Discord server, if you uhhh wanna take a nap, because I sure do: https://discord.gg/DSBF4dP

~

Izuku and Shouto toed off their shoes before padding down the hallway in a comfortable silence. His bright green gaze eagerly examined every inch of his surroundings, appreciating the traditional Japanese interior design and warm lighting. The other boy was walking stiffly with squared shoulders, steps light and silent, like he was used to sneaking around to remain unnoticed. Izuku paused thoughtfully for a moment as he assessed the polished wooden flooring and considered how likely he was to injure himself before shrugging. He took a couple of steps back before sprinting forwards, shifting sideways to maintain balance as he skidded along the ground, stumbling to a stop and spinning to turn and look at his friend with an elated grin.

Shouto had frozen in place, blinking in surprise and glancing between the floor and his classmate contemplatively. Izuku's smile grew wider and he opened his arms encouragingly, rapidly nodding his head. The other boy hesitated, a slight frown creasing his forehead, but he broke into a small smile of his own. He shifted backwards before jolting forwards, footsteps pounding on the floorboards before he stopped running and let the momentum carry him across to his friend. Izuku let out a startled huff of breath as the other boy slammed into him, but managed to regain his balance and stop them both from taking an unpleasant tumble. He snorted and dipped his head, trying to muffle his giggles. The faint shaking of Shouto's torso implied he was having similar difficulties, a quiet huff of amusement passing his quirked lips.

"Oh," a female voice murmured, her tone filled with fond warmth.

"Fuyumi," Shouto acknowledged with a flash of a smile, disentangling himself from his friend to approach her.

Izuku spun on his toes to see a young woman with white hair down to her shoulders, a messy fringe cast across her forehead with odd strands of red throughout the style. Her pretty face was gently rounded, with black glasses settled upon her nose that shimmered in front of almond-shaped grey eyes, so similar to Shouto's and Rei's. She tilted her head slightly, light eyebrows lowered in thought before she offered a friendly smile that faded out the tiredness in her features.

"You must be Izuku-kun," she commented softly, hands clasped together in front of her abdomen with only her fingers peeking out from the sleeves of her pink cardigan. "Ah, sorry- Shouto said you wouldn't mind if I called you that, but it was impolite of me, I apologise-"

"It's okay, Fuyumi-san!" Izuku instantly reassured, bouncing over and beaming. "You can call me Izuku, if you want."

The concern in her expression smoothed out and she gave a sheepish laugh, brushing some hair out of her face. "You're so sweet. I'm glad Shouto has a friend like you." She turned, sliding open one of the paper doors and glancing over her shoulder with a warm blink. "I made some tea, if you'd like some?"

"Thank you." Shouto nodded, padding after her into the living room after making sure his friend was following.

Izuku mimicked his classmate and politely settled himself down on a cushion, tucking his legs under himself and glancing around to appreciate the design. The walls were a pale, greyish cream, segmented with strips of dark wood. A couple of short cabinets, made of the same material, were pressed up next to the walls, only one with a small potted plant placed on top. It was nothing like Izuku's small apartment that always had random objects littered around on every surface; everything was far too clean and shiny, with very few things to indicate a family lived there. Everything just seemed... false.

Still, Izuku had a habit of helping people: he was going to make this house a home.

Fuyumi padded into the room with a tray, placing it down on the low table and sitting down opposite the two boys. Shouto reached forward and clasped a cup between his hands, raising it to his face to blow away some of the steam before taking a delicate sip. Izuku followed his lead and hummed happily at the warmth, wiggling a little on the cushion to get more comfortable and gaining an amused glance from his friend.

"It's not often we get peace and quiet like this," Fuyumi commented wistfully, her glasses fogging up as she dipped her head. "I'm glad the school let you two visit. I suppose they only let you go because you'd be safe with a Pro Hero, though..."

Both boys shared a glance, clearly remembering Izuku giving puppy eyes to Toshinori and Aizawa until they caved, under the condition that Endeavour would be there: he wasn't, but it was probably safer that way.

"Yeah," Shouto agreed after a suspiciously long pause, gaining a snort from Izuku, followed by some spluttering as he tried not to choke on his tea.

"Are you okay?!" Fuyumi asked, already reaching across the table with nervous hands.

He gave one final cough and raised an arm in a thumbs-up gesture, slumping sideways into Shouto. "I'm good, sorry about that, Fuyumi-san. I think I got a bit too eager to drink this delicious tea."

She blinked at him with wide eyes, not seeming to quite believe him but softening at the sight of her brother shifting to accommodate his friend. "Be more careful, this time," she conceded with a little giggle, smiling fondly at the embarrassed pout she got in response.

Izuku shifted his fingers into an 'okay' gesture, even as he raised the cup to his mouth and immediately chugged the rest of the hot tea, his tongue tingling in pain as he stuck it out with a wince. He placed the empty cup back down on the tray with a little whine.

"Ah, why did I do that..." He muttered to himself.

Shouto met his gaze and downed the rest of his tea, steam whispering out from his mouth as he used his Quirk to cool it down. Izuku glared at him, sitting up straight and crossing his arms before looking away, immensely envious of his friend's tea-drinking capabilities. Fuyumi glanced between them with a soft huff of laughter, finishing off her own drink.

"Well, is there anything you two were planning on doing?" She asked, folding her hands on the table and blinking inquisitively.

"We just wanted to visit," Shouto informed her.

"I came because this house is massive. Think of the hide-and-seek possibilities!" Izuku added, spreading out his arms with wide eyes.

The other boy cocked an eyebrow. "Not because you wanted a chance to fight Endeavour?"

He slowly turned his head towards his friend, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "No...?"

"He shouldn't be back until later, though," Fuyumi said with a slightly concerned frown. "Isn't it a bit dangerous for you to fight him, Izuku-kun?"

"Izuku would win easily," Shouto stated instantly, not a shred of doubt in his tone.

"Oh," she muttered, clearly confused. "Alright then. If you're sure. I'd still advise against it, though. He's been a lot angrier and more violent since All Might's true form was revealed."

"Is he taking it out on you?" Izuku inquired, the playfulness gone from his tone, replaced with a cold, protective note.

She blinked, sitting up straighter. "Uh... No, not... not really. Not physically. He just yells a lot. We don't see each other very often anyway, so it's alright."

He shook his head a little, looking troubled. "You shouldn't have to put up with that, Fuyumi-san."

"It's alright," she reiterated softly, then cleared her throat and stood up, grabbing the tray. "Well, anyway. There are some snacks in the kitchen, but I'm not sure what we have. Do you want to come and see?"

Shouto and Izuku shared a concerned glance before accepting the subject change and getting to their feet, trailing after her into the kitchen. She set the cups down in the sink and turned to face the high cupboards, placing her hands on her hips as she looked up at the closed doors.

"I think most snacks are up there, but," she sheepishly motioned to herself, "I can't reach."

"I could grab a chair-" Shouto fell silent, his gaze landing on his friend who appeared particularly contemplative. "...Izuku?"

"Hm?" He tore his eyes from the cupboards, hand raised with a thumb next to his mouth. "Ah, well, I was just thinking... I could climb onto the counter..."

Fuyumi instantly shook her head. "No, that's too dange-"

"Alright," Shouto acquiesced with a shrug. "I want to see this."

Izuku snickered at his friend. He turned around and placed his palms on the edge of the counter, utilising his hard-earned muscles as they were meant to be used: recklessly clambering around a kitchen to grab snacks. His knees were firmly on the wooden surface and he was just reaching up to open a cupboard when the front door slammed hard enough to shake the house. Both siblings immediately tensed up, glancing apprehensively towards the screen door as heavy footsteps pounded down the corridor, slow and furious. All three watched as he stomped into the living room, seemingly searching for something as he carelessly flung open drawers.

His beard suddenly flared up as he turned to face the kitchen, realising that he wasn't alone. He sneered and trudged over, pulling back his shoulders and drawing himself up to his full height.

"Shouto, I wasn't aware you were visiting," Endeavour drawled.

"That was the intention," Shouto responded, raising his eyebrows in disgust.

"What's All Might's boy doing here?" The man growled, scowling deeply at the student.

"He's my friend. I wanted Izuku and Fuyumi to meet," he said flatly, his heterochromatic gaze hardening into a glare as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"You shouldn't associate yourself with the likes of him. He's weak and troublesome. I want that boy out of my house," Endeavour snapped, pointing a commanding finger at Izuku in a way that was clearly supposed to make him flinch, but he just blinked and twisted to grab some snacks from the cupboard. "Did you hear me, boy? Get off the counter; you're a disgrace. I never want to see you here again."

Izuku hummed in acknowledgement, withdrawing a packet of senbei and offering a couple to the siblings before biting into one himself, savouring the look of rage on the man's face. He shifted on the counter, lightly kicking his legs as he munched through a mouthful of the rice cracker. Shouto stared at him for a moment before hiding his smile by biting into his own snack, stepping closer to Fuyumi to loosely link their arms together comfortingly.

"Would you mind explaining to me precisely why you hate me so much, Endeavour?" Izuku inquired innocently, tilting his head a little to the side.

"You're small and pathetic. You're no match for my Shouto, and someone with such little control over their Quirk doesn't deserve a place in the prestigious hero course. That old duplicitous fool, All Might, seems to have taken an interest in you, but I can't fathom why." The man exhaled sharply, his flames flaring. "Even the Hero Killer recognised something worthwhile about you, however, he was clearly mistaken, Deku."

Shouto was bristling more and more with every spiteful sentence. Fuyumi clutched his arm tighter with fearful eyes, looking like she wanted to intervene but too nervous to do so.

Izuku made a contemplative noise, pressing a finger against his chin like Tsu. "You know, that's a fair assumption. How about I prove you wrong?"

"You have some nerve, boy," Endeavour spat like poison, his entire body tensed and angry. "I ought to beat some sense into you until you learn to respect your superiors."

"Father, don't-" Fuyumi interjected, only to shrink back into her brother as the man loomed over her.

"Don't speak out of turn in a matter you don't understand," he snarled, eyes cold within the fire.

Izuku hopped off the counter and stepped in front of her, Shouto moving to do the same so they formed a protective wall. Both of them shared a glance of mutual fury before levelling their glares on the flaming bastard.

"Don't talk to her like that. Don't you have somewhere to be?" Shouto said in an icy tone, his arm pressed against his friend's for support.

"I can see All Might's boy has been a bad influence on you. I don't want him near you anymore." Endeavour clenched his hands into fists like a petulant child throwing a tantrum when he didn't get his way.

"That's not something you get to decide," Shouto stated firmly, hesitating for a moment before linking their arms together. "Izuku's my friend, and he's taught me how to fight better than you ever did. Interesting, huh?"

The man puffed up indignantly, opening his mouth as if to respond, before he stared down disdainfully. "He's crying. Couldn't take the scathing remarks, boy? You're clearly not cut out to be a hero."

"Izuku-kun," Fuyumi murmured, lightly touching his shoulder with an expression of heartbreak.

"They're happy tears," Shouto clarified bemusedly after a pause filled with sniffling. "He cries a lot."

Izuku beamed and nodded a little sheepishly, freckled cheeks tinged pink, clutching a little tighter onto his friend's arm. "It's part of my charm," he muttered teasingly to lighten the mood, wiping his face with a sleeve. "You're so cool, Shouto-kun! I'm so glad we're friends."

"Ah." The boy bashfully looked away, scratching at his cheek. "I'm glad too," he added softly.

Endeavour's lip curled up in a sneer, but a buzz in his pocket stopped him from intervening. He pulled out his phone and growled at it, comically poking at the screen with fingers that were far too big for it before giving up and crushing it in his fist with the intelligence of a caveman- although, maybe that was being a little generous...

"You made me late," he grumbled accusingly; Izuku cocked his head to the side with a cheeky response readied on his tongue, but the man was already turning to leave. "If I see you here again, boy, I won't hesitate to remove you by force. See if you can live up to your bold fighting words then, Deku."

"It's a date!" Izuku confirmed with a blindingly bright grin, offering a chipper wave as Endeavour growled and stomped from the room.

There was a long pause as they all waited until the front door was slammed shut again. Fuyumi let out an audible sigh of relief, raising a hand to her mouth as she let out a shrill, nervous giggle, glancing between both boys in disbelief.

"I'm, um... I'm really sorry about that. You didn't deserve that, Izuku-kun," she apologised shakily, dipping her head a little.

"It's okay, I can handle it!" Izuku assured with a warm blink, raising their interlocked arms to drape them over the young woman's shoulders.

"His words are equivalent to garbage anyway," Shouto added, lips curved in the faintest of smug smirks.

"Still, though," she raised her head, looking concerned and twisting her hands together, "you might get seriously hurt if he finds you here again, and I..."

"Fuyumi-san," he spoke softly, raising his free hand in a determined fist with a sly, cocky grin. "I'd like to see him try."

"Me too," Shouto agreed with a flash of an excited smile. "Would it be okay to visit more often?"