Todoroki's day was going perfectly.

Until it wasn't.

Sharp spikes of pain pierced his lower back as he dodged another attack - barely avoiding a skilled jab at his torso. He could feel every one of Kirishima's bite marks scrape against his suit. They really need to time their... sexual encounters better. Shouto dispelled the explicit thoughts from his mind - Katsuki's crimson eyes, Eijiro's flushed cheeks, the warm morning touches that made his heart race-

Breathe.

Lower your core.

Focus.

The onslaught of attacks meant he had no composure to activate his quirk. The villain was incredibly fast, almost a blur as he advanced. On the side, he had to keep watch of the other villain, who was considered a national threat. From what he knew, she had gas quirk - able to expel certain chemicals airborne. For obvious reasons, she was particularly dangerous for the general public.

Before, Shouto would've been frustrated, eager to finish the current battle and move to next. Covering everything he could see with ice, he'd neglect technique for overbearing power. Now, he understands management, keeping track of his stamina and temperature - multitasking through his peripheral vision and being aware of his surroundings. For the moment, the gas villain was stationary, locked in negotiations with a specialised police force. Although he was grateful for it, he knew the tables could turn any second.

What was their plan?

The attack was only a block away from Endeavours agency and seemed to have no purpose. All the civilians had just been evacuated and they weren't stealing or vandalising. Over half the agency was out dealing with the large attack, even his father, who was dealing with a larger armoured type creature. The noise of rushing flames, shouts of anger and scuffling against concrete was almost deafening.

What could they possibly be fighting for?

He wished Katsuki could be here too, but he'd been called out for a job outside of the city. Whenever they happened to be fighting together, they'd bicker and challenge each other. The fight would be a little more entertaining.

Instead he was stuck distracting a villain until the other squad had secured the main threat.

"Oi, watch out kid!"

Already sensing the heat at his back, Shouto dropped to the floor, gracefully rolling to the side to land on one knee. A glowing patch of flaming hair soared through where he'd just stood - slapping into the villain's torso.

The resulting scream of pain tore through him.

He used to be a lot colder towards villains when he was younger. He supposes that's because he only saw a bad guy. As he's grown, he come to realise that things aren't so black and white, everyone has a reason for what they do.

His own brother-

The gas villain moved.

The negotiations had obviously failed.

She shouted something to the people around her. Shouto couldn't hear it over the fighting but he could faintly lip read.

"... every-... gas... no one... survive!"

His eyes widened.

"Everyone get away from her!" Shouto yelled, dragging up a sidekick who'd fallen close to him.

Yet it was too late - he could already see gas leaking from her palms. He was too far away to encase her in dome; the gas would move quicker than his ice.

Looks like he's got to do it the hard way...

Lighting up a flame on his left side, he called ice to his finger tips. In one swoop upwards he pumped out a colossal wall of ice, the familiar shrill crackling and wet hum cutting though the chaos.

Twisting around, he followed the motion to curve the structure to floor behind him. The buildings either side of the street made decent pillars to hold his structure. Even with flames at his shoulder, he puffed out frosted breath.

He'd had a lot of ground to cover, shielding the other hero's around him, also keeping the dome equal and sturdy.

"Fucking hell... Good call. Everyone alright?!" Burnin' shouted out a few metres away from him. Shouto brushed off a flew flakes of frost from his cheek, briefly checking if he'd left any holes for gas to seep through.

And now they wait...

...

Thankfully, the gas villain had become so frustrated over Shouto's manoeuvre, she left herself open to snipers on the rooftops. The specialised police force outside of the dome were all in critical condition. Hence, it seemed the ice dome had kept the rest of them from inhaling the majority of the gas. However, it didn't completely protect everyone in time. All the hero's within were diagnosed with severe nausea - due to pass in a day or two.

The villains plan was to knock out a large proportion of Endeavours agency to pull off a bigger stunt later.

What that was - Shouto didn't want to find out.

To put it all short, if Shouto hadn't of reacted in time, the whole Endeavour agency would in shambles.

He better get at least a pat on the back...

...

Shouto didn't visit the hospital, even with the on-site medical staff nagging him. He just wanted to go home.

"How you feeling? You look super pale, man."

Kirishima managed to end his patrol early to come pick him up. He was still in his hero suit, bare chest on show. If Shouto didn't feel on the verge of emptying out his lunch, he might have appreciated the view a bit more.

"Well, I-" Shouto hesitated, biting his lip. His stomach was churning so hard, even the arm he'd braced against it was doing no good. Just opening his mouth was making him want to gag. He curled into himself to fight through another wave of nausea.

"Hey, just try to relax, okay? Are you sure you can handle a car trip?" Kirishima gently rested a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. He'd lowered his head to view Shouto's face better, brows furrowed.

Todoroki could only nod, stepping away from from the other to get into the car. He hated Kirishima had to see him like this. Honestly, he'd rather curl up alone and hide. Being so openly vulnerable, it was uncomfortable.

Kirishima sighed,

"Alright, I brought some sick bags just in case - tell me if you need me to pull over."

The red head shut the door gently, jogging over to the opposite side, slipping into the drivers seat.

The engine starting had him tasting bile.

...

Todoroki threw up 7 times on the drive home. In the end, he had to spend the whole trip with his head between his knees. Kirishima could only rub his back, other knuckle white on the steering wheel. He'd apologise for every bump and turn in the road, worriedly glancing back and forth. Every time Shouto jolted forward with another load of sick he'd distantly hear soft, rushed mumblings through his retching:

"Don't worry, you're okay, just let it all out."

"I'm so sorry, Sho - you don't deserve this -"

"Katsuki's coming home early from his trip - he's worried sick-"

"Wait! Not sick - fuck - sorry -"

"We're almost home, hold on a little longer..."