Mustard & Ketchup

He sent the text. It sent. It delivered. He read it. The last few minutes felt like days to Shouto. What now? Is he going to respond? Leave the message on read, then go on a hunt to hurt me? Todoroki didn't like that plan. He definitely figured if Izuku did answer and asked to meet up, he would refuse. Self-preservation is a great trait to have as a young hero-in-training.

As much as he was unsure if the other teen would answer, stuck in his own swirling thoughts, his phone vibrated. A message came in.

What's there to talk about? —Midoriya

"What's there to talk about…?" He repeated out loud in a disbelieving tone. He took a deep breath, held it for what felt like a minute, then let it go. He needs to stay calm to proceed.

The mall. My… Brother. Stain. Bakugou. What happened between you two? —Shouto

Sent. Delivered. Read.

It's too long for text. All of that shit —Midoriya

I'm not meeting up with you. Public or not. We can call each other as an alternative. —Shouto

He sent it. But now his heart was racing, and he felt is blood pressure rise. He felt heated.

His phone rang out in the silence of his room.

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I'm not meeting up with you. Public or not. We can call each other as an alternative. —Shouto

"Hm, understandable. A smart kid," Dabi read the text over Midoriya's shoulder. He was sitting on the couch in the bar, the TV droning on about that same kid with a sleep gas quirk. Supposedly, he would use his quirk at small convenience shops, steal whatever, then leave.

Midoriya looked up, his head resting against the back of the couch. "You would've followed me anyways? I think he figured that out."

Dabi chuckled. "Yeah, you're also a smart kiddo. Well, I'm out. I'm gunna find that kid on the run, he seems like a good candidate for our boy band. Peace," sliding on his shoes by the door, he waved behind him and opened the door.

Midoriya looked down at the open messages. He moved his finger to Todoroki's contact and hit the call button. It rang twice before the tell-tale click of the other person accepting the call.

Anxious breathing was heard from Todoroki's end. Midoriya figured he's crack the ice. "Uh, hey, Todoroki. I, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't think about the possibility of you being actual friends with Kacchan."

Todoroki swallowed hard. "W-what do you mean by 'actual friends'? What's so bad about Bakugou? Why do you hate him? Why shoul—"

"I don't hate him!" He yelled out into the phone. He can almost feel the other teen flinch at his sudden harshness. He started again, softer, "I-I mean, I hate him. He did this to me… I can't forgive him. He shouldn't become a hero. It's ah, it's complicated."

Todoroki sighed. He'll ask later about that. Other pressing questions matter. "Why villainy? What's so good about them that you wouldn't get as being a hero? What do they have to offer?"

Midoriya chuckled. The breathy laugh traveled to Todoroki's end and he stayed quiet. "I didn't necessarily choose villainy. It found me. I tried to kill myself, and one of them found me, injured and somewhat living. They didn't judge, didn't tell me I'm not worth having my dream because I'm quirkless, didn't tell me to 'get realistic'." Midoriya started getting upset, his tone of voice warping. "They accepted me for who I am. Me. Izuku. The so-called hero, All-Might, told me to be realistic. Earlier that day, Kacchan told me to kill myself in hopes of getting a quirk in my next life…"

Todoroki made a small sad noise of acknowledgement.

"I just want to fit in somewhere. The League has treated me like an equal individual. Not some lanky kid that always needs protecting." The front door clicked open, and Toga waltzed in, a man in a full bodysuit following close behind.

"Bunny! Bunny! I met a friend, Bunny!" Toga announced proudly. Midoriya tried to shush her, his index finger in front of his mouth, the man behind her got the idea and dragged her away quietly.

Todoroki seemed to hear the small commotion, "Who was that?"

Midoriya sighed. "A colleague of mine. I think she brought in another pet to play with. Hopefully she cleans her sheets after she's done."

"Oh."

An uncomfortable silence overcame the two. Midoriya cleared his throat, his fingers gripping his phone to his ear. "I, I gotta go. I'll be able to talk again whenever, but just text me beforehand. I want to be alone whenever I do."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. I'll, um, talk to you later too. Bye, Izuku."

Midoriya didn't even say good-bye before his finger hit the red button.

———————————————————————————————————

Dabi got back to the pub in the late afternoon. It took him some time to track down the gas tank brat, and when he spotted him walking out of a mart on the way back, gas mask on and arms full of pocky, he made a hot dash towards him.

"Hey! Kid! I wanna talk!" Dabi shouted as he got closer.

The kid turned his head and jumped then bolted from his current spot. Where was he going to go? He didn't have a home, he doesn't even know his favorite alleyway. "Fuck!" He yelled out, his chest thumping, heart racing. He turned a corner, into a mostly empty alleyway. There was some piping broken on the cement, a trashcan turned over.

"Damn, you're fast! Wait up!" Dabi's voice was getting closer and closer. He noticed his surroundings instantly, slowing his running to a slight jog. His smile seemed to reach his ears, and he stalked his prey. "What's wrong? I just wanna chat for a bit. You seem of good use."

The boy stepped back cautiously, and tripped, as he kept his eyes trained on the taller man in front of him. He falls flat on his ass, the pocky he was carrying fell next to him from the sudden jolt. Dabi got closer and closer, the boy inching farther and farther away from him.

"So, kid, why are you running?" Dabi asked, kneeling down a few feet away from the boy.

His voice was muffled from the large gas mask he wore, but Dabi never thought that those words were ever going to come out. "Did you just quote a vine?"

Dabi was speechless. He was about to grab the kid by the collar and lift him up, probably punch him or something, but the alleyway door that leads into the pub swung open. Midoriya stood with a full garbage bag and his phone blasting some rock band without headphones. He looked up at the two guys, his eyes sliding between Dabi and the kid.

"Dabi…," Midoriya inhaled, trying to gather his patience. "What the actual fuck are you doing?"

Dabi stood up quickly, brushing off his knees. "I found him. Now you've got a friend that isn't a hero. Your welcome, Bunny."

"Bunny?! What kind of girly nickname shit is that?" The boy crackled. Dabi looked down, giving him a nasty glare. Midoriya just smirked.

"Just drag him in, Dabi. Toga brought in another pet as well. I wonder if he'll last much," Midoriya motioned to Dabi. He smirked.

As Dabi reached to the boy on the ground, he choked on his spit and stood up quickly, brushing off his school uniform. "Hey! Don't treat me like a kid!"

Dabi and Midoriya exchanged looks. "But you are a kid."

"You look younger than me, dude." Midoriya threw out the trash bag and walked back to the doorway. "Just come inside. I can give you a change of clothes. I'll make sure Toga doesn't stab you or something."

"S-Stab me?"

"Mhm. Anyways, that's Dabi," he points to him, who gives a small salute and walks inside the pub. "I'm Midoriya, but Toga started calling me 'Bunny'. It stuck, as you can tell." He motioned him to follow, then closed the door behind the boy. "What's your name?"

"I'm Mustard."