turned his head to look at him.
"But you w-wouldn't hesitate to kill me if Shouto w-wasn't bound to me..." Midoriya said in a low, hateful voice as his hand grabbed my arm, his nails digging into my skin a little.
"Rin, push the button again." Endeavor said as Midoriya tensed up, awaiting the electrical shock, but none came. I turned my gaze back to Rin, watching him hold the remote with a shaking hand, his gaze uncertain.
"B-But... Master, isn't this enough--"
"DO IT!" Endeavor said in a harsher tone of voice as Rin jumped a little from surprise and fear, yet he didn't do it. Why isn't he following his orders..? What the hell is he doing?! I thought, remembering the consequences disobeying our masters can have.
Rin's gaze then met mine as he slowly shook his head. This is my chance, I have to take the remote from him before he shocks Midoriya..! I thought but as soon as I tried to move, Midoriya dug his nails further into my arm, stopping me.
"Izuku please let go..! He's offering us the remote, I have to take it so--"
"Please don't leave me alone..." Midoriya mumbled out just loud enough for only me to hear. I could feel my heart sinking in my chest at his request. I was mentally being torn in two directions with little time to choose, either I'm staying with Midoriya, or I'm taking the remote from Rin.
"... B-But..." I began to voice my doubts as I kept my gaze on the remote, watching as Rin's thumb hovered just above the button. My brain was screaming at me to get the remote, yet my heart wanted me to stay with Midoriya.
"I've had enough of this, give me that!" Endeavor marched up to Rin and tore the remote from his hand as Rin's tail was between his legs, ears as far back as possible as he cowered backwards into a corner.
Endeavor then turned to us as he pointed the remote at us with a smug grin. I held Midoriya as close to me and as tightly as possible as I growled lowly through gritted teeth. I laid my head on top of his as my tail whipped back and forth against the dirty floor.
"!!!" Midoriya yelped as his entire body trembled and tensed up in my arms. I had anticipated a shock as well as I was holding him, but none of it escaped to me.
"What the..?!" I muttered out irritated as I grabbed the collar around his neck. If I could take away any of the pain, I would, but it didn't seem to help at all as tears continued to fall from his eyes.
That was the moment I became painfully aware that Midoriya was now gazing right up at me through his tears as a small smile formed on his lips.
"I'm sorry Shouto... It'll be alright, I promise..." Midoriya thought as he shut his eyes tightly as another wave of electricity charged through his body. He's trying to hold back his cries and screams for my sake... I thought and gritted my teeth a little again as I couldn't hold back my on tears anymore.
"I'm going to kill them..!!" I thought back as Midoriya slowly shook his head with a small sob escaping him, sending me further into despair as I felt his body heating up more and more by the second.
"... I'm tired..." Midoriya suddenly thought as the electricity finally stopped, his body going limp almost immediately. Tired? What does he mean tired?! I thought and looked at him with worry as his expression relaxed a little.
"Accept the.. fight... Tell him that if we win... He'll set us free and never.. interfere with our lives again..." Midoriya then thought as he lost conscience in my embrace. I was furious, filled to the brink with pure hatred, and about ready to transform right here and now and tear Endeavor limp from limp.
"Oh? Did he faint?" Endeavor asked, but I didn't look away from Midoriya as I knew I wouldn't be able to hold myself back if I did.
The room grew silent for a little while as I just sat with Midoriya on my lap, holding him gently in my arms before slowly raising my gaze just enough for me to see Endeavor's shoes.
"... We'll fight you." I growled out darkly as I made sure to keep my gaze low. As submissive as it might seem, it was only in an effort to stop myself from killing them both right here and now. I've never felt this much bloodlust in my entire life, my entire body is shaking with it.
"Good--"
"On one condition." I interrupted him, my tail once again swiping back and forth on the floor with rage, "if we win, you'll let both of us go and never interfere with our lives again." I made the demand as Midoriya had asked me to.
"... Fine." Endeavor then said, agreeing almost immediately to my surprise, "But if we win, you'll serve me for the rest of your pitiful lives." Endeavor said as I had no choice but to accept his condition. It only gave me even more reason to win and tear him down for good.
"As your friend is unconscious, I'll give you a few hours to prepare. We do this tonight, in the arena at 10 pm. Rin, lead them to the third floor and give them a room to rest in, they are guests after all, but keep an eye on them." Endeavor said with a sarcastic tone as he glared down at me once more.
Rin was instantly by our side as he bowed his head in fearful respect to Endeavor before grabbing my and Midoriya's arm, helping us up from the ground. He then took Midoriya's right arm around his shoulders as gestured for me to take the left.
"Take your filthy hands off of him! I can lift him by myself--"
"Don't be ridiculous, do as I say so we can get out of here!" Rin whispered as he started walking towards the elevator, forcing me to follow as I supported Midoriya from the left. We entered the elevator and as soon as the doors had slid closed, Rin heaved a deep sigh of relief.
"What the hell were you thinking..? Are you a complete idiot or something!?" Rin then growled and glared at me, "why did you oppose him?! You just made everything worse for all of us!! Look what happened to your precious boyfriend because of you!".
"... Why would you care what happens to Midoriya? A few hours ago you would've killed him if you got the chance!?" I growled back with just the same amount of hate and spite that he had shown me. Rin seemed surprised by my words as he stared blankly down at the floor.
The elevator then stopped on the third floor, as Endeavor had ordered, as we left in silence, walking down the hallway until we reached the end.
"Hold him," Rin said as he let go of Midoriya's arm and turned to the door of the left, unlocking it and opening it for us, "you'll both be staying in here for the next few hours, I assume that's not a problem? If it is, then sucks for you, you have no choice in the matter." Rin said as I entered the room with a silent growl, carrying Midoriya bridal style.
The room was relatively large, two big couches were facing each other in the middle of the room with a table between them. The walls were decorated with paintings of all shapes and sizes, but I didn't pay them any mind.
I went straight to the couches and gently put Midoriya down on one of them. His body was still burning up, but he didn't seem to be in pain for now. I felt uneasy, as if something was clenching around my heart and I didn't know what to do now.
Rin walked into the room as well and closed the door behind him, locking it from the inside as he then slowly and silently made his way to the other couch, sitting down and gazing quietly at us.
Our gazes were locked onto each other for a while, but I didn't sense any ill intent from him for once. It was strange, but somewhat calming as well. My guess would be that he is still in too much pain for him to try and start anything with us.
I then transformed into my cat form and jumped up on the couch, carefully climbing up and laying down on Midoriya's chest.
We stayed like that for almost half an hour before I felt Midoriya's breathing rhythm change slightly, causing me to lift my head from his chest and look at him as his eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Ugh..." Midoriya groaned as he slowly raised a hand and pressed it against his forehead.
"Izuku..." I called out carefully and watched as his eyes searched the ceiling for a moment before he turned his head down a bit and our eyes met.
"S-Shouto..?" Midoriya whispered but was interrupted as he started coughing a little. His throat was dry and soar for crying and screaming, it was probably hurting him when he tried to speak.
"What happened? Where are we..?" Midoriya thought with telepathy as his hand slowly reached out to me. I instinctively closed my eyes and rubbed my head against his hand as I purred quietly.
"We're in a waiting room of some sort... Endeavor sent us here along with his little guard cat over there." I responded as opened my eyes to glare over at Rin, Midoriya following my gaze to look at him as well. Rin looked at us with a somewhat confused expression as he raised an eyebrow.
"What?!" He then sneered as he got tired of our stares as he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, glaring right back at me, "don't you just say each others names and then go silent before glaring at me as if I did something!" he continued to complain.
Oh yeah, that's right... He can't hear us when we use telepathy... Heh... I thought and couldn't help a smug grin from creeping onto my lips.
"It's nothing, mind your own business." I then said as I got off Midoriya and transformed back into a human.
"You trying to start a fight or something..?!" Rin growled and stood up as well, his ear back a bit in annoyance as his tail swung a bit from side to side.
I slowly turned around and looked at him, my ears perked up a bit as I kept a calm, monotone expression. It was clear already now that if we were to fight again, I would easily come out on top. He's still wounded and hasn't had anything done to treat his wounds yet.
"Wait..!" Midoriya coughed as he sat up and grabbed my hand, earning both our attention instantly, "Don't fight... Please..." Midoriya requested with an almost pleading look in his eyes as I felt my hostility slowly melt away. Rin seemed to calm down as well as he just let himself fall back down on the couch with a grumpy expression.
"... I'll go get you some water..." I then said as I looked at over at Rin for a moment, watching as he glared at me but then shrugged.
"Fine, hurry it up, and try not to be seen, for everyone's sake." Rin sighed and turned his gaze away. I didn't respond to his words, but instead just left the room without wasting a single second.
Midoriya's POV:
I watched as Shouto left the room, not once looking back at us. Rin was quietly observing me, making me feel uneasy. His stare was cold and animalistic, his blue irises devoid of life and happiness, yet curious about me in some way.
I was surprised that he had let Shouto leave so easily, not even trying to keep him here where he could keep an eye on him.
"You're wondering why I didn't try to stop him." Rin then said, not questioning it in the least, but just stating the facts.
"... Yeah..." I mumbled and looked to the door, hoping it would open to reveal Shouto, but it didn't.
"Why would I? I gain nothing from doing so, I was just told to keep an eye on you guys." Rin said calmly as I noticed how tense he was. He had moved his hand up to his shoulder as soon as Shouto was out of sight as well.
"... Hard to keep an eye on him if he's not here, he might be trying to escape for all you know..." I said with a hoarse voice and fought back a cough. Rin's grumpy expression then changed as he smiled a little and leaned his head back a bit, as if he was looking down on me now.
"Weren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Rin then said with an almost mocking tone of voice as he let out a small chuckle. At first, I didn't know what he meant, but I quickly realized.
"He can't escape while I'm keeping you here." Rin voiced my thoughts and I felt incredibly irritated at his taunting smirk, but not for long.
My annoyance quickly turned into concern as I watched a tiny amount of blood run from his mouth and down to his chin before falling off and landing on his black hoodie.
Rin noticed as well as he quickly sat up straight and covered his mouth, trying to hide it, but to no avail as he coughed, blood seeping in-between his fingers and running down his hand.
"Rin..." I wanted to help him and we both know it, but he won't let me, and now I don't know what to do. But something needs to be done.
"Tch..." Rin growled and stood up as he turned his back to me and walked a few steps away, but he wasn't walking straight. He couldn't seem to find his balance and almost fell over, but managed to catch himself in the last second.
"Midoriya..." He then said as he looked back at me, chin and teeth stained with blood, "... Is that offer for help still available..?" Rin asked quietly as he clutched his left shoulder, his eyes almost begging me to help him now.
"I-I... O-Of course--" I began as Rin made his way over to me, "but I don't think I can do much for you at this point and--"
"I don't care anymore." Rin said as he reached me and allowed himself to slump down on the couch right beside me, "Just do whatever you can, I can't take this anymore and at this rate, I won't be able to put up a fight against you guys... There's a first aid kit hidden behind that painting over there..." RIn said and nodded his head to one of the paintings.
"O-Okay..!" I said and stood up, getting a little dizzy at first, but not for long. I quickly went and removed the painting from the wall, and just as Rin had told me, there was a first aid kit ready for use.
I quickly grabbed it and went back to the couch Rin was on, kneeling down in front of him with the kit and opened it.
"Okay, it was your left shoulder and leg, right? I need you to take off your clothes, can you do that yourself or should I help you?" I said quickly, not thinking much about it before I met Rin's gaze.
"I-I can do it myself..." He complied with my request and pulled his hoodie over his head with a tiny amount of pink spreading on his cheeks. He then slowly pulled off his pants, none of us making eye contact even once, but to be honest, I wasn't flustered for long, his wounds distracted me immediately.
His shoulder was completely torn and skin flushed, covered in dark red blood. The wound was deep and had to be taken care of immediately if it's not already too late. I quickly glanced down at his left leg, to my relief it was nearly as bad as his shoulder, as Shouto had just grazed it barely with his claws.
"I'll take care of your shoulder first, I just hope it's not too late..." I informed him as I cleaned my hands quickly with an alcohol-free cleansing wipe before putting on a pair of sterile gloves. Rin didn't seem to really listen as he just stared up at the ceiling in silence.
I didn't have time to wait for a response so without further ado, I started disinfecting the wound with an alcohol-free wipe, gently dabbing the skin.
Rin instantly tensed and gritted his teeth as he hissed and glared at me, but not for long as he averted his gaze. I then heard the door open as I turned my head and met Shouto's gaze. He seemed shocked at the scene unfolding in front of him, but before I got a chance to speak, Rin took the word.
"It's not what it looks like idiot. I can smell your hatred from this distance so fucking calm yourself--" Rin began but was cut off as I pressed the wipe a little harder to shut him up, earning a satisfying hiss from him as he looked away again.
"Shouto, he's not going to make it if we don't do something... He finally agreed to let me help, please just let me help him..." I thought as Shouto closed the door behind him and walked over to us.
"... I don't understand you sometimes..." He replied as he knelt down beside me, handing me the glass of water he had found, "drink this, I'll apply all the pressure he'll need and more..." Shouto said out loud and took the wipe from me, pressing down on the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
"Asshole..." Rin growled as he and Shouto glared at each other with a deep hatred towards one another. I drank the cold water and placed down the glass on the small table behind us. It helped my throat a lot and I now felt like I could breathe properly again.
"I'll prepare to make the stitches, make sure to apply enough pressure Shouto." I said and saw Shouto smirk a little out the corner of my eye as he pressed a little more on the wound. Rin instinctively grabbed Shouto's arm, glaring and hissing at him.
"You know, this is actually a lot of fun~" Shouto then said mockingly as he removed Rin's hand from his arm. They were glaring hard at each other, if I wasn't here they would've tried to kill each other a long time ago.
I then finished preparing and put my hand on Shouto's, signaling for him to let go and step aside. He pressed down one last time out of spite and then moved back a bit.
"This is going to hurt... Not just sting a bit, it's going to hurt. Try and bear with me..." I said as Rin looked at the needle and thread and then at me.
"... Just get it over with." Rin said and leaned his head back against the couch, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Okay... Here goes nothing... I thought and carefully started stitching. By now both mine and Shouto's hands were covered in blood, but at least I had gloves on.
"Shouto please disinfect your hands and prepare a sterile dressing, I'm going to need it as soon as I'm done with the stitches." I said and made the next stitch. Rin was gritting his bloodied teeth hard, his cat-like fangs showing, but he didn't say anything nor did he cry.
As I finished the final stitch, Shouto had done as I had asked and held out the sterile dressing for me. Rin's wound on his shoulder was now closed, the only thing left was to wrap it up in the sterile dressing.
"His leg isn't nearly as bad, I can take care of that myself..." I said as I had noticed Shouto giving off some weird kind of vibe. He was not only glaring at Rin but also a little at me. Maybe he's mad that he had to help? That's why I said I can do the leg without his help... But I'm not sure if that's it or not...
"Okay..." Shouto said and sat down on the couch beside Rin, observing us quietly as I finished wrapping up his shoulder. Somehow, and to my relief, Rin seemed to feel a little better already.
Silence quickly filled the room as I cleaned Rin's leg slowly and gently. Shouto had been observing me for a while, but every time I looked up to meet his gaze, he looked away, pretending that he hadn't been staring at me.
"OW! Hey! Be gentle you little-" Rin snarled as he grabbed my hand by instinct, but stopped himself in the action, "... tch. Concentrate on what you're doing.".
"Let go of him." Shouto then snarled at Rin, "you should be happy that he's willing to help you, so try to have just a little bit of respect for once and let him work, or he's done helping you. I doubt there's anyone here in the entire facility who's willing to help you." Shouto warned Rin, his ears back a little as he glared daggers at Rin, watching as Rin let go of me and grumpily fell back on the couch.
"Don't worry about it, I wasn't concentrating and accidentally pressed the wipe too hard on the wound..." I said, trying to ease their anger towards each other a little, but it seemed like an impossible task.
"... I can't fight tonight." Rin then said, making me stop cleansing the wound instantly as both Shouto and I looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean you can't fight?" Shouto spoke in a monotone, calm, yet slightly lower tone of voice than usual, "Endeavor ordered you to do it, so you have no choice but to fight. Midoriya is even treating your wounds." he stated the facts as I continued to clean the wound little by little.
"I know that." Rin said and looked down at me, meeting my gaze properly for the first time since we were still on our way here, "what I meant to say was that it's not that I can't fight, it's more that I won't..." Rin said quietly as if he was scared someone would hear.
All three of us went quiet again as I finished cleaning the wound, preparing a normal white roller bandage.
"... So you're saying you won't fight us..." I said after a slight moment of hesitation, gently beginning to wrap his leg in the bandage, making sure not to tighten it too much.
"But then what will you do? I might not have known that man as long as the two of you, but there's no way he'd let you forfeit the match just like that..." I voiced my doubts and stood up from the floor, taking over my gloves and dropping them on the small table behind me.
"In my state, I wouldn't be able to put up a proper fight even if he ordered me to..." Rin said as he put his clothes back on, "so I'll put up an act and let myself be defeated, so all you have to do is defeat Endeavor... Then you'll be free to leave." Rin said and dug his phone up from his pocket, checking the time.
"Why would you help us now?" Shouto then asked and stood up as well, taking his place at my side instinctively, "after you hunted us down and tried to kill us-"
"To be fair, I only tried to kill the human." Rin interrupted rudely and stuffed his phone back in his pocket while staring at Shouto.
"Not the point and you know it." Shouto sneered and glared a little once again, but quickly put on a calm expression again.
"Let's just say it's my way of trying to return this favor..." Rin then said and glanced down at his left shoulder, "a life for a life." he then said and walked to the door, opening it for us and gesturing for us to leave the room.
"It's time." Rin said as we approached him, Shouto walking in front of me, his tail swinging a little when he walked.
"I have no objection to this," Shouto then said as he stopped in the door and glared at Rin as I almost walked into him, but managed to stop just in time, "but I won't go easy on you no matter what." Shouto then said honestly and calmly.
They looked at each other for a moment, but didn't say anything. I could never claim to fully know or understand what was going through their heads as they stared at each other like that, but to me, it seemed like mutual respect and acceptance.
~ Time skip - 9:55 pm - second-lowest floor/the arena ~
Third-person POV:
Midoriya and Shouto were alone for the first time since they were still in Toyama. Rin had led them to a small room and locked the door as he left them. On the opposite side of the room, there was a metal fence gate of the kind that slides up into the ceiling.
Shouto was holding the greenhead in a tight, comforting embrace. He felt angered, frustrated, and incredibly guilty for having to ask Midoriya to fight, and even though he wanted to believe in him, he knew that Midoriya stood no chance against Endeavors' size and brute strength.
Midoriya, on the other hand, was filled with regret, fear, and sorrow. He couldn't help but beat himself up mentally for having broken his promises to Shouto and regretted that he couldn't do anything to avoid the fight.
"Izuku..." Shouto calmly broke the silence as he gently grabbed Midoriya's chin and turned his head up until Midoriya was facing him. Shouto then closed his eyes and placed a gentle, soft kiss on his lips in an effort to try and calm both of them down.
Midoriya was quick to return the kiss as he blushed ever so slightly, letting Shouto work his magic. It was very effective, as they both seemed to have a calming effect on each other despite the situation.
"Hah..." Shouto then let out a small chuckle as he pulled back a bit and smiled down at Midoriya, "I can't remember the last time I entered the arena like this... I mean, normally I was dragged here and thrown in there against my will, but for the first time, I want to go in there and fight.. because now I have someone to fight for..." Shouto said with a soft voice and smile as he caressed Midoriya's cheek ever so gently.
"I know you want to fight Shouto and even if I hate to admit it, you have to, but this time you won't be alone in there. I'll be right here with you, even if I might not be able to do much, I'm still right by your side." Midoriya replied and gazed at the black bold letters on Shouto's neck, spelling out his name, as he gently trailed his fingers along the curves of the 'S'.
Shouto couldn't help but purr a little, keeping it as quietly as he possibly could as he closed his eyes again and just let himself focus on Midoriya's gentle touch on his neck.
The peace was quickly shattered, however, as the metal gate made a loud, high pitched sound as it slowly slid up into the ceiling, telling them that it's time to begin. Both boys had immediately turned their attention to the gate and further into the arena.
"Let's go..." Shouto said and grabbed Midoriya's hand, their fingers naturally intertwining, "just do as you said and try to stay close to me at all times, I'll protect you from both of them." Shouto said as they left the small room, walking through the gate and into the arena.
Directly opposite of them, Endeavor and Rin walked in with confidence, of course, Endeavor walked slightly in front of Rin. They stopped approaching each other once there were approximately ten meters between them.
"I'll explain the rules as shortly as possible, the fight will start once the judge up there gives up the signal to begin and will end once one of the parties is unable to continue, for whatever reason that may be." Endeavor started explaining as he pointed up at the audience stances where a male was standing, looking down at all of them, but there was no one else.
"A variety of weapons will be provided to be used as much as we want throughout the battle, use them as much as you desire, and switch weapons as many times as you want. Weapons will only be provided to us humans though, nekos fight with themselves as their main weapon." Endeavor said as a giant stand with weapons was brought into the arena by two of his servants.
The stand held many different kinds of weapons, everything from knives to axes, to stun guns and tasers, to swords of all lengths, shapes, and sizes, as well as a single round shield. But there was no firearms of any kind.
"Before we begin, however, I'll take that collar off of you Midoriya. Come closer." Endeavor said as Midoriya widened his eyes in surprise, but did as he was told, Shouto following right beside him.
Endeavor reached out and pressed a remote against the collar, holding it there until a beep was heard and the collar simply opened and fell off, landing on the floor.
Midoriya couldn't help but raise his hand and fell his neck, enjoying the regained freedom for a short moment before Shouto pulled a little on his hand, gesturing for them to back away again.
"You can pick one thing from the weapon stand as your starting weapon, I'll do the same." Endeavor said as he walked over and grabbed a big axe, weighing it a bit up and down and swinging it back and forth a couple of times to adjust.
Midoriya hesitated for a moment, but knew exactly what he would choose as his first pick. He let go of Shouto's hand and walked up beside Endeavor, picking up the round metal shield.
At first, he was thinking of grabbing a sword, but when he saw how Endeavor had swung that axe, he knew that he would never be able to get close enough to strike, even if he managed to muster up the courage needed to do so. Endeavor would simply swing that axe once and chop his limps or head right off.
"Alright then, we're ready to begin I assume?" Endeavor then said as he looked down at Midoriya, holding the axe in his right hand. Rin took the hint and instantly bent over forward a bit, transforming into his big cat form while letting out a threatening growl.
This was the first time Midoriya and Shouto had seen him in this form, and it was nothing to take lightly. Rin was big, his blue eyes almost seemed to shine against his medium-long black fur. His claws long and sharp and teeth white and equally deadly.
Midoriya then took a few quick steps back to create some distance between him and Endeavor. Shouto instantly walked forward to meet his master in the middle, gently brushing his hand against Midoriya's.
"We're ready." Shouto then said as he bent forward a bit as well, his hands meeting the ground for a short moment before transforming, his hands turning into big paws with shiny white claws.
"I think you made the wisest choice, but that shield won't be able to take more than approximately three or four hits from him before breaking, so stay close until the end, alright?" Shouto said through telepathy as they watched Endeavor nod to the judge.
"Alright." Midoriya replied as the judge put a hand in the air, signaling for everyone to get ready.
"Begin!" The judge yelled over the arena as he waved his hand down in one quick motion. Rin was the first to move, immediately running full speed towards Shouto and Midoriya.
Shouto responded by stepping in front of Midoriya, pushing him back a bit. Rin then made an impact against Shouto's fur-covered body as the sheer unexpected force sent Shouto on the ground, laying on his back as Rin tumbled down on top of him.
Almost immediately, Shouto had planted his back legs against Rin's abdomen, kicking him off of him before he had the chance to do any real harm.
"Didn't he say he would hold back..?!" Midoriya thought as Shouto quickly got back on his feet, glancing over at Endeavor. Endeavor was just standing there like a coward, letting Rin do all the work for him.
"He is holding back, if he didn't I would have his teeth engraved in my neck right about now..." Shouto replied as he turned towards Endeavor, setting into a sprint towards him, hoping to get a hit in.
However, Rin was quick to get in his way. Almost as if he had teleported, he was in front of Endeavor, standing guard as his fur raised a bit in anger.
"Rin, stand back a bit." Endeavor then said as he had raised his axe into the air, only to swing it down full force a second later. Rin had almost no time to react and was nearly hit by the sharp blade.
Shouto was in the same situation. He had seen the axe in the air, but couldn't follow its motion before it had smashed into the ground right in front of his feet, stopping his approach. Rin was quick with a follow-up attack as he jumped forward and lashed out a claw, hitting Shouto's right front leg.
"Shouto! Come back to me now!" Midoriya yelled as he saw Endeavor free the axe from the floor, getting ready to strike again while Shouto's attention was on Rin, but this time from the side.
Shouto hadn't picked up on this, but didn't hesitate to do as he had been told, instantly returning to Midoriya's side. He had felt a gush of wind in his fur as he had retreated, becoming aware of the strike that Endeavor had attempted and how Midoriya had seen it and acted accordingly.
It was hard keeping up with everything around him as he stood in the middle of it, but Midoriya had a bird's view of the situation, giving them an advantage. For a short moment, no one moved. Shouto and Rin took the moment to try and catch their breath, but Endeavor then started making his way towards them.
Rin was indirectly forced to follow suit as he made sure to be ready to strike as soon as Endeavor had. Shouto couldn't help a nervous feeling from spreading in his chest as they got closer to Midoriya.
The pressure was rising, obsessive thoughts about keeping Midoriya safe started to cloud Shouto's mind and judgment more than ever before.
Keep him safe, keep him safe, keep him safe..! Shouto kept repeating this sentence in his head as he slowly became hyperfocused on keeping him out of harm's way while standing in front of Midoriya, blood slowly starting to stain his white fur on his leg.
He wasn't allowed to stay in this state of mind for long though, his thoughts brutally interrupted by the loud noise of two metal objects clashing together.
At this exact moment, it felt like time had stopped for everyone. Midoriya had noticed Shouto's unusual breathing rhythm and eyes, and how he wasn't thinking straight anymore, so he had jumped past Shouto and shielded them from Endeavor's axe just in the nick of time, sparks from the metallic impact flying everywhere.
He had made the right choice. Shouto hadn't noticed how close Endeavor and Rin had gotten, his thoughts had distracted him too much as he now stood in awe, looking up at Midoriya's back with wide eyes.
Rin stood in awe as well, not believing what had just happened. A master jumping in to save his servant in the middle of a fight, he had never seen anything like it. He knew he was supposed to follow up Endeavors strike with an attack, but his body didn't want to move.
"Midoriya..!?" Shouto finally came back to reality and found his voice, becoming aware of the axe still pressing down on the shield, threatening more and more to crush Midoriya into the ground.
Shouto then forced himself to jump to the side, instantly leaping forward upon impact with the ground and using his size and weight to smash into Endeavor, sending him off balance.
Midoriya let the shield fall back down beside his waist as he stood up properly again, glancing at Rin for a short moment, concluding that he wasn't going to attack him. He then turned to Shouto, quickly making his way to his side as he grabbed the fur on his shoulder.
"Are you okay..?" Midoriya asked and knelt down beside him. Shouto slowly turned his gaze to meet Midoriya's worried eyes and just nodded slowly.
"Yeah... I'm sorry for spacing out there..." He replied and carefully leaned a little against Midoriya, like a housecat rubbing itself against its owner's leg, but he made sure not to use any force as his size would make Midoriya fall.
"It's alright, I'm here to fight them with you, don't be so tense..!" Midoriya tried cheering him up a bit as they both carefully watched as Endeavor slowly get up again, "This will be your last time fighting in this place and I'm here to help you win this time... Now listen up, I think I have an idea of how we might win this..." Midoriya whispered in a determined tone of voice before switching to telepathy for the last part.
"Rin." Endeavor suddenly spoke, awakening Rin from his trance as he jolted his head in Endeavor's direction, looking at him with a slight amount of fear in his eyes.
"Y-Yes..?" Rin answered obediently, already knowing what Endeavor was about to say. He knew he had promised Shouto and Midoriya to hold back a little and let them win in the end, but just standing around like this wasn't good for that plan, Endeavor might've already caught onto them for all he knew.
"What are you just standing around for? That was a perfect opportunity to take him out of the fight with one hit and all of us here knows it." Endeavor sounded mad, sending chills down Rin's spine.
But Endeavor was right, Shouto had instantly realized it as well. If Rin had moved in for the kill back there, Midoriya would be dead now because of Shouto's sudden absent-mindedness.
"I-I..." Rin began but was at a loss for words and ended up just standing there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Did he figure it out? Is he going to kill them? Kill me? Rin thought and in pure panic turned his gaze to Midoriya, their eyes observing each other for an instant before Rin looked back at Endeavor.
"Shouto, do it now!" Midoriya suddenly broke the tension as Endeavor quickly turned his head just in time to see a shadow hanging over him for a short moment, before it crashed down on top of him.
It was Shouto, who had slowly and stealthily moved towards Endeavor while his attention had been on Rin. He was now on top of him, pinning his arms and legs to the floor as he hissed loudly, showing off his white fangs.
Oh, how he wanted to just bite his head off right then and there, but that wasn't a part of Midoriya's somewhat pacifistic plan.
Rin was quick on his feet, instantly heading towards Shouto and Endeavor to help his master get free, but as he did so, he unknowingly played right into their hands, freeing the way for Midoriya.
Midoriya ran towards the weapon stand at full speed while Shouto distracted the others. He quickly found what he was looking for and turned on his heel, about to make his approach towards Shouto, but froze in his tracks as he saw Rin sink his claws into Shouto, violently shoving him off of Endeavor as Shouto hit the ground with Rin on top.
They both hissed at each other with an equal amount of anger and hatred as Rin attempted to bite, but was stopped by Shouto sinking his claws in Rin's left shoulder, knowing it was a weak spot.
Rin instantly cringed and whimpered as he stepped off and away from Shouto. The whimpers soon turned into an angry growl however as they glared at each other.
Shouto was now in the middle, Rin in front of him and Endeavor behind him, both slowly getting closer by the second.
"This ends now..." Endeavor said in a low voice as he raised the giant axe into the air one last time, preparing to strike down.
"You're right--" Midoriya interrupted as he was suddenly behind Endeavor and pressed the button on the stun gun, instantly shoving it against Endeavor's back, sending 0.06 amps through Endeavor's body, "--it's over." Midoriya said as he kept the tip pressed against Endeavor's back, watching the involuntary muscle contractions, causing him to drop the axe.
The stun gun had a slider feature so you could easily adjust the number of amps from 0.001 to 1.0. Midoriya had a little bit of knowledge about electric shocks and amps from physics in school. He didn't remember much of it, but there was one thing he knew for sure.
Anything between 0.1 and 0.2 is enough to kill a human.
Knowing this, he had originally decided to play it safe and start off with 0.02 amps, enough to cause sharp pain and muscle paralysis.
But when Midoriya saw Endeavor raise the axe, looking like he was planning on killing Shouto instead of just winning and taking them captive, he had instinctively increased the number to make sure he wouldn't be able to, even if he wanted to.
Everyone was standing completely still as the amps did their job perfectly. Shouto and Rin just laid on the floor, looking up at Endeavor, Rin with horror in his eyes. Endeavor's body was shaking and his breathing was already very unsteady and upset, but he could still move a little, yet very slowly.
Midoriya noticed and slowly increased the number of amps from 0.6 to 0.7, watching as Endeavor was no longer able to move at all.
I don't want any casualties... I want us to win this quickly and escape..! But he almost killed Shouto twice now-- H-He isn't trying to obtain anything from us anymore, he just wants to kill us..! Midoriya thought as he subconsciously increased the number to 0.8 causing Endeavor to let out an agonizing scream of pain.
Just lose conscience already..! Then it'll be over..! Midoriya thought as he felt frustrated that Endeavor could withstand this many amps. The number of amps in those shock collars of yours are approximately somewhere around 0.09, right..? You wouldn't mind if I returned the favor and increased the amps one more time... Right..? Midoriya thought as he had already increased it to 0.09, watching Endeavor fall on his knees.
"RIN KILL HIM NOW!!" Endeavor suddenly screamed angrily as a little bit of blood fell from his mouth, landing on the floor. Rin was already up from the floor, brought on his feet by his master's urgent order, but was just as quickly slammed back down by Shouto, who didn't hesitate to sink his teeth into Rin's jugular vein, keeping him still.
"ADMIT DEFEAT!" Midoriya then yelled as he pressed the stun gun a little harder against Endeavor's back. Midoriya was unsure of how he felt at this very moment, practicing such cruelty towards another living being, but he couldn't afford to stop now.
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL---!!?" Endeavor screamed, seemingly having lost all control and sense of objective, but the number was then increased to 0.1, becoming lethal. Midoriya hadn't even noticed this, his finger simply slipped a little.
However, no one had the chance to notice as Endeavor fell to the ground almost instantly. He was out cold, blood running slowly from his mouth, and eyes closed.
Time once again seemed to stop as all three of them had watched Endeavor lose conscience and fall to the floor. It was surreal.
Midoriya just stood there with the stun gun for a moment, not quite understanding what had happened before he looked down and saw the number 0.1. Once he did, he instantly gasped and dropped the stun gun, taking a step back.
"Congratulations... You win..." Rin whispered as he closed his eyes, pretending to have lost consciousness as well to convince the judge that he and Endeavor had truly lost.
"W-We did it... It worked! Midoriya you plan! It worked--!?" Shouto said as he let go of Rin and got off him, walking towards Midoriya, but stopping once he saw Midoriya's panicked expression, "W-What's wrong..?! Did you get hurt--!?"
"I-I killed him..." Midoriya whispered in shock as he slowly shook his head, "S-Shouto I-I killed that man I-I--!" he repeated as tears welled up in his eyes, already overflowing. Shouto instantly transformed back into his human form and pulled Midoriya in for a tight hug.
"Midoriya, calm down, he's just unconscious, he's not dead, you didn't kill anybody!" Shouto said, trying to convince himself as well as he secretly glanced over his shoulder, looking down at the body behind him.
Endeavor isn't really dead... Is he..? Shouto thought and gently tangled his fingers in Midoriya's hair while whispering sweet nothings to try and calm him down.
No, he can't be dead..! If he was, Rin would be too! Shouto then thought hopefully as he glanced at Rin, who was laying on the ground exactly the way he did just a moment ago.
"Midoriya and Todoroki win. This concludes the match, you have won back your freedom and are free to leave whenever you want." The judge then announced as he wrote something down and turned around, taking his leave.
Midoriya had gotten his breathing under control by then, but the fear still lingered and tears still fell, accompanied by a nervous hiccup every now and then as he desperately held onto Shouto's shirt.
"Rin, can you hear me?" Shouto then whispered so quietly that only their improved hearing could pick up on it, but didn't get a response, "... Give me a sign then." he whispered again and waited for a small moment before Rin slowly showed a single nail, telling him that he was fine.
"Izuku... Listen to me, okay..? Endeavor is alive, I have proof..." Shouto then said with a kind tone through telepathy, "If Endeavor was dead, Rin would be too, but Rin just gave us a sign to show that he is alive and conscious." Shouto thought as Midoriya looked over at Rin, slowly stopping his cries.
"... Are you sure..?" Midoriya thought back as Shouto nodded and kissed Midoriya's cheek softly.
"I'm sure. Now, let's go home..." Shouto thought and smiled softly down at Midoriya as he wiped away his tears for him. Midoriya saw his smile and couldn't help but smile as well.
"... Yeah..!" He said and without warning, stole a kiss from Shouto's lips before walking a little closer to Rin, "... Thank you, please take care of yourself from now on, no more reckless fights... Goodbye, Rin." Midoriya whispered, knowing Rin could hear him, even if he didn't show it.
Midoriya couldn't believe it. They won. They're finally going back to his apartment in Musutafu. They're finally going home. He couldn't wait to be back to his usual surroundings with Shouto now going to live with him permanently, with no risk.
Midoriya then walked back and held Shouto's hand, their fingers intertwining instinctively. They silently turned their backs on the arena and left the same way they came, a guard opening and closing the gates for them.
The entire building seemed almost completely empty compared to how it usually was, with the exception of a few guards and servants.
"Thank you for your visit sirs, we hope you'll come again soon." The guard at the front door said with a small smile as he bowed before opening the door for them.
"Like hell we are..." Shouto mumbled, slightly triggered but managing to contain it as much as possible as he felt Midoriya tighten his hold on his hand. Midoriya, however, felt exactly the same way as Shouto did.
They are never going to come back.