AN: The raw copy of this was a train wreck, thank you SO much SimK for saving my life as my beta

Experiment Eight: Have a Strong Heart

Izuku's father is out of the country, but that doesn't mean Izuku's father is out of his life.

…More or less.

"I have no idea how to get back home," his dad sighs through the tinny speaker. "I'm sorry, Izuku, I know this is important to you, but—"

"Can you call on the video?" Izuku interrupts, clutching his mom's phone tightly to his ear.

"Probably not. My connection is…"

He's right, of course. The call is fizzing and popping, even on a landline. Izuku kicks his legs back and forth. "Can you call me for my whole birthday?"

"I think I may be able to do that, at least."

"Okay, good. Make sure you get a cake in where you are so you can eat cake with us!" Izuku bounces on his seat. "We're eating black forest cake so that's the cake you have to buy."

"I'll do that. Have you got my present?"

Izuku leans over eagerly. "We got it! It doesn't make any noise when I shake it and it's not very heavy. What is it? Is it made of fabrics?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? How's school?"

Izuku's mood sours a little. "…Okay. Me and Kacchan are figuring out hero costumes and uhmmmmmm I think I made a friend because he said he's coming to my birthday. He's really nice and likes All Might a lot and lets me play with his quirk. If you have any toys and stuff like what I got on my sixth birthday I would like that as well, please."

"…I'll be sure to keep that in mind. It's nice you're making more friends your age."

"Yeah. I hate Kacchan's friends. They're boring and they don't understand us. I think they're jealous because they know I'm gonna be Kacchan's sidekick and they won't be. 'Cause they suck. Shouto-san's way better and nicer also, and, and—" Izuku tilts his head, trying to remember if he was going to add anything there or not, "—and he'll be a cool hero, I think. I wish he went to my school instead of a different one."

His dad laughs, low and soft and warm. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Are you making any friends at your work?"

"I think so! I've been a little swamped training all the new employees, though, so I can't spend time with them. The turnover rate is…well, it's good I'm in management right now."

"Oh. What's a turnover rate?"

"When too many new employees quit very, very quickly."

"Oh." Izuku stares at the linoleum, face scrunched up. "So because you're managing you have to train every single replacement over and over again. And that means you can't take breaks."

"That's right."

"Ohhhh. I hope it'll stop turning over soon."

"I hope so too. Can you pass the phone to your mother?"

"'Kay. I love you!"

"I love you too."

Izuku passes the phone to his mom, who takes it with a smile. Izuku hops down from his chair and wanders back into his bedroom while she talks to his dad in the kitchen.

This isn't going to be his best birthday ever, but it's going to pretty good, and that's what really matters.

Shouto has never celebrated a person's birthday before.

Maybe his own? His mother would give him a small little celebration with just the two of them. So maybe he sort of knows. There's…a cake, and gifts, and…and he's allowed to do more things than usual. There's never any training on his birthday. They're special days.

This year will be his first birthday without his mom, so he doesn't know what birthdays are like now. He hopes they still have no training. It's okay if there's no cake.

Shouto's fingers twitch in his lap.

So…well, he ought to give Izuku a gift. That's how it's meant to happen. Gift-giving. Of course.

He doesn't think his father will let him buy a present for Izuku. He's not sure his father would buy a present on Shouto's behalf, either. It might be hard to even get to the party. Endeavor's legacy is his best-kept secret, and Shouto is usually forbidden from spending time with other children his age, and even if Izuku is privy to the goings-on of the Todoroki household, even if his father likes Izuku…Shouto doubts he's going to be able to show up, gift in hand, unless he's sneaky about it.

Shouto has to go straight home after school, and he hates being followed around by attendants, so he hasn't gotten the opportunity to buy things with his allowance. When he pulls it out of his drawer, it looks like a lot of money. He's never counted it.

This is…present money.

Now, to get his present money out of the building, and exchange it for presents.

His tutor must have informed his father about Izuku's birthday by now. If he's seen, they'll know what he's up to. He has to proceed with the utmost caution. Many heroes use stealth to their advantage. This can be considered training.

Shouto opens his window and peeks through it. His bedroom is on the second floor, and outside the hallway around his room is a balcony that overlooks the inner yard. If he goes down the stairs or down over the side of the balcony, he'll definitely be seen by…somebody. However, the bedroom window is a straight drop. Well, there's a ring of wood supports, but Shouto doesn't think that counts. It's not like he can drop straight down.

He narrows his eyes.

How would Izuku escape?

Well, there's…hm. He definitely can't use his fire quirk. He could freeze himself to the building, but he doesn't think he could take steps down that way. He doesn't have the precision to make handles, either.

…But he does have the precision to make orbs, doesn't he? It's not like he can't make shapes at all. He can make pillars that are tall, and pillars that are thin, and pillars that are fat. He can…

"Oh!" Shouto takes a bottle of water from his desk and uncaps it. He climbs up onto the windowsill and sits there, hand gripped on the sides carefully, and gently lowers the water bottle until it begins spilling over the side of the building. Once it's emptied, he takes a deep breath, lowers his hand, and feels a sinking bloom of cold seep from his body. He presses it against the wall underneath him, and gives it a slap.

A flat blade of ice shoots from the surface.

Shouto smiles and gently slides down to stand on it. It's hollow, as usual, but firm enough at the base that it shouldn't break as long as he doesn't give it a good smack, or something. He leans over and presses his hand to the wall again to make another one.

Shouto gradually produces a staircase made of ice. It gets weaker and weaker the lower he gets, until he's forced to depend on the liquid in his body to keep the steps solid. It's still working, though. He's doing it! He's making the best of his quirk!

He steps down to the next ice platform and his stomach bottoms out when, with a high, tinkling CR-CR-CRACK, the step shatters under his feet, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The shards of ice are so weak that they collapse when he lands on them. Shouto tries to take a breath, and grunts when he can't. It comes in a few short gasps before he catches his wind again.

The window directly above him whips open, revealing his sister.

"Shouto?" She balks.

Shouto looks up at her with a wide, horrified eye. His ribcage aches too much to risk wasting his air to say anything.

"What are you— oh." Her gaze travels up to the wall right above her head, where Shouto had made his ice staircase. "Is that your room up there?"

Shouto swallows and rolls over. He feels like all his organs got a good and thorough jostling, but stretching a bit makes him feel a little better. He rolls his shoulders and tries to take a few deep breaths. It's really hard, but after a few coughs he thinks he can breath normally, if not deeply.

He peeks over his shoulder to look at Fuyumi, who is frowning at him.

Shouto tries to crawl away.

"Shouto—" She hops out of her window and catches up to him before he can get to his feet. "Shouto, stop. I'm not going to tell Dad."

Shouto pauses. He shifts to look at her suspiciously.

She gives him an earnest smile. "Promise."

Shouto turns to look down at the ground. He pulls out his wallet and clutches it to his chest. He's never really spoken to Fuyumi. Or he has, but it's never been a conversation? He doesn't know her. Their schedules are different, their ages are different, their expectations are…

His lower lip trembles.

"What do you got there?"

Shouto flinches back and stumbles to his feet. "It's nothing, I—"

Fuyumi is still smiling patiently at him. If she notices the tears welling in his visible eye, she doesn't show it. No longer how long the silence stretches, she doesn't demand for him to answer. She just looks expectantly, without judgement.

Shouto bites down on his trembling lip and parts his hands so she can see.

"A wallet?" She leans in closer. "You trying to go buy something?"

He nods.

"What are you getting?"

"P…Present," he mumbles.

"A present?" She lights up, moving out of his personal bubble to clap her hands together. "Who for?"

Shouto straightens his posture a little, but winces back into a hunch when his ribs twinge. "…I…Izuku."

"The temperature kid?"

Shouto nods.

"Do you know what you're going to get him?"

Shouto's face falls, and he shakes his head.

"Okay. Let me go grab my shoes."

His head whips up to look at her. "Huh?"

Fuyumi bounces backwards, still beaming at him. "I'll help you pick something out, okay? I can't let a kid like you run around unattended! Wait here for me!"

She bounds back into her bedroom window, leaving Shouto alone in the bushes around their house. A weaker pillar falls from the wall and drops to the grass with a hollow thunk. He hears her door opening, and then footsteps leading away. He follows the direction they went, even when he can't hear them, to the front of the house. After a second, he can hear a small little thump, a click, and Fuyumi bounds out of the house.

She whirls to look to the side of the house, where Shouto is standing meekly.

"Let's go!"

Fuyumi didn't expect her first meeting with her youngest sibling to be in an act of open rebellion.

There's not a lot of staff besides the tutor, the two cleaning ladies that are only around during afternoons, the chef, and the matron. Fuyumi isn't sure if Shouto would even know that, considering she's only ever seen him on the second floor and in the dojo. It's easy to escape out the gate unseen, though Shouto looks like he's going to tremble out of his skin.

When they hit the open streets he finally manages to unwind, actually looking around at the stores lining the road. At first it's with guarded caution, but the longer they walk, the more openly curious he is. By the time they reach the trains, he's begun zig-zagging on the sidewalk and bouncing a little as he inspects the shop windows.

"You think that's impressive, wait until we get to the mall," Fuyumi laughs.

Shouto's not like her other brothers, that's for sure. Fuyumi's siblings are raw compressed energy, for better or worst, boisterous and uncomfortably intense. It's only the stretching patience of her sisterly obligation and a united hatred of their circumstances that keeps them together.

Shouto, though, is quiet, and meek, and keeps looking at her like she's a threat instead of a guardian. Ever so often, he'll remember that she's standing behind him, and his excitement will flag, but then he'll get distracted by something new and get wrapped up in it again. It's like he's seeing the world for the first time.

Is he seeing the world for the first time?

Suddenly nervous now, Fuyumi outstretches her hand. "S-Shouto! Hold my hand while we're on the train, okay?"

Shouto stares at her hand for what feels like forever before he finally takes it in his own. Fuyumi tugs him lightly into Musutafu station, careful to avoid any crowds. She doesn't know how notorious Shouto is; he goes to school as a Todoroki, doesn't he? But if he's allowed to go to school, does that mean he's not usually bothered? Urgh, she wishes she could have gotten to know this kid before taking him out this far, but it's too late to stop now.

She buys tickets for both of them, and they wait for their train to come. Shouto leans over the edge, peering into the tunnel. "Where are we going?"

"Kiyashi Ward. It's the nearest Tokyo ward." And the one less likely to be overloaded with people on the way back. She's been stuffed in a Tokyo train car before, and it wasn't fun. "We're going to go to the mall!"

"The mall," Shouto repeats solemnly to himself.

"The mall has more specialty and hobby stores, so you're likely to find things your friend doesn't have yet," Fuyumi explains.

"Friend," Shouto repeats, twice as grimly, widening his eye slightly.

"Y…yeah. Do you know what sort of things Midoriya-kun likes?"

"He likes…Heroes," Shouto says resolutely.

"U-Uhm, yeah, I figured. Anything more specific…?"

"All Might! He likes All Might. He's going to be like All Might someday."

"Okay! I think it'll be easy to find some nice collectibles for him. Is it for his birthday?"

Shouto nods, and stops talking after that.

They board the train, and Shouto looks so panicked by the train as an entity that Fuyumi takes a seat and pulls him close next to her. He draws his knees up and hides behind them, clutching his wallet tightly next to his stomach, other hand still firmly grasping Fuyumi's. He looks hunted while the train is still in the station, but when it reaches the edge of Musutafu, he twists around to boggle at the passing scenery. His nose is pressed against the glass the entire trip, and he starts thumping on them on the glass when he sees Tokyo rapidly approach on the horizon.

His hand, his right hand, doesn't get clammy over time. It's a little cold, like his circulation is a bit low. Fuyumi's hand is the same, and the warmth between their palms is negligible, but still comfortable.

When the train arrives in Kiyashi ward, he's lost his caution and practically pulls Fuyumi out of the station himself. They reach the surface to skyscrapers that make Shouto stumble and swivel around, open-mouthed. A hero too high up to make out bounds from skyscraper to skyscraper on patrol, and Shouto watches with open wonderment.

"It's so big," he finally blurts.

"Sure is!" She laughs. He must not have ever seen a building over six storeys before. "It's like this in downtown Musutafu too, you know!"

"It is?" Shouto gasps.

"Sure! There's office buildings, and apartments…Oop, careful." She pulls him away from the road he was wandering towards in order to get a better look at the buildings. "You've never seen skyscrapers before?"

He shakes his head. "The buildings around school are short. And there's…tiny malls."

Strip malls, he means. So he has seen them before?

"The Kiyashi ward mall is this way," Fuyumi says, pulling him back down the street. He stumbles to follow her, and clutches her side when they have to cross the road. The crowds are much thicker in Tokyo, and Shouto looks petrified by that fact.

Soon the familiar 'WOOKIEES' sign comes into view, bookended by palm trees, and the towering presence of the the mall itself behind it. Fuyumi is careful to watch for Shouto's height as she ascends; she's never had to walk with someone as short as he is. Well, not since she was that short. He tries to keep up with her, though, so that's something.

When they enter, Shouto makes a startled noise at the central plaza, with its complex mosaic tiles and floors upon floors rising up above them, with walkways and stairs criss-crossing their way around the whole building. It's not a very big mall; the most impressive decoration is an extra big palm tree amongst the dozen dotting the first floor. But for a kid who's never been inside a mall, it must be amazing.

Fuyumi walks him up to the second floor hero collectible store. He practically snaps his neck swiveling around to look at all the merchandise, and bumps into at least two people despite her best efforts. They finally trip their way to the back wall, entirely taken up by All Might merchandise, more than any other place in the store.

"Okay, so you should pick out something he'd like!" Fuyumi gestures to the shelves.

Shouto gazes wide-eyed at the toys, plates, coins, spoons, buttons, pins, and all sorts of other merchandise available to him. "Something h-he'd…"

"Most kids already have an All Might toy or costume. Do you know how much merch he has?"

Shouto shakes his head and gives her a watery-eyed look that makes her heart crumple.

"Well…W-well, he probably doesn't have the collectibles, and it being All Might would mean he'd treasure it more." She looks around, and perks up at a rack in the corner. "Oh! How about that!"

They approach the store's collection of All Might apparel. It's not a toy store, so they're all too big for a child, but there is a Limited run Wookiees Exclusive.

She points at the hoodie. "He definitely wouldn't have that one!"

"It's…big," Shouto frowns.

"That way he can wear it forever. I think that makes it special." She pulls it from the rack and shows him. The normally blue base is a gradient between black and blue, and the ribbed bottom is defined in gold thread. The white space at the centre of the chest looks more like a diamond than Fuyumi thinks the original costume does. It's somehow louder than the already loud design, but the dark aspect makes it look kinda cool, she thinks. When she pulls the hoodie to the front, rather than the popular two-pronged hood design, blocky yellow bars ring the edge of the hood and extend into two lines mirroring the position of the hood. There's also a "W" logo on the chest, naturally.

"It's big," Shouto repeats.

"It's rare. And subtle! He can wear it everywhere! I think a useful present will make him happy! You're the same size, right? Try it on!"

Shouto shuffles forward and takes the edge of the hoodie. She lifts it so he can slide it over his head. He shakes it a bit to get it on, and extends his arms out. The sleeves are too big for him and dangle, while the body is so big his legs seem to be vanishing into it. Still, it doesn't reach his knees.

"Perfect! Let's get it!"

"It's big," he mumbles to himself, but he still lets Fuyumi take it.

They ring it up at the counter. It's a whopping 35,000 yen, which makes Fuyumi wince even with her generous bank account. She takes out her wallet, but Shouto grasps her wrist and shakes his head firmly. She raises her eyebrows as he lifts his own wallet and reveals…

Wow. That's a lot of money.

He starts slapping 5,000 yen bills on the counter one after the other, and the clerk and Fuyumi gape with each one. Then, after reviewing the amount he gave, he nods and steps back. His wallet is still full.

The clerk lifts it, and twitches when Shouto shouts "WAIT!"

"Y…es?"

"It's a present."

The clerk looks down at the hoodie. "Oh, we don't wrap…"

Shouto's face falls.

"…We have store boxes, though!" He takes out a flat piece of cardboard, and folds it into what looks like a short shoe box. He places the hoodie in and closes it. "There. All set!"

"Thank you," Shouto nods.

"Do you…want anything for yourself?" Fuyumi asks hesitantly.

His eye goes saucer-wide. "Myself?"

"I mean, you like heroes, right?"

"Myself," he murmurs, apparently not hearing her. He runs over to the All Might wall and picks up a vest with the same size and design as the hoodie. He also selects a hairband and sweatband, and then darts back to the counter. "All these!"

Fuyumi looks at the clerk from the corner of her eye, sweat beading on the back of her neck. If they're recognized…

"Do you want this boxed…?"

"No. It's not a present." Shouto rests his chin on the counter and waits for the clothes to be checked out. Fuyumi glances at the corner consumed by Endeavor merchandise. Her father's printed face glares at her. Judging her. She slides closer to Shouto.

"Thank you for shopping at the Utility Belt!"

Fuyumi hauls ass out of there, dragging a grinning Shouto in tow. Her dad is going to kill her. And then he'll find out she told Shouto to go buy himself from All Might merch himself and he'll resurrect her and kill her again!

"Hats!" She declares out loud. "Let's wear hats!"

"What about wrapping paper?" Shouto asks.

"Hats. Then we wrap."

They get hats. Fuyumi stuffs her red-licked locks into a baseball cap, and Shouto wears a newsboy cap. He fusses when Fuyumi stuffs his distinctive hair under the band, but it should be enough to keep his identity unclear, for now.

"Do you wanna wear your vest?"

Shouto nods insistently, and rips his bag open. He nearly knocks his hat off yanking his oversized spoils on. Like the hoodie, it hangs loosely off him and erases even the suggestion of a waist, but he at least looks like has shoulders. He raises his arms and presents it smugly. Definitely a rebellious streak in this kid.

"You look great!" Fuyumi cheers. "And you'll match! I bet he'll love it!"

"It's All Might," Shouto says, still smug.

"Yeah. Dad'll kill you if he sees that."

The smug look intensifies.

Well, it's official! She loves him unconditionally. If she fakes her death, she's taking Shouto, before he learns he's allowed to talk smack to her.

"Let's see, the craft shop is…" She sits up and looks around, trying to remember the layout of the mall. Clothing store, art store, clothing store, chocolate store…And wait…What's that?

A shadow is lingering around the last visible store, and as she tries to make it out, it grows larger. The people nearby hop out of the way as it lances across the walls, spreading up, up past its floor—

"What quirk is that?" Fuyumi wonders out loud.

"That's illegal," Shouto declares.

"Oh— yeah, you're right. Honestly, what kind of—"

The shadow hits the windowed roof, and then suddenly, the entire building goes dark.

Shouto jumps and falls into Fuyumi's arms. She squeezes him nervously and tries to make out the quirk in the remaining light coming from the mall stores. It doesn't seem to be moving anymore. Was making it dark in here just the goal?

"I think it might be a robbery," Fuyumi mumbles. "Come on, Shouto, let's go. Security should be able to handle it until a hero gets here."

She tries to push Shouto towards the door, but they both stop dead when the lights flicker. Frightened voices ring out around the mall amidst the low hum of people talking. She yanks Shouto and starts running, but stumbles into the wall when the lights all go out at once. She hits the ground and protects Shouto with her body on instinct. It's pitch black, she can't see—

"The doors," Shouto whispers.

"I can't see anything," Fuyumi hisses back.

"It's a wall—" There's screaming that makes both of them jump, but it breaks down into crying. Someone having a meltdown. Fuyumi's breath stutters. She's in middle school, how could she fight off a villain if one attacked her? Her quirk can't help her out of here. Her dad is going to find out she let Shouto get hospitalized or worse and then kill her.

Shouto squirms out from underneath her. "It's okay."

"Shouto, stay close to me, if I can't feel you I won't be able to—"

"It's okay. Because…Because I'm here."

Then, with a lick of vivid orange light, Shouto's left side erupts into flames.

It's more intense than she thought. It's less bombastic than his older brother's fire, but he's holding it consistently, pure and vivid and gently licking up his side, illuminating their corner of the mall. He sticks out a finger, and a thin web of ice forms around it. Then a thick layer of ice starts to spread over it. He plucks it from his hand, sticks in a flaming finger, and a bloom of light fills the orb. He fills the hole with a cap and extinguishes the fire licking up his skin.

"When did you learn how to…?"

"It's easy. Just heroic thinking." He kneels over and rolls it along the floor, towards the door.

And then, more light.

A tentative glow at first, but then a whole spray of green orbs. Then a strike of electricity that illuminates the crowds coming from the body of an older man. Someone who's entire body is glowing emerges from one of the stores. Fuyumi breathes out a laugh as more and more people with quirks that give off light start making their way across the mall, towards the doors.

Fuyumi breathes a laugh. "Will you look at that."

The doors aren't locked, though the shadow is coating the glass. Someone holds them open and starts escorting people out. Shouto asks for a water bottle, and creates ten more orbs. He gives them to someone staying behind, to use as markers for whoever is going to find the shadow quirk user.

"A little All Might, aren't you?" The man laughs. "You're going to be a great hero."

Shouto's smile is so bright it could light up the whole mall by itself.

They sit at an outdoor table for one of the restaurants, watching the shadows creep over the glass, away from the swarm of people escaping from the front doors. She shoes away a bee and sighs. If she leaves now, chances are she'll be stuffed in a train with all these people, but they'll definitely have to close the place down to investigate. Fuyumi doesn't think she's ever seen a quirk this vast before.

Coming to a decision, she stands. "Come on, Shouto, Tokyo's a big city! I'm sure there's a street-level craft shop somewhere."

It's her first time spending time with this kid, and there's no way she's going to squander it.

AN: A Shouto chapter! Birthday will be next chapter, of course. And then...plot