I could hardly breathe.

I had gone to the Todoroki household for dinner knowing things could get a little chaotic, but I had never expected to be abducted by a literal psychopath. After my initial panic, I had figured out that the thing that had curled around me was actually the lane strips. The man who had spirited me away had a decent quirk, I'd give him that.

"He'll be along any minute...Any minute now..." I had no idea who the freak was talking about. Was it Hawks? No, it couldn't have been. If it was, then there would have been no reason for Natsuo to be taken as well. We were held far apart, but even in the darkness I could see the sheer panic in his eyes.

If I can just activate my quirk..!

With my yelling muffled by filthy road markings, I tried to call upon my wings, but it was no use. The dark side of my quirk was different to the solar, seeing as there were solid components, and the street lights weren't bright enough to make use of the other. I was completely and utterly helpless.

"H..hey! Do..don't worry..! We'll b..be oka-" The snaking strips coiled around Natsuo's mouth, silencing him in an instant.
"Quit talking! I only want to hear what he has to say! Endeavor!" This guy was beyond insane. Not only did he look the part, but he sounded like his train had derailed years ago. That was what scared me the most.

He isn't too interested in me...If he's as pissed at Endeavor as I think he is...then he'll use Natsuo...

My binds weren't as tight as his. I could see the vein pulsing on the side of his forehead from the strain of it all, but his eyes made me heart leap right up into my throat. He was petrified. He'd never been in a situation like this before, and to be honest, neither had I.

"Here he is! Here he comes! Let's see his reaction..!" I felt like I had been locked inside a clothes drier when the bastard leapt out into the middle of the street, cars and trucks screeching and swerving. When my vision focused, one stood out in particular. "You've got a nice house, don'tcha, Endeavor?!"

Glass flew. Fire roared. I didn't know where to look, so I just kept my eyes on Natsuo.
"Release them!" Endeavor's face flared a brilliant orange as he landed before us, fists clenched tight. Our binds became even tighter as the villain reacted.
"Do you remember me, Endeavor?!" He questioned loudly, beginning to dangle us around all over the place. I felt like how jangling keys would if they were capable of feeling.

"Seven years ago..! I apprehended you for assault! You had given yourself a villain name!" The number one hero stalked closer, but he was cautious. Rightly so, as none of us had any idea what with maniac was capable of. "It was-"
"Yeah! That's right! Amazing! I can't believe you actually remembered me! This is amazing! It's me!" The man gestured to himself, pressing his fingers against the chest of his striped hoodie with pride. "Ending!"

This guy is...I can't even tell if he loves or hates Enji! If I could just break free and fight..!

But I couldn't. Even if I was able to release myself, I would have been too scared to do a thing. One wrong move and Natsuo could be killed.
"I'm sorry, Endeavor, but I hope you understand! As I fell down, over and over again, you always had everything I could never get! I admired you!" The lines that covered my mouth laxed, and I shook my head free. "I don't have anything left to protect! I'm going to kill this man! So, I'm begging you Endeavor, don't mess it up this time!"

Everything around me seemed to vanish, apart from Natsuo, and the sharp, pointed vector that was pointed against the side of his head.
"NATSUO! NATSU-MMMFFFF!" The second I began shouting out, I was gagged again, this time almost being choked.
"Please. Kill me." Ending tilted his head to the side, and his eyes were terrifyingly vacant. My blood ran cold, but my body was boiling.

The whole situation was triggering me in a way I never thought anything else could. That feeling of helplessness. The inability to protect something precious to you. People say you never appreciate what you've got until it's gone, and now that Natsuo was only moments away from death, I realised just how important he was to me.

Ending continued his deranged babbling, and all I could do was watch and writhe in horror as I saw the tiny trickle of blood seeping from Natsuo's cheek bone.
"Natsuo! Songbird!" I dragged my eyes from my boyfriend to see the interns rushing in and, shockingly, Endeavor, who was barely moving at all. "Let them go!"

Ending just stood there, hardly phased by the teenagers who were coming for him.
"Hurry up...and kill me..." His quirk began to almost vibrate, and my scream bounced off the binds and shot back down my throat as Natsuo and I were swung higher into the air above the villain's head, clashing together like he were the monkey and we were the cymbals.

Cars began to flip and fly, and I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling them start to sting with the threat of tears. Had I always been such a coward? Why hadn't I just used the vocal component of my quirk when I had the chance? Suddenly being a hero didn't seem like the right career choice for me.

I can't do anything...again...

"I WON'T LET A SINGLE ONE OF YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!" Suddenly, I could somewhat breathe. It was like I had been punched in the stomach, and a fierce heat burned from whatever had me in its hold. Gasping, I began to cough once I had stopped moving, and I vaguely noticed spiked blond shifting out of the corner of my eye. I had no idea what was going on until I was grabbed again, but this time the tightness wasn't unwanted, nor suffocating.

Endeavor held me tight, alongside both Natsuo and Bakugou, and that was when I felt a tear begin to drizzle down my cheek. I had gotten so used to having Hawks - having other heroes - working by my side that I had never prepared myself for what had just occurred. I felt weak and afraid. It was a feeling much too similar to something I had experienced before.

"Are you hurt..?" Endeavor asked us in a whisper, and Bakugou took his cue to wriggle out from his grasp, uttering a disgusted grunt.
"As if! Get off'a me! You smell like old man!" He went on to inquire about Ending, but I was shaking too much to pay attention. Sure, I felt safe beside Natsuo, snug in Endeavor's arms, but that was too close. We almost died, and my already fragile state was crumbling to dust.

Why does this always happen to me..? I almost lost him too...

"Hey, number one! Remind me what you said again?! Show me that you can eliminate villains even faster than I can?!" Bakugou shouted, loud and proud, and Endeavor slowly eased his hold, though he didn't let go completely.
"You guys were incredible!" He spoke clearly, but there was a quiver to his voice that couldn't be missed. "You guys covered for my mistake...without wasting a single second..."

I squeaked out as Natsuo shoved away from his father, bringing me along with him as he landed on his behind.
"Get off!" He held me close to his side, but I kept my eyes on Endeavor.
"Natsuo, I'm sorry! For a split second, I thought to myself, if I had saved you there, there was a chance...that you might never say a word to me ever again! And (Y/N)...you're basically family now...I couldn't bear to lose you, either..."

The pair of us just stared up at the hulking man, free from fire and brimstone. He looked pitiful, and it broke my heart.
"Wh..what..?" Natsuo's voice was small, and his eyes grew wider as he held me just a fraction closer.
"Natsuo...it's okay if you don't believe me...but it's never been my intention to shut any of you out of my life..." The number one continued, completely unphased about the countless citizens around us. "However, what I did was run away from my responsibilities. Away from Toya...and of course from the fact that I killed him..."

Toya..? Killed..?

I was too shocked to care that Natsuo had removed his arms from around my middle to catch himself from falling any further backwards.
"You...weren't t..trying to shut us out..? So what..? Ever since that day, I've been hearing Toya's voice in my head..." Tears began to pool in his grey eyes, and I held myself back from comforting him. It wasn't my place in that moment to get involved. "There will never come a time...where I can e..ever forgive you...I'm not as kind as Shoto is..."

Endeavor seemed to accept that. I knew it would have hurt him immensely, especially after how he had gone on and on about all of his children, not just Shoto, during our lunches and meetings. He brought up how Natsuo had gone to the dinner that evening for Fuyumi and their mother's sake, and how he had gone so far out of his comfort zone for them.
"You're also a kind person." I didn't feel right being in such close proximity to such a private conversation, but I was petrified. I couldn't have moved an inch even if I had tried. "So that's why it's alright if you never forgive me...It's not like I want or deserve your forgiveness...I just want to make up for everything I've done..."

That hit Natsuo right where it hurt the most. Seeing the tears falling freely down his face made me direct my gaze to the ground so I wouldn't dive in and ruin the moment between them.
"S..stop saying such re..reasonable things all of a sudden..! You know...Fuyumi seemed so..so happy back then, but every time I see your face, I just can't help but remember..!" He lurched forward, but only a touch, and I watched his shadow as he balled his fists. "Why do I have to be the one to make an active effort to change?! You say you want to make up, but what do you think you can do now?!"

There was a short silence, only broken by Natsuo's sobs and the faint wailing of emergency sirens in the distance.
"There's one thing I've been thinking..." Endeavor began, but he was cut off at the subdued villain began to scream and curse, and all attention was directed towards him. I took that opportunity to scoot back to Natsuo's side. I was incapable of speaking, but I just carefully slipped my hand into his, watching everything unfold.

It took a while, but eventually the police and ambulance arrived. After the lot of us were checked for any injuries, Endeavor instructed his driver to take the students home, and both Natsuo and I returned to the Todoroki household. On the way, they discussed Endeavor's plan, about building a new house for the family, including their mother, to live in peace, away from him.

My heart did bleed for the flame hero, but from what I had witnessed, I knew it was for the best. Fuyumi had an absolute fit after hearing what had happened, and very nearly fainted when the plan was revealed to her. Once everything was out in the open, she turned to us, hands clasped together in front of her chest.
"I'm so relieved that you're both okay! Please, stay here for the night and rest!"

Slowly, Natsuo shook his head, his usual bubbly demeanor nowhere in sight.
"Thanks, but...I just want to go home...and I think (Y/N) does too..." He glanced to me, and I just nodded once, still feeling pretty catatonic after the night's events. My head was spinning, and so many thoughts were starting to make sense, even though they truly didn't.

"I'll pay for your taxi, then..." It looked as though Endeavor wanted to comfort his eldest son - eldest living son - but he decided against it, instead placing his large hand on top of my head gently, which I kind of appreciated. "If you try to work tomorrow I will personally arrest you, understood? I'll send Burnin and her team to aid your agency in your absence." Sighing, I forced a pathetic smile, peering up at him with glassy, (E/C) eyes.
"Thanks, Enji..."

The taxi didn't take long to arrive, and after an almost painfully tight hug from Fuyumi, we were sitting in the backseat, on the way to our apartments.
"I'm so sorry...You got caught up in that because of him...and me..." Natsuo whispered after an age of radio silence, still focusing on the floor. "I was so scared...I couldn't do anything to protect you...Even if I'm not a hero, I should at least be able to protect you..."

No...

"Natsuo..."
Inside my brain, a switch was flicked, and it had been one of the many labelled 'bad move'. It could have been the adrenaline from the whole life or death ordeal, or it could have been the fact that he had come dangerously close to being wiped from existence, but I certainly knew, deep down, it wasn't for the right reasons. Reaching out to the pale-haired man belted in beside me, I yanked his face towards mine, giving him the kind of kiss I had only ever given to one other person.

(Y..Y/N)..?! Wh..what was tha-" I shut him the hell up with a second kiss, this time curling my fingers tight in his white tufts of hair, keeping my face as close as humanly possible once parting.

"Let me stay with you tonight..."

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***I DID say peak Natsuo hours were inbound.

After I write my completely self-indulgent romp, I'll return Hawks to you, mostly unharmed...and I promise I'll make the wait worth it...

[Insert winking and finger guns and every other awkward hint for sexy times as I can think of]

Also, thanks for 200k! I love this book more than all the others and it means a lot to me.

Next Time: For All The Wrong Reasons***