Freeze Frame

Chapter 61

Third person pov

The Meme Three that came out of the ice dome were not the same as the ones who went in. They were seething, which surprised Todoroki for some reason. He had deadass told them he was actively being abused and had been his whole life, and he thought they'd just shrug and tell him they were sorry? No way. They'd be damned if they sat by and let poor Todoroki live like this. Endeavor needed to be put behind bars, and his mother needed out of that place! 

Endeavor was a confirmed piece of shit. Even if he wasn't abusing Todoroki and using him as a tool, he was still a real piece of work. Cases of domestic abuse were unfortunately common when it came to quirks. Your power dictated how your life would go, but Todoroki's was also unique. His father was at the top of every hero ranking chart out there, and he had cash to throw at his problems. That pissed them off more. 

Hitoshi had been forced to tell Bakugo to fuck off three times, the last time having to tell Kirishima when the explosive blonde realized it had something to do with replying to him verbally. Neito had been rambling about ways to commit murder the second Todoroki admitted to his dad being abusive, and Lillian had suggested a few places to hide a body. The half-and-half boy was a little taken aback, especially by Lillian. Had he been sitting next to a future serial killer this whole time? And was it really all that bad of a thing if he was?

"Time's up!" Mic announced as Todoroki began to melt the shell they'd stuck themselves in. Lillian was smiling, but it was a twitchy kind that showed how close she was to losing her shit. Todoroki felt a little awkward, glancing at Neito as the blonde absolutely fumed. Hitoshi was already muttering to himself about how fitting a third bed into his room would be tight, but they could make it work. Todoroki felt oddly as though he was a sort of stray that had somehow just been adopted.

"And with that, the second round is officially over!" Mic shrieked proudly. Lillian's team had come out on top once again, teaming up with Todoroki and using his quirk to their advantage. Lillian had given them the head start they needed, while Hitoshi had ensured people steered away from their small fortress. It was impeccable teamwork that was sure to gain the attention of many of the present pro heroes. Mic could already hear some of the ones nearby conversing about her and her teammates.

Aizawa grinned widely, eyes shining as Lillian was carefully set down. For some reason, the three looked weary, while Todoroki just awkwardly averted his gaze. What had been said in that dome of theirs? Clearly something had happened, or they'd have realized by now that they'd made it into first place. Lillian seemed distracted though, glancing at her two close friends and gesturing at a tense Todoroki. 

"Now, let's take a look at who our top four teams are!" Mic grinned. "In first place is the amazing Team Lillian!" 

Her named grabbed her attention, and she blinked, stopping whatever she was saying and turning to look at the board with wide eyes. Neito and Hitoshi blinked dumbly for a moment, eyes drifting to the band around Lillian's forehead as though they'd forgotten it was there. Todoroki was the only one who didn't have much of a reaction. If anything, he looked confused by the stunned expressions of his teammates.

"O-Oh, yeah!" Lillian sputtered, brightening. This seemed to spark some life into her two friends, who highfived before pulling Lillian into a hug. Todoroki looked like he wanted to walk away, but Lillian grabbed him by his sleeve and yanked him into it too. He immediately tensed as he was wrapped up in their group embrace, eyes going wide with surprise. Lillian smiled sweetly up at him, "Don't worry about your dad. We're going to kill him!"

"Torture first." Neito admitted sheepishly as though he'd been hiding the secret. Hitoshi nodded in agreement, releasing them. Todoroki looked vaguely dumbfounded as they began to talk about something called 'The Todoroki Protection Squad.' Internally, the half-and-half boy debated whether or not he regretted letting them in on his secret. While torturing and killing Endeavor wasn't something he was particularly against, he had no idea how to react to the sudden comradery he was being shown.