Author's Notes: I don't know where I'm going with this. There isn't a set plot for this. I'm just kind of writing chapters as they come. Hopefully there will be some sort of structure, but I doubt it. The good news is that I have a billion and one headcanons and I am excited to write about them all! I spent a lot of time the other day coming up with ideas and it evolved into something massive. Basically this started from me picturing Roy interacting with Todoroki and Bakugou and then Riza and Todoroki talking about their burns and then Deku and Ed becoming friends and then Roy antagonizing Endeavor, and well... I've got a lot of feelings. Do I have a million other things to write? Yes. Will that stop me from going overboard with this? No. As for right now, I don't have any ships because the kids are kids and I love all the ships, but you all know Royai owns my ass, so there's that.

Notes on ages: Bakugou and Todoroki are 8 in the first two while Roy is 23. They're 10 in the last two and Roy is 25. I'm having him be the same age as Aizawa, which is basically his age in FMA.

Disclaimer: I own neither FMA nor BNHA. I just have a crazy brain.

Bakugou's favorite superhero was All Might. Not only was he crazy strong, but he was super fast too. He could take a villain out with a single punch, knock them so far into the sky that they disappeared from sight, and jump so far and high that it was almost like he could fly. And he did it all with a smile and a laugh. Nothing scared him at all; no one could defeat him; there wasn't a cooler superhero in the entire world.

And then, one day when he was eight, he was sitting at school when an explosion shook the building. It was far enough that there was no damage, but close enough to incite panic. Like all the other kids, Bakugou jumped out of his seat and shot towards the windows, knocking Deku out of his way so that he could get the best view. There were a few more rattling noises, but the buildings blocked what was actually happening.

All they could see was smoke from the classroom, a black cloud billowing towards the sky, but then there was a crackle and another explosion rattled them. No, it wasn't just an explosion, like his quirk; it was actual fire, a wall of it, rising higher and higher in the air like a tornado. Everyone in the room gasped; a few stumbled away from the window despite the fight being too far from them while Bakugou pressed his face closer to the glass.

Was it a new villain? Bakugou wondered, brimming with a wild sort of energy. But no, as dangerous and volatile as the column of fire was, it was controlled. It was purposeful. He didn't know how he could tell, maybe from the way it moved or how it suddenly drained, sinking back to the ground behind the buildings instead of going up to the sky, but it felt right.

As soon as it had begun, it was over and they were all forced to return to their seats, although Bakugou couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day. The second he got home, he blew through the house, ignoring his mother's insistent calls, and got on their home computer. He knew how to pull up footage of news on heroes and villains, like most kids, and he did so now, scouring news for their town.

What he saw on the screen made his eyes widen and he jumped up in his seat: there was a villain, a terrible and huge beast, snarling and holding onto a screaming man with one large clawed hand. Out of nowhere, fire zigzagged down the street, evading every civilian, until it struck the villain's arm, causing it to let go of its victim. No one moved, shocked by the scene, and out of the smoke appeared man.

He couldn't have been that old, maybe fresh into the hero business. Of course he was older than Bakugou, but he was still young, his black hair a perfect mess, dark eyes flashing behind a blue mask that rested over his eyes, and an almost cheeky grin on his face. Bakugou found himself emulating that same look as he watched the screen. The hero practically swaggered toward the villain, completely at ease, not a care in the world, like he was on a stroll downtown.

Bakugou had never seen such an open display of confidence before, except maybe in himself, and it was awesome.

"You know, today is my first day in town and I was really wanting to let off some steam," the masked hero said, his grin broadening. He came to a stop just out of the villain's reach. "I guess this will have to do."

"Cheap party tricks!" the villain snarled with a sneer on its beastly face. "Who do you think you are that you can defeat me so easily?"

"Well," the hero replied thoughtfully, "I go by the Flame Alchemist." He lifted a white gloved hand and his grin took on a slightly sadistic turn. "But you can call me your worst nightmare."

The villain let out a roar that caused a windows to shatter and car alarms to go off, but the second he took one step towards the hero, an explosion of fire burst from its mouth, flinging it onto its back. As it staggered to its feet, smoke pouring out of its mouth, another ball of fire erupted on the ground where it had put its hand to push up, throwing it down the street again and then another where it landed, blowing it into the sky.

Meanwhile the hero hadn't moved from where he stood, hadn't even blinked, no evidence suggesting that it was his doing, but Bakugou knew. Whatever his specific quirk was, it was incredibly powerful and vicious.

It was, in a word that Bakugou had never thought to use before, magnificent. It was so damn cool.

The hero let out a disappointed sigh. "And here I'd been told that the villains here were something to be feared." He shook his head and then a line of fire snaked up around the beast's body, causing it to howl in pain and rage. "Looks like I came for nothing. I'm not impressed."

"Not - impressed?" the villain ground out. He burst through the fire, fighting through the searing pain it must've caused, and picked up an SUV, throwing it towards the crowd of civilians. Bakugou watched in wide-eyed shock as the vehicle sailed towards the person taking the video and everyone screamed.

Bakugou saw the problem right away. The hero's quirk, much like Bakugou's own, was powerful, but it was meant for combat and taking down enemies, not for rescuing. And it didn't matter how fast and physically strong he was, without super strength or speed as well, he would not be able to stop the car in midair.

But then, after perhaps a second of panic, the hero swiveled on his feet and Bakugou saw him snap his fingers right before a large ball of fire hit the top of the SUV, changing its trajectory and knocking it flat into the ground. Then, before the leaking gas could catch fire and explode, all the flames vanished, like they were sucked right out of the air.

Bakugou gaped at the scene. He had seen people create fire and explosions and all sorts of similar stuff like that with their quirks - he could do a lot of them - but he had never heard of anyone taking away flames like that. People could control their own, but not others' or wild ones.

However, the time it took to save the civilians caused the hero to become distracted from the villain, who took advantage and attacked him. He just barely managed to dodge being tackled, but then was caught from behind by the villain's tail, which smacked him hard enough to knock him off his feet and send him flying into the street. Bakugou thought for sure that he was done for, but then the hero dragged himself to his feet, swiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

And he laughed.

Full-on, powerful, wild. The kind of laugh that you let loose without abandon but also different. It was… It was like a warning. It sounded just as dangerous as his flames looked.

"Better, better!" the hero exclaimed. "But not good enough."

With a flick of his wrist, a tornado of fire wrapped around the villain, spiraling from his feet and up its body until it seemed to touch the sky. Beneath the sounds of the explosive fire were the screams of the villain, whose thick skin was slowly being burned away. It was terrifying and incredible and Bakugou's young mind was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the hero's attack.

Another step forward - like the flames were nothing to him while everyone else cowered back in shock, awe, and horror - and then the flames slowly began to dissipate, just like Bakugou had seen from his classroom window. The villain was collapsed on the ground, badly burnt but alive, labored breaths wracking its body and its fingers twitching unconsciously while the hero lorded over him, looking more like a conqueror, and the crowd cheered.

What Bakugou missed though, blinded by those explosions, was that despite the raw power of the hero's flames and his explosive attacks, nearly all damage caused had only come from the villain. Nothing but a few scorch marks to the ground suggested that there had ever been a fire roaring in the streets.

Todoroki was used to his father's flames. He was used to his burn mark now, even though it still felt like it hurt sometimes, and he was even used to his mother no longer living with them. Of course that didn't mean he liked any of it. He missed his mother's kind touch and gentle words before his father had twisted her into a broken version of herself. He missed the warmth despite all the flames.

But he didn't want to use his fire quirk. He tried so hard not to, but his father wouldn't allow it.

Once upon a time, All Might had told him on the television that his quirk could be his own - both hot and cold - but Todoroki had grown to hate the half of his quirk that he had inherited from his father. Flames could only be used to hurt. Yes, Endeavor was one of the strongest pro heroes and was incredibly powerful, but Todoroki didn't care. The man had also destroyed their family, isolating Todoroki from everyone, as if trying to back him into a hole so that he was forced to use the fire half of his quirk in order to see again.

It wasn't easy to fight his father like that. The man was harsh and as cold as his flames were hot. Todoroki was learning though. He dug his feet into ice and locked himself in place. He built ice cold walls around his heart, his mind, and steeled himself for every onslaught that his father threw at him. He survived through his painful training, but one day he'd show the man. Todoroki would become a hero without the fire. He wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of winning after what he'd done. He hated the flames almost as much as he hated his father.

The Flame Alchemist's flashy arrival into town and capture of a villain changed everything.

Having learned to how to avoid his father, especially depending on his moods, the first thing Todoroki noticed was the changed in his father's temperament. Endeavor was an angry man by nature, his blood running as hot as his flames even if he'd learned to keep it in check for the public, but now he barreled through the house, practically snarling, his fists clenched, and his flames burning worse than ever before. Doors slammed shut so hard that the whole house shook. Todoroki could never remember seeing his father this furious, not even after the incident, but maybe that was because his whole memory of that event was kind of off.

All Todoroki knew was that it would be best to stay out of his father's way. If he was this mad, it would be more than likely that he would take his frustrations out on Todoroki by trying to push him more than usual.

It was only by chance that Todoroki found out the source of his father's rage. He went to get some water in the middle of the night and caught his father watching the television, fire burning in his eyes. Todoroki hesitated, not wanting to alert his father to his presence, but he was also curious at what was causing him to look even angrier than he did when Todoroki only used the cold half of his quirk.

"Damn Mustang," Endeavor was grumbling, his voice sounding like thunder in the distance. "Damn him to hell. He should never have come back."

Mustang? Todoroki stirred, but forced himself to not try to let him get a better look at the tv. Who was that? He'd never heard the name before. Was it a villain? Another kid might have asked or even let his curiosity get the best of him, but he knew to be quiet and wait. All he had to do was listen and he'd find out.

"The Flame Alchemist? That's what he's calling himself now? Idiot." Endeavor snorted, his voice dismissive, but judging from the way his flames burned higher, that wasn't how he truly felt.

A spark of curiosity lit up inside Todoroki's head. He definitely had never heard that name before, but what really caught his attention was the name. Flame Alchemist. The only other person with a fire quirk that he knew was his father. He'd learned to despise the quirk, despite it resting in the palm of his right hand, but finding out that someone else could twist flames to their will was a surprise.

Todoroki quickly retreated to his room and waited for his father to leave for his hero job. Once he was certain that he was alone, Todoroki ran to the living room and turned on the tv, flipping through the channels until he found a news station that reported solely on heroes. He was normally very patient for his age, but found himself squirming on the couch as other heroes were talked about.

When the Flame Alchemist finally appeared on the screen, Todoroki jumped off the couch and rushed forward to sit directly in front of the tv, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. It was footage from his latest fight with a villain, apparently not the first. Endeavor kept up his training so fiercely that Todoroki rarely had any time off to do anything else so he'd never seen this hero before.

It was...strange. Seeing another person create flames that looked so similar to his own - to Endeavor's - but also different. They looked like the same fire, but it didn't come from him. The flames didn't pour from his hands or from his body; they didn't come from him. It was like he created them out of thin air. He didn't need to be even close to the spot where the flames appeared. A flick of his wrist, a snap of his fingers, a clench of his fist and they appeared anywhere he wanted them to.

Fire exploded out of nowhere against the back of a villain, knocking them to their knees. It wrapped around like a snake, like some living thing, and then an explosion rocked him so hard that he flew back twenty feet. All while the Flame Alchemist stood triumphantly. He was scratched up and red stained the sleeve of his uniform, but he had a foot propped on top an unconscious villain as three other small ones laid around him.

After it was all done and the villains were rounded up, news reporters fought almost just as fiercely to speak with the Flame Alchemist. He was completely unfazed, an easy smile on his face and his hands in his pockets, like he was just out and about and hadn't just kicked some serious butt.

"Your quirk is incredible!" one reporter exclaimed. "How have we not heard of you before?"

"Well, I worked overseas upon graduating," the Flame Alchemist replied, the mics being shoved in his face not a bother at all, "but I decided it was time to come home."

"You're from around here then?" another reporter said. "Did you go to UA?"

The Flame Alchemist cheekily made a fist and pumped it in the air. "Plus Ultra!"

"So you have a fire quirk, right?" a third reporter questioned. At this, the Flame Alchemist's smile turned sheepish, but he said nothing, letting the reporters infer. Todoroki noticed that the hero neither nodded nor shook his head, not confirming the reporter's question. They seemed to all take it as a yes though. His flames hadn't been just explosions and they hadn't been like a river pouring from his body like Endeavor's or Todoroki's. They simply appeared from thin air, like magic.

"There's another pro hero with a fire quirk in this area," the third reporter continued. "Endeavor."

At the mention of his father's name, Todoroki started and leaned in even closer.

The Flame Alchemist nodded. "I've heard of him. Number two hero, isn't he?"

"You look like you're just as strong!" the first reporter pointed out. Oh, that would not have pleased his father. Todoroki sunk down, as if his father's wrath in his mind was enough to smother him. He hated being looked over by All Might enough as it was. Having someone compared to him, especially someone that was young and up-and-coming like the Flame Alchemist, would infuriate him. "Would you consider a team up with him?"

Turning to face the camera directly, the Flame Alchemist flashed a bright grin, winked, and said, "I'm down for it if the old man is."

Todoroki pressed his hands to his mouth. He had spent years under his father's grueling training and was slowly learning to push back, maybe one day even outright defy him, but he could never ever think of saying anything like that about his father, especially not to his face. As far as Endeavor was concerned, he wasn't even in his prime yet and would become stronger every day. The Flame Alchemist had called Endeavor an old man…

And for the first time in a very long time, laughs tumbled out of Todoroki's mouth, muffled by his hands. If only for a moment, with his father gone and this new hero shining brightly on the screen, the flames on his right didn't seem so bad. Just for a moment.

To say that Bakugou had become a fan of the Flame Alchemist might've been an understatement. Seeing that hero's fight on the computer screen had impacted Bakugou with the strength of one of his own explosions. It felt as if the world had tilted towards him. For as long as he could remember, he had wanted to become a pro hero. All Might had been such an inspiring figure to all. The Flame Alchemist was something different. In Bakugou's young mind, it was like the fire-based hero was speaking directly to him.

There was just something about the man that oozed confidence, but not the same kind as All Might. It was the kind of confidence that told everyone that he knew he was damn good. He knew that no one could get on his level. It didn't matter what people said or what villains did. Nothing could bring him down. He knew the measure of his strength - he knew every inch of his quirk - and no one else but him could handle it.

When the Flame Alchemist appeared on the scene, other pro heroes visibly stepped back. When he showed up, you knew that you were in for a treat and that the villain would be demolished. It wasn't the same kind of hope and relief that All Might brought when he showed up to save the day. It was exhilaration; it was anticipation.

It was even a bit of fear.

Bakugou didn't miss the way other heroes stood away from the Flame Alchemist, especially when his grin would turn slightly manic during a fight. He caught the sometimes leery glances thrown at him during interviews or the way they watched his flames, like they might turn on them after taking down a villain. They always seemed to stand on edge around him, except for Hawk's Eye, who would even roll her eyes at his theatrical antics and fearless bravado.

What Bakugou noticed the most about the Flame Alchemist's exchanges with other heroes is that the hero noticed them as well - he knew exactly what other heroes thought about him - and he didn't give a damn . He saw their uneasiness for what it truly was: their own weakness in the face of his power. No matter what anyone else said, be it another hero giving a backhanded comment or a reporter calling out the volatile nature of his quirk, he didn't back down.

If they were going to be afraid of him, then so be it. He wasn't about to make himself lesser for anyone else. He owned his dangerous quirk and everyone else could sit back and watch.

That was what Bakugou wanted to be like all the time. His quirk was already powerful at ten and he would become the number one hero and no one would hold him back. Everyone around him said that his quirk was great and he was strong. He'd blow everyone out of the water and out of his way. He wouldn't give a damn about what people thought of him unless it was for them to know that he was better than them and always would be.

And if people were afraid of him too, then it was all for the better. They should be afraid of him. He was going to be the best. Villains and heroes alike should be wary of him because he was never going to back down, just like the Flame Alchemist.

"Long time no see, Endeavor," a man's voice drawled at their left. "What? No Christmas cards?"

Todoroki almost slammed into his father's back when he came to an abrupt stop. At first, Todoroki had thought that maybe an old nemesis had reappeared, judging from the way his father clenched his fists and his flames suddenly became hotter, but then no one else around them was panicking like a villain was in their midst. When he turned his attention to the mouth of an alley, he straightened up in surprise.

One shoulder leaning casually against the brick wall, while his right foot was tucked behind his left ankle, was the Flame Alchemist himself. The pro hero was in his full costume. As far as costumes went, it was very understated, which was unusual considering his explosive quirk and arrogant behavior when fighting. One would think that he would go for something flashy, but the only things that really drew the eye to him were the black mask on his face and the long black coat that flapped in the wind.

"Mustang," Endeavor growled.

The Flame Alchemist's grin turned savage. "So nice to see you again."

"Still fond of lounging about, I see," Endeavor replied. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Oh, I am," the Flame Alchemist responded. There was a beat where Endeavor seemed to be waiting for the other hero to explain himself, but he never did. Endeavor snorted derisively and moved to leave when the Flame Alchemist's eyes landed on Todoroki himself and immediately widened. "Is this your son?"

Any trace of animosity or antagonism left the hero's face so fast that it had Todoroki spinning. Suddenly he was standing right next to him, bending down to look him directly in the eyes. Even though he hadn't said anything and they had never met before, the Flame Alchemist's dark eyes seem to see right through him, impossibly perceptive as they were dark, like he could tell just exactly what Todoroki's quirk was without being told.

"Hi," the Flame Alchemist said, holding out a hand, "it's nice to meet you."

Todoroki tentatively reached out to shake the hero's hand when his father jerked him back by his shirt collar. It didn't faze the Flame Alchemist at all. He glanced up at Endeavor, a rather flat look on his face, and then back to Todoroki, smoothing his expression as he slowly retracted his hand and stood up straight.

"You went and did it," the Flame Alchemist said, his voice little more than a murmur. There was a hint of curiosity in those words, but Todoroki couldn't miss the underlying contempt. It was surprising. He knew that his father didn't like this man, whoever he was, but he had never seen anyone show any sort of disrespect towards his father. People might not have liked him, but they respected him. They admired him. Nothing like this.

"He will surpass everyone, including you" Endeavor proclaimed and Todoroki tried not to shrink back when he realized that they were talking about him. It wasn't very hero-like and his father would punish him later. He had a feeling that this encounter would cause their training today to be more brutal than normal. "And everything you and that stupid old man will have been for nothing."

The Flame Alchemist considered Endeavor for a moment, looking like there a whole host of disdainful retorts on his tongue, before wiping his expression clean again and responding, "I look forward to the day and I hope that he is as strong as he dreams to be."

It felt as if a shock had zapped Todoroki. The words had been unexpected. He was used to heroes getting prickly about being bested, especially when it came by those younger than them. His father hated the comparison that some people had made between him and the Flame Alchemist. Yet this young hero didn't even blink and he even sounded like he genuinely believed it.

As if done with this whole charade, the Flame Alchemist turned his attention back on Todoroki, turning his body slightly so that he was no longer facing Endeavor. It was a total dismissal of the man, which of course had him fuming in seconds. The Flame Alchemist either didn't notice or didn't care and Todoroki figured it was the latter. Touching two fingers to his head and then flicking them in a signal of goodbye, he said, "I'll see you around, kid. Don't let this bastard drag you down," and then walked away.

Todoroki watched him disappear into the crowd in a way that no other pro heroes could. They stuck out and for good reason and yet the Flame Alchemist was gone. For once, he let his father drag him down the street without any complaint, his mind still reeling from the whole confrontation.

I hope that he's as strong as he dreams to be. Not as strong as his father wanted him to be. As he wanted to be. It was a strange and bright thing to consider - that he might be able to have his own dreams when he had been born out of his father's.