I'm sorry

Todoroki looked at his phone. The message was typed, but he hadn't pressed send. He was sorry but he was hesitating. He couldn't figure out why he'd done it. He wanted to explain why.

Shouto couldn't even remember what he'd been arguing with Momo about. Nothing important. But he'd had been feeling so frustrated, and without thinking he'd raised his hand...

And froze.

She'd looked up at him with wide eyes and Shouto had seen Momo open her mouth, ready to say something.

He'd fled.

He hadn't known what else to do.

Todoroki had wandered for a while before he'd come into this coffee shop. He had ordered something. He wasn't even sure what it was and took the seat that was at the back of the store. He was nursing his drink now as he stared at his phone.

The single question was running through his mind. Why? What had he almost..? He grimaced. He didn't even want to think it but he had to. He had almost done that. Why?

His mind provided the answer in far too much detail.

Because that is what Endeavor did. Shouto could remember it, vaguely. His mother, Rei had been sent away when he was young but he could still remember the way Endeavor had treated her when she was there. She was allowed to question domestic affairs, to a point. She was not allowed to question hero work, or training. The only questions she could ask then was how the day had gone and what food was required to ensure optimal performance.

But there were times he could remember when she questioned more. And Endeavor had shut her down. At first, he'd simply ignored her, then berated her, and then, he had hit her. It hadn't been all the time but it had been enough that Shouto knew it was happening, had seen it happening.

Of course, his father was now... Actually, Shouto didn't know where Endeavor was these days. His mother was in a nice little house and was getting therapy. He visited her once a week and she had told him she was seeing someone. He had been happy for her.

But he... He had still done that. He'd still raised his hand, and he knew what he was about to do. And he just didn't know why.

Shouto.

His phone pinged. The message was from Momo.

Since he was staring at his typed message, she would know he was there.

Shouto, it's okay. The new message followed.

No. It wasn't okay. He'd almost...

You didn't do anything.

He hadn't done anything. At least there was that. But that was this time. What about the next time? Would he be as restrained then? He didn't know.

Shouto

Todoroki heaved a deep breath, closed his eyes and jammed his thumb on send before he lost his nerve. He was such a coward. His phone dinged to indicate the message was sent.

I'm sorry

It's okay Shouto. Momo replied quickly.

Come home. She added.

How could he go home?

We can discuss it. It's not your fault.

People were too ready to say that. If it wasn't his fault, then who's fault was it? He had done it. No one else.

Your father never gave you a better example, but you aren't him. You are better than him.

You stopped. You didn't do it.

Momo was persistent.

Come home so we can discuss it.

He heaved another breath. He couldn't sit here forever. He could probably afford a hotel but... that was just running from the issue.

Alright. He typed, pushing the glass of something away as he rose. He couldn't run forever.

Todoroki walked to the door, giving a nod to the cashier before he walked out. The instant he got out though, everything changed. He could hear screams. There was the sound of gunshots and... he looked up to the horizon. There was smoke in the distance.

Shouto grimaced and pulled out his phone. I'm going to be late. He told Momo before he put it away. She'd see the news. It was his day off but with this much chaos he was sure he'd be called anyway. While legislation said he couldn't be a hero, the government had made sure that people were integrated. New jobs were offered. He had taken a position with the Police, in Special Forces. It was the closest thing he could get to being a Hero.

At least the legislation was good for one thing. The Hero Public Safety Bureau assessments had made it clear to him that he wanted to be a hero, even if later that had no longer been an option. Still, he enjoyed being with the Special Forces, but he knew it wasn't quite the same.

His phone rang. The caller ID told him it was Captain Shirei. "What's the location?" Shouto asked, forgoing the pleasantries.

"You've seen?"

"I see the evidence, what is it?"

"I'll text you the address," the Captain told him.

His phone beeped, and Todoroki looked down at the text. He knew where it was. Todoroki began running, holding his phone to his ear. "It looks like one of the League's Noumu's but we aren't sure," the Captain told him.

"Is there rest of the League there?"

"Not that we've seen."

"I'll be there soon," Shouto reported, cutting off the call. It was still his day off so the Captain better appreciate this. Todoroki knew he was getting close when the stream of people fleeing the area got thicker. Todoroki pushed his way between them.

"Idiot, get away!" Someone shouted at him.

"I'm with the police," he yelled back. That got some attention and a small path formed. It allowed him to get to the police line quicker. Shouto pulled out his badge. It might be his day off but he still carried it.

"You're quirk licensed?" The officer forming the cordon asked.

"Yes!"

"Get in there."

Shouto took a few steps through the cordon. He could see buildings damaged and there was a fire in one. Best deal with that first. He stepped over to it and carefully laid his right hand on the side of it. He'd done this before at UA, but unlike UA, he didn't want to freeze the entire building, he just wanted to stop the fires. It required power, but a far more delicate touch. Thankfully Aizawa had ensured he had that control. At least with his ice.

Frost appeared on the side of the building but the flames died out. And he hadn't damaged the structural integrity.

But he knew this wasn't what he was meant to deal with, and right on cue, a roar sounded. There was the sound of concrete shattering and Shouto looked down the road to see something charging towards him. It was huge and black. He remembered it from the USJ. It had an exposed brain and an almost bird like beak. It roared again.

The sound of gunshots filled the air. Todoroki would like to say that the thing didn't even notice but it did. The bullets did no damage, but it took note of where they were coming from and charged towards the cops who were hiding behind their cars. Shouto erected a wall of ice before it got there. He'd gotten better with them. In the past, his ice walls were opaque, now they were clear. There was some distortion but he was no longer in any danger of losing sight of whatever was behind it.

"Thanks, Todoroki."

The voice surprised him. "Kirishima."

The other Special Ops Officer emerged. He had on his full tactical gear but Shouto could see it was a bit battered. "It got you?" he asked.

"Just punched me," Kirishima told him. "And it hits like Mirio."

Todoroki hissed. He didn't need that reminder. In their first year of UA, the third year Mirio had come to see their class with a couple of the other big names. He hit hard!

"You're okay?"

"Fine," Kirishima waved off the concern, and Shouto could see that his quirk was active.

"You're okay?" he asked again. Kirishima had a quirk license just like him, and his quirk was hardening, but that didn't harden everything. It was possible for Kirishima to be scrambled within even if he looked fine and he'd probably think it manly not to mention that.

"Fine," he repeated. "Here's an earbud," he added, holding out the device.

Shouto took it and put it in his ear. The feed from operations was a soothing buzz. "Is there a plan?" He asked.

"Not yet," Kirishima replied.

"So, it's like that time?" Shouto pressed.

Kirishima grimaced, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Just after All For One's death, one of the League members had attacked. He was huge, and had fought well. His name had been Gigantomachi and he had been a pain to put down. Thankfully none of the rest of the League had come out to play then.

There was an unofficial rumour going around that Dabi had written a note to the Police Commissioner after Gigantomachi had been taken into custody, denying that the giant was a part of the League. No one believed it, but no one could do anything about it either.

"God I hope not," the Special Forces officer said.

Shouto nodded. He shared that hope but he was practical. The League hadn't disappeared but over the years they had gotten sneakier. He wondered what this thing was covering for but he had no time for further questions as both their attentions were taken by the shattering of Shouto's ice wall.

He reinforced it but he already knew it was going to shatter. Mentally he prepared to release a blast of fire if the ice was going to endanger anyone.

The Noumu roared again as the ice crumbled. It crashed through the remains and Shouto could feel its eyes on him. Somehow it knew he'd created the ice. Shouto wondered if the Noumu remembered him from USJ.

"Be aware of the others," the warning sounded in his ear.

"We have to fight it!" Kirishima growled.

"Be aware of the others," the warning was repeated.

"We'll be careful," Shouto replied this time. He gave Kirishima a look. Command sometimes just needed to hear what they wanted. The other man knew that.

"Do you think you can lure it there?" Todoroki asked, pointing to a geyser of water formed by a ripped up fire hydrant.

"I'll do what I can," Kirishima said and ran towards the Noumu. At the last moment he veered away. Shouto was thankful for that. Kirishima was fast but hopefully he remembered this particular Noumu had been created to kill All Might. It was strong.

But why had the League released it? What were they playing at?

"Has the League appeared anywhere?" Shouto asked command while he watched Kirishima dodge. The other man had gotten faster, and he never tried to meet the Noumu head on. He was using a technique that involved almost flowing around the attacks, redirecting them so they never hit. It was a good plan, especially against something this strong.

"There is nothing on the League. Initial reports indicate that this thing was released through some black liquid."

"Ujiko," Shouto identified the League member from her quirk. Even after all this time they didn't know much about her.

"Probably. Facilities are on alert but there have been no other attacks."

He nodded, recognising the security inherent in the vagueness of the word facilities. Operations would not give away that information in case the League, or anyone else was listening.

He ran forward as Kirishima got close to the hydrant. The Noumu was following him, and didn't seem to mind the water.

"Clear!" Shouto screamed as he slammed his right hand to the ground, into the pool of water. It froze instantly, and the ice raced over the water, trapping the Noumu which was standing under the gush of water.

It was odd to see the frozen spray of water but Shouto could see that the Noumu was mostly trapped. Its legs were frozen and one of its arms was trapped but the rest was free. It made a noise, almost like a whine and then he watched it rip itself free. Blood gushed, freezing on the ice and Shouto gritted his teeth as the Noumu moved.

Without legs it collapsed, still hemorrhaging blood but as he watched, he could see the flesh reforming.

"Hit it with fire!" Kirishima yelled. "Don't let it regenerate," he added the explanation.

Todoroki remembered that the Noumu had regenerated easily. He also remembered procedure. "Command?" And the reports on the Noumu. Despite the regeneration and the odd looks, even by today's society, this was still a man.

"Hold. Reason with it."

"It can't be reasoned with," Kirishima snarled into the comm.

Shouto was expecting that answer. He stepped forward, making sure he made eye contact with the Noumu that was still regenerating. It seemed slower than his memory but it was definitely happening. Red bulbous flesh was sprouting and forming into new limbs. The bleeding had stopped.

"I don't want to hurt you," Todoroki said. He tried to sound calm. He wasn't sure how well he managed that but from the disbelieving look Kirishima gave him he either succeed or failed spectacularly. He hoped it was succeeded.

The Noumu snapped its jaws at him. It was not an attack. Just a noise. Hopefully that meant it could talk but Shouto remembered the report. This thing was mostly catatonic when captured. It was awake but unresponsive.

"I don't want to hurt you," he repeated. "But you have to stand down."

Another snap and the Noumu's regeneration was complete. The Noumu stood. Shouto tensed as he watched.

"This is stupid," Kirishima muttered but moved to support him.

"Will you come with me?" Todoroki asked.

The answer wasn't reassuring. The Noumu charged and this time there was a wild shine in its eye that was unmistakably mad. When Shouto had last seen this Noumu it was at the USJ. It had been powerful but its eyes were different somehow... in control. There was no control here.

It picked up a car and flung it at him. He'd learned his lesson about burning or freezing things midair and moved with Kirishima to dodge.

"We have to kill it," his old classmate told him.

"Reason with it," Command yelled into their ears.

"It can't be reasoned with," Kirishima argued.

"Something has enraged it," Shouto reported to Command. "And no one here has the ability to calm it," he added. The League obviously did since they'd kept it for so long but equally obviously they'd turned it lose for some reason. Maybe they could no longer control it? That was the simplest answer, given the seemingly random nature of the attack. Command was checking to see if there was something else happening. Shouto had to deal with this now.

"And we just took off half its body and it didn't stop!" Kirishima added as they continued to dodge.

"You are to continue to reason with it," Command repeated.

Kirishima took out his earpiece. He looked at Shouto in askance. Todoroki knew his lips formed a thin line. He recognised manipulation when he heard it. What was Command playing at? The easy answer was they wanted to study thing thing. He hoped it was for something more practical, like they had a lead on the League but in private, he would say it was the first reason.

He gave Kirishima a half smile. The other man had been through enough with him in UA to know what it meant. Todoroki was used to rebellion while seeming to obey.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said to the Noumu, dodging under one of its arms.

It hissed at him and he barely managed to avoid the kick that followed. He'd forgotten how fast it could be. This thing had been created to kill All Might and while Todoroki knew he was strong, he also knew he wasn't All Might. And that thought gave him some pleasure because it meant, despite everything else that had happened, his Father's goal had never been fulfilled.

"I don't want to hurt you," he repeated, sending a gout of flame at the still frozen hydrant. Water was leaking through at the bottom forming a large puddle.

Steam hissed and the area became muggy. Visibility wasn't impacted and the Noumu charged towards him again.

"I don't want to hurt you," Todoroki said again, this time as he manipulated the water on the ground, forming it into ice shards that appeared in jagged rows in front of the Noumu. It ran straight into them, impaling itself. Blood flowed down the shards.

Kirishima ran forward, raising his hands high and hit the bottom of the shards the Noumu was impaled on. The bottom shattered, letting the creature stand, still impaled. It made no move to remove the ice. Blood continued to pour from around the ice. Kirishima leapt back before the Noumu could hit him.

"Now what?" he asked. He'd figured out that Shouto was saying everything to keep Command happy while actually doing what was necessary to keep them safe. The beat cops, those who had confronted this thing would appreciate that more than obeying command.

The shards of ice weren't going to constrain the creature much. It was strong enough to just ignore or punch straight through them.

"You don't have to attack," Shouto told the Noumu. It growled at him. It seemed to operate very simply. It attacked whatever attracted its attention. He was not the centre of attention for the Noumu. "You can come with me," he continued.

The Noumu roared, showing off rounded teeth that lined its beak. Shouto saw it raise one hand. The movement was the same as his. He flinched but stood firm. He hadn't actually done anything. He wasn't his father.

The swipe came down. Todoroki was already moving. He lunged forward, driving his left hand to the ground. There was water there. It boiled with the application of heat. The Noumu screamed as it was steamed. But Shouto wasn't finished. It could regenerate, and while it had to have a limit, he didn't know what it was. He raised his left hand, and sent a gout of fire towards the Noumu.

If he could carbonise the flesh, then there was a chance. He just had to make his fire hot enough. He could have tried to put the Noumu into a state of suspended animation with could. Shouto was sure of his control with that part of his quirk, what he wasn't sure about was that if the Noumu had any defences against it. Probably not, since it had been designed to kill All Might but in this, there could be no doubt.

"Keep everyone away," Shouto ordered Kirishima.

The other man gave him a look. It told him that only idiots would come close to this. Todoroki cocked his head.

Kirishima rolled his eyes. It was his agreement. He remembered the same incidents Shouto did.

Todoroki kept his flame going. He felt hot but at least he had better thermoregulation now. While he had passed his Hero Public Safety Bureau Assessment, it had taken several years of therapy before he accepted that his fire side was his, not his father's. His control wasn't as good, but it did mean he could now use his ice far more. And fire when the case needed it.

The Noumu screamed and advanced. He was ready for it. The ice that had been impaling it was gone, but the wounds were now burned. They weren't cauterised and Shouto could see the way they were closing. But the rate was slower.

He meet the Noumu's punch with more flame, stopping the creature. He willed his flame to be hotter. His brother could do this. Touya's flames were usually blue. They burned very hot. His father could do it. His flame was yellow... Shouto pushed the thought aside. His brother could do it. Dabi. He was better than a villain!

Todoroki had been taught as a child to suppress his emotions. UA had taught him to harness them. He did that now, using the thought to power his quirk. Shouto felt his fire burn hotter. He let the ice covering his right side creep over him. It melted on the left.