Two Sides of the Same Coin

Crazy Train Has Arrived

Tw: Panic attack, dissociating, uncensored cursing
Let me know if I forgot something <3

My father didn't have very many things to unpack, so the two of us finished rather quickly. Inkinhi, on the other hand, looked as if she had packed her whole house. And she wouldn't let me touch a thing to help her out. I tried. She almost set me on fire.

A few things to know about my twin. She was born with a quirk. It's called Heat Magnet. She can draw heat from a source closer to her, effectively making the room unbearably cold. Any heat drawn to her turns into flames, given that there's oxygen it can use as a fuel. It's a combination of both of my parents' quirks. Part of me thinks that the reason I wasn't born with a quirk is because she was born with such a powerful one.

Inkinhi looks a lot like me, but that makes sense since we're twins. Her hair is a slightly lighter green than mine and reaches just past shoulder-length. She also has freckles and a similar face shape to mine. She's only a bit shorter, maybe only two or three centimeters. And her eyes are the same color as mine. She did tan over in America though, so she appears slightly darker than I am. But other than that, you could easily tell we were siblings, if not twins.

My father set his phone down on the kitchen counter, then put one of his arms on my shoulder. I turned and smiled at him and he gave a warm smile back. But there was a light in his eyes that only made sense if you knew who my sister was. He looked relieved to see me, as if my sister was too much work even for him. He had the bags under his eyes to prove it.

"How have you been, kiddo?" he asked me. "UA treating you well?"

I nodded very quickly. "Definitely! My teachers are amazing and I'm having so much fun there. I've learned a lot, too. Oh, and I made a lot more friends!"

"Really now?" He seemed genuinely intrigued. My parents were the only two who seemed to do that when I went on my little rants.

"Mhm! Kacchan and I became official rivals in my first year. And I met a bunch of people that I really look up to as friends and leaders. Everyone has such amazing quirks. It's really fascinating to be able to watch them grow and master their abilities."

"Speaking of quirks, your sister and I watched the sports festivals." I knew exactly what the statement was leading into and I paused. I had to stop myself from thinking of all the possible tracks this conversation could take.

However, the look on my face said everything. My father smiled reassuringly and nudged me slightly. "Ah, it's nothing bad, kiddo. Don't worry. Your sister and I both cheered you on. And Katsuki. But you have a really powerful quirk now."

"Y-yeah."

"And you definitely grew a lot from your first year. From breaking your bones to really being able to control your power."

I rubbed the back of my neck slightly. "Oh, yeah, it's uh... it's been awhile since I've done that."

"Well, I'm proud of you, son." My father's smile gave me a sense of hope. He wasn't questioning where I got it from or when it developed. He's either keeping the question to himself, or he hadn't even thought about the possibility that I haven't always just had this quirk. My father is a very smart man who usually thinks through everything, a lot like I do. So hopefully, if he isn't questioning it, neither will my sister. They'll just think it was a mutated gene and that I was a very late bloomer. Hopefully.

"Thanks, Dad."

I explained my sister to you. Allow me to tell you about my father.

He has jet black hair, though a few gray hairs become very visible in the right lighting. He has freckles dotting his face and very dark green - almost black - eyes. He's rather tall and has a fit structure. But his forehead has developed worry lines and the bags under his eyes make him appear much older than he actually is. His quirk is called Dragon's Breath, though it definitely isn't as strong as a typical comic book dragon's.

My father works as a Japanese translator for the American military, so his times off from work are few and far between. He saves up his leave time and uses it all at once for month long trips to visit me and my mom. When he does plan on visiting, he has to let his superiors know at least two months in advance. He'll let my mom know when he's planning on taking the leave, but my mom won't tell me until a few days before they arrive so that I don't stress out and lose focus in school and training.

I love my dad to pieces, but his package deal with my sister is an absolute deal breaker. Just like Kacchan, we were fine until she developed a quirk and I didn't. I was seen as the weakling. She was the alpha twin. And she did everything in her power to make it very known to me that I would never get ahead of her.

Mom came into the kitchen and began making lunch. My dad talked about his work with me and I told him all about UA and everything that's happened the last three years since I'd seen him. I told him about how I met All-Might and how Kacchan has been training with me and the League of Villains being up my ass for nearly two whole years. My dad seemed thoroughly intrigued, maybe impressed that I had survived dozens of villain attacks since the Sludge villain. I also made sure to text a thumbs up to the group chat to let them know I was still alive.

"Oh, and I met a girl. She's really sweet and has been there for me so many times. She's honestly the best. Her name is Ochaco Uraraka. Her goal is to be a rescue hero. She can get kinda scary sometimes, but she's really fun to be around. I think I might like her as more than a friend."

"It sounds like you've had an amazing time at your dream high school, Izu-"

He was interrupted by an extremely loud thud with an equally vociferous "DAD!" following right after.

The yell rattled my bones and damn near shook the house. My parents jumped a bit at the noises, but my dad reacted immediately, rising to his feet and walking swiftly to my twin's room.

"Yes, Inkinhi?" he responded, much calmer. I didn't catch most of what happened after that. My heavy breathing blocked out any words that had been said during the next couple of minutes. My vision zoned in and out of reality. I was sure I was dissociating, but I couldn't make it stop. One of my hands gripped the collar of my shirt and the other covered my mouth. I turned my head away from my mother, but I knew she noticed my reaction, even as I tried to hide it.

A piece of paper was slid in front of my vision with the numbers 4 7 8 written on it in thick black marker. A smiley face and a heart were placed on either side. I could make it out, despite my vision being heavily distorted. I got the message and began following the timed breaths. In four seconds, hold seven seconds, out eight seconds. I did that a few times before my mom set a hand on my shoulder gently. I reached out and gave her a hug.

After sitting there in the hug for about a minute, she handed me a serving of gyudon beef bowl that she had just made, then said I could eat it in my room while I calmed down. I nodded, taking the food with a gracious half-smile before departing.

I knew this week was going to be long, but I didn't realize it would be this long...