Behind the Smile | TodoBakuDeku | Book 1

Chapter 1

Third Person POV

"It appears there have been a string of suicides throughout Musutafu and we are tasked with ruling out the possibility of villainy at play," Endeavor briefed the boys on the next mission.

The boys remained quiet and wide-eyed as they absorbed the information. This was apparently a much darker mission than they had taken on before. Endeavor seemed to be waiting for questions before continuing. He was also taking the time to gauge whether or not this mission was too mature for the young heroes. In the past, he couldn't care less about the mental health of three heroes-in-training, with the belief that they needed to toughen up or get out. Now, though, he was trying to change. He no longer wanted to be the despicable man and father he once was.

Midoriya broke the silence, "How many er-...how many people took their...their..." He had a hard time forcing the words out. In all honesty, this was a touchy subject for him, though that was a truth only he knew. Back in middle school, suicide crossed his mind several times. The worst was when Bakugo blew up at him for wanting to apply to UA, and in a fit of rage told him to take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in the next life.

He tried to shake those bad memories from his mind and focus on the mission at hand. 'Those poor people,' he thought to himself. 'They must have been in so much pain. I didn't realize there were so many that considered ending it, too. Even if it isn't a villain's doing. We need to do something. We can't just let this keep happening...'

"Stop muttering and spit it out, Deku! You know we can't understand a word you say when you get like that." Bakugo growled, but quickly softened his tone when he noticed Midoriya's complexion pale in comparison to usual. "Look, it's shitty, but it happens. Dealing with death just comes with the territory." He paused to see Midoriya looking back at him after wiping away a stray tear. "Now stop crying ya damn baby!"

Midoriya rarely took what Bakugo said at face value. What Bakugo had just said may have sounded harsh to an outsider, but knowing him so well Midoriya knew he was actually saying: As heroes, tragic things like this are going to come up, but we need to stay strong and face them together.

It irked Todoroki when Bakugo spoke to them like that, but he also knew that it was just his way of trying to keep them at a safe distance. It has honestly improved drastically since the three had been attached at the hip during the internship, but he wished Bakugo would just let his guard down completely and let his true self finally break through. For now Todoroki ignored the comment, but gently placed his hand on Midoriya's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, letting him know that they were in this together. He then turned his attention to his father, "what makes you think the deaths are connected? Thousands of people die by suicide every day."

Endeavor fought the tug of a smile attempting to form because it was not the time nor place to show that type of emotion, but he was proud of the hero his son was growing up to be and how Todoroki knew to get as much information as possible before jumping into the action. That is something Endeavor always struggled with. "It seems that some of the victims were photographed or filmed in the days leading up to their demise. Out of the nine suicides confirmed, at least four were digitally captured on film." Endeavor lent forward and slid the photographs across the table to the boys. "Can you spot any similarities?"

Huddling together as they thoroughly examined each picture, the boys quickly noticed something extremely disturbing. There was a thick, nauseating aura in the air that temporarily overtook their ability to function. They quickly shook themselves out of the immobilizing state and allowed their minds to drown in thought.

Again, Midoriya was the first to speak. "Th- they're just...kids," Midoriya murmured nearly inaudibly.

Todoroki pulled his gaze from the photos to his friends and took in the terrifying looks draped across both of their faces. With Midoriya being such a sensitive and caring person, he knew this topic might be too much for him to take in, but he was surprised to see Bakugo in such a similar distraught state. He squeezed his way between the two, again resting a hand on Midoriya's shoulder, but this time resting the other on Bakugo's. He braced himself for an explosive hand toss or some fiery reaction about the physical contact, but instead Bakugo gave him a sorrowful glance, let out a deep sigh, and brought his gaze back to the photos.

What the others didn't know was that Bakugo was haunted by his words back in middle school. From the moment he let those venom-laced words to slip, essentially baiting his childhood friend to commit suicide, he became terried of himself. 'How could a human being, let alone a future hero, ever say that to someone?' Even now he occasionally jolts from a nightmare of Midoriya taking his ill advice and jumping to his death.

Adding to the depressive mood, Endeavor continued, "Yes, they are. The youngest being eight years old and the oldest seventeen. That was another reason we found the case a bit odd." Endeavor paused again for questions, but the room remained painfully silent. "Look, even I realize this is a rough mission, but we have no choice. Now, does anything else stand out to you?"

Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki continued to examine the photos. After several long minutes, Bakugo shouted, making the other two flinch. "I can't believe you two dorks don't see it. How obvious?!"

"Stop with the gloating and just say it already," Todoroki said.

"Tch-" Bakugo began filling them in. "In every single picture, there's a weird black and purple orb. It's super hidden, but the damn thing's definitely there. That's gotta be why they think a villain's behind this shit! Just wait till I get my hands on them! I'm gonna kick their motherfu-"

"No, you will not!" Endeavor's voice was strong and unwavering. He stood up for emphasis, as he instructed the boys. "Right now, this is a recon mission and that is all. You are not to engage, do you understand me?!" He didn't wait for an answer before continuing, "We don't know how the quirk works or if it even is a-"

Suddenly, one of Endeavor's sidekicks bolted through the door and immediately turned on the tv. "What the hell do you think you are doing..." Endeavor's scolding trailed off as his attention grew consumed by the footage displayed on the screen. The young heroes froze in horror as they saw a group of four teenagers standing on a bridge and a black and purple orb circling them.

"We need to go now!"