The next morning started normal enough.

I woke up, brushed my teeth, and went through my usual routine, still half-asleep and praying that today would be uneventful. Maybe I'd even get a peaceful morning—something nice, something calm.

And then my phone rang.

I frowned, staring at the caller ID. Todoroki.

We weren't exactly the "call each other at dawn" kind of friends, so this was weird.

I picked up. "Uh... hey?"

"Izu."

Oh. So we're still doing that.

"You're calling early," I noted, rubbing my face. "What's up?"

There was a pause. A long one.

Then—

"I couldn't sleep."

I blinked. "Uh... okay?"

"I was thinking."

"Oh, no."

Another pause.

"Izu."

"Yeah?"

"I know what happened."

My brain short-circuited.

"You WHAT?!"

"I've thought of every possible reason for you to be sweaty, disheveled, and suspiciously quiet after that fire alarm."

I groaned, already regretting picking up this call. "Todoroki—"

"I considered several scenarios," he continued, like I hadn't just spoken. "Some were plausible. Others, less so."

I rubbed my temples. "Should I be worried?"

"That depends," he said. "Are you secretly an underground cage fighter?"

"...What?"

"Or did you get into an argument with Bakugo so intense that you had to physically throw hands?"

"What?!"

"Or," he went on, voice lowering slightly, "is the real answer the most obvious one?"

I hesitated. "...And that is?"

A beat of silence.

Then:

"Villains."

I stiffened.

"Izu." Todoroki's voice was steady, but I could hear the certainty in it. "I know something happened yesterday."

I swallowed. "That's—"

"Deny it, and I'm coming to your home."

My mouth snapped shut.

He wasn't bluffing.

I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers against my forehead. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"Todoroki—"

"Villains." He repeated, voice firm. "It's the only logical explanation."

I stayed quiet.

He took that as confirmation.

"You fought someone, didn't you?"

I sighed, slumping against my bed. "...You can't tell anyone."

Todoroki was silent for a moment. Then:

"Who?"

I hesitated. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "I literally mean I don't know. I've never seen him before. He wasn't wearing a uniform, and there's no way he was a student. Or a teacher."

Todoroki hummed. "Did you win?"

I scowled. "That's your question?"

"Did you?"

I flopped onto my back. "No."

Silence.

Then—

"Do I need to fight him?"

I nearly choked. "No?!"

He didn't respond right away. "Just checking."

I groaned again. "Todoroki, I don't need you to throw hands with some random guy, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Another pause.

"Fine," he said. "But what did he want?"

I hesitated. "I don't know."

Todoroki exhaled sharply. "This is bad."

I frowned. "You think?"

"No, I mean really bad."

I sat up a little. "...How bad?"

"If it was a villain, and if he got into UA without being caught—" Todoroki's voice was firm. "Then we might have a problem."

I swallowed.

"Izu." His voice was serious now. "How did you find him?"

I bit my lip. "...A cat."

Silence.

"Come again?"

I cleared my throat. "A cat. I, uh... chased a cat. And it led me to him."

Todoroki didn't speak.

Then:

"So the cat was a villain."

I spluttered. "No, the cat wasn't the villain!"

"How do you know?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Todoroki."

"Think about it," he mused, voice weirdly serious. "A random cat appears. It leads you to a hidden villain. The second the fight is over—poof. No cat."

I opened my mouth—then shut it.

"...Shit."

He nodded. "Exactly."

"...You're messing with me, aren't you?"

A pause.

"...Maybe."

I let out a long sigh. "I can't believe you."

"You did follow a random cat," he pointed out.

I groaned. "Forget the cat."

"Fine." He let that go way too easily. "But you still haven't told me what happened."

I hesitated, but at this point, I had no choice.

So I told him. Everything.

The fight. The dodging. The sheer frustration of trying to touch the guy. The weird laughter. The fact that he just left when I was so damn close to pulling him in.

Todoroki listened without interrupting.

When I finished, he exhaled. "That's bad."

"No kidding."

"If this guy can get in once, he can get in again."

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about."

Todoroki was quiet for a long moment. Then, softly—

"Izu."

I swallowed. "Yeah?"

"I won't tell anyone."

Relief flooded through me. "Thanks."

"But—" His voice was firm. "If this happens again, you tell me."

I hesitated. "Todoroki—"

"You tell me," he repeated. "Or I'll figure it out myself."

I sighed. "Fine."

"Good."

I ran a hand through my hair, slumping back. "God. This was not how I wanted my morning to go."

Todoroki made a thoughtful noise. "I could still come over."

"What? No!"

"You sound stressed."

"I wonder why."

He hummed. "Want me to bring a cat?"

I hung up.