Chapter 1: PROLOGUE
Chapter Text
Dabi was tired. He was tired of life, tired of fighting to go on, tired of being alive. Dabi was just tired of existing. Ducking under another blast from the explosion pomeranian’s quirk Dabi sighed to himself as he let out another burst of brilliant blue flames at the heroes. The League were in yet another fight against the ex-students of 1A. The retirement of All Might and capture of Shigaraki had not been the end of the fighting. At his side, Compress and the lizard were busy trying not to get caught between Endeavor’s flames and a pointy place. That pointy place being the ice walls that Shouto had constructed midway through the fight. A crowd had gathered around to watch, reporters and civilians filming everything as the battle dragged on. Their lack of self-preservation made Dabi inwardly sneer. Oh, look. The paparazzi are treating this battle like a tv show. He could swear he saw some kids snacking as they watched and cheered on their heroes. This society infuriated him. It was this sort of media that let heroes get away with everything. “Heroes are good, villains are bad.” How very black and white. This logic was what hid the dark side of heroism that the public refused to see. A hero may appear flawless in the public eye, but Dabi knew more than anyone that heroes could be just as bad as villains, if not worse. Hiding their malicious smiles behind shining grins, heroes were worse because they lied about their true nature. You knew when a villain had been cruel, but heroes liked to pretend they were above that.
Dabi was distracted for a moment when a blue light hit him. The quirk had been fired from the crowd of onlookers. One of Toga’s knives had sailed in that direction and he was willing to bet that some civilian had used their quirk out of surprise and reflex when confronted with a bloody knife. Looking down at himself, he didn’t even have the time to wonder what the quirk was before he started to glow. One by one, each member of The League stopped fighting as they stared at him. The light only grew brighter and Dabi started to seriously contemplate the likelihood that he would explode. He didn’t need to think about it for too long though as the brightness forced him to close his eyes. This is how he’ll go then.
When he managed to open his eyes again he was surprised to find no fighting around him. It wasn’t as if the heroes and The League stopped fighting. It was that he was alone in a busy street. People walked in and out of stores casually, going about their daily business, not paying him any attention whatsoever. He wasn’t used to being ignored like this. Having purple scars all over his body had ensured he stood out in any crowd, even before he became a villain. As Dabi stood on the street and looked around at the bustling neighborhood he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a store window. It was him but at the same time, it wasn’t. His skin was burnt. It should’ve been purple. Instead of the zombie, held together by staples and luck that he had expected to see, he was greeted by a young man with snow-white hair and pale, blemish-free skin. This is what he would have looked like if his quirk didn’t burn him alive. Inspecting himself in the reflection of the window, he was pleased to find that he felt no pain. Expected considering he didn’t look like he had just crawled out of one of Ujiko’s experiments. Placing a hand on his face and giving himself a pinch he yelped as he felt the stinging pain. This wasn’t a dream. This was his new reality.
Dabi decided to walk around the neighborhood to work out where the hell that quirk had transported him and what it did to him. Passing by a large billboard he was shocked to see today’s date. January 20th, 2XXX. HE WAS IN THE PAST?! As Dabi forced himself to keep his expression blank, his thoughts raced as he pondered about what this would mean for him. If today was January 20th, 2XXX, then he should have just turned 10 years old 2 days ago. At this age, he would have been killing himself in an effort to try to get that man’s attention. The Masterpiece was already born and his existence was a reminder that he was nothing more than a failure. Dabi grit his teeth. No. He would not be walking down that path again. Dabi will live for himself from now on. Endeavor. Enji Todoroki. Meant nothing to him. That man was now a stranger. Dabi will save himself from the flames of obsession. He’ll be a normal civilian and be happy from now on.
Dabi stared at his hands, a smile slowly starting to overtake his previous expression. He was free.
Chapter 2: THE NEW CAFE AND ADOPTED CHILD NUMBER 1
Summary:
Fluffy and soft Touya Todoroki
Chapter Text
There’s a cafe near Musutafu Train Station that has been gaining in popularity lately. The cafe came out of nowhere and is rumored to serve some of the best food that Musutafu has to offer. Where The Phoenix now stands used to be a tea shop. The previous owners had decided to close and move away to the countryside, leaving the place empty for years. That was until Dabi, or Touya Watanabe as he now called himself stepped onto the scene, buying the property outright with the money he had saved after months of working from job to job. Touya knew that if he wanted to live a normal life, he’d have to start with building a new reputation and identity for himself. He couldn’t exactly go out to steal money to live, in no way was that going to give him the stability that he so desperately craved. When he was Dabi he was so burned that everywhere he applied had turned him away. “You look too villainous to work here. Do you want to scare away the customers?” “You clearly have a dangerous quirk, get away you villain!” “Ewwwwwww! Who wants someone ugly to work retail??” Time and time again he was rejected just on his looks. No matter how kind or caring he tried to portray himself, once they took a look at his face, their expression would skew into one of disgust. He and the lizard had spent many nights complaining about the unfairness of the situation. He and Spinner had similar experiences with bigots over their looks. Whilst Spinner had a mutation quirk that people often looked at with revulsion, Dabi’s quirk had “made him look like Frankenstein’s monster” as Shigaraki had pointed out. Now that Touya looked somewhat normal again he wouldn’t waste his chance. After he had been dropped in this new time, he had worked hard for himself. In his previous timeline, he had worked hard to strengthen his quirk to the point it burned everything and everyone. Including himself. Touya knew he had the drive and skill to build a new life for himself here. It was a blank sheet, a new start with a different dream. He wouldn’t rely on anyone else to determine his own worth, he could do that for himself. Endeavor may not have seen him as a son, but as far as he was concerned. He has no father.
As for the treacherous bird that wormed his way into Touya’s heart. Never again. He was sick of being used and abused by others, with no concern for himself. Hawks had made him feel beautiful, loved, and given him everything he wanted only to take it away. He had looked into Touya’s eyes and coldly said that their relationship was nothing more than a ploy to get the information he needed for the HPSC. Touya didn’t know if what he had felt for Hawks was love, but he knew that what he felt afterward was just pain; pain, and anger for the stupidity and weakness he had shown. He shouldn’t have trusted the bird.
Focusing his energy on his cafe, Dabi found himself satisfied with the life he now leads. He’d wake up bright and early every morning to prepare his ingredients for the day before opening at 7 am sharp. He found that at this time, many teachers, police officers, students, and underground heroes would show up, all dying for a cup of coffee to make it through the day. He found himself interested in the different people that he would find at his door. They were all very unique with different motivations and appearances. Not long after he had first opened, he had met his first underground pro hero. Pro Hero Eraserhead. Even in the first timeline, Touya had greatly admired the underground pro. Eraserhead was everything that Endeavor was not. Eraserhead had shied away from the media and tried to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, doing his job and disappearing without a word. Whilst he may not have looked as impressive as some of his co-workers, Touya knew that the man simply didn’t care for theatrics. What use was appearance when fighting villains? Touya could appreciate the sentiment. Eraserhead was seemingly always calm and collected but always on the lookout for danger to ensure that he could protect everyone. Touya respected him a lot.
That impressive hero was currently standing in front of him, capture scarf wrapped around his neck inconspicuously. The man looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. His eyes seemed to struggle to stay open as a grumbled out his usual order. “One coffee and whatever is the special of the day. I don’t think I’ll survive teaching the problem children if I don’t have it.” Touya gave a grin at the man who he now seems to see daily. “One coffee and breakfast muffin coming right up.”
—-------
Shouta needed coffee. He needed coffee badly. Last night’s patrol had ended at 2 in the morning and he still needed to be up in order to teach the problem children. He wouldn’t be able to survive their reckless stupidity without some of the heavenly coffee that The Phoenix sold. Shouta couldn’t fathom how he lived without this delicacy before he discovered it one night after a particularly strenuous patrol. Typically he patrolled late at night so any food and drink he could get were limited to what he could find at the 24-hour konbini. Basically small snack foods and bad-tasting coffee. Sometimes he could get slightly better coffee by going to the police station with Tsukauchi but the coffee wasn’t much better than the cheap stuff anyways. The Phoenix was a cafe that opened until later in the night on some days so Shouta could afford to visit during his patrols without having to rush too much. The coffee that the owner made was the highlight of Shouta’s day. The owner was a young man who seemed to be in his early 20s. He always seemed to have a smile on his face whenever Shouta saw him, no matter what time of day it was, and for some reason, that seemed to make his day slightly better. Touya reminded him of Oboro, he was kind and always friendly, though he understood when Shouta didn’t want to talk. Accepting his coffee from Touya along with his muffin, Shouta paid for his breakfast and walked out of the cafe. He would like to stay and chat but he had to get to UA and he was too sleep-deprived to make conversation anyways.
—-------
Touya was locking his cafe and walking outside when he saw a small figure dart into the alleyway near his building. The figure didn’t look much older than a child, but Touya couldn’t be sure from that short glimpse he had. Against his better judgment, Touya approached the alleyway that he saw the kid run into to look for him. He understood the dangers late at night and didn’t want to see a kid in his position. When he was 13 and ran from Sekoto Peak, he had spent months alone on the streets before he found shelter for himself. He could still remember the hunger pains that racked his body at night, and the cold chill in the air threatening to stifle his life had he not had a fire quirk. He didn’t want to see a child in that same situation.
As he walked closer to the alleyway he could make out the muffled sounds of arguing and something being kicked. Moving closer he started to see what was happening and the view made his blood boil. He had not used his quirk since traveling to this time but he could feel his flames on the edge of his skin, just below the surface, ready to be unleashed at his command. A small child lay curled in a fetal position on the ground, small malnourished arms covering his head, legs tucked to protect his stomach as 3 gangsters kicked the kid. “THIS IS OUR ALLEY TWERP! YOU THINK YOU CAN WALTZ IN HERE AND SLEEP?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!” Touya’s had enough. Sprinting the rest of the way into the alley, he felt his flames roar to life on his arm as he shouted at the gangsters.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING YOU BASTARDS?!” His voice rang through the alleyway, stopping the trio from inflicting further damage on the child. “What’s it to you pretty boy?” The tallest of the trio shot back. “This your kid? Damn the mother must be ugly then.” At this, the kid seemed to struggle as he tried his best to defend his mother. “Mama is super pretty! You can’t say that about her-” the kid couldn’t even finish his sentence as the gangsters aimed another kick at his ribs. Touya’s patience was gone. Summoning his fire to the surface, he blasted the trio with his flames, letting the blue eat at their bodies, leaving nothing behind but ash. “Serves them right. Child abusers.” He spat as he approached the kid who now lay on his back. His arms and legs were beaten black and blue, scratches oozing blood that stained his already filthy shirt. His red eyes were hollow as they stared up at the sky.
Touya bit back a gasp as he recognised the kid. It was Shigaraki. All of a sudden, tears filled the eyes of the child who lay on the floor as he bit out “Why did you help me?! No one else did! They said I had to wait for heroes! Are you a hero?!” As the kid continued to yell, the tears that swam in his eyes fell, the strength he tried to hide behind, crumbling as the kid collapsed into a pile of tears. “No one helped me. They just looked at me and walked away. Am I disgusting? Am I a villain?” Touya would later find this decision risky and stupid but at that moment, he didn’t waste any time scooping young Shigaraki into his arms. “No kid. You are not a villain. You are a kid. A child. Whatever happened is not your fault. I don’t know why you think you’re a villain but you’re not. I can tell you’ve been through a lot. You’re strong for surviving what you did. Do you understand?” Touya’s voice softened as he whispered into Shigaraki’s hair. The boy seemed hesitant and frantic as Touya held him. “No! My quirk is dangerous! It could kill you! Don’t touch me!” Touya immediately let go, the kid didn’t want to be touched so he wouldn’t touch. When he let go he could tell the kid was relieved yet sad. Obviously, Shigaraki wanted companionship and to be treated like every other kid in this sort of situation, he wanted the comfort of a hug and to be told everything would be ok, but his quirk made that difficult. Touya didn’t want to be a pile of dust and the kid didn’t know how to control it yet.
“What’s your quirk kid?” Touya asked gently. Shigaraki looked up at him with big eyes, filled with pain.
“I make things crumble. I’m a monster-” “No.” Touya didn’t let him finish. “You are not a monster. You are a child that just discovered your quirk. Whatever happened was an accident. It’s not your fault.”
Touya looked the child in the eyes before he nodded. “Now. Most quirks have an activation and deactivation rule. We need to find yours.” Touya already knew what it was but he’d have to take this slowly so young Shigaraki wouldn’t be freaked out. He handed the boy a piece of wood he found on the alley floor.
“Can you please put one finger on the wood at a time until it disappears?” Shigaraki nodded slowly as he did what he was told. As he expected, as soon as all five fingers were on the piece of wood, the plank disappeared into dust, shocking Shigaraki.
As tears started to well up in his eyes again, Touya quickly interjected. “So now we know your activation protocol. You need all five fingers on something to disintegrate it.” Pulling out some bandaids from his pocket, Touya gestured to the child to step towards him. Nervously the blue-haired child did. Carefully showing the child the bandaids, Touya explained his idea and the kid seemed hopeful that it would work. Wrapping the bandaids around each of Shigaraki’s fingers, Touya stepped back and picked up another piece of junk from the floor, this time a tin can. “Can you put all five fingers on this for me?”
This time, as Shigaraki put his fingers on the tin can, nothing happened. In joy, the kid jumped at him, wrapping thin arms around Touya’s slender frame. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Touya laughed as the small child expressed his gratitude, the tiny boy snuggling into his arms like a kitten. A moment later, the atmosphere was broken when the boy jumped out of his arms, face red in mortification.
“I’m sorry for jumping on you sir! That was rude of me. Especially after you saved me and-” “Stop kid. You don’t need to be sorry. You’re a child. It’s normal for you to be excitable. I’m happy for you.” Touya let the sentence hang in the air for a bit before he continued.
“Now I think I should introduce myself. My name is Touya Watanabe. What’s your name?”
The boy looked down as if ashamed before he answered. “I’m Tenko Shimura sir.” Ah. So Shigaraki’s real name was Tenko Shimura.
“So Tenko, do you want me to bring you back to your family? They must miss you.” At Touya’s words, tears seemed to spring to the kid’s eyes again. Jeez. This kid must have gone through some things to cry this much.
“They’re gone. I’m alone. I killed them with my quirk.” With that admission, Tenko seemed to brace himself, as if preparing to be hit. Touya’s stomach twisted.
“Tenko. I won’t hurt you. I told you. It was an accident. You’re a young child who didn’t have long to train your quirk. You cannot be expected to be held accountable for this accident. That’s why it’s called an accident.” Letting out a soft breath, Touya considered his living conditions before he made his offer.
“Tenko. Would you like to live with me?” Tenko’s eyes widened in shock.
“Did you not hear me sir? My quirk is dangerous! I killed my family! I could kill you!” Hearing the child’s explanation again, Touya couldn’t help but let out a scoff.
“Yeah, and my flames burnt the trash into ash. You’re point is?” Touya waited before he continued to make sure Tenko understood.
“Tenko. Anyone can be dangerous. Quirks are powerful things too. Anyone can be dangerous if they want to. There are many tools that can make someone dangerous. Intelligence and strength are 2 things besides your quirk that you can hone in order to make yourself a bigger threat. Just because someone is super smart doesn’t make everyone else automatically see them as a villain right?” Tenko nodded.
“Why is your quirk so different? Your quirk is just another tool, just like your intelligence and strength. You should be careful with your quirk but you should never fear your quirk. It’s a part of you. Do you understand Tenko?”
Tenko gave Touya a wobbly smile as he nodded his head.
“Now. Do you want to stay with me? Or do you want me to bring you to the police to have them help you there?”
“No police!” The answer was automatic.
Then, Tenko flushed red as he said. “I want to stay with you. Please let me stay.”
Touya felt his heart melt as he took in the sight before him. Tenko was adorable with his little pout and big eyes, gazing at him with a look that screamed “Don’t abandon me!”
Touya smiled at Tenko as he picked the boy up in his arms, the child letting out a small squeal as he did so.
“Let’s go home now, Tenko.” The boy buried his face into Touya’s chest as Touya walked back to his apartment with his new son in his arms.
Chapter 3: GUESS I'M A DAD NOW
Summary:
Touya is soft on his kid and Tenko finds himself a good dad.
Notes:
I'm kind of posting erratically right now because I have a bunch of ideas for this fic but I'll probably calm to a weekly or fortnightly posting schedule at some point.
Chapter Text
Tenko stares at himself in the mirror. His red eyes stared back at him, but they had regained a life to them that he thought he had lost since that day. Mr. Touya had taken him back to his home and cleaned him up. Tenko was now wearing an oversized shirt and shorts tied at the waist. Mr. Touya had been apologetic that he didn’t have anything in Tenko’s size but… Tenko was happy. This was far more than what he had dared to hope. He had a roof over his head and there was an adult that promised he would protect Tenko. Tenko smiled to himself. He was safe.
The shirt was soft against his skin as he lay in the bed that Mr. Touya gave him. The room was bare, it was a guest room but there was comfort in the cream walls and wooden furniture. His old home had been black and white and modern but the people inside were cold to his suffering. When father beat him his mother would yell but never lift a hand to help him. His sister was willing to frame him to get out of trouble, even though she knew that the man would only hurt him more. There was a knock on the door and Tenko scrambled to stand up from the bed. Mr. Touya entered the room with a gentle smile on his face. Mr. Touya was the prettiest person Tenko had ever met. If angels were real, Tenko thinks that they would look like Mr. Touya. His blue eyes burned with warmth as he approached Tenko.
“Hey kid, are you hungry? I’ve made dinner.” Tenko didn’t need to open his mouth to answer the man because right at that moment, his stomach rumbled loudly.
Mr. Touya started laughing but it wasn’t malicious. Tenko didn’t feel like Mr. Touya was making fun of him. After a moment Tenko started laughing along with him. The two laughed for what felt like forever until the laughter quieted to giggles between them. Mr. Touya stood up, offering a hand to Tenko that he was shy to accept. Mr. Touya’s hand was warm, just like his smile.
Mr. Touya pulled him to the kitchen where a hot meal was arranged on the dining table. The meal smelled heavenly and Tenko almost choked in his haste to eat. “No one’s going to take the food away from you Tenko. Slow down so you don’t choke.” A comforting hand was placed on his head and Tenko felt himself blush as he slowed his pace. He could get used to this.
After dinner, Mr. Touya told him to wash up and go to bed. Laying in the dark room, Tenko struggled to fall asleep. His hands were encased in artists’ gloves so he knew he could grip the sheets and not worry about disintegrating the room around him but every time he closed his eyes, he could see them. He could see the fear in their eyes as they crumbled to dust, the panic in his father’s eyes as he swung the pipe on his head. Anything to kill Tenko so that he couldn’t cause more damage. Tenko was a villain. He should’ve been the one to die that night. Not Hana. Not mum. Not Grandma and Grandpa. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he choked down a sob. He didn’t deserve all this.
Tenko cried himself to sleep but he didn’t get rest. All throughout the night he tossed and turned as nightmares plagued him. The souls of his family tugged at him and screamed accusingly whenever they got close. “MURDERER!” “VILLAIN!” “YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!” “HEROES ARE SELFISH BUT YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A MONSTER!” Their abuse rained down on him like sharp knives as he curled further and further into himself. He could feel the ground rising up around him, ready to bury him in an avalanche when he was shaken awake.
Worried blue eyes looked down at him. The lights were on in the room and Mr. Touya sat next to him on the bed. Arms wrapped around him in a comforting hug. Tenko couldn’t hold in his tears as he buried his face into the warm chest, he was heaving as sobs broke from his small frame. “I’M A MONSTER! I DON’T DESERVE YOUR KINDNESS! I’M SORRY FOR CAUSING YOU ALL THIS TROUBLE MR TOUYA!!” He continued to cry even as a large hand rubbed small circles on his back.
—-------
Touya hummed as he held Tenko tighter to himself. The self-deprecating words that escaped the boy’s mouth were similar to the thoughts that often plagued his own mind. He understood where Tenko could have gotten that idea. Hell, he thought the same about himself sometimes. He knew it was self-destructive and wouldn’t help him so he pushed those emotions aside in favor of working towards his goals. In this new life, it was running his cafe.
—-------
Tenko relaxed in Mr. Touya’s hold as he felt himself calm down. Mr. Touya was holding him now. He was safe. Mr. Touya wouldn’t hurt him. Mr. Touya cared about him. Or at least he thinks so. Tenko closed his eyes, finally finding peace as his mind slipped to oblivion.
The next morning, Tenko awoke in his room alone. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night and being held by Mr. Touya. Mr. Touya was gone. Tenko must’ve killed him. Panic seized his throat as hot tears pricked at his eyes again. He wasn’t a baby dammit. Why is he crying so much?! Despite his thoughts, Tenko couldn’t help the wobble in his lips as he imagined what could have happened. His gloves must’ve slipped off in his sleep and he killed Mr. Touya. Or he took them off in his sleep and murdered Mr. Touya like the monster that he was. Pulling his slippers on, Tenko stumbled around the apartment before finally managing to reach the kitchen.
There, standing by the stove was Mr. Touya. His white hair was messy as if he had just rolled out of bed and his shirt was wrinkled from where he lay on it. Mr. Touya didn’t look as neat and tidy as he had the previous day but Tenko had never been so relieved to see someone before. Running over to the man, he wrapped his arms around his waist and clung to him, unwilling to let him go. “You’re alive.” He muttered in wonder. He was happy that he hadn’t killed Mr. Touya. Mr. Touya was nice to him. He actually helped him when no one else would. Mr. Touya was Tenko’s savior.
—-------
Touya felt small arms wrap around his waist as he was preparing breakfast for the two of them. It was 8 in the morning and he had already dealt with the morning wave. It was lucky that the store that he bought had an apartment above it, otherwise, he didn’t know what he’d do. He wanted to make a filling breakfast for Tenko. The kid looked like he’d been starved when they had eaten dinner the previous night, so Touya wanted to make sure he got all the food he needed to grow. When he felt the small face press up against the small of his back, Touya smiled and tried to speak as softly as possible to calm the kid. “I’m here buddy. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.” Touya felt Tenko shift as he gripped tighter onto him. What Tenko said next would shock him.
“I was afraid that I hurt you... dad.”
Chapter 4: LATE NIGHT CONVERSATIONS
Summary:
Tenko has attachment issues? Touya will try to fix it.
Touya is sad because of a bad past relationship? Tenko will contemplate murder.
Notes:
Note the sneak peek into what Hawks will have to go through when the characters age up a bit. I took inspiration from Prompt 45 in Azureblaze's https://archiveofourown.org/works/39485052/chapters/100639092
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s been a few months since he’d taken Tenko in and the boy has stuck to him like glue. Whenever he was in the cafe, Tenko would be standing right behind him, often with a hand clutching onto some part of his clothing. At first, his customers had joked about how he had adopted a little bird who imprinted on him but now it was a regular occurrence. Tenko was a small child with light blue hair and red eyes that he often used to glare at anyone who tried to ask for Touya’s number. Their attempt would be immediately halted because as young as the kid was, he knew how to intimidate. Not that it wasn’t adorable but Touya was starting to get concerned that Tenko was growing an unhealthy attachment to him. As much as he loved the kid and cared for him like his own child, he understood that obsession to this degree never went well. His previous life was a prime example. He had been obsessed with getting his father’s attention and ended up burning himself out. He didn’t want that for Tenko.
He had tried to distance himself from Tenko little by little slowly but it was like the kid had a sixth sense for whenever Touya would leave the room. When Touya was in the kitchen baking more goods for the cafe, Tenko would be sitting at the bench handing him the ingredients or standing by him, watching Touya cook. As sweet as that was, Touya knew that sending him to school would be an uphill battle.
Touya was right. The moment he had told Tenko of his plans to send him to school, it was like all hell broke loose. “But I want to stay with you! No one will accept me! I don’t need anyone else but you!” Touya’s heart broke at the heartwrenching pleas of his kid. Tenko was scared about how people would react to him and to a certain extent, Touya could see why. A kid who has a destructive quirk but is unable to fully switch it off would be prime pickings by other kids to be a villain. Hell, this was probably how Tenko became Shigaraki before. Steeling himself, Touya knelt down until he was eye to eye with Tenko.
“Tenko. I understand why you’re upset but this is for your own good. You need an education so you can support yourself and do great things in your life. Don’t you want to be a hero?” The words were bitter in his mouth. Touya had wanted to be a hero once but failed. Tenko at this age would undoubtedly be one of those kids with the same hopes.
“No. I don’t want to be a hero. Heroes are useless. Heroes didn’t save me when I needed them. You did.” Tenko rushed out. He spat that out so fast that Touya almost missed the wistfulness in his voice. Tenko still wanted to be a hero, clearly it was a dream that had not yet died. Taking in a breath, Touya looked into Tenko's eyes as he continued.
“Tenko. I understand you have some complicated feelings about heroism. You want to be a hero but heroes weren’t there to save you. It’s wrong for kid your age to already be aware of the world like this but you’re smart. I’m just going to be honest with you.” Pausing again to gauge Tenko’s reaction, Touya was pleased to see the boy looking at him with a serious expression on his face. He would listen and take whatever Touya said to heart.
“Heroism is a job that often equates power and public opinion into money. Heroes are put on a pedestal so the government can claim that they’re supporting the people and making sure that everyone is safe. Whilst that is true sometimes, people often forget that heroes are human too. They’re like you and me, they can get hurt, they can bleed and make mistakes. Heroes aren't perfect, most of the time they try to help when they can but there are those that they miss.”
“Like me. The heroes missed me.” Tenko’s voice was monotone, his face blank as if just stating a fact.
“Yes. Yes, they did.” Touya brought Tenko into a hug.
“Heroes are people paid to help others, but don’t forget that everyone can help someone.” Poking the boy on the nose, Touya smiled when Tenko gave a short giggle at his action.
“Heroes may have failed you, but you can be the one to bring attention to others who heroes have failed. I won’t force you to be a hero. I won’t force you to be anything you don’t want to be. But going to school is the first step to make sure you have options later, ok?”
Tenko stared at him for a very long time, red eyes unblinking as they took in Touya’s face. After a few minutes of the two staring at each other, Tenko finally gave in.
“I’ll go to school... but can I still help you in the cafe?” The question was so innocent yet spoken with such uncertainty that Touya had to fight the urge to just stare at Tenko in confusion. There was clearly more on Tenko’s mind but if there was, he clearly wasn’t willing to voice it.
“Of course kiddo. What will I do without my little helper?” Finally, Tenko smiled. It was a bright and happy smile that seemed to stretch across his entire face as he pressed himself into Touya’s arms in a hug.
After sending Tenko to bed, Touya settled down in front of the TV for some late-night news. It was all the same blah blah Endeavor managed to defeat this villain, blah All Might has just returned from America yada yada about a new hero on the scene. When the clip cut to said new hero, Touya could feel his heart stop and his stomach sink. Piercing gold eyes were focused on the villain as red wings lifted the hero into the air. The hero had that same cheeky smile that had made Touya fall in love with him all those years ago. It was Hawks. Hawks shouldn’t be a hero yet if things were following the last timeline. Hawks should be a kid. Hawks should be learning about his quirk. As Touya hyperventilated, his eyes did not stray from the screen. Hawks had used some of his feathers to lift civilians out of the way of falling debris, whilst still hovering in the air. This was definitely Hawks. His Hawks.
Touya could feel the maniacal hurt from his past life rush through him. The pain, just as traumatic as it had been the day it had happened. Hawks had come to join the League and became fast friends with many of its members. He and Twice spoke all the time about their day-to-day work and Hawks even spent the time helping Toga with her hair and blood cravings. Touya could admit at first he had not trusted the blonde hero, something was just off about him. It took Hawks months to tear down his walls and teach him to care about himself. Hawks was the perfect partner, caring and always ready to talk about anything. Touya found himself spilling his guts about his trauma and motives on many nights.
He had thought Hawks understood. Sadly that was not the case. Just before the war, he had returned to Head Quarters early, ready to surprise Hawks with some fried chicken that he had worked hard to learn how to make when he saw the hero stab Twice through the chest. Twice had been sobbing on the floor, face contorted with anguish at the betrayal of a good friend. When Hawks had seen Dabi at the door he didn’t even try to explain himself. He just looked at Dabi with a blank expression and spoke those cold words that would haunt his dreams for years.
“Oh? So I’ve been found out? Mission over I guess.”
A mission. Their relationship was a mission. Hawks had never loved him. Hawks had used him. Dabi had been spiraling out of control after his confrontation with Endeavor but what Hawks had admitted to broke whatever sanity was still in him. Every action after was a blur. He remembered the heat and flash of his flames before he was left alone in the room, Twice’s body cooling in a pool of his own blood.
As Touya sobbed into his hands on the sofa, he tried to muffle his voice to make sure that Tenko wouldn’t hear. Too bad he didn’t notice the small figure that stood silently at the door.
—-------
Tenko was coming down for a glass of water when he saw Touya hunched over on the sofa. With his face tilted down, Tenko would have thought that his dad was just thinking about something if not for the shaking of his shoulders and the small stifled sounds that still managed to escape his lips. Making sure he was fully hidden behind the door, Tenko peeked over to see what his dad was crying over. On the screen was a blonde, winged hero. His gold eyes lit up with joy as he spoke to his many fans and the media. It was a new hero. Pro Hero Hawks was tall and handsome if the interview was anything to go by. He got on well with his fans and seemed to be a heartthrob-
Tenko finally made the connection. Looking between the TV and his hurting dad he realized what was wrong.
His dad was pretty. Very pretty. Tenko thinks anyone who disagrees is either blind or lying to themself. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that once upon a time his dad was involved with this hero. And judging by the way this hero acted with the women around him… this hero broke his dad’s heart. Kind, caring and pretty Touya Watanabe was the star-struck young man who was tricked by the playboy.. playbird Pro Hero Hawks. Tenko clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white underneath his gloves. If he ever saw that man near his beloved dad, he’d be sure to ask for a firm handshake… with his gloves OFF.
Committing the man’s face and name to memory, Tenko abandoned his original plan to get a glass of water and silently stalked back to his room. His dad was right. Heroes were people after all. There were good people and bad people. Thankfully people could be very fragile..
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-When Tenko finally meets Hawks-
Hawks was having a good day. He had saved a whole apartment building when it caught on fire and received praise for his work from the commission, who now had no true control over him like in his past life. He’d been able to fly around arresting many small-time villains before having fried chicken for lunch. He didn’t know where his sidekick had gotten it but it was delicious! The outside was golden and crunchy and the inside was a burst of flavor that made him finish the entire meal in 5 minutes. That chicken was GOOD. He had just saved a group of people at the bank from a hostage situation. One of the villains holding the group hostage had a technology silencing quirk, which stopped the alarm from going off too soon and the other villain had a blade quirk very similar to another villain he knew from the past timeline (Moonfish). Thankfully he had made it in time. Now as he stood, watching the civilians get escorted out by police, he saw something that made his jaw drop to the floor.
Among the hostages, an angel had stepped out. His hair was a snow white, spiking everywhere yet somehow looking like the softest thing in the world. When the angel looked up, Hawks swears he saw the deepest part of the ocean in his eyes. The man was so.. beautiful. Before he could even think, Hawks was already making his way across the crowd to the man. He had almost reached his angel when a sharp pain hit him.
SOME KID DECIDED TO KICK HIM IN THE BALLS!! Angry at whoever had done such a thing, Hawks looked in the direction of the blow to see a teenage boy glaring down at him. The boy looked startlingly familiar, but Hawks couldn’t place exactly where. If Hawks hadn’t known any better, he would have thought he was looking at a young Shigaraki. That is.. if Shigaraki was more buff and knew what moisturizer was. Nope. This wasn’t Shigaraki. Must be some coincidence. As he kept staring at the teen who’d done this to him, he heard the boy scoff before STEPPING OVER HAWKS’ DOWNED BODY and making his way to the angel that Hawks was previously approaching.
When the angel saw the boy, he could see the man’s eyes light up as he brought the boy into a hug. Hawks wished he was in that hug instead of the ground. Soon, the boy grabbed onto the angel’s arm and began to pull him away from the crowd. In mere moments, the two had disappeared, leaving Hawks sulking on the ground.
He didn’t get the chance to talk to the angel!
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed the little treat~
Chapter 5: I TRAIN MY KID AND MEET MINI ME
Summary:
Touya won’t stand for bullying and will use stupid logic against stupid people. He also finally remembers something he completely forgot about.
Notes:
Thank you for all the support you guys have shown this fic so far! We've just reached over 1000 hits so here's the next chapter!
Chapter Text
It’s been a couple of months since Tenko started at Aldera Middle School. As Touya had thought, having a quirk like Tenko’s didn’t invite many favors from the kids there. Touya’s already had to go to the principal 5 times to kindly ask him to get the other kids to fuck off. And that’s only this month! As much as Tenko tried to convince him that he was ok, Touya knew that it must have gotten to the kid. Tenko was withdrawn from other people, more withdrawn than he should be for a young boy his age. His parenting books hastily borrowed from the library didn’t teach him how to handle this situation, and any books on how to parent a kid with a dangerous quirk- dangerous because he refused to call it villainous- were full of bias and hatred. What quirk a child has should not determine how they are treated by others, yes quirks were essentially part of someone, but it didn’t mean that it’s the ONE defining part of them. It’s almost as dumb as going to a cactus, touching it, and claiming it doesn’t hurt because plants are “delicate” and “can’t hurt anyone”. Yeah right. The next person that says villainous quirks make villains will become very well acquainted with the underside of his boot. No one hurts his kid.
Touya walked out of the cafe and to the school. He’d planned to pick up Tenko today for a very good reason. He was going to teach him how to defend himself. The lousy principal, as well as the parents of those brats, had claimed self-defense. In their own words, “so long as no one is too injured, defending themselves should be ok”. They knew that Tenko couldn’t use his quirk without someone potentially becoming a dust bunny so, with this, they effectively gave the kids free reign to do whatever. Not on Touya’s watch. If they could claim self-defense then fine. Tenko’s just going to have to wipe the floor with them to make a point. They wouldn’t even be able to charge him with quirk use! Everyone with a brain knows that if Tenko used his quirk, it’d be extremely obvious. Now if Tenko beat them quirkless… that would be a different situation. After all. His kid was just claiming self-defense.
Outside the school, the sun was shining brightly and a calm breeze cooled his face. Touya couldn’t believe this was his life now. Only a year ago, he’d been on the run from the heroes, hiding in dilapidated and abandoned buildings just trying to survive. Now, he had his own cafe, money was stable and he had a kid that loved him. Life was good.
When Tenko exited the gates, Touya noted that his expression was one of mild annoyance. Touya would bet money that some kids probably said something to him along the lines of “get away from us you crusty villain!” Whilst that may have been a true statement in a previous life, it wasn’t true now. Now he was Touya’s kid. Walking up to the boy, Touya put a hand on his back, laughing as Tenko jumped a few feet in the air due to his surprise.
“Dad! What are you doing here?”
“I’m planning on showing you a special place today Tenko. Do you have enough energy to go on a little walk with me?” The boy nodded as a smile started to grow on Touya’s face. He grabbed Tenko’s bag from him as he started to walk towards his old training spot. The boy seemed shocked for a moment before running after him, face red.
“I’m not a baby dad! I can carry my things myself!” It was cute how red Tenko’s face had grown. He was like a little tomato with blue leaves. Touya had to hold himself back from laughing when he realised Tenko’s cheeks were nearly the same shade as his eyes. How adorable.
—-------
Tenko wasn’t sure where his dad wanted to take him right after classes ended. He wasn’t expecting his dad to show up right outside his school. He could already imagine what his classmates would say if they had seen him. No doubt he’d be teased even more for having his dad pick him up.. That being said. He didn’t really care. They were just a bunch of nobodies that he didn’t even register enough about to remember their names. They were just people he had to see every day. People who were complicit with the bullying he’d gone through. So what if he had a dad that picked him up? They’re just jealous that his dad loves him so much. If they were going to tease him about it, he might just gift each of them a carton of milk to make up for the lack of care their fathers clearly had. After all, why else care if your classmate’s dad picked them up? They weren’t close enough for any of them to be concerned about him.
As he was thinking of ways to spite his classmates later, he failed to realise that his dad had stopped in front of him, leading Tenko to crash face first into the man’s back.
They had arrived at the foot of a mountain. “This is where I used to train my quirk Tenko. I trained and worked to develop my power and physical strength. I plan to train you as well. But only if you want me to. I won’t force you, but I want you to know that the option is open.”
Tenko couldn’t speak. He’s just stunned. He’d never had anyone do anything remotely close to this before. His old father had beat him whenever he did something the man didn’t like and trampled on his dreams with no hesitation. Tenko has never had a choice in his life. He had to do what his father wanted or suffer the consequences. When he was adopted by Mr. Touya, he’d been introduced to a whole different world. The man let him do what he wanted so long as it was reasonable and he was given notice, he’d helped Tenko whenever he was asked and did not ask Tenko of anything in return. The emotions were almost overwhelming when Tenko hugged his dad. The man who taught Tenko what true family was. “Thank you.” Tenko couldn’t say the phrase much louder without risking his voice breaking from the emotions he felt. A hand ruffled his hair, soothing him. It was an unspoken “you’re welcome”.
—-------
The boy didn’t speak up but the way he hugged Touya was enough for him to know that what he had done was much appreciated. Face pressed into his chest, he could feel his kid trembling as a small “thank you” was mumbled. Touya was happy that he hasn’t failed as a father. But then again, he doesn’t think he’d ever fail as spectacularly as Endeavor did.
Holding the boy by the hand, he walked them both up the hill to the clearing he remembered. It was near the top of Sekoto Peak, surrounded by trees with an empty field in the middle, perfect for practicing. Better yet, no one but him knew about it so it was always empty.
Usually, it was empty. There was a boy already at his spot. The kid had snowy white hair and pale skin marred by burn marks. The burn marks were red and angry, standing out against his skin. The marks were slightly smoking as the young boy blasted fire at the training dummies stuck haphazardly in the ground. The boy was panting with exertion as he spun in circles shooting shot after shot at each dummy, missing a good quarter of them but still managing to burn himself in the process. Touya swears he saw smoke sizzling away at the red burns.
“Hey, kid! You need to stop!” As the kid stilled, he fell to the ground with a squeak.
“Who are you?! This is my spot! My father’s Endeavour! If you do anything to me you’ll be sorry!” Waving off the little tangent the kid had started to go on, Touya took the time to inspect the kid properly. Blue eyes met blue eyes as Touya finally worked out who the pint-sized brat in front of him was. Honestly, it was obvious and he berated himself for forgetting to check up. This was him! Of course, he would run into himself if he went to THE SAME PLACE HE ALWAYS TRAINED! Groaning at his own stupidity, he tried for a comforting smile. Hopefully, his past self won’t be too freaked out by his appearance.
“Hi. My name is Touya Watanabe and I’m here to train my Tenko here, on how to defend himself and use his quirk.” His name was one thing, but the similar quirks and his appearance should be a few red flags to anyone paying attention that something was off. If not for his dyed blue hair, he’d look like the kid’s older self. For good reason. He WAS the kid’s older self.
If younger Touya was suspicious of him, he didn’t show it. “I’m Touya Todoroki. I’m training to be the best hero ever! You can train here but don’t get him my way!” The kid then ignored him and Tenko as he resumed practice. Touya forgot how much of a little brat he was when he was younger. Tenko was quiet when they walked home.
—-------
The next week, Tenko had come to his decision. He wanted to train with Touya at the top of the hill. He knew that he desperately needed the experience and being able to fight would mean that he could defend himself and his dad. Especially from annoying blonde, winged heartbreakers. Not that he’d tell his dad that. He’d get strong enough to protect his dad! And if that meant some more bonding time with his dad, Tenko wasn’t complaining.
When they reached the hill, something made Tenko and his dad stop. It was the same boy as last week. Tenko could admit that the kid’s quirk was strong from what they’d seen last week, but the kid seemed arrogant about his identity and looked robotic with the intensity that he pushed himself with his flames. Tenko had seen the burn marks on the other boy and shuddered. It was like he didn’t feel any pain. The familiarity of the quirk wasn’t lost on him. This Touya’s flames looked almost identical to his dad’s flames, though it looked like it hurt its user. Tenko didn’t want to think about what would happen if his dad’s quirk hurt him this badly. He couldn’t stand the thought.
The boy currently training on the hill was bleeding from multiple wounds and tears were streaming down his cheeks, instantly evaporating from the heat of his own quirk. His eyes looked broken as he took shuddering breaths. “Must. Train. Harder. Must. Get. Father’s. Approval.” It was like the boy was chanting some sort of ritual to keep going and honestly it scared Tenko. The boy had turned psychotic, flames seemed to eat at his skin. Dad had run to the boy before Tenko could try to stop him.
“STOP YOUR QUIRK NOW!!!” Tenko had never seen his dad so panicked before, and he felt a twinge in his heart. For a moment he found himself wishing that it was him burning. Tenko was horrified when he thought about what he felt later.
—-------
Touya was panicking when he saw his younger self on fire. Little Touya, as he was called in Touya’s head looked worn out and his eyes soulless. Something had broken inside him. When he yelled at him, the flames flickered and disappeared. His younger self collapses to the floor in a heap of depression and tiredness.
“I’m useless. I’m a failure. I’ll get replaced. I won’t ever be loved. I should die.” Touya held his younger self in his arms as tears continued to stream down his face. The anguish was unmistakable and Touya realised this is what he must’ve looked like when he had gone through the same thing in his solitude. Holding the boy close he whispered affirmations to him.
“You are not useless. You are a treasure. You are a gift. There are so many people who love you and would be destroyed if you hurt yourself. You need to live on. You’ll do so much good with your life.” The sobbing tapered off into sniffles as Touya kept rubbing circles into the boy’s back. His shirt was covered in ash and drenched in tears at this point but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. There was a child in front of him that needed support and care and he would give it freely. He wished for someone to do this for him at that age and now he’s being the person he’d always needed.
Little Touya looked up at him with broken eyes. “Mr. Touya. I am a mistake. My father thinks I’m weak and I can’t control my quirk. What point is there for me to live? My mother can’t bear to look at me, my sister doesn’t understand and my brother is annoyed at me now. Is there really a reason for me to live anymore?” His voice was broken as he spoke. He looked like he had thought this over many times, and Touya knew that he had. In his youth, his mother was ashamed of his quirk and its inherent weakness and she could never look at him again. He had felt neglected and unloved in that household after it was found out that his quirk was incompatible with his body. His mother had felt so much guilt she could not look him in the eye, too ashamed that she had brought a child into the world only to suffer.
“Young Touya. I won’t claim to know what’s happening in your family. But I came to train my son-” “Yeah, I get it. Sorry sir, I won’t get you involved in the shit show of my family-” “No. That’s not what I was going to say.” Touya interrupted his younger self. He didn’t want to make the boy feel as though he was being pushed off, but as a “stranger” he really shouldn’t claim to understand unless he wanted nosy people to come sticking themselves in his business and past.
“I’m offering to train you. You said that you can’t control your quirk. I have a similar one and I use it in a way that won’t burn the user. I have a weakness to my flames too. Now, do you want me to train you?” When he made the offer, he could see that the boy was hopeful. A way to use his quirk without burning himself would have been a godsend as a kid. Touya wasn’t surprised when the kid agreed, a new light shining in his eyes. It was hope. The kid was wishing with all his might that this would work.
Touya knew it would work, but the kid didn’t. “Ok. We start training next weekend. I’ll train you and Tenko together. Young Touya nodded and stood up to bow at him before retreating down the mountain. Presumably to return to the Todoroki Estate. The sun was beginning to set.
Turning around to Tenko, he smiled apologetically before gesturing for the boy that they would also need to go home so that Touya could prepare dinner and open up the cafe for the evening rush.
Safe to say, no training was done that day, but promises were made. Promises that would change the future as they had known it.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-How Was Tenko Feeling During This Interaction?-
Touya: *looking after Little Touya, who is crying and depressed, contemplating death*
Little Touya: I may trust this man.
Tenko: I have this sudden urge to give a high five to soothe the boy. He said he wanted to die right? He probably does since he’s trying to take away my dad.
Chapter 6: STRANGE OCCURRENCES
Summary:
The Todoroki Brothers realise what a healthy relationship with an older male role model looks like.
Notes:
I hope you like the new chapter!
Chapter Text
The next week when Touya meets his younger self, he asks him to call him Nabe instead of Touya. Just lessens the confusion for everyone. Touya would go on to teach the boy the specifics of using his quirk in a way that the flame didn’t touch his skin. Touya had found later in life in the last timeline that he was able to get his flames to hover if he focused and practiced. When he was young he had used his father as an example and let the flames dance on his body, devouring him with them. If he had thought to utilise his flames in a different way, he probably would have gone on to do bigger things. Just more proof that quirk therapists were generally just stabbing in the dark when “helping” kids.
His younger self was taking to the lessons like a duck to water, he seemed more cheerful and ready to learn with each week that went by. Tenko, who had been quiet at first had also warmed up to the new training partner. To be honest, Touya was afraid Tenko would attack his younger self when the boy had shown up for their first training session.
Now a couple of weeks on, Touya had grown used to his presence and seemed to look to him for support and as a role model. Not that Touya had blamed him, Endeavor was hardly a good role model. He would take the fatherly role that he had been deprived of and do a damn good job at it. The first few weeks were hard and Touya often found his mini-me crying when he failed at a task. He really thought that Nabe would punish him or see him as worthless due to his blunders. Thankfully, it only took a few sessions for him to reassure Touya and get him to trust him enough to believe that Nabe won’t leave.
During the break, Touya brought out a picnic basket of treats for the boys to share. They had worked hard and now, he was making a habit of letting the boys enjoy some sweets and junk food after training as a reward. Their smiles told him that clearly, his decision was much appreciated. He had found that his younger self really loved chocolate croissants, which made sense because it was his favourite snack to have with a cup of coffee in the morning. Clearly, his younger self had taste. After today’s training session, he had prepared Touya a bag of chocolate croissants, just a little reward for training so hard for all these weeks.
Tenko had pouted at him when he saw him give the other boy the bag.
“Dad! I wanted a chocolate croissant!” His whiney voice rang out like a baby.
“Tenko, we have a lot at home. You can have more chocolate croissants later. I know you sneak down to the kitchen when I’m busy.” He said, shutting down his son’s next argument.
Touya rolled his eyes, sometimes his adopted son was very predictable.
—-------
Touya had never had so much fun training before. When he had trained with his father, he could always remember the burning pain of his quirk and the yelling of his father when he failed at completing a move. His father would teach him hand-to-hand combat by going at him with as much speed as possible in order to test him. He has agreed that that was the best training method at the time but now… training with Nabe was something completely different. The man was calm and patient, going through each step of the move slowly, making sure that Touya understood what he was explaining. When Touya had failed at completing a move, he expected to be reprimanded, but Nabe had simply asked him to repeat the move and then correct what he had done wrong. It was… soothing. Nabe was an excellent trainer, Touya feels like he’s learned more in the few weeks he trained with Nabe than in the years of training he had with his father. The problem of his quirk burning his skin was now almost nonexistent. Sometimes his quirk would singe him, but that’s only when he wasn’t focusing, but he was mostly fine. He couldn’t wait to show his father! But… he knew if he told Endeavor about this trainer, he might demand that Touya stop because he couldn’t stand the thought of someone else training his children. It was him or nothing. No. Touya will not tell his father who trained him.
Nabe had handed him a bag of his favourite chocolate croissants at the end of today’s session. He knew that the man could only train him and his son on the weekend due to his job and Tenko going to school, but sometimes he wished that they could train every day. Nabe just made training so fun! And Tenko was a good friend, no matter how snarky he could be at times. He knew that the boy had hated him at first for stealing his time with his dad away, and Touya could understand. Touya wouldn’t want anyone to take his father’s attention from him either. The two had become fast friends though, talking about the stupid people at their respective schools. They were both isolated in their classes but for very different reasons. He was the “first son of Endeavor” and he had a “villainous” quirk. Two very different extremes but they understood each other.
Walking down the mountain, Touya made sure to tuck the bag in his jacket. He didn’t want to be questioned where he got the croissants from, and he didn’t want to share the croissants Nabe gave him. They were his!
Sneaking into his room, he put the bag into a drawer on his desk.
—-------
Did Touya think he was stupid? Or did he just not expect anyone to notice his new behaviour? Natsuo wasn’t sure what Touya was up to but it was obvious that something had changed in his brother’s world. For the past few weeks, Touya had been going to Sekoto Peak for hours on his own and returning with minimal burns. Natsuo was happy that his brother wasn’t as hurt as usual but there was something strange about this routine. Everyone in the Todoroki Household knew that Touya’s quirk burned him. He couldn’t use it unless he wanted to cook himself alive, yet every time he spied on his brother training his quirk in the dojo, he had never gotten more than a few burns. Had he managed to increase his resistance somehow? Mum said the doctors told them that it was impossible!
Touya was acting suspicious and Natsuo will do everything in his power to find out what changed. Sneaking into his older brother’s room, Natsuo riffled through his brother’s things into he found a strange bag in his brother’s bottom drawer. When he opened the bag he found… pastries? That was weird. There were no pastry stores near their house and the driver hasn’t been asked to drive Touya anywhere. If he had, their father probably would have mentioned it at the table. Touya had to be getting these from somewhere. Slipping his hand into the bag, Natsuo pulled out a buttery pastry and bit into it. A warm comforting feeling rushed through him as the pastry broke away into the soft sweetness of chocolate. Natsuo was instantly hooked. THIS PASTRY WAS GOOD! IT WAS THE BEST THING HE’S EVER HAD! Before he could grab another pastry, he heard footsteps make their way down the hall. Touya was coming back to his room. Shoving the bag back into the drawer, Natsuo made his hasty retreat.
For the next few weeks, Natsuo makes a habit of sneaking into Touya’s room to look for more bags of treats. Some weeks there would be a bag of different pastries. Natsuo had tried quite a variety at this point but the pastry he had in the first week was still the best.
This week Natsuo was determined to figure out where Touya was getting these pastries from. It wasn’t fair that Touya was hiding the snacks from him and Fuyumi!
When Touya started going up to Sekoto Peak this week, Natsuo was ready. He followed his older brother as quietly as possible. He was 5! Give him a break! Thankfully, Touya was very small for his age so Natsuo could follow him easily. If Touya was tall and could take longer steps… Natsuo didn’t want to think about it. Getting lost in Sekoto Peak was not on the list of things he wanted to do.
Touya continued to climb the mountain until he reached a thick area of trees. Walking into the dense thicket, the two Todoroki children entered a clearing. Waiting for his brother was a man and a boy who looked around the same age as his brother. Both had light blue hair. The man smiled when he saw Touya and the boy let out a grin. Touya approached the two calmly, he had known them for a while.
After a brief chat between the three that Natsuo wasn’t close enough to hear, Natsuo could see the three begin to train. He could see the man instructing his brother on how to control his fire. The blue flames seemed to twist and turn in the air, dancing in beautiful patterns, much to his brother’s delight. He didn’t seem to be in pain either. Whatever the man was doing, it was helping his brother way more than their father ever could. As Natsuo continued to watch, he saw many differences between this training and his father’s.
Where his father was angry and loud with his training, this man was calm and corrected the mistakes that Touya made without making any fuss. When Touya went too far in his training and hurt himself accidentally, the man stopped him and wrapped his burns in cream and bandages. He showed more care and concern for Touya’s wellbeing in an hour than Natsuo had seen Endeavor show Touya in a month! Natsuo wondered what it would be like if this man was their father instead. Would life be different? Shaking his head, Natsuo realised that 2 hours had passed and the three were taking a break.
The man seemed to say something before both boys jumped up in glee. Soon, they were racing down the mountain before the man could even sit up. From where he was hiding, he saw the man smile at the two boys before jogging down the mountain after them.
This time, Natsuo had to be careful in order to not get lost.
When the man caught up to them, the two boys had each wrapped one of his arms in a strong grip and walked leisurely down to the train station. WAS TOUYA GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE FAR WITH THESE PEOPLE?! Much to Natsuo’s relief, the three stopped in front of a cafe, The Phoenix, before walking in.
The store had been closed but opened easily when the man pulled the keys from his pocket. So he owned this cafe?
Natsuo watched on as the two boys sat on one of the tables and began to chat about their week. This was something Touya would often do with Natsuo, though he’s been doing it less. Natsuo felt a little sad when he realised that Touya had gone to other people instead of Natsuo to talk now. After about 15 minutes, the man returned with 2 large chocolate milkshakes. The drink was topped with cream, chocolate shavings and a strawberry. Natsuo felt his mouth water as a plate was set on the table. IT WAS THE CHOCOLATE PASTRY! SO THIS IS WHERE TOUYA WAS GETTING THOSE FROM! Before Natsuo could do anything, he felt his stomach grumble. His face immediately flushed red as he jumped back from where he was hiding by the door. Any hope that the two boys didn’t hear him was lost when the blue-haired boy ran to the door, opening it quickly and seeing Natsuo.
“Umm.. hi?” He said dumbly.
“Who are you kid?” The boy asked, eyes staring down at him as if staring through his soul. Natsuo shivered. That gaze was unsettling.
“Natsuo?” His brother called from where he sat at the table. His eyes were opened wide and his face was an expression of surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I followed you of course! You were acting weird! What did you expect?” Natsuo was not embarrassed to admit that his voice wavered a bit as he spoke. He was mortified that he’d been caught, especially by his brother’s friend! He felt his face burn as the two of them kept staring at him. His saviour came in the form of the man from before, who had just walked in with another milkshake as well as a cup of hot tea.
“We have another little visitor?” He asked as if he didn’t see Natsuo.
The two boys looked at him again before nodding. The man turned to him and gave him a bright grin, Natsuo gave a shaky grin back as the man gently pushed him towards the table with the other two boys.
“Is this your little brother Touya?” He asked politely.
“Yes, this is my little brother Natsuo Todoroki. Sorry, Mr. Watanabe. He must’ve followed me.” Touya apologised, whilst tilting his head forward in a little bow.
“It’s no worries Touya, and remember! I asked you to call me Nabe!” The man smiled again as he addressed Natsuo this time.
“Hello Natsuo, my name is Touya Watanabe, I’m Tenko’s dad. You can call me Nabe though.” He had the same name as Touya??
Natsuo swallowed thickly as he bowed. “I’m Natsuo Todoroki, I’m sorry for spying! And thank you for the drink!” He felt his face flush again as he heard a low laugh.
“It’s not to worry Natsuo, please have a seat and join us!”
After Natsuo finally sat down and made himself comfortable, they all had a nice chat over the snacks and drinks. At some point, Nabe had brought out a big board game for them to play. Natsuo laughed along with the others as they played for what felt like hours. Soon the sun was starting to set.
Standing up from his seat, Touya bowed at Nabe and Tenko again for the hospitality before holding onto Natsuo’s hand and walking out the door with him.
On the way back to the estate, Touya had a serious look on his face.
“Natsuo. You CAN NOT tell anyone about these meetings ok? If father found out, he’d stop me from training with Tenko and Mr. Watanabe again. Do you understand? This is very important to me.” Natsuo understands why his brother was so upset. He was afraid that Natsuo would accidentally slip to their father about Touya’s training and trips with Tenko and Mr. Watanabe. They were good people, but their father wouldn’t let them interact if he knew.
Turning to his brother, Natsuo looked him in the eye and said earnestly. “I won’t tell father, I want to meet up with Tenko and Mr. Watanabe too! I won’t even say anything to mum and Fuyumi if you take me with you whenever you go to meet up with them. So can you please take me with you?” Natsuo knew that holding it over his brother’s head was a little mean, but he really wanted to go again.
Thankfully, his older brother understood and just ruffled his hair.
“Ok, ok, I promise that I’ll take you next time.”
“Not just next time! I want you to take me every time!” He knew what his brother was playing at. He’s not getting left at home when his brother gets to go out and eat tasty treats though.
“You need to promise to take me every time!” Pouting at his brother, he grinned with the older boy finally relented.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll take you every time. Are you happy now?” “Happy!”
The two brothers looked at each other before laughing again. When was the last time they had laughed together like this? Far too long.
Holding onto each other’s hands, they made their way home, smiles on their faces.
In the last timeline, a brother felt abandoned by the other. In this timeline, a secret brings the two closer together. Time has changed once again.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Touya when he realises that Natsuo has been taking his pastries-
Touya: SO IT WAS YOU!
Natsuo: Me? What did I do?
Touya: You’ve been stealing my pastries!
Natsuo: Oh yeah those… next time can you bring more of the chocolate ones back? The other ones were good but they still don’t compare.
Touya: Those are my favourite you little-
Natsuo: Well those are my favourite now too.
Touya: I’ll give you 10 seconds to run.
Natsuo: H-hey, let’s talk about this!
Touya: 5 seconds then.
Natsuo: *starts running*
Touya after 5 seconds: *starts chasing him around*
Rei: It’s nice to see them playing together again.
Touya: Get back here you little!
Natsuo: *screaming*
Rei: What fun.
Chapter 7: LEARNING NEW SKILLS DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN QUIRK USE
Summary:
Natsuo and Touya learn how to bake. And patience… they learn a lot of patience.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Natsuo was excited to be invited to the cafe with Touya to learn some new skills. Mr. Nabe had invited Touya and extended the invitation to him as well. Natsuo could feel himself shake with anticipation. Usually, he was never allowed to train at home, his father would tell them that their quirks were not good enough to be heroes so it was pointless to try, but Mr. Nabe believed in them! Natsuo couldn’t help grinning as he practically skipped towards the cafe with Touya trailing after him. His quirk was an ice quirk like his mother’s but they’ve never really tested his capabilities after he didn’t develop a fire side. His father had taken one look at his “weak ice quirk” and immediately labeled him useless.
When they reached the cafe, the afternoon rush was in full swing. There were a lot of people who were sitting and enjoying their lunch, many of whom were underground heroes whose profiles he’d seen on his father’s desk. Whilst Endeavor didn’t typically work alongside underground heroes, he was aware enough to know who they were. Pro Hero Eraserhead sat in a corner drinking his coffee like some miracle elixir whilst Ms. Joke and Present Mic were just chatting, occasionally staring at Eraserhead’s coffee like it could explode.
As soon as he and Touya entered the building, Tenko and Mr. Nabe walked out of the kitchen.
“Welcome to the cafe kids. Did you have any trouble getting here?” Mr. Nabe asked politely.
“Nope! We’re here and ready to train!” Natsuo practically shouted back.
“Is there a quirk gym nearby? Or are we going somewhere else to train? Are you going to teach us cool new quirk implementation techniques?” Natsuo knew he was firing off questions rapidly but he couldn’t help it! He was just so excited!
Mr. Nabe just looked at the two in confusion. “I said training. I never said quirk training. You two have worked pretty hard for the past few weeks so I thought I’d teach you how to make chocolate croissants.”
Whatever disappointment he had felt when he realised he wasn’t training his quirk instantly disappeared when he heard that they would be making chocolate croissants. Looking at his older brother, Natsuo could tell he felt the same. The two LOVED chocolate croissants. The buttery pastry was their favourite part after training and LEARN HOW TO MAKE IT. They could make it at home! Natsuo was even more excited now.
As if Mr. Nabe could tell what the two were thinking, he smirks before bringing them to the cabinet, handing each of them an apron.
“Put those on so you don’t ruin your clothes kids. And remember that the kitchen has a lot of sharp tools, so don’t run!” The last part of the sentence was lost to him as Natsuo struggled with the knot. Touya walked behind him.
“Natsuo, leave it alone so I can tie it for you. You’re just making it into a weird knot.” His older brother said teasingly.
Soon, the two of them were brought to the kitchen, where they were made to immediately wash their hands. Tenko was already in there, sleeves rolled up and standing at the table. A slip of paper in front of him.
“Ok kids. To make this a little easier, I printed the recipe so that we have something to refer to as we’re working. Can you guys all see the recipe?” They all nodded.
“Good. Now Touya, can you please read the ingredients out so we can get them?”
Touya looked at the recipe and soon began to read as Tenko and Natsuo rushed around the kitchen, preparing the ingredients.
- 4 cups flour(500 g)
Tenko power walked to the big bin in the corner and Natsuo couldn’t help but think ‘what a weird place to put flour’. As if reading his mind, Mr. Nabe explained that they go through so much flour that putting it in anything smaller would be a waste of time. Natsuo could understand that. The food at the cafe was delicious after all, it wouldn’t be a surprise that they sell a lot of goods.
- ½ cup water(120 mL)
Now it was Natsuo’s time to help! Natsuo hurried to the sink with a measuring cup. Filling the water to the line, he walked back to the bench, setting the cup down.
- ½ cup milk(120 mL)
Natsuo ran to the fridge for the milk but Mr. Nabe stopped him. “Natsuo. It’s dangerous to run in the kitchen. We don’t want you to get hurt do we?” While he was scolding Natsuo, Natsuo couldn’t help but think ‘is this what it means to be scolded?’ Whenever he had done something wrong in the past, it was immediately yelled at him. Whenever he did something wrong he could remember heat and fury as his father scolded him. Mr. Nabe had scolded him… but it was nice. There was no heat to his words and Natsuo could tell he was just worried about Natsuo. Looking at the man with guilt, Natsuo apologised for what he’d almost done before Mr. Nabe let him go to the fridge again.
- ¼ cup sugar(50 g)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups cold unsalted butter(285 g), cut into ½-inch (1 cm) thick slices
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 bars sweetened chocolate bar
The other ingredients were found without much fanfare. Natsuo had learnt how to crack an egg! Touya would later remind him that he had smashed the first egg but Natsuo had managed to crack the second egg properly, so he counts that as a win.
“Ok, now Tenko, can you read the steps out loud?” The blue-haired boy moved to the table to replace Touya as he began to read.
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, water, milk, sugar, salt, yeast, and butter.
Touya and Natsuo were careful as they put the ingredients into a bowl. Natsuo had wanted to stir the bowl first so Touya easily gave up the job to him. Natsuo was on cloud nine as he continued to stir the mixture until… “Mr. Nabe! The mixture is sticky!” There was something wrong, the ingredients were getting really hard to mix! Natsuo was sure he must’ve gotten something wrong again.
“Good job Natsuo. I think I’ll take it from here.” The man put some flour on his hands and the counter before scooping the mixture into the bench and flouring it again. “When the mixture gets sticky and clumps like this, it’s ready to knead into a dough.” Oh. so Natsuo didn’t mess it up! He felt relieved that he completed the step right. He still wanted his chocolate croissants after all.
“Tenko, could you read the next step?” The boy shifted before continuing.
2. Once the dough starts to clump, turn it out onto a clean counter.
3. Lightly knead the dough and form it into a ball, making sure not to over-knead it.
“Well, it looks like you’re doing this part dad.” Tenko looked at the man whilst smiling.
“Nope! I’m just starting the kneading process.” Once the dough was mostly combined into a ball, Mr. Nabe took a knife and cut it into 4 pieces.
“Come on you three, time to get your hands messy!” The boys had smiles stretching ear to ear as they copied Mr. Nabe and put some flour on their hands and started working on their piece of dough.
Natsuo’s piece was very squishy as he forced his weight to his hands and pressed down. It was flattened instantly. Following Mr. Nabe’s example, he just gathered the dough into a ball again and continued. The group kneaded the dough for perhaps another 5 minutes before they were told to stop by Mr. Nabe.
“Remember boys, kneading the dough can help it develop some of that gluten, but over kneading can lead to some rock-hard bread. And I’m sure you guys don’t have rock-hard teeth.” Natsuo couldn’t help giggling at the thought. He could imagine Touya with rocks for teeth and it was funny to think about.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Mr. Nabe had to do this step for them because they couldn’t manage to get the plastic wrap out of the packaging properly.
5. Slice the cold butter in thirds and place it onto a sheet of parchment paper..
6. Place another piece of parchment on top of the butter, and beat it with a rolling pin.
7. Keeping the parchment paper on the butter, use a rolling pin to roll the butter into a 7-inch (18 cm) square, ½-inch (1 cm) thick. If necessary, use a knife to trim the edges and place the trimmings back on top of the butter and continue to roll into a square.
8. Transfer the butter layer to the refrigerator.
The next few steps were done without much trouble and the boys went outside to have a break and play a few card games before the dough finished “proofing” as Mr. Nabe said.
9. To roll out the dough, lightly flour the counter. Place the dough on the counter, and push the rolling pin once vertically into the dough and once horizontally to form four quadrants.
10. Roll out each corner and form a 10-inch (25 cm) square.
Like before, Mr. Nabe handed each of the boys their dough back and they got to work. Natsuo found rolling the dough evenly especially difficult but he managed to get the task done with some well-placed tips from Mr. Nabe. Natsuo was proud of himself.
11. Place the butter layer on top of the dough and fold the sides of the dough over the butter, enclosing it completely.
They were each given some butter and finished the task, quickly moving on to step 12.
12. Roll the dough with a rolling pin to seal the seams, making sure to lengthen the dough, rather than widening it.
Mr. Nabe had to show them what to do before they attempted it, with varying degrees of success. Natsuo was ashamed to admit that he had more trouble than the others, Mr. Nabe had to help him fix it.
13. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Great. More waiting. The boys went to Tenko’s room this time. He said he had some new video games that he wanted to show them. An hour passed by quickly as their screams were muffled by the soundproof walls that Mr. Nabe had apparently installed last month. He had quickly learned that Tenko’s screams of frustration could be heard from the cafe, so soundproofing the older boy’s room was a must. Natsuo could see why he’d do it. His brother and his best friend were screaming loudly as the ogre killed them again. For the 10th time in a row.
Mr. Nabe had to call them back to the kitchen to finish their croissants.
14. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it’s 8x24 inches (20x61 cm).
15. Fold the top half down to the middle, and brush off any excess flour.
16. Fold the bottom half over the top and turn the dough clockwise to the left. This completes the first turn.
The tasks were again completed easily with some (a lot) of help from Mr. Nabe.
17. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Natsuo wanted to scream. Why was there so much waiting involved in making a croissant? When he asked Mr. Nabe that, he had only laughed nervously as he explained that the croissant got its texture that way. Clearly, he didn’t understand the need for croissants and the lack of patience that boys their age show. Natsuo could say that he was a mature child, he knew when he had to wait and be patient. But the amount of time this pastry had to rest was seriously testing this patience. He was sure whatever self-control he has is now stretched thread-thin. Going back to Tenko’s room, he was greeted by more screaming as the older boys were killed by a hydra this time. Oh, look. Character development. The ogre wasn’t a problem anymore. The hydra was.
Grabbing the controller from his brother, Natsuo forced himself between the two older boys as he began to play beside Tenko.
—-------
18. Roll out the dough again two more times, completing three turns in total and refrigerating for 1 hour in between each turn. If at anytime the dough or butter begins to soften, stop and transfer back to the fridge.
19. After the final turn, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Touya didn’t even bother the boys this time, he knew it would just annoy them from the game Tenko was most likely showing them. Finishing the last few steps, he called the boys down again.
“Ok kids, the dough needs to rest overnight-” “Oh come on!” came the shout of an angry little Natsuo. The kid had his cheeks puffed out in a pout, arms crossed over his chest and bottom lip sticking out. Touya now knew how far he could push Natsuo before maturity went out the window. Great.
“So that’s why I prepared some dough last night. You can take your dough home and make more croissants later.” At this, the children seemed to cheer up, hurrying through the last few steps of the recipe.
20. To form the croissants, cut the dough in half. Place one half in the refrigerator.
21. Flour the surface and roll out the dough into a long narrow strip, about 8x40 inches (20x101 cm).
22. With a knife, trim the edges of the dough.
23. Cut the dough into 4 rectangles.
24. Place the chocolate on the edge of the dough and roll tightly enclosing it in the dough.
25. Place the croissants on a baking sheet, seam side down.
26. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
27. Brush the croissants with the beaten egg. Save the rest of the egg wash in the fridge for later.
28. Place the croissants in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours.
After promising the boys that this was the last time they had to wait for the croissants, the mini trio marched back to Tenko’s room. Touya just sighed as he prepped ingredients for dinner. Clearly this was going to take a while.
Once the croissants were ready to bake, he called the boys down for the last time. Their faces were lit up in excitement as they knew that the croissants would be ready to bake now, and soon be ready to eat.
Touya let Natsuo read out the last instruction to the recipe. The boy had only just realised that he was the only one who hasn’t read the recipe yet and demanded the chance to do the task like the other boys. Touya had let him. It’s not like it’s a dangerous task after all.
29. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
30. Once the croissants have proofed, brush them with one more layer of egg wash.
Tenko and Touya easily handed the egg wash and brush to Natsuo as he happily brushed the croissants. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he painted his beloved croissants in the mixture.
—-------
31. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm.
Touya looked at the instructions with a curious look on his face. “Why can’t we just bake at a high temperature to bake it faster?” Natsuo could get behind that. Having chocolate croissants earlier would be great!
Mr. Nabe looked at the two with a look that was both alarmed and amused. “If we do that, the croissants would burn or not cook completely through. Probably both. The top layer will burn and the middle will be raw.” Natsuo made a face. Yeah.. maybe Touya’s idea wasn’t so great after all.
The time the croissants spent baking seemed to stretch on as the boys sat in front of the over, just watching the croissants cook.
Once they were out of the over, all three boys could barely wait before grabbing a croissant each, biting into the pastry with relish.
This croissant tasted even better than he remembered. The pastries he’d had before were cold but the warm pastry, oozing with chocolate was a completely different delicacy. He could feel the chocolate gush out of the centre with every bite, the gooey sweetness enveloping his tongue.
THIS was the best food in the world. There was no competition.
When the boys had finished their croissants, the sun had already started to set. Mr. Nabe packed the rest up for Touya and Natsuo, along with their dough and the recipe sheet before sending them on their way.
As Touya and Natsuo walked home, they chatted about the day and how different the pastry was when it was fresh out of the oven. The boys laughed and joked with each other, growing closer as they hid the pastries and dough. The pastries went into their rooms and the dough went straight to the back of the fridge. Thankfully, Fuyumi and mum had planned a “girls' day” out tomorrow and were going to get Fuyumi some new clothes. That gave the boys time to make more croissants and hide them.
Sharing a look with his brother, they made their plans and went off to hide their share of the croissants made today.
Little did each brother know. A pair of turquoise eyes stared at them as they went off.
Notes:
This specific character's eyes change depending on whether you look at the anime or the manga, but I'm going off the manga.
And the recipe is taken from online. It should work though if you want to make chocolate croissants.
I didn't realise how long it took to make croissants until I started writing this chapter. Some of their reactions are literally just what was running through my mind as I was writing.
Chapter 8: TOO PRETTY FOR HIS OWN GOOD
Summary:
Tenko, Touya, and Natsuo watch as their dad gets hit on. Tenko and Touya want to hit him. Natsuo is just confused.
Notes:
Here's a treat since we hit 2K hits. I thought the idea of TenkoxNatsuo was cute so I included a bit. Their relationship will develop slowly over time though.
I just realised that I never really explained how I format my story. But every time you see that little line thing, it's changing the character's perspective and narration. So if it was previously in Tenko's perspective and then you see the line, it changes to another character. I don't really name which character the perspective changes to, I feel like after reading a sentence or two, it's pretty obvious. Do you guys want me to name which perspective it changes to though? Please leave it in the comments and I'll do my best to change it if necessary.
Chapter Text
Ever since he met his dad, Tenko knew that the man was an angel. Too bad almost everyone around them thought the same. His dad was pretty. Too pretty for his own good, and on top of that, the man was oblivious to anyone flirting with him! Whilst that was a good thing, it often invited people to up their flirting in an attempt to take his dad out.
Today his dad was working at the cafe. The teenager that usually worked Tuesday mornings was off sick. It was still only 10 am but Tenko could already tell the cafe was going to be more crowded than usual. Whenever his dad was working, it was like droves of pests came in just for a glance at him.
“Hey! Tenko!” Two voices called for him as he turned towards the door. Walking towards him were Touya and Natsuo. Though he had not liked Touya at first, Tenko had found a good friend in the other boy and his brother.
“So what’s up with all these customers?” Natsuo asked. The boy’s head was tilted to the side with a questioning look on his face.
“Dad’s working today.” Tenko didn’t need to say any more for Touya to understand immediately.
“Oh.. my condolences man. Anyone we need to end yet?” There was a spark of mischief in his eyes, but that was overshadowed by stone-like seriousness. Tenko wasn’t sure if Touya would really do it. But looking at his friend’s expression, he wouldn’t be surprised if he found Touya hiding a body somewhere later.
Natsuo looked between his older brother, and Tenko, the confusion was clear on his face.
“What does Nabe working today have to do with more customers? Does he make better coffee than the normal barista?” Ah.. sweet, innocent Natsuo. He didn’t understand that in this world, aside from the monsters that ignore and harm children, there are the beasts that try to steal away pretty angels like Tenko’s dad. Tenko swears if he sees that overgrown blonde chicken, he’s going to decay him.
Tenko didn’t want to have to explain to Touya’s little brother why people found his dad attractive, it just seemed so weird. Thankfully he didn’t have to.
“Natsu. Do you think Nabe is pretty?” Touya asked his brother.
“Mhm! Nabe is the prettiest!” Natsuo cheerfully agreed.
“Yes. We can see that Nabe is pretty. Now look over there.” Touya said, gesturing to a man who was sitting at a bench, coffee in hand but eyes never leaving Tenko’s dad. Tenko only had one thing in mind when looking at the man. Death. Tenko had to physically shake himself out from the dark thoughts brewing in his mind when he felt Touya’s concerned gaze on him.
Ok then. Death if the man tries to hit on Tenko’s dad. As if the universe was giving him a sig, the man stood up and started to approach Tenko’s dad at the back. Focusing on the man, Tenko blocked everything else out as he waited for the man to make his move. If the man just wanted to order more food and drink, then Tenko wouldn’t do anything. Obviously. But if that man tries to ask his dad out… Tenko would have to take matters into his own hands.
—-------
Touya followed Tenko’s gaze as both boys assessed the man approaching Nabe. Touya was grateful to this man who taught him what it meant to have a dad. He’d taught Touya how to train his quirk, and honestly, Touya didn’t know where he’d be without his help. Meeting Nabe was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Nabe was always patient, kind, and caring. He understood when he had to push Touya, but also when Touya needed a break and encouragement.
The soft words and proud acknowledgment of his skills made Touya feel special. Nabe was his dad in all but blood, but that was never that important, was it?
He and Tenko watched the man almost stumble over his words, face flushed red as he began to speak with Nabe.
“H-hey! Watanabe! Do you have anything to do later?” Touya almost laughed aloud at the man’s inability to speak with Nabe. Nabe was too good for the man.
“Well, I have to run the cafe today and then help Tenko with his training. Is there any reason you asked me that?” Nabe asked with a perplexed look on his face.
—-------
Touya didn’t understand why this man was talking to him. He’d seen the guy around a few times and he always seemed to be looking at Touya. It was unnerving. Did he know something? Was he recognised? What if the guy wanted to arrest him and take him away from his boys?! Touya kept his smile relaxed as he faked a calm demeanor.
Maybe he just really liked the food and drinks they made? The man was acting strange now. He tapped his fingers almost nervously and kept looking up at Touya before lowering his gaze again. It was so… odd.
Touya was startled when the man stood up suddenly and started walking towards him. He braced himself, ready to fight or run with his kids if the man made any sudden moves.
“H-hey! Watanabe! Do you have anything to do later?” Now Touya was confused. Did the guy want something?
“Hi? Your name was… Akihito Tanaka right?” The man seemed to brighten when Touya said his name… weird.
“Yes!” The man stopped himself from saying more. He seemed to recompose himself, taking a deep breath and looking at Touya earnestly.
“So? Do you have anything to do later?” He was really pushy with the question.
“Well, I have to run the cafe today and then help Tenko with his training. Is there any reason you asked me that?” Touya didn’t know what Tanaka wanted, but he didn’t want anything to do with it. He just wanted to train his kids!
“If you’re busy today then what about tomorrow?”
“Still training my kids.”
“Sometime during the week?”
“Working at the cafe.”
“Text me when you’re free?”
“Sorry, we’re not close enough for that.”
It went on and on. No matter what Tanaka suggested, Touya would shoot it down smoothly. When will this guy give up?! He was just getting more and more suspicious of the guy. He was so adamant on getting Touya alone. Normally he would think that this guy just wanted to get better acquainted with him, but all those looks and the eyes that constantly followed him around the cafe made him nervous. No. The man definitely knew something. Maybe his vigilante identity was found out?
Touya was on edge now and it looked like the man was feeling the same. There was a hint of frustration in his voice when he said. “So can we have a chat outside right now then?” Touya froze, his mind racing, searching for a way out of it when a voice spoke up from behind him.
“Let us handle this dad. We’re running out of pastries and we really need more.” Tenko walked in front of him and leveled a stare at the man who was one second away from exploding.
“Tenko.. I don’t think this is some-” “I can handle it.” Tenko was stern as he said that and Touya didn’t remember the last time his son had sounded so serious. Red eyes stared at him, unfaltering as he sent what was the equivalent of a nonverbal “are you sure?”
In the end, Touya could only sigh as he made his way into the back to prepare more pastries, leaving his son to deal with the pushy man.
—-------
Tenko was furious at the man who kept bugging his dad. The idiot didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer. Tenko was going to make sure it was burned into his head.
Smiling innocently at the man, he finally addressed the pest. “You wanted to talk to my dad right? Did you want help with telling him? I know he doesn’t get things sometimes.” The man had a relieved look on his face at Tenko’s words. Ha. He’ll take back that relief quickly.
As he and the man walked outside, Touya and Natsuo followed them. As soon as they were out of sight, Tenko punched the man, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor.
“AHHHHHHH!” The man shouted. Tenko didn’t care. He stalked closer to the man, fisting his shirt and choking him as he said what he wanted to say all morning.
“Listen you pest. My dad is an angel. I don’t blame you for being attracted to his light, but he’s MY DAD. You don’t get to put your grubby paws anywhere near him. Do you understand?”
Tenko picked up a rock that happened to be nearby. Taking a glove off, he pressed all five fingers onto it, reducing it to dust in his hands.
“And if you try to force my dad into something he doesn’t want. No one will find your body.” Tenko let the threat hang in the air as he stood over the now trembling man. It was pathetic how easily he was knocked down. Tenko’s dad could wipe the floor with him. Sneering again, Tenko was about to decay something else to prove a point.
He didn’t get to do that though. A pale hand was placed on his chest and the voice of his best friend chilled the alley they were in.
“Tenko. You got to have your say. Now it’s MY TURN.” The words were a hiss as Touya turned around to face the man. The man’s face was now rapidly paling, it was like he had just met the devil himself, and maybe he did. Touya looked just like Tenko’s dad after all. And the devil was once an angel.
Tenko turned away as the man’s whimpers turned into strangled screaming. Whatever Touya was doing to him. Tenko didn’t need to know. He held Natsuo away from what was probably a gruesome sight. Holding the younger boy’s face to his chest and putting his hands over his ears, Tenko made sure that there was no way Natsuo could see or hear anything. Natsuo shouldn’t witness this.
—-------
Natsuo didn’t truly know what was going on when Tenko and Touya were threatening the man. All he knew was that they were doing it to protect Nabe from “a man that doesn’t deserve him”. But if that was the case, then who deserved Nabe? Nabe was perfect in Natsuo’s eyes. He cared for them and made sure that any accomplishments that they made were acknowledged. He congratulated them whenever they did well, and consoled them whenever they were upset.
Nabe was more of a hero than Endeavor could ever be. Nabe was like their guardian angel, ready to guide and protect them whenever they needed it. The man looked pretty enough to be an angel anyways.
As Natsuo watched Touya approach the felled man and felt Tenko grab him, holding him to his chest, Natsuo couldn’t help but think… Tenko is like his dad. He was an angel.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-What were other people thinking at the time?-
Older Touya: *worrying about his sons and whether they’ll get hurt, ready to run out and defend his boys at a moment’s notice*
Eraserhead, who was in the cafe at the time: I probably won’t see that guy again. Oh well. I’ll just pretend I didn’t know what was going to happen. *knows exactly what’s going to happen to the man, but petty enough to not care, since the man was messing with his favourite cafe owner*
Present Mic, who was out with Eraserhead at the time: Shouta! Are those kids going to be ok? That man looked really angry when talking to the cafe owner! Shouta! What if he hurts the kids?! *panicking over the idea that the kids might get hurt*
Other Cafe Customers, who have all seen this happen multiple times because Tenko is overprotective and Older Touya is oblivious: Tanaka really had a death wish huh? *silent agreement over not asking Older Touya out in front of Tenko*
Chapter 9: THREE MAKES A CROWD, WELCOME REI AND FUYUMI
Summary:
Fuyumi and Rei are the next to follow the kids to Sekoto Peak.
Touya is luring Endeavor’s kids with chocolate croissants.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Fuyumi knew that her brothers were going somewhere together. The way they tried to hide what they brought back was a little sad actually. Did they think everyone in the house was blind? First, it was Touya, and usually, she would have pushed it to his training, but Natsuo never trained. Her brothers were up to something and Fuyumi wanted to know exactly what it was. Today, they can come back with 2 bags of something, and Fuyumi will look until she finds out what.
Searching Natsuo’s room, she was unable to find anything, everything was perfectly normal. Fuyumi huffed, putting Natsuo’s things back where she found them, and started for Touya’s room. If she couldn’t find it in Natsuo’s room, she’d find it in Touya’s room for sure. It didn’t even take a minute for her to find the bag in the bottom drawer of Touya’s desk. She really should have just gone to his room first, Touya was really bad at hiding things.
The bag was white and made out of paper, the front had a logo emblazoned on it. The Phoenix Cafe. Her brothers have been going to a cafe? That was strange, Fuyumi didn’t know her brothers liked to go out for tea. They should’ve invited her! Reaching into the bag to see what was inside, she found that the croissants in the bag were still warm. Taking one out, Fuyumi didn’t think twice before biting into it. The pastry broke away and almost melted in her mouth as Fuyumi chewed. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Fuyumi finished the croissant in her hand before grabbing another one, quietly slipping out of Touya’s room after tucking the bag back in his drawer. She’ll have to tell mum about what she found.
—-------
Rei was surprised when Fuyumi told her about the boys’ little outings. She was glad they were spending quality time together, they had just run outside earlier in a game of tag.
“Mum! Can we follow them next time? I want to see where they’re going!” Fuyumi’s voice came out as a whine as she stood in front of her, her bottom lip jutted out and eyes pleading. From what Fuyumi had told her, the boys would go out on Saturday. The nanny came to work for the full day on Saturday so she could leave Shouto in her capable hands. Though Rei wanted to think about it a little longer, one look from her daughter was all it took to change her mind. She couldn’t say no to that face.
“Ok Fuyumi, we’ll go.”
“Thank you!” With a cheerful grin, Fuyumi had given Rei a big hug before running to her room. No doubt to plan how she wanted to trail the boys on Saturday.
Rei sighed to herself as she started preparing dinner for the family. A smile made its way onto her face. This sounds interesting, and it’ll give her a chance to get out of this house for a while.
Humming a small song as she worked, Rei gathered the ingredients to make udon. She couldn’t help but feel a little excited to see what her children were up to.
—-------
Fuyumi was giddy as she forced herself to stay quiet. Her brothers had just left the estate again and she and her mum were following closely behind. The boys had said they were going to Sekoto Peak but she wasn’t so sure. She was certain that Sekoto Peak didn’t have any cafes but they wouldn’t just lie right?
Fuyumi kept her steps silent as the boys finally reached the bottom of Sekoto Peak. She could swear they walked faster as they started to climb.
Climbing the mountain after them, Fuyumi grew more determined to see just what they were hiding.
When the boys finally stopped walking, Fuyumi was surprised to find that 2 people waited for them at the top of Sekoto Peak. One was a boy that looked around Touya’s age. He had pale blue hair and red eyes, his expression was bored as he looked at her brothers, though Fuyumi swore she could see the slightest twinge of his lips when he saw them approaching. The other figure was a man. He had blue hair like the boy but his looked a little brighter, shining like dew drops on flowers in the morning. His eyes were a bright blue, making his pale skin appear even fairer as he rested against a tree. It was like an angel was standing in front of her. Her mum walked up from behind her and gasped at the man standing there. Did she know him?
—-------
Rei wasn’t sure what her children were doing on top of Sekoto Peak but she wasn’t worried. They were sensible boys and wouldn’t do anything that could hurt themselves. She was humoring Fuyumi when she agreed to go to Sekoto Peak but when she got there, there was a man and a child waiting for them. Immediately on her guard, Rei pulled Fuyumi behind her and called the boys to her.
“Natsuo! Touya! Come here!” Rei called. Normally she didn’t yell at her children, but the thought of them alone with a strange man was making her worry. There was a strange sense of familiarity when Rei looked at him, he looked like he could be her brother due to how alike they were but Rei was certain that she’d never met him before.
When her children were safely behind her, Rei formed her ice into a dagger and held it threateningly in front of her.
“Who are you and what are you doing with my sons?” She asked, a cold light in her eyes. If he was a threat to her children, she would do everything in her power to protect them.
The man took a step forward, hands up in a show of peace. Rei didn’t relax. For all she knew, he could be dangerous, and all the time he spent with Touya and Natsuo without her knowing. The idea that something could have happened to them made her sick. How easy would it have been to just kidnap them? She probably would have never known where to even start looking if that was the case! Rei looked at the man, holding her position, ready to spring forward and stab if he made the slightest move against her or her children.
The boy that was with the man, his son probably walked behind the man, a wary look in his eyes.
“Are you Touya and Natsuo’s mum?” He asked in a slightly raspy voice.
Rei didn’t want to answer but she didn’t have the chance to say anything before her children answered for her.
“Yep! This is our mum!” Natsuo said with a trusting grin.
Rei faltered. Natsuo seemed so at ease with this man. Much more at ease than even with his own father. Rei decided at that moment to give the man a chance to explain himself. If her children were this comfortable with him, then he couldn’t have hurt them right?
—-------
Touya didn’t expect to meet his mother in this world like this. He thought it was inevitable considering he was teaching his alternate self. He’d long stopped referring to his younger self as “him”, the boy was now “Touya, his pretty-much-adopted son”. The woman was eyeing him with a look that could kill and inwardly, he wondered if she would go through with it and if his mother in his world would have done the same for him.
The woman had an ice knife in hand, poised to kill as Touya stood with his hands in the air. He really didn’t want to get stabbed today. Especially in front of his kids.
He could feel Tenko behind him, the boy ready to rip his gloves off at a moment’s notice. Touya shook his head at the boy. He didn’t want Tenko to do something he would regret.
“My name is Touya Watanabe, I run a cafe by the station called The Phoenix. I came here at first to teach my son Tenko how to use his quirk and how to fight to defend himself. We met your son, Touya when we ran into him whilst looking for a place to train. I helped him out and he and my son became friends. His little brother followed him one day and then joined in.” Touya thought just summarising the truth would be best, he didn’t want to recount every time the kids had met up but knew that if he said anything else, the woman would have attacked.
Rei seemed to nod at his words, looking at her kids for confirmation before lowering her weapon. She held a hand out to him.
“I am Rei Todoroki, the children’s mother. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Sorry for holding a knife at you, but my children did not tell me about your meetings.” Touya was surprised. He had assumed that little Touya and Natsuo would have told Rei about him, he wondered why they decided to keep it a secret.
“Look, it seems we got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to invite you all back to the cafe for some refreshments and a nice chat if you’d like to join us.” Shaking her hand, Touya offered Rei the chance to see what her children have been getting up to. It seemed that she was left mostly in the dark, so he’d like for her to know a little about her kids’ hobbies at least.
The children seemed excited at the prospect.
“Will we get pastries??” Natsuo asked eagerly.
“Of course kiddo.” He replied smoothly. Looking back up at Rei, he saw her give a nod and they all descended the mountain to the cafe.
The cafe was calm as they walked in, only a few customers sitting at tables with computers open and a drink at their side. Smiling at Kimiko, who was working the front that day, Touya led the Todoroki clan into one of the back rooms where they could sit and talk whilst the children played. He prepared milkshakes for the children and a plate of different pastries whilst he prepared tea for himself and Rei.
When he returned, the woman was looking around the store with appraising eyes.
“Your cafe is beautiful.” She complimented.
“Thank you.” He smiled back.
The next several hours were spent recounting what the boys got up to whilst in his presence. He spoke about their baking, making Rei giggle when he told her about the trouble the boys got into and their gaming together, which made her happy if her expression was anything to go by. She was concerned again when he mentioned training the boys and Touya had the feeling that when she got home with the boys, she will be demanding to check them over for bruises and burns. Fair enough. If he found out Tenko was training with some random man in a random place then he would be alarmed as well. The woman gave him a smile before leaving but Touya felt like she wasn’t completely assured yet.
He didn’t stop her as she left with the boys. Hopefully, they and Tenko would still be able to play together.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Is This Kid Sure He’s Quirkless? (happens a few years in the future but doesn’t really spoil anything no matter where I put it so here you go)-
Usually, when Touya goes to pick up Tenko from school, he walks straight through town, but for some reason, today he decides to go through the playground. Touya didn’t know what made him do it but with his hands in his pockets, he strode through the grassy area. It was a nice day, the sun was shining, the breeze was cool on his skin and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day. That was until Touya managed to jinx it for himself.
He could hear explosions and the sound of crying as he passed by a group of kids. They seemed to be crowding around something. Touya would have ignored it if his conscience had not demanded that he step in to see what could possibly bring some kids so much distress. Walking closer to the children, he could feel some of their eyes digging into him, a mixture of relief, awe, and fear. When he got close enough to see what was happening, he could see why.
In the center of the group were three boys. A blonde stood over the other two boys, hands up and sparks beginning to form in his palms. A bully, even at this young age. The other two were obviously his victims, a purple-haired boy sobbing on the ground as a broccoli boy stood protectively in front of him. Touya almost couldn’t believe it. It was the pomeranian kid and the bone-breaking kid! They were tiny, and Touya inwardly tried to match them to the heroes they would become. The pomeranian clearly had a few screws loose, even as a child. He really should’ve known this was how the kid was when they first kidnapped him during the Training Camp.
“You wanna pretend to be a hero? You don’t stand a chance without a quirk. Deku.” Pomeranian kid decided that flashing his quirk while punching his hand was cool and Touya cringed as the children around him seemed to agree with the boy. This was supposed to be a great hero in the future? Some protector, he’s just a bully!
Before it could develop into something bigger, Touya walked to the front and stopped the kid from landing the blow.
“Who are you, you stupid extra?!” The kid had guts. Touya had to admire that.
“I was just stepping in to protect these kids from a bunch of future villains.” Touya didn’t even try to sugarcoat his words. He HATED bullies.
“WHO ARE YOU CALLING A VILLAIN EXTRA?!” The brat yelled back.
“Well. Quirk use in public, especially against another person in order to harm is what a villain does right? And I don’t see anyone stopping you either. Do you know who helps villains hurt others?” He could see the boy starting to understand what he was saying, connecting what little he probably knew about villains with his actions. Touya knew that the boy was probably rethinking every one of his actions now, but in order to make this group stop, he would need to be harsh.
“The only people who help villains hurt other people are more villains. Well done kids, you’re on track for the future then.” Touya didn’t care as the crowd that had once stood behind the Bakugo kid began to disperse. They would understand and hopefully, this would stop them from doing something like this again. The pomeranian also seemed to be taking his words to heart as he snarled at Touya and ran off to join his little friends.
From behind him, the bone-breaking kid stared at him in awe.
“You stopped Kacchan!” The sheer amount of hero worship in his eyes made Touya step back in shock. This kid SHOULD NOT be this thankful for someone to stop a bully from hurting him.
“Are you ok kid?” He asked.
“I’m fine mister! I wasn’t hurt! You managed to stop Kacchan just by saying things!” The twinkling in the kids' eyes grew brighter as he continued to speak.
“Usually, Kacchan doesn’t listen, even if the teachers tell him something! You made him stop with a few sentences! Is that your quirk mister?” As the kid kept mumbling theories on Touya’s ‘passive but powerful persuasion quirk’, he just looked at the kid in astonishment.
Is he serious? Not everything needs a quirk. “No, it wasn’t kid. Not everything needs a quirk you know. A quirk is a useful tool, that’s true. But you can live a perfectly good life without having to use one.” Touya was just speaking honestly but the boy’s eyes shone with a different light when he started talking.
Before he could ask the kid if anything was wrong, the kid burst into floods of tears, it was like he had rivers for tear ducts! Touya didn’t know what to do as bone-breaker kid, or Midoriya, kept crying harder and harder. He was surprised the kid wasn’t severely dehydrated.
“A-are you sure that someone could live normally without a quirk?” The little voice whispered.
“Yeah, kid. Like I said, a quirk is a tool. Without one, just make other tools for yourself to use.” The kid’s tears finally slowed as he looked Touya in the eyes.
“And can a quirkless person be a hero?” The kid looked at him with a searching look in his eyes. Clearly, this question was important to him. There was both hope and fear in his eyes, like the answer Touya gave him would either make or break him.
“Yes. A quirkless person can be a hero. They might have to work a little harder, but they can be a hero if they train and get the skills needed.” Touya didn’t have the time to move away as a little green child cannonballed into his arms. Touya could feel his shirt dampening as the boy hugged him and hid his face in Touya’s chest.
“Thank you.”
He held the boy for a few more minutes before the kid finally realised what just happened. He flushed a bright red, looking like a strawberry before turning and running away. An embarrassed “Thank you!” yelled over his shoulder.
‘What a weird day.’ Touya thought to himself as he looked at the clock on his phone.
4:30
SHIT! HE NEEDED TO PICK UP TENKO!!
Sitting up from the ground, Touya started sprinting to Tenko’s school, where his son was waiting for him by the front gate. Thankfully his son didn’t look angry, but there was a cautious look in his eyes.
“Did someone stop you from coming to pick me up today?” Tenko asked.
“I was just helping to deal with some kids. Sorry for being late kiddo.” Ruffling his son’s hair, the two walked back to the cafe together.
Little did Touya know, Tenko had been worried that his way-too-pretty dad, had attracted more pests for him and Touya to get rid of. Thankfully, it was just a kid. Tenko could work with that.
Notes:
Yes, what Touya said about his kid meeting up with some strange man to train in a random place is a dig at All Might and Izuku.
I hope you like the bonus! It won't change the plot too much, but it does give Izuku hope for the future. I always thought it was a little unusual that Izuku could stay so strong despite literally no one believing in him. It would be so much for a kid. So I have Touya give him hope and show him that a quirk isn't everything. Izuku does remember Touya during the main storyline, but he doesn't know where he can find "the nice man who gave him hope when he needed it". He may meet Touya again though.
Chapter 10: WHAT TRAINING SHOULD BE
Summary:
When Rei realises that her kids need a fatherly figure. She finds one.
Notes:
Sorry, this chapter is shorter than usual but I don't want to just drone on when I know that all the details needed are already there. Filling it with unnecessary words just degrades the quality of the story.
Chapter Text
When Rei got home with her children, she immediately asked Touya and Natsuo to explain exactly what “training” was. Rei was worried, she had seen how Enji had trained and watched, helpless as her eldest burned himself to death every time he activated his quirk. She will not stand to one side as a stranger pushes him to his death. His insane goal of surpassing Endeavor was enough.
“He teaches us how to use our quirks without getting hurt.” Touya started.
No. That was impossible. Enji had hired every quirk specialist to help Touya. None of them could do anything. Her child was burned again and again as specialist after specialist tried and failed to stop Touya’s quirk from burning him.
“Touya, can you take your shirt off and show me your arms?” Whenever Touya’s quirk went out of control or was used too often, it would leave patches of burnt skin all over his back and arms. Rei knew that Touya would try to hide any evidence of the burning even if it meant that he would get hurt so she couldn’t believe him when he had told her that the training method that this Mr. Watanabe showed him would work. When Touya removed his shirt with no trouble, Rei was surprised to see smooth unblemished skin. There was no sign that his quirk was used at all. Rei almost couldn’t believe it.
“Touya?” She hesitated to say the next words. The risk was high if the method didn’t truly work, but Rei wanted to know for sure.
“Touya, can you please fire up your quirk? Make sure it's controlled but activate it in just one arm.” Immediately, Touya’s arm erupted into flames. The blue colour completely encasing his arm. Rei bit back a scream as Fuyumi looked worried and Natsuo stared at his brother, awe in his eyes. Rei let Touya hold the flames for about a minute before telling him to stop. When the flames receded, Touya’s arm remained unblemished. No red marred his arm and when Rei tentatively poked at it, Touya let out no reaction. Holding on to her son’s arm, fingers brushing at the soft skin, Rei felt a sob escape her lips. Her baby was fine. His quirk would not destroy him. She clutched at his arm until Touya had to pull it from her grasp.
“Mum? See? Mr. Watanabe taught me how to use my quirk without hurting myself!” Touya grinned cheerfully and Rei could feel herself smile along with him. She no longer had to worry, and Touya could pursue his dream.
The next time she sees Mr. Watanabe, she bows and thanks him profusely for all that he has done for her kids.
—-------
“No really, it’s fine Mrs. Todoroki. Your boys are good friends with my Tenko and they’re really no problem at all.” Touya tried to get Rei to stand up. It was kind of embarrassing having a version of his mother bow to him like this, even if it was because he had managed to help little Touya with a problem he himself had struggled with for pretty much his whole life in the past timeline
The woman let herself be helped up as she faced Touya, a look of trust appearing on her face, unlike the last time they had met.
“When my son told me that you were training them, I admit that I was afraid. Touya has a quirk that doesn’t fit with his body, the doctors said if he used it for too long he could burn alive.” She explained.
“You’ve managed to do something that no one else has, you gave my son new hope and showed them both a different way to do things. I could never repay you-” Touya had to stop her there.
“Mrs. Todoroki,-” “Call me Rei.”
“Ok then Rei. I helped out the boys because they’re sweet kids. They don’t deserve to be pushed aside or neglected because their quirks aren’t ‘strong’. I want to see them grow and develop, choosing their own paths in life. Touya told me he wanted to improve his quirk so that he can be a hero, I just gave him a nudge in the right direction.” At this point, all the Todoroki children as well as Tenko were looking at him.
Little Touya had a look on his face that Touya now knew meant the boy wanted to hug him. Smiling gently at the boy, he opened his arms in acceptance and the kid rushed into his arms.
“Thank you.” He murmured.
—-------
As Rei looked at the man interacting with her children, she felt a warm feeling in her heart. She wished Enji was able to do something like this, inspire love and respect from their children and show them the care that they needed. She wasn’t blind to the fact that Touya trained himself so often in order to gain his father’s attention, and that Natsuo felt invisible due to Enji’s neglect. She had tried to tell Enji multiple times but he never listened!
She tried her best for her children, she tried to be there whenever she was able to. Sometimes it was hard to look after all four children, especially with Shouto being so young. Splitting her time and attention between the four often led Rei to subconsciously ignore the ones she thought were able to play independently, favouring the ones she knew needed more care.
As she watched the boys smile and talk to the man that had been their trainer and mentor for all these months, Rei knew there was something she needed to ask the man.
“Mr. Watanabe. I understand that you’ve been looking out for Touya and Natsuo all these months and training them in both their quirks and other skills, correct?” In the corner of her eye, she could see Touya and Natsuo stiffen.
“Yes?” Mr. Watanabe answered, looking curiously at her.
“I’m very sorry to have to ask this of you, but please keep looking out for my children. They need a positive older male figure in their lives and their father is unable to fill that role. After seeing how happy they are with you, I can’t help but believe that you’re the only one that can be that person for them. So please…”
Rei didn’t finish the sentence but from the look on Mr. Watanabe’s face, he understood.
“Of course Rei. I will always be here if they ever need help.” Rei felt relieved. She now knew that the children had somewhere they could truly be children.
The kids were shooed off to play games in Tenko’s room as Mr. Watanabe and Rei settled into a peaceful quiet, both of them sipping at the tea that Mr. Watanabe had prepared.
As it was time to leave, Rei stood at the door with Touya, Natsuo, and Fuyumi, the children waving goodbye energetically. As Rei was saying her goodbyes, Mr. Watanabe stopped her and said.
“Rei? You can call me Nabe. Same with you Fuyumi. Touya and Natsuo already call me that after all.” With a final small grin, Nabe walked back into the cafe with Tenko.
The Todorokis returned to the estate that night tired but satisfied. Touya and Natsuo had spent time with their friend Tenko; Fuyumi had figured out what her brothers were hiding; Rei had found a friend, and they all found family in the form of a man called Touya Watanabe.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-What Was Tenko Thinking When They Met Rei?-
*When Rei appears*
Tenko: Oh, it’s Touya and Natsuo’s mum. Will I make a good impression? Touya and Natsuo are my friends and I don’t want their mum to hate me or anything. What if I look bad today and their mum thinks I’m a delinquent? What do I do? Dad help!
*Literally 5 seconds later when Rei has an ice knife pointed at Older Touya*
Tenko: Touya? Natsuo? You won’t be mad at me if I disintegrate her right? I mean. She’s threatening dad and you said she ignored you a lot right? If she’s gone you can just live with us! You can be my little brothers and I’ll be the big brother that protects you both!
*When Rei thanks Older Touya*
Tenko: She’s ok I guess. But I’m still keeping an eye out in case she hurts dad! Dad’s an angel and no one can hurt him! *angry baby Tenko noises*
Chapter 11: THE VIGILANTE NULL
Summary:
Being a civilian can get boring sometimes. Touya understands that a little too well.
Notes:
TW: Before you start reading, please be aware that there is mention of rape and rapists but only because I have Touya actively hunt them down. If this triggers you, please ignore this chapter. The only thing you really need to know is that Touya has contacts in the underground and is well known as the vigilante Null, who has a strong moral compass. He only helps people who have not committed murder in cold blood, abuse or rape. Otherwise, he will hunt them down. He also helps out other vigilantes and underground heroes with cases, he often goes for team ups but can work on his own. Depending on the villain, he might also help them find legal jobs.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Touya knew that this life was his second chance at living normally, but he couldn’t help it! Knowing what he did about the future, he knew that sitting around and doing nothing won’t do him any favours. Instead, whilst he still has the time, he decides to build up his skills and connections. He won’t be a villain, definitely not. Being a hero won’t be an option either because he doesn’t want to listen to the HPSC. No. In the dark of night, he dons his vigilante gear and enters the underground under the alias “Null”.
After a few months of his meddling, he soon becomes a well-known figure among the residents of the underworld, piquing the interest of many due to his infamous quirkless fighting style. He knew using his quirk casually is just asking for trouble. Not only would it invite villains like AFO and Dr. Garaki to search for him, but it would also be key evidence for any heroes nosy enough to look for him during daylight hours. If Touya was living on his own, perhaps he would have taken the risk. But at night, as he sneaks out of his apartment, leaving Tenko laying peacefully in his own bed, he vows to always return. If he were to get caught, or the worse happens and he dies.. He would never want to put his son in that position. No. Never.
Null has a reputation in the underground as a vigilante with a strict moral compass. Though it is not the typical “black and white” of many extremists like Stendhal, Null will never help anyone who has committed sins out of greed, lust, or wrath. In fact, Null is known for capturing or even killing villains and heroes who have been proven to have murdered in cold blood, ab**** others, or r****d someone. The fact they were a “hero” never deterred him. He would leave their prone forms in front of either their agencies or the police station, a list of their crimes, as well as the evidence of their crimes stuck to them with tape. For some of the heroes, he would take the time to take photos of his work and post them all around their patrol route, almost as if a mockery of their name. The police, as well as the agencies, after finding the aforementioned heroes, would immediately be sent to try to collect all the posters before civilians could find them first. Unfortunately, most of the time, it wasn’t enough. Posters of the hero would be found and sent to the nearest news station, ready to be aired in the early morning news. Many civilians hailed Null as a bearer of truth, whilst others cursed him for “faking the evidence”. No matter. He would do what he could to get the job done.
—-------
Tsukauchi has a headache. He’s had a headache since a few months ago. Null had caught another hero tonight, and left Pro Hero Starshine dazed and disoriented in front of his agency. Papers showing the hero’s misdeeds were wrapped in tape around the hero himself. Whilst Tsukauchi could be grateful that the vigilante was doing good by stomping out corruption and getting rid of the villains that the police were unable to capture, the way he did so put the heroes in a difficult position. Week after week, countless news articles had come out through various news sources about corruption in hero society, heroes that many children had looked up to were revealed in a way that was unable to be hidden or sugarcoated. Tsukauchi wanted the public to know the truth, but there were ways this could have been done without putting the public’s trust in heroes in jeopardy.
This was the fifth hero this month and Tsukauchi could feel his headache worsen. The month only started 5 days ago!
—-------
Shouta doesn’t lie to himself. He knew that the hero world had its dark side. There were always those who would use their position to line their pockets. He’d spoken to Null before and the man was nothing like the crazed villain that the heroes he’s caught had made him out to be. Shouta smiled to himself. It was honestly funny how all those heroes, for all the “power” they held, they’d still been taken down by what was essentially a quirkless vigilante. Shouta knew that those heroes had been quirkist bastards, perpetuating the notion that only people with strong quirks were “worthy enough” to be heroes. It was good to see them taken down a peg.
As he approached an underground bar, Shouta schooled his face into one of apathy. When in the underground, it was stupid to show your cards or feelings. There were too many people willing to take advantage of a conceived “weakness” for Shouta to relax.
The music in the bar was loud but the chatter of the underworld’s denizens was a low murmur amidst the sound. The bartender Shibui greeted him as Shouta sat down in the corner. He was here tonight to get a sense of the current climate of the underworld. With Null striking against both heroes and villains, the underworld would be stirred to some extent. Shouta needed to see exactly how the underworld is reacting.
As he sat in his corner, taking small sips of his water, he saw a large group of vigilantes walk into the bar. He could count 7 in all, which was quite unusual for vigilantes. Aside from the Naruhata Vigilantes he had met years ago, vigilantes generally worked alone. They were people who either wanted relief from the mundane and repetitive life they led or were there in pursuit of vengeance against someone or something that had wronged them. To see so many vigilantes in a group like this only spelled trouble.
Staring at the group over the fabric of his capture scarf, Shouto tried his best to listen in. The group was made up of what appeared to be four males and three females. One guy managing to tower the other six quite easily. They were speaking in hushed whispers as one or two looked up to survey the room. Shouta was surprised at how naturally the two made it look, if he hadn’t been watching them, he most likely would have just assumed they were looking for a place to sit down.
As the vigilantes continued to whisper, Shouta smoothly left his seat and began to move closer to the group. Whatever they were up to, Shouta wanted to know about it.
—-------
Touya was having a meeting with some of the local vigilantes over a strike they would make against a villain group that had been supplying dangerous materials to extremists in the underground. Touya had put this team together knowing that Garaki would often use this supplier, it’s imperative that they cut off resources at the source. No matter how much the bald doctor tried and struggled to build up his Nomu, Null and his friends would block him at any turn.
Their hit would be at the hideout of the drug supplier. An early rendition of trigger that he wanted to nip at the bud. Flashburn was the distraction whilst Null and the others would infiltrate and destroy any and all research. The scientists developing the drug would also naturally have to be eliminated, but Touya knew that they had used human experimentation in order to reach this stage in their research, so he judged that it was fair. If they could sacrifice the lives of their test subjects for the information, they should’ve been prepared to sacrifice their own lives.
As he slit another scientist’s throat, Touya felt the warm blood slide down his knife, the substance coating his hand along with the blade. He tightened his grip on the knife. He would not lose his nerve now.
The strike against the scientists was swift, it couldn’t have taken more than 15 minutes at most. The vigilantes worked with brutal efficiency and by the end, the scientists and their research were eliminated.
Congregating at the center of the compound, the vigilantes expressed their glee at a successful mission. This mission will be one of many as they had formed a tentative alliance. Their goals had aligned so they took that as it was. “An enemy of an enemy is a friend.” Touya didn’t know their full stories, but each one of them had a strong hatred of the current status quo, or human experimentation or had a bad history with the villains that would be taken down on their mission to shut down the quirk trafficking ring. They all had reason to be here, every one of them slightly different in nature. Touya didn’t really care though. Whatever reason drove them to this point, they were now all allies. They’d work together so long as their interests were the same. Thankfully, that meant the annihilation of the quirk trafficking ring.
—-------
As much as Touya enjoyed masquerading as a vigilante, that wasn’t his only interaction with the underground. Whenever he wasn’t acting as a denizen of the underground, he helped any and all underground heroes that found themselves at his door. The first time that had happened, he had found a bloodied Eraserhead slumped against a wall in the alleyway next to the cafe. It was all a coincidence that he found him, but Touya had panicked at the sight of his regular so injured before dragging him into the cafe. Eraserhead was unconscious and had a large gash on his head. Clearly, someone had taken a weapon and bashed him across the head, maybe to knock him out, or maybe to kill him. Touya didn’t really know. Looking at the injury, it really could have been either. Touya quickly went to go get his first aid kit to try to bandage the man. Once he had managed to patch up the hero as well as he could, Touya sat back and waited for the man the wake-up.
The man groaned as his eyes fluttered open. “Where am I?” He demanded through gritted teeth.
“Hello to you too Aizawa. I found you outside the cafe, you’re in the cafe now.” Touya snarked. Aizawa tried to sit up quickly as Touya held out a hand to stop him.
“Don’t try to move too fast. You took a pretty bad blow to the head and I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a concussion.” The man seemed to glower at his words as he had a move to get up again.
“It’s illogical to stay down like this. There’s a villain on the loose and I need to catch them.”
“Don’t make that excuse Aizawa. We both know that if you go out there again, you might not come back. It’s illogical to go fight now.” Aizawa seemed to splutter at Touya’s words. He smirked.
“For a man who never does anything illogical, I never thought you’d bullhead your way through your injuries like this.” At this point, Aizawa was indignant at Touya’s patronising tone.
“Listen, Watanabe, there’s a dangerous villain outside. One known for hunting down and killing children with weak quirks. If I don’t catch him, he’ll just go on to kill more and more innocent children.” Touya felt his blood burn as anger rushed through his veins.
“Killing children?” He grit out lowly.
“Does this villain happen to go by Muscular by any chance?” He didn’t need to wait for Aizawa’s answer, the look in the man’s eyes told him everything. The muscle-headed idiot of a villain from his past timeline had been known to go on blood-induced rampages that left many families grieving. It seemed so surreal that in this timeline, he had not been caught yet. Was Eraserhead the one that had caught Muscular in his past life too?
“The fact that there’s a dangerous villain out there is more reason for you to stay down for now. You’re in no shape to fight.” Aizawa opened his mouth again to argue but Touya glared down at him.
“I mean it. Your life is important. Don’t go throwing your life away like that by making rash, blood-loss-induced decisions. If you go out now, I wouldn’t be surprised if some falling building took you out when you weren’t watching.” Touya left Eraserhead, who was now catatonic in the cafe as he slipped away to make some calls.
—-------
Shouta was stunned silent as he sat on the bench. What Watanabe said had stuck with him. He hated it… but the man was right. If he went out now, it would be exceedingly difficult to win against the villain. He was reminded of second year, when he and Oboro had been forced to fight a villain that had greatly overpowered them. Oboro had not been able to make it, struck down as he was protecting children. Shouta had told every student how illogical it was for them to overestimate their own skills and make themselves useless out in the field. Had he not almost done the same thing?
As Shouta berated himself in his mind, he didn’t notice as his eyes slowly began to close. The concussion had finally gotten to him. His vision faded to black.
When we woke up, he was laying in a hospital bed. Watanabe was at his side, eyes closed, lightly napping. Watanabe had woken up at his movement and stared at him with blue eyes that seemed to pierce his own tired black.
That was when Tsukauchi walked in.
—-------
Muscular was taken down by a gang of vigilantes last night. His arms had been broken and twisted when the police were able to bring him into the station and then transport him to Tartarus.
When they had questioned him, he was unable to say anything. His eyes were opened wide, twitching and glancing around the room as if weary of a hidden attacker. No matter what they tried, he refused to say who brought him in or what they did. In the end, they were forced to just take him into custody, no information about the ones who took him in found.
Ripples were made in the water, spreading out and creating larger waves. A couple would no longer leave their son orphaned after falling in battle.
Notes:
Also please note that this story is the main story of the series I'm writing. When the next chapter is updated, Part 3 of the series will also be released, which will go on to be a mini side series that actually happens alongside the main story, it might be referenced during the main story but it's not overly important if you don't want to read it.
Chapter 12: A TRAINING HE NEVER KNEW
Summary:
Shouto finally finds out what his mum and siblings have been hiding.
Notes:
I use "mama" whenever Shouto directly talks about Rei because, at this age, that's what he actually called her. If you rewatch some of the flashbacks that he has, he always calls her "mama". He's only 5 or 6 at this time so it makes sense.
Also note that in the realm of this fic, Endeavor doesn't really hurt Rei. At least not as much as in canon. She's not as mentally unhinged as well because of Older Touya's influence. She and the other kids actually go to either Sekoto Peak or the cafe every weekend. It's their safe place. In canon Endeavor does hit Rei I think, but in this, I'm just having him lock her out of the dojo so she can't interfere rather than hitting her for interfering. I will not condone spousal abuse and I refuse to give him a redemption arc if he did commit that, especially since it's just because "she got in his way".
With Shouto, I'm having him believe that he's just training Shouto for the outside world, he just goes too far and doesn't understand how to set appropriate limits for children. In other words, he's an idiot who ruined his relationships with his family because he's a workaholic who neglects to spend time with his children because he just doesn't really understand the concept, and doesn't know how to interact with anyone outside of hero work. He loves and cares for them all but doesn't understand how to show it, especially since he doesn't think his older kids have the power to protect themselves as heroes, so he can't train them as heroes. He ignores them since he doesn't know how to communicate outside of hero stuff.
Extra Note: I recently got a job so I may change the update schedule to once a week rather than every 5 days.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Ignore them Shouto, they live in a different world than the one I’m training you for.” The words that were always repeated to him whenever Endeavor caught him staring at his siblings rang in his head. The youngest of the Todoroki siblings had gotten his quirk at the tender age of 5 and was instantly ripped from his siblings the day ice and fire sprung from his arms. Now, rather than watch his older siblings train their quirks in the backyard or help bake with the rest of the family, Shouto was isolated. Endeavor had made sure that his “Masterpiece” was safely hidden away on the far side of the house, away from his old bedroom and closer to the dojo.
Shouto didn’t understand what his father was talking about, amidst the brutal training and blazing heat of his father’s fire, the man had always said that his siblings had weak quirks. Powers that wouldn’t make them strong heroes. Once, when he had the courage to ask his father, the man had only scoffed and said “Shouto, your quirk is the one that I have been waiting for. The others are failures who do not have the power or control to be my legacy.” Shouto didn’t get it. From what he’d seen of his older siblings’ training, their quirks were extremely powerful. Touya could instantly create blue flames whenever he wanted, and would often shape them into beautiful displays, creating phoenixes, foxes, and other animals that almost seemed to dance across the sky.
Natsu on the other hand was able to erect large ice walls and slides. He had let Shouto go down them sometimes on hot days. Natsu’s ice structures were very sturdy and like their older brother, his quirk seemed to come so naturally to him. There was no strain as the ice materialised wherever he pointed his hands. His sister Yumi, unlike Natsu, was extremely skilled at precision work. She didn’t make giant structures like Natsu, she had showed off a spectacular knife dance, complete with ice daggers that gleamed in the afternoon sun. All throughout her performance, she would weave and throw her knives at targets she had erected beforehand, striking them through the center in every throw. Shouto thought his siblings were very strong. His father must not have known what he was talking about.
The next time he tried to bring up his siblings’ quirks to his father, the man just looked confused when Shouto had told him that their quirks were strong.
“Shouto, you need to surpass your siblings. Whatever minor tricks they can do with their quirks are inconsequential. You need to be better because you are the best. You are my Masterpiece.”
Shouto hadn’t understood it at the time, but the longer he trained with his father, the more frustrated he grew. He was training hard with his father, but his quirk was still nowhere as good as any of his siblings. Whilst he was forced to train until he physically collapsed, his siblings seemed so naturally talented.
The youngest Todoroki would fall asleep, wrapped in his blankets with trails of tears dried on his face. He didn’t understand why he had to work so hard, why he was the “Masterpiece” when clearly he was the least talented of his siblings. They all had such perfect control over their quirks despite their father not training them, instead, they played outside and laughed together.
Shouto would be bitterly jealous as he watched them have fun without him. They would play ball with each other and train in the backyard whenever they wished, they could stop whenever they wanted and there was no expectation placed on them. Shouto wished he was like them.
It was after a particularly harsh training session that Shouto was sat on his mama’s lap, tear-streaked face buried into her chest.
“I don’t want to be like him, mama.” He sniffled.
“I don’t want to be the same as him! I don’t want to be the hero he is!” Shouto buried his face further into her bosom.
“He says I’m the Masterpiece! I don’t even know how he thinks that when Touya, Natsu, and Yumi are so powerful! I can’t ever compete with them!” Shouto was panicking now. He felt worthless. He felt like a fraud. He was supposed to be some powerful, miracle baby but he couldn’t reach the power levels of his siblings despite having more training with their father. He felt like a waste.
Feeling cold hands stroking his hair, Shouto lifted his head to meet the eyes of his mama.
“Honey, you still want to be a hero right?” His mother was softly stroking his head.
“You are still a baby. You’re my baby. You don’t have to have mastered your quirk right away my baby.” Shouto leaned into her touch.
“But I got more training mama! Touya, Natsu, and Yumi don’t get training at all! And they’re already so good!” Shouto felt a new wave of tears prick at his eyes. His pale face was red and blotchy from his crying.
“Father doesn’t teach them, he only teaches me. They train all by themselves but they’re amazing mama. Will I ever be as good as them?” His mama seemed to consider his words carefully as she took his hands into her own. Grey eyes met his as she spoke quietly, as if telling him a secret that must not be overheard.
“Shouto, I’m going to tell you something ok? And you must promise not to tell your father. If he knows…” His mama didn’t have to finish her sentence. Shouto understood and nodded his head in agreement.
—-------
Rei watched her crying son with a heavy heart as she kept stroking his cheek. Her heart hurt for her youngest, but as she is, she’s unable to stop her husband from training him like this. Shouto was the child that their quirk marriage was designed for so she understood Enji’s excitement when Shouto’s quirk came in, but she wished he’d remember that Shouto was still a child.
“I don’t want to be the hero he is!” Her baby cried harder into her shirt as Rei tried her best to soothe him.
“Honey, you still want to be a hero right?” Shouto lifted his head to meet her gaze.
Shouto had told her multiple times that he had not felt like enough. Endeavor’s training was harsh and he was relentless when forcing their youngest child to overexert his quirk. He wanted one of his children to take on his legacy and in his eyes, Shouto was the only one capable of doing so. Enji had long abandoned any fatherly affection with their eldest children, too busy to make any time for them.
“You are still a baby. You’re my baby. You don’t have to have mastered your quirk right away my baby.” Rei continued to stroke Shouto’s head, the cold of her quirk calming the boy who had been burning with heat from his strong emotions. His quirk, still uncontrolled, fought just underneath the surface, reacting to his feelings. She felt him lean into her touch and she smiled. He was her baby.
“You are still a baby. You’re my baby. You don’t have to have mastered your quirk right away my baby.” Rei gently tried to explain to Shouto that he didn’t have to master his quirk right away, but the boy didn’t listen.
“But I got more training mama! Touya, Natsu, and Yumi don’t get training at all! And they’re already so good!” At this point, Rei couldn’t help it. She wanted to tell Shouto about the man who had helped her other children, but she knew that out of all her children, Shouto was the most honest and naive. If he knew about Nabe, in a moment of anger, he might tell Endeavor. Enji won’t train his other kids, and won’t spend the time of day to catch up on their activities or build a relationship with them. But Rei knew that he wouldn’t allow another man to build a relationship with them either.
Rei bit her lip.
“Father doesn’t teach them, he only teaches me. They train all by themselves but they’re amazing mama. Will I ever be as good as them?” Rei wanted Shouto to have the same opportunity her other children had but she was still unsure. Unlike Natsuo, who from a young age understood there was a time and place for things, Shouto wouldn’t be able to understand the social conventions or how to hide things away from his father. Her baby was too expressive, so kind, and willing to help anyone. His anger was one of childish impudence and he never fully thought things through before doing or saying anything. Rei worried that showing Shouto would expose their hidden oasis to Enji’s fire. Looking into her son’s eyes once more, Rei came to a decision. Her child needed this. What he needed, she’ll do her best to provide.
“Shouto, I’m going to tell you something ok? And you must promise not to tell your father. If he knows…” She paused. Shouto seemed to understand as he nodded his head.
“This Saturday, I’m going to take you somewhere. Don’t tell anyone ok?” Another nod. Rei smiled to herself, her baby was going to meet the man who saved her other children. Hopefully, he could save Shouto too.
—-------
It was finally Saturday and Shouto was a ball of nerves. Today, his mama had promised to take him somewhere. After his father left for his agency, his mama bundled him into outdoor clothes and whisked him outside.
The walk up the mountain was peaceful. Hand in hand with his mama, Shouto felt at ease. The wind softly blew past and tickled his cheek and the sun was dazzling as it gently warmed his skin. Shouto hadn’t felt this calm since his quirk manifested.
As they approached the peak, Shouto was surprised to see all three of his older siblings already waiting.
“Took you long enough mum. Are we ready to go?” Touya was the first to speak, his tone was casual but his eyes seemed guarded against Shouto. His other siblings mirrored Touya’s expression.
“Yeah, mum. We all know that they’re waiting for us. Especially since we asked them to not come directly here this week.” Shouto was confused. Who was “them”? Were there people that his mama and siblings saw regularly? There must be since they all seemed so eager to see these people.
Shouto felt like he was being led into a big secret. He couldn’t wait to see what it was.
—-------
Touya didn’t understand why they had to bring Shouto with them. The cafe, Tenko, and Nabe was their secret. He felt betrayed that his mum had brought their youngest brother without consulting them first.
The kid was brutally honest. He was brutally honest and didn’t understand how to keep his temper in check. Touya couldn’t count the number of times he’d heard the boy yelling at their old man. If Shouto knew their secret, who was to say that he wouldn’t use it as ammunition in his next yelling match with Endeavor? Letting Shouto come was too much of a risk. Touya knew that his siblings felt the same, no matter how much they all tried to hide it behind a smile for their mother’s sake.
They all eyed Shouto wearily as they all made the trek to the cafe. From what Tenko had told them, his dad had hired more weekend staff so he could spend more time with them all.
Touya had felt strange when Tenko had told him that. Nabe was so different from Endeavor. Whilst Endeavor would neglect his family for his name and reputation, Nabe was willing to set aside work to ensure they were all happy. Even if they weren’t his kids, the man acted as a father to them all. He filled that role that Endeavor never truly fit and lit a fire that warmed the family from the inside. It was funny. For all the fire and flames that made up Endeavor, he could act so cold. So uncaring when it came to his kids. The flames of passion and anger dimmed when addressing his failures. Touya knew that if Endeavor ever found out about the man, his father would do everything in his power to make sure his family never saw that cafe ever again. That was something they all knew and it terrified them to think about their cold home, with all the pain and misery hidden behind pristine walls and expensive furnishings. The cafe was warm, it was a home he never knew he needed.
Bringing Shouto with them is a risk, and Touya didn’t know if it was worth it.
The cafe was bright and brought an aura of cheer as they approached it. The usual patrons sat at the tables, chatting over one thing or another whilst enjoying the treats the cafe served. Honestly, Touya didn’t know what it was but the food the cafe made put everything else to shame. He and Natsuo had tried to recreate the chocolate croissants at home so many times, but it never tasted the same as the pastry they had made in the kitchen of the cafe. There was just something about it that was always different.
As the bell above the door chimed, Tenko came racing out of the back, barreling into Touya’s arms.
“Touya! You’re late! Dad said he was going to pack a picnic lunch for today’s training! We’ll be able to have his special sandwiches, fruit tea, and pastries after training!” The other boy was brimming with excitement and Touya could feel that excitement spread to him as he let a smile grow on his face. It was like the feeling was infectious as Fuyumi and Natsuo shared the same grin, overhearing Tenko’s declaration.
Nabe’s special sandwiches were heavenly. There’s just no other word to describe it. If his looks weren’t enough to convince you he was an angel, his cooking would do it. He made these special sandwiches occasionally, it was some sort of secret recipe that only the man knew since he refused to tell anyone how he made it. The sandwiches would be made from homemade bread with crispy chicken karaage, vegetables, and some sort of sauce. It was perfect in so many ways, the chicken karaage mum made just didn’t compare, and nowhere else sold karaage that good.
Sometimes, Touya wondered why Nabe refused to put the chicken on the menu permanently. He knew the man would sell it maybe once a month, but if he would just sell it every day, Touya knew that people would come running to buy it. Next to him, he could see Natsuo, whose face did little to hide his anticipation. Fuyumi wasn’t much different. She and their mum had tried multiple times to guess the recipe but had never succeeded. It was a pity. If they had the recipe, Touya was sure they’d have it weekly. At the very least. Sadly, Nabe refused to divulge the recipe when mum had asked.
—-------
The little family sat at the table and Tenko joined them in their wait for his dad to finally finish packing. After what felt like an eternity, the man emerged from the kitchen, picnic basket in hand and a bright grin on his face.
“Hey, kids. You had a good week?” The kids descended on him, excited chatter filling the air as they spoke over one another to tell Touya about their latest math test, or their newest friend. Touya had to stop a laugh from escaping his lips before stopping them.
“Ok, ok. I know you’re excited to tell me. How about we have a picnic at Sekoto Peak first and you can tell me all about your week ok?” He smiled at them as they nodded their heads eagerly. So eagerly in fact that Touya was worried they’d give themselves a concussion from the exaggerated movement.
“Ok then. Let’s go!”
—-------
Shouto felt himself stare at the man who had emerged from the kitchen. He had pale blue hair and piercing blue eyes. They were the same shade as his father’s eyes but they seemed different somehow. When Shouto looked into them, instead of seeing a roaring flame, it was like the fire in man’s eyes was a comforting campfire instead. The blue seemed to swirl with pale blue flames, dangerous but beautiful. The man looked like some otherworldly being. A fairy? Shouto didn’t know what a fairy was supposed to look like, but his mama had read stories about how fairies were pretty. This man was pretty.
The boy who had greeted them at first also had blue hair, but it looked different from the man’s, Shouto wondered if this boy was the man’s son.
“Nabe! Hello! This is my youngest, Shouto. Thank you for letting him come on such short notice.” His mama gave a deep bow to the man.
“Please stand up Rei. I’ve told you before. If things are bad at home, you can always come to this cafe for help. I treat the children like my own anyways, and you’re a good friend.” The man waved off his mama’s thanks before turning to Shouto. Looking at him close up, Shouto was sure the man was a fairy. His milky pale skin made his eyes almost glow as they looked at Shouto.
“Hello little Shouto, I’m Nabe and this is my cafe.” He gestured to the cafe before pulling the blue-haired boy to him.
“This is my son Tenko. He’s a good friend with your brothers and sister.” Ah, so Shouto was right. This was the man’s son. Staring curiously at the other boy, Shouto noted that aside from the blue hair, the older boy really had no other features that showed that the man, Nabe was his father. The boy had red eyes unlike Nabe’s blue, and his face didn’t have the otherworldly look that Nabe had.
To be honest, looking at Nabe. He could imagine the man being Touya’s father rather than Tenko’s. They shared some similar features, including their blue eyes and fair skin. If he really squinted, he could imagine Touya growing up to look like Nabe. Interesting…
They returned to Sekoto Peak with Nabe and Tenko.
The next 2 hours were spent indulging in the food that Nabe had brought with him. Shouto had thought that his siblings had acted strangely at the cafe but now he knew why. The sandwiches were different from what he’d had before. The bread was soft and the vegetables were crisp when he bit down. The chicken karaage was juicy, the sauce and the juices melding together in perfect harmony as he chewed. If this is what his siblings ate every week, Shouto understood why they were so excited to go.
Taking a sip from the tea Nabe brought Shouto let himself enjoy the atmosphere around him. His mama was smiling, laughing at a joke Natsu said. Touya and Tenko were talking about a game they had been playing and Yumi looked serene as she sat with a pastry in hand. Shouto wished this moment could last forever.
When the food was finished and the chatter died, Nabe stood up, clapping his hands together to get their attention. Shouto stared up at the man in curiosity. He wondered what the man needed their attention for.
“Ok, Tenko, Touya, Natsuo, Fuyumi. It’s time to train.” Shouto sat rigidly still on the picnic blanket, eyes wide with horror as he registered what Nabe had just said. He was.. training Shouto’s siblings. Shouto felt numb. Is this where the fairytale ended? Is this when he’d hear the pained cries of his siblings? Was earlier too good to be real?
Shouto felt worry pool in his gut as he watched on in horror as his siblings stood up, they looked relaxed. Did they get used to it? Did the man hurt them so often that they didn’t feel it anymore?! Why wasn’t his mama stopping this?! Questions spun in Shouto’s mind as he kept staring at the scene before him.
Much to his surprise, there was no screaming. No tears as his siblings moved with an enviable grace. Nabe stood at the centre of it all, a proud smile on his lips as he watched them go through the actions as if they had done them a million times. Shouto watched as he gently corrected Touya when he failed to complete a move, stop Yumi from hurting herself, and cheer whenever Natsu succeeded in a task. Shouto was shocked silent. Was..was this how training was supposed to look?
What was it like to be encouraged like this? To have a hand pat him on the head and encourage him to continue. To be gently corrected rather than berated for his mistakes. Shouto felt bitter as he watched his siblings receive more care within one training session than he had for months. Envy clouded his mind as the fairy moved between them, never focusing fully on one person, but always watching to help when necessary. Why wasn’t Endeavor like that? Weren’t they his kids? Why did Endeavor not treat his siblings like this man treated them?
Endeavor had only ever fully acknowledged Shouto and still, it was never to the extent this man clearly cared for Tenko and his siblings. Why couldn’t he have that? Was this why they were so strong? This man had helped them? Before he could spiral any further into his thoughts, he felt a soft hand pet his head. Expecting it to be his mama, he was surprised when he saw Nabe next to him.
“Hey, Shouto. If you ever want to train with us, I can help you too. There’s no pressure. I won’t force you to train. You can just sit here and relax with Rei if you want. Rei’s told me you already train a lot. That’s not good for a child you know. You should learn to relax too.” Shouto was dumbfounded. The man, despite not really knowing Shouto for more than a few hours had offered his help so easily.
As he held the man’s gaze, Shouto felt like he finally found his answer. This man was Touya’s real dad! The reason he cared for them so much was that he was their real dad! He looked just like Touya! Staring at Nabe more intensely now, Shouto scanned him to find more evidence for his theory. He had some of the same features as Touya, Natsu, and Yumi! Their hair was white, and Nabe had light blue hair! With mama, of course, their hair would be white! Yumi must’ve dyed part of her hair red because she wanted to look more like Endeavor! There was no other explanation. If Yumi was really Endeavor’s daughter, she’d have more red in her hair!
This probably wouldn’t have made sense to anyone else, but in the mind of 5-year-old Shouto, he felt as if all the clues he found today had finally linked together to form a full picture. Of course, Endeavor would ignore them then. He wasn’t their real dad! Then Shouto paused… but he had red hair. He had half white and half red. There was no hair dye, he didn’t look like Nabe at all. Disappointedly, Shouto realised that he was the only true child of Endeavor. The man trained him because he was Endeavor’s only child, his “Masterpiece”. Shouto wanted to cry. He wanted Nabe to be his dad too. Why did he have to have Endeavor as his dad? The man was a hero, so what? He was mean to Shouto whilst Nabe was nice to Touya, Natsu, Yumi, and Tenko. That was unfair. Why couldn’t he be Nabe’s son instead?
—-------
The day ended with smiles all around, all his kids were happy and satisfied, and he’d finally met Shouto. Touya felt a sense of nostalgia. He’d treat Shouto well this time around.
—-------
Shouto went home that day with a renewed sense of eagerness for the next weekend. Nabe had offered to help train him despite Shouto not being his child. Nabe was kind and caring and… not Shouto’s dad. Shouto felt a sense of depression hit him. Why couldn’t Nabe be his dad?
Notes:
If you haven't guessed, Older Touya refuses to put chicken karaage on the menu all the time because it would attract Hawks, and he really wants to avoid that.
PART 3 OF THE SERIES IS AVAILABLE TO READ AT THIS POINT.
Chapter 13: WHEN THE KIDS GO TO SLEEP
Summary:
The vigilante Null finally meets Eraserhead and Amplifier. As a bonus, he also meets Present Mic.
Notes:
The bonus should explain how the timeline changes have affected little Keigo.
Chapter Text
The vigilante Null was out again as the moon shone brightly in the dark sky. There was a drug deal going down tonight and Null was going to stop it. Whilst it wasn’t as important as some other missions he and his fellow vigilantes had been on, he wasn’t going to let trigger circulate in the underworld that easily. It had caused enough damage in the last timeline.
Jumping from roof to roof with the help of his self-made support weapon, Null was rapidly approaching his target. The deal was to be made in an abandoned building by the dock, a trade between some small-time villains and a yakuza group. As he traversed the city, Touya could feel the anticipation build inside him. Just like every other time he went out as Null, it brought a sense of exhilaration that just couldn’t be replicated. His blood hummed in his veins as he readied himself for the mission.
Crouching on a roof, Null waited silently for the main players to arrive. The abandoned warehouse was empty, neither side of the trade had arrived yet so all Null could do was wait. He didn’t have to wait for long.
Only 10 minutes since he settled on his perch in the rafters, some villains arrived. There were a strange combination of quirks, one obviously had some sort of spider mutation quirk, her eight eyes sending chills down Touya’s spine. Her fingers were constantly moving, the threads between them glinting with a silver sheen in the dim lighting of the warehouse. The guy next to her didn’t have a visible quirk, but there was something off about the way he held himself. For a villain who obviously depended on trigger to commit crimes, he stood confidently, his demeanor impatient, arms crossed over his chest in some form of control. How pathetic.
The others were a motley of mutation and possibly emitter quirks. It was another 5 minutes before the yakuza group finally arrived. They walked in, 10 in total with a short, stout man at the front. This must be the leader. Springing from his position, Touya jumped down to attack. To his surprise, as he was falling, he saw red eyes glint and the door burst open. Eraserhead and Amplifier had entered the building. Amplifier let out a scream through a microphone, making most of the villains collapse to the ground as Eraserhead handled the rest with his capture weapon. Null just stood in the corner. There was nothing for him to do. Just as he thought that, the windows of the warehouse all shattered and 30 yakuza members broke in. It was a trap.
Suddenly, it was pandemonium as quirks fired off from everywhere. Electricity buzzed in the air as Null, Eraserhead and Amplifier fought the yakuza members who had just arrived.
Inwardly, Null wondered who this trap was designed for. Was it for him? Or was it for the heroes that had shown up tonight? He didn’t have time to continue to ponder that question as he ducked a quirk-enhanced punch that would've taken his head off. Nope. He really didn’t have time for this. As Null and the heroes managed to reduce the yakuza’s numbers to half, the yakuza seemed to realise they were losing. About time. Some started to pull out guns and fired them at the heroes. Null jumped to the side as a bullet whizzed by. He took down another two yakuza before a pained grunt caught his attention.
Momentarily letting his eyes stray from his fight, he was horrified to see Eraserhead with a hand clutched at his side, blood seeping through his fingers. He could tell the man was fighting through the pain as he continued to weave between the villains, white capture weapon how stained with splotches of red. There were now only 5 yakuza members left as Null and Amplifier fought side by side to protect Eraserhead, who was rapidly slowing. They’d need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible. As soon as he thought that, another pained scream stole his attention away from the fight. Amplifier was slumped on the ground as a knife made its way into her side. Shit. Touya needed to finish this fight as soon as possible.
Unleashing a series of punches and kicks, Null finally managed to fell the rest of the yakuza. Breathing a sigh of relief in the moment of respite, Touya fished a cell phone from one of the fallen yakuza members and called the police. They would need to arrest these guys before they woke up and ran away.
Now turning to Eraserhead and Amplifier, Null lifted them up, one in each arm, and ran out of the building to the nearest hospital. They were starting to lose blood fast.
Thankfully, he was immediately let in when the nurses saw Amplifier and Eraserhead in his arms. He was even allowed to stay with them! Sitting at the bedside table of one, Eraserhead, Touya let himself relax a little. He’d stay until he knew the man was alright, but he was ready to run at a moment’s notice. He wasn’t looking to get arrested today.
The hospital must’ve called Eraserhead’s emergency contact because Present Mic ran into the room. Touya was amused to see the man’s hair down, unlike his usual slicked-up hairstyle. A pair of glasses sat perched on his nose as he scrambled to Eraserhead’s side.
“Shouta! Are you ok?! What happened?!” His loud voice woke the other hero up as Eraserhead let out an annoyed groan.
“Mic, I’m fine. I just got shot.”
“You JUST GOT SHOT?!”
“Stop acting like it’s the end of the world. It’s a part of being a hero. You’re being overdramatic.”
“STOP ACTING LIKE YOU JUST GOT A PAPERCUT!!” Null couldn’t help the giggle that escaped his lips. The combination of Present Mic’s worry and Eraserhead’s blase attitude, it made a great comedy skit.
Both heroes were looking at Null now.
“Thank you for saving Shouta, Null. If he had died…” Present Mic thanked him sincerely and Null gave him a look that he hoped meant “it’s no big deal”. He didn’t want to risk either hero recognising his voice.
“Yes, thank you for saving Amplifier and me.” This time it was Eraserhead who spoke. His eyes were starting to glint red and his black hair was slightly raised at the edges. Nodding at the hero, Null ran out of the room and out of the hospital. He was sure if he stayed in there for one more minute, Eraserhead would have attempted to capture him. Nope. He’s out of here!
A second after Null ran out, Aizawa tried to jump out of bed to follow him, but his injury stopped him. Damn it, he almost got him!
—-------
Kai Chisaki was interested in the new vigilante that was making waves in the underworld. He and his band of vigilantes had been messing with any and all trigger deals. If it was that alone, Kai would be cautious. The Shie Hassaikai were also developing their own drugs, but there was something about that particular vigilante that piqued his curiosity. The vigilante Null was effective, dangerous, and intelligent, but never once had he used a quirk. Did he have one? Why didn’t he use it if he had one? Was he smart enough to know that quirks were a disease?
These questions rang through his mind. Kai wanted to know more about this vigilante, and he wanted to know NOW.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-What happened to Little Hawks?-
Keigo held his hands to his ears, wings protectively curled around himself as he listened to his mother’s cries. His father had gone on another rampage as he spat curses at her. His father was a villain, a criminal. He was always paranoid that either Keigo or his mother would rat him out to the heroes, so made a point to break them down so that they wouldn't dare to leave the building. Every action they made was thoroughly scrutinised and if they did something he didn’t like… The punishment would break them down again.
Keigo thought this would be his life forever. Hiding from both his mother and father, starving as they often forgot to feed him, and terrified of what will happen next. Keigo was scared that one day his father will take one of his beatings too far and Keigo wouldn’t be able to wake up the next day.
Keigo wrapped his arms around his legs, curling himself tighter into a ball. Please… if there’s a god out there… please send a hero to save me.
His father’s paranoia had gotten worse again. Keigo could feel the bruises bloom on his skin as he was kicked for going outside. He had only wanted to stretch his wings a little but his father had seen him and had immediately assumed he wanted to draw the heroes here.
“YOU LITTLE BRAT!! HOW DARE YOU FLY OUTSIDE?!! DO YOU WANT TO GET ME CAUGHT?! IS THAT IT?! YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!!” His father continued with his onslaught of kicks and punches. His mother just sat to the side, watching everything.
Keigo thought he was going to die when the door was kicked in. A man stood in the entranceway to their home, bright red wings like Keigo’s as he glared down at Keigo’s parents. Feathers came out of his wings and pinned his mother and father to the floor. The strange man turned around to call others in and Keigo could see the police outside.
His parents were cuffed and taken away, leaving Keigo alone. The man turned to him and knelt down so they were face to face.
“Hey kid, I’m Pro Hero Hawks. Are you ok?” It was the floodgates behind his eyes were released and he started bawling into the man… no.. the hero’s chest.
“T-thank youuuuu!” Keigo couldn’t stop crying even as strong arms held him close. Keigo had never felt so safe before. The hero he prayed for had come to take his parents away. Keigo was safe now.
The hero wrapped Keigo in his wings and just sat still, holding Keigo and comforting him for what felt like forever.
“Hey, kid. Since your parents are gone, how about you come with me and I’ll be your big brother? We already look like we could be related anyways!” His hero was right. If anyone looked at the two of them side by side, they would have looked like actual siblings. Keigo’s hair and eyes matched Hawks perfectly and in a few years, he might start looking just like the man.
“If..if you’ll have me.” Keigo couldn’t help but hold out a tentative hope. His hero was telling the truth, right? He’ll look after Keigo, right?
“Of course kid! No way can I leave a kid like this. You’re my little brother now!” Keigo let out a little chirp of happiness before collapsing. The combination of his injuries and the excitement of the day had utterly drained him. As he lay in Hawk’s arms, he subconsciously smiled.
He was safe. Heroes were really cool.
—-------
Hawks had been looking for his younger self for months. As soon as he realised he was in the past, he had done everything in his power to catch the HPSC’s attention. He began acting as a vigilante and made a name for himself before turning himself in under the recommendation of another hero.
Hawks knew that Crawler had done the same thing in the last timeline, and being an adult, the HPSC wouldn’t have the same amount of control over him as they had in his previous life.
His gamble was right. He had become a hero smoothly and practically few up in the hero rankings. He was ranked 17th. His past reputation as a friendly and helpful vigilante had helped him with that. The public had already loved him by the time he debuted.
When he heard of a villain with similar wings to him robbing stores, he knew it was this ex-father. He had hunted the man down with the tenacity of a predator chasing prey. If he could find that man, he’d find his younger self. Weeks of searching bore no results until the sighting of a young child with bright red wings was reported. Bingo. He found little Keigo.
Bringing the police along with him, he managed to stop the man from inflicting more harm on little Keigo. He knew how much these beatings had hurt him and wouldn’t let that monster do the same to this Keigo. The little Keigo that was his alternate self. He’d raise the boy differently to how he was raised. This boy would be loved. He would be Keigo’s little brother. Now… if he could just get the little bird to change his name. Can’t have two Keigos after all. That would be too weird.
Adoption completed, Keigo was delighted to hear from the baby bird himself that he wanted to change his name. The boy had told him that he didn’t want any connection to his previous life with his abusive parents- Keigo could understand that. With paperwork done, Keigo Takaizumi had adopted Keigo Takami, now Arata Takaizumi.
Chapter 14: ALONG CAME A VAMPIRE
Summary:
Null saves another life and changes society. One small step at a time.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Himiko had been on the run for days. Her parents had finally snapped. Their screams still rang in her ears as she, bruised and battered, finally escaped the hell that was that house. When her quirk manifested, it was like everything changed. The smiles and loving looks that her parents had given her had rapidly changed to disgusted sneers and angry yelling. Her love of blood, her creepy eyes, her face, everything about her was disgusting to them.
“WHY CAN’T YOU BE NORMAL?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT DISGUSTING, SINFUL QUIRK?!”
“YOU’RE A DEMON! THE DEVIL! WHY ARE WE CURSED WITH YOU?!”
Those words followed her like the plague. Even after she ran, she still remembered them. She was unwanted, a curse, disgusting. Her mother was the first to abandon her when she found out what Himiko’s quirk was. Her eyes turned colder than Himiko could ever imagine.
Fists and words rained down on her every day. Curses and swears showered her.
“WHY DO YOU HAVE HIS QUIRK?! THAT WRETCHED YOUNGER BROTHER OF MINE WAS GONE!! HE WAS A MONSTER!! AND NOW YOU’RE HERE!! WHY MUST I BE CURSED LIKE THIS?!” Her mother was the most vocal of her parents when it came to her quirk. From the bits and pieces of information within her mother’s words, Himiko knows that her mother once had a little brother with a blood quirk as well. Apparently, he had left home soon after becoming an adult, cutting all contact with his family.
According to her mother, it was the one good decision he had made. Through spat words, her mother had said that his quirk was an embarrassment to the family. Her mother’s family was religious, and the connotation of blood was a sign of the devil. Her grandparents had ignored her uncle the moment he displayed a quirk, whilst her mother had bullied him mercilessly.
Secretly, Himiko would pray that she could be as strong as her uncle. To survive that cruelty and manage to escape.
This was her chance. As she ran away, she kept thinking of her uncle, who must’ve been in a similar situation. He got away, so there was no reason Himiko couldn’t.
She ran for the whole night. They had locked her in her room without food or water after beating her senseless. That was when she knew she couldn’t take it anymore.
The cold, night air was refreshing on her skin. It chilled her burning wounds and numbed the pain, just slightly. The feeling of freedom filled her with elation, she let out an almost mad giggle as she ran.
As she raced through the night, Himiko didn’t feel the strength leave her. She kept going until finally collapsing in the middle of the street.
—-------
It was another night where Touya was out as Null. He had managed to take down 2 groups of villains and was heading back to the cafe when he saw the figure of a young girl, running and giggling. The sound was both familiar, and chilling. The laughter clearly belonged to a girl, but it was manic. It was the sound of someone who had escaped their own personal purgatory.
Leaping from the rooftop he was on to the next building, Touya surveyed the girl. She was young, she couldn’t have been older than 8 years old. Her thin dress fluttered in the wind and she looked chilled. Touya was worried that if he left her alone, something bad would happen. As she kept running, Touya followed behind her on the rooftops. He’ll just watch to see where she is going. He hoped she just snuck out and was on her way home, but something inside him already knew that was not the case.
As he kept jumping after her, the little girl seemed to still, before collapsing in a mess of limbs onto the cold floor.
Touya panicked. He leapt down from the roof and ran to the girl. She was cold to the touch and her lips were starting to turn blue. How long has she been out here?! Picking up the girl, he ran to the police station with her in his arms. This girl needs help. Desperately.
—-------
Tsukauchi was having a slow night. Keyword, "WAS". There weren’t many villains out tonight and the other officers had quickly noticed that. Aside from the few that came in escorted by an underground hero or knocked out by a vigilante, there was nothing wrong. Tsukauchi was just making himself another cup of coffee when the door to the station was burst through, a vigilante running in with the form of a girl in his arms.
The vigilante was dressed in all black, with a fox mask covering his face. He was lean and was panting as he spoke.
“This girl! She needs help! She collapsed on the street!” The vigilante said in between taking deep breaths. Before Tsukauchi could say anything, the vigilante, who Tsukauchi now recognised as Null, shoved the girl into his arms and ran out of the station. Tsukauchi tried to follow him, but with the mysterious girl in his arms, Null vanished into the night.
Sighing to himself, Tsukauchi took out his phone and called the hospital.
This going to be a long shift.
—-------
Vlad King, or Sekijiro Kan was at home looking over materials for his heroics class when he got a call from the hospital.
“Hello, is this the residence of Sekijiro Kan?” He answered with an affirmative before the woman on the other side continued.
“Mr. Kan, it appears that your niece Himiko Toga has appeared at the hospital. She’s injured but we don’t believe it is safe for her to return to her parents.” Kan stopped, the words buzzing in his ear. From what he heard, his bitch of a sister had married a man called Kaito Toga a few years ago. Could this be her daughter?
Kan had broken all contact with his family after establishing himself as a hero. They had hated his quirk and in turn, refused any association with him so it worked both ways. He’d only known about his sister’s marriage through a family friend.
But why would she treat her daughter like this? Kan could only think of one reason. Little Himiko probably had a quirk that they despised. Inwardly, Kan wondered what quirk would make his sister act out so much that the hospital noted it as a concern.
Kan changed into outdoor clothes before leaving his house, getting into his car and driving to Musutafu Private Hospital, where the woman had said his niece was.
His niece was a young girl, probably only 8 years old. Her blonde hair was matted and covered in grime and her tattered clothes sat on a nearby chair. Clearly, the nurses had changed her into a blue patient’s dress as she lay unconscious.
As Kan kept studying his newfound niece, Tsukauchi entered the room, papers in his hands.
“This is Himiko Toga, 8 years old and has a blood-based transformation quirk.” Ah. That made sense why his sister would go mad then. Quirkist bitch never liked blood-based quirks. “The curse of the devil” she called it. Kan wondered if this was karma that her daughter had a blood-based quirk, or some cruel joke played by god that would give such a young girl to such hateful people.
His niece was 8 years old. She can’t have done anything bad, but from the bruises and cuts that littered her body, Kan knew there was more going on that led her to this hospital.
“How did she get here?” He asked the detective.
“She was brought into the police station by the vigilante Null. He told me he found her passed out on the street before bringing her to me.” Kan felt thankful. Whilst he generally held no strong feelings towards vigilantes unless they crossed the line into villainy, this particular vigilante had saved Kan’s niece. He’d done the job of a hero and ran away before anyone could thank or arrest him.
Addressing the detective again, Kan asked, “So, what’s going to happen to Himiko?”
The detective seemed to let out a long-suffering sigh before speaking.
“When the hospital checked her over, they found countless bruises, cuts and scars all over her body. Clearly, there’s something wrong at home-”
“They’re quirkist against blood-based quirks.” Kan cut in. His blood boiled when he heard the injuries the detective was recounting. Whilst his own parents weren’t the best, ignoring him in favour of his sister, they had never laid a hand on him. Clearly, his sister took a turn for the worst and became the monster their parents could have been.
“Where is Himiko going to go?” He asked through gritted teeth.
“Well.. we can’t send her home so there are only 2 options. Either we have to let her stay in an orphanage or bring her to other family-”
“NO!” Kan cut him off again. His family were extremely quirkist, maybe some of the younger members would be more welcoming to different quirks but most of the older generation still held the same beliefs. To them, blood quirks were evil. If Himiko were to be brought up by them… Kan shuddered to think of what would happen to her.
“I’ll take her in.” He finally said. He wasn’t going to let his niece stay in an orphanage, not when she had family who could care for her, but he couldn’t let their family hurt her either.
“Just give me the adoption papers. I’ll look after her.” He restated.
Tsukauchi didn’t argue with him. The man probably thought this was the best possible outcome. Kan was willing to bet that’s why they called him instead of anyone else.
No matter. He’ll raise his niece like his own daughter!
“And what about my sister and her husband?” He asked.
“Already got an investigation open on them.” Tsukauchi gave him a knowing smile.
“Don’t worry Vlad King, we’ll put them behind bars as soon as possible.” The detective finally walked out of the room, possibly to get the adoption papers as Kan slumped into a chair. He really wasn’t expecting all this tonight.
—-------
Himiko was trying not to let out cries as she listened to the men speaking beside her bed. Her uncle would save her from her parents. The uncle that she always admired for managing to escape the chains of their family had come for her! As she listened, she found out that she would have died if not for the vigilante Null. It was Null who rescued her from the street and got her to meet her uncle. It was Null who contacted the police. It was because of Null that her parents wouldn’t escape for what they did to her!
Himiko let a small smile grace her lips when she heard the detective who was talking to her uncle leave the room. She had a new home with an uncle who would care about her because she ran, but she knew that the only way she made it this far was because of Null.
Null was her hero.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-What happens with Himiko Toga now?-
Himiko Toga was adopted as the daughter of Pro Hero Vlad King. The police had found evidence of her parents’ mistreatment and they stood trial. During the infamous trial, her parents had stood and did not even try to hide their contempt for her and her uncle’s quirks.
“I SEE THE DEVIL FOUND ANOTHER OF ITS KIND!”
“YOU’LL BOTH BURN IN HELL!! DEMONS!! DEMONS THE BOTH OF YOU!!”
The judge had to have both parents gagged as the jury found them both guilty for all accounts of child neglect and abuse. Their lawyers could do nothing as their actions condemned them in the court of law.
This led to a new law being created. It was called the Himiko Law, and it gave teachers and colleagues the ability to report suspected abuse due to quirkism. Touya didn’t know it, but he changed a life and saved thousands of children all over Japan from abuse behind closed doors by those they should trust.
The timeline had changed again.
And as for Himiko? Her favourite hero was now Null, no matter what others say, Null was a hero.
Notes:
Hi guys! I'm starting to become busier in my everyday life so I'm switching my update timetable to once a week instead. Thank you for understanding!
Chapter 15: FOUND OUT
Summary:
It was only a matter of time...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Enji knew that his family was hiding something from him. They were acting too suspicious to not be. He had caught Shouto excitedly muttering about the weekend too many times for it to be just for the reprieve from training. It didn’t help that the few times he was home from the agency on the weekend, he was alone in the large house. He wasn’t even sure the rest of his family knew he didn’t go to work some weekends, assuming he had already left before sneaking out of the estate. They would return with smiles on their faces, but those smiles would immediately turn solemn when they saw him. It killed him inside to think that their happiness was derived from his absence, but there were little hints here and there that it was more than that.
A few times, he’d seen Shouto brag to his mother about a new technique someone had taught him, or watched as Touya, Natsuo and Fuyumi baked something with ease as Rei supervised. Clearly, someone was teaching them something and Enji wanted to know who it was.
It was easy enough to dispatch a small group of sidekicks to follow his family, he would go himself but he was too noticeable. Kiddo, Onima, and Asper were easy choices, they were the most capable of staying hidden. Enji could admit many of his sidekicks were flashy and unfit for spying most of the time, but these three were the best he had. Hopefully, they could follow his family without getting caught.
Enji busied himself with patrol and paperwork that day. Of all his responsibilities as a pro hero, the No. 1 villain was paperwork. It was boring and doing it didn’t stop people from dying, but it did let him continue to be a pro hero so he was forced to do it.
“Endeavor! There’s a villain with some sort of tape quirk terrorising Downtown Musutafu!” He stood up from where he sat at his desk. Flames roaring to life, Endeavor blasted to the scene, rocketing with the fires of his quirk.
—-------
Onima was one of Endeavor’s sidekicks, part of the Flaming Sidekickers, a title he was proud of. He was born with a quirk that let him control existing flames, it made him resistant to flames but without a source of fire, he was functionally quirkless. He had almost given up on his dreams when Endeavor had picked him up and yelled at him.
“YOU IDIOT!! IF YOU WANT TO BE A HERO YOU NEED TO WORK HARD! YOU DON’T WANT TO BE A TOP HERO RIGHT?! IF YOU JUST WANT TO BE A HERO THEN WORK FOR IT!” Endeavor had been right of course. Onima didn’t want to be a top hero, he just wanted to be in heroics. It didn’t matter to him if he was famous or not, he just wanted to help people.
When Endeavor had offered him a place as his sidekick, Onima had immediately accepted and never looked back. The Endeavor Agency, unlike many other agencies, had excellent pay and healthcare plans for all its employees. Compared to an agency like iPhome Hero Agency, life was heaven. He’d heard somewhere down the grapevine that the sidekicks there, were worked ragged and weren’t acknowledged nearly as much as the Flaming Sidekickers are. Yeah. Life was good.
Today, Endeavor had asked him, Kiddo, and Asper to tail his family. He owed everything to his boss so, despite the strange request, he agreed easily. The Todoroki Family were typically kept away from the public eye, Endeavor had to give them a photo of his family so they'd recognise them. His wife was a beautiful woman with snow-white hair that hung below her shoulders and grey eyes that ironically seemed to glow with warmth. She was slim and wore soft colours that made her look even paler. The children obviously bore a lot of her traits, the daughter looked like a clone of her, but with the boss’ blue eyes instead of her grey. Endeavor had three sons. The eldest was a slender teen, the only thing that signalled him being one of Endeavor’s was his eyes, they were a deep blue like his father and sister. The child that resembled Endeavor the most was Natsuo, who had Endeavor’s frame but Rei’s colouring.
Onima, Kiddo, and Asper started their mission by staking out the Todoroki Estate early in the morning. The sun wasn’t even fully in the sky when the first signs of movement began. The silent house slowly came to life and they could hear the whispers of the family and the muted excitement of the children. They didn’t have to wait long to see the family, Rei Todoroki and her children stepped out with cheerful smiles on their faces.
These smiles were different from the smiles on the photo they were given, more lively and less plastic. Onima wondered if this is why his boss was so concerned. If they were this different on the weekend, clearly something else was going on. The children almost sprinted out of the house, their voices still quiet but less subdued than a few minutes ago.
The youngest, Shouto, was grinning as he ran to the base of Sekoto Peak, his older brothers giving chase, laughing as they ran. Onima made a note that Sekoto Peak was important. Rei and Fuyumi followed behind the boys with bright smiles of their own. Yep. Sekoto Peak was definitely important.
It didn’t take long for the Todorokis and the sidekicks to reach the top of the mountain. The Todorokis navigated the trail with an ease that only came from many previous trips. Onima thinks that had it not been for them, he and his fellow sidekicks would have been lost among the many diverging paths and trees that blocked the way.
The Todoroki Family finally reached a clearing, and from where Onima was watching, he could see that someone was waiting for them. He couldn’t get closer for fear of being discovered but from this distance, he could already tell that the man was strong, he wasn’t bulky like Endeavor but there was muscle built on from training, he was toned but still slender. Something that caught Onima’s attention was his white hair and fair skin. He looked like he could be related to the Todorokis. Actually… squinting his eyes, Onima tried to make out the features on the man’s face… he had a pair of piercing blue eyes and his face was soft… he looked like the eldest Todoroki boy. Panic threatened to seize Onima. WAS HIS BOSS BEING CHEATED ON?!
Next to him, Onima could see Kiddo and Asper coming to the same realisation he did, as all three of Endeavor’s sidekicks paled. Rei Todoroki could be cheating… and they had to tell her husband, their boss the news… oh joy.
—-------
Enji was a mix of anger and sadness as he received the report from his sidekicks. He could see the three slightly trembling as they stood before his desk. He knew his flames must be growing with his anger. Rei wouldn’t… she couldn’t! As much as he knew she disliked the circumstances of their marriage… she wouldn’t..cheat, right?
Standing up, Enji strode towards the door. From the report, his family should still be on Sekoto Peak. He’s going to have to speak to this man. Now.
—-------
Touya knew something would’ve gone wrong eventually. It was too peaceful, too quiet, too good. They were being trained by Nabe on Sekoto Peak like usual. The man had promised cake after today’s training if they were able to complete their goal for the month. Nabe had introduced “proper goal setting” soon after they’d started training with him. He had asked them what they wanted to do, and when they told him they wanted to master their quirks and physical abilities, he had laughed.
At the time, Touya was afraid Nabe would turn out to be like Endeavor, that he would disparage their dreams after giving them hope, but… he didn’t. He had reached out and ruffled their hair, and said.
“It’s good to have lofty goals, kids, but to make them manageable you need to break it into smaller chunks ok?” Touya had not understood. Sure, they had to train one thing at a time, but what’s the point in setting small goals when he wants the big goal? As if Nabe could read his thoughts, the man had given them all a lecture on why they needed to set smaller goals.
“Kids. I know that you all have your hearts set on becoming great heroes. I encourage you to reach for your dreams! But you should always remember to pace yourself. A hero is still a human after all, humans need rest, they need to be encouraged and they need to be given a way to succeed. The way you’re all training now, racing towards one goal without putting a plan in place will only exhaust you.” Nabe had paused to look them all in the eye slowly.
“You’re all brilliant kids and I have no doubt you’ll succeed, but you need to work smart. If you want to master a move, you need to practice the steps. If you want to master your quirk, you need to practice every aspect one part at a time.” Touya and his siblings had been shocked. No one had told them to pace themselves. Ever. It was all or nothing, you either work your hardest towards one goal or not at all. With Endeavor, it was either become the No. 1 Hero or don’t even try. No one had told them there was another way.
“Now, I’ll set a rule with our training. Every month, you get to make a small goal that you want to achieve in your training. It can be anything! Whether you want to master a new move or achieve a better control of your quirk. It doesn’t matter. I want you all to set a target by the end of each month. Once you achieve that target for the month, you can make a new one. Does that sound fair to all of you?” Touya remembered numbly nodding, his siblings mirroring the movement. Tenko didn’t seem all that surprised though. Touya bets that Nabe had already had this talk with his son.
From that moment on, it was like their skills had “levelled up” by leaps and bounds.
At 15, Touya was now able to create and manipulate fire stronger than his father’s fire! He could shape it into anything he wanted and on top of that… he no longer burned at all. His quirk’s weakness was completely eliminated. Touya was looking forward to the UA Entrance Exam. He knew he’d destroy the competition.
His siblings weren’t far behind though, Natsuo would erect massive ice walls and form armour on himself, and Fuyumi was a pretty good shot with her ice bow. Shouto was working on it as well, but his skills over ice weren’t as great as Natsuo or Fuyumi. His little face always scrunched up in annoyance whenever the Touya, Natsuo or Fuyumi would tease him about it.
All the kids, Tenko included were taught hand-to-hand combat. Nabe had told them that to be good heroes, they needed to prepare for anything, and their mother had agreed. Touya thinks that at this point, even Shouto could probably put a low-level villain on their ass without much trouble.
The day had started peacefully like always until a raging inferno of fire fell from the sky, onto their little patch of calm. Endeavor had arrived.
—-------
By the time Enji had reached Sekoto Peak, his family was already sitting on a picnic blanket with an unknown man and an unknown child. Both males had light blue hair and pale skin, but Enji focused his attention on the man that sat among his children. He was young, probably in his early to mid-20s at most. Enji was sure Rei wouldn’t cheat on him with this child, he looked at least a decade younger than the both of them! If Rei did cheat on him to produce Touya… looking towards his son, Enji mentally shook his head. No. If Rei did cheat on him with this man, and the product was Touya, there’d be more issues than her infidelity.
What Enji was more concerned about now was how close his children were to this man. Fixing a glare at the young adult, he walked forward, his fire scorching the grass beneath his feet until he stood in front of the man.
“I am Enji Todoroki, why are you with my family?” He let his flames flare up in an attempt to intimidate the man. Sadly, he didn’t seem to be affected.
“Touya Watanabe, I train the kids and my son is friends with your kids.” The man answered smoothly, never breaking eye contact with Enji. For some reason, this only served to infuriate him more.
“I don’t want you near my wife or kids.” Enji tried to keep the anger from his voice, instead letting the cold seep into his words.
“NO!” A voice yelled at him. It was Shouto.
“YOU CAN’T TAKE HIM FROM US!” Angry tears were streaming down his chubby cheeks as he glared at Enji.
“YOU CAN’T TAKE DAD FROM US!” It was like he was struck by lightning. His son… was calling this stranger “dad”? As if that was the metaphorical stone that broke the camel’s back, Natsuo joined his brother and also started yelling.
“WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?! YOU’VE NEVER PAID ATTENTION TO US ANYWAYS SO WHY DON’T YOU GO BACK TO DOING THAT?! WE DON’T NEED YOU! WE HAVE NABE SO DON’T TRY TO TAKE HIM AWAY NOW!!” The anger was clear in Natsuo’s voice as he yelled. His middle child was standing, fists clenched at his sides and jaw tensed as he kept yelling.
“YOU WERE NEVER A DAD TO US! NABE WAS THERE WHEN YOU WEREN’T SO STAY OUT OF IT!” Now it was Touya’s turn to yell as flames erupted around him. Enji was worried they’d eat up his eldest but the flames seemed to move, reacting to Touya’s anger but never harming him. Touya had essentially lost his biggest weakness.
“NABE WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED US WHEN YOU DIDN’T! WHEN WE NEEDED YOU, YOU WEREN’T THERE! WHEN I WANTED HELP AND ENCOURAGEMENT, YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON ME! YOU IGNORED US ‘FAILURES’ AND DEEMED US WORTHLESS! YOU ABANDONED US!!” Angry tears trailed down his cheeks but evaporated before a drop could hit the ground. As he watched his eldest display his power, Touya seemed to notice his attention.
“YOU SAID I COULDN’T BE A HERO BECAUSE OF MY QUIRK! YOU ABANDONED ME BECAUSE OF MY QUIRK! NABE HELPED US MASTER THE SKILLS WE NEEDED!! WHEN WE FELL DOWN, HE WAS THERE TO PICK US BACK UP AND SHOW US A NEW SOLUTION!! HE’S 100 TIMES THE FATHER YOU EVER WERE ENDEAVOR!! GO BACK TO THE AGENCY YOU LOVE SO MUCH! WE DON’T NEED YOU!!”
“Touya-”
“NO! DON’T THINK I DIDN’T SEE WHERE YOU WERE LOOKING! YOU’RE ONLY PAYING ATTENTION NOW SINCE WE’RE STRONGER!! YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR TITLE AS A TOP HERO! GO AWAY!!” Enji was stunned, was this how his kids viewed him? As some absentee father? Enji didn’t know what to do. He watched as his own children turned from him, running back to Watanabe and hugging him.
He was replaced. And he didn’t even know.
Trudging his way down from Sekoto Peak, Enji collapsed before he could make it into his home. When was the last time he’d played with his children? When had he carried them and helped them with their homework? Did he ever do anything with them aside from training Touya and Shouto? The answer was no. Enji had never allowed himself the time to get involved in his children’s life. He’d never fully broken away from the moniker of No. 2 Hero even when he was dressed as Enji Todoroki. His children barely knew their own father aside from what news and information was public domain, and he didn’t know much about them either.
He didn’t know Shouto’s favourite food, nor did he know Natsuo’s favourite colour. He never knew his children had been training and from what he’d learned today from both the report and from the mouths of his family, he’d never known what path Touya would take. Touya was planning on taking the UA Entrance Exam and Rei had signed off on it. Enji would never have been the wiser and no one would have told him if he had not burst into their picnic today. Enji was numb. How many years had he missed being with his children? How many years would he miss if he continued with his actions? Would they acknowledge Watanabe instead of him as a father? Was he already too late? Enji felt hot tears prick at his eyes as he began to cry. His own father was never around, too busy with work and unwilling to make time for his family. Did Enji not promise to be different back then? Had he not made an oath on his father’s grave that he will be the father he never had? When did he forget his own promise to himself?
From that moment on, Enji made another promise to himself. He’ll fix his mistakes. He’ll do his best to show his children that he truly cared for them.
In the last timeline, Enji Todoroki was narrow-minded in his pursuit of the title of No. 1 Hero. In this timeline, Enji Todoroki found a new rival, but in a different ranking. He was competing for No. 1 Dad.
Notes:
I hope you guys like the chapter! Please note that Enji immediately dismissed the idea of Rei cheating because Older Touya is clearly way younger than her, so cheating on him with Older Touya would be impossible due to age.
Older Touya is older than Little Touya by 9 years. So...
The next chapter will take a little longer to update since there’s a side story connected to it. It’ll take longer to write.
Chapter 16: FIRST DAY OF UA
Summary:
Touya starts the journey that would shape his future and change the fate of a hero that died unjustly in the previous timeline.
Notes:
Please note that this chapter is attached to Part 4 of "The World of Tomorrow" series. Part 4 will include dark content and I will include a trigger warning on there as well as here. Part 4 will be about what happened in the last timeline when Touya wasn't there to help Akira Monoma and how that affected his little brother.
This chapter doesn't really have dark content but I will warn you that there will be bullying so if that triggers you then please don't read.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ever since Endeavor found out about their training on Sekoto Peak, he’d been acting strange. Touya would often find the man looking at him with a strange glint in his eyes. It gave Touya the chills. Sometimes he’ll stay home from the agency and invite him, Natsuo, and Fuyumi to play a board game or watch a movie together. His father said it with such earnestness that the three of them quickly made an excuse and ran out of the house. It was so odd they couldn’t take it. It was like he was… changing. After so many years of neglect, none of them knew how to react to him anymore. He was a stranger, a stranger with whom shared their blood.
Endeavor had offered to give him a recommendation for UA but Touya wanted to prove to the world that he could succeed without his father’s influence. He’d spent years training with Nabe, his dad. He could pass with the skills he got from training with his dad, the one who cared for him when Endeavor did not. The Entrance Exam was almost pathetically easy with his quirk, giant robots were nothing compared to his flames, and the extra hero points he gained while helping those he came across just made passing even easier. In total, he had managed to gain 83 villain points and an additional 60 heroic points, easily securing himself first place. When his results were sent out he had raced to the cafe where he and Tenko had opened their letters together. Tenko had placed behind Touya’s 143 points with a still impressive 105 points, and was welcomed into Heroics Class 1B. Both boys were brimming with joy and eagerly awaited their first day at UA.
It was finally his first day at UA. He and Tenko had arrived at the gate together but had to go their separate ways for class. Touya wandered the corridor before stopping in front of a tall door, the classroom name was emblazoned on the side. “CLASS 1A”.
There were already people inside. Boys and girls with many different and unique quirks chatted amicably from their desks as a yellow sleeping bag lay in the front of the room. Touya made his way to the back of the classroom, putting his things down in the seat next to a blonde male student.
“Hi, I’m Touya Todoroki.” He introduced himself to his new seatmate.
“O-oh. I’m Akira Monoma.” His new seatmate seemed surprised that he spoke to him. That was…odd. Touya didn’t have time to say anything else as the yellow sleeping bag opened, a familiar figure emerging from the cocoon-like structure.
Tired black eyes met his, and he smirked, almost feeling his new teacher’s exasperation.
“If you want to make friends, then get out right now. This is the hero course and there won’t be any time to waste. I am your teacher, Shouta Aizawa.” The man ruffled around in his desk before pulling out a stack of uniforms and placing it on the desk in front of him.
“Change into your gym uniforms and meet me out in the field.” The class rushed to grab their uniforms and get changed.
In the field, they stood in a group as Aizawa gave them their instructions.
“Touya Todoroki, since you got the highest score in the Entrance Exam, come to the front.” Touya did as he asked and walked to stand before his class.
“In middle school, they don’t allow students to use their quirk in an effort to fake the idea of a fair world. That’s nice on paper, but it’s an incorrect measure of your maximum capacity.” He addressed the entire class.
“Now Todoroki, take this ball and stand in the marked circle. Use your quirk and launch it as far away as possible.” After receiving his instructions, Touya nodded at Aizawa and took his position. Firing off his flames and dialing down the heat as much as possible, Touya wound up his arm and threw the ball, letting loose a torrential stream of fire that propelled the ball far into the distance.
“7.2 kilometers. Well done.” He heard Aizawa say before his classmates erupted into excited cheers.
“This is so cool!”
“I can’t wait to use my quirk!”
“YEAH! THIS IS WHAT BEING A HERO IS ALL ABOUT!”
“Ha, as if that useless cheater could do something like this without stealing someone else’s quirk.” Amidst the other chatter, Touya could hear the jeering in some of their voices. What were they talking about? A cheater? UA wouldn’t let a cheater into the Heroics Course, right?
As his classmates continued their chatter, Touya could see his seatmate, Monoma, begin to shrink in on himself. The chatter only got louder as they fed off each other’s excitement until… it stopped. Turning around to look at his teacher, Touya saw Eraserhead, hair floating upwards and eyes red as he glared down at the class.
“Oh, you think it’s fun, do you? Let’s make it more interesting then.” Touya didn’t like the sound of that.
“The person that comes in last in the tests is expelled.” There was silence on the field. Touya expected to see fear in their faces but they seemed almost eager to begin. Happy at the new rule their teacher had put in place. They were even smiling cheerfully as almost every face beamed. All except Monoma, who had begun to pale rapidly, hands twitching as he trembled where he stood. That was… weird. His seatmate looked like he was going to be sick, clutching at his stomach as if something had physically pained him.
Aizawa seemed equally surprised at their lack of fear as the man nodded and moved on to the next activity. His classmates had all done quite averagely, only a few standing out among the scores. They all used their quirks in different ways with varying levels of success. Touya had even seen one guy use vines to slingshot his way to the finish line in the 50-meter race, only to scrape his face on the ground when the vine didn’t bring him up. Ouch.. that looked like it hurt. Nevertheless, his classmates all seemed to be enjoying using their quirks. All but Monoma, who had not shown a single quirk in the 2 tests they’ve already done.
“Hey. Monoma. Is there a reason you haven’t used your quirk yet?” Touya wanted to know if something was wrong. There was reason Monoma had looked sick earlier and now he wasn’t using his quirk, could he not use his quirk in these tests? Is that why everyone seemed so at ease with the expulsion rule?
Monoma seemed to grow even more nervous as he spoke.
“N-no! There’s nothing wrong with my quirk-” Another one of their classmates who was nearby decided to cut Monoma off.
“The cheat doesn’t have his own quirk! He’s a copycat that can only cheat off others!” The boy seemed proud of himself for ‘exposing’ Monoma’s quirk.
“Todoroki! Make sure he doesn’t touch you! Or else he might copy your quirk!” A girl tried to warn him.
Touya felt like spitting fire. WHO CARES WHAT MONOMA’S QUIRK IS?! WHO CARES IF IT’S A COPY QUIRK?! IT’S NOT LIKE HE HAS ANY CONTROL OVER IT! AND IT’S NOT LIKE HE LITERALLY STEALS YOUR QUIRK!! Touya was furious at the obvious quirkist behaviour of his classmates. He would bet that this is the real reason why Monoma wasn’t using his quirk, years of bullying and mockery of his quirk probably meant that he didn’t have the opportunity to use many different quirks, and from his classmate’s behaviour, they hadn’t let Monoma touch them to use their quirks.
Touya grit his teeth before turning to look at Monoma.
“Hey.” The boy flinched when he spoke. Touya was immediately aware of the anger that was in his voice. He took a breath, calming down like how his dad taught him. Breathe. In….and out.
He looked at Monoma and started speaking again.
“Hey, Monoma.” Touya held out his hand.
“You can use my quirk for the tests.” The other boy blinked at him, shock in his eyes.
“A-are you sure?” Touya felt his heart ache as he looked at the hope in Monoma’s eyes. Was this how he looked before his dad picked him up from his slump and helped him? Forcing an assured smile on his face, Touya nodded resolutely.
“Yeah. Now, try your best in the quirk tests ok?” Monoma gave him a shaky smile and clasped his hand before taking his turn. His other classmates stared at him with shock and slight anger on their faces.
“Oi, Todoroki! Why’d you let him use your quirk?”
“This is a quirk test! You can’t let him use your quirk!”
“Did he trick you Todoroki?”
“I knew he was a cheat, he tricked Todoroki!”
Questions and statements were fired in rapid succession at him and Touya had to use his breathing techniques to stop himself from combusting into flames.
“Look.” He grits out.
“Monoma’s quirk is to copy other quirks. He’s using his quirk. Copying other quirks is what he needs to do for the quirk tests. There’s nothing unfair about it.” He gave each classmate a strong glare.
“If I were you, I’d shut up because Mr. Aizawa is watching. Heroes shouldn’t be quirkist pricks.” As they turned to meet a glowing red gaze, his classmates fell to silence.
The rest of the tests were done quickly and Touya found himself at the top of the class. Monoma was somewhere in the middle, using Touya’s quirk to accelerate himself in the races but using his own physical strength for other tests.
At the bottom of the class was the girl who tried to ‘warn’ him about Monoma’s quirk.
“Maia Lume. You scored last in class. You may go to the principal’s office now. You are expelled.” The girl burst into tears as Aizawa regarded her with a cold look.
“This is a warning to the rest of you. If I see you disparaging another classmate or relying on a strong quirk to coast the Hero Course again, you can leave. I train heroes, not children.” He spat the last part out before turning around and making his way back to the school.
“Class dismissed.”
Everyone separated into groups as they walked back to campus. Monoma was alone as Touya approached him.
“Monoma!” The boy jolted as his name was called.
“Y-yes?” Pale blue eyes looked at him warily.
“Hey, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.” Monoma visibly relaxed when Touya said that and Touya could already tell the answer to hs next question will not be a happy one.
“Do you know our classmates already?” Monoma fumbled in his step and Touya braced himself, ready to catch the blonde if he fell. He didn’t.
“Most of our classmates here are from either my old middle school or a sibling school. They don’t like me very much.” Monoma explained.
The next hour would be spent talking about the other boy’s past and experience with bullying and Touya held himself back from hunting down and attacking their classmates. HOW DARE THEY ATTACK SOMEONE FOR THEIR QUIRK?! As if sensing his anger, Monoma held out his hands in a placating manner.
“Hey.. you don’t need to worry about it. We just met and you’ve already done more than enough. Thank you for your help in the test-”
“No.” Touya couldn’t stand how unfair the situation was. Objectively speaking his quirk was strong. But the drawback after using it would burn him if his dad hadn’t taught him proper control. So what if his quirk was strong? Would it be any help in rescuing civilians from a forest fire? NO! If anything, it’ll just make things worse! It was unfair for them to just look at the flashiness of a quirk and completely neglect other people because they don’t fit the frame of a stereotypical ‘heroic quirk’. Touya made up his mind at that moment.
“I’m going to reintroduce myself. Hi, my name’s Touya Todoroki. You can call me Touya. We’re friends now and I’m not going to let some quirkist assholes tell you that you can’t be a hero. Your quirk is fucking amazing and anyone who says any different is stupid and narrow-minded.” The blonde let out a little giggle at his choice of words.
“Ok. My name is Akira Monoma. You can call me Akira. I guess we’re friends now.”
The next day, Touya and Akira ate lunch on the roof with Tenko.
“So that’s why you weren’t at the Entrance Ceremony yesterday!” Tenko was scarfing down a bento that Touya was sure Nabe had made, it was fried chicken and vegetables, something he knew the man loved to make, though he didn’t sell it at the cafe often.
Through mouthfuls of food, Touya decided to ask Akira the question that had been plaguing his mind since they last spoke yesterday.
“Hey, Akira?”
“Yes?”
“If they bully you so much, how did they get into UA with all that on their records?” Akira’s shoulders slumped and when he answered, his voice was small.
“It’s not on their records. I have a useless quirk so the school didn’t really care.”
Touya and Tenko both bristled in anger.
“They. Did. What?!”
“It’s fine though! We’re at UA now! The school won’t let that happen again!”
“That doesn’t matter! They shouldn’t get away with all this!” Tenko slammed his fist onto the group. Thankfully he had enough control even in his rage to not disintegrate anything.
“Tenko’s right Akira. We need to get them punished for what they did.” Akira seemed scared at the prospect of enacting revenge on his tormentors but with encouragement from Touya and Tenko, the other boy agreed.
“Ok. We need a plan, if we go into this blind, we won’t be able to do anything.” Tenko said.
“I have a plan.” Akira and Tenko turned their attention to Touya.
“Look. There’s no way that the school can just listen to 3 students over the other 18 Class 1A students. You said there wasn’t a mark on any of their files so clearly the school administration from your middle school won’t help. Aizawa already suspects something after yesterday’s quirk tests but we need something more solid. Do you know if your old school had surveillance cameras?” Touya stared into Akira’s eyes, hoping that it did. It would give more substance to their claims. The principal of UA was known for his computer skills and love for vengeance against corrupt systems, if there was even some evidence hidden away, Touya knew the chimera would find it. Slowly, Akira nodded.
“Yeah. My old middle school was pretty high-tech, there should be video cameras everywhere.” Touya let out a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
“Good. Now, just old evidence might still not be enough if they plead innocence on account of ‘administrator oversight’. The school never corrected them, so they could claim they thought they were in the right. We need proof that they won’t change.” Looking at Tenko, the two shared a look before looking at Akira, who now looked nervous at their exchange.
“W-what?”
“Akira, we’ll need evidence that they continue their actions at UA. Aizawa gave them a lecture yesterday so now they can’t claim that they don’t know. If we hook you up to some small cameras and recording devices, if they approach you with bad intentions then we can catch them in the act!” The blonde boy blinked, before nodding.
“That makes sense.”
“If they did change then it won’t affect them. But if they didn’t change.” Tenko let an almost evil grin grace his face.
“UA doesn’t need would-be villains.”
The trio of boys immediately put their plan into effect. Over the course of the next few weeks, whenever Touya left Akira alone, the boy would be swarmed by their classmates who chastised him for ‘tricking Todoroki’ into being his friend. He received threats to leave UA and some even told him to die to atone for ‘what he did'.
—-------
Normally it would have hurt Akira to hear all that but he knew everything they said would be recorded by the numerous cameras and tape recorders on him. It made him a little smug to know those who thought they could hurt him with no repercussions would soon feel the wrath of the school’s administration.
Over time, with help from Touya and Tenko, Akira felt himself heal from the trauma of his past. He knew he deserved to be here, he knew he would be a great hero.
“Oh look who’s alone now? Did Todoroki finally come to his senses and leave your useless ass?” His main tormentor was Kaname Takahashi, the boy’s had it out for him since elementary school. His cronies stood behind him as Takahashi boxed him between the wall and his classmate.
“No! We’re still good friends! Mr. Aizawa said you couldn’t bully at UA!” Akira tried to give the boy a chance to backtrack, but he didn’t.
The camera caught every move as his attacker laughed at him.
“As if anyone’s going to stand witness for you copycat. I thought you learned that in middle school. In this world, whoever’s strongest stands on top of everything. You may be Todoroki’s pet, but you’re nothing on your own.” Takahashi punched him in the chest, narrowly missing a camera before gesturing for another of his cronies to attack. The minute the boy moved, Akira ran away to where he knew Touya and Tenko were waiting.
—-------
Tenko was angry that Akira had to suffer like this. Society was unfair to those that didn’t fit the ‘perfect mold’, Akira was yet another victim of the hypocritical world they live in.
Tenko couldn’t have been happier when the month of observation ended and they finally had enough proof to bring before Principal Nezu.
—-------
Sitting in the principal’s office was nerve-racking. The chimera really knew how to make people squirm as they waited for him to go through all the evidence they had gathered.
Finally, he cleared his throat and gave them a genteel smile.
“I see. All this evidence you’ve given me is quite alarming. I’ll need to look into the files of these students and the schools. Please give me a day to check over the evidence again and get the surveillance films from the old schools.”
Leaving the creature’s office, Touya gave his two friends a victorious grin. They’ve done it now.
Within the next week, the class total of 1A went from 20 students to 2. 18 students were expelled for gross misconduct and quirkist behaviour, unbefitting of a UA student. Little did the two know, they’d create a UA legend. They became the Class of 2, and along with Tenko they would become the Big Three of UA.
In one timeline, a brother would leave behind grief as they departed from the world. In this timeline, he would leave behind a legacy to inherit.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-How Endeavor Tries To Show The World That Touya Is HIS Son + How People Feel About It-
A few scenarios where Endeavor tries to assert his fatherhood over everyone else:
SCENARIO 1:
It was the Sports Festival, and Touya was getting prepared for the 3rd Round. Like every year, it was one-on-one battles. This year, the announcers were Midnight and Present Mic, who were just about to announce the matchups when Present Mic suddenly jolted and looked at his phone.
The expression on his face changed from shock, to pity to mischief as he practically shone at what was on his phone.
“WELL, LISTENERS!! BEFORE WE START THE ROUND WE HAVE A MESSAGE FROM ONE OF OUR SPONSORS!!” A few groans escaped the crowd. The Sports Festival was unfortunately like any other program. There were ads.
“THE MESSAGE FROM THE ENDEAVOR HERO AGENCY-” Touya felt dread pool in his gut as he looked into the stands, eyes meeting his father’s. The man looked exceedingly proud of himself as he stood, waiting for Present Mic to finish the message. The heroes and sidekicks around him were staring at him, curious what message the Great Endeavor had to broadcast at the Sports Festival.
“I AM VERY PROUD OF MY SON TOUYA. TOUYA IS MY SON WHO HAS MADE IT FAR IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL. YOUR FATHER, ENDEAVOR IS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU WIN!! HE WISHES YOU LUCK AND KNOWS YOU WILL DO HIM, AND YOURSELF PROUD!!!” Present Mic almost cackled when he finished his announcement and Touya could feel his face burn as almost every eye turned to look at him.
Of course Endeavor would do this. He shouldn’t have been surprised.
Touya’s first match ended quickly as he incapacitated his opponent and practically fled the field. ‘Why did Endeavor have to do this?!’ He groaned in his head.
When he got back to where his class was allocated, his best friend and only classmate Akira just smirked at him.
“Well done Touya~”
“Shut up!” He grumbled.
SCENARIO 2:
Unfortunately, his father was the strongest Fire Hero in Japan so Touya had to intern with him. Fortunately, it was eventful as they had caught many villains and criminals that day. Unfortunately, whenever they managed to defeat a villain, his father would hold him up, Simba style, and start boasting about “HIS ELDEST SON AND HOW PROUD HE WAS” as loudly as he could.
Touya could only slump like a rag doll as his father carried him around his agency, showing him off like a child showing off a favoured toy to anyone who would listen.
Touya wouldn’t be surprised by the end of this internship if his hero name became “Ragdoll”, though he knew there was another hero with that name, so hopefully, he wouldn’t be stuck with it instead.
SCENARIO 3:
Did Touya know that his father’s agency had an Instagram page? Not at first. Did he know now? Unfortunately yes. Staring in horror at the pictures his friend held out to him, Touya almost set himself on fire in mortification as his baby photos stared back at him. The Endeavor Agency page had countless photos of him from when he was a baby up until his internship with his father. In the first photo, a baby Touya with a gummy smile crawled to a very familiar flaming boot as two large arms were held out to him, ready to catch him if he fell. Though it was nice to see that his father cared, Touya was more concerned about his image now.
As Akira pointed out another photo of him crawling with his baby blanket clutched in one chubby baby fist, Touya buried his face in his hands. He could see the countless comments underneath the post and at that moment, Touya really wanted to bury himself alive. Surely, his father couldn’t sink any lower. The public was already calling him the “biggest idiot over his son” but it seemed that his father wore that title with pride.
Little did he know, Endeavor truly did wear that title with pride. HA! Hear that Watanabe? HIS SON! Touya is HIS SON! HE WINS!
—-------
The Endeavor Agency was very concerned over their boss’ behaviour these past few months. It was like something inside of him changed and twisted. Whilst he still cared about being the No. 1 Hero, their boss was also very concerned over his son.
Whenever the boy was mentioned, Endeavor would loudly proclaim that “his son” was ok. It wasn’t until the sidekicks saw Touya on face call with an unknown man did all their boss’ behaviours make sense. The man that spoke to Touya was the exact image of him, and Touya referred to him as “dad” at times, with a bright smile on his face.
The sidekicks could only look at their boss with sympathy in their eyes. We understand you, boss. But it’s time to see the truth for what it really is. Touya isn’t your son.
Notes:
Part 4 will have:
TW: Suicide Baiting, SuicidePlease read at your own risk and reach out if you need any help.
Side Note: Does anyone know how I can get a beta reader?
Chapter 17: SHOUTO TRAINS WITH HIS DAD
Summary:
Shouto asks his dad to train him. He can't wait to show his mum what he learnt whilst training!
Bet you never thought you'd hear those two sentences together huh?
Notes:
What kind of bonuses do you guys want to see? I'm currently taking suggestions.
Chapter Text
Shouto could remember the day his mum had introduced him to Nabe. The man had quickly shown Shouto what it meant to be trained properly, to have a ‘normal’ childhood, or as normal of a childhood with Endeavor as a father could be at least. Nabe had pretty much become the father he never had, filled the parental role that Endeavor had never fit, and showed him a world of happiness that he never knew. For anyone that asks, Nabe is Shouto’s dad now.
At the tender age of 10 years old, Shouto had already known Nabe for half of his life. From the day he was first introduced to the man, he’d been treated to sweets and a multitude of different foods that he would never have been able to try otherwise.
Unlike Endeavor, who pushed him to master his quirk, uncaring for his wellbeing, Nabe took good care of him. He held him when he cried and encouraged him to develop both his quirk and other skills. Shouto was proud to say that he could make a good bowl of cold soba. Nabe had taught him how to make it himself just last month!
Today was a Saturday so he and his siblings were at the cafe. His mother had gone to visit family for the weekend, so entrusted them with Nabe. Shouto approved of that decision. His mum needed a break and Nabe was the perfect person to look after them! Shouto wanted to learn how to cook more things by himself and this weekend was when he would ask Nabe to teach him something else. Now… if only Nabe would stop paying so much attention to Natsuo and Touya and pay more attention to him. Nabe spent all of the last weekend training Natsuo so now it was Shouto’s turn!
—-------
Natsuo was giddy as he mixed the eggs into the batter. Nabe was teaching him how to make his own cake and Natsuo was determined to get it right so he could make it to celebrate Touya and Tenko graduating from UA. Natsuo was also training for the Hero Course as well, but today, he was meant to rest. Rest and make a practice cake. It was only a few weeks before the two older boys debuted after all. Natsuo wanted to congratulate them! He was going to ask Nabe for any tips for baking when he saw his youngest brother poke his head through the door.
The little kid’s eyes were serious and searching, as if he was looking for something in particular. They passed over Natsuo and settled on Nabe. Shouto straightened up and walked into the kitchen and stood next to Nabe.
His brother kept staring at Nabe and gripped the back of his shirt, tugging on the material.
—-------
Touya was working on some pastries when he felt a slight tugging on his shirt. Turning around, he saw Shouto standing behind him. The kid looked at him, eyes wide and expression a little off-putting.
“Shouto… are you constipated or something?” A burst of laughter erupted from Natsuo, who was beginning to transfer his batter into a cake pan. The kid was hunched over, holding his stomach as he struggled to stand amidst the laughter.
“C-constipated! HAHAHAHAHA!!” Touya could see Shouto jut out his bottom lip in a pout as Natsuo kept laughing.
“Ok. Ok. Relax kid. You need stomach medicine? You know where the bathroom is right?” Shouto’s pout intensified. As did Natsuo’s laughter. The other boy was practically on the floor now, bake left abandoned on the kitchen bench.
“I’m not constipated!” The little boy had tears gathering at the corners of his eyes now and Touya felt a little bad at how he reacted. He didn’t want to make the kid feel self-conscious!
“Ok. I’m sorry if I made you feel embarrassed Shouto. Let’s go upstairs ok?” Shouto crossed his arms across his chest but didn’t fight it as Touya picked the boy up and started walking toward the stairs.
—-------
Shouto was mortified. HE WASN’T CONSTIPATED! HE JUST WANTED ATTENTION! He could still hear Natsuo laughing from upstairs and knew that his brother wouldn’t let him forget this for the next few months. If ever.
His dad carried him upstairs and sat him on a chair in the living room.
“Ok, Shouto. Is there actually something wrong? Are you feeling sick?” He asked.
“No!” Shouto was even more horrified that the ‘cute’ face he was making wasn’t working. Fuyumi told him that if he made that face, then no one could resist him!
—-------
Fuyumi let out a sneeze as she sat at her desk, homework laid out in front of her. She was studying for the final exam and maths was just a pain. Why did she need this again?
‘I wonder if Shouto made the face?’ She giggled at the thought. Shouto had come to her, asking how he could get someone to pay attention to him more. He had asked her about ways other kids get their parents’ attention and Fuyumi had immediately brought up a “puppy dog” face. Shouto’ll look so cute with a big pout on his face!
Fuyumi wonders when and where he’ll use it though. He had left before she could ask him more.
—-------
When Shouto told him that he felt ok, Touya wasn’t sure he should believe him.
“Are you sure kid?” He asked again.
“Yes!” Shouto had his face scrunched up into a frown and leveled a serious look at him. The kid wasn’t going to let him keep asking. Letting out a sigh, Touya told Shouto to stay upstairs and rest.
Touya had to go back to the kitchen and finish off the pastries he’d been making.
—-------
When Natsuo finally managed to stop laughing, he started to put the rest of the batter into the cake pan and waited for Nabe to come back. Whatever Shouto was doing, Natsuo wishes he’d do it again. It was hilarious to see his little face screwed up like that!
When Nabe came back, he looked worried. Was Shouto ok?
Natsuo didn’t have to wait long for his answer. Little footsteps patted down the stairs and his brother’s head poked out from behind a door. He didn’t look sick at all, on the contrary, he looked annoyed.
“Oh, Natsuo! Make sure to bake the cake at 175 degrees (celsius) for 30 - 40 minutes. Here’s the trick. When you check, I start checking at about 35 minutes, use a toothpick and stick it into your cake. If the cake’s done, it should come out clean. If any batter sticks to the toothpick, the cake needs more time.”
Natsuo tried to focus on his cake, but he felt his eyes wander around, following Shouto as he followed Nabe like a little duckling. No matter where the older man walked, Natsuo’s brother just waddled after him, not even trying to hide himself.
Honestly, it was kind of cute. Seeing little Shouto trying to catch Nabe’s attention amidst the guy trying his best to focus on making pastries. His famous pastries always drew a crowd to the cafe. It was probably the best pastries in all of Musutafu! Natsuo wouldn’t be surprised. Nabe had put a limit to how many people could reserve a batch of pastries from the cafe. There were just too many orders for him to complete on his own, and the pastries everyone else made just didn’t taste the same for some reason. Natsuo won’t dwell on it though.
He was lucky enough to be one of the few people Nabe would make pastries for at any time. He did so for any of the Todorokis as well as Tenko, the man could almost be his dad… but Natsuo refuses to acknowledge it. If Nabe was his dad then…Tenko… No. Nabe was a family friend, not his dad. Shaking himself from his reverie, Natsuo continued to watch as Shouto followed Nabe around.
Nabe was currently making his last reserved batch for a customer. He’d heard Nabe talking about how Fatgum’s Agency had requested his pastries specifically, the hero had been a big fan after visiting a month ago. Quite a few heroes liked to frequent the cafe, in fact, both underground and limelight heroes, though they often didn’t stay too long for fear of being mobbed by fans. It was interesting to see the many different people who came every day. At this point, Eraserhead pretty much lived in the cafe with the number of times he visits on a daily basis.
As Nabe put the pastries in the other oven, Shouto began to bounce in place.
“Dad! Dad! Dad! I want to learn how to cook something else!” The little boy whined and Natsuo was struck by how normal things had gotten. If anyone had told him when he was 5 that he’d be baking and watching as Shouto acted like a brat to his father-figure, he would’ve laughed and told that person they were dreaming. He felt warm as Nabe looked at Shouto with an exasperated but fond look.
“Shouto, why do you want to cook right now?”
“I want to cook for myself! Natsu’s doing it!” Shouto pointed at him and Natsuo just stared back at his brother.
“I want to learn how to make something new! I want to make mum something!” Ah. Now Natsuo understood. How cute.
—-------
Touya didn’t know what to teach Shouto when the kid pretty much demanded to be taught how to cook something on his own. Shouto was only 10 years old for god’s sake! It’s not like he could use a stove properly by himself! Not without burning the kitchen down! Then again... Shouto has both an ice and a fire quirk, he couldn’t be THAT bad with open flames, right? Right?! Forcing a smile on his face, he crouched down to be level with Shouto.
“Is there anything you want to make in particular?” He asked. Shouto shook his head.
“I want to make something like potato korokke! I don’t want to make dessert!” Touya was horrified. There was NO WAY he was letting Shouto make potato korokke by himself, the hot oil was one of the many reasons why it was a bad idea. He didn’t want to be the reason Shouto retained his scar from the last timeline. Boiling hot water is one thing but hot oil was so much worse. Shouto stared at him with big hopeful eyes.
“Sorry buddy, that’s not happening. Potato korokke isn’t something a kid can make.” The moment he said that, Touya had to swallow back a curse. He could already see Shouto’s eyes twinkling, thinking about ‘how mature’ he would be if he could make the food. He should’ve known saying something like that would only encourage him!
“H-hey! Shouto! How about we choose something else? Potato korokke isn’t a full meal after all, and you want to make something for dinner right?” Touya tried to draw Shouto’s attention away from the idea of potato korokke and the dangers of hot oil. Seemingly taking the bait, Shouto fixed Touya with his full attention.
“Yes! I want to make dinner for mum!” The little boy had a fist raised in a position resembling All Might when he caught a villain or saved someone. Cute.
“Ok, then how about we make a cream stew? I’ll teach you my secret recipe.” When he saw the look in Shouto’s eyes, Touya knew that he had the kid hooked. Good.
“Yes! I want to learn your secret recipe!” The boy cheered.
“Ok then. Let’s start cooking shall we?” With a smile, Shouto hurriedly got into position next to him.
—-------
Shouto was happy. He got his dad to train him! Mum will be so happy when Shouto shows her what he learned!
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Touya’s Pastries And Their Infamy-
How do pro heroes feel about Touya’s pastries? They fight over them of course! Nezu makes sure to place a continuous order of pastries every month to watch the chaos for pastries occur. Usually, they could get them from the cafe but the cafe is usually full of people so pro heroes that are easily recognisable are often mobbed when they go there. They still do, because of delicious food and drinks, but it’s a pain, and sometimes by the time they get there, the pastries have run out for the day. Touya only makes pastries twice a day. At the very start and sometime during midday, once they’re out, he doesn’t make more until the next day. That’s just his business model. Here’s an excerpt of what actually happens in the UA staff room when the pastries are there:
It was a quiet day at UA. Keyword “was”. Every staff member knew that for one week of every month, Nezu would have a special delivery made to the staff room. The time and day of the arrival were always different, but it would always occur in the last week of the month. The pastries could be there at any time. Shouta both cursed and praised whoever introduced the rat to The Phoenix. On one hand, it was exceedingly difficult to book a recurring order with the cafe due to high demand, but the fights and arguments that broke out over the pastries would give him a headache for days. Every day of this week would be filled with anticipation and impatience. Nezu wanted his staff on their toes so never disclosed when the pastries would arrive.
Walking as quickly as he could towards the staff room, Shouta was about to open the door himself when a blonde in black leather idiot ran past him, shoving the door open.
“HEYYYYYYYYY PEOPLE!! IS THE PACKAGE HERE YET?!” Of course, it was Mic. Out of the teachers currently working at UA, he was the loudest and wasn’t shy to broadcast his words when excited.
“Hizashi, quiet.” Shouta hated using his quirk sometimes, sure it was useful in getting the kids to shut up, but over time, it gave him some serious dry eye. Hizashi acting like an overexcited child wasn’t helping matters. No matter how old his friend got, it was like he was permanently a teenager.
They were greeted by Nemuri who was sat at her desk.
“Hey, Shouta! Hizashi! Our boss hasn’t had the pastries delivered yet.” She leveled them with a pout.
“I tried so hard to get here early too! It’s not fair! I was late last time and I didn’t get any, and now that I’m early, they aren’t here yet!” Shouta tried to offer what he thought was a sympathetic look to his old friend. Honestly, Shouta had taken the last pastry last time, he’d just made it early enough to finish the last pastry before Nemuri could arrive. Not that he’d tell her that. Nope. Her whining would probably just get louder.
“Hey, Nemuri, did you even pick up lunch from Lunch Rush?” Hizashi asked.
“No! I ran here instead of the cafeteria first to make sure I would be the first in here!” She continued to groan.
Taking a sweep of the room, Shouta couldn’t see anything that could indicate the delivery would be made today.
“You need to eat! You can’t just wait for the package! There’re still 4 days for the delivery to be made! Last time, the delivery was made on Friday! It’s Monday now!” Hizashi tried to get Nemuri out the door so he could usher her to Lunch Rush.
“But Nezu never tells us when the delivery is made! It could be today!” She kept refusing to leave.
“Nemuri. If going to the cafeteria causes you to miss out on pastries this time, I will personally go get you some from the cafe myself.” Shouta finally said. Knowing Nemuri, she would never leave even if she was hungry if there was a chance she could miss out on the pastries.
“But Shouta! The pastries are made during the morning and afternoon rushes! This isn’t some random cafe you know. It’s THE PHOENIX CAFE and they get a lot of foot traffic, especially during the times Watanabe brings out things like chicken karaage and pastries!” Shouta knew all that. If he really had to go to pick them up himself, it would be a test of his patience to get there, and it would probably cause him to lose the will to do anything for the day, but hopefully, it won’t get to that.
“I’m well aware.” He said dryly.
“But if we go and pick up lunch fast then hopefully it won’t get to that. We’ll just grab something and bring it back here.” Hizashi and Nemuri agreed, Nemuri looking at him with a strange glint in her eyes. Were those… tears?
“Yo Nemuri! You ok?” Shouta was evidently not the only person to notice Nemuri’s change in demeanor. The heroine hurried to wipe her eyes and struck up the confident persona she was well known for.
“Awwwww Shouta! You really do care!” She crooned. Dear god… Shouta sighed again.
“Ok. Now let’s go and pick up lunch so we can get back here as soon as possible. I’m not sure when the rat will actually have the pastries delivered this time, so we need to be quick.”
As the trio of heroes left the staff room, a camera, hidden in the corner swerved to watch them leave, the red light blinking ominously. As soon as Pro Heroes Midnight, Present Mic, and Eraserhead had disappeared down the corridor, there was a beep and an almost invisible door swung open from the wall. Principal Nezu walked out, holding a white cardboard box, leaving it on the coffee table before leaving through the very same door he had entered from. The camera swung around again to face the door, waiting for the first few teachers to return from the cafeteria. The chimera watched from his office as the sounds of footsteps made their way down the corridor to the staffroom. He could already hear the growling tones of Hound Dog as he spoke with Snipe and Cementos about the next few training exercises for the students. Nezu just kept watching, smiling as he sipped his tea. Truly, the last week of every month was his favourite.
Chapter 18: PRO HERO BLAZE
Summary:
A couple of years later..
Chapter Text
An explosion rattled the building as civilians crouched to the ground, screaming and crying at the falling debris. The exits were all blocked and the villains were walking unchallenged. The villain group, Pandemonium was making another appearance today, their 4th of a string of robberies, spanning from Kyoto to Musutafu. Their leader, Ferryman was leisurely swinging his scythe around, quirk-enhanced vision scanning for his accomplices.
“Hurry up! The heroes are bound to get here soon and I don’t want to deal with Blaze or Phantom Thief, they’re on our tail.” He said, a slight hint of worry and impatience in his tone.
“Big bro! Look! I managed to get a bag of jewels!” A second villain emerged from the left, hands tightly clenching on the bags that he dragged behind him. The brown sacks were almost as big as he was and were full, the contents making a soft jingling sound as he moved.
“Shut up! We need to go!” Ferryman said again, this time, shooting a look at the walls around them.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t trust my quirk Ferryman.” The second accomplice said, walking toward the leader.
“You know how my quirk works, there’s no way the heroes would get notified in time!” He shot a grin at the civilians still on the floor.
“By the time they get here, they’ll just be scraping up the remains!” A mad giggle erupted from behind his genteel smile. The villain was actually quite handsome, if it were not for the twisted smile on his face, he probably could have been a model. The villain, Muddle was now stalking around, no particular direction in mind as he acted as if nothing was wrong and he wasn’t endangering the lives of everyone in the shopping centre. He probably would have kept walking if it had not been for a small whimper that caught his attention. Eyes snapping up to see a teenage girl huddling in the corner, a mad sparkle seemed to form in his eyes.
“Awwwww! Why hello darling! I didn’t see you there! Is everything ok?” He walked towards her, arms outstretched as if beckoning for a hug. The girl seemed even more frightened as she pressed herself into the corner, never looking away from him.
“Are you shy sweetie? There’s nothing to be shy about!” Tears pooled in her eyes as he kept coming, the people around her only looked away as the girl cowered. Muddle stepped closer now, hands about to touch her.
“Oh look! You can’t keep your eyes off me! You like what you see?” The smile that threatened to split his face was insane, just one more second and he would reach her.
“Hey!” He stopped.
“Idiot! We need to go!” Ferryman called out to him. The girl was grateful for the distraction, but from the look on Muddle’s face, this wouldn’t be the end of it. Baring his teeth like a rabid dog, he spat back at his leader.
“My quirk’s got it handled. No one can contact anyone, and the illusion Oddity put up would keep up the act!” He looked mutinously back at Ferryman now.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have some… business to take care of boss.” He said the name in a mocking tone. Turning back to the girl, who was still pressed against the wall, he was about to touch her when a kick propelled him back. His attacker was a young man in dark clothing, the bottom half of his face wrapped in bandages. Pro Hero Midas was here.
“Hey! Any time now would be great!” Bursting through a hole in the wall that had previously not been there, No. 4 Pro Hero Blaze burst through, arms already encased in flames as he shot towards the villains, not far behind him were No. 20 Pro Hero Phantom Thief, No. 58 Jack Frost and No. 16 Thermis.
Jack Frost, or Natsuo, immediately sent forth waves of ice which reached the ceiling, stabilising the crumbling structure. That would allow them enough time to get the civilians out of here. After the grand display of his quirk, Jack Frost sprang into rescue mode, helping his sister to evacuate the civilians in the vicinity.
“This way! Follow me!” Rushing over to those who could not stand up themselves, Jack Frost lifted them easily over his shoulders and ran towards the exit, leading the other civilians to safety. Fuyumi, or Thermis soon joined him, helping others towards the exit.
Meanwhile, flames were being blasted from 2 people. Pro Hero Blaze and Pro Hero Phantom Thief attacked the villains without stopping. These were the same guys who robbed all across Japan. Not only did they leave store owners bankrupt with their schemes, but they had also built up a trail of bodies a mountain large with their extreme methods. In every location they ransacked and pillaged, they would often kill anyone who was at the scene at the time. The leader in particular was known for killing indiscriminately, whether it be a baby or an elderly, they all fell to his scythe. Sometimes their bodies were not even whole when they were returned to their grieving families. This group was sick and twisted in all the ways that darkened society. They were the filth that plagued the alleyways.
—-------
Touya ground his teeth as he blasted another jet of flames at the villains, Akira mirroring him with his borrowed quirk. After UA, they founded an Agency together, operating in a few cities all over Japan. Akira had only recently come back to Musutafu from the location in Hosu when they were called to the shopping centre because of a strange disturbance. They hadn’t expected to meet the villain group Pandemonium here, but they might as well stop these crooks in their tracks.
Dodging a knife aimed at his neck, Touya spun around and finally kicked the man in the chest, sending him flying into a column. Muddle hit his head and slid onto the floor, a trail of blood on the column from where he had hit it. Touya hopes that the blow didn’t kill the man. Not because he would feel too bad about ending the life of a murderer, thief, and r******, but because he didn’t deserve such a quick death. He needed to be sentenced properly in the court of law. Touya couldn’t be his executioner. He would watch as he was judged before the jury and laugh as he was found guilty, but he will not end the man’s life.
Running over to Muddle, he pulled out some quirk canceling cuffs and some rope from his gear. He hurried to tie the man up so that if he did wake, he would be unable to escape or rejoin the fight. For good measure, he even tied the man’s shoelaces together. Let’s see if he can escape now!
Akira was still fighting the leader when Touya returned to the battle taking place. Ferryman exuded bloodlust as he swung at the both of them. The villain was frenzied as he twirled his scythe around, eyes twitching sporadically.
“Damn heroes! Get away!” Both heroes had to duck as a particularly strong swing almost took their heads off.
“Akira! Plan C3!” Nodding his understanding, Akira immediately moved back. They had made many combination moves since their UA days. This was one of them.
With Akira now behind him, Touya let his quirk flare up and the blue flames grew to an almost white colour. Allowing them to hover in the air, Touya shaped his fire into his own weapon, a fleet of flying swords at his back, he let them forward, clashing with the scythe user in a flurry of metal and heat. Every time a sword made contact with the scythe, he could see the metal heat up and the blade warping slightly. As the fight continued, Ferryman seemed to become more frantic, unused to drawn-out battles.
“Give up now Ferryman! You won’t win this battle!” He tried to get the villain to stop of his own volition. Unfortunately, his advice went unheeded.
“Shut up hero! You don’t understand anything!” The fight continued until Touya managed to melt the blade. The villain had dropped what was left of his scythe soon after.
“So what are you going to do now hero? Going to kill me? Burn me? That’s what heroes do, isn’t it? They’re legalised bullies! I won’t go down quietly. If you want to take me you need to kill-” Akira didn’t let him finish his sentence, chopping him in his pressure points and watching him drop to the floor. Paralysed.
“He really wouldn’t shut up would me?” A grin spread on Akira’s face, Touya knowing that a similar expression was probably on his.
“Yeah. He really wouldn’t.”
Akira had been great at evasive maneuvers when they were in school. Plan C3 called for Touya to act as a flashy distraction whilst Akira made his way closer to the villain to incapacitate him. Neither truly wanted any deaths on their conscience so this was a good move. Usually, villains would forget all about Akira when faced with Touya’s flames. For good reason too. His white flames burned almost as hot as the sun, if they got hit, there would be no saving them. Not that Touya would ever let that happen of course.
Before they could leave the premises with the bound villains, a voice broke the silence.
“I think you should let my buddies go. Or the girl gets it.” A tall man walked towards them, a hand grasping a little girl’s head in an iron grip. Her little struggles did nothing to loosen his hold as another hand gripped a gun. Panicked teary eyes seemed to plead with them to save her as a gun pressed to her head. The last member of the villain group had stayed hidden until now. The villain Magpie, a telekinesis quirk, one that he often used to steal and rob, but could also be used to attack people from the inside. A dangerous Rank A criminal.
“You know heroes, you’re supposed to prioritise the rescue right? How are you supposed to explain to the public that you failed to save this little girl? Were you too busy with my buddies over there instead of helping people? Well, heroes?” Magpie was mocking them, he knew that they couldn’t do anything without risking the girl he had in his hands.
“There’s just something about hero society. Why are you rewarded for hurting people when villains are mistreated and told they should die? Why is that heroes?” His eyes took on a mad quality as he spun to the side, Tenko had charged at him from behind, just missing him.
“Were you trying to kill me Midas? Very villainous of you for a hero.” The civilian squeaked in his arms as Magpie seemingly tightened his hold. The victim was crying now, her face blotchy as she trembled.
“Oi! Shut up bitch!” Magpie yelled at her. She only cried harder.
“Let go of her!” Touya tried yelling again.
“Did you think I’d be that stupid?”
“Aren’t you?” An unfamiliar voice called out and the villain whipped his head back to glare at where the voice came from.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY BRAT?!” The villain stopped, eyes a blank slate.
A purple-haired boy stood, shaking at the gap in the wall, Fuyumi and Natsuo stood beside him, looks of shock on their faces.
The boy had gravity-defying hair, fluffed up like a cloud, and dark eyebags that implied that he didn’t sleep that often. His legs were shaking but he held a look of defiance in his eyes.
“H-he’s under my control for now. He’ll break out of it if he gets hit, please capture him before that happens.” The boy said, a slight tremble in his voice.
Touya and Akira immediately jumped to action, pulling out a pair of quirk-canceling cuffs and escorting the victim away from the villain.
“What did you do to him, kid?” Akira asked the purple-haired boy.
“It’s my quirk. I brainwashed him.”
“We gave him permission because it looked like a difficult situation,” Natsuo explained.
“To snap him out of it, you just need to give him a decent hit.” The kid offered weakly as they all looked at him.
Natsuo walked over to the brainwashed villain and gave him a solid smack to the head. Immediately, the villain clutched at his head and stared incredulously at the kid.
“Brainwashing? Wow. What a perfect quirk kid! For a villain.” The kid looked down, clearly upset and Touya could see Tenko move forward to shield the kid from the villain’s gaze.
“Hey. There’s no such thing as a villain’s quirk moron.” He spat. Turning to the boy, he asked.
“What’s your name kid?”
“Hitoshi Shinso.” The boy mumbled.
“Well Shinso, don’t listen to anyone who says your quirk is villainous. My quirk literally disintegrates anything I touch. If I can be a hero with that kind of quirk, you can with your amazing brainwashing quirk.” Tenko held Shinso’s shoulders as he looked at the boy, a serious look in his eyes.
“You can be a hero Shinso.”
—-------
Shinso practically leapt into his arms, face burying itself into his neck and Tenko could feel tremors rack through the boy’s body. A moment later he realised he could feel a wetness on his shoulder. Shinso was crying! Tenko felt himself stiffen. No kid had done this before. In the couple years he’s been a pro, he’d always been the one to pull people from wreckage, and during those times, people were too busy running away to do anything like this. Looking at his friends for help he could see smiles growing on their faces as they all stood aside, watching him. Traitors. The lot of them.
Awkwardly, he began to rub circles into the boy’s back, just like how his dad did for him. After a while, the kid pulled back and when Tenko saw the kid’s tear-stained face, he could see the face of a blue-haired, red-eyed boy overlap with the purplette. Shinso reminded him of himself.
“D-do you really think I can be a hero?” A timid voice stuttered out. Shinso looked at him with hope in his eyes. Tenko knew that what he said next would make or break the boy.
“Yes, Shinso. You can be a hero.” Ignoring the cooing of his friends behind him, Tenko made sure the boy understood what he said. He was lucky to have good friends who believed in him and an amazing dad who encouraged him when he was growing up. Tenko knew that not everyone had that privilege, and as a hero, he wanted to be that person who encouraged others to do what they wanted.
A wobbly smile lit up Shinso’s face.
“Thank you.” He murmured, a light blush beginning to form on his face.
“No problem kid,” Tenko replied.
Standing up and offering a hand to Shinso, Tenko and his team walked out into the sunlight, the victims of the attack were being cared for by emergency services and the police had surrounded the building.
“Pro Hero Blaze! Pro Hero Phantom Thief! Pro Hero Midas! We’ve been told by Pro Heroes Jack Frost and Thermis that there was an ongoing fight in the building and a hostage situation, is everything clear now?” A catlike officer asked.
“We have captured the villains responsible for this attack and the hostage is being seen to by medical professionals,” Touya said, all hints of his previous teasing demeanor gone.
“Thank you for your work.” The police officer said before gesturing towards the media that were crowded nearby.
“I think there are some people that wish to speak with you.” He practically purred at Tenko’s blank face. It was an open secret at the station that Pro Hero Midas hated interacting with the media, his hatred of them was almost on par with Eraserhead despite being a rescue hero.
“Thank you for reminding me,” Tenko said stonily. Neither of them acknowledge Shinso, who was still plastered at his side.
“Ok kid. We need to deal with the vultures.” Shinso let out a startled laugh.
“You should go get checked up kid.” Natsuo approached the pair, hooking his arm to Tenko’s and pulling him to the cameras. Shinso disappeared into the crowd.
—-------
Touya was facing the cameras as microphones were pushed toward him.
“Pro Hero Blaze! How do you feel about what happened?”
“Pro Hero Blaze! What was that combination move with Pro Hero Phantom Thief? Did your father teach that to you?”
“No. Endeavor did not teach me how to control my fire.” Touya wanted to make it clear. Endeavor didn’t help him in his control. He didn’t want any credit going to the man that should rightfully be his dad’s.
The questions continued and Touya struggled to keep the false smile on his face. As much as he loved being a hero, the media could be real pains sometimes.
Eventually, the questions stopped and he and his team could escape further questioning. They faked an emergency somewhere else and ran away.
—-------
The employees at the Fire Bird Agency were used to a lot of things. Working under the Todoroki siblings meant being spread all over Japan with multiple agency locations. With locations in Musutafu, Hosu, and Kyoto, the heroes working at the Agency often traveled between the different locations, operating them in nearly the same way. But there was one difference. For those who worked in the Musutafu location, there would sometimes be a delivery from The Phoenix Cafe. A young man with light blue hair would come periodically to check on the heroes working.
The man was beautiful, with angelic looks and soft features. According to what they overheard, the man was Pro Hero Midas’ father, though he bore a striking resemblance to Pro Hero Blaze.
Behind closed doors, the employees would whisper about the hero’s true parentage. Everyone was well aware of Endeavor’s efforts to mention his son Touya Todoroki, or Pro Hero Blaze during his interviews, but no one really knew why. The people who saw Mr. Watanabe had a good idea though and felt a little bad for Endeavor. The man was clearly in denial. Especially when Mr. Watanabe came into the agency with treats for everyone. The Pro Heroes Blaze, Thermis, and Midas had run at him eagerly and called him “dad” affectionately as he pets them on the head.
Honestly, the interactions were cute and the man’s smile was blinding, lovingly calling them little nicknames that made the typically confident heroes seem like little children.
—-------
Enji Todoroki and his wife were at counselling. It had been many years since they started attending but Enji felt like they still needed it. He felt remorse at the way he had treated her and their children before, he had not understood the pressure he had been putting on them and was grateful for the intervention, though he refused to admit it. That Touya Watanabe character had been the wake-up call that he needed. The man was a figure that his children looked up to, they love him and called him “dad” unlike him. His children called him “father”, trying to put some distance between themselves and Enji. Honestly, it hurt.
He cares for his children, and wanted what was best for them. But from what their counselor was telling him, he had not communicated that correctly to his children and wife and in the process, had hurt them. It killed him inside to know that a stranger had been there for his children when he had not, his own childhood not being something he could use to guide his own parenting techniques.
He felt Rei’s hand grasp his as he sat on the couch facing the counselor. She squeezed his hand in silent support. She had seen him try to better himself and though she didn’t fully forgive him for what he did, she could see that he tried.
His wife was strong, not just mentally but now she was training herself to be strong physically as well. Their counselor had recommended she take out some of her frustration through a physical activity and seeing the children train with Nabe, she decided to join a dojo for herself. From what Enji had seen, this had done wonders for her mood, and… he blushed. The effect it had on her confidence and appearance was lovely.
As if feeling his gaze on her, Rei turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, questioning him. Enji looked away. He hopes their marriage could be fixed.
Chapter 19: A FAMILIAR FIGURE
Summary:
When Touya goes out as Null, he meets someone he never thought he'd see again.
Notes:
TW: Mention of SA (only a mention, but I wanted to warn you about it just in case)
I finally got a beta reader! :DDDDD
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Null was once again out on the prowl. His kids were all pro heroes now, except for little Shouto so he didn’t have to worry about getting caught sneaking out as much. When Tenko had still been at UA, Touya was always worried his nightly activities would be discovered, but now his boy had his own apartment, though he would come home and visit at least once a week. Tenko was sweet, always worrying about whether he was lonely or not. Touya was very happy with how his son had grown.
From where he sat on the roof, he could see the moon casting a milky glow on the streets. There were few people out tonight, though Null knew if he had ventured closer to the bar district, there would most likely be groups of people going out to celebrate. Tonight, he would just be patrolling the area, stopping the odd crime here and there. It was peaceful.
A piercing scream broke the quiet and Null jumped to investigate. In the dark cover of night, a tall figure loomed over the frame of a young woman. Her clothes were ripped and even drunk, she was crying as she fought against her attacker. Null immediately jumped into the fight, kicking the man in the head. The attacker recoiled from the blow but stood back up, fists raised and ready to fight him.
Null didn’t get the chance to bring the man down though as familiar red feathers pinned the man to the wall. A cheeky voice called out to him. It was bright and friendly, but Null felt like it was stabbing him in the heart.
Red wings flared like a cloak in the wind, and golden blonde hair gleamed in the dim lighting. The eyes that he had fallen in love with regarded him with mischief. Null could feel himself start to hyperventilate but he forced it back, taking deep breaths to calm down. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he’d need to keep his brain working properly.
The girl who was being assaulted had gathered enough bearings to escape from the alley, running into a group of people who were exiting a nearby club. She collapsed on the ground bawling as she gestured towards the alley she had run from.
“I-I was attacked!” She wailed as her tears fell to the ground.
“He’s still in there! I was saved by 2 people! One distracted him and I don’t know what happened after that I-I just ran!” Her sobs had turned into hiccups now, the group that surrounded her peering cautiously into the alley. One guy had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around her trembling figure.
“Look, we should call the heroes. They’ll deal with this ok miss?” A girl within the group said, pulling out her phone to do just that. The others covered her protectively, staring into the darkness as if her attacker could charge them at any moment.
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” The devil that haunted his memories swooped down from where he hovered in the air, red feathers dragging the unconscious form of the attacker behind him. Inwardly, Null thanked the group for taking Hawks’ attention away from him.
“It’s Pro Hero Hawks!” A winning grin on his face at their recognition, Hawks gave a quick bow, as if a performer completing a show. In a sense, he was a performer. He played the role of a charming, trustworthy hero well. Null’s heart beat heavily in his chest, and the hollow ache that had always been there only intensified. This was the man he had fallen for. The one that made him start loving himself again.
Flashes of warm hugs, stolen kisses, and passionate nights ran through his mind. Protective wings wrapped around him as they lay in each other’s arms. Hushed whispers that told him that he was beautiful. That he was enough. Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, Null raced from the rooftop, leaping from building to building in his rush to escape the memories that almost overcame him. The light of the bar district behind him, he was a shadow that many would ignore.
Too bad, a hero had his eyes on Null. A hero with inhuman eyesight. A bird’s eye view indeed. Golden eyes followed the vigilante as he ran into the darkness. Comforting the civilian who wept into the jacket around her, pitifully thanking him, Hawks felt a spark of interest grow in him. So that was the vigilante Null. He’d have to speak to him sometime.
—-------
When Touya finally made it back home, he practically slammed the door behind him in his haste to get back inside. Shrugging off his vigilante gear, he slowly slid down the door of his bedroom. The tears he had held back were now streaming down his cheeks.
He couldn’t hold back his cries of grief as his frame was racked with sobs. The panic of seeing Keigo again was too much. The soft hair that Touya loved. The kind gaze that he directed towards the victim, the soothing tones of his voice as he calmed the civilian. Everything that made Touya fall for his ex-lover was still there. The memories of their love haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Every time he blinked, he could see flashes of an adoring smile, a hand wrapped around his head, and pink lips pressed against his.
Keigo would always be with him. No matter what he did, Keigo had engraved his very essence into Touya’s soul, and he couldn’t escape.
—-------
That encounter would signal the start of many run-ins between Hawks and Null. The winged hero was interested in the flighty vigilante that rescued people and left the villains tied up for delivery. Whenever Null saw Hawks he would run like a bat from hell, only needing to catch a glimpse of a red feather or a wing before turning to leave.
Hawks wondered what he did to make the vigilante so fearful. He knew the vigilante had no problems with other heroes, it was an open secret that he and Eraserhead worked together on occasion and Null would trade quips with the underground hero. What was the difference between him and Hawks?
Hawks felt a little insulted. He had no bad reputation amongst vigilantes, he’d never even arrested one before! Eraserhead on the other hand… is one of the best and most effective underground heroes, he’d definitely taken in a few vigilantes in his years of hero work. If he was worried about being arrested, then he should be wary of Eraserhead more than Hawks!
Hawks found himself drawn to the vigilante, no matter how much the other avoided him. It became a highlight of his patrol to just watch as the vigilante rescued the victim, holding them close and comforting them whilst the villain sat tied up on the dirty ground. It was… sweet. Null was obviously a caring person, the way he held the victims suggested that he had experience and practice with it. The soft cooing as he rubbed circles into the victim’s back reminded Keigo of a parent. Does Null have kids? Was he an older brother?
The more Keigo watched Null, the more he was intrigued by the man. It was like some hidden force was pulling him towards the vigilante. He couldn’t help but search for him whenever he was flying above the city and neighborhoods. Always on the lookout for a now familiar figure.
It was another peaceful night on patrol, the cold air was pleasant on his face as he glided around his route. It seemed as if all of Musutafu was asleep, he could almost fall asleep where he was if he was not 50 meters in the sky. Dipping so that he was lower to the ground, Keigo went looking for his favourite vigilante. Maybe he’d be able to talk to Null tonight!
As he searched for Null, Keigo failed to notice eyes following him. Cold, angry eyes watched as the hero descended, waiting for the opportunity–the villain struck the moment Keigo was close enough to the ground. Metal spikes anchored themselves into red wings and started tearing at the feathers. Hawks let out a little scream of pain before gravity sent him crash-landing into the alley.
—-------
Null was jumping from roof to roof, on his way to get back to the cafe when a strange sound caught his attention. The sound of metal scraping pavement was quiet but with his years of experience, Null was immediately alerted to the noise. It was coming from a nearby alleyway. Diverting from his path, Null ventured closer to investigate.
In the dim lighting of the street lamp, he could make out the faint figure of a tall man. Approximately 7’2, and bulky. He was on the ground with a smaller figure under him, arm raised and fist bloody. It looked like a typical assault case. Leaping into action, Null kicked away the attacker and began to fight.
The man, despite his large size, was quite nimble, smoothly ducking between the blows. Now that Null was close enough to him, he could see the scars that marred his frame.
“This isn’t your fight vigilante.” He spat, trading a kick to Null’s solar plexus, which he ducked, sending his own in retaliation.
“It’s my fight if you attack someone unprovoked.” He said back. This seemed to further anger the man as he sent out a flurry of kicks. Null dodged most of them, only getting grazed by a single long beam of metal. The blade gleamed with blood, but it wasn’t his blood…it must be the victim’s blood. Risking a glance back at the prone figure laying on the ground, Null knew that he had to finish this fight quickly. If he didn’t..the victim would bleed out.
—-------
From where Keigo was sprawled on the floor, he could hear the vigilante fighting to defend him. His mind felt sluggish as the pain dulled his senses and he had to fight to keep his eyes open.
“Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes.” He thought frantically. If he passed out now, who knew if he’d even wake up?
Eventually, the sounds around him stopped and Keigo felt strong arms pull him into a warm chest. Gentle hands brushed his hair from his face and Keigo leaned into the comfort. The person who held him froze and Keigo could hear the vigilante– Null’s breath hitched. Keigo didn’t have time to think about what that meant for him as his vision went black and he succumbed to his injuries.
—-------
Touya was panicking. He’d been able to take down the villain without too much trouble, but when he went to check on the victim–it was Keigo. Touya didn’t know how he should feel about it, he’d spent months avoiding the hero but it was like something was forcing them to meet again and again. Touya wasn’t blind to the red feathers that often appeared when he went out as Null, he had to make sure they didn’t follow him home after all, but being this close to Keigo again… Thankfully, the months of playing keep away had given Touya the chance to piece together what little confidence he needed to face Keigo without outright bursting into tears.
Keigo was bleeding profusely on the ground as Touya hurried to press bandages to the multiple cuts and stab wounds he’d gotten from the attack. Keigo’s wings were twisted in all the wrong directions, feathers missing in some places, and gaping wounds pouring blood. Patching him up as best as he could, Touya pulled the hero into his arms.
“Keigo…you idiot.” He mumbled, pain cracking his voice as he held the other man’s prone form close. He knew this was neither the time nor place for this, but… Touya wanted to be selfish. Keigo was the last remaining piece of his old life as Dabi. Despite everything his ex-lover did, every lie that he told, he had made Dabi’s life that little bit happier. Drawing a shuddering breath as tears streamed down his cheeks, Touya chuckled to himself. It’s both funny and pathetic at the same time. A whole other lifetime away and he still wasn’t able to completely separate from the last life he lived. All it took was one glance at his ex-lover and he was once again crying. Tears instead of blood but the sentiment was the same. He was pathetic.
Struggling to get up with Keigo in his arms, Touya was once again Null. He couldn’t be weak now. He couldn’t blow his cover now. He had to be strong. Null couldn’t bring problems from his personal life into his job. If he wanted to save Keigo, he had to show no emotion to him. They were brought back together, that much was obvious. But their connection ends here. Dabi knew Keigo as more than a hero, but Null didn’t. If he wanted to truly start anew, Touya would need to move on.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Tsukauchi and Eraserhead dealing with Null dropping off the half-dead chicken-
Shouta should’ve known tonight was too quiet. He was just sitting down for a cup of coffee with Tsukauchi when there was a loud thud on the station’s front door. Both he and Tsukauchi were immediately alert and out of their chairs as they looked at the entrance. There were no other sounds after the initial knock and that raised their trepidation to higher levels. Gripping his capture weapon and exchanging a glance at Tsukauchi, who had his gun in hand, the two men slowly inched toward the door.
“Whoever you are, declare yourself now!” Tsukauchi ordered. There was no reply.
Exchanging another look between the two of them, Shouta sent a look to his long-time friend that the man easily interpreted.
“I’ll go check it out, you stay back as support.” He said silently. With the plan of action agreed upon, Shouta quietly approached the door, swinging it open only to find no one there. He kept looking around, scanning the nearby area for any signs of someone running away.
Focused on his task, he almost didn’t hear the startled gasp that escaped Tsukauchi as the man walked to stand next to him. Tsukauchi had his eyes trained down to the floor, his gun was abandoned as normally calm eyes widened in panic. Shouta followed the man’s gaze and locked eyes on what had caused the detective so much shock.
Laying in front of the door, covered in blood-stained bandages and motionless, was the No. 3 Hero… Hawks.
Notes:
If you're wondering where Hawk's attacker is, Null called the cops on him after leaving the alleyway with Hawks. That's why Tsukauchi and Eraserhead were sitting closer to the front of the station. They were short-staffed due to the lack of officers working that night (at headquarters anyways, the majority were out on patrols).
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 20: LEGACY KIDS
Summary:
Izuku, Tenya, and Ochako stumble on a "secret" they weren't supposed to hear.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
UA was both everything Shouto imagined, and so much that he didn’t expect. All his half-siblings had graduated from these halls and are rapidly making their way up in the hero rankings, and Shouto would follow in their footsteps. His father had done a lot to boost their image since they were UA students themselves so Shouto knew Endeavor would go above and beyond for Shouto himself. For some reason, Endeavor liked to remind the public that Touya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo belonged to “the Todoroki Family” at every given opportunity. That allowed them to gain public attention and love very easily once they debuted. The media loved the “pro-hero family” idea. Shouto wouldn’t be surprised if that was another reason Endeavor did that. To market himself and his “Masterpiece”. Shouto didn’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed at his father’s cunning. He had long figured out that his siblings were not truly his full-blooded siblings, and was certain that Endeavor knew that too if the man’s glares at Nabe were any indication. Whenever Endeavor would see Nabe with Shouto and his siblings, there would be a certain look in his eyes, like he wanted to fight Nabe.
Endeavor had always wanted to see Shouto surpass him as the No. 1 Hero, and he was willing to use Shouto’s half-siblings in order to prop him up before he could even start high school. Truly, Endeavor was someone who thought far ahead when it came to his goals. It was both impressive and despicable.
The first day of UA was… interesting. Walking into the classroom, Shouto was immediately bombarded with a variety of different people. They were all loud, and he could see Tenya Iida bothering another student already. The blue-haired boy was someone Shouto had met on multiple occasions and Shouto always found the other boy too stiff when talking. Tenya was a stickler for the rules and never seemed to understand that not everyone saw things his way. Tenya was moving his arm up and down in a chopping motion as he berated the blonde-haired boy who was sat at his desk.
“Take your feet off of that desk now.” He said.
“Huh?” The other boy didn’t deign to give Tenya a proper look, staring at Tenya with a disinterested look in his eyes.
“It’s the first day and you’re already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin.” The arm chopping continued as Tenya stood above where the other boy was sitting.
“You’re kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass, or were you born with it?” Shouto had to muffle a snort that threatened to escape. Whilst that wasn’t the most polite way to say it, it wasn’t untrue. Tenya was too stiff, even his older brother Ingenium thought so! Ingenium and his half-siblings had worked together on multiple occasions, leading Shouto to be well acquainted with the Iida family. Shouto could see Tenya stiffen from where Shouto was standing.
What the other boy said seemed to make Tenya pause and reconsider his next words as a brief silence overtook him. After a moment of thinking, Tenya straightened up (Shouto was surprised that it was possible he could straighten up even more but somehow he did), and hand on his chest he spoke again.
“Let’s start over, I’m Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy.”
“Somei huh? So you must think you’re better than me. I’m going to have fun tearing you a new one.”
“You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you’re in the right place?”
Shouto stopped listening after that. Tenya’s arguments often got monotonous over time. He was a good person, Shouto enjoyed spending time with him sometimes, when their brothers were discussing work, but whenever Tenya got into “rant mode”... yeah. Shouto’s not dealing with that.
Walking to an empty seat in the back row, Shouto put his bag down and started putting his notebooks and pencil case into his desk. He placed his theory notebook on top. If his family had secrets, it was likely their pro-hero teachers would also have a few secrets of their own. Shouto wanted to document them.
Staring off into space, Shouto let himself zone out so as to not pay attention to the chaos that had descended the classroom. The first day of UA.
Lazily ruffling through his bag, Shouto realised. He forgot to pack his drink. Standing up from his seat, Shouto left the room. He needed to find a vending machine.
—-------
Izuku Midoriya was nervous, standing at the entrance of Class 1A he was trembling from the top of his green head to the bottoms of his red shoes. He had miraculously made it into UA and this would be his first step into his future as a hero. Izuku prayed to every god out there that his classmates will be nice.
When he finally got the courage to walk into the classroom, he realised there was no god. The first two people he saw were Kacchan and the blue-haired boy that had berated him at the Entrance Exam.
The blue-haired boy was now scolding Kacchan.
“Take your feet off of that desk now.” He said.
“Huh?” Kacchan gave the blue-haired boy an annoyed look, and Izuku flinched unconsciously from the sharp look in his eyes. He knew that look. It was one often on Kacchan’s face when he was particularly angry and about to yell at him. The other boy didn’t seem to notice though, continuing in his tirade as Kacchan sat, stewing in his seat.
“It’s the first day and you’re already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin.” He said, chopping his hands. Izuku let his eyes follow the movement. Was the action anything to do with his quirk? He’d noticed the blue-haired boy do that action multiple times during the Entrance Exam and assumed it was just nerves, but now… Izuku kept watching, feeling some of his earlier anxiety fade away as his mind filled with questions and theories. He had noticed the obvious mutation that led to the blue-haired boy having engines in his legs but was the chopping part of it? Was he like a steam engine with a rod to help move the wheel? Obviously, the arm movement didn’t really connect to his engines physically, but was it a habit from running? How did his quirk work? What powers it? His train of thought was disturbed when Kacchan retorted with a snarky smile.
“You’re kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass, or were you born with it?” That obviously offended the other boy, who froze where he stood. After a long pause, he seemed to recompose himself and offer a hand to Kacchan.
“Let’s start over, I’m Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy.” Back straight and arm outstretched for a handshake that Kacchan ignored, Iida looked at Kacchan with an expectant look on his face. Did he think that would impress Kacchan?
“Somei huh? So you must think you’re better than me. I’m going to have fun tearing you a new one.” Like Izuku had expected, Kacchan didn’t make an effort to change his demeanor to match Iida.
“You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you’re in the right place?” Now flustered, Iida began his frantic arm chopping again.
“Oh, it’s the plain-looking boy!” Another voice joined the fray, stopping the argument from escalating as almost every eye in the room turned to him. It was terrifying. In his flustered state, Izuku failed to notice the red and white-haired boy who walked in with him. Slamming straight into his back as Izuku tried and failed to hide from the attention that was now brought to him. Great. Now the entire class can bear witness to his humiliation.
Stuttering out his apologies, Izuku’s face turned red as the boy faced him. He was tall, towering over Izuku by at least 4 inches. Like his half-red, half-white hair, his eyes were also different colours. A grey eye complimented his white hair and a blue eye that almost glowed as the boy met Izuku’s gaze. Too late, Izuku realised he was staring.
“S-sorry!” He practically screamed out. Jumping back as the class kept staring at him.
Thankfully, a girl with pink cheeks approached him and began speaking, drawing some of the attention away from his blunder.
“Hi! My name’s Ochako Uraraka! Thank you for saving me during the Entrance Exam!” She exclaimed, a smile lighting up her face as she stood in front of him. The blue-haired boy, Tenya Iida then walked up to him.
“Good morning! My name is Tenya Iida-” “Y-yeah I know!” Izuku interrupted him before he could say any more.
“I’m Izuku Midoriya.” He introduced himself as the boy regained his composure after being interrupted.
“Midoriya. You realised that there was something more to the practical exam didn’t you?” Izuku was confused. Did Iida think he only saved Uraraka because of points? Izuku felt a little sick inside. Saving someone shouldn’t be because it would benefit you…
“You must be very perceptive, and I completely misjudged you.” He continued, and Izuku didn’t know whether to be flattered he thought that highly of Izuku or annoyed that he judged Izuku as someone who’d only do things for his own gain. That’s not what being a hero is about!
“I admit, that as a student, you are far superior to me!” Izuku couldn’t help but sweatdrop at Iida as he turned away, his face serious as if what he said physically hurt him. Ok? That was weird.
Looking away from Iida, who was now trying to talk to him about his “perceptiveness”, Izuku finally noticed the bright yellow thing on the floor. What is it? All of a sudden, the yellow thing shifted and rolled over, revealing the face of a man who looked like he’d gotten exactly 0 sleep in the last 2 years. Following his gaze, Izuku could hear Iida and Uraraka react from their place beside him.
“What is that?!” They cried as the man opened a sleepy eye, staring at them. The entire class was now staring at the yellow sleeping bag as the man stood up, unzipped himself and walked to the teacher’s desk.
“I am Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. Welcome to heroics.” He murmured, but his voice swept through the room. They all felt a chill as they looked at him. Though he looked calm, there was something unsettling about the way he looked at them, as if he was assessing their worth from where they stood.
“It took all of you 8 seconds before you all shut up. 20 minutes for you to notice my presence.” His tired eyes took on an annoyed gleam as he stared down the class.
“If you’re just here to socialise, I advise you to pack up your stuff and leave. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that.” Opening a drawer in his desk, the man pulled out a stack of uniforms and threw them at the students.
“Put these on and head outside.” When none of them reacted, his eyes glowed red, and added another word to his instruction.
“Now.” There was no arguing with him, and the new Class 1A rushed to follow his orders.
—-------
The quirk test that Aizawa got them all to do was child’s play for Shouto. He’d been trained extensively by his dad and his father so each task was completed with ruthless efficiency. His classmates were pretty average, all things considered, a few standing out with specific uses of their quirks. One girl, Ochako Uraraka, had surprised the class with a score of infinity for the softball throw. Her quirk was perfect for it. There was one thing that Shouto noticed his classmates severely lacked though. Aside from one, Mashirao Ojiro, they all severely lacked physical training. They were all reliant on using their quirks to push them ahead, not once thinking of alternate ways of completing the tasks. There was another classmate that Shouto made a note to keep an eye on. Izuku Midoriya was strange. Throughout the tests, Midoriya didn’t use his quirk, a powerful strength-enhancing quirk if what their classmates said this morning was to be believed. He had done all the tasks quirkless with limited effectiveness and Shouto wondered if there was something wrong. Did he not like to use his quirk?
Shouto watched intently as Midoriya took the stance to throw the softball. All of a sudden, he could see lines of power stretch across the other boy’s arm as he readied himself to throw the ball. Just as soon as the lines of power appeared, they disappeared and the ball flew a dismal 46m. That was disappointing. Midoriya seemed shocked at the score as he stared at his hands.
“I erased your quirk.” Aizawa spoke, his voice a slow drawl as Shouto switched his attention to the man. He’d seen the man plenty of times at the cafe when he went to visit Nabe and Tenko, but he’d never seen the underground hero so furious. Quirk activated and capture weapon floating around him, his eyes glowed as he stared down Midoriya. Shouto shivered. His new classmate was in a lot of trouble.
“The judges for the Entrance Exam..were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enrol at this school.” Aizawa spoke and Shouto had to crane his head to see the look on Midoriya’s face.
“Wait.. you did what to my..” His classmate started before interrupting himself.
“Those goggles! I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero..Eraserhead!” Shouto blinked. Was that not obvious from the way the man dressed? No other hero dressed like this. Shouto could already hear his classmates wondering about their teacher’s newly revealed identity.
“Eraser? Who’s that?”
“Oh.. I’ve heard of him.”
“I think he works on the down low.”
“You’re not ready. You don’t have control over your power.” Aizawa said sternly as Midoriya let out a startled breath.
“Were you planning on breaking your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?”
“No! That’s not what I was trying to do!” Midoriya tried to deny before he was wrapped up in Aizawa’s capture weapon.
“No matter what your ability, you’re useless if you want to use it in battle. You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know. One that saved a thousand people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive, you’re worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down.” Shouto had to agree with the man there. His half-siblings were all pro heroes and Shouto knew that one moment of vulnerability in battle could mean the difference between life and death. No matter how strong your quirk is, if you break yourself after using it once, you’re worthless. It wasn’t to say that you HAD to use your quirk to be a good hero. Nabe could knock Touya and Tenko down easily even without his quirk. If someone chose to apply themselves, they’d still have a good chance to be a hero. Midoriya though…Shouto eyed the green-haired boy critically. It was obvious that despite his clear limitations with his own quirk, he chose not to apply himself and instead, decided to rely on the strength of one move to push forward. It disgusted Shouto.
Touya had been the same when they were younger. Shouto could still remember some moments in their childhood when Touya continuously burned himself in an effort to get better, his quirk was destructive to himself as well, but he had good reason. After meeting his biological father, Touya managed to finally understand his power. The reason Touya kept hurting himself was because he hadn’t been using his quirk correctly. He’d tried to copy Shouto’s biological father…not his. Despite not being able to control his flames though, Touya had never damaged himself as badly as Midoriya. The other boy’s presence here was almost insulting. Touya had worked himself to the bone to become the hero he was today, and Midoriya planned to cruise along with his uncontrolled, obviously dangerous quirk and the generosity of others?! Shouto could feel his quirk humming just beneath his skin. Frost formed a thin layer over his left arm whilst his right arm flickered with small flames. He was starting to dislike this Izuku Midoriya.
Just as he thought that, another thought flashed through his mind. Heroes didn’t just fight villains. There were also rescue heroes like Thirteen. Tenko was also a rescue hero. Maybe Midoriya passed by rescuing other examinees? Shouto felt the anger in his heart fade away. If Midoriya planned on being a rescue hero, it would make more sense for him to not train a powerful strength quirk a lot. There were few things a rescue hero needed to punch after all. Shouto switched his attention back to Aizawa and Midoriya.
He watched as Midoriya took a pitcher’s stance again, a single finger lighting up this time. Then. He threw the ball.
Unlike his other tests, Midoriya’s score in the softball throw was impressive. 705.3m. Better than that explosive pomeranian.
The rest of the tests passed without much fanfare. The explosive pomeranian tried to attack Midoriya but was quickly restrained by Aizawa’s capture weapon. Soon, it was the end of the day.
Their classmates filed out of the classroom, eager to go home. Presumably to rest after an unusual first day. Shouto didn’t blame them. They had expected to just go to orientation after all.
As the last classmate exited, Shouto spun around to stop Midoriya from leaving.
“Wait.” He said. The other boy froze, his head moving robotically to face Shouto.
“Y-yes?” He stuttered.
“Why is your quirk control so miserable?” Shouto asked. He didn’t bother to sugarcoat his question, and somewhere in his head, he could hear Fuyumi scolding him for how bluntly he asked the question.
“W-what do you mean?” The boy stuttered again.
“Your quirk. It’s like you haven’t trained it at all. I find it strange that despite having it for 10 years, you still injure yourself this badly with it. Something clearly doesn’t match up here.” Shouto said, still looking at Midoriya’s now frozen form. It took a moment for the other boy to come up with a response, and he almost slumped when he finally answered.
“I…” He swallowed thickly.
“I didn’t get my quirk until the day of the Entrance Exam.” He confessed. Now it was Shouto’s turn to be frozen in shock. The Entrance Exam?! That meant!
“I was practically quirkless up until that point.” Midoriya continued, his voice sad. Shouto felt pity for the other boy and wondered why it took so long for Midoriya to finally discover his quirk. Why didn’t he practice using his parents’ quirks? Surely he would’ve discovered it sooner if he only tried to use theirs? Was there a special activation? The questions continued to multiply in Shouto’s mind, but he wasn’t going to address them now. Midoriya seemed too upset to continue.
“Oh…I’m sorry for bringing up bad memories.” Shouto apologised, and he hoped that Midoriya could feel his sincerity. Thankfully, he did as Midoriya gave a shaky nod and grabbed his bag, running out of the room. Shouto let out a sigh. He really messed up didn’t he?
—-------
Izuku was panicking. He hadn’t expected anyone to question him about his quirk. He knew that his quirk control was bad, but if Todoroki had picked that up and commented on it after seeing him use it once. How long was it before someone else found out his secret? He needed to speak with All Might.
—-------
From behind the cover of a wall. Shouta Aizawa listened to the youngest Todoroki as he questioned Midoriya. He felt a little bad for his harsh assessment of the greenette. If what the boy said was true, he was years behind his classmates on quirk development and Shouta would have to pay special attention to him to make sure he didn’t hurt other people or himself as he was discovering his new quirk.
Shouta sighed to himself. Why was he always stuck with the problem children?
—-------
The next day, both Shouto and Midoriya walked on eggshells around each other. The awkwardness was palpable in the air, it was obvious that something had happened between them.
The tension continued to hang around them all throughout classes and eventually it was lunchtime. Despite their unease, Shouto and Midoriya found themselves seated at the same table.
Tenya Iida and Ochako Uraraka joined them.
Midoriya broke the silence.
“Well done on getting voted class rep Todoroki!” He said.
“Yes, Shouto! You will make a fine class rep! Just like your brothers and sister before you!” Tenya added, causing the others at the table to become curious.
“Oh yeah! You’re related to Pro Hero Endeavor right?! Your siblings are Pro Heroes Blaze, Jack Frost, and Thermis! They’re so cool!” Uraraka chimed in, the excitement raising the pitch of her voice slightly.
“Thermis is my favourite hero! She’s so strong! She dominates as a woman in heroics! I really look up to her!” Uraraka continued to fangirl as Shouto kept slurping his soba. He agreed, Fuyumi was a good heroine to look up to.
“It’s amazing to think that Endeavor’s family would be so full of heroes. Statistically even if heroes operate as a family unit, it’s only one or two at a time, with the rest of the family acting as support or management. To have all Todoroki children as well as Endeavor himself be such well loved heroes could only be a matter of both genetics and upbringing. Do heroes have a special way of bringing up their kids? I know that they’re in a lot of danger due to villains seeking revenge, and hero families are often either hidden or trained extensively to defend themselves, but all being heroes is taking it another step. How does Endeavor do it? He’s the No. 2 hero but somehow manages to train top hero children? Is he that good of a teacher?” Shouto, Tenya and Uraraka could only stare at Midoriya as he mumbled ideas and theories under his breath. The greenette had pulled a notebook out of nowhere and was now rapidly writing theories down as he mumbled.
Now it was Shouto’s turn to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Midoriya. Stop.” The muttering stopped and green eyes lifted from the notebook, meeting Shouto’s. The fear that Shouto had seen in Midoriya’s eyes yesterday when he had confronted him about his quirk was gone. All that was left was a manic excitement.
“So how did Endeavor train your brothers and sister Todoroki? Was there a training menu that he made? The news always wonders about the ‘Todoroki Plan’! They say that Endeavor has a specific recipe for top heroes!” As Midoriya asked the question, Shouto could see both Tenya and Uraraka lean in to listen. He knew that. It was unprecedented for so many heroes to come from the same family during the same generation. Heroics was difficult and it seemed inconceivable for so many top heroes to be related. The media would often run specials, discussing the phenomena.
As three pairs of eyes trained on him, Shouto put his soba down.
“Endeavor didn’t train Touya, Natsuo, and Fuyumi.” Shouto said, his face impassive.
“Their dad trained them.”
—-------
Izuku was confused. A moment ago, Shouto Todoroki had told him that Endeavor didn’t train his siblings. But in the next breath had confirmed that their dad had trained them? The statements were contradictory!
Before he could voice his thoughts, Iida did it for him.
“Shouto! You’re being very unclear! You just told us that Endeavor did not train your siblings! But you also told us that they were trained by your dad! One of those statements must be false!” With large chopping movements, Iida’s arms swung to emphasise his words.
“I did say that, yes.” The blunt voice of their classmate answered.
“But Endeavor is your father!”
“Unfortunately he is.”
“Then why did you say he didn’t train your siblings?!” Izuku watched the two as they spoke back and forth. It was a verbal tennis match, with Iida asking questions and Todoroki answering them coolly. Finally, Izuku asked the question that tied everything together.
“Todoroki?” He probed.
“Yes, Midoriya?” The other boy answered.
“Is Endeavor your siblings’ dad?” He asked nervously. Surely he was wrong, right? Todoroki’s just confused! Endeavor did train his siblings! Maybe he just sees Endeavor as the hero and Enji Todoroki as his dad? There must be a reason. He’s sure of it!
“No. He’s not.” The table froze, and Izuku, Iida, and Uraraka just stared at the youngest Todoroki, who was now calmly slurping his soba.
Izuku forced himself to let out a little laugh.
“Oh! I see! You just separate Endeavor and Enji Todoroki as two different people! I understand that some heroes do that! Separate their identities I mean. Present Mic does the same thing! It’s amazing that you can all leave your hero personas outside of your home Todo-”
“No.” Izuku was cut off by Todoroki.
“Enji Todoroki is Endeavor, and Endeavor is not Touya’s, Fuyumi’s, or Natsuo’s dad.” Izuku’s mind went blank. W-what? The rest of lunch was spent in silence, Izuku struggling to come to terms with the new information he’d been given. Pro Hero Blaze, Pro Hero Jack Frost, and Pro Hero Thermis weren’t Endeavor’s kids? Todoroki had called them his siblings so they had to be related, but…did Todoroki’s mother…cheat?
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-How did Tenya react to this new bit of information?-
Tensei was chatting with his friends from the Fire Bird Agency when his phone began to ring. He picked it up to check the caller ID and was surprised to see his little brother’s name. Tenya didn’t usually call him at this time. He knew that Tensei would be home for dinner, so typically opted to wait for a few hours if he wanted to speak with him. It was unusual for him to call Tensei like this. Giving an apologetic look towards his friends, Tensei picked up the phone.
“Tensei! I fear I may have stumbled upon a secret I was not supposed to know! How am I to react in this situation?” The panicked voice of his brother burst through the phone.
Tensei froze. What? Tenya got himself into a situation? Worry for his little brother filled him.
“Tensei? Tensei! I do not know what to do! I am in need of your guidance, brother!” Tenya’s voice got more desperate and Tensei had to give himself a mental shake before he could reply.
“What secret are you talking about Tenya? Are you ok? This secret isn’t something someone would kill you over, right?” Tensei was only half joking as he asked the last question. Hopefully whatever Tenya was worried about wouldn’t be as big as Tenya had made it out to be.
“It’s a secret about one of the Pro Hero Families, I fear that this is a major conspiracy or dark secret that the Pro Hero wouldn’t want others to know,” Tenya replied and Tensei could feel his heart sink. What had Tenya gotten himself into?!
“Ok Tenya, I need you to tell me what you’ve found. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you. The Iida Family has multiple contacts to different heroes, you’ll be safe.” As Tensei waited for his brother’s reply, he made eye contact with his friends, who were now looking worried at the one-sided conversation they were hearing. There was silence on his brother’s side as Tensei took the chance to explain what was going on to his friends. Tensei was good friends with Touya, Natsuo, Fuyumi and Tenko. They’d met when Touya, Akira, and Tenko had graduated and started setting up their agency. The multiple teamups they’d done had quickly built a strong friendship between them, extending to the younger Todorokis as they graduated and joined the Fire Bird Agency.
“Don’t worry Tensei. We’ll help you protect your little brother. We have our little brother to deal with as well so we understand your worry.” Fuyumi’s voice stated softly but confidently.
“Yeah! We’re not letting some pro hero threaten anyone by throwing their weight around!” Natsuo agreed, and Tensei felt touched that his friends would stand by him and his family, even without knowing the full details.
“I’ll turn the speaker function on so we can all hear what Tenya says,” Tensei told them.
“If you’re getting involved. You need to know the full story.” Switching on the speaker function on his phone, Tensei checked the doors and windows to make sure no sound would escape the room. The meeting room they were currently in was already soundproofed as it was often used in secret discussions before and after a case, once the exits were all checked, they knew it was safe.
Their check didn’t end too soon though as Tenya finally spoke.
“It’s a very powerful hero and a very powerful family.” He said cautiously.
“That doesn’t matter Tenya. I and my friends will back you up.” Tensei said gently, trying to comfort his little brother. It seemed to work as Tenya continued, but it was like lightning struck in the background as everyone in the meeting room froze.
“Pro Heroes Blaze, Jack Frost and Thermis aren’t Endeavor’s biological children.”
Notes:
Yes. Touya, Fuyumi, Natsuo and Tenko heard what Tenya said. They just think that Shouto's conspiracy-theories-making-habit is spreading to other kids. Tensei was dying inside as he was told the "secret" that Tenya was so worried about, especially as the people in the "secret" were in the room and listening with him as Tenya "spilt their family secret".
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 21: THE USJ
Summary:
A change was made when Touya was sent to the past, whether there were consequences...that's yet to be discovered.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shouto stood with his class as they crowded the bus. Mr. Aizawa had told them that they would be conducting rescue exercises today and promptly told them to get dressed in their hero costumes before meeting him by the bus.
Shouto could hear the excited chatter of his classmates as they made their own theories on what they’d be doing today. Tenya stood at his side as his vice-president, giving out instructions to their classmates.
“Gather round, Class 1A! Please form two orderly lines according to your class number! As UA students we must be organised when out representing our school!” The arm chopping was back and Shouto could only watch as Tenya stepped into his leadership role with a stiffness that Shouto knew came from the pressure of being a legacy. Shouto could understand, though he knew he didn’t have to act like that to fulfil his role. The Iida Family had always been known to be the “white knight” type of hero, as his siblings had told him. They had a reputation for being the kind of heroes from fairytales, Tenya’s formality was an attempt to replicate that ideal.
The Todoroki Family on the other hand had no such image. Though they were a prominent hero family now, their hero status had only started with Endeavor. Shouto’s grandfather had been a businessman, and his grandmother had been a model. It was with the establishment of Endeavor that the Todoroki Family gained notoriety outside of the business circle. The only reputation he needed to worry about was his own as a strong and confident hero.
As they all piled onto the bus, Shouto could see Tenya visibly slump at the seat arrangement.
“The bus’ open layout ruined my boarding strategy.” Tenya moped from his place next to Shouto. Shouto could only pat his shoulder in consolation as the class began to speak.
“If we’re pointing out the obvious, then there’s something I want to say, about you actually.” Asui’s voice spoke up, gaining the attention of the bus. She was staring at Midoriya, and Shouto could feel his interest pique. What did Asui notice about Midoriya?
“About me? What is it, Asui?” Shouto could hear the nerves creeping into the other boy’s voice and he focused his attention on Asui. Whatever she said would give him more proof as to who Midoriya was related to.
“I told you to call me Tsu.” Asui, or Tsu, said back to Midoriya.
“Oh…yeah..right,” Midoriya mumbled awkwardly.
“That power of yours. Isn’t it a lot like All Might’s?” Shouto felt vindicated. He wasn’t the only one that noticed Midoriya’s obvious connection to the No. 1 Hero it seems. He could see Midoriya stumble over his words and Shouto only felt more confident in his theory. Midoriya was All Might’s secret love child.
“You think so huh? I never really thought about that I guess-” Shouto didn’t hear the rest of what Midoriya said over their red-headed classmate, who had begun to speak.
“Wait, hold on Tsu. You’re forgetting All Might doesn’t hurt himself. That makes a huge difference.” Whilst what Kirishima said was true. Shouto knew that there was still potential to harm yourself with a quirk if you didn’t use it correctly. Touya had been the same. Nabe could use his quirk without harming himself, but Touya in his youth was unable to use any move without it being a kamikaze attack. Nabe’s flames were identical to Touya’s but the difference was how the flames were used. Just because a quirk looked simple, doesn’t mean it was simple. When Touya used his quirk incorrectly and used it like Shouto’s father, he hurt himself. It wasn’t until he was trained by his true father that he had seen a rapid improvement. If Midoriya was the same… Shouto could bet on his soba that Midoriya had not been training with All Might for long, and was thus uncomfortable with the proper usage of his quirk. Shouto wouldn’t be surprised if Midoriya had been unable to use his quirk at all before meeting his true father All Might.
Despite the flaws in Kirishima’s logic, the bus seemed to find the reason satisfactory.
“Still…I think it’s cool to have a simple augmenting type quirk. You could do a lot of flashy stuff with it. My hardening is super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn’t look all that impressive.” Shouto disagreed once again with Kirishima’s logic. Midoriya’s quirk didn’t seem like a simple augmenting quirk. Nabe had tutored him in quirk identification prior to his entrance into UA. The man had been secretive as to why to Shouto wouldn’t question is dad. From the limited knowledge he had managed to retain, he could tell. A simple augmenting quirk wouldn’t cause that much damage to the user. On the contrary, it should give the user increased resistance. There was something clearly wrong with Midoriya’s quirk. Something just didn’t add up.
“You are definitely pro material with a quirk like that.” As the conversion moved away from Midoriya’s quirk, Shouto began to feel disinterested once more. Opting to rest his eyes instead.
Shouto didn’t get to relax long before he was brought back into the conversation.
“Well, if any of our classmates have pro quirks. It’s Todoroki and Bakugo.” He heard Kirishima say before he was cut off by another voice.
“Sure, but Bakugo’s always angry, so he’ll never be that popular,” Tsu interjected.
“HUH? WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I’LL KICK YOUR ASS!” Shouto let out a sigh as his loud classmate started arguing with the rest of the class. How did this pomeranian get into the Hero Course again?
Shouto ignored his class for the rest of the ride.
—-------
Izuku was scared now. Not only had Todoroki figured out that his quirk was new, but Tsu’s made the connection between him and All Might. At this rate, his classmates would work out he got his quirk from All Might by the end of the week! A month if he was lucky! Was he THAT bad at keeping secrets? Izuku should have expected this, coming to one of the top hero schools in the country. Everyone was so smart! If Izuku wanted to survive high school without revealing OFA, he’d have to be more careful.
Izuku hoped that his panic wasn’t visible on his face when the bus stopped in front of a tall building.
“Everyone out.” The slow drawl of Mr. Aizawa’s voice ordered as they all filed out and into the building. The building was massive. Tall walls, pure white as they reached to the sky, a glass dome encasing shining in the midday sun.
“Welcome to the USJ!” A hero who looked like an astronaut welcomed them. It was Thirteen.
“UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN?!” A few classmates exclaimed behind him and Shouto felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead. They were joking, right? They couldn’t be that uninformed-
“The USJ or The Unforeseen Simulation Joint is a facility UA keeps in order to train you in rescue skills. As a hero, you should be ready in any situation. Unfortunately, many heroes forget that.” Aizawa explained in his low drawl.
“Quirks can be dangerous…” As Thirteen began speaking, Shouto could feel a fog envelope his mind. This conversation sounded a little too familiar.
—-------
Katsuki was listening to the teachers go over some lame-ass speech about how “quirks were dangerous” and how they “had to be careful” and he had to suppress a snort. He could feel his irritation growing as he rolled his eyes. He knows quirks can be dangerous. His quirk made him a literal walking bomb. It’s nothing new. Any idiot that thought quirks were all happy fun things is living under a rock. They shouldn’t need this discussion.
As Thirteen continued to talk about her Black Hole quirk, Katsuki zoned out. He didn’t know why but he still remembered that extra who protected Deku all those years ago.
“Quirk use in public, especially against another person in order to harm is what a villain does right? And I don’t see anyone stopping you either. Do you know who helps villains hurt others?” He could still see the look in the extra’s eyes whenever he thought about that day. It had stuck with him after all these years. Unlike the anger his old hag would show, or the appeasement of his ex-classmates and useless teachers, the man who had stopped him looked…disappointed. Like he was a mentor who saw his student fail spectacularly on an easy test. No one had tried to stop him before, they’d always told him that it was only right for him to practice his quirk. His quirk was powerful. He would be a great hero like All Might! But that man had told him no. He’d told Katsuki that having a strong quirk didn’t equate to heroism and that quirks can harm as well as help. Katsuki had always known about the destructive properties of his own quirk. He’d imagined using his explosions to beat down villains to save the day, but he’d never considered the implications of what it could do to innocent people until that man had called him out on his bullshit.
What Thirteen was telling them was what Katsuki had thought about every day since he was a little brat. Quirks were destructive. They could hurt. They could kill. But that stupid Deku had never taken it seriously even when he “wanted to be a hero”. Katsuki had overheard what the man had told Deku when they were kids.
“Yeah, kid. Like I said, a quirk is a tool. Without one, just make other tools for yourself to use.”
“And can a quirkless person be a hero?”
“Yes. A quirkless person can be a hero. They might have to work a little harder, but they can be a hero if they train and get the skills needed.”
As a kid, he didn’t really understand. Heroes were supposed to have cool flashy quirks and be able to defeat villains, they were supposed to inspire awe from civilians and fear from villains. Deku wasn’t any of that. He cried a lot and couldn’t fight for shit. When other kids teased him for being weak he just stood there and sucked it up. It was like he didn’t care at all about what other people thought of him and it burned Katsuki inside whenever he saw it happen. Didn’t he understand that public image was important for a hero?!
Katsuki’s old man and old hag both worked in the fashion industry. They often worked with heroes to design their costumes and collaborated with support heroes to create functional and fashionable pieces for their clients. From a young age, it was drummed into Katsuki’s head that for a pro, at least 50% of their job was to be the figure that people could look up to. Deku let people walk all over him and called them “mean” whenever he couldn’t stand their words. What part of that could be a hero?!
It wasn’t until he got into middle school that Katsuki finally understood the man’s words. He could agree with what the extra had said. A quirk was a tool. But Deku didn’t take the time to make any other tools for himself. He was already heavily disadvantaged due to him being quirkless but the nerd never worked for his goals. Even Katsuki had to work his ass off to train his highly volatile quirk. Even with a powerful quirk, Katsuki had to fight to control it, his strength now was a testament to his determination.
It made Katsuki furious whenever the nerd would blubber about being a hero despite being the wimpy kid Katsuki knew him to be. Writing his notes was fine, but if he wanted to work out in the field, hero notes weren’t going to cut it.
When Katsuki saw the extra on the first day, he thought that Deku had finally shed his lazy attitude. He was unfortunately proven wrong. The nerd had half-assed everything. Whilst his scores were better than when they’d been in middle school, it was all a matter of “too little too late”. Compared to their classmates, Deku was still inferior to them. HE COULDN’T EVEN BEAT THE DAMNED GRAPE MIDGET!
The other thing. That new quirk. Katsuki had grown up with Deku. He knew his “childhood friend” didn’t have a quirk. So where did this stupid strength come from? And why was it so damaging? He knew that Deku couldn’t have hidden it from him. Not for long anyways. Auntie Inko would have told his old hag and his old hag would’ve told him if Deku’s quirk had manifested during their childhood. Something was fishy about this entire situation.
As Thirteen concluded her long-ass speech, Katsuki noticed a tinge of purple near the fountain.
“What’s that? Has the training started?” He heard Shitty Hair ask Eraserhead as the purple mist grew thicker. This didn’t feel right…
When the mist grew to the size of a person, a swirling portal opened up to reveal a large group of extras.
“They even hired fake villains for the exercise? UA is so Plus Ultra!” He heard Sparky comment as the bad feeling in Katsuki’s gut grew. He doesn’t think this is an exercise…
His suspicions were confirmed when their teacher told them to get away from the fountain. They weren’t hired help. They were really villains.
—-------
Shouta had expected today to be a normal day. UA had always run these simulation activities with the students year after year with no trouble. So why was it that HIS CLASS had to be the first to break that streak?!
As the villains poured out of the warp gate, Shouta readied his capture weapon and called out to Thirteen.
“Thirteen! Protect the kids!” Jumping into the crowd, Shouta focused his attention on fighting. There were too many villains, he couldn’t afford to look away. Shouta hopes that Thirteen would be able to contact the other heroes, if not... At least Shouta knew there would be at least 4 heroes on the way. He just hoped they’d be here soon. His class needed all the help they could get.
—-------
When the lesson went bottom up, Shouto didn’t know what to do. Despite having had all his siblings complete their hero education, not once had they mentioned any villain attacks whilst they were students. Thirteen had made the class retreat towards the corners of the facility when they had found the exit had been locked. They had already tried contacting UA but somehow, the villains had cut communications off. Even using Kaminari’s quirk, it was like something was jamming the signal within the USJ. They had no way of getting a message to the heroes.
Shouto couldn’t help but compare this situation to the games Nabe would play with him when he was younger. When the man had started training Shouto, he hadn’t started with quirk training like Shouto’s father had. Nabe had started by training his brain. He would put out maps on the floor and he and Shouto would sit around the map as Nabe would recount a situation to him.
“You are a hero, stuck in a large area with no way of getting a message out for backup. The communications towers were sabotaged by villains, but there are too many for you to fight alone. What do you do?”
Shouto would sit there for hours and Nabe would let him make his choices, telling him why it was a good or bad decision and explaining the consequences of each decision he made. Nabe had always told him that the training would be important, but Shouto never thought it would be this important, this early in his life. Shouto wasn’t even a pro hero yet!
Taking a deep breath to reset his mind, Shouto scanned the area for any information that could help them.
The warp gate had managed to bring at least 80 villains to the main square, and they didn’t know how many villains were hiding in other areas. The villains, despite their initial appearance, were disorganised and didn’t seem to have worked together for very long, if at all. They were probably hired help at best.
Shouto knew that these villains were probably easy enough for some of the class to take down with their quirks, but his attention was soon seized by two figures who stood detached from it all. There was a villainess with black hair and pale skin who stood with an assuredness that Shouto didn’t like. Her eyes were fixated on Mr. Aizawa’s fight as if she were merely watching a small animal struggling fruitlessly before its death. She looked like she could care less about who lived or died. She looked…evil.
As if Shouto’s thoughts had somehow reached her, Shouto found himself staring straight into red eyes. They looked like pools of rusted blood on her face, making her pale skin look pasty and lifeless.
“We were expecting All Might. Where is he?” She finally spoke as she stared into Shouto’s eyes. But for some reason, it felt as if she was focusing more on the right side of him. Her gaze could’ve dug a hole into Shouto’s eye with the intensity of it. There was an almost greedy look on her face that sent tremors down Shouto’s spine. He didn’t know what she wanted with him, but it wasn’t good.
“Kaminari.” Shouto got the blonde boy’s attention as he made a quick plan. Sometimes the best solution is to keep a low profile and call in reinforcements. For the villains to break into the USJ like this to get to All Might, they had to have a plan. Shouto didn’t want to wait to see if his class could stand up to that.
“The doors are electrical, I need you to disable the lock command by pulsing electricity through it. Can you do that?” He asked as Kaminari looked unsure of himself.
“Look… Todoroki, I don’t-”
“Kaminari. I need you to try, ok?” Shouto didn’t have time for this. His dad and half-siblings had drummed it into his mind enough times for it to stick. A moment wasted could endanger everyone. He needed to find a way for someone to get out and inform the heroes. Out of his classmates, Tenya is the fastest. If Shouto wanted to have the heroes here in time to stop the villains, Tenya was their only chance.
“Tenya. I need you to be ready to run to get the heroes when we get the doors open ok?” He asked; though it was more of a statement.
“Shouto! I can’t leave the class behind like this! I’m the vice rep-” Shouto cut off Tenya’s words.
“Yes. You are vice representative. I am the class representative. If you don’t feel comfortable, then take this as an order from your class representative. Go and get help.” No sooner had he said that, Kaminari let out a cry of glee as the doors opened, and the other villain took notice of what they were doing.
“GO TENYA!” Shouto shouted as he pushed Tenya towards the door. Judging by the look on the warp villain’s face, this will be their only chance to get anyone out.
As Tenya sprinted through the doors, Shouto smiled. Then all he could see was purple.
—-------
Touya was out on patrol with Tenko when he remembered something. Shouto has a training exercise at the USJ today. Touya could remember the arduous training he had undergone as a student learning about rescue, Tenko had always been better at it than him. Maybe because he lived with Nabe and the man could soothe a feral cat in seconds, but Touya was definitely not making excuses. No. Tenko was just way better at rescue than him.
Suddenly, Touya had an idea. He and Tenko had crashed Natsuo and Fuyumi’s training before. UA had more than welcomed the return of its alumni to guide the heroic students sometimes as guests. Maybe it was time to embarrass the baby of the family a little.
Touya exchanged glances with Tenko and just like always, it was like his friend had read his mind. There was mischief on both their faces as they pulled out their phones to contact Natsuo and Fuyumi. It was time to embarrass their little brother.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-What actually happened during All Might's training? And why was Shouto chosen as class rep?-
As you’ve probably noticed, Katsuki has been influenced by what Nabe told him as a kid. There were reasons why he treated Izuku the way he did, but he’s still nowhere near as bad as in canon. In canon he physically hurt Izuku, but in this timeline, he didn’t. At most, he just exploded some of Izuku’s things to get a reaction or yelled at him about trying to be a hero. It’s all coming from a good place though. He doesn’t like that Izuku doesn’t stand up for himself and did everything so that he could see if Izuku would change or at least make an effort to train his body to become a hero. He’s annoyed because he hasn’t seen Izuku put any effort into it, which feels like Izuku is spitting on his own effort. In his opinion, even with a powerful quirk, Katsuki had to train a lot to get where he is. Izuku didn’t do any of that despite being disadvantaged, to begin with. Despite Izuku claiming he’ll be a hero, in Katsuki’s eyes it’s just all talk.
In All Might’s training exercise (I didn’t want to rewrite canon so I didn’t write it), the only difference was that Katsuki didn’t set off the deadly explosion in Izuku’s face. It’s not realistic to think one interaction would change Katsuki’s fighting style completely. It influenced the way he treated Izuku because he originally never put his actions into perspective, but having it change himself in other ways, like his fighting style, when it’s not even related doesn’t make any sense.
Endeavor’s changed a lot in this timeline. He’s a lot more open about his family and actively shows them off if they’re going pro or about to enter UA. He does this to claim his family to the public (Enji’s insecure since everyone who’s met Nabe thinks Touya’s not actually his son). Enji did the same for Shouto, and considering he’s the fourth child of Endeavor to be in UA’s Hero Course, there’s already an expectation of him. It doesn’t help that his siblings are top heroes in their own right and are very popular. By the time he joined Class 1A, everyone already knew of him. It was a given that his classmates would vote for him at this point.
Notes:
*searches up "What to do when your Beta Reader has gone missing"*
Hi, guys! The next update might take a little longer to come out, my beta reader has been MIA and I can't seem to contact them.
Edit: My beta reader has contacted me. They are fine. Thank you for all the well-wishes.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 22: SIBLINGS
Summary:
"When you go to embarrass your baby brother and end up having to save him instead." - Touya, Natsuo + Fuyumi
"I am constantly dragged into things. Why is that?" - Tenko
"We didn't sign up for this!" - Touya, Natsuo + Fuyumi
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
At this point, gate crashing during the first rescue training session of each sibling as they started UA had become a tradition. Fuyumi had been shocked when Touya and Tenko had burst into her class’ training exercise and proceeded to embarrass her by calling her their “sweet, little baby sister” and threatening any male that came within a meter of her. Thankfully, they didn’t know she swung both ways. That would’ve been messier. After Fuyumi had left UA, it was her turn to join Touya and Tenko to embarrass Natsuo. Every family member that was inducted into their hero journey had kept silent about the encounter. They wanted their chance at doing the same to the next child after all.
Natsuo was brimming with excited energy as they met up with Touya and Tenko in front of the USJ. It was time for little Shouto to be inducted.
When they had burst into the building, they had expected to see their youngest brother blushing and everyone besides Aizawa and Thirteen shocked (they’d done the same thing too many times for anyone to be surprised anymore). They’d caused a lot of shock with their entrance. But not just from the students. There were villains everywhere! UA hasn’t changed the exercise right?!
As if expecting their arrival (he probably did), Aizawa immediately barked out an order.
“Thermis! Blaze! On me! Jack Frost! Midas! Focus on rescue and evacuation!” As if they were students again, they all moved instinctively to obey orders.
Fuyumi ran to meet Touya at the center. They would need to work fast.
—-------
It wasn’t fair! Natsuo pouted as he ran towards the mountain zone. He remembered whenever he had training, it was always on one of two modes: snow mountain or rock mountain. If the mountain had frozen over, he was the best person to deal with it. He could see Tenko make his way to the ruins zone. Hopefully, they’d make it in time before any of the kids got too hurt.
When Natsuo got to the mountain zone, it was as he suspected. There was a blizzard raging around them and he could see villains surrounding a small group of kids. There were three girls and one boy. One of the girls was collapsed on the ground–was she SLEEPING?! The boy had his fists clasped and looked ready to spring into action at the slightest movement. Natsuo was impressed. The kid’s got fight. The other two girls were holding the sleeping girl in between them. None of the kids looked ready for the cold, and the villains were taking advantage of it.
Stomping his foot on the ground, Natsuo let loose a wave of ice that trapped all the villains where they stood. The kids looked shocked as they turned to him.
“WHO ARE YOU, YOU EXTRA?!” The boy shouted as Natsuo held his hands in the air as a show of peace.
“Pro Hero Jack Frost, at your service kids. I’m here to get you to safety.” He introduced himself as a spark of recognition glinted in the students’ eyes.
“Jack Frost! My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, Bakugo, Jiro and Tsu are with me. We’re grateful for your help!” The dark-haired girl spoke as she cradled the girl, Tsu, in her arms.
“We need to get out of here as soon as possible! Tsu’s a frog! She can’t handle the cold!” Ah. That made sense. The stakes have risen. Natsuo wouldn’t have the time to interrogate any of the villains then.
Natsuo nodded his understanding at the girl before gesturing for her to hand the other girl over. Yaoyorozu didn’t waste a moment, placing Tsu into Natsuo’s arms as he started running out of the mountain zone, and the other kids followed him. As he ran, Natsuo couldn’t help but think…obviously, the students he’d found were unsuited to the cold. Putting a girl with a frog quirk in a cold environment was either extremely good luck, on the villain’s side, or they’d investigated the students. Natsuo didn’t like what that meant for the heroes. They had a leak.
—-------
Tenko didn’t even have time to think before his feet were leading him to the ruins zone. The ruins zone was a mess of downed buildings and smoke, designed to emulate a disaster in an urban area, but now it was looking eerily like an upturned battleground.
Crowds of villains descended on two students, a boy with a tail and a brown-haired girl, who were doing their best at keep-away. Tenko noted that whenever the girl slapped someone, they would float into the air, but the girl would look sicker the longer the fight went on.
Tenko jumped into the fight. He couldn’t use his quirk without disintegrating someone, so he had to fight quirkless. Years of training translated to a series of kicks and punches as he weaved through the onslaught of villains. Tenko would punch one villain before spinning around to kick another who tried to sneak up on him. It was endless. The kids were now at the edges of the fight, the villains deeming him to be the bigger threat. They were correct. After a while, the villains all lay on the ground. Knocked out.
Turning around to face the kids, Tenko started to introduce himself.
“I’m here to help. I’m Pro Hero Midas.” He said as the kids looked at him with relief obvious in their eyes.
“Thank you for your help, Midas!” The girl exclaimed, pink cheeks flushed as she looked at him.
“Yeah! Thank you, Midas!” The boy said. Tenko nodded at them before corralling them to the center. He needed to look for the other kids, and focus on getting them out. Pleasantries can wait.
—-------
Shouta was relieved when the four helions burst into the USJ like he knew they would. It was something that the staff at UA had come to acknowledge as somewhat of a tradition. Every member of the Todoroki Family after Touya Todoroki was greeted by their siblings during their first rescue exercise. It always helped that they would drag Midas with them. The staff was always grateful for another rescue hero to show the students the ropes. So it was a welcome custom.
He was fighting off a villain with a knife quirk as Blaze and Thermis fought back to back, eliminating a large portion of the villains with their combined fire and ice attacks. They would cover each other’s weaknesses and combine attacks to blast back any villains that got too close. In the periods Shouta allowed himself to observe their fights, Shouta couldn’t help but smile. Those kids had become strong. He was proud of them.
Tuning back to his fight, Shouta could see the villainess, Sunako Shigaraki, as the warp villain called her, staring into the crowd. Her eyes were focused on a single figure. Blaze. Shouta narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like that. That villainess had an unusual interest in one of his past students, and hell would freeze over before Shouta would let her do what she wanted.
Once he finished taking down the villains around him, Shouta started to make his way to Shigaraki. The warp villain had disappeared from her side, leaving her alone. The perfect circumstance for Shouta to take her down. As he ran towards her, Shouta felt a strange feeling of unease. That feeling intensified as he saw her smile once he was moments from reaching her. Suddenly, he felt pain bloom across his chest as a giant fist made contact with his side, throwing him back 20m.
“I’d like for you to meet Nomu. He’s designed to kill All Might.” Before he could react to Shigaraki’s words, Shouta felt a giant hand wrap around his body, holding him in the air. His ribs felt like they were being crushed as the villain squeezed him in one big hand, and Shouta swore something broke, but the pain was eclipsed by the relief he felt when his coworker finally arrived at the USJ, steam coming off from his body.
“I AM HERE!” All Might announced as Shigaraki, and the other villains turned to face the No. 1 Hero.
—-------
Shouto was having a bad day. His class was supposed to be doing an exercise, but villains attacked. He was sent to the landslide zone right after Iida made his escape, so he couldn’t be sure that his classmates were safe; and now, he finds out that the villain boss somehow has a “weapon that could destroy All Might”. Yeah. Shouto was not having a good day. The villains in the zone were easy enough to freeze. He and Natsuo had practiced the move enough times for Shouto to be able to do it in his sleep.
Each villain was encased in a thick layer of ice, leaving only their heads exposed. Shouto wanted information. And he wanted it NOW.
“What are you doing here?” He asked a villain bluntly. The villain in question struggled at his bonds, teeth chattering as he spoke.
“I’m not telling you anything you punk!” He growled. Shouto gave the villain an unimpressed look. The obvious cannon fodder was trying to be tough. Fine. Nabe has already trained him on information gathering.
“You have a mutation quirk.” He stated, letting no emotion pass on his face. This made the villain stop for a moment, so Shouto continued.
“Judging from the scales and claws, I’d imagine that you’re some sort of lizard. If that affects your physiology too much or not, I can already tell that you’re weak to the cold.” Shouto let a small smile cross his face.
“Even if your quirk doesn’t affect your cold immunity, my ice is enough to permanently damage anyone if it’s on long enough.” Shouto paused to let the villain take in what he just said.
“I want to be a hero, but I’ve also been taught to not have mercy for villains who do things like attack CHILDREN.” Shouto let himself emphasise the word. They were children after all. It was best to use that fact to make the villain feel some semblance of shame (if they had any), it could help him in extracting information.
It seemed to work since the villain was now looking much more willing to speak. The villain didn’t meet Shouto’s eyes as he spoke.
“We were all hired by the League of Villains to participate in an event. They didn’t tell us much, but claimed that they had a weapon strong enough to defeat All Might. We’re here to stop anyone who tries to help All Might.” The villain admitted as Shouto nodded. He knew the villains had to have a specific goal in mind when breaking into the USJ. It was a hero hotspot after all. Breaking in just to terrorise some kids just didn’t make any sense. But…to have a weapon capable of killing All Might…Shouto wasn’t sure if the villains were overconfident or if they’d truly found a way of disposing of the No. 1 Hero. He didn’t want to find out.
Watching the villain cautiously as he slowly unfroze him, clasping his arms in quirk erasing handcuffs he had as part of his hero costume, Shouto left him tied up amongst the other villains. He didn’t bother to unfreeze them. He’d watched as he spoke about how they were attacking children and none but the lizard villain had reacted. They didn’t care that they were going to kill children. They didn’t deserve redemption.
Using his quirk to create an ice ramp, Shouto hurried to the central plaza. He needed to get back to help his classmates as soon as possible. Hopefully, they were unhurt.
When he finally managed to get back to where his teachers were fighting, Thirteen was on the ground with some of his classmates surrounding her. Yaoyorozu was trying to wrap her injuries as Jiro crouched beside her, trying to help. In front of them was…NATSU?! His brother was sending blasts of ice outward, taking out hoards of villains with each wave.
“NATSU!” Shouto called out to his brother, who at his words, turned around after making another ice wall to keep the villains away.
“Hey, baby brother!” His brother cheered; as if they weren’t under attack.
“We were just around the neighbourhood and decided to pay you a visit. Good thing we did, huh?” Shouto didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was exactly something his brother would do.
“Are you here alone? Are Yumi and Touya here?” He asked as Natsu smiled at him.
“Yeah, they are. Tenko’s here too.” He confirmed and let out a sigh of relief. They were safe. His classmates would be ok. Shouto slumped over, the tension already visibly leaving his form. His siblings are here. Natsu seemed to notice that just as a loud cracking sound came from his ice wall.
“Shouto. It’s not the time to talk right now. I need you to evacuate your classmates and Thirteen out of the USJ.” His brother’s authoritative voice made Shouto jump into action.
“Sato! I need you to lift Thirteen so we can go.” His classmate nodded as they all looked at Shouto for instructions. After the pro heroes, he was the leader. They trusted him.
“Jiro, I need you to listen out for any villains that may attack us, this is now a stealth mission. We need to get everyone out without the main villains noticing. Otherwise the warp villain will just separate us again.” The aforementioned girl nodded as she extended her ear jacks to their full length.
“As for everyone else. Follow me.” With that final order, Shouto led his classmates around the fight, using his ice in strategic places to blend in. Thankfully his siblings had already left some ice walls scattered around the plain, it masked their movements.
He could see Yumi and Touya fighting with Aizawa. His teacher was grasped in the hand of a larger villain. With big muscles and mottled blue skin covering everything but its exposed brain, the villain looked more like a zombie than a person. Yumi was trying to catch the villain in her ice as Touya blasted blue flames at it. They were supporting All Might, who was now vigorously punching at the villain.
Shouto could have stayed to watch had he not been shaken from his reverie. Concerned looks greeted him as Shouto flushed slightly. He had to get them out. ‘Focus Shouto! You have to save people first! You can fanboy over your siblings later.’ He thought.
—-------
One moment, they were all at the central plaza, the next moment Izuku found himself encased in a cloud of purple and teleported into the middle of a lake. In the murky water, he could make out the forms of several rapidly approaching figures. At the head of the group was a villain with a shark mutation. He had pointed teeth and a dorsal fin that erupted from his back. An odd look considering he looked humanoid for the most part. Izuku wondered if he had gills-something curled around his waist and Izuku found himself dragged through the water and onto the ship.
Izuku turned to face the person who’d effectively ripped him out of the water and met the eyes of Shouji, Kirishima, Mineta, and Kaminari.
“Are you ok?” A limb shaped into a mouth spoke as Izuku nodded numbly. Shoji spawned more limbs, peering over the ledge at the villains that surrounded the ship.
There were at least 30 villains, all with aquatic-type quirks waiting in the water. Skimming them, Izuku could tell that they were specifically chosen for this zone. Every quirk complimented the terrain. Looking at his classmates, Izuku felt dread pool in his stomach. Shoji has a multi-limb quirk; it didn’t help in aquatic terrain because he still needed to swim to go anywhere. Kirishima has a hardening quirk, it would make him sink like a rock if he used it. Mineta can’t stick anything together in water unless they get close enough, and Kaminari’s quirk would mean no one can get into the water… Izuku would break himself if he used his quirk at any point today. The placement of the class… it was the worst possible combination!
Now panicking at their situation, Izuku tried his best to come up with a solution. Shoji wouldn’t be able to get across without being attacked by the villains. He couldn’t fight in the water. Kirishima was even worse. Of all the quirks they used, they were limited in what they could do.
“Hey! Midoriya! Do you have a plan?” Kaminari asked as Izuku paused mid-mutter.
“I don’t have one yet but…” Izuku trailed off as the others prompted him to continue.
“I think the villains knew what our quirks were.” That sentence was met with a loud response from Kaminari.
“But why would they put me here then?” The loud blonde asked.
“Yeah! If they wanted to put Kaminari somewhere, it shouldn’t be next to the pool full of villains!” Mineta supported the blonde’s argument.
“That’s why it’s so genius! If Kaminari just electrocuted the water, we’d all be taken out because we can’t touch it either! And the villains would just take us out!” Izuku finally blurted out. The others looked at him with expressions of shock and Izuku blushed at the attention. Was it bad to admire the enemy’s tactics?
Once the others were finally able to speak, Mineta started crying.
“THEY KNOW OUR QUIRKS! WE’RE DOOMED!” He screamed as he threw some of his sticky balls at the villains. Probably out of desperation.
To Izuku’s amazement, the villains in the water moved away from the balls, avoiding them as if they were toxic. Interesting.
“Hey. Mineta. Can you throw one of those balls closer to that villain over there?” Izuku asked the panicking boy quietly, pointing towards a lone villain at the edge of the crowd.
“WHY?! IT’S NOT GOING TO HELP-” Izuku shoved a hand in front of Mineta’s mouth before the boy could say any more.
“I want to test something. Just do it please.” Tears kept streaming down the midget’s face as he did as he was asked. As Izuku suspected, the villain moved away from the purple ball nervously. So these villains DIDN’T know what their quirks were… Izuku could work with this.
“Mineta. I need you to keep throwing your balls into the water ok?” Izuku said seriously and the others looked up at him.
“Do you have something in mind Midoriya?” Kirishima asked as Izuku nodded.
“Yes. I think I have a way to do it. But first. We need to stick the villains together.” They all got to work. Following Izuku’s plan.
They would need to work together to do this. They needed to act before the villains got bold enough to attack the ship directly.
Mineta kept throwing his balls into the water, keeping the villains away from the ship. When the water was full of purple balls, stage one was complete.
It was Izuku’s turn. Bracing himself, with one of Shoji’s limbs wrapped around him to stop himself from falling into the water, Izuku powered up OFA and flicked a finger. A whirlpool formed and the villains were sucked into the center.
“YOU DAMN BRATS! YOU’LL REGRET THIS!” A villain screamed in frustration as they crashed into another villain. The two were then stuck together by Mineta’s quirk, a mass of limbs flailing to remain upright in the water.
Gritting his teeth in pain, Izuku called out to Kirishima and Kaminari.
“NOW!” The sails dropped as Izuku shot another OFA-powered flick, propelling the ship forward. In no time at all, they crash-landed at the shore. They stumbled off the deck, uneasy on their feet. Kaminari was letting out small sparks as he walked before collapsing onto the ground. He let out a shock of electricity into the water as he fell. They didn’t touch the water after that.
—-------
Touya was firing his flames toward the villain in an attempt to distract him? Her? It? He didn’t even know. The villain was taller and broader than All Might, which was quite a feat but didn’t exactly look…human. It could’ve been a mutation quirk, but from the exposed brain, Touya didn’t think so. He watched as All Might exchanged blows with the monster (because at this point, Touya doesn’t think it’s human, if it ever was), each blow causing little damage. Every hit that it took, the monster would give one back, but unlike All Might, would heal from each punch. This wasn’t looking good.
As he watched the fight go on, Touya squinted. Was that…steam? It looked like the No. 1 Hero was steaming, his smile had become much more strained as he continued his onslaught of punches. This doesn’t look right. As All Might took another punch, the hero was propelled backward from the force. Ok. Touya needs to take over.
“All Might!” He called out to the hero. The only indication that the man heard him was a slight twitch, but that was all Touya needed.
“Switch out with me!” The hero seemed to think about it for a moment before ducking out from a swing targeting his head. Touya replaced All Might in fighting it, sending a stream of his hottest flames directly at its head. The monster screamed. The sound was sharp and piercing. It cut through the air and drew the attention of everyone in the area. Touya could only brace himself and keep blasting it with fire. He didn’t stop until the monster went silent.
Cautiously stopping his quirk, he kept an eye on the charred remains of the monster. When it had been fighting All Might, it was able to heal itself. Would it be able to do the same after being carbonised? It took a full minute of anticipation to get his answer. It did not. The monster was dead.
A scream made him whip his head around, the villainess was staring at the monster’s remains with anger in her red eyes. He thought she wanted to kill him for ruining her plan, but when she looked at him, her eyes…softened? The momentary softness didn’t last as she hardened whilst looking at All Might. She threw her hand out as dark clouds began to gather. The warp villain appeared next to her.
“Sunako Shigaraki. I think it’s time we escape. We are outnumbered.” He told the villainess as the first drops of rain came from her clouds. The “rain” was strange. Each drop was inky black. It wasn’t until a drop touched the floor that Touya stiffened. Where the drop had landed, the floor burned away as if eaten by acid. This villainess…was dangerous.
She didn’t have time to do more as the other heroes finally arrived, led to the USJ by Tenya Iida.
“Your Vice President is back!” He announced loudly as Touya felt his lips twitch into a grin. Tensei’s little brother sure was dramatic.
When the heroes appeared at the door, they immediately focused on the villains remaining. Snipe shot at Shigaraki as the warp villain wrapped around her, pulling her away before any damage was done.
Touya stretched his arms behind his head as he looked at the heroes.
“Welcome to the party.” He smiled cheekily at his old teachers and turned to check on All Might, who hadn’t spoken since they swapped places. He was horrified to see what was probably the shrivelled up version of All Might, eyes sunken in and looking back at him with equal terror. In his peripheral vision, he could see Fuyumi reacting in a similar way to him. Good. Touya wasn’t the only one to witness this bullshit.
“Touya! Fuyumi! The students are all evacuated-” Ah. Natsuo’s here too. Great. Now they’ve all probably stumbled on something they shouldn’t know.
—-------
What happened next was a flurry of activity. Aizawa was taken to an ambulance for his cracked ribs and Thirteen for the lacerations she suffered at the hands of the warp gate. Nezu surveyed the damage done. This could have been much worse. He’d already asked the students what had happened and felt a chill run down his spine. They had each been placed in a situation where their quirks would be the most disadvantaged. Bakugo had been put somewhere his sweat glands would have shrunk, Asui was put somewhere she would be forced to sleep, Kirishima’s quirk was a disadvantage where he was placed and Uraraka was put in a position where her quirk would have made her more sick than helped.
His students had been targeted. The villains knew exactly where to put them to cause the most harm. On top of that, Blaze, Jack Frost, and Thermis now knew All Might’s secret. Nezu was sure Midas would also be told. This was an utter disaster.
Even through the troubles, Nezu still smiled when he saw Shouto Todoroki throw himself into his siblings' arms as his classmates watched on in awe. He may not fully understand human emotion, but he could still tell that this moment was…warm.
Notes:
If anyone is wondering why Shouto cares so much about his classmates despite not knowing most of them is because he feels responsible for them. Note how Shouto talked about how Tenya felt responsible for keeping up the Iida legacy in the last chapter. Shouto's the same, but he just doesn't notice it in himself. He has a lot to live up to as the last child of Endeavor. His siblings all became great heroes. He's also expected to become a top hero soon after graduating. It's not that he doesn't care about his classmates. He does. But his strong will to protect them is a mix of his feelings of responsibility as the Class Representative, panic over the fact they were attacked (he's still a child, he's not a super confident hero yet!), and care as a person (he's not the sort of person that would leave others to die so he'd escape, that's just his personality).
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Imagine thinking that the villainess is Hana-
Sunako exists directly because of Touya and the consequences of his changes in this timeline. You'll find out more about Sunako in later chapters.
Also, the reason why we don't hear from Tenko after his part was that he managed to catch up to the other students and evacuate them. None of the students saw Small Might.
Chapter 23: AFTERMATH
Summary:
Touya, Tenko, Fuyumi, Natsuo sit through the most uncomfortable ex-student - ex-teacher meeting ever. Izuku has some things to think about.
Notes:
I will not tolerate hate comments on my story. They will be screenshotted, deleted and I will block you. This is your only warning. You know exactly who you are 😊
Funny how it just happened to happen on a chapter about bullying.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
UA shut down for a couple of days to let the students recover from the attack and deal with the fallout. Meanwhile, in a meeting room in the school…
Nezu sat at the head of the table as the teachers sat around him. Touya, Tenko, Fuyumi, and Natsuo were invited as guests to the meeting.
“Hello Blaze, Jack Frost, Thermis, and Midas. Welcome to the staff meeting.” The chimera greeted them with a smile on his face. They sat straighter as they looked at their old principal.
“Thank you for inviting us.” Touya said stiffly. He had somehow been relegated to the role of ‘main speaker’ for their little group. None of them wanted to be involved in this mess, but they’d been dragged in anyways.
“As you all know, All Might is the Symbol of Peace. What you might not know, is that he’s losing power.” Their principal continued, looking each of them in the eyes.
“Of course! He’s old after all!” Natsuo couldn’t stop the words from spilling out, quickly clasping his hand over his mouth to silence himself. But it was too late, his words had caused All Might to spit out blood in shock, and a few teachers laughed at the man’s embarrassment. Even Aizawa, who was wrapped up in bandages, was laughing at the horror in the No. 1 Hero’s eyes. Present Mic, who sat next to him, put a hand on the erasure hero’s shoulder to steady him as he chuckled. Once the laughter abated, Nezu continued speaking, now with a glint of hilarity in his eyes.
“Yes. All Might is indeed getting older-” the man in question choked on blood again as the principal purposefully dug at his age.
“Principal, I am not-”
“Now, now All Might! We all age. You must admit to it at some point. You’re not getting any younger.” Nezu chided as All Might slumped in his seat. This time, Touya had to hold back a snicker as Fuyumi and Tenko elbowed him, silent warnings to ‘NOT’.
“All Might, as you have seen during the USJ attack, is not what he used to be. He cannot work such long hours anymore, and thus has come to UA to slowly move away from hero work-”
“Oh. So he’s retiring.” Tenko said bluntly, and it was Touya’s turn to elbow him in the side.
“Not the time Tenko.” He hissed under his breath. Tenko rolled his eyes as Nezu continued.
“Yes, that is the case.” The chimera nodded as he took a sip of his tea.
“If All Might retires, it’ll cause a major shift in the Heroics World! This is major!” Fuyumi exclaimed as all eyes turned to her. Blushing at the attention, Fuyumi stared back into Nezu’s dark eyes as he spoke.
“Yes. That’s true. That’s why we must gradually get the public accustomed to a world without All Might.” He mused, voice soft.
“That also means…” Now Nezu’s gaze was piercing as he stared at his ex-students, all of whom were now sitting rigidly in their seats.
“This cannot get out until it is time.” He concluded, keeping an eye on each of the heroes.
“Is that clear?” His tone was threatening now as he looked at them, as if they were test subjects that he had to observe. Touya felt like his ex-principal’s gaze could stab through him. It felt as if he would be taken down the moment he disagreed or said something wrong. He understood the importance of course. But it didn’t make the situation any less terrifying.
“C-crystal.” All Todorokis, plus Tenko said in unison. This caused a smile to erupt on the chimera’s face.
“Excellent! And you all said that in perfect harmony too!” Nezu cheered. Whiskers twitching as he spoke.
The moment was short-lived as the smile disappeared.
“Now. I think it’s time to discuss what we’ve figured out from the attack.” He said as he settled down in his seat again.
“They knew the students' quirks, and the fact we had an exercise there,” Aizawa grumbled, but there was worry in his voice. He always became attached to his students far too quickly.
—-------
Shouta hated the fact that his kids were put in danger like this. The villains were organised. They had planned around the kids as well as any troubles they may pose. This wasn’t a random attack. This was a declaration of war. If it hadn’t been for the Todorokis tradition–Shouta didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened. They were unprepared for this attack, and that could’ve killed his kids.
“After some investigation, we found that a schedule was stolen from the file room,” Cementos commented, the anger seeping into his voice. Shouta knew his coworker was protective of the students. Much like Shouta, this incident had shaken him. It had shaken all the staff.
How did the villains get their hands on UA files?
—-------
Shouto sat at his desk as class ended. Aizawa had still managed to drag himself into teaching them even with the injuries he’d sustained at the USJ. It was honestly impressive. He was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy.
“You have one more fight to prepare for.” Aizawa’s low drawl silenced the class. They’d all narrowly avoided injury at the USJ but here Aizawa was, telling them that they had another fight?! Shouto was flabbergasted. Surely Aizawa meant something else? UA wouldn’t just throw them into another fight, right? Mineta voiced what Shouto had been thinking.
“B-but we barely escaped the USJ!” Crocodile tears trailed down the grape’s face, and Shouto had to hide his disgust as he saw snot trickling down his nose. That was repulsive. Fuyumi would have told him off already if she was here.
Aizawa’s eyes turned red as he used his quirk to silence the class.
“Enough. UA has decided to keep the Sports Festival running this year. It is one of the first opportunities you will all get to bring attention to yourselves as future pro heroes,” he announced.
“You will only have 3 chances like this. One each year. Make it count. You have the week to prepare.” Then, their teacher walked out of the classroom.
Shouto watched as Bakugo stood up from his seat and turned to face him. The other boy levelled a glare at him.
“I’m going to win, Icy Hot Bastard. No matter how much daddy trains you, I’m going to show the world that I’m the best!” He yelled before he left the room. Or… when he tried to leave-
When Bakugo opened the door, he was met by a crowd of students from other classes. Leading them was a blonde boy with blue eyes. Shouto recognised him. Neito Monoma was Phantom Thief’s little brother, so they’d interacted a few times whenever Shouto visited his siblings at their agency. Phantom Thief ran the Hosu Agency. Neito met his eye and gave a nod of acknowledgement.
—-------
When Neito heard about the USJ attack, he was horrified. Villains had infiltrated the school! His big brother was friends with the heroes Blaze and Midas during his UA days, so Neito had the privilege of meeting all the Todorokis at some point in his childhood. They were all kind to him and he’d been somewhat of a playmate to Shouto the few times they’d met, though they mostly talked about heroism and their older siblings. Neito knew Shouto Todoroki was involved in the attack and he was worried!
When the school shut down in the aftermath of what happened, Neito had asked Akira if he knew whether the class was ok, but he didn’t have any more information than the media did, which was to say: very little. That only made Neito more afraid for his…friend? Acquaintance? Well, whatever he and Shouto had, he still cared about the other boy’s safety.
Maybe that was why Neito found himself standing at the door to 1A’s classroom today. And he wasn’t the only one either. Neito was surrounded by students from multiple classes, including his own. Inasa and Tetsutetsu stood at his sides, also waiting for 1A to open the door. The attack made Class 1A the talk of the school.
Eventually, the door swung open.
The student at the door glared at them like they owed him money.
“WHAT DO YOU EXTRAS THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” He shouted, and Neito could see small sparks popping from his hands. It was probably his quirk.
Neito stood up straight and smiled what he hoped was his most comforting smile at the boy and his classmates who had come to investigate.
“I’m Neito Monoma, from Class 1B. We heard that you guys got attacked by villains and-“ Neito was cut off by Tetsutetsu who clasped a hand on his shoulder.
“YEAH! I’M TETSUTETSU FROM CLASS 1B!! YOU GUYS THINK YOU’RE ALL THAT HUH?! JUST BECAUSE YOU FOUGHT VILLAINS DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE BETTER THAN US!” His classmate shouted, finger pointed at Class 1A. Neito gave Tetsutetsu what he hoped was a disappointed look. This WAS NOT the reason they came here.
“-as I was saying.” He continued, elbowing his rambunctious classmate to silence him.
“We heard your class got attacked, and we wanted to come to check up on you. We understand it must have been a traumatic experience and wanted to extend our consolation and-“ this time, it wasn’t any of the students who were crowded at the door that interrupted him, but the blonde that he opened the door.
“Huh?! You think we’re weak or something, you extra?!” A frown marred the boy’s face as he glared at Neito.
“No, that’s not-“ the boy didn’t let Neito try to explain himself, launching into his own accusation.
“Just because we were attacked doesn’t make us any weaker, you bastard! I am the strongest fucking person here and don’t you forget it!” Teeth bared like a rabid dog, Neito subconsciously took half a step back. Another boy took his place at the front.
“No one accused you of anything, you angry pomeranian.” A low voice drawled as a purple-haired boy with dark eyebags appeared. Speaking calmly as if he was speaking to an angry toddler who didn’t understand why he couldn’t have the chocolate cookie now, the boy levelled a mocking stare at the 1A student.
“I just came to say. The Sports Festival is a chance for those of us who couldn’t make it to the Hero Course because of the biased exams.” The purple-haired boy said, not missing a beat as he seemed to look through the blonde and into the classroom.
“That means. If one of the hero students does poorly…they’ll be removed.” That only served to enrage the blonde more as Neito felt anger pool in his gut.
“As if you weak extras would even be a threat.” He scoffed.
“If none of you extras could make it to the Hero Course during the Entrance Exams, you don’t deserve to be heroes. A hero has to be strong. Obviously, that means I’ll win this.”
Neito clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His nails cut into the skin of his palms as he did his best to keep calm. If he reacts now, he doesn’t know how he’d–no. That’s a lie. He knows exactly how he’d act. The pomeranian bastard would be a bloody mess on the floor if he had his way.
That bravado. The confidence in having a strong quirk. Even the obvious anger issues. It was exactly like Class 1A when his brother had been a student. Taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, Neito stood tall as he drew attention to himself.
He could see Shouto in the back, and he took the chance to threaten the pomeranian bastard a little.
“Shouto! I’m glad you’re okay after what happened at the USJ!” He said loudly as everyone looked at them. Class 1A was staring between Shouto and Neito. It was obvious they were unaware that the two had any sort of connection.
“Thank you for your concern.” His childhood friend? Answered.
“Hey, Shouto…did your big brother ever tell you about the infamous Class of 2?” Neito asked, making sure that everyone could hear him as he spoke.
“Our brothers were members after all.” Neito smiled as he saw the confusion on Shouto’s face. Clearly, Pro Hero Blaze hadn’t told his youngest sibling about how he, Midas, and Akira had gotten rid of the UA Bullies. Well…it was time Neito showed off his brother.
“Oh don’t tell me your brother didn’t tell you!” Neito made a show of ‘lamenting’ over Shouto’s lack of knowledge. His brother had always told him he had a flair for the dramatics after all.
“The year our brothers transferred to UA, almost every student except the two of them got expelled. They were arrogant and cruel, they thought they could become heroes just by having strong quirks. They didn’t last a term. I wonder if we’ll have a repeat?” The crowd was silent as Neito glanced at the blonde, an almost feral expression now on his face.
“I’m surprised Blaze never told you Shouto. My brother told me ALL about how he and Midas helped him out. Bullies never deserved to be at UA in the first place.” Neito didn’t think it was overly dramatic to walk off, but the silence that he left behind made him feel amazing.
He was serious though. He wasn’t scared of following in Akira’s footsteps. If people need to be culled from the Hero Course in order to stop bullies from gaining more power than they deserved, he’d be willing to help expose them.
—-------
After the hero student, Neito Monoma walked away Hitoshi felt a spark of hope reignite in his chest. According to what the other boy said, it wasn’t uncommon for hero students to be expelled from the hero course if they had shown poor behaviour. And from the way the angry pomeranian was acting…Hitoshi could already see the blood leaving the other boy’s face. That’s interesting… Why did he act like that?
Taking the chance to probe for information, Hitoshi decided to use Monoma’s exit to facilitate his own plans.
“Well…” Hitoshi smiled at the blonde.
“It looks like at least one person will get expelled. Did you know that the class that was expelled had multiple kids with strong quirks who were bullies? Turns out their schools covered for them, luckily the teachers found out though. Expelled them straight away too.” Hitoshi wasn’t sure if that was entirely correct. He’d heard it years ago as some big rumour, but from what Monoma had said, it was probably true.
No one called him out for his bluff (because he wasn’t actually sure), but Hitoshi could see the blonde boy pale even more. That was…Hitoshi probably hit someone a little too close to home. Scanning Class 1A again, Hitoshi noted the green-haired kid who looked like his entire world was upended. Ok. Something clearly happened there.
Not wanting to stay any longer, Hitoshi walked away. If he was right, Class 1A currently has at least one bully. Now…will the bully continue his antics? Or has he changed from what Hitoshi assumes to be middle school? Either way, Hitoshi wasn’t going to give up a chance to transfer.
—-------
Everyone was staring at Bakugo now. The story of the Class of 2 was a rumour that floated around the halls. It was an open secret that one year, hero class 1A was almost completely expelled, barring two students. The parents of the students had done a good job of covering up the reason for their expulsion, but among those in the school, it wasn’t hard to find out why.
The current students had yet to find out. That was…until Neito Monoma had told them the truth. And now that they knew, all eyes focused on the main aggressor throughout the conversation. The boy was loud, but that wasn’t the problem. It was his obvious anger issues and his lack of self-control. It had not taken a genius to connect his anger to the sparks that had popped in the palms of his hands. He had been using his quirk. Reflexively . He’s used to using it whenever he was angry, and judging by their interaction– he got angry often.
It was all speculation at this point, but they had noticed when the blonde had gone white at Monoma’s words. Something the other boy had said had struck him. They whispered theories about what the previous Class 1A must’ve done to get themselves expelled and how Bakugo is surely following in their footsteps. Theories spouted from their lips as they spoke among themselves.
Unfortunately, no one in the crowd had noticed one, Izuku Midoriya staring at the ground, biting his lip hard to muffle the mumbling that would otherwise spill from him.
‘The hero students had been expelled for bullying.’
‘The bullying was punished.’
‘The behaviour they were treated with was unacceptable.’
‘Heroes weren’t allowed to bully.’
‘But Kacchan was going to be a great hero! He wasn’t that big of a bully!’
‘Kacchan still deserves to be in the hero course.’
As the thoughts whirled around his head in a flurry of chaos, Izuku kept asking himself.
'How far can someone push another person before it becomes too far?'
Kacchan had verbally broken him down again and again throughout their childhood. But he’d never said anything irreversible. Whilst the other students told him to off himself, Kacchan always sat removed from it all. He’d never outright hit Izuku after that fateful day in the park when they were younger, but there was always heat in his words when he told Izuku that he could never be a hero. That he was worthless. He’d said some terrible things to Izuku, but could it be classified as bullying?
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 24: PREPARATION AND THOUGHTS
Summary:
Very short chapter. Honestly, the bonus is longer than the actual chapter, but I wanted to show the characters' thoughts after the last chapter.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The week that led up to the Sports Festival was a mess of emotions for many people. For Katsuki, it was a chance to reflect on his past actions and think about the consequences. What that bastard Monoma had said hit a little too close for Katsuki’s comfort.
He hadn’t known about the Class of 2 before, but he’d done some digging. There were multiple rumours online about a class that was nearly completely expelled from UA for some reason, but it didn’t specify. If what that bastard said was true…aside from that, he’d also mentioned Pro Hero Blaze, so he was probably close with the Todoroki Family..
Leaning back in his chair, Katsuki scrunched his eyes closed and rubbed at his temples. He had a lot to think about.
—-------
Izuku was stunned. Even as a hero fanboy, there were still things even he was not privy to. The world of heroics may appear to be in the spotlight, but Izuku’s been researching long enough to know that there was a secretive side to hero society that the public was unable to see. Only those close to heroes, or the heroes’ families were able to have access to certain bits of information. A certain bit had managed to uproot his world today.
UA had expelled nearly their entire heroics class because they were bullies. UA had stood up for their student. Of course, that was a decision any hero would make, but…why hadn’t HIS teachers done anything then? Why had they left him at the mercy of his classmates as if he didn’t exist?
If what UA did was what was correct. How many times had he been wronged? How much had the school gotten away with?
Sitting in his room with the curtains drawn tightly shut. Izuku stared into the darkness as thoughts threatened to overwhelm his mind. He didn’t have time for this. He had to train. He had to make All Might proud and prove he’d made the correct choice in a successor.
—-------
To Shouto, Neito’s announcement didn’t change much. During the week that they had to prepare, he asked his dad to train him. His siblings had also offered their support and trained him a little. Touya helped him with his flame control with Nabe and Fuyumi and Natsuo had helped fine-tune his ice manipulation techniques. Though it was easy to have large quantities of ice erupt from anywhere, Fuyumi had scolded him for not putting in the same effort in his precision work. She’d trained him mercilessly for two whole days to make sure he understood. Really. Fuyumi could be a drill sergeant with the way she acted during training. It was like his sweet sister melted away to show the stony strictness underneath. Despite the whirlwind of training, Shouto’s family made sure he had time to relax and mentally prepare for the Sports Festival, each promising to be there to cheer him on. All in all, it was a peaceful week.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-When Akira meets Nabe for the first time-
It was pretty easy to partner up with your best friend when you two are the only students in the class. Akira and Touya had to work on a group assignment on hero ethics and his friend invited him over to study. That was normal enough, from the interactions he’d observed with his ex-classmates, this should be what typical friends did. (Akira’s never had a friend after his quirk was deemed useless, so he didn’t really know, but he hopes that he could get closer to his new friend after this assignment.) When Touya invited him to meet “his dad”, Akira had mentally prepared himself to come face-to-face with Endeavor. The No. 2 Hero had always been an intimidating figure to him. Powerful and influential, Endeavor was one of the people no one would want to be on the bad side of. That was…until a few months ago.
It was a slight shift, but Akira, as well as some of the man’s diehard fans, had noticed it. Endeavor had softened just a little, and there always seemed to be a strange look on his face whenever he thought no one was watching. Now Akira knew why though. The No. 2 Hero’s eldest son was entering high school as a hero student.
When he’d finally put the pieces together, Akira thought he’d solved the mystery of Endeavor’s strange behaviour. Until he was invited over to a cute little cafe near the train station. When they pushed open the door, a bell chimed above them and Tenko Watanabe walked down from a flight of stairs.
“Touya! Akira.” The blue-haired boy greeted them, pulling Touya into a hug and giving a friendly pat on the back to Akira.
“Hey, Tenko!” Akira greeted back as he looked around the cafe. It was a breath of fresh air. Sunlight poured in through large windows and the smell of baked goods and freshly brewed coffee calmed him as he took in his surroundings. Cushions lined the chairs and the tables were tastefully decorated with flowers and small green plants. It was beautiful.
After another few minutes of taking in his surroundings, Akira finally asked the question on the tip of his tongue.
“Hey, Tenko?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you here?” The blue-haired boy blinked at him, as if in shock at the question. Akira instinctively braced for an explosive reaction. Did he say something wrong?! Did he mess up one of the only friendships he’d ever had?!
“I live here.” Now it was Akira’s turn to be shocked. Both he and Tenko turned to face Touya, who had brought him here.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Why did you bring him here?” Both he and Tenko asked in unison. The third member of their group looked at them amusedly.
“I told you already, Akira.” He said, a smile playing on his lips.
“I brought you here to meet my dad.” It was like thunder struck in Akira’s mind as he took a moment to think through the implications of what Touya had just said. Was Endeavor meeting them HERE?! Was this Endeavor’s secret favourite cafe? Was this how Touya and Tenko met? Questions were buzzing around his head, like a swarm of angry bees that refused to go away.
It wasn’t until another voice spoke, that Akira finally broke out of whatever trance he’d managed to put himself in. When he was finally present enough to see who had stepped out from what appeared to be the kitchen, it was like his brain decided to combust again. He couldn’t even muffle his gasp as his head whipped around to stare at Touya.
The man who had just appeared looked like an older version of Touya! What was going on?! Did Touya have another brother or something?! Why didn’t Endeavor tell anyone he had another son?!
The man was young, probably still in his 20s as he smiled at them. That smile sent a warm feeling through Akira as he stood stiffly, trying to formulate the words to say “hi” to the man. As Akira was struggling…Tenko walked up to the man.
“Hey, dad.” He greeted casually as Akira’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. THIS WAS HIS DAD?!
Somehow, the man sent an even brighter smile at them as Tenko started to introduce him to his dad. Touya Watanabe. His dad’s name was Touya Watanabe. Tenko’s dad had the same name as Touya Todoroki. What is going on?!
Akira was numb as he went through his own introductions and then was sent upstairs with his friends. They settled in a lounge area with a large coffee table and sofa, with even more comfortable cushions. Despite all this, Akira remained catatonic in his shock.
It took the combined efforts of both his friends to finally pull him out of that state. Touya had finally just filled a bucket of water and tipped it over him. The cold water was enough to shock his system out of the mental state he was in. Akira wasn’t sure whether to thank his friends or smack them both in the head. The concerned looks they sent him were enough to get him to choose the former.
“Thanks for waking me up.” He mumbled, still a little incensed they’d managed to completely soak him.
They offered him a weary smile as they looked at him.
“You ok, Akira?” Touya asked him as he gave a rigid nod.
“So…why did you both call Mr. Watanabe your dad?” He asked his friends. They looked at him like he was stupid.
“Because he’s our dad. Why else?” The words escaped his lips before Akira could throw his hands over them.
“BUT YOU TWO DON’T LOOK ANYTHING ALIKE! AND TOUYA’S DAD IS ENDEAVOR! UNLESS HE’S ADOPTED?!”
It was tense between them before Tenko spoke.
“Yeah. I am.” His face was blank of all emotion and his voice didn’t give Akira any idea of how he was feeling. Akira panicked. DID HE JUST MAKE A MISTAKE WITH WHAT HE SAID?! DID HE JUST HURT ONE OF HIS ONLY FRIENDS?! HE WAS AWFUL! THIS IS WHY HE COULDN’T HAVE FRIENDS! As he descended into his mind again, Akira didn’t notice the small smiles that grew on his friends’ faces.
When laughter began to ring in the air, Akira looked up.
“Yeah, we can see where you’re confused. Tenko is Nabe’s actual kid, adopted or not.” Touya started until Tenko interrupted him.
“Touya’s just managed to weasel himself into our little family. He’s the annoying little brother I never had.” Tenko finished as Touya had an offended look on his face.
“Take that back!”
“Never!” The two descended into mock fighting rolling around on the ground as Akira watched. His friends were unique. Their background was a mix of random facts that somehow fit together, but…their circumstances had shaped them into the people Akira knew today. Whatever had happened in the past had led up to the three of them being at UA at the same time. For what it was worth, Akira was grateful to whatever forces allowed this to happen. He didn’t know what he’d do without them.
Notes:
Yes, I think Izuku's self-destructive tendencies are a mix of conditioning brought on by the school and pressure to prove to All Might that he made the right choice by choosing Izuku to be his successor. Izuku doesn't want to be abandoned, he's been through it once with his friends after he "wasn't enough" without a quirk. He doesn't want to lose his mentor either. (There's nothing malicious about All Might's perception of Izuku, he's always proud of "his boy", Izuku going to such extents is self-induced)
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 25: SPORTS FESTIVAL PART I
Summary:
Lesson No. 1: Don't make bets with Touya. He's a gremlin.
Lesson No. 2: If Tenko joins him, run the other way.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The day of the Sports Festival came by quickly. The week of training with his dad had left Shouto feeling confident and prepared for anything that could happen. Both parts of his family had come to watch him. His half-siblings had even taken the day off in order to come support him! Shouto felt overwhelming happiness as he got ready with his class. Touya and Natsuo had ruffled his hair this morning before dropping him off with his classmates and Fuyumi had given him a hug of good luck. They really were the best siblings he could ask for. Sometimes he forgot that they weren’t fully related. But that doesn’t really matter. They’re his siblings either way.
—-------
The stands were packed as Touya settled in his seat with Tenko, Rei, Enji, and the older Todoroki kids. Somehow, Ingenium had been roped into joining them. Touya knew his kids had become good friends with many other heroes, but he hadn’t expected for them to become friends with this hero. From his memory of the last timeline, Ingenium had been one of Stain’s many victims. The news had reported that he was forced to retire from hero work on account of his injuries, which left him paralysed from the waist down so Touya had never fought him either. He didn’t know what to make of the speed hero.
According to his kids, they’d had to drag the hero from his work for the day. As funny as that image was, he wouldn’t put it past his kids. They could be annoyingly stubborn when it came to something they were passionate about. It was a wonder they’d still not found his recipe book despite it not moving from its place on his bookshelf.
The aforementioned hero was shifting in his seat as Tenko and Touya teased him.
“Oh, come on Tensei!” Touya (his younger self) poked the other man with a mischievous smile on his face. From his peripheral vision, Touya could see Enji stiffen when he too saw the look on his younger self’s face. They both knew that look. Touya was going to do something incredibly chaotic, or incredibly stupid. Maybe both.
“Want to make a bet?” Incredibly chaotic it is then. Pending decision on whether it’ll be stupid.
“What bet?” Ingenium asked, and Touya couldn’t help but feel pity for the hero. He trusted Touya a little too much for anyone who valued their health and dignity.
“I bet Shouto will go further than Tenya in the Sports Festival.” Touya (his younger self) said as he stared into Ingenium’s eyes. It was as if he was daring the bluenette to argue with him. Ingenium rose to the bait.
“As much as I respect you all as heroes, Touya, I have faith in my little brother. He’s going to wipe the floor with little Shouto.” Obviously, the hero was confident in his little brother’s abilities, if not a little too doting in his assessment. Unfortunately, he failed to see the brief flash of a smirk on Touya’s (his younger self’s) face. If he had, maybe he would have rethought his next words.
“I’ll take you up on your bet, Touya! What are the stakes?”
“How about…” His younger self made a show of thinking through his choices, but Touya knew the little gremlin probably had an idea in mind before he even proposed the bet.
“How about loser has to wear a skirt on their next patrol?” He asked innocently. Ingenium made a face at the stakes.
“I don’t know…” his voice trailed off.
“Awww! Come on, Tensei!” Touya clapped him on the back as the man struggled to stay upright.
“Didn’t you say you had faith in your little brother?” Tenko joined in the teasing.
“You know what? How about I join the bet? If Shouto loses first, both Touya and I wear skirts on our patrols.” Touya didn’t miss the fact that his son conveniently left out what that would mean for Ingenium. If Tenko joined the bet, then naturally Tensei would have to wear the skirt on 2 patrols. His kids were sneaky. Though the hero seemed to think it over again, it was obvious he was still unsure.
It only took another comment from Natsuo for him to cave.
“Come on, Tensei! Don’t tell me you’re chicken! Bak bak bak!” The mockery was enough for the speed hero to snap back.
“Fine! I agree to the bet! And Tenya is going to wipe the floor with Shouto!” Touya just shook his head in pity, next to him, he could hear Rei giggling into her hands. Poor, poor Ingenium.
He didn’t know what he’d just agreed to.
—-------
They’d been aghast when Tensei had told them that he wasn’t planning on coming to watch the UA Sports Festival in person. Tenko had thought that Tensei would come to support his little brother at the very least. The hero always talked about little Tenya’s progress after all. For someone who went on and on about his little brother, it was blasphemy that he wouldn’t be there to support him. That’s why they’d all worked together to make sure the guy would come.
Touya and Natsuo had seized him by the arms and held him still as Tenko and Fuyumi ripped into him for not supporting his little brother. If they didn’t hold him still, he’d have run. No doubt about it. Fuyumi could be terrifying when crossed, Touya and Natsuo had been on the other end of her lectures enough times to be able to remember her words even in their nightmares.
It hadn’t even been half an hour before Tensei broke. He managed to get his route taken care of by Native and joined them at the stadium.
When Touya made his declaration against Tensei, Tenko was content with just watching from the sidelines. Whatever happened would be amusing. It wasn’t until he saw Tensei hesitate. He wasn’t going to let his free entertainment get away so easily.
“Didn’t you say you had faith in your little brother?” He teased. As expected, Tensei bristled at the jab. Good .
“You know what? How about I join the bet? If Shouto loses first, both Touya and I wear skirts on our patrols.” Shouto wasn’t going to lose. He was too well trained to. Tenko knew the person who’d lose this bet would be Tensei. It was a given really. But he had to make his friend think HE was the one that was going to win. A few more minutes of bantering and a mocking comment from Natsuo sealed the deal. Tensei was going to regret this, but it’ll be funny for Tenko to watch so all’s well that ends well.
—-------
Shouto stood with his classmates as Present Mic spoke to the crowd. Bakugo approached him.
“I don’t care if you’re from a hero family. I’m going to win all this and become the next No. 1 hero.” Then, he turned around and stalked off.
Their classmates stared at them as Shouto looked at Bakugo’s retreating back.
“You can try.” He said. A visible tick mark appeared on Bakugo’s head and Shouto smiled. He could see why Touya did this so often if this was the kind of reaction that followed. It was amusing.
Tenya was the next to approach him.
“Good luck, Shouto.” The boy verbalised before issuing his own challenge.
“Both our brothers will be here today. I’m grateful that your siblings were able to convince my brother to come watch, but I’m going to beat you, Shouto. I won’t fall behind again.” Before anyone else could challenge him, Present Mic finally announced their class.
“AND NOW, THE CLASS THAT SURVIVED THE USJ ATTACK! CLASS 1A!” They took it as their cue to enter as Shouto led his class into the open.
Crowds lined the stands and cheered for them as they exited the tunnels.
—-------
Natsuo supported his little brother. Honest! But he couldn’t help but wish that Shouto failed this once. He knew his little brother was well-trained and could take on anything, but…he really wanted to see Tenko in a skirt. Was that so wrong?
The first round was an obstacle course. Natsuo could see all visible tension leave Tensei’s shoulders as he cheered for his brother. That tension returned when the countdown ended and the tunnel exploded in a flurry of ice. Shouto skated out, fire blasting from his left side as he used his flames to speed up.
Focusing on his little brother, Natsuo almost missed as Present Mic announced his brother’s name and quirk. Honestly, it was a little stupid to be announcing students names and quirks like this, but Natsuo had long gotten used to UA and all it’s eccentricities.
“SHOUTO TODOROKI! ONE OF THE FOUR ADMITTED TO THE HERO COURSE BASED ON RECOMMENDATION! HIS QUIRK: HALF-HOT HALF-COLD! HIS QUIRK GIVES HIM HIS ABILITY TO GENERATE ICE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS BODY AND FIRE FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS BODY! HE’S ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR FOLKS!”
Yep. That’s exactly what Natsuo expected to happen. Shouto raced towards the first task and Natsuo had to fight to stifle the groan that would have otherwise escaped his lips. It was robots. UA couldn’t have possibly made this easier for his brother. Shouto was about to freeze the robot when a voice called out to him.
“YOU DON’T THINK YOU’RE GOING TO WIN SO EASILY NOW DO YOU, TODOROKI?!” A boisterous voice called as the audience’s attention turned to the boy who was currently heading towards Shouto at a rapid pace. Wind swirled around him so furiously that it was difficult to look at him with the dust whipping around his form.
“INASA YOARASHI! ANOTHER ONE OF THE FOUR STUDENTS ADMITTED ON RECOMMENDATION! HIS QUIRK: WHIRLWIND! HIS QUIRK GRANTS HIM THE ABILITY TO FREELY MANIPULATE THE AIR AROUND HIM OVER A VERY WIDE AREA!” Present Mic’s voice blasted on the speakers, though Natsuo knew that the man didn’t need them to be heard. The microphone was more of a formality than anything.
Yoarashi blasted himself forward to Shouto, eyes only focused on his brother. Sadly for Yoarashi, he failed to notice what Shouto was doing. Thus, he smashed head-first into a pillar of ice. Natsuo, and a large section of the audience, winced. That was cold…pun unintended.
Shouto was far in the lead, but his starting attack, freezing the entranceway, didn’t hold the others back long. Natsuo could see some students starting to reach the frozen robots.
—-------
“I WILL win easily if people don’t watch where they’re going.” Shouto mumbled as he kept running, freezing the robots in his path and rushing ahead. Shouto was far in the lead, but he knew that the others would be doing their best to catch up. He wouldn't let them. Running through the robots, he could hear the others begin to reach the robots.
“Look! They’re frozen! We can run through!” A few excited voices called and Shouto smiled as he called out to those behind him.
“Careful. I froze the robots off balance.” Surely they wouldn’t try to run through now, right? Shouto turned around to take a brief glance at what the others would do. To his shock, a few students still tried to run through. ‘Idiots.’ He thought as he forced himself to keep running. He warned them.
The loud crashing of a robot behind him must have been enough indication that the frozen robots weren’t safe because Shouto didn’t hear anyone else try to run after him. Good. They’re learning.
—-------
Rei watched, transfixed as her baby skated ahead of the others. He was doing so with an enviable grace that made Rei want to tear up. He’d come so far from the little boy that she remembered, the small boy that used to cry into her arms after a particularly harsh training. She didn’t like to think of that past. It was a dark reality for them all back then, but things had changed so much. And it all started with a fateful meeting.
Ever since they had met Nabe, her family had started changing. Even Enji, though he refused to admit he owed anything to the young man who had stolen the hearts of their children. Rei and Enji went to marriage counselling and had managed to work through their issues and grew both as a couple and as parents. Unlike before, they now knew how to properly care for their children’s needs.
Rei watched as Shouto froze the giant robots, marvelling at his strength and then ooing over his fine control when he constructed a bridge made out of ice over The Fall. The bridge was beautiful, but fleeting. Shouto melted it as soon as he was across. Next to her, Rei could feel her husband shift as he nodded his approval.
“Now, they can’t use our Shouto’s skills to catch up to him.” He mumbled as Rei smiled at her husband. Whenever he got overly focused like this, he could be quite…cute.
—-------
Tensei was all but ripping his hair out when he saw how effortlessly the youngest Todoroki was maintaining his lead as he breezed through the obstacles. WHY WAS THE BOY SO GOOD AT THIS AGE?! THIS ISN’T FAIR! Tensei was really starting to think that he would have to wear a skirt for real. His heart lept to his throat every time he saw his baby brother reach another obstacle and sank every time he saw Shouto push ahead. WHAT KIND OF TRAINING DID THE TODOROKI KIDS DO IN ORDER TO BE SO GOOD?! It CLEARLY wasn’t just genetics! Tenko was just as good at fighting, despite not having the most practical quirk most of the time.
As he watched the youngest Todoroki race across the landmine area, not even bothering to look down, Tensei only had one thought.
‘Whatever training those kids got..he wanted it.’
—-------
When Shouto was the first to make it back, the crowd roared their approval. After all, wasn’t it expected for the son of the Todoroki Family to follow in his father, and siblings’ footsteps? He was almost slated to be a great hero.
On another note, Endeavor and his older children had stood up. Anyone looking at Shouto carefully would have seen the boy pale and stare pleadingly up at the stands.
“SHOUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Endeavor yelled, Blaze and Jack Frost at his sides.
“WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU, BABY BROTHER!!” Blaze yelled as Jack Frost nodded his agreement.
“WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, SHOU-SHOU!!” Jack Frost added teasingly as the youngest Todoroki reddened. The crowd was awwing at the cute sight. There was still time for the rest of the students to catch up, so they were just watching the interactions between the Todoroki Family. As a nearly all hero family, the Todoroki Family were often in the spotlight. The public loved them and were thankful for their continued protection throughout the years. It didn’t hurt that they were a heartwarming sight to see when they acted as a normal family in the moments where they could let loose.
Shouto Todoroki was still blushing heavily as his older brothers teased him and his parents looked on in pride at his accomplishment. To everyone who saw them, they were the picture of a perfect family. Just as it looked like Shouto would explode due to the embarrassment, they could hear the sound of an airplane flying overhead.
The sound was loud enough for almost everyone to look up at the sky, ignoring the students who had finally made it to the finish line.
Trailing behind the plane was a large banner that Present Mic read aloud gleefully.
“CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST WIN SHOUTO! GOOD LUCK ON YOUR NEXT EVENT!! LOVE MUM AND DAD! AWWWWWWW! ISN’T THAT CUTE LISTENERS?! ISN’T THE TODOROKI FAMILY SUPPORTIVE OF SHOUTO?!!” Suddenly, there was a loud commotion as Shouto burst into flames. His left side was completely encased in flames as he tried to bury his face into his hands to hide his shame.
“AND WE’LL BE BACK AFTER A SMALL BREAK!!” Present Mic quickly said as Shouto practically ran into a tunnel. The cooing of the crowd followed after him as he left, ears still flushing red.
By the time Shouto came back, no longer on fire, the rest of the 42 contestants moving on to the next round arrived. Shouto tried to fake a calm demeanor, but anyone standing close enough could see the obvious blush still on his neck and ears.
Shouto seemingly ignored the smiles sent his way by his classmates as he waited for Midnight to announce the next round.
—-------
Katsuki was pissed. That half-and-half bastard had beaten him. Easily. It was almost impossible to catch up to him. Despite all his efforts, that bastard hadn’t even broken a sweat. Freezing the entrance so they were forced to break through, wrecking the robots so quickly that he moved forward before they could even attempt to follow, running through the minefield without worrying about the explosions. Katsuki was thoroughly defeated.
He grit his teeth as he stared at his rival. He…didn’t know if he could win this.
Midnight announced the next round. It was a Cavalry Race. The winner of Round 1 had a 10M bounty. This was Katsuki’s chance to redeem himself from his prior loss.
—-------
Neito watched as the students surrounded Shouto. Despite the very obvious target on his back, it was obvious he was powerful, and he could defend his headband.
“Todoroki! Please let me join!” A boy with black hair and strange elbows begged as more students surrounded Shouto. Neito could see even a few of his own classmates in the crowd.
“TODOROKI! LET ME JOIN YOU! WE’LL WIN WITH PASSION!!” Inasa practically yelled and Neito could see Shouto covering his ears. Neito could understand why. Anyone that close to Inasa’s yelling would probably go deaf. Neito only had to intervene once to make sure his friend was ok before leaving Shouto to his own devices.
From where he stood, Neito could see Shouto contemplate his choices before nodding at Inasa. Those two will become a strong group, that’s for sure.
It had taken Neito the rest of the time to find all the teammates he had wanted. He needed a team with enough diversity that he could copy the quirks at will, but unnoticeable enough that it wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
His plan worked, until a voice called out to him. Neito had answered the call instinctively. And then… it all went black.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 26: SPORTS FESTIVAL PART II
Summary:
Shouto has just a few theories.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
There was an intermission between the second and third rounds. It didn’t even take 20 minutes for something to happen. Fuyumi was sitting with her family, laughing and chatting as they waited for the students to get ready for the mini-games. UA always had this intermisson every year, and Fuyumi had to admit it was one of her favourite parts. This year, UA had invited American cheerleaders! Fuyumi couldn’t contain her excitement as Present Mic called for the cheerleaders to come forward.
Fuyumi felt cold rage bubble up in her chest as STUDENTS walked out. With a wave of her hand, ice shields erupted from all sides, covering the girls from wandering eyes and cameras.
“HOW DARE YOU BRING STUDENTS INTO SUCH A ROUTINE!!” She yelled, glaring accusingly at the announcer’s box.
“HEY! WE DIDN’T ASK THEM TO DO THIS YO!! YOU’VE GOT THIS ALL WRONG!” Present Mic’s frantic denial rang around the stadium as Fuyumi heard a scream come from the ice walls she made.
“THOSE IDIOTS TRICKED US!” The voice said angrily.
“Why did I trust Kaminari and Mineta of all people?” Another girl wondered aloud, and Fuyumi could hear the disappointment in her voice. Unacceptable.
“THESE GIRLS ARE HERO STUDENTS! INTELLIGENT YOUNG WOMEN WHO WILL HELP PROTECT SOCIETY IN THE FUTURE! FOR STUPID STUDENTS TO DIMINISH THEIR WORTH INTO ‘PRETTY FACES’ IS DEMEANING!!”
Fuyumi could hear the voices of other female pro heroes join her as they voiced their complaints.
“We’ll be sure to punish those who were responsible for this mess, Thermis. Don’t worry about it.” Aizawa’s drawling voice was next to sound from the speakers as Fuyumi finally sat back down in her seat. Good. They better punish those responsible. She’ll have Shouto report back to her if they don’t.
Little did she know, she gained a few more fans that day, thankful for her protection and words of praise.
—-------
Shouto thought it was finally time to address the elephant in the room. After the second round, he dragged Midoriya into an empty corridor to talk. The green-haired boy was shaking as Shouto stared him down and Shouto couldn’t help but feel like the secret’s gone on for too long.
“I know your secret Midoriya.” He started as Midoriya paled.
“I-I don’t know w-what you’re talking about Todoroki!” Midoriya squeaked as Shouto gave him an unimpressed look. Yeah, sure. Midoriya wasn’t exactly subtle.
“I know what you are to All Might.” Midoriya looked like he was a second from running away, solidifying Shouto’s theory. He was right. He knew it.
“You don’t have to hide it, you know. It’s pretty obvious after all.” Shouto made a point to stare into Midoriya’s eyes. Touya had told him that the eyes were the windows to the soul. And Shouto wanted Midoriya to know that Shouto just wanted what’s best for him.
“I know you’re All Might’s secret love child.”
It was like the world stopped.
—-------
Izuku felt like his lungs were caving in on him. When Todoroki had dragged him away, he hadn’t quite expected…this! The other boy was one of the top students in his class, and had already noted his quirk’s similarity to All Might’s. If anyone were to discover his secret, Izuku was sure it’d be Todoroki.
“I know your secret Midoriya.” And just like that. The floor felt like it was falling from under him. His knees felt weak as the full repercussions of what Todoroki had just said hit him. He knew. Todoroki KNEW about Izuku’s quirk. Izuku could feel the blood draining from his face and he hoped against all chances that it didn’t show as he forced himself to respond.
“I-I don’t know w-what you’re talking about Todoroki!” A single mantra played on repeat in his mind. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT. DENY IT.
Whatever hope he had that Todoroki truly didn’t know went out the window when the other boy called him out on his lie.
“I know what you are to All Might.” It took all of Izuku’s willpower not to run away from this conversation and straight to All Might. Their secret was going to be exposed!
“You don’t have to hide it, you know. It’s pretty obvious after all.” That felt like a punch to his face. WHO ELSE KNEW?! Izuku felt like crying. He was a failure! Barely a month in and Izuku had already blown it. HOW OBVIOUS HAD HE BEEN?!
Izuku knew he was just 1 second from running away, until-
““I know you’re All Might’s secret love child.” Izuku was stunned stupid. What?
Todoroki looked at him like he’d just uncovered the biggest scandal in the world, and maybe he was right. If All Might did have a child, that would be big news. Unfortunately for the fire-and-ice user, Izuku was not All Might’s child.
“I know how difficult it is to train a powerful quirk.” Todoroki looked at him with pitying eyes.
“My big brother, Touya, had the same issue when he was younger.” Todoroki continued, not bothering to let Izuku speak, but Izuku probably wouldn’t have been able to say anything anyways. It was like the words just couldn’t form in his mouth. What did Todoroki just say?
“Quirks are passed down from your parents after all. If they don’t teach you how to use it properly, you could get severely injured.” Well…Todoroki wasn’t exactly wrong there. Though some quirks were combinations of their parents’ quirks, the majority was a subset or derivative of the parents’ quirks.
“It’s such a shame that All Might didn’t teach you how to use your power until later. Touya had the same issue with his fire-” Ok. Now Izuku had to interject.
“Todoroki!” Startled eyes met his.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! My dad has a fire-breathing quirk!” Izuku really didn’t like the look starting to grow on Todoroki’s face. It was contemplative, like he was studying something he didn’t understand. Izuku felt like a specimen, ready to be dissected.
“All Might is NOT my dad!” He asserted. Where did Todoroki even get THAT idea?
—-------
Now, Shouto understood his classmate’s lack of control over his own quirk.
—-------
“So not even you knew that you were All Might’s secret love child, did you?” The sentence was like a slap to his face.
“ What? ”
“I see. So All Might’s a deadbeat dad. I think I’m starting to understand now.” Todoroki mused as Izuku panicked yet again. Did he just make Shouto Todoroki think that All Might was someone who’d abandon his child?
“It’s not like that-” He was cut off again.
“Now, now Midoriya. You’re safe here. I understand that you want to protect your sperm donor, but you need to be honest with yourself. Secret love children among heroes is not that uncommon.” It was like Todoroki had revealed a dark secret that Izuku wasn’t sure he wanted to know. SECRET LOVE CHILDREN IN HERO FAMILIES?! WHAT?! WAS THIS ACTUALLY TRUE?! WAS HE MISTAKEN AS A SECRET LOVE CHILD?!
Seeing his disbelief, Shouto continued.
“My older siblings are only my half-siblings, you know. They’re kids from mum’s previous relationship.” Izuku was dumbfounded. What was Todoroki saying?
“Touya was just like you. His flames hurt him whenever he used them when he was younger. He tried to copy my father and got burned in the process. Thankfully, his actual dad was there and helped him. The way he uses his quirk now doesn’t hurt him at all. He got the help he needed Midoriya, I want to see the same for you.”
Izuku didn’t know what to say.
“As I said, secret love children aren’t uncommon in the hero world.”
Izuku refused to believe it. Surely Todoroki was mistaken? Endeavor had always acted as the doting father to all of Todoroki’s siblings when they appeared in public. It was common knowledge that the man was extremely proud of his children. That couldn’t be a lie right? Todoroki was wrong about Izuku and All Might’s relationship, so maybe he was wrong about his siblings and Endeavor?
Blaze had a fire quirk, just like Endeavor’s; he HAS to be his son…right? Izuku felt like the world was spinning around him as muttered words started spilling from his lips.
“But…Touya Todoroki…Blaze…fire quirk…Endeavor…” As he continued to mumble, it was like the world around him disappeared, leaving Izuku to his own thoughts.
A few minutes go by before Izuku is abruptly shaken from his thoughts. Todoroki had one arm on his shoulder and an apologetic look on his face.
“Midoriya, I understand this is a lot to think about. But I want to see you get stronger. After all, I need a strong opponent in order to show my dad how much I’ve grown. I want to make him proud.” With that final statement, Izuku’s classmate walked away, leaving Izuku by himself in the empty corridor.
—-------
The first match of the third round was Hitoshi versus some kid called Izuku Midoriya. Hitoshi just needed to get the kid to talk so he could win. The Entrance Exam was biased. He’d known to expect it when he applied to the Hero Course, but he hadn’t thought they would be as biased as they had been. Hitoshi’s quirk did nothing against robots and he’d known that. He did everything in his power to rack up points, but still couldn’t surpass those who had naturally powerful quirks. It burned Hitoshi to see those around him destroy robots so easily. A boy with an explosion quirk, who he now knew was Bakugo could just point a hand to a robot and it’d be gone in less than a second. Hitoshi had to spend precious minutes to do the same feat. It wasn’t fair, but during the Sports Festival, he could even the scores.
The boy he was going against was…he looked like he was being held hostage. Shoulders tensing and wide eyes staring at the camera, his opponent looked a second away from running. How..how did he get into the Hero Course?
Hitoshi found out why soon after. Somehow, Midoriya had broken out of his brainwashing and thrown him out of the ring. Figures… golden boy had a strength-enhancing quirk—typical of the Hero Course.
As he looked into the crowd, Hitoshi felt himself burn with shame when he saw Pro Hero Midas in the crowd. The first person that saw his quirk as not villainous. His hero…
Suddenly, Hitoshi heard cheering from the stands.
“Shinso! You’re the star of the General Education Course!”
“Thank you for representing us!”
“You’re a hero, Shinso!” The voices of his classmates cheered him up, but there was one voice that made Hitoshi tear up.
“I knew you had it in you, kid. I’ll see you as a hero in the future, ok?” Midas leaned over the railing as he spoke to Hitoshi, red eyes staring into Hitoshi’s as a smile broke out on his face. Hitoshi wanted to cry. That was all that he wanted to hear. His hero still believed in him.
—-------
Shouto knew that some heroes had secret love children. But he hadn’t expected his teacher to be one of those heroes. From his seat, he watched Hitoshi Shinso…if that was his real name, make his way off the stage. Shouto was going to keep his eye on this boy. Mr. Aizawa’s child must be an interesting person.
—----------------------------
BONUS:
-Natsuo is really cute when he plays video games, a certain someone can't help but notice that-
There wasn’t much that Tenko got up to whenever he wasn’t out doing hero work. It was either hang out with his friends, sleep, or spend time with his father. Right now, he was spending time with Natsuo.
The guy had grown from the little precocious brat that had followed Touya to the cafe that day. He now towered over both Tenko and Touya, though his face retained some of his childhood features.
They sat in Tenko’s room, playing a new game that had just come out, Natsuo as his Player 2.
“Natsu, take the enemies on the left, I’ll take the right!”
“Got it!”
“Watch out!” Tenko screamed as Natsuo made his character dodge to the side. An enemy knight narrowly missed him with a sword as Natsuo parried. According to the gaming pages, Tenko had read, this was the most difficult part of the game. The end boss would come out once you defeated his knights.
Pushing a series of buttons on his controller, Tenko made his character cut through the last knight. As soon as he’d done that, it was like the world of the game had stilled. The music stopped playing and it was like the atmosphere shifted.
Suddenly, there was an explosion of sound as a whirlwind appeared on the screen. It destroyed an entire section of the enchanted forest before stopping in front of Tenko and Natsuo’s characters.
A bony hand reached out from the spiralling wind and pulled a boy draped in a dark cloak out of the abyss. The final boss. The Undead Sorcerer King.
Tenko and Natsuo stared at the graphics. The semi-realistic art style had brought the character to life. With empty sockets for eyes, mysterious red lights shining from the depths and a skeletal figure, the last boss cut an imposing figure. Wielding a large staff and towering above the trees, the sorcerer looked every bit the character that game threads had described. Mysterious with an underlying feeling of dread. Seven health bars glowed above the villain’s head for a moment before he struck.
Bringing the staff down in a large arc, the villain almost punted Tenko back into the trees. Natsuo frantically positioned his character for an assist.
“Natsu! Start drawing his fire and maintain a shield around yourself. Try to hit whenever you can!” Tenko ordered as they started to fight back, their motions seamlessly matching, as if it truly was a real villain fight. Natsuo was the tank, Tenko, would strike the killing blow.
They continued to fight this way, chipping at the sorcerer’s defenses and slowly dwindling his health bar.
It took 2 hours of this guerilla warfare before the villain finally dropped dead, dissipating into a million pixels and flying into the game’s sun.
Beside him, Natsuo let out a little cheer before starting to celebrate their victory. Tenko didn’t know why, but his mind immediately came up with a single thought…Natsuo…was cute. Arms thrown above his head and eyes closed in adulation, Natsuo was a sight to see. His pale cheeks were flushed a pretty pink colour as he laughed, musical tones making Tenko’s heart skip a beat.
No…NO! HE WAS NOT FINDING HIS “BROTHER’S” LITTLE BROTHER CUTE!! NO WAY!! THAT HAD TO BE WRONG! IT’S PROBABLY WRITTEN SOMEWHERE IN THE BRO CODE!! As alarm bells rang in his head, another little Todoroki decided to stick his head into Tenko’s room.
“Dad says it’s time for dinner!” Tenko slapped himself to rid his mind of his thoughts of Natsuo. The action drew the attention of both Todoroki brothers.
“You ok there, Tenko?” Natsuo asked as Tenko tried not to look at him.
“YEP! JUST A LITTLE EXCITED TO HAVE BEATEN THE GAME!” Tenko tried not to wince when his voice came out a little higher than usual. Thankfully, neither Natsuo nor Shouto noticed.
“Well, it’s time to go downstairs now!” Tenko tried to steer the conversation away from his odd behaviour. It worked .
All three walked downstairs and met his dad in the dining room. Tenko should’ve known he couldn’t keep anything hidden from the man because the moment they made eye contact, his dad gave him a little smirk. Damn it.
Notes:
Yes, I skipped the second task, but it will be referenced in a later chapter and I don’t want to repeat myself.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 27: SPORTS FESTIVAL PART III
Summary:
The end of the Sports Festival.
Notes:
And for my little brother who's been secretly reading my story and silently judging me for the past several months. Screw you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The one-on-one fights went by quickly, with students using their quirks to gain the edge needed to beat their peers. Shouto had been ending his matches swiftly, much to the awe of the spectators, and the terror of his next opponents.
“That kid’s going to go far!”
“Wow! Now THAT’S a hero’s quirk!”
“Never mind the hero’s quirk! That fine control!”
“He’s a Todoroki after all!”
Words of praise piled on him every time a match ended, but along with the praise came expectations. They were heavy.
“I don’t even know why his opponents even try anymore. It’s not an even fight at all!” Shouto didn’t think that was true. Though his opponents hadn’t exactly been a challenge, to win solely because your opponent gave up was shameful. He’d never want someone to just give him the victory. Apparently, his sister thought the same.
“HOW STUPID CAN YOU ALL BE?!” Fuyumi’s voice bellowed over the audience.
“THEY ARE ALL HEROES AND TRYING THEIR BEST! JUST BECAUSE SHOUTO IS OUR BROTHER DOESN’T MEAN HE DIDN’T WORK HARD TO GET AS GOOD AS HE DID! TO PUT HIM ON A PEDESTAL BECAUSE OF ‘OUR FATHER’S LEGACY IS STUPID!!” Fuyumi’s eyes were blazing as she ripped into the crowd, giving them a thorough tongue lashing. The speakers rang as Aizawa’s voice joined hers.
“As Thermis has said, to discredit the amount of work and effort the students put in by saying they are ‘not good enough' and should just give up. You should just give back your hero licenses now. If you’re not willing to push yourself and put in the effort to get better. You’re better off pursuing a different career.” That shut the crowd up as the heroes who had been speaking looked down in shame.
Shouto smiled to himself, thankful for the interjection. The audience’s words had made him uncomfortable, they sounded positive, but for some reason, they weighed down on Shouto like bricks.
Unfreezing his opponent, Shouto offered a handshake to the student before walking off stage. He was sure he’d be fighting Tenya next. He’d need the rest before the fight started.
—-------
The battle between Tenya and Shouto arrived all too soon. Tensei was nervous as Tenya walked onto the stage, eyes calculating as he surveyed his opponent. Shouto had shown that he was a formidable opponent, ending all his previous matches within seconds.
Next to him, Tensei could feel the Todorokis and Tenko all tense as they focused on the battle starting below them. He did the same. Whatever happened would determine the outcome of their bet after all.
—-------
Shouto opened his attack by having waves of gigantic ice pillars erupt from the ground, they surrounded the field and rose like mountains, towering over Tenya and obscuring his vision.
Tenya first tried to fight Shouto’s ice by aiming a quirk-powered kick at it. It didn’t work. Trying to kick at the ice didn’t fully break through, like the ice walls he’d constructed in the first task, Shouto’s ice was extremely difficult to break. More solid than natural ice, the youngest Todoroki had trained his ice manipulation into an art. Tenya knew that if he didn’t do something soon, Shouto would just freeze him where he stood. It was only by sheer luck that Shouto hadn’t done that first. Perhaps he wanted a longer fight?
Climbing the jagged walls of ice, Tenya ignored the stinging cold and small cuts that formed on his hands, relying on his quirk to propel him upwards and towards Shouto.
For some reason, the other boy didn’t move. That should have been warning enough, but Tenya wasn’t thinking as he ran towards his classmate. If he could just…reach him!
Tenya didn’t get the chance. A wall of ice appeared before him and then…an explosion erupted, the force of the winds around him threw him backwards and out of the arena. Slamming into a wall, Tenya could only see black.
—-------
The audience was silent. It was like they had all collectively held their breath at the display of strength that the youngest Todoroki had just shown. The explosion had also blasted him backwards but he’d managed to catch himself by erecting more walls of ice behind him. If not for that…one look at the Iida boy was enough to see what would’ve happened. He’d gone flying as soon as the explosion detonated, slamming into the arena wall and cracking the concrete. He now lay on the ground. Unconscious.
The silence was broken by clapping coming from a section of the audience. The Todoroki Family were clapping and cheering at their youngest’s victory as Tenya Iida was carted off by med robots.
“We knew you could do it, Shouto!”
“You may have taken it a bit far, but congratulations!” The silence was now broken, and a few heroes managed to find their words.
“T-The winner! Shouto Todoroki!” Midnight was the first to speak aside from the Todoroki Family. Paving the way for more voices to join her, soon, the entire stadium was cheering.
—-------
Natsuo couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Yes, he wanted his little brother to succeed, but…he just missed the chance to see Tenko in a skirt… Was it so wrong to mourn?! In hindsight, there was no way that Shouto would lose, but still! Natsuo let out a sigh. He’ll just have to settle for embarrassing Tensei when he’s out on patrol.
Fuyumi was struggling to hold in her laughter and Natsuo had to look up to see what had been so amusing. He saw it immediately. Tensei was slumped over in his seat and Natsuo swore that he could see the man’s soul leaving his body.
“A skirt… wearing a skirt over my armour….” Tensei mumbled as he turned paler and paler. Natsuo couldn’t help it. The image that was conjured in his head was too funny! Seeing Tensei in his silver armour and whatever girly skirt his brother and Tenko forced him into would be hilarious!
Maybe the result of the bet wouldn’t be what he wanted, but Natsuo was still going to enjoy the outcome. He’ll just have to make a bet with Tenko himself next time!
—-------
Katsuki didn’t know how to feel. How was he supposed to feel when half-and-half bastard ended his fight with a literal bang? Explosions were HIS thing!
He wasn’t sure how he SHOULD feel, so Katsuki went to the feeling he understood most. Anger.
HOW DARE THAT BASTARD STEAL WHAT MADE HIM UNIQUE FROM THE REST OF THESE EXTRAS?! EXPLOSION WAS HIS QUIRK!
With those thoughts in mind, Katsuki prepared himself for his battle against the bird bitch. No matter how “edgy” the shadow bastard was, it didn’t hide his true weakness. Honestly, it was obvious. “Dark Shadow”? The match was won before Katsuki even walked into the arena.
As he thought, the fight didn’t take long. All Katsuki had to do was draw the quirk away with a few flashbangs before he completely immobilised the other boy. He wasn’t a Todoroki, but he’d be damned if he let that stop him from being the next No. 1 Hero.
—-------
The finals were held with much anticipation from the audience. Whilst Shouto Todoroki was by far the crowd favourite, they had to admit that Katsuki Bakugo was a dark horse this year. With a loud and brash personality, armed with a powerful explosion quirk, he had the strength possible to steal a victory, but whether he could in fact compete, was up for debate.
“Shouto Todoroki ended all his battles within seconds!”
“So did Katsuki Bakugo!”
“Not with Eijiro Kirishima he didn’t!”
“Shouto Todoroki has the more versatile quirk!”
“But this is a one-on-one battle!”
Few in the audience believed that Bakugo had a chance at clinching the win, but there was still a chance.
Both boys appeared from the tunnels. Todoroki from the right and Bakugo from the left. Both boys had tensed shoulders, ready to spring into the fight once Midnight gave them the cue. They didn’t have to wait for long.
“Go!”
Ice followed Todoroki’s hand as he thrust it forward and at Bakugo, who used his explosions to propel himself into the air.
“THAT’S NOT GOING TO WORK, BASTARD!!” He yelled as he blasted himself towards his opponent.
Both students exchanged multiple blows, with Bakugo sending explosions to Todoroki, and Todoroki erecting walls to block them, creating more walls of both ice and fire to block Bakugo’s movements and inhibit his maneuverability. The fight lasted longer than the others Todoroki had been in. To the pro heroes watching the battle, it was obvious that Bakugo was much stronger than Todoroki’s previous opponents. The fact that he could hold himself against Todoroki for more than a few minutes was enough to have many heroes look at him with appraising eyes. He may be brash, and he may not look like a hero, but no one can fault his strength. If the kid kept it up, he’d go far.
As the fight dragged on, the difference between their training made itself visible. Whilst Bakugo was panting due to the exertion, Todoroki barely broke a sweat. Having been trained by his pro-hero family, Todoroki had more stamina and was more durable than Bakugo could hope to be at this age.
With a final burst of flames, Bakugo covered his face with his arms as jets of fire blasted towards him. Already tired from the match, he didn’t have the strength or reflexes to dodge.
The finals ended in Shouto Todoroki’s victory.
Shouto Todoroki won the Sports Festival.
—-------
Standing on the first place podium, Shouto looked into the crowd and smiled at his family. His siblings had all come to support him with both sets of their parents. Nabe was cheering with Tenko as All Might himself came to award them their medals.
The No. 1 Hero would come up to each of them and place a medal around their necks, saying a few words of encouragement and praise as he got to each one.
“Young Todoroki, you have made your family proud today. Your training has served you well!” All Might’s signature smile was infectious as Shouto felt his lips twitch into a smile of his own. The hero then turned to face the audience.
“But remember! Every one of those students had the capability of standing at the top today. Who knows? Maybe in a year’s time, other faces will be looking at you all from these pillars! Now! To celebrate a great end to the Sports Festival, I can only think of one thing to say! 1, 2…3! THANK YOU!”
All Might was stunned when the crowd instead, shouted “PLUS ULTRA”, as was the crowd with his “THANK YOU”. There were many who disagreed with his choice of words, and Shouto could only watch, amused as the man tried to placate the crowd. Even the hero who Shouto always saw as someone on another level, was after all a man. A man, who was Midoriya’s father. He’d need to confront All Might about it later, but the way he tried to calm the crowd was just like how Midoriya tried to diffuse tense situations. Hands up, palms facing away from their body and waving around with a nervous look on their faces. Shouto could imagine the two of them going through the exact same motions at the exact same time. Like father, like son indeed.
—-------
Katsuki would’ve just walked away. He would’ve just ignored the extras swarming the stands had it not for a brief glance in a certain section. Katsuki’s memory had always been excellent, especially if the specific memory had struck him in some way.
Even a decade later, the figure from his childhood, the first person to scold him for his actions was fresh in his mind. The pale man who’d defended Deku and told Katsuki that he was acting like a villain. The one who had forced him to stop and finally think about his actions…was here. In the bleachers, the familiar figure was standing and cheering for the students. His face was the same as in Katsuki’s memories, as if he hadn’t aged a day since they’d last met.
When Katsuki stopped staring and looked at the people surrounding the man, he immediately noticed 3 things.
- He was sitting with the Todoroki Family.
- He was sitting with Pro Hero Midas.
- He was sitting with Pro Hero Ingenium.
And that meant only 1 thing. He must be intimately related to the Todoroki Family. There was no other explanation, Katsuki could ignore Ingenium or Midas sitting near the man because it was well known that the Todoroki Family were friends with both heroes, that man though… the one from his childhood, whether a family friend or extended family, he had to know the Todoroki Family well.
When Katsuki saw Half-and-Half walking to the stands, he rushed to stop him.
“Oi! Wait, you bastard.” The peppermint bitch turned around.
“What is it, Bakugo?” His blank face angered Katsuki. HE JUST WON THE FUCKING SPORTS FESTIVAL! WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?! It didn’t matter though, Katsuki had another question for him.
“That man who’s sitting with your family. Who is he?” Katsuki asked as Todoroki looked at him suspiciously.
“Why do you want to know?” One blue eye and one grey eye narrowed at him, waiting for a response.
“None of your business! Now, who is he?” Katsuki didn’t want to play games, he just wanted to know.
“That’s my dad.” Katsuki felt like punching Half-and-Half.
“Not Endeavor! That other man!” Katsuki gestured towards the man in question, but Half-and-Half didn’t change his answer.
“That’s my dad. Now if you’ll excuse me. I have family to see.” Not sparing Katsuki a look, he started walking away.
Katsuki didn’t let that happen. Not peacefully at least.
“You may have won this time, bastard. But I’ll beat you next time! And become the No. 1 Hero!” Katsuki’s blood boiled as Todoroki spoke again, not even turning around to acknowledge him.
“I’ll wait for that day…if it ever comes. I will warn you though, as someone who knows about heroes. You’ll never be a hero if you can’t bring comfort to those you’re protecting.”
Katsuki stood still as Half-and-Half walked away. Small sparks sounded in his palms as anger bubbled to the surface again. Alongside that anger was a sense of competition.
He’d prove Half-and-Half wrong. He’ll be the greatest hero.
—-------
Tensei was shocked when his hero comm reported what had happened whilst he was at the Sports Festival. Native was dead. The Hero Killer had struck again. It was his route. Stain was aiming for him. And Native had taken the blow for him.
His parents had cried and held him close when the news broke. There were mixed feelings. They were horrified that another hero was killed but thankful that it was not Tensei. There had been many tear-filled calls made that day, but Tensei still felt numb. That could have been him. It should’ve been him, but instead, he’d made Native take his place.
The guilt ate at him even when he returned for patrol.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-The teachers not so subtly salivating over Tenko and Touya's lunches-
It was an open secret among UA’s staff that some of the best food in Musutafu came from a little cafe near the train station. They fought over the monthly pastry delivery like cats, with no mercy for anyone who missed their chance at getting the pastry for the month. Touya Watanabe was a good cook, they knew that. So it wasn’t a surprise when the man’s son brought his own bento into school nearly every day. It didn’t make their jealousy lessen as they watched Touya Todoroki bring in similar lunches some days.
The two boys, and Akira Monoma were often found together when class was not in session, or when they had combined training. The three were nearly joined at the hip! Though Akira Monoma was a member of this trio, it was obvious that Watanabe and Todoroki knew each other far longer than just UA. They bantered and joked as if they were brothers!
The thing that really cemented their relationship for the teachers though was the first time Watanabe and Todoroki had sat together and opened their lunches to reveal identical bentos. That phenomenon repeated a few times before pretty much every teacher knew that Watanabe and Todoroki must both have had their lunches made by Nabe. It made them all bitterly jealous.
Midnight had almost cried when she’d realised. Truly, it wasn’t fair! Kami has favourites!
Whilst Shouta had been much more reserved in his envy for the boys, he still felt a sting whenever either boy took out a coffee cake on the days they had it. It was a limited edition snack at the cafe, only brought out on rare occasions, and Shouta had only been able to taste it a handful of times. He knew feeling jealous of his students was illogical, but humans were illogical.
Meanwhile, Hizashi watched as his friends practically salivated over the snacks the students brought in. Sheesh, and they thought HE was dramatic!
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 28: INTERNSHIPS
Summary:
Tokoyami is let in on a secret.
Notes:
I stand by my idea that Izuku has some deep-rooted problems that lead to some of his impulsive tendencies. Being bullied for 10 years would do that for anyone.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The day after the Sports Festival was…odd. As a Todoroki, Shouto was well acquainted with the public attention that came with his last name, but it was as if the Sports Festival had slingshot his name even further into the open. On his way to school, Shouto was met with many people who would shake his hand, a few teenagers had even asked for pictures with him! He wasn’t prepared for this! The moment he reached UA’s gates, Shouto ran as fast as he could to his classroom, unused to the barrage of attention he’d received this morning.
Listening to the idle chatter around him, Shouto could tell many of his classmates had similar experiences.
“Some kids stopped me this morning! And guess what they said!” His classmate- Sero, his mind supplied, cried as he told his story.
“They started singing! They started saying ’bad luck!’” Jiro, who was listening, giggled.
“It was bad luck Sero. No one expected Todoroki to start taking people out so quickly. Especially since your match was the first.” A few of his classmates nodded along and Shouto felt a sense of regret. He hadn’t thought of what his actions would do to the public perception of them. At the time, he’d only thought to end the matches as soon as possible to conserve energy for future matches. He’ll be more careful next time.
Their teacher walked in and stood at the front of the classroom.
“Now that the Sports Festival is over, you have more to think about. Today, we’ll be having a special hero informatics class.” Mr. Aizawa paused for a bit and Shouto could feel the tension in the room.
“You’ll be coming up with hero names.” The class exploded into excited whispers before Mr. Aizawa shut them up with a quirk-powered glare.
“This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation.” Shouto thought that made sense. There was no point in wasting time and resources on someone who’d just get in the way. Heroics was also a business after all, and running a hero agency was a lot of work. It wasn’t all fighting and rescuing, there was a lot that had to be done in the background. Shouto couldn’t count the number of times he’d seen his father or siblings slumped over a particularly tall stack of papers. Having a student intern or workstudy would mean extra work on top of what they normally dealt with, and in the words of Touya when he was particularly annoyed with his paperwork, “no one wants to fucking deal with more paperwork”. Shouto could respect that.
One of his classmates seemed to disagree though as Shouto heard a muttered, “adults are so selfish!”
Their teacher pulled out a remote from his capture weapon before pressing a button, names and numbers appearing on the board behind him.
“And here are the totals for those with offers.” At the top of the list, Shouto could see his name, along with a large bar showing his offers. 5123 offers. Not bad.
—-------
Midnight came in to help them with their hero names, and Izuku had chosen his. He was proud of his decision. He’d be Deku, not the useless, quirkless boy that couldn’t do anything in middle school. But the hero student who shows everyone that he can do anything if he sets his mind to it. This was his resolve. Nearly everyone had chosen their hero names, with Iida choosing Blitz, Uraraka choosing Uravity and Todoroki choosing Polaris, but Kacchan remained unnamed. All of his suggestions were shut down by Midnight. Izuku wondered what his childhood friend would choose.
Izuku had another thing to think about though: Internships. He’d been surprised to receive a few offers this year, he hadn’t made it very far after all. Todoroki had taken him out within seconds during the one-on-one fights, yet somehow, he’d still been given 11 different offers. They weren’t overly popular heroes by any means, but he’d take what he could get.
—-------
Once Shouto found out, he was on a mission. Tokoyami was interning with the playboy bird, and he was going to make sure his classmate knew to keep his mentor away from Shouto’s dad.
He found Tokoyami just outside the cafeteria.
“Hey, Tokoyami!” Shouto called out as his bird-headed classmate turned around.
“Todoroki, greetings. Did you need something?” Shouto pulled Tokoyami away into an empty classroom.
—-------
Fumikage was nervous, and Dark Shadow was doing their best to keep him calm. He didn’t know what made Todoroki approach him like this, they hadn’t really spoken since the start of the year, but whatever it was…it was serious. One look at his classmate’s face told him that whatever conversation they were about to have, Todoroki was not going to be joking around.
“Fumi…the candycane boy looks scary.” Dark Shadow whispered into his ear tearfully, careful to keep their voice quiet so that Todoroki couldn’t hear.
The other boy had his eyes narrowed as he stared Fumikage down.
“I heard that you’re interning with Hawks .” He spat the name as if it were a curse. Did he have something against the winged hero? Fumikage decided to ask.
“Is there something wrong with my choice?” Fumikage knew that the cold look his classmate sent him wasn’t directed towards him, not really, but it still chilled him to the bone. Dark Shadow reacted to his emotions by curling themself around him. A form of a hug. Fumikage appreciated it.
“There’s no problem with it.” Fumikage doubted that. If Todoroki’s quirk was laser eyes, Fumikage would’ve been dead from their first interaction. Something was angering Todoroki and Hawks had something to do with it.
“Fumi, he’s scary! Hawks might die!” Evidently, Dark Shadow thought the same. As if Dark Shadow’s words shocked him out of his anger-filled trance, Todoroki began to explain what he wanted out of Fumikage as both he and Dark Shadow listened in shock.
—-------
“I want you to keep Hawks away from my dad.” Shouto began. He knew he had to do this. His dad’s happiness was on the line after all!
“Hawks is a good-for-nothing, stupid playboy, oversized chicken man. He’s not good for anything but breaking hearts.” Shouto thought that his description of the bastard was enough for Tokoyami to make the connection. It was obvious that his classmate didn’t understand. Sadly, he must be another one of the bastard’s disillusioned fans. Shouto would have to tell him the truth.
“Hawks doesn’t deserve his place as the No. 3 Hero.” Tokoyami seemed incensed at his words.
“Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean you get to say that he doesn’t deserve to be a hero-”
“No.” Shouto wouldn’t let his classmate keep believing in the heart-breaking bastard. He needed to know just who he was interning with.
“You need to know. Hawks isn’t who he says he is.” That got Tokoyami’s attention.
“What do you mean?” And thus, Shouto began to regale his classmate on how Hawks used and abused his dad, all for his stupid rank, without even apologising for his actions.
—-------
Fumikage was HORRIFIED at what he was hearing.
“-according to my big brother, when my dad was younger, he was tricked by Hawks into getting into a romantic relationship with him.” What?! Fumikage felt like screaming. It was like his entire world had been flipped upside-down. What Todoroki had told him had been the equivalent of if the other boy had taken a sledgehammer and decided to attack his common sense with it.
Hawks was a hero. He was the fastest hero to make top 10, and then top 3 on the hero rankings. He was a good guy. He helped whoever needed him. But…according to Todoroki, he’d only risen that fast because of NEPOTISM?!
“Tenko told us he caught dad crying a few times whenever the bastard was on the news when he was younger. Not sure about now though, but that doesn’t erase the heartbreak dad felt.” NOW TODOROKI WAS TELLING HIM THAT ENDEAVOR. THE NO. 2 HERO, ENDEAVOR HAD CRIED OVER HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HAWKS?! In his mental freak out, Fumikage didn’t get the chance to ask Todoroki just who Tenko was, but that wasn’t important.
“Apparently, dad and Hawks were really in love, or that’s what dad thought when Hawks stabbed him in the back and used him to further his position in hero society before leaving him.” Fumikage felt sick. Was this the true face of the hero everyone looked up to? Was this the reason why he could advance so quickly in the hero rankings? If so, what else had he done to get his position? If he’d knowingly manipulated and used the No. 2 Hero to get what he wanted, what could he have done that had remained secret? The only reason Fumikage knew about his personality now, was because Endeavor was powerful and his son had told Fumikage. Who else was hurt by Hawks? Would Fumikage ever really know? Then came a question that Fumikage didn’t want to ask. Endeavor was married. If he’d been in a relationship with Hawks…what about his wife?
Tentatively, Fumikage asked Todoroki about his mother.
“Todoroki…you’ve given me a lot to think about.” Fumikage didn’t know how to broach the subject, but he’d have to.
“So…how are your parents doing then?” Fumikage hoped that his question wouldn’t be taken too offensively, and thankfully, Todoroki didn’t seem bothered by the question.
“They’re doing well. Mother is currently in marriage counselling with Father. Dad is doing ok.” Fumikage let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Thank god. He didn’t want to think about Endeavor’s potential messy divorce because of his future mentor. He just didn’t want to picture it.
It took a little while for him to gather his thoughts, but when he did, he caught the tail-end of Todoroki’s request.
“I need you to keep Hawks away from my dad during the internships. I don’t want him anywhere near my dad. Can you promise me you’ll keep Hawks away?” Fumikage couldn’t say no. Not to the earnest eyes that stared at him, not after what he’d just heard. Numbly, Fumikage nodded his acceptance as a wide smile broke onto Todoroki’s face.
“Thank you.” He bowed in gratitude before leaving the room.
Fumikage was now alone with his thoughts and Dark Shadow.
“That was messy. We’re in trouble now.” Dark Shadow muttered and Fumikage agreed. Just what had he gotten himself dragged into?
Furthermore…Hawks was not what he had imagined. Instead of the confident hero that he pictured, now whenever he thought of the hero, all he could think of was the story that Todoroki told him. Hawks had clawed his way to the top using deception and lies. Tokoyami couldn’t agree with that, no matter how great of a hero Hawks was whilst on duty. He should’ve gained his position with his own merit. Not off the back of a man who’d done it before.
—-------
Shouto felt satisfied. He’d managed to get Tokoyami to agree to his request, and he was interning with his siblings at their agency. The Fire Bird Agency was one of the best, his siblings ran it after all. Shouto wasn’t being biased either, Touya, as the Pro Hero Blaze had created an agency with Tenko and Akira Monoma after graduating, they set up many branches of their agency all over the country with Akira handling the locations further from Musutafu. Obviously, they’d sent an offer to Shouto after the Sports Festival, Shouto would have been hurt if they didn’t. After seeing the agency on his offers list, the choice was obvious. He’d go train with his siblings, this time as a hero student rather than their little brother.
He couldn’t wait to learn everything about being a hero. This time, they couldn’t just leave out information whenever they wanted to.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Lunch Rush has been trying to get the Todorokis + Tenko Watanabe to intern with him for years, a compilation of those times-
Lunch Rush didn’t take on many hero interns. None at all actually. But that all changed when Touya Todoroki and Tenko Watanabe entered UA’s halls. The two were great heroes, some of the most promising in their generation, but the teachers had also come to discover that they were damn good cooks too!
Lunch Rush could remember the day they’d taken over the home economics class. As part of their hero training, Watanabe and Todoroki had prepared some curry as part of their heroics assignment. Heroes had to know how to keep civilians sated in dangerous situations after all. They didn’t always have access to chefs who could provide food for victims of attacks. Heroes would have to provide everything as they waited for backup. Thus, UA made sure that their students were well rounded in many skills, one of which was cooking.
Lunch Rush didn’t need to teach these two much. They moved in the kitchen as if they’d been there for years. They’d worked with terrifying efficiency as hands moved with familiarity, preparing ingredients and cooking enough portions for everyone in the class to have a try.
It was delicious.
Upon further investigation, Lunch Rush felt like slamming his head on the table. Of course they were good cooks. He’d heard about The Phoenix Cafe from his coworkers, it was quite popular after all. As it turns out, Tenko Watanabe was the son of the chef and owner of the cafe. Touya Todoroki, being his friend, would pick up on some of the same skills.
That would lead Lunch Rush into offering internship after internship to all Todoroki kids that would come after them. One of these days, he’d get one as an intern. He was going to.
ATTEMPT 1 - TOUYA AND TENKO
“Eraser! Vlad! These boys can really learn a lot by interning with me! Watanabe is planning on going into rescue and being able to cook as well as fight will help-”
“No.”
The conversation had been going on for hours, with Lunch Rush doing his best to at least try to convince Eraserhead and Vlad King that their students would benefit from an internship with him. It didn’t work. Todoroki interned with Endeavor and Watanabe interned with Thirteen.
ATTEMPT 2 - FUYUMI
When he tried to ask the second Todoroki child to join him, she’d only looked at him with an apologetic look on her face and gave a firm but polite “no thank you.” He’d been shattered.
ATTEMPT 3 - NATSUO
The kid just told him he already had an internship he wanted to go to.
ATTEMPT 4 - SHOUTO
Shouto Todoroki stared into Lunch Rush’s eyes with a blank look on his face.
“I am going to my siblings’ agency.” When the boy walked away, Lunch Rush fell to his knees.
Failed again.
Notes:
PART 5 OF THE SERIES IS AVAILABLE TO READ AT THIS POINT.
The next chapter of the main story won't come out until the side story is complete. Thank you all for sticking around.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 29: HOSU UNDER FIRE
Summary:
What actually happened during internships.
Notes:
Sooo...I was really busy this week and couldn't finish Ch. 3 of The Misadventures of Fumikage Tokoyami in time...
I'm posting this instead. Hope you all like it! 😅
In other news, I'm going back to uni for the year so I'm cutting back my update schedule to once every 2 weeks. Now, on with the story!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first day of internships was unexpected, but really, Shouto should’ve expected it. His siblings had dragged him to Hosu, smiles plastered on their faces. When they got there, it was obvious why. Ingenium stood before them, face hidden behind his helmet, but Shouto knew that if they’d been able to see his face, the hero would probably be blushing. Over his silver hero costume, an obnoxious, bright pink tutu hung at his hips. The offending fabric was light and sparkly, rainbow glitters sprinkled over the tulle and sticking out at Ingenium’s sides.
Shouto’s siblings were all laughing as they held their phones out, taking videos and photos as the other hero stood still, arms at his sides and fists clenched. He looked like a child having a temper tantrum.
“I want you to stop laughing right now! I mean it!” Shouto couldn’t help it. An almost mad laugh bubbled out of him until he couldn’t stand upright anymore. Arms clutching at his stomach, Shouto laughed. Tears pricked at his eyes as the hilarity of the situation got to him. Touya and Natsuo’s laughter soon joined him.
He didn’t expect anything like this to happen on his internship. But it was fun.
What made the situation even better was Ingenium’s little brother, Tenya, was standing behind the hero. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and protective anger. No doubt he also wanted others to stop laughing at his brother. It was too bad Tenya also thought the situation was ridiculous.
The first day of internships was calm. Shouto patrolled the streets of Hosu with Touy-Blaze, Ingenium and Blitz. Blaze claimed that it was because Stain was still around and actively gunning for Ingenium, so as a good friend, he’d have to be there for him, but Shouto knew better. His older brother just wanted to stick around as long as possible to tease his friend. It was just like Touya to do that.
—-------
Touya had many reasons to be in Hosu today. The first, was to cash in on his bet. Tensei would have to start wearing a skirt today and he wasn’t going to miss out on the reactions that his friend would garner. The second reason though…was more serious. After the Sports Festival, Tensei had gotten a message from his agency, telling him that Native had been attacked and killed whilst covering for Tensei. It was clear to everyone who Stain’s true target was though. Tensei had literally dodged a knife by going to the Sports Festival. Touya could still remember Mr. and Mrs. Iida’s faces as they tearfully thanked his family. If Tensei had gone on that patrol…he might not have come back.
Touya didn’t like the idea of his friend patrolling by himself just a few days after the incident so he’s patrolling with Tensei today. Despite his friend’s protests, he wouldn’t allow him to be alone. At least not for today. Tensei can have his so-called “autonomy” tomorrow. The stubborn guy has been tearing himself apart in his guilt. Even if none of it was his fault. The self-righteous idiot was just too noble sometimes. He took the blame even when it was not his to take.
—-------
Null was going to make an appearance in Hosu City tonight. Touya suspected that something would happen, in the previous timeline Tomura would have attacked with his Nomu, but now that Tenko was a hero…Touya didn’t know how that would change the future. All he could do was be ready just in case any of the events from the previous timeline carried over. AFO was very meticulous in his planning after all, and he rarely let Tomura do what he wanted. Even with a different successor, Touya knew the old villain wouldn’t change his methods. That was what made him so predictable.
From his perch atop a building, Null could see the bustling city below him. He’d keep watch tonight to make sure nothing happened.
When night fell, it was like history repeated itself. Even without Tenko leading the attacks, Hosu was still on fire. Nomu were prowling the streets and causing mayhem. Civilians were fleeing in terror as heroes battled against the mindless beasts. It was time for Null to do what he came to do.
Jumping into the fray, Null immediately took out a Nomu that was threatening a mother and her child with a few precise strikes from his daggers. To make sure it stayed dead, he stuck his weapons into its exposed brain and scrambled it. Regeneration or no regeneration, it wasn’t coming back from that. Blood splattered around him and on his hands as he worked methodically to take the Nomu down. The mother and child that were there stayed frozen as he fought. He could feel their terrified eyes as they watched him fight in their defense. When the Nomu in the area were dispatched, Null turned to the two.
“You both need to get out of here. Follow me. I’ll take you to safety.” He knew he didn’t exactly look like the most friendly person right now, but Null hoped they’d trust him enough to let him help. To his surprise, it wasn’t the mother that answered him.
“Y-you’re Null!” The little boy stuttered. Null could hear the nerves in his voice.
“Yes. Yes I am.” Null nodded. So the boy knew who he was…
“You’re the vigilante that’s been going around stopping villains! You’re so cool!” There was excitement in the boy’s voice now. Null hopes that it meant that the duo would trust him. It did.
“We’ll follow you, Null.” The mother looked into his eyes, a spark of faith in hers. She was putting the lives of herself and her child into his care. He won’t disappoint them.
Null led the two to the safe zone. The heroes had constructed an area where a few heroes would defend the civilians as other heroes dealt with the attack. If Null wanted to keep these people safe, he needed to get them there. As soon as possible. As they ran, Null made sure to check on both mother and child. He was a trained vigilante. He could run much faster than either of them. He didn’t want to leave them behind, but he didn’t want to carry them either. He was pushing their trust enough as is.
As they ran, Null took down more Nomu, saving more civilians until a group of around 30 people followed him. There were now more lives in his hands. He needed to get them to the heroes. Running for a few more streets, Null had finally managed to get the civilians into the heroes’ sights. They’d be safe now.
The heroes didn’t question his involvement. In the current circumstances, they had more to worry about than a lone vigilante, especially as that vigilante had delivered over 30 civilians to them. They could deal with this once Hosu was no longer on fire.
As he pushed the last of the civilians to the heroes, Null felt a small body hug his leg.
“Thank you.” A small face pressed into his legs. It was the little boy he’d defended earlier. His mother was also looking at Null.
“Thank you for protecting us. We knew you were a hero.” She smiled and Null felt a part of his heart twitch, an old dream resurfacing for a moment before he forcefully pushed it back down.
“You saved my husband a few months ago. He told us that you were the only reason he survived the villain attack. Now you saved us…” She paused again, eyes meeting Null’s.
“You’re a true hero.” Gently lifting her son into her arms, the mother gave a polite bow before making her way to the heroes. Null didn’t move from his position. She called him…a hero? It took a moment for him to shake himself out of his mental blank.
No. He was a vigilante. He didn’t follow the law. He just wanted to protect his family. He’s not noble like that. He’s no hero.
Null turned and ran back into the flames. He needed to check on one more person. Just one.
As he ran, Null failed to notice a tiny prick as a small needle punctured his skin. He had other things to worry about.
—-------
Tensei knew he was a target. He’d been told to his face that Native had died because Stain was looking for him! But…why did he have to be attacked with Tenya here?
Dodging a swipe from the Hero Killer, Tensei did his best to keep an eye on both Tenya and Stain. He won’t let anything happen to his baby brother! Stain was swinging his swords with a mad fury, no doubt he wanted Tensei dead. Tensei wouldn’t let him bring Ingenium down so easily. Even with his speed quirk, Stain was not an easy villain to defeat. There was a reason he’d managed to take down multiple pros before.
In a moment of distraction, Tensei didn’t notice a swing about to decapitate him.
“TENSEI!” Thankfully, his little brother warned him. Instead of losing his head, Stain could only give him a little nick to the cheek. Ingenium would not fall here. Just as he prepared himself for another attack at the villain, Tensei saw a crazed smile grow on the Hero Killer’s face. A split second later, he felt his muscles seize up and he fell. He couldn’t move. He could hear Tenya’s panicked shouts behind him.
“I…I can’t move. I CAN’T MOVE!!” Tensei felt tears prick at his eyes. Tenya..Tenya was still there! He’s still in danger! Tensei tried his best to move, but his muscles refused to obey his commands. No matter how much he begged, his legs wouldn’t move, remaining motionless as terror chilled his blood. In the background of his mind, he could still hear the sounds of blades ringing off his little brother’s armour. At the forefront of his mind, there was only one thought.
‘I’m going to die, and I’ve dragged Tenya with me.’
The tears were rolling down his cheeks now as he begged his legs to move, to stand up and help Tenya escape–nothing worked. He stayed on the hard ground, a burden as Tenya fought to keep the both of them alive.
It wasn’t until Stain let out a triumphant yell and Tenya cried out in pain that Tensei knew. They would die today.
Or they would’ve. If it hadn’t been for a masked figure jumping down from a rooftop on top of Stain.
“You will NOT kill another hero, Stain.” A deep voice spoke, and Tensei couldn’t help but find it oddly familiar. Who was this person?
“Null, you are not among those who need to be culled today. This false hero may have evaded my grasp last time but, he will feel my blade-”
The vigilante didn’t let him continue.
The ensuing fight was a series of flashes, silver blades danced off each other as the two did their best to take the other down. Each chime of blades connecting was almost lyrical as the talents of the blades’ wielders’ shone. The skill they had was hypnotising. From his place on the ground, Tensei could only watch as the vigilante defended him and his brother. Null was the only thing keeping Stain from going after Tensei and Tenya.
“Get out of the way, Null. Ingenium is a false hero that only serves to poison society.” Now, Tensei was insulted. HE was the problem? Of all heroes Stain could have possibly said was a problem, he had to choose TENSEI?!
In his anger, Tensei didn’t notice his fingers twitch. Little did he know, Stain’s quirk was wearing off.
“Tensei!” A harsh whisper came from Tenya.
“Your hand just now. You moved a little!” Tensei tried to move his hand again. Like Tenya said…it moved. Just a little. He was going to be able to fight again! As the fight dragged on, Tensei tried harder to fight the effects of Stain’s quirk.
‘Just a little more…just a little-’ Tensei’s thoughts were a mantra in his head. He needed to avenge Native. It was HIS fault the other hero died. He needed to put a stop to Stain once and for all. He needed to do it for Native…for all the heroes that Stain had killed. Once he could move again, Tensei made sure to stay quiet. There was no sense in drawing the villain’s attention to himself. Not when Tenya was still very much in the firing range.
Silently picking up his little brother, Tensei motioned for the boy to keep quiet as he ran out of the alleyway. He could feel Tenya tense against him as he ran, no doubt his little brother would see him as a coward for leaving Null to fight Stain alone but…he couldn’t just jump into the fight. Not with Tenya still there.
Placing Tenya on the ground a few meters away from the alley, Tensei checked the surroundings for anything that could harm him whilst Tensei was away. Seeing nothing, he turned and rushed back into the alleyway. He’d stop Stain. Once. And. For. All.
—-------
Null wasn’t surprised when Ingenium ran out of the alleyway with his little brother. Ingenium had always been good at seeing ahead. If he’d jumped into the fight with the boy still here, then they’d be forced to watch out for him whilst they were fighting. It would only disadvantage them. As he focused on keeping Stain away from the Iidas, Null was joined by the hero in question.
Tensei Iida, or Ingenium, as he was called, was a sight to see. Dressed in armour like a fairytale knight, his visage was ruined by one glaring thing: the bright pink tutu around his waist. Nevertheless, the hero still helped him fight Stain. It was impressive that he could without tripping up, but Ingenium was a top 20 hero for a reason.
Stain didn’t seem to be as impressed.
“THIS is what you call a hero?! Null, I know you’re forgiving, but this is pushing it too far! What kind of hero parades the streets like this?! How is THIS meant to inspire hope?! Does this hero even take heroism seriously?!”
Null didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Ingenium did for him.
“THE KIND OF HERO THAT CIVILIANS CAN TRUST! THE ONE PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE IN BECAUSE HE IS A NORMAL PERSON, JUST LIKE THEM! INGENIUM IS THE HERO THAT WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!!” A quirk-powered kick landed on Stain’s head, knocking the villain out cold.
Ingenium was slumped over, heaving as choked breaths escaped him. The adrenaline slowly seeping out of his system as what had happened finally hit him.
“Y-you saved me! Thank-thank you!” His words were said haltingly, the need for oxygen making them come out disjointed and breathless.
Null didn’t answer him. Whilst it was important to relay information during the fight, letting Tensei hear his voice now was asking to be recognised. He silently approached Stain and hogtied him. Now, Stain couldn’t hurt anyone else. Leaving the villain on the ground, Null gave one last look at Ingenium before climbing the nearest building and running. He could hear the heroes coming, and he didn’t want to be there when they arrived.
—-------
Tenya was relieved when he returned to a still-alive Tensei. He was worried that something might’ve happened to his big brother whilst he was getting help, but it looked like his brother had everything under control! As expected of his hero!
As he let the other heroes deal with the now tied-up Hero Killer, Tenya approached Tensei to congratulate him.
“Well done, Tensei! You defeated the Hero Killer! I shall do my best to be just like you when I grow up!” Tenya stopped talking when he saw the blank look on his brother’s face.
“Tensei?” He was concerned now.
“Are you-”
“I couldn’t have taken down the hero killer without help. Null basically did all the work for me.” Tenya knew that. He’d also been in the alleyway as the vigilante defended him and his brother, but..
“You also played a part in his capture, Tensei…” His brother gave an exhausted nod, but Tenya knew his brother enough to see that he didn’t believe it.
Tenya wasn’t there for the whole fight. He couldn’t have known what happened when he was paralysed, but…Now he had an uncomfortable thought. If the vigilante wasn’t here. He and Tensei would be dead .
Vigilantes aren’t heroes. They don’t have a license but…were they much different?
Null had saved Tenya and Tensei, he’d done the job of a hero, and he’d done it well. Tenya didn’t know how to think anymore, if some vigilantes did good, why were all vigilantes classified as “villains” to the Hero Commission?
—-------
Kai had been tracking the vigilante. It was integral to his plans that Null DID NOT interfere, but after having his men report back over the last couple of months, he’d noticed something. Vigilantes were known to use their quirks during their fights, no matter what side they fought for, there was always a hint of a quirk in the background. A technology quirk to access the cameras, an emitter quirk to fight villains and heroes, an intelligence quirk that let them do certain things. There was always something about them that let them be the vigilante that they masqueraded as. Null was different. Despite being hit with an experimental quirk-erasing bullet in Hosu, he didn’t react. Not even a flinch, and when he’d been fighting the Hero Killer…
Kai has found a pure being, someone untainted by the curse of their society.
Null…his angel Null..was quirkless.
Notes:
Like little brother, like older brother.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 30: SUPPLY CHAIN CUTOFF
Summary:
Null uses the past to his advantage and Hawks has a bad time.
Chapter Text
After the Hosu Attack, as the media had dubbed it, Null tried to lay low. Whilst he wouldn’t regret taking down the Hero Killer to stop him from killing the Iida brothers, it didn’t stop the heroes from taking more notice of him now that he stepped out into the open. Null wasn’t supposed to be in the spotlight, he was supposed to help out in the shadows. That was why tonight would need to be quick and silent. From the last timeline, Dr. Garaki had bragged about his “blessed luck”. Under his care, a stolen quirk had mutated, leading to him using it to stabilise the Nomu. Apparently, it had pushed his research decades ahead of schedule. That quirk would be delivered today . An old woman who finally lost her fight against her illness would be delivered to the Nomu Factory. Null wasn’t going to let it happen. Her quirk, though seemingly weak was integral to the development of the Nomu. Restructure was a unique quirk, it allowed the woman to quickly adapt to any changes in her body, she could rapidly gain or lose weight, grow or shrink by a few centimeters without any scars remaining on her skin. She used this to play small roles in film during her youth. She could change herself to play various parts wherever she was needed. For a small time actress, it was a good quirk, hidden and not flashy. As it was not a quirk typically seen in heroics, others typically ignored her. For the Nomu however…to stop them from breaking apart due to the stress involved in their creation, her quirk was used like a “glue”. Having her quirk let the Doctor develop the Nomu faster and more dangerous. Their ability to adapt meant that more quirks and more abilities could be crammed into one Nomu. It was useful when Dabi was a villain, but now Dabi didn’t exist. Null was a vigilante.
From his place on the roof, Null watched as a large box was wheeled to the docks by a gang of low level criminals. They must’ve stolen it from the crypt of the hospital that the woman had died in. How disgusting. Null sprang into action the moment they’d revealed their hand. He knew that he had to do this in a way where no attention was brought to it. If AFO and the Doctor figured out that he knew…they’d hunt him down until they caught him. Until they caught his kids. Null wouldn’t let that happen, he needed to make this look like a job gone wrong.
The villains were standing around, waiting for their connection to the Doctor no doubt. Null watched as his mole started acting out, just like he told him to. Villains were greedy. Null would take full advantage. The mole began his little show by pushing into one of the other villains.
“Oi, whatchu think you’re doin’ bastard?” The other villain spat back as the mole started to sway, acting as if he was drunk.
“Huhhh?” Null was impressed with the way he slurred his response. If he didn’t know any better, he’d also assumed the man was drunk.
“Shit, he must’ve drunk somethin’ earlier.” Another villain noted.
Good. Things were going to plan. The mole started swaying some more as other villains tried to stabilise him. Crash! The box went slamming onto the ground, the lid threatening to come off.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Yet another villain asked angrily.
The mole didn’t answer, tipping over and onto the box. Now, all of the villains were springing up to stop him.
“Oi, quit it-” The villain was punched square in the nose. Blood flowed from his face like a waterfall as he staggered back, eyes closed in pain.
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU-” Another punch and another villain down for the count.
There was a circle forming around the mole as he leaned over the box.
Null dropped down from the roof and into an alleyway, eyes still watching as the villains fought amongst themselves. There were curses and quirks thrown carelessly around as they argued. A flame quirk was eventually unleashed and Null took the chance to guide it to fall on the box. The wooden vessel immediately erupted into flames.
All fighting stopped as the villains struggled to put out the fire. Null didn’t let them. He willed the fire to burn hotter, longer, wilder as the original red flames turned blue. There was no way the body was being recovered. The Doctor wouldn’t be able to salvage ANYTHING.
Just in time, Null saw the beginning of a warp quirk form. It’s show time.
—-------
The Doctor stepped out onto the dock and watched blankly as flames destroyed the new materials he was supposed to receive today. The idiots that were supposed to deliver his package had failed. Miserably.
Turning away from the sight, he walked back into the portal. Whistling for one of his precious experiments, he soundlessly pointed at the idiots that had wasted his time.
“Get them.” The prototype began to attack, ripping apart the nearest villain as the others watched in horror. If they couldn’t deliver his package. They, would be the package. He will not waste his time.
The villains scattered as they ran from his experiment. Too bad. They’d be caught soon.
—-------
Null watched as the mole ran towards the agreed meeting place.
“Dude! You told me to destroy the body but you never told me the villain we’re delivering for is CRAZY!” The mole whispered to him. Legs still trembling, from his escape, Null found the man pathetic. He’d sold off his friends for a quick buck, destroying their trust and leading them to their deaths.
“You need to get me out of here. I need to escape whatever the crazy fucker released!” The mole said, readying himself for whatever method Null was going to take to get them out of this situation. Too bad, Null had no intention of letting the other man leave.
“You know…this situation could have been avoided if you didn’t associate with the Doctor in the first place.” Null mused as the mole began to get impatient.
“Yes, yes, I know! Now, get me out of here!” He demanded, as if it was his right. Null didn’t feel like humoring him anymore.
“You aren’t getting out of here alive.” He said, stunning the mole.
“What do you mean?! YOU TOLD ME TO DO WHAT I DID AND NOW THAT PSYCHOTIC BASTARD WILL KILL ME-” Null didn’t let him continue, cauterising his mouth shut with a wave of his hand. The mole couldn’t even scream as his lips were forcefully melted together, blood staining the area his mouth used to be.
“Hm! Mmmh! Hmmhmm!” He still tried to speak and Null couldn’t help but smile at his effort. If only he was this stubborn to do good. Maybe he wouldn’t have to die today. No matter. He would have to die for the safety of others, his death would mean more than his life ever did anyways.
“You greedy bastard. Can’t you see? YOUR greed is the reason villains can still operate without getting their hands dirty. It’s because of people like YOU that monsters like the Doctor and his employer can still hurt people without being caught. Let this serve as a lesson to you. At least with your death, you will have contributed to the destruction of the underground’s Demon Lord. Now burn, knowing you have served your purpose.”
Letting his flames loose, the mole was instantly killed in the waves of blue. Nothing remained except for a pile of ash. The wind picked up the remains and scattered them.
Null didn’t claim to be a hero. He wasn’t one by any conventional means, but he would protect everyone he cared about. No matter how difficult it was, Null would make sure that the past timeline would never become the future.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Nightmares and Melancholy-
All around him was inky darkness. It was like Keigo was floating in a void, he couldn’t feel anything and no light would illuminate his surroundings. He was alone.
His wings fanned out but he knew he wasn’t flying. He wasn’t flying, but he didn’t touch the ground. It was a mess of different sensations that he didn’t quite understand and he didn’t know how to feel. Should he feel scared? Nervous? Impatient? Keigo didn’t know. All he knew was that right now, nothing was hurting him.
The first signs of change happened just as a spark appeared in the darkness, a brilliant blue flame lit up the world around him and Keigo remembered.
Laughter filled his ears as he reminisced the few moments he had to be himself. His last lifetime had been wrought with pain and suffering, he’d been an unwanted child, someone who not even his parents had loved. He’d been sold to the Commission and remained their pet bird even when he died. He’d loved and been loved even when the guilt ate at him. Aside from a few stolen moments, Keigo had not had the chance to be himself.
As if triggered by the sudden influx of memories, the scene changed around him. Suddenly, he wasn’t the strong Pro Hero Hawks, he was the child that cowered in the corner as his father screamed at him, wielding a broken bottle as he threatened Keigo to stay inside. To stay quiet. Keigo felt numb as shards of glass rained down on him, slicing at his skin and letting blood seep from the cuts. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. This. Wasn’t. Real.
As if hearing his inner thoughts, his father seized him by the front of his shirt and lifted him up until he was face-to-face with the snarling visage of his father. Ritsu Takami was a paranoid man, he had to be to have escaped law enforcement for so long. Unlike his name, Ritsu Takami was anything but upstanding. He was a thief, he stole from people both at night and in the daylight, no time was a bad time for him. No victim too weak. He was a murderer, uncaring as he left his victims bleeding out after a violent altercation following a robbery gone wrong. Ritsu Takami was a villain, in all meanings of the word. He was hateful even to his own family, striking fear into both Keigo and his mother. Despite this however, she loved him. She loved him even when he hurt Keigo. Cold fear welled in him as Keigo tried to remember, this wasn’t real. He ESCAPED.
“What did you do?” His father spoke, voice low as he seemed to peer into Keigo’s very soul. Unbidden, his whole body started to shudder, the voice of a small child filling his mind.
“He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry. He’s angry…” The voice of a young Keigo mumbled, fear evident in his voice. How many times had he done this? Why was Keigo still trapped in the past that was no longer there? Why did he have to suffer twice?
His father’s grip was steel as he threw Keigo to the floor, knocking the air out of him and leaving him gasping for breath.
His father approached him, each step slow but calculated. It sent terror down Keigo’s spine. He was going to get punished.
Before his father could reach him however, the door slammed open and the roar of flames lit up the dark space of their home. Yelling could be heard, but it wasn’t the familiar yelling of his father. No. It was the heroes. They were here. They would save him.
As he lay on the ground, the form of Endeavor would block his view of his father. His hero was here. Keigo’s vision went dark as he watched his father escorted out of the building in quirk cancelling cuffs.
The next memory played like a record. He couldn’t see anything, but the smells and noises around him were familiar. He was with the HPSC. He was training. He was training to be a hero! Or rather…he was training to be the HPSC’s prized attack bird.
The time he spent in this memory was fast, but the aches he felt in his body would stay ingrained in his mind even when he woke up.
The last memory to flash through his mind was not so much one single moment, but a series of soft caresses, whispered words and stolen kisses. Chapped lips robbed the breath from his lungs, but Keigo didn’t let himself care. He just reciprocated with equal ferocity. Dabi...
Strong arms pressed him to an equally strong chest as Keigo melted in his arms. Dabi…
“I love you.”
“You’re perfect.”
“You’re mine.”
“Stay with me.” Comforting words enveloped him like a warm jacket after he had been left out in the cold. The dispassionate eyes of his handler, the hero worship that never got more than skin deep, the fear of being wrong…none of that could touch him. Not when he was here. Safe.
“What’s wrong Birdie?” The tears he held in finally burst as the gentle tone brought back sensations he’d missed so desperately.
Dabi held Keigo’s face in his hands as he wept.
“Birdie, you’re worrying me.” Keigo couldn’t respond. When was the last time he’d been able to feel safe like this? To feel so loved, seen and cared for? Keigo didn’t respond as he collapsed into familiar arms, burying his face into a patchwork chest that gave him such warm feelings.
“You never loved me did you?” Keigo stilled, breath hitching at what was just said. The arms that held him turned cold as the mouth that had uttered such beautiful, loving words previously, began to spit out venom that only served to hurt him.
“Oh wow, the Commission’s prized pet. ” Keigo flinched at the acid in his tone.
“After all, I was just a… What did you call it? Oh right. A MISSION.”
“N-No. I-”
“Shut it, Hawks .” His hero name was uttered with such loathing that it had Keigo fighting to stop the outpour of tears that threatened to fall.
“I didn’t mean it!” He tried to say, but the Dabi who held him refused to listen. Dabi brought one hand up to his head and started petting him. Petting him like you’d pet an animal you liked a little more than the rest.
“Of course, Birdie .” The nickname was like sulphur. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I LOVE YOU!” Keigo tried to confess. He’d long lost the battle with himself. Tears were now streaming down his cheeks.
“I love you! Please! Dabi! Believe me!” Dabi just trailed a finger down to his chin.
“I don’t think I do, Birdie. After all, you KILLED Twice.” There was mockery in his voice, but Keigo didn’t care. He just wanted his Dabi back.
“I had to! He found out! I didn’t want to!” Even though Keigo yelled, his voice came out small.
“I gave him the choice! He…he wouldn’t just go into custody…” The memories of Twice’s death replayed in Keigo’s mind as Dabi kept holding him. Keigo could still remember the anger and betrayal in the villain’s eyes as he confronted Hawks about his loyalties. Keigo had already seen the other man as a friend, and their banter was a highlight to his day. He hadn’t wanted any of this. He’d been forced to spy on the League, but somewhere along the way, he’d found a family. A family that would KILL him if the truth were ever found out. He’d begged Twice to let it go, to come quietly into custody so that Keigo wouldn’t have to kill him. This friend refused. The man was always loyal, and he wouldn’t have abandoned the League. He’d attacked Keigo and Keigo had been forced to kill him. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
It was only when Dabi appeared at the doorway that Keigo knew that his little paradise was gone. There was no way he could ever return, so like the hero he was trained to be, he lied. With a blank face he turned and lied to the love of his life.
“Oh? So I’ve been found out? Mission over I guess.”
If he had to leave, at least Dabi would hate him rather than be hurt by him. By making Dabi hate him, Dabi could heal. Even if he couldn’t.
Keigo didn’t blame Dabi when his ex-lover had burned his wings off. He didn’t feel the pain when each feather turned to ash under his love’s quirk. All he could think about, was how beautiful Dabi was, and how much he’d miss those passionate blue eyes.
Keigo woke up with tears wetting his face and pillow. That was the past. It was a nightmare. He’d never be able to see Dabi again, and it was his fault. This new reality he lived would be his fresh start, even if a part of him would always stay with those beautiful blue eyes.
Notes:
If I had a discord for this fic, would you guys join it? I'm tossing up the idea.
In other news, what do you think about Keigo?
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 31: PRO HERO BLAZE AND CO.
Summary:
Blaze, Jack Frost, and Thermis start a new mission, but they need to find someone to help them first.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was uncommon for limelight heroes to be involved in underground missions like trigger busts; the visibility of limelights made them too noticeable to be as effective as any average underground hero. Having them on a mission was like putting up a very obvious sign to any villains who were working illegally that the heroes were coming. Short of putting up a flashing neon sign, having limelight heroes working in the underground was akin to broadcasting their intentions. That was why Touya, Fuyumi and Natsuo were stunned when they were given a mission to hunt down the cause of the spike in trigger related crime in Musutafu. Not only was the circulation of trigger becoming a big issue, but another drug was also raising some alarms. Quirk suppressants had always been readily available on the market; in the age of quirks, they were important in maintaining order, especially when children were young and unable to control their quirks when they first manifested. If it were typical quirk suppressants, the Commission likely wouldn’t have bat an eye, the only problem was, they weren’t. The suppressants currently making the rounds were different . They were stronger, more potent and harmful to the quirk factor. There were rumours going around that they were actually the prototype for another drug. A quirk eraser . The mission was to stop the circulation at the source before it could become too big of an issue.
For Blaze, Thermis, and Jack Frost, who were unfamiliar with the underground scene, they had to rely on Midas’ connections. Even though Tenko had become a prominent rescue hero, he was no slouch in the underground either. With such a destructive quirk, he was forced to learn other skills if he wanted to do hero work, which included masking his presence and making friends in different places.
“According to my contacts, there is one group we need to talk to if we want info.” Midas had told them. As limelights, they had to ask an underground for help. Natsuo had fought for it to be Midas. They didn’t go on nearly enough missions together. If Natsuo could spend more time with Tenko in hero costume, he’d take it. Not that it was the only reason he’d asked Tenko to work with them. Not at all!
—-------
They’d tried to track down even ONE vigilante, but it was like they had all disappeared. The group that Midas had told them about was nowhere to be found. Despite all the rumours about their meetup spots, routes and patrol areas, it was like they had all disappeared. Blaze couldn’t understand why such notorious vigilantes would be so elusive. Throughout the month that he and his team had tried to locate them, they’d be unseen even as their activities continued.
Midas’ contacts had confirmed that they were still operating so it was illogical for none of them to have been visible to him or his siblings. It was like they were actively avoiding Blaze and the heroes. How else would they have disappeared so seamlessly?
Even Midas was unable to catch a glimpse of them during his patrols!
What Blaze did not notice at that moment, was a figure perched on the rooftop adjacent to the alleyway he was in.
—-------
Flashburn was eyeing the young hero as he spoke into his comms. It was Blaze. For the past month, he and his team had been snooping around the areas where Flashburn’s friends operated. If it were any underground hero, this wouldn’t have raised any red flags. They were vigilantes after all, having random heroes try to hunt them down was a given. Some underground heroes would work with them, and others would try to arrest them. It was a coin flip over which hero they’d encounter. That was only underground heroes though. So what was a daylight hero doing looking into their activities?
“Null and the Musutafu Vigilantes are a no go again tonight.” The hero said into his comms. Honestly, he wasn’t that loud, but he was definitely louder than most underground heroes. It came with the territory. Any underground that loud could never catch any villain unaware. In the darkness of night-time heroics, anyone who wasn’t trained to properly deal with the new situation was easy pickings for anyone who did. It wasn’t to say that underground heroes were any better than limelight heroes, but different situations needed different skills. Limelight heroes did not have the skills for underground heroics. Not unless they trained in it.
Jumping onto another roof, Flashburn hurried to meet with Null and his other colleagues. They had things to discuss.
—-------
Blaze watched as a figure hurried away. The figure, who he hoped was a Musutafu Vigilante, had obviously heard what he’d said into his comms. Blaze had almost missed the shadow that followed him, but thankfully, a shift in movement had given the vigilante’s position away.
It was probably not Null. From what he’d heard during one of Midas’ briefing sessions, Null had been quiet recently. Following the take down of the Hero Killer, Null had all but disappeared from the underground. The only people who’d contact him were other vigilantes in his “group”. Blaze was willing to bet that’s where the vigilante that had been following him would go.
If Blaze wanted the information, he needed to get it from Null. If that meant letting this vigilante carry his message to the man himself, Blaze would do it. Like his dad said, “don’t be afraid to make choices just because they’re different. Make those choices because you trust your instincts.”
His instincts told him that this would be the way they’d finally crack the code to speaking with the leader of the Musutafu Vigilantes.
—-------
Null didn’t know what to say. As a vigilante, he’d been worried that he’d run into Tenko. His son ran in the same circles after all. What he hadn’t expected was that he’d be faced with his other kids as well. Touya, Fuyumi and Natsuo were DAYLIGHT HEROES! WHAT WERE THEY DOING IN THE UNDERGROUND?!
Panic rushed through his veins as Null did his best to not react to the news that Flashburn gave him. Whilst he knew that there were heroes poking around, he hadn’t known which heroes were poking around. Eraserhead would have been fine. He’d be prepared for Eraserhead. He was NOT prepared for his kids.
“They’re looking for you specifically, Null.” Glimmer added helpfully. This only served to make the situation worse in Null’s mind.
His kids were hunting him down. How could this possibly get worse?
Despite his worries, Null still wanted to know why his kids were looking for him. The next night, he followed Touya from a distance to see exactly what his kids were doing.
Just like his team had told him, Touya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo were all on the lookout. They patrolled all the areas he usually frequented and took care to scan for any signs of his presence. If they were looking for some other vigilante or villain, Null would have been proud. Too bad it was him they were looking for. He wondered why they were after him. It wasn’t like he made enough trouble for the Commission to demand his capture. Not yet at least.
Whatever reason they had to look for him, he’d find out.
He did find out. 3 nights later.
“We haven’t seen Null at all! And it’s been over a month already!” He heard Natsuo say, a whine evident in his voice. Null smiled. Natsuo would never change.
“We have to keep looking, Natsu. It’s our job!” Fuyumi chastised her little brother as Null watched.
“Natsu, I don’t like it either, but we need the info to solve the Trigger Case.” Ah. So that’s why they wanted to talk to him. It was an open secret in the underground that Null and his allies often tracked down and destroyed known trigger hotspots. It was a good idea for the heroes to try to cooperate with them. It would’ve been a better idea if Null didn’t have to interfere directly.
Null was afraid of being caught by his kids. Nevertheless, he still wanted to help them.
The next night, he hid notes in all the places he knew his kids would look. The notes detailed a location for them to meet and rules that they had to follow.
- They can’t catch him or any other vigilante whilst they were working the case.
- They will not attempt to find out the vigilantes’ civilian identities during the case.
- They will work together genuinely without any sabotage.
These rules ensured his and his allies’ safety. He’d meet with the heroes at a later date to discuss the mission as well as any further rules they’d need to agree on. What he didn’t know, was how close he’d come to getting caught because of it.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-When Shouto first found out about Nabe's ex-
The left side of the room was boiling hot, and the right side of the room was pretty much a freezer. Shouto had lost it, when his siblings finally told him the truth behind Nabe’s past relationship, and why the man refused to date. His dad’s heart was broken, and by some stupid bird bastard.
It had all started with an innocent question, Shouto had asked his siblings why Nabe was still single when he was such an amazing person. He was kind, strong, and everything Shouto could hope for in a dad. Whilst Father was getting better since he had a role model to emulate, Nabe was on another level. It didn’t make sense that no one around him noticed how amazing he is! Is everyone blind?
Only…Touya told him that they did notice how amazing Nabe is.
“Then why doesn’t dad give any of them a chance? Are they not good enough? No one’s as great as dad of course, but surely he’d be interested in someone.” Shouto tried to say as his siblings all exchanged glances. They knew something that Shouto didn’t.
“Shouto…dad…doesn’t have the best experience with dating.” Fuyumi gently explained as Shouto narrowed his eyes. What does she mean ‘dad doesn’t have the best experience with dating’? Fuyumi answered the question that he had before he could ask it.
“I think we should tell you about dad’s ex-boyfriend.” Dad had an ex-boyfriend?
Fuyumi cleared her throat, nudging Tenko as Shouto focused his attention on his siblings’ half-brother.
“So dad’s ex-boyfriend is the Pro Hero Hawks. The bastard used and abused dad to the point where he still has breakdowns sometimes.” Tenko spat as Shouto listened in horror. A pro hero did…that?
“I found dad crying one night, you know? He was watching the news and when Hawks showed up, he couldn’t stop crying.” Tenko let out a bitter laugh that would’ve chilled Shouto had he not been burning in anger.
“I don’t know the exact timeframe of their relationship. Dad was too hurt by it for me to ask him directly but…I’ve heard him talking in his sleep. It’s always the same thing. He’ll start by mumbling ‘I love you’ to ‘Keigo’ before begging him to stay. He’ll start crying for him to not abandon him, and eventually wake up trembling. Hawks hurt dad, BAD.”
Thinking about Nabe crying by himself at night, hiding his feelings and unable to find love because of the treacherous bird, Shouto made a vow to himself. He’d help his dad heal, his dad will find love again, and that bird will PAY.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 32: I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS
Summary:
Touya (Null) has regrets and Enji makes mistakes.
Notes:
I had to redo this chapter cause I accidentally posted it too early the other week-
:')
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first meeting with the heroes was fine. They agreed to all of his terms and Null gave them the information they wanted. It was the second meeting that was the issue.
“Null, I think you should know about Midas. He’s also working on the case.” Blaze introduced, and Null couldn’t help but mentally curse his luck. Of course this would happen to him. He couldn’t be lucky and avoid his son whilst out as a vigilante. Of course. Kami hates him.
Null made sure to keep his voice steady, deepening it as he greeted his son. He didn’t need suspicion on him. Not now, not ever.
“Hello, Midas. I am Null.” He kept it short. Speaking too much increased the chances of Tenko recognising him, even if he deepened it. His son didn’t react to his voice, whether in familiarity or realisation. He didn’t even twitch. Good . And if he could help it, Null would keep it that way.
—-------
Natsuo was giddy as he looked at the papers he was holding, as per their mission, they had chosen an underground hero to assist them. The Commission gave them the option to choose which underground hero, they weren’t very specific, and Natsuo doubted they even cared so long as the mission was completed. During the meetings with his siblings, they had juggled the idea of asking Eraserhead, Nyx or Selphen, all well established underground pros, but Natsuo had managed to convince both Fuyumi and Touya to invite Tenko instead. It’s been far too long since they’ve last had a mission together! And Natsuo refused to admit it, but he enjoyed seeing Tenko’s serious side whenever they collaborated. When they weren’t acting as heroes, Tenko was kind, funny and gentle, almost like the “shy, boy-next-door” type, but when he got serious as a hero…The training that Nabe and UA gave him was obvious. He became this analytical, tactical genius that exuded confidence as he made plans and gave orders. In such a dangerous mission, that confidence was something that Natsuo was willing to bet his life on. Other underground heroes were fine, they were strong in their own right, but Natsuo didn’t know them like he knew Tenko, didn’t understand their habits or what made them tick.
Unlike Tenko, Natsuo wouldn’t be able to put his full trust in them. He could trust them on other missions, but when it was a matter of life or death, he wasn’t sure he could do it. He’d only been a hero for a year, not nearly enough time to build the relationships that his siblings had with other heroes. Not nearly enough time to put his faith in them just yet.
—-------
Throughout their interaction with Null, Fuyumi couldn’t help but think the vigilante was acting…off. It wasn’t as if he was doing anything that would raise any immediate alarms, but Fuyumi saw the way he tensed when they introduced him to Tenko. Why did he do that? Did he have a bad interaction with Tenko? Tenko had told them that he’d never run into Null before, so that couldn’t be it.
When the vigilante left, Fuyumi turned to her brothers.
“That vigilante is acting weird.” She stated bluntly as the boys all looked at her.
“What do you mean Yumi?” Touya asked, eyebrow quirked in a show of interest.
“I mean, that vigilante was tense when we introduced him to Tenko.” Fuyumi said. Her brothers just looked at her blankly.
“Are you sure Yumi?”
“I am an underground hero, I arrest a lot of wayward vigilantes. Maybe I arrested one of his friends?” Tenko shrugged as Touya and Natsuo nodded their agreement.
“Yeah Yumi, where else would he have run into Tenko? Tenko’s never seen him in person before.” Natsuo added and the topic was quickly brushed over. Fuyumi let the subject drop. They were right, maybe she was reading into the situation too much.
They had bigger things to worry about.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Endeavor Tries Parenting: Touya-
Ever since he started counselling, Enji has been doing his best to mend his relationships with his children. Sometimes, he thought he might be too late, but there was always something that made him press forward. Something that let him persevere, even when he thought all hope was lost. When he closed his eyes, he could see his family laughing around the dinner table. He wanted to be there with them. He was Enji Todoroki, a man who had hurt his family and was now begging for atonement. He was Endeavor, he would do anything to reach his goals. Enji Todoroki and Endeavor were the same man, and they held many of the same traits. Giving up was not an option. Even moreso because he couldn’t give up on his family. Couldn’t give up his children and the life he had wanted to live when he was a boy, dreaming of the future. He may have made mistakes, but he wouldn’t be himself if he ran away from them. Channeling the brave part of Endeavor, Enji would try again and again to bond with his kids and fix what he had broken, even if they wanted to replace him.
The first few months of interactions with his kids were awkward; neither he nor his children were comfortable with the new boundaries being set. They walked on eggshells around each other, trying to establish a new normal. The consellor and therapists Enji had hired had to reteach him how he should interact with his children. The way he behaved before would only push them further away. As a child, Enji was the lone heir to his family fortune, he’d been educated by private tutors and faced the high expectations of his father. He’d hated it, and vowed to be different for his kids.
The first child he had to make things up to was Touya.
That was how Enji found himself in his current situation.
“Why are you here again?” Touya asked him as Enji tried his best not to flinch under his son’s gaze.
“Try to learn about their interests.”
His therapist’ words flowed through his mind as Enji’s resolve steeled.
“I want to spend some time together.” There was a moment of silence. Touya didn’t say anything, but Enji hung on to his every movement. Every twitch or change of expression had his nerves roaring.
“Ok.” That one word had relief flooding Enji, extinguishing the burning nervous feeling that had almost overtaken him in the time it took for Touya to come to his decision. His son was giving him a chance! He wouldn’t waste it.
Touya didn’t have class today, so Enji was unsurprised as his son remained in casual clothes.
“Follow me.” And Enji did. He walked a little behind Touya as he led Enji through the house. They ended up in the kitchen and Enji felt a sense of fear take root within him. Were they going to-
“We’re making lunch for everyone.” Enji’s fears were realised. They were cooking .
There was a reason why Rei did most of the cooking in the house, a very good reason at that. Enji didn’t want to perpetuate gender stereotypes, but Rei was always the more nurturing one between the both of them. That started with cooking. Enji couldn’t cook. Not to save his life. He was pretty sure that the last time he tried, Rei had to ice over the kitchen to stop the house from burning down. That was before Touya was even born . Who knew what would happen now that he’d not stepped foot into a kitchen in over two decades. Enji prayed to whatever gods out there that he wouldn’t destroy their home today. That would just be another thing to talk about in couples counselling…as if they didn’t always have enough to talk about.
Despite his worries, Enji wasn’t going to back down. He still wanted to spend time with his eldest, no matter how much the activity in question made him want to run out of the house.
That was where he made his first mistake.
It was supposed to be an easy recipe. Touya had told him that he and Natsuo had made it multiple times on their own as children. That made Enji let his guard down, maybe he’d gotten better at cooking with age?
The first and last thing Enji made that day was supposed to be a stirfry. All he had to do was add in the ingredients and let them cook halfway through before adding in the pre-cooked noodles. It was an easy recipe. So how did he mess up so badly?
The first thing to go wrong was stirfrying the ingredients. The chicken and vegetables had to be half done before he added the noodles. Having been lulled into a false sense of confidence at the simplicity of the recipe, Enji hadn’t paid much attention to what he was doing, preferring to watch as Touya made another dish. He hadn’t realised, but his quirk made cooking a more difficult task. It sped up the cooking time. With his eyes not watching, the ingredients were burned and started to smoke before he could bring his eyes back to what he was doing.
“Shit!” He cursed as Touya’s eyes snapped over to him.
“Everything ok, Father?” His son asked as Enji tried his best to pretend he hadn’t just burnt the ingredients.
“Yes. Everything is fine.” Touya looked like he didn’t believe him, but didn’t question him.
“It should be time for you to add the noodles now.”
“Right!” Enji scrambled to throw the noodles into the wok, using them to cover his burnt mistake and hopefully mask his previous ineptitude. Touya looked away, focused on whatever he was making. It smelled delicious.
As the noodles were precooked in boiling water, Enji just had to make sure they were warmed up before adding the seasonings. Touya hadn’t told him exactly which seasonings to add, but Enji figured he could just go by eye.
Though Enji didn’t typically cook, he’d watched Rei do it a few times. Adding seasonings and sauces shouldn’t be that hard, right? Enji started by adding a base that he’d seen Rei do multiple times. Soy sauce, it was a safe option. Enji poured a quarter of the bottle into the wok, hopefully, this will mask the taste of some of the burnt ingredients.
The next few ingredients Enji added seemed simple enough: chilli oil, garlic, pepper, salt and sesame oil. Enji roughly chopped up half of the garlic into chunks and stirred it into the noodles. Knowing his family’s love for spicy food, he put a generous amount of chilli oil into the wok. Finishing off with a garnish of spring onion, Enji felt satisfied with himself.
By the time he’d plated and made sure that his dish looked presentable, Touya had finished off the rest of his dish and was now eyeing Enji’s yakisoba with interest.
“Do you want to try some?” Enji asked and was delighted when Touya nodded.
“I haven’t tried any of your cooking before, so I’m curious.” Smiling a large grin at his son, Enji portioned out a serving and handed it to Touya. Touya gave a sniff at his dish but didn’t comment, though Enji could hear a slight sniffle from his eldest. Was Touya sick? Touya’s face was flushed pink as he mumbled a quick, “Itadakimasu” and brought the plate to the kitchen bench, taking out a pair of chopsticks from a drawer and staring at the dish again with a strange look on his face. Enji thought he looked like a curious little kitten.
As Enji waited for Touya to finally try his cooking, he felt as if he were a contestant in a cooking competition. He held his breath as his son tried the first thing he’d made in over 20 years.
Touya lifted the noodles to his lips, and put it in his mouth. Then, all hell broke loose.
His eldest ran out of the room and Enji could hear a distant splash in the direction of the garden, as if something large had jumped into the pond.
He…failed.
When Rei got back with Shouto, Natsuo and Fuyumi from their errands that day, they found Touya chugging glass after glass of water and Enji trying not to cry as he stared at a half-burnt plate of…whatever that was.
Natsuo instantly broke into loud cackles as he watched his older brother suffer from whatever monstrosity their father had made. Fuyumi, sweet, caring, Fuyumi, tried not to join him, but ultimately failed when she saw Touya scrubbing his tongue with a brush, tears streaming down his face. Poor Shouto just watched in confusion as the house descended into chaos.
Rei just stood in front of her husband as he frantically apologised for his heinous crime of cooking. Honestly, there was a reason Rei had banned him from the kitchen all those years ago. Didn’t he learn? Whilst it would be nice to not have to cook, she’d prefer having to cook everyday to Enji accidentally poisoning one of their children.
Rei felt a sense of pity for both her husband and eldest child as Enji tried to make it up to Touya by giving him treats he knew their son liked, only for Touya to stare at the offering in suspicion. Was this…going backwards in their recovery?
Notes:
Don't forget that Natsuo is still new on the scene despite being a relatively high-ranked hero. He doesn't fully trust a lot of other heroes yet, he's smart enough not to put blind faith in anyone he doesn't fully know.
And the bonus is set a few weeks after UA started, so Touya was at home because this was the week before the Sports Festival. It also explains why Enji was so much closer to his family during Touya's Sports Festival. They all pitied him for being such a horrendous cook. They couldn't even accuse him of purposefully poisoning Touya since he just looked that regretful.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 33: INVESTIGATION PART I
Summary:
Information comes from multiple places.
Notes:
The chapter's a little shorter than normal, didn't want to drag it out for word count and I thought it was fitting.
On a side note- do you guys want additional trivia on the characters? And if so, would you prefer I post them as part of a bonus section or as a separate fic?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With Null’s help and connections, the heroes were able to gather information at a much faster rate than they would have, had they worked alone. The vast network the man had built over the years was honestly both impressive and concerning. Impressive, because it made their investigation so much smoother, but concerning, because Null was a vigilante, and not a hero. When this is all over, they’d need to keep a closer eye on the underground, and maybe add Eraserhead into the discussion as well. Through some of Null’s contacts, they were able to speak to other vigilantes about their observations on the underground’s movements. Typically, the denizens of the underground trusted no one, and worked alone, barring organisations such as yakuza groups. In more recent days though, there were an increasing number of villain groups forming, most likely inspired by the League of Villains. These new groups acted with varying degrees of success. According to their intel, whilst some groups found the organisation easier to commit crimes in, other groups failed spectacularly, fighting amongst themselves and fizzling out. From what Blaze had heard, one group of villains had gotten into a fight near the docks and made themselves enough of a nuisance to be eliminated by stronger forces. The underground was truly a scary place, people could disappear without anyone ever questioning it.
Blaze knew that after these investigations, he’d have a healthy fear of the underground. He was thankful he was a limelight hero.
—-------
Shouta was tired. He was usually tired, but this was a new low, even for him. The past several nights were spent tracking down and capturing multiple villains. Even with his position as a teacher at UA, Shouta was still a hero. A hero, who needed to patrol at night. Oh joy.
His agency had notified him of a suspicious increase in villain activity on his route. Due to the multiple events happening at UA, Shouta had been unable to keep track of his usual route as much as he would have in a normal year. Too bad, someone clearly hated him and decided to unleash a crowd of villains into his patrol zone, how inconsiderate of them. He’d spent all night capturing and interrogating the villains, most of whom wore some strange kind of bird mask. When he and Tsukauchi had interrogated them about it, not a single villain would explain just what those masks meant, even when it was clear that they were all part of the same organisation.
The villain he was currently apprehending was another of the masked men. He had a minor telekinesis quirk and had tried to throw multiple things at Shouta during their fight. It might have slowed him down if Shouta was anyone else, but he wasn’t. He was Eraserhead. With Shouta’s quirk erasing his, the villain went down without any issues. Honestly, his quirkless fighting was abysmal. It was obvious that the villain relied all too much on his quirk. Another reason Shouta refused to let his students rely on only one skill, it made situations like this possible.
As he wrapped the villain in his capture weapon, the tears started. Shouta was an awkward man, he could admit that to himself. He wasn’t like Hizashi or Nemuri, he didn’t know how to comfort someone. That made him at a loss when the villain just started blubbering in his capture weapon. He was a sorry sight, tears and snot streaming down his face as Shouta forced himself not to grimace. It was getting on his capture weapon. He’d have to clean it THOROUGHLY after his patrol.
“I FAILED! I COULDN’T COMPLETE THE MISSION!” The villain cried as Shouta did his best to wait for law enforcement to arrive. He wanted to leave the villain here the moment he started crying. He didn’t know how to deal with this. On one hand, the man was sobbing. On the other, he was a villain. Either way, Shouta didn’t want to be in this situation. He wanted to be in bed.
Amidst the crying, the villain started muttering, and had Shouta not been the hero he was, he would have missed it.
“Overhaul. Boss. I’m sorry…I failed..I couldn’t tell you about Null’s involvement with the heroes…I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The crying slowly stopped, but that didn’t make Shouta’s job any easier. The villain looked like he was now hyperventilating. He was sweating, panting, and if Shouta hadn’t had him immobilised in his capture scarf, he’d probably be shaking. Shit. When will law enforcement get here again? They’d be better equipped to deal with this situation.
Shouta did the best he could with what he had, without loosening his grip on the villain, he started to coach him through his breathing, pulling the damn bird mask off his face to let him breathe more easily.
“Kid. Hey! Breathe in with me. That’s right. In. And. Out. Breathe in… Breathe out.” Now that Shouta was looking at the villain, he noticed a few things that he hadn’t taken note of in the dim lighting of the alleyway. The villain wasn’t very old. In fact, he couldn’t have been much older than some of his students.
“You’re still a kid..” Shouta found himself muttering under his breath. What was a kid doing, acting as a villain? It wasn’t too long before Tsukauchi and a few other officers finally arrived. Typical, arriving after Shouta already dealt with the issue. What great timing.
Ushering the child , into the police car, Shouta turned to face his longtime friend, not that he’d ever tell the man to his face.
“The kid’s a part of the organisation that’s been springing up in recent reports. He’s young, but definitely knows things from what I’ve heard of his mumblings.” Shouta recounted as Tsukauchi had a pensive look on his face.
“Ok. I’ll make sure to question him once we’re back at the department-” Shouta cut him off.
“He was mumbling about some guy called Overhaul and how he was assigned some sort of mission to trail Null. You might be able to use that in order to draw more information out of him.” Tsukauchi nodded and once again began to speak.
“There’s a few heroes looking into the Overhaul case so I’ll make sure they’re informed. Was there anything else you wanted me to know?” Shouta thought about it for a moment, grimacing when he finally made his decision.
“Make…make sure that the kid gets help once this is over ok? They're still young, they can learn from their mistakes.” After he said his piece, Shouta whirled around, not wanting to see the smile that he knew would stretch on the detective’s face.
“You’re such a softy, Eraserhead-” Shouta didn’t want to listen anymore. The villains were delivered safely into police custody so he could leave . Jumping onto a roof, Shouta ran into the night. Just two more hours and then he could go home and sleep.
—-------
Naomasa smiled. His friend was never honest with his feelings, it was obvious even without his quirk. Eraser was a caring man. He had a soft spot for kids and always did his best to look out for them, no matter the circumstance. That was what made him such a great hero. He may not be a limelight hero that relied on public opinion for his rank, but he never let that stop him from being kind. Naomasa admired that about him. He did things because he wanted to, no one could tell him otherwise. He never faked a smile, he didn’t even smile a lot, but that made each smile much more genuine. With heroes like him out there, Naomasa knew that the world was a better place.
Now…with the information that Eraser had just told him, Naomasa had to make sure that Sir Nighteye got the tip about Overhaul. For the past few months, Nighteye had been collecting information on the Shie Hassaikai so this bit of information might be helpful. The Shie Hassaikai was an old yakuza group, they’d been around since the dawn of quirks. It was a wonder they still remained relevant even today.
Turning to look at the teenager (the villain couldn’t have been older than 18!), Naomasa let out a soft sigh. Hopefully, the teen knew a little more about what Overhaul was after. The Shie Hassaikai had been making a few unusual moves in the underground, and Naomasa didn’t like it.
After managing to get more information out of the kid in exchange for amnesty and protection, Naomasa liked it even less.
Overhaul was experimenting with quirk erasing drugs, and using small-time villains to test his prototypes on heroes. That was bad. He needed to contact Nighteye. Now.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Endeavor Tries Parenting: Natsuo-
After the absolute disaster of an attempt at cooking, his family had collectively banned him from the kitchen. He wasn’t allowed to do anything but watch as they cooked. Even Shouto gave him a look of pity as he sat, unable to help them make dumplings.
When they’d finished, he’d heard a whispered, “how are you still alive?” And felt a stab to the chest at the words. His youngest child was surprised that he’d managed to make it this far with his lack of skill in the kitchen? Enji felt depressed as he answered the boy.
“All your mother’s doing I suppose.” It stung even more when Shouto nodded his head, as if in agreement.
“Yes, you are a hazard.”
Now that cooking as a bonding activity was out, Enji had to find other ways to get to know his children. Touya was still looking at anything he offered with a suspicion that should only be reserved for emperors avoiding assassination, so Enji moved on to his next son. Natsuo.
Though he had not spoken to his middle son as much, he’d still kept an eye on his interests and hobbies to an extent. Enough to know that he liked videogames at least. So the next weekend, Enji asked his son if he wanted to play videogames with him. Thankfully, as it was not cooking related, Natsuo agreed readily. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mess up this time.
Enji bought a new videogame just for the occasion. The newest on the market so he knew Natsuo hadn’t played it yet.
“I got you a new game.” He offered the game to his son, who promptly lit up as he held it.
“It’s the new Crystal Labyrinth game! Thanks, dad!” Before either of them could react, Natsuo hugged him. When they finally realised what happened, they both froze . Tentatively, Enji brought his arms up and hugged back. Natsuo melted in his arms, burying his face into Enji’s chest. Enji could see his son’s ears turn a bright red, very noticeable with his pale skin as he mumbled into his chest.
“Can you play with me…dad?” Enji felt like crying. He’d almost missed out on this. On a relationship with his son because he was too stupid and bullheaded to see anything else but the No. 1 spot.
“Of course, Natsuo. I’m right here.” It was the first time he’d played a videogame in his life, and he may have “sucked” at it from how Natsuo was giggling at his mistakes, but Enji had never felt happier in his life over losing.
He’d made his son laugh, and he was spending time with him. Today couldn’t get any better.
The next time Enji was at the counsellor’s, he proudly showed off his interaction with Natsuo. Honestly, the man was both impressed and disappointed. It sounded contradictory, but one Kaito Ejiri didn’t care. After the disaster that was the man’s first attempt at spending time with his children one-on-one, this was at least a better experience, not that last time was a very high bar to cross. Mrs. Todoroki had asked Kaito to suggest different bonding experiences that her husband could have with their children. Seeing as they all liked to cook, the inability to cook was a major setback. Thankfully, playing videogames with the son that liked videogames hadn’t ended up in some other disaster. It was pitiful how low his expectations for the No. 2 Hero had become, but after multiple conversations with the man, Kaito had realised that Mr. Enji Todoroki was hopeless at communication. It had taken many hours for Kaito to fully understand the man’s actions and what spurred them. That in turn led to one question that Kaito would love to have the answer to.
Why was the No. 2 Hero so socially awkward?
Notes:
If you're wondering why Natsuo forgave Enji so fast, how different do you think he and Fuyumi are? They're not that different, he also craves his father's love and acknowledgment. This is set when the Todorokis are pretty young, like only a few weeks/months after Enji first found out about Nabe. So Natsuo's about 12 years old in this. That doesn't erase everything that Enji did til now, but his actions were stopped early enough for reconciliation to be possible. It also helps that in my AU, Enji didn't do anything too bad. Like he's nowhere near as bad as in canon. The worst he's done so far is ignore his kids and train Shouto a little too harshly (for a few months). Also, the kids are young enough to still crave that connection with their father (if it had gone on for a few more years, that would be different)
Basically, I headcanon that Natsuo was most hurt by canon Endeavor's neglect aside from Touya, so I give him the fatherly interaction he deserves. Also, Enji is getting better. He's no longer a flaming trash heap. Please direct those insults against canon Endeavor.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 34: INVESTIGATION PART II
Summary:
Sir Nighteye is on the case!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
After receiving the tip-off from Detective Tsukauchi, Mirai immediately made plans to contact Trailblazer, Thermis, and Jack Frost.
“Hello, this is the Fire Bird Agency! How may we help you today?” A cheery voice answered the phone. Mirai glanced down at the papers on his desk before speaking, making sure to give the assistant only the most basic information. He’d discuss the rest with the heroes later.
“This is Sir Nighteye, I have some important information for Trailblazer, Thermis, and Jack Frost. When they return from patrols, get them to call me back. Thank you.” Without giving the assistant time to say anything else, Mirai ended the call. Now, before he spoke with them, he’d have to reorganise his information. He’d need to have everything prepared before he invited the gremlins into the Overhaul case.
It wasn’t even the end of the day before Mirai got a call back.
“Nighteye! You really have to stop calling me Trailblazer! No one calls me that but YOU!” Touya Todoroki spoke accusingly, but Mirai could hear a hint of jest in his voice.
“It’s your name, brat. It’s the one your Hero License is listed under.” Mirai tried to stay serious, but the precocious brat was too good at getting a rise out of him.
“Come on, Old Man! You’re the only one that ever calls me that! Just call me Blaze! Or are you too old to remember that? Should I start calling the retirement homes?”
Mirai had to bite his lip in order to stop himself from spitting back a retort. No. Getting into an argument now would not be a smart move. They had a mission to complete. He could yell at the brat later.
“Todoroki. This is serious.” The switch to the hero’s last name caught Trailblazer’s attention, and the hero student Mirai had mentored back then came to the surface.
“Tell me everything, Nighteye.” There was no trace of humour in his voice as Trailblazer adopted his hero persona.
“Come over to my agency, and bring Thermis, Jack Frost and Midas. This isn’t something I can discuss over the phone.” Mirai didn’t want to take any chances with this mission, and that meant information needed to be presented in person. The situation was getting too delicate to act carelessly.
“Roger that. We’ll be there soon.” Trailblazer’s voice was clipped as he spoke, and then the call ended. Now, Mirai will have to wait for them to arrive.
“Bubble Girl, set up the meeting room!” He called out to his sidekick as she nodded, walking out of the room.
—-------
Touya felt an odd sense of trepidation heading to Nighteye’s Agency. The last time he was here was for his internship during second year, it had been a while since he saw his old mentor in this setting. Beside him, Fuyumi straightened up, ready to walk into whatever meeting Nighteye had most likely set up.
“It’s time to go.” He told his siblings as they walked in. Bubble Girl met them at the entrance.
“Long time no see, Blaze! Sir is waiting for you in conference room 2! You still remember where it is right?” Touya nodded. He’d spent a good many hours in that room, Nighteye had taught him in that room many times. Whatever strategy he hadn’t learnt from dad, he’d learnt from Nighteye.
Walking through the doors and into the familiar room gave Touya a sense of deja vu. It felt like only yesterday, he’d been a young hero hopeful, fighting for the chance to make his dreams reality. It was strange to think that he’d already made it. Before he could do anything else, Nighteye cleared his throat and Touya looked up.
“We need to combine our missions, so I’m formally requesting a merge.” Nighteye stated bluntly as every other eye in the room shot up to meet his.
“Is there a reason why that is happening, Nighteye?” Touya was all serious as he asked his ex-mentor.
“Overhaul is directly involved in your investigation.”
The mood in the room dropped as Nighteye passed around packets of information.
“And I have it on good authority that he’s interested in your informant. Null was it?” Touya froze. How much did Nighteye gather about their mission before this meeting? Was there a leak? Did anyone else know?
—-------
“Nighteye is not going anywhere near me with his quirk.” Null thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, but like always, he was horribly mistaken. Sir Nighteye was one of the only people in this new reality that could identify him as an outsider. He didn’t belong. He didn’t need someone else to tell him that.
Null met the heroes’-his kids’- gazes as he held the stare. He would not budge on this topic. If Nighteye managed to touch him with his quirk, it would be all over. The happy life he’d built for himself would crumble to dust before his eyes. He’d be forced to run… again. He’d have to abandon his kids, his cafe, his friends, all the people who he’d met in this new world and he’d be all alone.
“Sir Nighteye will not use his quirk around me. If he does, the deal’s off.” Null did his best to convey the serious nature of his demand. He meant it. If Nighteye took one step in his direction with his quirk activated, Null would leave. He couldn’t risk his life because of the actions of one stupid hero.
“Promise me. He won’t come near me.” Null pressed again and Fuyumi nodded.
“That’s fair. We were never going to have Sir Nighteye use his quirk on you. It would have broken our agreement, not to look for you.” Touya knew that, but he wanted to make sure they were well aware. If Nighteye forced his quirk on Null…he’d be forced to take lethal action.
“Good. I’ll leave a message if anything else comes up.” Null disappeared into the night, his bit said and with no other reason to be with the heroes.
The rest of the mission would be more difficult than expected. The risks had suddenly skyrocketed overnight. He’d need to make sure he was prepared for every possible outcome, starting with what happened in the last timeline. The Vanguard Action Squad. Whether they exist or not is in question.
—----------------------------
BONUS:
-Touya's Big Hero Debut-
Standing in front of the downed villain, Touya couldn’t help the exhilaration rushing through him. This was it. This was moment he started his journey to make his mark. The years of training that he’d undergone even before starting at UA would finally bear fruit. Sure he’d had internships and work studies before, but somehow…this felt different. It was like he was finally entering the world of heroics for the first time.
Holding the villain’s victim in his arms, he made sure the girl was uninjured before placing her back down near the crowd. He then returned to making sure that he villain couldn’t get back up to terrorise the civilians. Pulling quirk cancelling cuffs from his pocket, Touya made his first villain arrest as a pro hero.
His moment of victory didn’t last long.
“TRAILBLAZER! WELL DONE MY SON! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” His father’s hand slammed into his shoulder and Touya fought to remain upright. The cameras flashed as Endeavor burst onto the scene, a wide smile on his face as he took in the view of his eldest, a hero at last.
“THAT’S MY BOY!” He smiled as he held Touya by the shoulders and pushed him in front to face the cameras.
“SEE?! THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP HEROES IN A COUPLE YEARS! I GUARANTEE IT!” He pointed into the crowd as Touya did his best to stop his father from embarrassing him any further.
“Father! Stop!” Touya hissed, cheeks burning as he swatted hands away from his hair.
“You’re embarrassing me!”
His father did a great job at looking confused. As if there was anything to be confused about.
“What do you mean my boy?” Father tilted his head with a surprised look on his face.
Touya couldn’t take it anymore.
“You know what? Let’s get food. I’m hungry. Let’s get food.” He started tugging his father away from the media, whom were all still pushing a bunch of microphone at them. Cameras kept flashing as Touya handed the villain over to the authorities and spirited the No. 2 Hero, Endeavor away from the masses before he could do anything else to ruin Touya’s reputation.
“We can make dinner together!” His father suggested and Touya couldn’t hide the disgust on his face fast enough.
“I will take any attempt of cooking from you as attempted murder.” Touya said before trudging to an all too familiar cafe.
Dad will feed him. And whatever he feeds Touya will be heavenly.
—-------
Amidst the loud noises and everyday bustle of Musutafu, no one noticed a girl slink into an alleyway, cheeks flushed pink as she remembered the gentle way the hero had held her. Father was wrong! Heroes were amazing!
She couldn’t wait to tell him that she had found a hero that was real! It was just like her fairytales!
Notes:
If you're wondering why Sir Nighteye didn't notice any differences in the timeline, it's because he wouldn't have seen the original timeline. By the time he was at UA and training his quirk to be strong enough to see years into the future, Older Touya would have already changed the timeline by meeting Younger Touya and training him. If Older Touya made the change later, then maybe Nighteye would have noticed. Due to timing though, he has not noticed.
Trailblazer is Blaze's official hero name, but he generally goes by Blaze. At this point, no one really calls him "Trailblazer" anymore. At most, during the Hero Billboard, they call him "The Trailblazing Hero: Blaze".
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian, who helped me so much with working out what I actually wanted to write for this chapter.
Chapter 35: FINAL EXAMS
Summary:
Shouto shows some skills and Izuku speaks his mind.
Chapter Text
“Typically, we’d have you fighting robots. But due to the events of this year, we thought it would be better to have a more…hands on approach.”
It was the day of practical exams and through Kendo, 1A had been told they’d be fighting robots. They were sorely mistaken.
“First Group: Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. You’ll be fighting me.” Mr. Aizawa announced as Shouto stood still, perfectly calm. If UA really made them fight robots for their final exam after the year they’ve had so far..they’d be stupid. With all the villain attacks, and the newly debuted “League of Villains”, the teachers had every right to be on edge. It’d be stranger if they weren’t. Robots were easy enough to take down; from what Shouto heard from his peers during the Sports Festival, most of them could already take down a few with minimal training. It wouldn’t be enough of a challenge to have to fight them again.
Shouto zoned out through the next few names, considering different plans they could use to take down Mr. Aizawa until-
“Group Five: Midoriya and Bakugo. You’ll be fighting-” the principal was cut off when All Might appeared, dropping out of the sky and landing heavily on the ground. Shouto was surprised the man didn’t make a crater around him.
“ME!” So Midoriya is fighting his sperm donor… Shouto started to feel concerned for his new…friend? He’d consider the green-haired boy his friend. The other boy was interesting, he reminded Shouto of his siblings in some ways. Midoriya’s intelligence and kindness was reminiscent of Natsuo and Fuyumi, and sometimes it was like he could see a spark of Touya’s mischief in those green eyes. That spark had been missing for the past few weeks though. Shouto wasn’t sure if he was the only one who noticed it, but it was like Midoriya had crafted a carefully placed mask over his features, hiding his true emotions underneath. For anyone who wasn’t looking, he was just like he usually was. Kind, nerdy and always willing to help anyone who approached him. Nevertheless, Shouto could tell his new friend had been distracted with something, and now that they knew what the final exam was…Midoriya must be afraid of confronting his deadbeat dad. As if to confirm his suspicions, the green-haired boy suddenly had a complex look on his face. Alert eyes darted between Bakugo and the No. 1 Hero. No doubt, Midoriya would find a way to confront All Might on his own during their exams. It was just a question of whether or not Bakugo would stay out of it.
“Todoroki! I’d like to talk strategy if you don’t mind!” Shouto was distracted from his thoughts when a voice called out to him. It was his partner. Momo Yaoyorozu was someone he’d met a few times at the formal events his family had gone to. As peers around the same age, they’d been introduced on multiple occasions, told to play outside as “the adults talked”. In short, Shouto was very familiar with Yaoyorozu, though not as much as he was with Tenya.
“Of course, Yaoyorozu.”
—-------
The past couple of weeks had given Izuku the time he needed to gather his thoughts. What Monoma had said the week before the Sports Festival had struck a chord with him.
The way he’d been treated in the past had been wrong. The way his classmates had hurt him, and laughed at his tears was bad-no…it was villainous. It wasn’t normal for him to second guess his friends. He shouldn’t have to constantly think over his words, fearful that what he said would cause someone to react violently against him. He shouldn’t shrink in on himself whenever he heard yelling in his direction. No-What Monoma had told everyone had made Izuku rethink his life.
Why was it that a four-year-old was condemned to a life of uselessness, of bullying and tears just because of a genetic factor that they couldn’t control? Why was it that no one helped him? His teachers had turned a blind eye to his suffering, but in the past, UA had expelled nearly an entire Hero Course class over it. If heroes followed the laws and represented the good in society, what did that say about his teachers? Shouldn’t teachers help their students? But then…why wasn’t he included?
He knew the answer. He’d always known the answer. It was because he was quirkless. He couldn’t breathe fire, or pull objects towards him. Couldn’t do anything to show that he was an evolved human being. Funny how they thought “less evolved” meant less human. Izuku was sure he’d made his mum worry at his behaviour. It was one thing to hide his sadness at school, but he couldn’t do it at home. He couldn’t bottle everything up inside anymore. If he did, he was sure he’d explode.
That led to his mum asking him what was wrong. She’d been clearly worried, the Midoriya tears making an appearance multiple times in their conversation. Wrapped up in her arms, Izuku couldn’t help but break. Walls built over years and years of suffering finally cracking as he let the flood of emotions he’d suppressed gush out of him, along with his own river of tears. Between him and his mum, Izuku was surprised he didn’t receive any complaints from the neighbours about flooding.
When his mum had found out the truth about Aldera and Kacch-Bakugo, Izuku had to beg her not to go straight to the Bakugo Residence to yell at Bakugo for not helping Izuku or telling her. She’d obviously been angry and had Izuku not known better, he’d think that she might actually hurt Bakugo. But his mum wouldn’t do that. Despite his flaws, Bakugo had never laid a hand or quirk on him. Yes, his words might have hurt, but he never crossed the line.
Izuku and his mum had compromised over what they should do. He’d let her handle Aldera in any way she saw fit, so long as she let him deal with Kacch-Bakugo himself. There were a few questions he still wanted to ask his ex-bestfriend.
Being assigned partners in the final exams was a coincidence, but Izuku couldn’t help but feel grateful to whoever made that decision. He had a few things to say to Bakugo, a few questions to ask, and a few things to get off his chest.
When it was finally their turn to board the bus to their exam area, Izuku and Bakugo sat in silence. Neither wanting to speak to the other just yet.
—-------
Shouto wasn’t sure what the teachers had been thinking when they had paired him up with Yaoyorozu against their homeroom teacher, but he was sure that they hadn’t expected him to fight like this.
Flipping away from a swipe aimed at his head, Shouto kept his eyes on his teacher. Mr. Aizawa-no. Eraserhead had his quirk activated, red eyes glaring down at Shouto as Yaoyorozu stood behind him.
“Yaoyorozu! Go!” There was no point for both of them to confront Eraserhead now, especially as they would just get in each other’s way. For Eraserhead, who needed to keep his target in his sights for his quirk to affect them, grouping together would only help the man. Shouto wasn’t willing to give their teacher any advantages that he knew he could take away. That meant Yaoyorozu needs to get as far away as possible.
He met his classmate’s eyes briefly, Yaoyorozu looked unsure. Finally, she started to run.
“I’ll meet you later, Todoroki!”
Now, Shouto needed to keep Eraserhead busy long enough for his teammate to reach the exit, or defeat him outright.
With his eyes focused on his teacher, Shouto drew a smoke bomb from his pocket and threw it to the ground.
Have fun trying to cancel my quirk now, Eraserhead.
—-------
Katsuki hasn’t been avoiding the nerd. He hasn’t. He just had a lot of things to think about. Katsuki was doing his best to ignore the silence in the bus as they departed for their exam area. That’s why he nearly jumped when the nerd spoke up.
“Kacchan. We need to talk.” Shit.
Katsuki tried not to look nervous as he turned to face the nerd.
“Huh? ”
“I need answers, Bakugo. I need to know why you did those things before. You heard what Monoma said. It’s unacceptable behaviour.”
“So what’s your point? Going to tell the teachers on me?” Bakugo did his best to keep the worry from seeping into his voice. He didn’t need to look weak now. Not right before the exam, and definitely not in front of the nerd.
“The point is that WE WERE BEST FRIENDS, KATSUKI! THEN ONE DAY YOU JUST STARTED BEING MEAN!” The nerd’s soft voice transitioned into a yell as he spoke. It was obvious that the years of anger that he must’ve hidden away was now bubbling to the surface.
“I’M NOT STUPID, KATSUKI! THERE WAS A REASON YOU ACTED LIKE THAT! YOU DON’T JUST GO FROM BEING BEST FRIENDS TO A BULLY THE NEXT!!” Katsuki just stared at the ner-Izuku, slack jawed and unable to comprehend what he was hearing. What?
“I never hit you-”
“NO, YOU DIDN’T, BUT DID YOU EVER DEFEND ME?! DID YOU EVER CARE ENOUGH TO ASK ME IF I WAS OK?! OR EVEN TRY TO STOP THE BULLIES?! YOU MAY NOT HAVE HURT ME PHYSICALLY, BUT DON’T THINK I FORGET YOU EXPLODING MY THINGS KATSUKI!” Katsuki cringed. He did do that..but the nerd never said anything against him. In truth, he was just waiting for a reaction. He wanted to finally see the nerd react and…now he was reacting..
“TELL ME!!” Katsuki had never seen the nerd so angry before, and frankly, it scared him. After the years of taunting, he thought the nerd didn’t have an angry bone in his body. He should’ve known. The scariest people are those who are slow to anger, once they were angry, you know you’ve fucked up.
“You don’t need to know nerd-”
“NO! YOU’RE EXPLAINING YOURSELF NOW!!” Katsuki was thankful when the bus stopped moving. They were at their exam site. Once the doors opened, Katsuki rushed out. A moment later, a green gremlin followed him, anger still blazing in his eyes.
“You will tell me, Katsuki Bakugo. I need to know. You owe it to me.” Izuku wasn’t yelling anymore, but Katsuki could still hear the cold anger in his voice. Katsuki couldn’t help it.
“Then you’ll tell me why you never fought back.” There was a tense silence between them now.
“Fine.”
“Now, let’s work together to defeat All Might, Deku.”
“Ok, Kacchan .” Neither of them apologised for their argument on the bus, and they weren’t satisfied with the way the conversation ended, but the fact that they could agree to work together spoke volumes about how much they’d changed. They grew up from the boys they were before. Looking back, they’d realise that conversation was the start of their healing.
—-------
Shouto made sure to keep out of sight as he evaded Eraserhead’s capture weapon. He’d had to throw multiple smoke bombs down to keep the hero from just catching him. Say what you may, but Eraserhead wasn’t the No. 1 Underground Hero for nothing. Tenko had told him that when he’d asked about the man.
“Are you just going to keep trying to blind me, Todoroki? How many smoke bombs do you still have?” His teacher’s voice could be heard and Shouto knew that the man had a point. He only had so many smoke bombs, he was on his last three and he had to make them count.
Just as the smoke was starting to clear, Shouto threw down another one. He was now down to two.
As he dodged, Shouto’s mind was buzzing with what he should do next. He needed to keep Aizawa busy, and then surprise him with an attack strong enough to immobilise him. Anything else would give him the chance to escape.
Finally, an idea came to mind. And Father told him that learning how to play pranks with Natsu wouldn’t help him in life. Ha! Watch that training, help him pass the final exams. As Aizawa came into sight, Shouto pretended to run out of smoke bombs. He let a panicked expression settle over his face and saw his teacher’s face shift into one of disappointment. Yes. Let your guard down. Shouto made a show of rifling through his pockets before bringing his hands out. Empty.
He could see his teacher make a move to rush at him and at the last moment, he threw his last two smoke bombs. One hit his teacher in the face and detonated, no doubt getting into the man’s eyes as the other spread smoke around the man. As his teacher was distracted and tried to regain vision, Shouto struck.
Ice erupted from all directions, encasing the area around Eraserhead and stopping the man from moving. As a testament to his teacher’s skills, Aizawa tried to jump out of the encirclement, but Shouto was faster. The ice wrapped around him, holding him in place. Now, Shouto needed to cuff him before he found a way to escape.
Shouto ran at his teacher, pulling the cuffs from his pocket. Just as he put the cuff around his exposed wrist, an announcement blared.
“MOMO YAOYOROZU HAS ESCAPED!! TEAM TODOROKI AND YAOYOROZU PASS!” Ah. Momo managed to find the exit after all.
—-------
“HAVE FEAR! BECAUSE I AM HERE!” Izuku and Katsuki had to jump away to make sure they weren’t flattened under All Might’s landing. They had been running to find the exit, but it looked like All Might found them first.
“VILLAINS DON’T CARE ABOUT PROPERTY DAMAGE! UNLIKE HEROES, THEY DO WHATEVER THEY WANT!! HAVE FEAR BECAUSE TODAY, I AM A VILLAIN!! HAHAHA!” All Might laughed, and Izuku felt the strange urge to facepalm with his quirk activated. Was All Might…just telling them information they already knew? A quick glance to the side told Izuku that Kacchan was probably thinking the same. His face was screwed up in that look that he always got whenever something confused him. Funny how that look used to be directed to his hands whenever his quirk blew up randomly when they were kids. Now, that same look was pointed at All Might. Neither of them spoke. This situation was awkward.
“I AM A VILLAIN!” All Might tried to say again, this time clearly flustered.
When neither of them moved, All Might began his attack.
—-------
Shouto didn’t know what to say when his classmates surrounded him when he got back.
“Todoroki! You were amazing, dude!”
“Yeah! Super manly of you to fight Mr. Aizawa by yourself!”
“Teach me how to do that time man!”
“Todoroki, your hand-to-hand combat was amazing!”
“How did you plan all that out?”
Questions were thrown at him from all directions, his classmates were talking over each other and their questions jumbled together in a mass of sound. Shouto couldn’t tell when one question stopped and another started. That was, until one specific question caught his attention.
“How did Endeavor train you to get that strong in hand-to-hand man?”
“He didn’t.” The answer came out automatically, Shouto not even registering what he said as his classmates froze.
All chatter stopped. Shouto’s classmates all looked at him with varying degrees of confusion. All except Tenya and Uraraka, both of whom tried not to make eye contact with Shouto.
It was Momo who broke the silence.
“...then who taught you, Todoroki?” She asked tentatively.
“My dad of course.”
Shouto didn’t think having your dad teach you new skills was too strange, but from the way his classmates stared at him, he might as well have said he was taught by a unicorn.
“But dude! You just said that Endeavor didn’t teach you! How can your dad teach you then?” Kaminari pointed out, head tilted to the side in a show of question.
Shouto just looked over at Tenya and Uraraka. Why was this conversation starting to sound so familiar?
Neither of them could look him in the eye, unwilling to be part of this trainwreck waiting to happen. Seeing as neither of them would help him explain, Shouto just continued his conversation with the rest of the class.
“Because Endeavor didn’t teach me, my dad did?” Shouto was confused. What had he said that was so complicated to understand?
“Todoroki, you’re being extremely contradictory. Endeavor is your father .” Momo tried to explain, but that only made Shouto more confused.
“I know that Endeavor’s my father?” Shouto didn’t understand why Yaoyorozu was pointing out something so obvious. Everyone knew that Endeavor was his father, what did that have to do with Endeavor training him?
It was Tokoyami that finally broke through the confusion.
“Didn’t you ask me to keep Hawks away from your dad? I kept him away from Endeavor for the entirety of my internship.” Now it was Shouto’s turn to ask questions.
—-------
“When did I ask you to keep Hawks away from Endeavor?” Dark Shadow peeked out from behind Fumikage as the class once again descended into chaos. Questions were being yelled on top of each other, combining into a mad symphony sound that made Fumikage’s ears ring. It was starting to give him a headache, and clearly, Dark Shadow knew that.
“QUIET!!!” The quirk roared as the noise got louder. Dark Shadow grew larger, towering over the students as they all stopped talking.
“Peppermint boy! You asked Fumi to keep Hawks away from your dad! What do you mean you didn’t ask Fumi?!” Fumikage was happy that his quirk had spoken, because he didn’t really know what to say. He’d spent so much time and effort making sure that Hawks never ran into Endeavor. It was exhausting because it was like the man tried to find ways to run into Endeavor. He’d had to steer Hawks away on multiple occasions to keep his promise to Todoroki, and now the other boy was saying that he didn’t ask that of Fumikage? It was a little insulting.
“Yes, I did ask Tokoyami to keep Hawks away from my dad.” Todoroki still looked confused as he answered Dark Shadow, so Fumikage asked him directly.
“You asked me to keep him from your dad, so I kept him away from Endeavor.” Fumikage tried to explain, but he was cut off.
“Yeah, I asked you to keep him away from dad. Why did you mention Father then?” Fumikage blinked. Once. Twice. And-
“What?” So…Todoroki’s dad isn’t Endeavor?
—-------
Not understanding the conversation that Todoroki and Tokoyami were now having, the class soon became distracted by an explosion that shook the walls and rattled the monitor that was showing the last exam. Midoriya and Bakugo were still fighting All Might.
On screen they could see their green-haired classmate charging up his quirk, electricity coming off his body with green sparks as Bakugo charged from the opposite side. Despite their best efforts, All Might seemed to have no trouble holding them both off…could they even beat him?
On screen, Midoriya struggled to his feet as Bakugo launched a blast at the Symbol of Peace. It did little to keep him away. With a punch, All Might easily dispersed the dust and turned to face both Midoriya and Bakugo, who were now standing, ready to charge at him.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, heroes.”
Notes:
I've started 2 new fics with a friend and fellow author, Azureblaze. Both fics are Touya-centric so feel free to check them out!
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 36: TRAINING CAMP DISASTER PART I
Summary:
When everything goes to hell.
Notes:
Azure and I have a discord server if anyone wants to join.
OTW’s Legal Chair’s stance on AI is extremely worrying. If this stance is shared by AO3, I might start locking my works. When I started writing, I didn’t expect AI to be allowed and encouraged to steal my work.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Shouta knew that this year would be different. It had to be. Villains had attacked the USJ after all. But what he hoped, prayed to be the truth was that his kids students wouldn’t be subjected to any more horrors. They’d nearly died during the last attack, and whilst they’d grown and gotten stronger, they were nowhere near ready to fight real villains.
The training camp started like every other year like the USJ, it was calm.
Standing in the open space between the forest and the lodge, Shouta could hear the frustrated screams of his students and see them strain themselves as they fought to improve their quirks. They may not be ready to fight villains, but they were ready to work hard to get there. Shouta will push them to be heroes great enough to survive whatever the world threw at them. But they weren’t great yet, and they weren’t ready.
From his position, Shouta could hear explosions as Bakugo plunged his hands into boiling hot water to expand his sweat glands, raising his hands to the sky and firing off the biggest explosion he could muster. This training exercise was twofold, the water would wash away the sweat that had accumulated beforehand, whilst training his sweat glands to expand quickly. Hopefully, with time, Bakugo would be able to create larger explosions without the need for an external stimulant. The world rarely gave out freebies for pro heroes after all.
Skimming his eyes to rest on another student, Shouto Todoroki, Shouta thought about the trouble they’d had to go through to come up with an exercise for the boy. As a Todoroki, his student had presumably been trained by every member of his family. His family who were all in the top 20. Such an advantage catapulted the boy to the top spot in the class ranks, and whilst typical hero legacies were only slightly better than some of their more talented peers, this year was different. Even compared to his fellow hero legacy, Tenya Iida, Shouto Todoroki stood head and shoulders above the rest of his classmates. There was a similar phenomenon with Natsuo Todoroki, who had graduated last year, but for Shouto Todoroki, the difference was only more obvious. Shouta supposes that it was probably because Shouto Todoroki was the baby of the family, and thus received training from his father and all of his siblings before him.
That made coming up with a training exercise much more complicated. Knowing that his family had most definitely trained him before UA, meant that almost all of the basic exercises they would have gone through would be meaningless. That was why he had the boy trying to replicate real life objects and people with his quirk. Shouta knew that Todoroki was capable of big displays of power with his quirk, but that meant his fine-tuning and precision work would be lacking. No matter how powerful a hero was, it was worthless if they couldn't control it. It wasn’t that Todoroki couldn’t control his power, but Shouta wanted to push him. Judging by the beads of sweat trailing down the boy’s forehead, and the large scowl replacing his usually blank face, Shouta had been right. Todoroki was having trouble with the exercise.
Shouta always enjoyed seeing his students struggle a little to complete work, a trait he no doubt got from having Nezu as a teacher, but it meant that they were learning. And as their teacher, that was all he wanted.
Shouta had to quickly step out of the way as Tiger and Midoriya came a little too close with an ill-placed punch and kick combination. And there was that problem child. After what he overheard of that conversation between Todoroki and Midoriya, Shouta had kept an even closer eye on the bush-haired teen. From what he’d observed, Midoriya had very little control over his quirk. Super Power, Midoriya’s quirk was mysterious. After some digging, Shouta had confirmed his student’s claim. Midoriya had indeed gotten his quirk at the Entrance Exam. Unlike his peers, he didn’t have 10 years to practice with his quirk. He was at a disadvantage.
When he’d found out, Shouta had laughed. It was ironic. The most advantaged student in his class and the most disadvantaged student in his class were friends. Their circumstances couldn’t have been more different than night and day.
After his little discovery, Shouta had made it a point to make sure that Midoriya got the help that he needed. He’d enrolled the boy in quirk counselling, and private afterschool tutoring to make sure that he wouldn’t break his arms like he did in the Entrance Exam. Midoriya had been a stuttering mess when he’d brought up the extra lessons and quirk counselling, but now, Shouta could see the boy truly blossom.
Now if that damn Yagi would just stop hiding whenever he trained Midoriya, Shouta would be satisfied. No. 1 Hero or not, Toshinori Yagi was not able to escape the detection of any skilled underground hero. The man was literally the elephant in the room.
Nevertheless, Shouta was happy with Midoriya’s improvement, and from what he’d seen in recent training exercises, his student would only get better. Whatever Midoriya had learned during his internship was useful.
—-------
The second night started just as planned. The kids were to go into the forest for a Test of Courage. It would be a fun activity that tested both their observational skills and creativity. Vlad’s daughter would be joining them. From what Shouta heard, she would be a second year in Shiketsu this year. When Vlad had showed up to the training camp with Himiko in tow, Shouta had asked the man what he was thinking. Honestly, with everything that’s happened this year, Shouta would think his coworker would have a little more tact than to bring his daughter along to a UA event in a secret location.
Shouta had met Himiko Kan before when Vlad had dragged her along to other UA events, but he’d never taken her to a training camp before, which made this instance strange. With everything that was going on, Nezu had tightened security around school sanctioned events and monitored everyone who came in and out of the premises with a stern eye. He wouldn’t be surprised if that rat had bugged the camp.
Even the threat of having his privacy compromised by his boss was not enough to make Shouta dislike the extra precautions put in place. It would be what protected his kids students after all.
He was wrong.
Shouta watched, horrified as dark clouds blocked out the sky and a thick fog descended onto the forest.
—-------
Himiko pouted. This was so not cute! She was planning on having a fun night of scaring the little firsties but somehow, some villains managed to both crash the camp and ruin her surprise! From where she was crouched, Himiko could see a figure walking into the clearing the first years were supposed to cross. The little villain was dressed in a black gakuran, making him look like any typical middle schooler, but the mask ruined it. A dark green gas mask obscured his face as some strange mist emanated around him. In a way, his quirk reminded her of Miss Midnight, the nice hero that papa took her to whenever she had a “girl problem” that he couldn’t help her with. The look on his face when she showed off her bloodied pants was hilarious!
The possible-middle-schooler was muttering under his breath as he walked.
“The hero students are panicking…they aren’t fighting back nearly as well as I thought.. What a disappointment.” As he continued to walk, Himiko could feel the gas finally getting to her. The sweet smell invaded her thoughts and made her head hurt. She hated it. Even with the piece of her shirt that she had ripped and pressed to her nose and mouth, Himiko would succumb to the effects of whatever drug the villain was releasing into the air soon enough.
She wasn’t going to let that happen. She wasn’t some terrified little girl anymore. She was a hero student in her own right and she’d beat this villain and save those kids. Just like Null saved her.
“I can sense three figures in the smoke…three? Two? Yes…there’s at least two students…” The villain’s mumbling was cut off when two of the 1B students burst out of the forest. It was the big-hands girl and the metal-boy. Itsuka if Himiko remembered correctly. She was cute!
Itsuka and metal-boy were trying to attack the villain, a hand covering their faces in an attempt to stop the gas from affecting them too quickly. It didn’t look like it helped much, but Himiko was wearing a piece of her shirt as a mask so she probably shouldn’t comment. The villain fired several shots at them from the silver gun in his hand. Himiko’s classmate, Masaru might have liked it. He really liked weapons after all, but all Himiko could see was the terrified looks in her kouhai’s faces. That.. was SO NOT CUTE!!
“Oh? What? Some UA students can’t defeat little old me? How disappointing !” The villain laughed as the students began to move more sluggishly. They won’t be able to win. As if the villain knew that as well, the gas around him seemed to thicken as he laughed, shooting multiple rounds at Itsuka and metal-boy.
“ You’re going to lose! Haha…hahahahahahahaha! I can’t believe it! You’re all going to lose! Hero Course Students from a prestigious school like UA and you can’t defeat one villain between two students? This is PATHETIC! ” As the villain kept laughing and taunting her kouhai, Himiko crawled behind the villain, making sure to keep her body low to the ground so that the gas wouldn’t affect her as much. The villain was being mean to her dad’s students! They were only first years! The villain can’t expect that much from them this early! That was just rude!
The villain didn’t notice her until she sprung up and stole the gun away from him.
“It’s Vlad King’s daughter! Thanks for saving us Miss!” metal-boy thanked Himiko as she vaulted over the villain, using a knife to rip the air canister from his back. If he has a gas mask… he’s not immune to his own quirk!
Tearing into his suit and severing the tubes connecting his mask to the oxygen tank on his back, Himiko kicked at the villain’s stomach, forcing him to take a deep breath after she winded him.
Holding her breath as she fought, Himiko made quick work of the villain. Without his weapon and quirk, he was no match for the training she’d undergone. Himiko had him knocked out in minutes.
Once the villain was incapacitated, Himiko bound his arms and turned to face the two firsties who were now staring at her in awe. They were adorable!
“T-thank you for saving us Kan-senpai!” They both stuttered as Himiko let a pout grow on her face.
Now, they looked at her with a nervous expression.
“Did we say something wrong Miss?” Itsuka asked as Himiko looked between her dad’s students.
“Miss is so not cute! Call me Himiko, ok?” Himiko chirped as looks of confusion appeared on the students’ faces. Grinning at the adorable surprised stares she received, Himiko skipped back to the downed villain and picked him up like a ragdoll.
“Let’s get back to the lodge oki?” Himiko didn’t give the students time to nod before walking back in the direction of the camp, villain strung over her shoulder like a sad sack of potatoes.
The two students followed behind her like cute puppies.
—-------
Izuku was running up the mountain. Kouta was up there! The angry little boy who hated his parents for leaving him with his aunt had run off a couple of hours ago. There was no way that he knew about the attack! Unless he’s already run into a villain.
As Izuku forced his legs to move faster, for himself to run further, he prayed.
‘Please let Kouta be ok!’
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian who honestly helped me work out the finer details for this chapter. Couldn't have done it without them.
Chapter 37: TRAINING CAMP DISASTER PART II
Summary:
A little backstory for Kouta.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kouta was upset. This summer was when mama and papa said they’d be able to go on holiday together! The previous year, the little boy’s parents had promised to take some time off work so that they could be a family for a while. Mama had held his face in her hands and told him that their mission would only take a few months and then they’d have time for him! Her hands had felt so warm at the time, her reassurances so soothing and trustworthy! But…those same hands held him again this summer and told him that he had to go stay with his aunt Mandalay.
They had to go again. They had to leave him.
When the hero students arrived, all Kouta could see were the next generation of liars. With their powerful quirks, loud chatter, and false smiles, they’d be the perfect new generation of heroes. Just like the last, they wouldn’t care about the people who love them. No. They’d just care about using their powers and being a hero.
When one of the annoying hero students started to approach him with a smile, all Kouta thought was that the hero wanted to play nice so he could keep up his image. Kouta wouldn’t be used as a prop for some hero hopeful’s attempt at a nice guy persona. He absolutely refused.
After watching many of his parents’ fights, Kouta was more than familiar with the basics. Clenching his hands into fists at his sides, with his thumb tucked in to avoid any injuries to himself, Kouta waited. There was no sense in making his next move obvious. Broadcasting his actions only made his opponent more wary. Papa had always told him to never let anyone know his next move.
So Kouta waited…
As the hero student began to approach him, Kouta shifted his stance, subtly moving one foot behind the other in preparation. Once the walking broccoli was within striking distance, Kouta punched. Throwing his full weight into the action and following through with a step forward, he sent the hero student to the ground.
Auntie yelled at him afterwards, but Kouta couldn’t care less. He wanted mama and papa..
Kouta’s interactions with the hero students after that were few and far in between. The hero student he had punched-Izuku Midoriya was the only one to actively look for him. The pesky hero student would try to find him at meal times or whenever they had a break, and Kouta would do his best to hide from him. Honestly, what more of a hint did he need to give?! HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE!
The other big interaction with the hero students happened at the baths. Aunt Mandalay had asked Kouta to supervise the students to make sure that they didn’t get up to anything. At the time, it seemed a little overboard. Even if they were liars, they were still hero students. There had to be some base of human decency right?
Kouta, was unfortunately very wrong. Not even 20 minutes into his guard duty, there was a commotion from the boy’s side.
Peering over the side, Kouta could see one of the students using his quirk to scale the wall. There was a disgusting look on his face and Kouta was furious. HOW DARE HE ACT THIS WAY?! Using his quirk to fill up the bucket he’d brought with him, Kouta made sure the water was freezing cold before hoisting it to the side of the wall. The hero students on the other side were all yelling at the bastard to stop, but none of them made a move to pull him back. Figures. They’re all talk. The commotion grew louder as Kouta prepared his trap.
He let the scumbag nearly reach the top, waiting for any of the other hero students to stop their classmate before lifting the bucket over the edge.
He let the bucket go.
Just as he did so, there was high pitched scream. The warm air of the baths had chilled to the point that Kouta could see his breath come out in puffs. He trembled as he clutched at himself to keep warm. What happened?!
Peering down to where the hero students were, Kouta was shocked to find the scumbag hero student encased in a block of ice. Surely the water hadn’t done that had it?
Just as Kouta was figuring out what had happened, a low voice spoke up.
“Sorry. That was my bad.” A boy with half-red and half-white hair mumbled, the only one at ease as the rest shivered.
“T-Todoroki! Could you please warm up the baths again?!” A voice yelled came from the other side of the baths and Kouta instinctively turned to face the sound before his brain short-circuited. They were in the baths. The voice was female. They were in the baths and the voice was female. Kouta didn’t remember anything afterwards, waking up in his room with his aunt watching over him.
He’d done his best to avoid the hero students even more after that.
Tonight, they’d be competing in some dumb challenge, so Kouta was free to do whatever he wanted without worrying about being bothered. That’s why he was currently on the mountaintop. The stars sparkled above him as he sat alone, hugging his knees to his chest.
He wondered if mama and papa were seeing the same stars he was. Were they safe? Did they miss him? When could he come home again? Tears pricked at his eyes as Kouta fought to keep them at bay.
‘Mama…papa…please come back to me…I miss you.’
—-------
Null wasn’t sure whether or not this life would follow the same timeline as his past life, but he didn’t want to bet on it.
In a past life, Dabi had been one of the villains to attack the training camp on Shigaraki’s orders. He’d knowingly been one of those responsible for the trauma the kids would endure, actively adding to it as he stole away their classmate. He was guilty, and there was nothing he could do to erase that. The best he could do was make sure that it wouldn’t happen again. Null couldn’t let history repeat itself.
Null knew that this world was clearly different from his old one. Things were different, and people were different. People who were villains were now great heroes! Shouto was a reminder that life can change, and that Null wouldn’t have to worry about the same villains this time around. But even so…there was a part of him that still feared the future. Feared the consequences of his actions. Yes, he’d managed to save Tenko from the life of pain and misery he would have lived, but what would that mean for the future? Was this world even the same as the last anymore? Though some events matched up, there were still enough differences for Null to wonder.
‘Would the villains still attack the training camp?’
Ever since Shouto told him about the training camp, Null had been unable to sleep, terrified at what would happen. If the villains attacked…
Null was unfamiliar with the new villains that had attacked during the USJ incident. His information was limited to what the news reported and what his kids divulged. Kurogiri’s presence was not a surprise, the man was one of the original members of the League after all, but the presence of a female Shigaraki surprised him.
Tomura Shigaraki was Tenko Shimura. He was kidnapped by AFO and groomed to be the villain’s successor. So where did a Sunako Shigaraki come from? It was things like this that reconfirmed that Null was in a different world. There was no Sunako in his past timeline. Shigaraki didn’t have a sister living with him when they were villains. Sunako didn’t exist .
It was shaping up to be another calm night when the sky began to darken with clouds.
It wasn’t supposed to rain today.
—-------
Shouto was just walking through the forest with Bakugo when the rain started. It began as a slow drizzle, a few drops falling onto a flower at his feet before the petals darkened and wilted. It was poison.
“BAKUGO!” Pulling the other boy into him, Shouto erected a massive sculpture of ice over them.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, BASTARD?!!” His explosive classmate immediately started struggling in his arms.
“Bakugo. Stop.” Bakugo stopped.
“What’s going on Icy Hot?” Shouto lowered his voice to a whisper as he answered.
“Look at the ground.” He pointed at the flower from before. It was now a pile of dust, withered beyond recognition.
“ That, was a flower.” Bakugo sucked in a breath as Shouto looked up at the clouds. The sky was now pitch black, the stars barely visible amidst the rain.
“Shit.” Bakugo cursed as Shouto started to form an umbrella of ice.
“We need to get out of here.” He tugged his classmate closer. They would both need to fit under the umbrella, but if Shouto made it much bigger, it would be too difficult to carry.
“Keep your hands to yourself, fucker!” Somehow, Bakugo managed to sound as though he were yelling despite whispering. Shouto would have to ask him about it later. But for now…
“If you don’t want to end up like that plant, I suggest you stay under my umbrella.” Shouto didn’t bother arguing with the other boy, simply warning him before starting to jog away.
“HEY! COME BACK HERE!!” Shouto sighed. There went their location.
Jogging back to Bakugo, he grabbed the boy by his hand and started to speed walk back to camp. They needed shelter.
The rain wouldn’t last for too much longer.
—-------
Izuku was relieved to see Kouta when he reached the mountaintop.
‘Thank god he’s safe.’
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Kouta yelled as soon as he spotted Izuku.
“Kouta! We need to go back! There’s villains-” A dark shadow appeared behind the child as Izuku reached out in an effort to grab the child before the figure could.
“KOUTA!! WATCH OUT!!” To his horror, Izuku could only watch as the figure swung at the child. He was… too late.
—-------
Kouta was enjoying a quiet night by himself. Just himself and the stars. But sadly, his plans were ruined by one bush-haired teenager.
Kouta’s anger spiked the moment the familiar face came into view.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Kouta yelled. This was unfair! He couldn’t be with his mama and papa tonight! So was a moment alone too much to ask?! Kouta’s heart throbbed and he had to swallow the sob creeping up his throat.
In his effort to conceal his emotions, Kouta almost missed what the hero student had yelled at him.
“KOUTA!! WATCH OUT!!” It was out of reflex that Kouta jumped to the side, but Kouta owed those reflexes his life. No sooner had he moved, a crater formed where he had stood, a fist embedded into the ground. That would have killed him. He would have died.
Like most five year olds, Kouta had never thought about death before. Sure he worried for his mama, papa and auntie whenever they went on a mission to fight villains, but the notion of death was inconceivable to the five year old. It wasn’t something he had to worry about, not yet at least, but he hadn’t expected to come this close, this soon.
The fist buried in the ground twitched as the figure it belonged to moved to stand casually facing Kouta as if the figure hadn’t just tried to kill him. Kouta couldn’t help but shake in fear as the same arm that tried to crush him lifted to pull off the mask.
A familiar face greeted him. He’d seen this man before!
A spike of panic jolted through Kouta when he realised just where he recognised the face from.
He’d seen that face in some of the papers that mama and papa would accidentally leave open. This man is a villain! He is-
“Muscular.” Midoriya exhaled as he came to the same realisation as Kouta did.
‘They were going to die .’
Notes:
I have exams coming up, so I'll be taking a month off of posting to study. Thank you all for understanding.
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian who honestly helped me work out the finer details for this chapter. Couldn't have done it without them.
Chapter 38: TRAINING CAMP DISASTER PART III
Summary:
The end of the Training Camp Arc.
Notes:
An early return, who would have thought? I'm back guys!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Izuku’s heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw the shadow descend on Kouta. For a terrifying moment, he thought that the small child would die in front of him. He would’ve died. Izuku was too late. If not for Kouta’s quick reaction, he would have been a splatter on the ground.
Izuku would have failed as a hero before he could even begin.
When the villain removed his mask, revealing his face, Izuku felt phantom chills crawl up his spine. The villain was Muscular. A psychopathic killer.
He stood no chance.
Despite his abysmal chances of winning, Izuku couldn’t give up, there was a child that he needed to save.
Even if it meant Kouta ran away whilst he distracted the villain.
—-------
Null leapt from branch to branch as he raced to where he thought the kids were. The artificial rain had lasted only a few minutes, but that initial attack was more than enough to severely harm more than a handful of students. If they didn’t make it undercover in time, there was no way they could have remained unscathed.
And just as he expected, Null found multiple students with various chemical burns on them as he traversed the forest. Thankfully, he hadn’t run into anything too serious yet. The kids could manage with the injuries they currently had.
They weren’t his priority though. That was reserved for Shouto. He needed to make sure his kid was safe.
—-------
Izuku dodged a blow that would have killed him had it hit, and mentally thanked Mr. Aizawa for all the extra training his teacher had given him. It may have been hell at the time, but the results were showing in his continued survival.
“STAY STILL, YOU BRAT!!” The villain roared. Yeah …Izuku wasn’t going to do that. Weaving in between the swings aimed at his head, Izuku didn’t have the time to look for Kouta, too focused on not dying.
Of course, the few months of training he had was not enough to win him the fight though. A lucky shot caught Izuku off guard and buried itself into his side before Izuku was launched into the mountainside.
“Ha…ha…” The villain puffed, breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat from his brow, a mad grin starting to appear on his face.
“You put up a good fight, kid.” The corners of the villain’s smile stretched impossibly high on his face as he trudged towards Izuku, who was doing his best to get up, trembling as he forced his body into a fighting stance. He…couldn’t give up! The cuts stung but that pain was overridden by the agony he felt from his arm. It was a familiar sensation. Izuku had broken it.
He was ripped out of his thoughts when a hand grasped at his hair, pulling a few strands from the roots and using it to lift his head. Muscular peered into Izuku’s eyes, a sadistic gleam in his own as he began to speak.
“Man…I was told that I’d get to kill some dumb kids today, and I am not disappointed!”
A splash of water stole his attention away from Izuku, and the villain released his grip on Izuku’s hair. Still trembling, fear evident in his eyes was Kouta. He was still here! He needed to leave! He needed to go somewhere safe! He shouldn’t be here!!
Izuku panicked when he saw that the child had not run away as he had hoped.
“W-What are you doing here?!” The child asked, it was clear he was trying to sound sure of himself, but there was a tremble in his voice, betraying the true fear that he felt inside.
“What else? I came here to see blood .” Without waiting for a reaction, either of fear or anger, Muscular ran at Kouta.
Izuku felt a spark ignite inside himself along with a warmth that encompassed him like a hug from his mum.
“Leave it to us, Ninth. You’re not ready yet.”
There was a faint buzzing feeling under his skin before Izuku was suddenly filled with power, Izuku lunged at the villain, ripping him away from Kouta.
“Your fight is with me.” Somehow, it was as if multiple voices overlapped his as Izuku punched Muscular, sending the villain crashing into the mountainside.
Izuku turned to Kouta.
“Kouta, I need you to stay out of the way, ok? I need you to stay somewhere safe until the villain is gone; can you do that for me?” Izuku asked quickly, glancing between the little boy and the area that Muscular had landed.
Kouta nodded, and that was all Izuku had time to see before a blur came right at him. Izuku pushed Kouta away.
“I’VE GOT TO ADMIT KID! I WASN’T EXPECTING THAT!!” Izuku blocked a punch aimed at his face before attempting one of his own. It hit, and Muscular spat out some blood.
“DAMN! Now I really want to kill you, kid.” The villain smiled, blood-stained teeth menacing. It reminded Izuku of a rabid dog, and maybe in that instance, Muscular was no better than one. Izuku didn’t have the time to contemplate that right now.
The villain seemed to pause for a moment before he spoke again.
“Before I forget, do you happen to know where a Bakugo or Todoroki are? They’re on the capture list, you see. The Boss Lady seemed to really want them for some reason.” Izuku charged.
—-------
Kouta could only watch, transfixed at the fight happening before him. Was the hero student crazy? HE WAS GOING TO DIE?! WHY DIDN’T HE RUN AWAY WHEN HE HAD THE CHANCE?! WHY DID HE COME FOR KOUTA?! Tears began to stream down his cheeks unbidden. WHY WAS HE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR KOUTA?!
A memory tugged at his mind, and Kouta remembered something his parents had told him. It was last summer, when he’d begged them to go to the beach together as a family.
“WHY WON’T YOU SPEND ANY TIME WITH ME!” Kouta cried as his mama held him in her arms.
“YOU DON’T LOVE ME! YOU’RE ABANDONING ME AGAIN!!” It was the second time that week that he’d been sent to stay with his aunt Mandalay and Kouta was missing his parents terribly. He’d grasped at their clothes, begging them to stay with him, to not leave again.
Gentle hands clasped his, cradling them softly. The soft hands of his mama held his left hand as his papa held his right. Both of his parents hugged him to them as he leaned into the affection. He…missed them…so much…
A hand stroked his hair as Kouta looked away from both mama and papa. He didn’t want them to see him cry. He wasn’t a baby!
“Kouta…we’re sorry we’ve been so busy. But the world is a dangerous place. There’s dangerous people who want to do harm to people who can’t defend themselves. It’s papa and mama’s jobs to make sure those people can’t do that.” Papa spoke to him as if he was a glass doll, as if any loud noise would shatter him. Kouta hated it.
“BUT I HATE IT!! THERE’S SO MANY HEROES! WHY CAN’T SOMEONE ELSE DO IT FOR TODAY?!” Kouta shouted. There was no reason his parents had to work so much! If there were as many heroes as he’d seen on the news, there must be more that weren’t on the news. Why can’t those heroes handle it for just one day?! Why did it have to be Kouta’s mama and papa?!
Mama sighed before she too began to ruffle Kouta’s hair. He clung to the affection like a leech, there was no telling when they’d pick him up from his auntie’s house this time. It could be a week before he saw them again!
“Kouta. It’s true that there’s a lot of heroes, but there’s even more villains. Villains who don’t play by the rules. Sometimes, all it takes is one hero to make all the difference. We need to be there in case we need to be that hero.” Kouta didn’t care. Why did it have to be his parents? Why couldn’t it be someone else?! Surely the other heroes were as hardworking as his parents? It wasn’t fair!
“Kouta..one day, you’ll see. One hero is sometimes all it takes. There’ll be a hero that does that for you. I’m sure.”
His mama had smiled at him after that, kissed his head and promised that the next summer-this summer, they’d go on holiday together. That was…until they were given a mission to hunt down an escaped villain. The villain that Midoriya was now fighting.
From where he stood, all Kouta could see was the older boy’s back as he exchanged blows with the villain. He couldn’t help but think about how strong the hero student looked in this moment.
When Midoriya finally landed a blow strong enough to incapacitate the villain, Kouta finally knew what his mama was talking about.
Sometimes, all it took was one hero.
—-------
Shouto was running through the forest, dragging Bakugo behind him before a voice rang in his head.
“Everyone from Class 1A and Class 1B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat! I repeat! Everyone from Class 1A and Class 1B! You are granted permission to engage in combat!” A moment later, the same voice spoke again.
“We have discovered the villains’ targets! They are two of the students– Kacchan and Todoroki! These two students should avoid combat and acting independently! Understand, you two?! Get back to where we can protect you!”
Shouto turned to Bakugo.
“Did you hear that too? We’re being targeted!”
“Of course I heard it, you bastard!” Bakugo growled back. Shouto nodded.
“Good. So let’s get back to the lodge-”
“No!” Shocked, Shouto turned to face his angry classmate, who had just said that he wouldn’t go to safety, even though he was a target.
“Saying ‘Fight’ and then ‘Don’t fight’! I don’t give a damn what anyone says!” The ground exploded around him, but Shouto was sure it wasn’t Bakugo’s quirk. No…it was a metal blade. Several more blades were scattered around them, all of which connected back to one villain.
Shouto recognised him. It was a death row villain-Moonfish. Shit.
—-------
Katsuki wasn’t stupid. He knew what he was doing. He also knew that Half-And-Half would be questioning his sanity right about now, but if anyone really thought about it, nowhere was safe.
The villains shouldn’t know about the training camp’s location. The teachers hadn’t even told his old man and old hag about where Katsuki would be spending his summer, nevermind the villains just finding out through the press like they had with All Might’s employment at UA.
The students weren’t even told until they got to the camp, and even then, they actually didn’t know where the fuck they are. That only left one explanation for the villains’ knowledge of their location: there’s a traitor.
What the shitty heroes had done, was effectively tell everyone where Katsuki and half-and-half bastard would be. If there’s a traitor, there’s no telling if they’d relay the information to the villains, so Katsuki was willing to bet his chances in the forest rather than be a sitting duck back at camp. At least in the forest, they could hide.
Now, with the villain in front of them, they’d have to fight. Katsuki licked his lips. This was going to be fun.
—-------
When Null finally found Shouto, he wasn’t filled with relief. He was filled with rage. Quietly standing behind his kid, was a very familiar figure. Dressed in a top hat and his signature obnoxious yellow trenchcoat, Null could recognise him anywhere. His friend from another life. It was Mr. Compress . And he was reaching for Shouto.
Null didn’t have time to think. He dropped on the students, kicking Compress’ hands away from Shouto before his quirk could turn the boy into a marble.
“Argh!” At the yell, the kids all turned to see Null punching the villain in the face, splintering his mask.
“I recognise you!” A voice shouted and Null risked a glance up. Ah. It was Tenya Iida.
“You’re the one who saved my brother and I!” The kids surrounding Iida all gave him concerned glances. Then, they descended into noise, speaking over each other as they fired question after question at their friend.
“What do you mean, Iida?”
“I mean-”
“How did he save you?!”
“I can’t-”
“Do you know who he is?”
“Well, no-”
It was a little sad to see the kid try and fail to answer all their questions, but Null wasn’t going to do anything to stop it. He couldn’t anyways. He couldn’t risk Shouto recognising his voice.
“Is he a family friend?”
“No.”
All of a sudden, there was a flash of yellow and Null barely had time to dodge as Mr. Compress jumped out of the bushes in an effort to tackle him. It didn’t work. Null kicked the man away before he could do any damage.
“Where’s Bakugo?” The question was asked quietly, but the silence that followed was deafening. Seven heads swivelled around slowly, staring at the place that Bakugo should have been, only to find nothing. With increasing panic, they surveyed their surroundings, desperate to catch a glimpse of spiky blonde hair or red eyes. They found neither.
“He’s gone.” A student whispered. The kid looked like he got into a fight with a train…and lost. His arms hung limply at his sides, a deep shade of purple and twisted slightly. Frankly, it was a little disturbing.
“We need to go save him!” And like the reckless hellions they were, the kids started running. Yeah, sure..run into danger. Suicidal brats.
Letting out a long suffering breath, Null tilted his head back, looking into the sky as if asking it “why me?” Shouto was going to be the death of him. Reckless brat.
Chasing after the hero students, Null prepared himself to just grab his kid and pull him out of whatever mess he will undoubtedly throw himself into.
—-------
Shouto followed behind Shoji and Midoriya as they led the chase for the villain that kidnapped Bakugo and Tokoyami. The branches of the trees lining their path scratched at their faces and clothes, leaving tiny cuts that stung in the night air, but they didn’t let that distract them. In the distance, they could see the bright yellow coat of the villain as he dodged and weaved through the trees, moving through them with an enviable grace not unlike that of a dancer. It would be impressive had he not been the person to kidnap their classmates.
There was no way they could catch up to the villain as they were now. They needed to be smart about this. Suddenly, Shouto had an idea.
“Uraraka! I need you to do something for me!” He called and the aforementioned girl looked up at him.
“Whatever it is, Todoroki, I hope you realise we’re in a situation right now-”
“I know!” Shouto interrupted her. He didn’t have time to explain.
“I need you to trust me! I’m going to launch us with my ice, and I need you to negate our weight when I signal you, ok?” Uraraka still didn’t look like she heard or was fully convinced with what Shouto had planned, but considering they were still running as he requested for her to follow his plan, Uraraka didn’t have time to think about it. She just nodded.
“I trust you, Todoroki.” She gave him a weary smile.
“Now, let’s save our classmates!”
Shouto took hold of the girl and grabbed hold of both Shoji and Midoriya, making sure that they were securely held together by some of Shoji’s arms (thank god they were listening as Shouto told Uraraka what he was going to do). It made it much easier to put together his plan.
Focusing all of his energy into one point, Shouto pushed himself and his classmates into the air with an angled pillar of ice.
“NOW, URARAKA!” He yelled to be heard over the rushing wind. He wasn’t sure even then if he could be heard. But Uraraka must have heard him because their gravity suddenly decreased and they were soaring through the air. They could see the villain underneath them now.
“URARAKA! RELEASE THE GRAVITY!” And she did.
Shouto, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Shoji all landed on the villain.
—-------
Mezo was shaking as he forced his limbs to wrap around his classmates and not let go. It was a delicate balance of holding on tight enough so that no one fell, yet soft enough to make sure that no one got crushed in his grip. Whilst Mezo was typically proud of his strength, right now was not the time to be showing it off. He didn’t forget his grip test on the first day, 540kg of force was enough to kill any of them if he wasn’t careful.
They landed in a pile on top of the villain, who was now trying to shove them off.
“GET OFF ME, YOU RUFFIANS!!” The villain thrashed in his grip like a fish out of water. Mezo tightened his hold as he wondered…did caring less for the villain’s bones make him a bad person? Because right now, Mezo couldn’t have cared less if he broke a rib, he’d try not to, but he had far less reservations compared to when he was holding his classmates.
Even though he gripped the villain with more force, it did little to stop the villain from struggling and Mezo had to form more limbs to make sure he didn’t escape.
“GET OUR CLASSMATES BACK!!” He yelled at the others to act, Mezo knew that he couldn’t hold the slippery villain for long, especially as he had to make sure the villain couldn’t use his quirk. Mezo didn’t know exactly how it worked, but if the villain was able to just take Tokoyami and Bakugo, two of the strongest in their class away without so much as a sound, Mezo wouldn’t stand a chance.
So he had to make sure the villain couldn’t pull anything.
But some things were easier said than done. Breaking a bone was one thing, but he couldn’t knock the villain out ! If he did, then they wouldn’t know what would happen to Tokoyami and Bakugo; for all they knew, it would only harm their missing classmates. On the other hand…the villain was putting up one hell of a fight. Strong as he may be, Mezo didn’t trust his strength enough to hold the villain for long if he wasn’t allowed to put the villain out of commission.
When no one moved, Mezo grit his teeth and yelled again.
“HURRY!”
Now, there was movement. But it didn’t come from the students. No. From the trees, two figures sprung at them. Oddly, they were identical . They had the same faces down to the length of their hair. Sunglasses obscured their eyes-why did they wear sunglasses at night? The villains each carried giant magnets with them, large enough to tower over Mineta.
“BIG SIS HAS ARRIVED, DEAR!” Dual voices practically sang as Mezo found himself forcefully repelled from the villain, who simply stood up and bowed.
“Wonderful timing as always, dear Magne. My thanks for the rescue.” Mezo growled when the villain turned to him and smiled. It was like the villain was mocking him, mocking how Mezo couldn’t keep hold of him.
Once he felt the pressure ease off, Mezo lunged at the villain again, only to be forced back to where he was before. In his peripheral vision, he could see his classmates in the same predicament.
Todoroki was bracing himself against a pillar of ice in an effort to keep moving forward, but Mezo knew that it must have been exceedingly taxing. The bicoloured boy’s back was pressed up against the ice as he forced himself inch by inch towards the villains. But it wasn’t enough.
Midoriya was no better, pressed to the ground with both his arms broken and blood pouring from a reopened wound. Though he tried to claw his way forward, hands digging into the ground in a bid to stabilise himself, it was clear he was getting nowhere.
Uraraka was nowhere to be found, presumably pushed further back due to her lack of gravity.
Mezo felt a sense of panic bubbling up from him as he saw the villains begin to walk away. No…they’re walking away with his friends…he needs to save them!
The villains didn’t make it another step. Dual beams of light shot out from the bushes and knocked the villains to the ground.
Mezo seized the chance to reach the villains, punching the masked villain as hard as he could.
The villain spat out two marbles.
—-------
Shouto jumped at one of the marbles as Midoriya jumped towards the other. Reaching out his hand, Shouto stretched out until he felt the cool, smooth surface in his palm. Shouto caught his marble.
Midoriya did not.
Like a bad horror movie, the villains disappeared into a swirling portal that was all too familiar. In his hands, the marble shook and cracked before Tokoyami appeared, dazed and disoriented. It distracted Shouto enough so that he didn’t see a shadow that wasn’t his classmate’s quirk blocking the moon behind him.
A Nomu reached out, ready to capture their second target before it was unceremoniously struck down by a blow to the head. The students didn’t even have time to react before Null jumped into the trees and they lost him among the branches.
They may have stopped the League from taking Tokoyami or Shouto, but they still felt the loss of Bakugo.
It was a disaster.
—-------
Even when the injured were tended to, and the classes were combined once again, there was a tense silence. No one wanted to speak, but they all kept an eye on each other, terrified that another in their group would disappear. They all had injuries covering their bodies and some were not even conscious, victims to the gas released by the poison villain.
Chemical burns formed blotchy patterns on the skin of many students, places where they were too slow to cover. None were spared…except one. Mina Ashido stood quietly to the side, hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Somehow, she felt guilty. If only she were faster. If only she was out there with her classmates. Maybe, she would have been able to save more of them from the acid rain. Her skin had defended her against the effects of the corrosive liquid, but she still felt like something had burned her. Tears stung in her eyes as she mentally counted each student that remained.
If only she were better, she might have been able to protect more of them.
—-------
Once he regained some semblance of stability back, Fumikage pulled himself into Dark Shadow, his quirk like a cloak of comfort that protected him from the turbulent emotions that raged within him. Bakugo was gone . He could have been in the same position. The only reason he wasn’t, was because he was rescued. Fumikage hadn’t been able to do anything to stop the villains from taking him away. It was his negligence and incompetence that led to his need to be saved. If he hadn’t been in that position…Bakugo could have been saved. The guilt ate at him as Dark Shadow did their best to soothe him. Fumikage let out a shaky smile as he whispered a “thank you” to his quirk.
—-------
Tokoyami pulled on Shouto’s sleeve, and in a small voice mumbled.
“Thank you for saving me, Todoroki. I owe you a life debt.” His voice came out croaky and Shouto had to strain to hear his classmate, but even if he hadn’t heard the boy, Shouto would have understood. Emotions swirled in his classmate’s eyes. Gratefulness, sadness, guilt, fear…it was endless.
Letting out a shaky smile of his own, Shouto tried to keep the wobble from his voice as he clasped a hand on Tokoyami’s shoulder in a way he’d seen Touya do to victims of a villain attack.
“Consider it paid. You kept a dangerous bird away from my dad.” He joked, but his words fell flat. No one felt like smiling right now.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian who honestly helped me work out the finer details for this chapter. Couldn't have done it without them.
Chapter 39: INVESTIGATION PART III
Summary:
Suspicions arise, proof pending.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The Training Camp was a disaster. There was no other way to describe it. With over 30 students injured and 1 missing, it was labelled one of the worst villain attacks on a hero school ever, not that there were many to compare to begin with.
Either way, the media were having a field day reporting on the events. They didn’t forget to interrogate the heroes for their failure in keeping their students safe.
—-------
“Thank you.”
Null blinked. He blinked again. He kept blinking furiously as if that would change the image currently presented to him.
His kids all stood before him, all of them bowing deeply as they expressed their deepest gratitude for his actions during the attack on the training camp.
“You didn’t have to do it Null, but you saved our little brother. He would have been captured had it not been for you, so thank you.” Fuyumi spoke softly as she smiled at him, relief evident in her voice.
Null had to fight the urge to wipe the tears away like he would have had they been at the cafe, instead offering a tissue to the heroine.
Fuyumi took the offering gratefully, dabbing at her eyes as Null stood awkwardly. How was he supposed to react to this? Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Natsuo straighten up, addressing him as Fuyumi pulled herself back together.
“Thanks man. Our baby brother could have been gone…” Natsuo paused, as if the next words pained him.
“...and we wouldn’t have been able to do anything.” There it was.
Before anyone else could say anything else, Null just gave them a departing bow and sprinted away. The heroes didn’t try to stop him, but they all gave him a critical eye.
—-------
“There’s something very off with Null.” Tenko commented. No one corrected him. It was true. There was no reason for Null to have been at the training camp. Even if they were grateful for the vigilante’s assistance, it was still extremely suspicious.
The camp’s location was hidden from everyone, including the students. So how did Null know where to go, or even that the students were in danger? The excuse that he’d given when asked was edgy, and it was clear that he didn’t want to answer. At least not truthfully.
Even with their partnership over the drug case, that was no reason for Null to go above and beyond for them. He cared too much, for someone who didn’t really know them. When Tenko had spoken with Shouto, his little brother had told him that Null had been extremely kind to him. Saving him not once, but twice. As great of a guy Null no doubt was, there was no way Null was doing this for no reason. Tenko just needed to know the reason.
There were only two logical reasons for Null to care so much for their little family. He either wanted something from them, or as Tenko was beginning to suspect… he knew them in his civilian identity. Tenko would figure out which. He couldn’t let such a loose cannon remain a mystery.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Endeavor Tries Parenting: Fuyumi-
Every girl wanted to be spoiled and cherished by their dad. Fuyumi was no different. From the moment her quirk came in, her father hadn’t had the time to even look at her, too busy training Touya or out being a hero to be a father. No matter how much she wished, or begged for him to give her the smallest bit of his time, her father remained adamant that he should either be at work or training her brothers.
Fuyumi had been unable to say a word against him.
But NOW …everything has changed. As if one of her dreams had become reality, her father was spending more time with them. Taking an interest in her and her brothers for more than just their quirks. They had finally become children to him rather than tools to build up his legacy.
But Fuyumi wasn’t going to make it easy for her father. No. Fuyumi wasn’t as kind as sweet little Natsuo. Despite her looks, Fuyumi could be just as spiteful as Touya, and she was going to make her father work for her forgiveness.
“Papa, I want to have a party with my classmates.” Fuyumi didn’t so much ask as she stated. She eyed her father as he looked back at her with shock in his eyes.
“Fuyumi-”
“I want a party.” She stated again, this time with challenge in her voice. She wasn’t going to give up easily.
“If you don’t let me have one, I’ll just ask dad.” Fuyumi added, and it had an immediate effect.
“OF COURSE YOU CAN HAVE A PARTY FUYUMI!” Father practically jumped up from his seat, nostrils blaring angrily. Fuyumi didn’t feel bad about what she said. She wouldn’t take it back.
“I’LL MAKE IT THE BEST PARTY EVER THROWN!” And now, Father was getting into it. Good. Fuyumi expects him to do his best to make up for all those years of negligence.
Fuyumi was not surprised to find that her father had gone all out in his self-imposed mission to become a better dad than Nabe. It was endearing in a way. But it was going to take more than some money to buy her love. (Fuyumi conveniently ignores that the amount of money Enji spent was what most people made in a month.)
Nabe could do so much better! HE never poisoned any of them with his cooking!
Fuyumi knew she was being a little unfair. It was a miracle that Father survived this long with the way he is, it’s no wonder he accidentally poisoned Touya. (And it was a mistake. They knew because they found Father crying as he stared at his burnt mess as he frantically apologised to Touya, who was frantically trying to rid himself of the taste by chugging glass after glass of water. It had bought him enough pity for them to act as a normal family for the next week, which was good because Touya had his Sports Festival and they had to all attend.)
Fuyumi wasn’t going to let Touya’s mistake be hers. If Father wanted to make things up to her, it wasn’t going to be by spending time cooking together in the kitchen. No. Fuyumi did not have a death wish.
For the next few days, Father went out of his way to plan Fuyumi’s party. It touched her to see him put so much effort into it. She half expected him to just hire party planners and be done with it, but he was really getting into the spirit of things!
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T HAVE THE LIVE BAND PLAY?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!” Fuyumi’s father screamed into his phone as he paced the kitchen.
Fuyumi hid her giggles behind her hands as she listened to “the Great Endeavor” yell at the band she’d requested to be at her party. Fuyumi had chosen that very specific band for a reason. It was an open secret among her peers that the band was very difficult to book. Most places had to sign contracts with them months in advance to even be sure that they’d be at the requested location. They were the rising stars of the idol world, one that almost mirrored the hero world due to its popularity.
“YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH I’M PAYING YOU! I’LL BUY OUT THE COMPANY IF I HAVE TO! I. WILL. HAVE. THEM. PLAY!” Fuyumi’s eyes widened as she listened to her father’s increasingly vexed words. The company that managed the band was notorious for their multiple sponsors and various other artists. They were not short of money and were in no danger of being bankrupt or bought out. But this was her father that Fuyumi was talking about…and he wasn’t called “Endeavor” for nothing. He had his own fame, and that fame came from being a hero that never gave up once his goal was set.
There was more shuffling from the kitchen as Fuyumi waited with bated breath to see what the outcome would be.
“Good. That’s what I thought.” She heard her father say before the kitchen door slid open and Fuyumi came face to face with her father.
“Ah. I was about to go look for you, Fuyumi. The band you wanted will play at your party. I have them contracted to be here all day.” Fuyumi couldn’t say a word. She had never expected her father to fulfil this wish of hers, no matter how competitive he was, there was no way he’d spend his time on something like this . He had better things to do than personally prepare a party for Fuyumi. But he did it. He’d gotten the thing that Fuyumi had wanted the most for her party. He’d gotten Heavens to play.
Fuyumi was really looking forward to her party.
When she told her friends about the party, they couldn’t believe her. How could they, when Fuyumi had told them about her challenge to her father just a week ago?
“No offence, Fuyumi, but are you sure?” Fuyumi’s friend, Rin Fukui asked. It wasn’t a question asked in an unkind manner, but Fuyumi flinched at the doubt in her voice.
“Of course! Father told me about it last night!” Fuyumi rushed to assure her friends, but there were more than a few raised eyebrows among them.
“Todoroki…no offense…but when was the last time your father followed through with his promises?” Another boy, Riku Miyashiro pointed out bluntly as Fuyumi immediately remembered the many times she’d tried and failed to get her father to spend time with her. How many times he’d agreed before telling her that he had to be somewhere else because he was the No. 2 Hero and how she wouldn’t be able to understand “the world he lived in”.
Since meeting Nabe and Tenko, Fuyumi has had more family than she could ever wish for, but that hadn’t stopped her from wanting to bring that atmosphere back home with her. Her mother and brothers were always so happy around Nabe and Tenko. She just wanted that with Father.
Fuyumi had tried over and over again to make her family happy at home, but failure after failure left her crying into the arms of her friends. It had been so hard…she’d given up on her father being there for them, fully planned on forgetting about her dream of being a normal family. But then…Father had discovered them with Nabe. Then he’d changed. Or at least tried to.
Fuyumi was hopeful that this would be permanent. But her friends were right. She’d be disappointed too many times. She had to protect herself so she wouldn’t be hurt again.
As the days blurred together and the date of her party drew nearer, so did the yelling.
“I TOLD YOU I WANTED BLUE AND WHITE DECORATIONS! BLUE. AND. WHITE! WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?! YES! I KNOW IT’S A PARTY FOR A LITTLE GIRL! NO! THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS TO BE PINK!” Whilst Fuyumi could appreciate her father not turning her party into a Barbie nightmare, she was starting to get very embarrassed by the constant nagging she’d hear from the other room. Her father was pulling out all the stops for her party, every detail was planned and paid for in advance.
Fuyumi couldn’t help but feel the small spark of hope ignite within her. Maybe he really has changed.
It didn’t take much more for Fuyumi to believe in her father, but the metaphorical nail in the coffin was when she woke up a couple days later during the night to go get a glass of water. She’d walked in the dark hallways, years of memories guiding her through the hallways without her ever needing to see anything. She’d walked down these corridors enough times to unconsciously know when to turn.
There was no moon to illuminate her way, but that only made the dim light of the study more obvious. What was Father still doing up?
Forgetting about the water, Fuyumi crept up to the door, and with the years of experience that came from being a mere shadow in the home, she peeked through a crack in the door. Her father sat hunched over a piece of paper, stacks of other paperwork surrounded him as a pair of reading glasses sat perched on his nose. He mumbled as he wrote.
“No. It can’t be this, it won’t be good enough for my daughter.”
“The flowers need to be here at 9am for me to have time to organise them, but they need to stay fresh enough to be pretty at the party, so…I need to hire someone with a flower quirk.”
“The bastards said they’ll be here to decorate at 12pm to set up the stage..”
“I can’t believe those pretentious pretty boys need all this in order to perform.” Fuyumi had to slap a hand over her mouth to stop the giggles from escaping. Tears leaked from her eyes as she took in the sight before her. Father…he was really changing…wasn’t he?
Fuyumi’s smile was wobbly as she hugged herself to keep from bursting into loud, ugly sobs. Thank goodness…Fuyumi would have a father.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 40: KAMINO
Summary:
The world turned upside down.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shouta sat stiffly in his uncomfortable suit as cameras pointed at him, and microphones were shoved in his face. This was hell .
“WHAT DOES UA HAVE TO SAY TO THE PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN WHO WERE CAUGHT UP IN THE ATTACK?!”
“DO YOU THINK UA FAILED IN THEIR DUTY AS HEROES BY ALLOWING THE STUDENTS TO BE PUT IN THIS SITUATION?!” The questions were fired at him as he sat alongside Nezu onstage. They had to fight in order to maintain their stoic faces. They couldn’t let the media exploit anything.
“We are of course, regretful that this could ever happen, but this situation is unprecedented. We are working alongside the heroes to get Bakugo back as soon as possible.” Nezu’s voice answered the questions calmly, and Shouta was struck by how grateful he is that his old mentor-now boss- was beside him. He was never good at public speaking. It wasn’t important in being an underground hero, and he never practiced the skill. It was coming back to bite him.
Sitting still and not yelling back at the reporters was one of the hardest things he had to do. All he wanted was to be at the forefront in retrieving his student from the villains, but he had to stay here as bait. Shouta was never bait. He was always the hero using the bait to ambush villains.
Shouta clenched his hands into fists under the table, his nails digging into his palms. He let the pain drive the anger clouding his mind away. He couldn’t break now. He had a student depending on him to keep the villains distracted. Just as his blood began to coat his nails, Shouta felt a small squeeze. It stopped him from clenching his hands any further.
A quick glance under the table shocked him. Nezu’s ha-paw held his gently as the other pried his fingers open. Once he was no longer digging his nails into his skin, the principal softly stroked his hand before retreating. An unspoken “stop hurting yourself” exchanged through the brief glance they shared. Shouta felt like laughing and crying at the same time. His teacher would never change. Trust Nezu to both remember his social anxiety and do his best to help even when the world seemed against him. It was exactly the sort of thing the chimera would do when he was still a student. It made him feel warm that Nezu would still care enough to make sure he was ok.
“WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENT THAT WAS KIDNAPPED, KATSUKI BAKUGO?!” The good feelings receded and Shouta was hit with another wave of guilt. They were right. He failed his student.
He was nudged by Nezu to answer the question.
Taking a deep breath, Shouta reminded himself of his goals.
‘Shouta, you need to remember that the villains will be watching, and you need to do everything in your power to both minimise the fallout of their attack and keep their attention enough so that they won’t do anything to your student or notice the heroes gathering outside.’ He mentally gave himself a smack to the face to wake up and see the truth. He couldn’t afford to be quiet. Not with Bakugo on the line.
Bringing himself to his full height, Shouta levelled a quirk-enhanced glare at the reporter that had asked the question.
“Bakugo is a strong student. He’s one of the best in class, I have no doubt that he is alive and will be able to be rescued soon.” Shouta started before another question was shouted, this time from the back.
“DO YOU THINK BAKUGO WAS CAPTURED IN ORDER TO BE RECRUITED TO THE VILLAINS’ SIDE?! WE ALL SAW HOW HE FOUGHT DURING THE SPORTS FESTIVAL AFTER ALL! THE WAY HE FOUGHT WITHOUT CARING ABOUT THE DAMAGE HE COULD DEAL TO OTHERS IS POSITIVELY VILLAINOUS!!”
Shouta snapped.
“And what , do you think he did that was so villainous?” Shouta didn’t yell. He didn’t even raise his voice, but all chatter stopped as the reporters all stared at him. Shouta knew that had his hair not been tied up, it would have been floating above his head.
“Go on. Explain what he did that was so villainous.” Shouta didn’t ask. He demanded answers.
“T-The way he fought against those other students-” The reporter tried to defend his thoughts but Shouta wouldn’t have it. It was bad enough that Bakugo was kidnapped by villains, but now his name was being thrown around by people who wouldn’t be able to understand him. All the while, he could be injured and hurting, unable to defend himself. It was despicable.
“It was a fighting exercise.” Shouta growled at the reporter as the man tried to justify his words.
“But-”
“It was a fighting competition.” Nothing more needed to be said.
—-------
Natsuo crouched next to Touya as they waited for the signal. According to the plan, once the press conference started, they would wait exactly 20 minutes for the villains to become distracted. No doubt, they would be watching to see the backlash the heroes would receive in light of their actions. They would use that opportunity to catch them off guard.
Natsuo waited as the time ticked closer. 5 minutes…
—-------
When Shouto met his classmates at the hospital, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. They surrounded Midoriya’s bed in an attempt to comfort each other, and themselves over the events that had occurred. It was supposed to be a normal training camp. It was supposed to be fun. And now…Bakugo was gone.
“We’re going to get him back.” Kirishima spoke up from beside him, and Shouto whipped his head around to stare at his red-headed classmate.
“What?” Tenya said what was clearly on all of their minds.
“Are you crazy?!” Somehow, Shouto completely missed the purple midget that was standing with them. He was wrapped in bandages spanning from his shoulders to the tips of his fingers. He’d been one of those worse off from the acid rain attack.
“We’re going to get him back.” Kirishima said again, his voice coming out louder and more confident as he straightened up. Shouto would have called it confidence had he not seen the shakiness in which he held himself. Kirishima was trembling.
“We failed him at camp. We can’t just sit here when he’s in danger. We have to save him-”
“But what if we can’t?” Ojiro was the next to speak, a voice of reason amongst the chaos-and he was correct. They had failed at protecting Bakugo in friendly territory, with all of Class 1A and 1B, along with the heroes with them. What chance did they have with just themselves and no pro hero guidance?
“We have to try.” Kirishima’s voice was even more strained as he bit out the words, each sound like a growl.
“It’s illegal. You’ll be breaking the rules!” It was Tenya’s turn to offer his input, hand chopping like aways as he articulated his thoughts. Unbidden, a smile broke on Shouto’s face. Trust Tenya to still act like this when the sky feels like it’s falling around them.
“ Sometimes, you need to break a few rules for everyone to come out alive. ”
The room froze. From his bed, Midoriya stared each person down.
“ A hero does whatever they need to make sure everyone is safe, no matter what other people say. ” No one could rebut him. And no one did.
If Shouto had just turned to look at Tenya, he would’ve noticed his childhood friend pale as he stood frozen, a million thoughts obviously rushing through his mind.
A hero does whatever is necessary.
—-------
“Pizza delivery!” Was all the warning the villains got before the heroes burst into their hideout.
Natsuo stood to the back, ready to ice the floor and any villains that managed to avoid the initial attack. He and Touya stood side by side, poised to attack or defend when necessary. Fuyumi was with their father in the other battle ground, but from their intel, this was the most likely location they had brought Bakugo to.
All Might broke the door open and stormed the bar as Kamui Woods and Edgeshot incapacitated the villains. The leader, Sunako Shigaraki was screaming death threats as she struggled with the branches that entangled her arms and prevented her from escaping.
“FATHER!!” She screamed before it all went to shit. Though Edgeshot had knocked Kurogiri out, leaving them with no chance of escape, Natsuo could feel in his gut that something wasn’t right.
“NATSUO! LOOK OUT!” A wreath of flames formed a glowing umbrella above him before the clear night sky turned thunderous. Rain fell and ate away at everything on the ground. Shigaraki had gone manic as her quirk activated, destroying the area around them. They could briefly hear screaming before someone managed to kick Shigaraki on the side of her head, bringing her to unconsciousness. An older pro, one Gran Torino, stood beside the villainess, patches of his hero costume ripped and missing, evidence of the rain that he’d not been fast enough to avoid.
“We’ve got them.” He sighed. All Might walked to the kidnapped student, who was standing in the centre of the room.
“You’re alright, Bakugo, my boy.” No sooner had he said that, one of the villains doubled over. What was wrong?! Natsuo’s worry grew as one by one, the villains clutched at their throats. Kamui Woods’ branches hadn’t even reached that far, so what was wrong?! Soon, even Bakugo started to choke as he clawed at his throat.
All Might’s face twisted with panic as he tried to grab hold of his student.
“Bakugo! My boy! What’s wrong?!”
A black, sludge-like substance spewed from the villains’ mouths, as well as Bakugo, pulling them away from the heroes.
They were gone.
—-------
Tenya didn’t know exactly why he decided to go with the small group to rescue Bakugo. It could’ve been personal responsibility, both to protect his classmates and rescue Bakugo, or the guilt he felt at being unable to keep them all safe at the training camp. Nevertheless, he was here. It went against everything he’d ever known, doing something so blatantly illegal, but what Midoriya had said from his hospital bed, arms in casts, had moved him. It had reminded him of the vigilante that had saved both his, and his brother’s lives. Without that vigilante, they’d be dead. Their parents would have to bury both of their sons.
“ Sometimes, you need to break a few rules for everyone to come out alive. ”
And wasn’t that true? What if Bakugo really needed them? Sometimes, one person is enough to tip the scales. It did when Stain was involved …
Tenya was crouched behind a building with the others when an explosion of noise erupted from behind them. A heavy atmosphere froze them all in place.
—-------
Enji stood beside Fuyumi as the battlefield exploded into chaos. The League of Villains had appeared.
“Be careful, Thermis.” He looked his daughter in the eyes as she smiled confidently at him-she’d grown to be such a strong young woman. He was so proud.
“Of course Father.”
Side by side, father and daughter attacked.
—-------
When the League of Villains appeared on the battlefield, they weren’t alone. Standing above Sunako Shigaraki was a tall man in a dark suit. Power oozed from his every pore, freezing many less experienced heroes in place.
Others, like Endeavor and Thermis, attacked without stopping.
“Sunako Shigaraki! My student, I will save you this time, but take the boy you deem so important and run away!” The unknown villain shouted at Shigaraki, who didn’t hesitate to attempt to grab Bakugo.
“Get back here, you brat!” She snarled as all the villains who were awake came to her aid.
Bakugo was dodging desperately as he released explosion after explosion, only just managing to not be touched by any of the hands that wanted to capture him.
—-------
Fuyumi was panting as she shot arrow after arrow at the villain that had appeared, but it was as if he could tell when a projectile was coming at him. Every time one of her ice arrows came within a certain distance of him, he would send a blast of flames at it, evaporating the arrow before it could do any damage. It was infuriating. Soon enough, Fuyumi started to just blast walls of ice at the villain in an attempt to stop him from moving completely. Her father was distracting the villain with his fire lances, and was doing a good job at keeping the villain from attacking anyone else.
“I AM HERE!” All Might had just arrived. Fuyumi was feeling much better about their chances.
As All Might entered the battlefield, Fuyumi noted one thing that made her pause.
All Might wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked furious.
—-------
Izuku was confused. All around him, he could see his friends struggling to stay upright, as if some pressure was physically pushing them to the ground, but Izuku felt nothing. He was standing normally as everyone around him crouched, as if pained by the action of merely standing. Was this some factor of OFA that Izuku hadn’t known about? Was it protecting him? OFA was a mysterious quirk, with an even more mysterious beginning. It could be passed down from user to user, a torch that a hero must bear from generation to generation. That was what All Might had told him, but Izuku couldn’t help but feel as if there was something more to the quirk’s abilities. Even at the hospital, Izuku had not forgotten about the ghostly voices that had whispered in his ears and guided him in beating Muscular. There was no way he could have done so otherwise, but there was also no way for him to prove his theory.
OFA is a hidden quirk that very few had the honour of knowing about, never mind knowing about in detail. Everything known about the quirk lived and died with each new user, and All Might had never told him anything about a guide to help him master his quirk. There was no mention of voices or an invisible sentience that helped the user survive.
Izuku knew that he was supposed to die on that mountain. He was unprepared for the brute strength of a villain like Muscular, and too new at using his quirk for it to be much help for long. So what had his quirk done?
Turning his head and watching the heroes battle the villains, trying to save Kacchan from their grasp, Izuku couldn’t help but feel an itch in his bones. He had to help. The heroes weren’t going to be able to get Kacchan out without outside interference. Whoever this new villain was (Izuku suspects that All Might knows who this villain is, but he can question his mentor later), he was strong. Strong enough to hold off Endeavor and Thermis, along with multiple other heroes for a long time. They didn’t have the time to get Kacchan out right now, so Izuku would have to find a way out.
Beside him, Izuku could see his friends begin to get used to whatever was forcing them to the ground, standing up with some difficulty.
“We need to get Kacchan out. The heroes won’t be able to do it.” Izuku points out, and Todoroki is the first to agree with him.
“Father and Yumi won’t be able to do much with how they’re fighting the villains.” Todoroki nods, and Izuku is grateful for the bout of confidence that those words gave him. So he wasn’t wrong. Their interference was warranted if even the youngest son of the No. 2 Hero noticed the same thing he did.
“Ok. I’ve got a plan, but I’ll need all of your help in order to pull it off.” Izuku looked each member of their impromptu rescue squad in the eyes, begging them to comply with his wishes. Izuku nearly burst into tears as they all agreed.
“I trust you man!” Kirishima smiled at him, clapping a hand to his shoulder in a show of trust. Izuku couldn’t be more grateful for that trust.
“I know whatever you plan is going to be brilliant, Midoriya.” Momo said kindly. The others nodded and Izuku felt a surge of relief pass over him. They all trusted him.
Izuku would live up to that trust.
—-------
Toshinori felt burning anger rage through him as he once again traded blows with the man who had stolen the only mother figure he had away from him.
“So we meet again, All Might!” AFO spread his arms out as if in welcome, and Toshinori snarled as he met the villain with one of his OFA powered smashes.
“You should have stayed dead, you monster.” Toshinori spat as they exchanged blows, dodging and blocking each other’s attacks in a familiar dance. Toshinori could hear the helicopter overhead as the news captured everything on camera.
AFO shot quirk after quirk at him, most definitely surprising everyone watching.
The secret of AFO was out. Toshinori couldn’t do any more to shield society from the information.
They weren’t ready to know. But now they had to.
—-------
Touya and Natsuo burst into the scene as the fight between their father and sister, All Might, and the mysterious villain started tipping to favour the villain. No matter what Fuyumi and Father did, the villain countered without so much as looking at them. It was terrifying how easy it seemed for the villain to avoid capture. No matter what the heroes threw at him, he batted it off with an enviable ease. Only All Might seemed up to the task of competing with him.
It showed Touya, and the world exactly why he was the No. 1 Hero.
—-------
As the two giants of the battlefield fought to gain the upper hand, the League were still fighting to recapture Bakugo, who was doing his best to avoid them. Despite his clear efforts, it was obvious to anyone watching that he wouldn’t be able to keep away forever. The heroes were doing their best to approach the student, but with the pressure exerted by the two titans fighting, it was impossible to get anywhere close enough to help.
It wasn’t until a loud explosion detonated and a large pillar of ice erupted from the ground that the fight began to favour the heroes.
All Might couldn’t go all out with Bakugo still there, but the villain had no such reservations. He threw punch after punch at the No. 1 Hero, multiple quirks augmenting him and making him stronger, faster, and more deadly.
If anyone could get Bakugo away so All Might could focus on fighting the villain, it would help the hero tremendously. The rescue squad came as a horrific surprise for all the heroes on the battlefield. Rather than the backup they’d been hoping for, it was a group of kids. Kids that had no right to be anywhere near the battlefield.
Thankfully, they didn’t stay for long, spiriting Bakugo away from the battlefield rather than trying to fight. It was the only intelligent part of whatever plan they had.
Once they made their escape, the true battle began.
—-------
From the sidelines, Touya was unable to help All Might in his fight. That didn’t mean he didn’t do anything though. Touya was facing down what remained of the League of Villains. Now that Bakugo was gone, they had no reason to stay. Touya wouldn’t let them leave so easily.
Sending jets of flames at the villains, Touya did his best to stop them from getting to the warp gate. And that was where things started to go wrong.
“Blaze! Watch out!”
Touya was too focused on the villains he was fighting. So focused in fact, that he completely missed the boulder hurtling towards him.
It would crush him.
“BLAZE!” Touya smiled sadly as Fuyumi called out his hero name.
‘Sorry, Fuyumi. I should’ve been more careful.’ Touya closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to hit.
“BLAZE!” Suddenly, Touya was pushed to the side, as someone else took the blow for him. He didn’t even have time to ask a question, or blink before Null was knocked back into the buildings. That…could have been him. He could’ve died. Null…might be dead. And it’s all his fault.
Touya didn’t know what happened next. His mind numb as the world fell apart around him. He missed All Might’s reveal, and subsequent defeat of the villain now known as AFO. He missed the worried voices of his family as they rushed him to the medics waiting nearby.
Touya was numb.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 41: PUNISHMENT
Summary:
Shouto gets in trouble for being reckless. Izuku and Bakugo have their fated talk.
Notes:
I always thought it was a little weird that the students involved in the Kamino incident never got punished by their parents/families for what they did.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” Shouto flinched at his father’s roar. He didn’t doubt that he deserved it. Multiple heroes had seen him and his friends rushing to rescue Bakugo. It was nothing short of a miracle that the media hadn’t caught wind of it, but in light of All Might’s retirement, there were more important things than the actions of a small group of students.
“HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED, SHOUTO!” Shouto hasn’t ever seen Touya so angry before. Not even when Father first discovered their weekly ritual with Nabe and Tenko. His eldest brother was practically spitting flames as his blue eyes seemed to glow with the same fires of his quirk. It cast an azure tinge over his hair that made him look just like a younger version of his dad. He looked like Nabe. That is…if Nabe ever got angry. Shouto wasn’t convinced the man could get angry. In the years of knowing him, Shouto had only ever seen a smile, or sometimes an exasperated look on his face. Touya was still yelling at him.
“WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA TO GO INTO A BATTLE ZONE AND FIGHT AGAINST THE VILLAINS, SHOUTO?!” Shouto fiddled with his hands, playing with his fingers as he did his best not to look his family in the eyes. They surrounded him, not letting him escape to his room. It had been like this ever since they got back from Kamino.
“It was…so..so dangerous Shouto.” His mother had wrapped her arms around him, and refused to let go. Her embrace was both comfort and restraint. Shouto could feel the guilt eating at him.
“I…don’t know what I would’ve done if anything happened to you.” His mother was brushing her hands through his hair, holding him closer as if afraid that he would disappear the moment she let go.
“I wasn’t there to protect you…I was the only one not there.” Shouto felt like a knife had stabbed him through the chest. His mother was the only non-hero in their family. The only one not present in Kamino when the Scourge of Kamino had attacked All Might and ended the hero’s career for good. She was forced to watch as every member of her family put their life on the line in one battle. Shouto hadn’t thought about her for one second when he’d gone to save Bakugo. Even when he was one of the villain’s original targets. She must’ve been so worried when she couldn’t find him at the hospital..
Sneaking a look at the rest of his family, Shouto saw Natsuo’s serious expression and clenched fist, gripping onto the living room chair with enough force for the wood to splinter slightly. His older brother was furious at him. And he had every right to be. Shouto wasn’t supposed to be in Kamino.
When Natsuo looked up, Shouto saw something that he hadn’t seen before. He was unable to look his family in the eyes when he was escorted home, so he hadn’t been able to tell, but…Natsuo was scared. Natsuo was scared for him. Natsuo was worried that Shouto had been hurt-would’ve been killed by the villain that had seemed so unbeatable. It only made Shouto feel worse. He had worried everyone. Even if he was there to rescue Bakugo, and had ultimately helped in the end, the way he’d chosen to do it was wrong. Not only did he put his safety at risk, and that of his classmates-but he’d also put the heroes’ plan at risk. If they had failed in rescuing Bakugo, they would have only given the villains more hostages that the heroes would need to get back. Going to Kamino was stupid. Touya was right. He could have died.
Shouto felt tears prick at his eyes as he leant into his mother’s hold.
“I’m sorry for worrying everyone.” He mumbled. He just felt so… guilty.
Suddenly, Shouto felt more arms wrap around him, and the rest of his family joined Mother in holding him.
“We’re just grateful you’re safe.” Fuyumi said softly, as if he was made out of glass. Shouto appreciated the care she showed.
“But you’re still grounded.” Shouto let out a weak laugh as he nodded.
“I think I deserve that.” He agreed without any trouble.
“Yes. Yes, you do.” Knuckles buried into his head as Natsu rubbed his fist into Shouto’s head. Shouto didn’t fight it, comfortable in his family’s love and protection.
Kamino was scary. That villain exuded a sense of evil that Shouto wasn’t prepared for. He was glad it was over, and he and his family were all ok.
—-------
“We need to talk about middle school.” Izuku wasn’t going to let this conversation be stalled any further. His mum had lashed into him after fretting over his (possible) injuries he’d gotten from Kamino. She’d understood why he’d done it, but that hadn’t stopped her from being furious at him anyways.
Izuku shivered. Say what you wanted about his mum, but she could be a very scary woman when pressed. And anyone endangering her child was enough to get her ready to fight anyone and anything if it meant her baby was safe. He loved and was terrified about that aspect of his mum. Sometimes he wondered if his dad was ever on the business side of her quirk. It was very dangerous if used correctly-and she knew how to use it correctly. He’d seen it before as a child when she’d threatened a man who was trying to recruit him to some cult-Humarise. The man hadn’t stuck around for long ( or his mum had gotten rid of him, but Izuku didn’t like to think about that possibility ). Inko Midoriya had dealt with Alder Middle School with all the protective instincts of a nursing mother dragon (a comparison that no doubt would have his fire-breathing father laughing). She’d let him deal with Katsuki Bakugo however he wished, and he was going to do exactly that. Before his mum got any ideas of her own.
“The fuck do you want to talk about?” Bakugo was grouchy as always, hands stuck into his pockets as they met outside the Bakugo residence. Bakugo wasn’t allowed outside of home due to the fear that what remained of the League of Villains would try to recapture him again, so Izuku knocked on his door ( after telling his mum what he was going to do ).
“You know exactly what I want to talk about, Kacchan .” Izuku let the sarcasm seep into his voice as he used the other boy’s childhood nickname, and it was clear that Bakugo had noticed. His ex-childhood friend’s jaw clenched as Izuku stared impassively at him. Izuku didn’t tremble, nor did he cower when faced with the boy who had sat by and watched as the others tormented him. Whilst Bakugo wasn’t one to join in (at least not regularly), his abandonment had only given the other students more ammo to fire at Izuku. They took Bakugo’s silence as an unsaid “ok” to what they were doing. Afterall, if Bakugo wasn’t going to protect him, or even speak up on his behalf…why should they care? Why should anyone care? They could do what they wanted. They could use him as a punching bag. They could make his life hell.
“Just spit it out, nerd. I don’t have all day.” Though Bakugo tried to sound menacing, Izuku knew him long enough to know that the other boy was nervous.
“I’m talking about our childhood friendship, Kacchan. And why it had to end.” Izuku took a moment to breathe. He wanted to be calm. He needed to know the answers to his questions.
“After that day at the park, it was like you were my friend again. I had my best friend back. You invited me out and I felt like…like I wasn’t completely alone.” Izuku had been ecstatic after that man had spoken to them at the park. He’d been the first to tell Izuku that he could be a hero, and the first person to tell Kacchan off aside from Auntie Mitsuki. The best part? It had worked. After that day, Kacchan began to be nice to him again, had invited him out to play and did his best to include Izuku in anything his friends were doing. When he’d stopped again…Izuku was shattered.
Kacchan had every right to hang out with whoever he wanted, but Izuku knew it was because of his quirklessness. Once again, being born without a power of his own had affected the way that everyone treated him. Izuku didn’t know what was crueller- having a taste of what could’ve been, then having it taken away, or just being told he couldn’t have friends. His hopes had been dashed once again, and this time, it had hurt so much more.
“...” Bakugo refused to speak, so Izuku continued for him.
“What happened, Kacchan? What happened to our friendship? It was like one day we were talking about All Might, and the next, I was alone again!” He needed answers. It had been so long, but Izuku couldn’t help but feel an old ache whenever he thought about their old friendship. Kacchan was so kind back then. He was brash and rude, outspoken, and unwilling to censor himself just for others, but Izuku was fine with that. Fine with being in the brunt of his harsh words because he knew they were coming from a place of care. But that day, when he’d come to greet Kacchan…run up to him to ask about their plans for the summer. Kacchan had just…walked past him. He’d never looked back, and Izuku spent that summer alone.
“...” Kacchan still didn’t answer him. Only looking to the ground.
“You gave up on me.” It was a fact. Kacchan had given up on being friends with the weak, quirkless kid who was just too weird for anyone to handle. Izuku knew being friends with him was hard. He could still remember the whispers of their classmates, questioning why Kacchan still hung around a “useless Deku” like him. He just hoped that Kacchan would ignore them, like he always did.
“Only after you gave up on yourself.” Finally, the red-eyed boy gave a reply. It was quieter than his usual tone, but Izuku could still hear it. It rang in his ears like a stone disturbing still water.
“...What?” Izuku was confused.
“Why didn’t you train?” Now. It was Kacchan’s turn to ask questions. Questions that Izuku answered just as softly.
“I couldn’t.” And it was the truth. There was no way he could have trained as a kid. Surely Kacchan knew that?
“You could.” Or not-
“I couldn’t. I didn’t have anywhere to train.” Izuku spoke a little louder as he tried again to make sense of what Kacchan was trying to tell him. Surely, Kacchan just misheard him? What did he mean when he said Izuku had given up on himself? He’s never done that! He was always fighting to be a hero alongside Kacchan!
“I FUCKING INVITED YOU TO THE GYM WITH ME!” Kacchan finally lost what little patience he had, and began yelling. Looking at Kacchan now, his ex-childhood friend was glaring at him with enraged red eyes. His forehead was furrowed into a deep scowl as miniature explosions detonated at his sides. Izuku mentally prayed that Kacchan’s neighbours wouldn’t make a noise complaint ( even though they’ve lived near Kacchan long enough to be used to it by now ). Kacchan was egging him on with a look that made the blood boil in Izuku’s veins.
“I STILL COULDN’T GO!!” Angry tears threatened to fall from his eyes as Izuku was forced to remember the truth of their society. There was no way he could have followed Kacchan to some of the places he was invited. Even if Kacchan wanted him there…not everyone did.
“WHY?!” It physically hurt Izuku to answer.
“They request ID at entry, Kacchan…” Clutching at his shirt for what semblance of comfort it could bring, Izuku refused to look into Kacchan’s eyes. To see the pity he knew would be there. He didn’t want to see Kacchan look down on him. Not now.
“...” There was silence, and Izuku took in a shuddering breath before he spoke again.
“They wouldn’t have let me in.” Finally, he told Kacchan something he probably should have all those years ago. It was clear what happened now. Kacchan had misunderstood him. He had seen Izuku’s refusal to train with him as Izuku’s lack of effort. Kacchan was amazing. He always worked hard, no matter how many advantages he had, it was never enough for him. He wouldn’t take any of it for granted. He worked hard for what he got.
“...Why didn’t you tell me?” It came out a whisper, but it stabbed Izuku like a knife. He fixed a smile on his face as he did his best to keep whatever dignity he had left.
“I couldn’t let you see me in that position, Kacchan…how would you feel if you were invited by your friend somewhere and were immediately kicked out? I just couldn’t do it.” Izuku kept quiet as Kacchan cursed out the gyms. Cursed out the adults that wouldn’t let Izuku get better, and suppressed him.
“DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL! FUCK THEM AND THEIR QUIRKISM! THEY LET US DOWN IZUKU! THEY LET US DOWN!” Kacchan punched the wall, leaving cuts on his knuckles as they split under the force. Despite the blood, it was like Kacchan couldn’t feel any of it.
“I’M GOING TO KILL THEM! GET THEM TO SHUT DOWN AND CONFESS TO EVERYTHING THEY’VE DONE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE OVERCONFIDENT FOR YEARS IZUKU!” Izuku smiled. Kacchan was calling him Izuku. Not “nerd”, or “Deku”, or any other nickname. For the first time in years, he called Izuku by his name.
“I’m sorry for what I said in Middle School.” And here was the other thing Izuku wanted to talk about. Clearly, Kacchan was also thinking about it.
“I shouldn’t have told you that you might be better off dead. I didn’t understand what you were going through, and what I said would have hurt. I guess, in some sick sense, I thought that no life wandering with no goal was worth living. I see I misunderstood you, but even then, I shouldn’t have said it.”
Izuku cried. He wasn’t planning to, but as if the dam that he’d built up had crumbled to nothing. On the floor of Kacchan’s backyard, Izuku cried like the baby Kacchan used to say he was.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Shouto can really cook, Bakugo is impressed-
Unlike canon. Shouto is a really good chef. Years of cooking with Nabe and his family has trained him to be a proficient cook. Bakugo has complimented him on this multiple times at camp, challenging him to competitions over “who can cut the most vegetables”, or “who can make the best curry”. Shouto won the second competition, but Bakugo swears that it’s because “the extras can’t handle spicy food”.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 42: INVESTIGATION PART IV
Summary:
Tenko almost got it. But he didn't.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The week following All Might’s retirement was chaos. No one knew what to do with the new information they were presented. Most people had grown up with All Might as a prominent figure protecting them, so having him disappear from the limelight left many questioning where hero society was headed to next. Crime picked up as villains grew confident in their ability to escape detection in light of the No. 1 Hero retiring, and some would be right. Hero society was not ready for All Might to go, but one family withstood the tumultuous waves as people scrambled to make sense of this new normal.
The Todoroki Family stood firm as Endeavor became the new No. 1 Hero, and Blaze became the No. 3 Hero. With All Might gone, there was immense pressure on the Todoroki Patriarch to live up to the other man’s legacy. The pressure was enough to make any hero stumble, yet Endeavor remained tall.
During the Hero Billboard, he stood firm, stable in his new position, and made his promise to Japan.
“I will be here. I will protect you. So watch me.”
—-------
“I think it’s time we finally talked about it.” Touya was the first to broach the issue as Tenko, Natsuo and Fuyumi met up in an empty meeting room in the agency. They locked the door, knowing that the sound proof walls would secure their privacy.
“I’ve noticed it too.” Natsuo agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. Tenko was briefly distracted by the way the muscles bulged in his arm as they did so. No. Tenko had to focus. Now was no time to be distracted by Natsuo, no matter how handsome he looked.
“Null has a weird protective streak. This isn’t the first time he’s been there to help us, even when he wasn’t asked. I think he knows us in civilian life.” It was Fuyumi’s turn to throw in some theories of her own, and her two brothers looked at her.
“And I thought Shouto was the conspiracy theorist.” Touya smiled jokingly at Fuyumi. It was funny to him. Fuyumi was usually the voice of reason, the “sensible sibling”, and here she was making theories that Shouto would be proud of.
“I’m serious!” Touya’s little sister blushed, cheeks puffed up in a pout as she glared at him.
“I seriously think that Null must be someone we know! Why else would he protect Shouto? Why would he appear to take a blow for you? It doesn’t make sense any other way!” Frustrated tears pricked at Fuyumi’s eyes. Touya watched as she furiously wiped them away.
“YOU COULD HAVE DIED TOUYA! IF IT WASN’T FOR HIM-” Finally, Fuyumi broke down, her true emotions from Kamino seeping out in her voice and actions.
“You could have died…and I couldn’t do anything to help..” Touya pulled Fuyumi to him, Natsuo joining the hug as Tenko stood to the side. The trio needed some time to themselves right now. He’ll join them later.
“B-but…I’m serious, Touya…Null isn’t some stranger!” Face wet with her own tears, Fuyumi still tried her best to convince the boys of her theory.
“Why else would he protect us so much?”
“Maybe he’s a fan?” Natsuo shrugged noncommittally as he leaned on Tenko. Touya noted that his best friend shifted slightly at the pressure. ‘ Damn man. You couldn’t be more obvious. ’ Touya agreed with Natsuo, and he made sure to tell Fuyumi that.
“Tons of heroes have fans, Yumi. You know that. Stain’s a good example. You can’t say that Stain personally knew All Might, and he was obsessed with the man.” Fuyumi didn’t look convinced, but backed down. Too much has happened in too little time, and Tenko could tell that she didn’t have the energy to argue with her brothers.
Tenko on the other hand…agreed with her.
Something was very off about that vigilante. Tenko had worked with multiple informants and vigilantes in his years as an underground hero, but none had stuck out nearly as much as Null did. They respected him as a hero, and were willing to help him so long as their interests aligned, but he knew they would never go out of their way to protect him the way Null seemed to protect his little family. Fuyumi was right, there was no reason for him to protect Shouto, and then Touya unless he truly knew them and cared about them outside of hero work.
He had one person in mind who fit that description perfectly.
In the aftermath of Kamino, Null had disappeared soon after taking a hit for Touya. He hadn’t been heard of since, and Tenko was willing to bet that he was injured from the attack.
On the last visit to the cafe, Tenko had noticed his dad favouring his side more than usual. When he’d asked, the man had simply told him that he fell down the stairs, but Tenko knew that his dad would never fall down the stairs. He was never the clumsy type and was able to keep up with their training even through hero school. His dad was anything but a clutz, and there was no reason he’d start being one now. His injury lined up perfectly with when Null was struck. It couldn’t be a coincidence! Tenko just knew it!
But he still needed proof.
—-------
When he’d stumbled upon some papers, it had been a complete accident. He wasn’t even trying to investigate his theories, but somehow, it was like a key piece of information was just handed to him on a silver platter.
His dad had gone to bed early, claiming that he was still suffering from the aches that came with falling down the stairs. ( Tenko didn’t really believe that. )
As he was getting ready to leave on his patrol, Tenko spotted a crack in one of the boards in the floor. The cafe was old. He knew that. It’s been years since he was adopted by his dad, and the cafe had remained a constant fixture in his life; but it had never had a problem like this before. Aiming to put the board back in place, Tenko crouched down to pry the board up. He did so quietly, intent on keeping the noise to a minimum as to not disturb his dad.
When the board was pried from the ground, Tenko was surprised to find a hidden space beneath the floor. It was small, only enough for him to fit an arm through, but substantial enough to hide something if necessary. Unbidden, Tenko shoved his arm through the gap. There wasn’t a reason for why he did it, just an intrusive thought, an instinctive feeling. He didn’t expect to find anything. Just a random hole in his dad’s floor. Tenko was just going to laugh it off as a random thought that he obliged. That’s what would’ve happened had Tenko’s fingers not brushed a piece of paper.
Curling his fingers around the piece of paper, Tenko pulled it from its hidden place. It wasn’t yellowed with age as one would expect from a piece of paper underneath their floor. It couldn’t have been very old. When Tenko unfolded the paper, he could make out some smudged writing.
M–s–n e—ma-e 01:-5 — warehouse s—pm–t.
The rest was illegible, and Tenko’s current self had neither the patience nor time to put together what the squiggles and lines made out, his patrol would start soon. Placing the folded piece of paper back where he found it, Tenko walked out of the cafe, making sure to lock the door behind him. He’ll deal with this tomorrow.
The next day, the news ran a special broadcast. Around 1am the previous night, there had been massive explosions at the docks. When heroes and officers arrived at the scene, they were met with villains tied up and gagged outside of a burning warehouse. They had been part of a large scale illegal quirk trafficking ring transporting children across Japan. Said children were huddled up in small groups, blankets covered them as they cowered away from their captors.
Not much else was released to the public, but the news report itself was enough to make Tenko freeze. What?
His dad was away doing some shopping to restock their pantry when the news had announced what had happened. Tenko had been planning on watching a movie and enjoying his iced chocolate when he accidentally switched to the news. Certain words jumped out at him.
1am. Warehouse. Shipment.
The previous night, Tenko had found a mysterious slip of paper underneath the floorboards and had not gotten around to deciphering it yet. It couldn’t be -
Jumping to his feet, Tenko practically ran to where the loose floorboard had been the previous night. It wasn’t loose anymore. He couldn’t pry it up. Was it a dream? Tenko was certain that what had happened last night was true. He’d found a loose floorboard and then a mysterious sheet of paper. But if that paper was real…then his dad…
Tenko pulled at the floorboard, willing it to budge. To prove that he wasn’t going insane, but part of him hoped that it wouldn’t move, and that it was all part of his imagination. His dad couldn’t have possibly been involved with the vigilantes that had pretty much destroyed one of the warehouses by the docks and saved all those kids. His dad was just a normal man who ran a cafe. Nothing more, nothing less.
When pulling didn’t work, in a last ditch effort to ease his mind, Tenko decayed the floorboard.
To his relief, there was nothing underneath, just concrete. His dad wasn’t involved with the Musutafu Vigilantes.
Taking a deep breath, Tenko let his heart calm down. He was just imagining it. There was nothing wrong. His dad wasn’t moonlighting as a vigilante and Tenko wouldn’t have to make sure that his dad wouldn’t die out on one of “his missions”.
Now, Tenko will just have to find a way to explain the decayed floorboard.
Finally calm after the jump scare he’d given himself, Tenko walked back to the living room where he’d left his iced chocolate. If he’d only looked at the other side of the room, he might have seen a small crack in the floor. A place where the wooden panels were just the slightest bit uneven. A loose floorboard.
Maybe then, Tenko would’ve known that he hadn’t been dreaming, and was right all along.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-Endeavor Tries Parenting: Shouto-
Enji blinked. Shouto blinked. Enji shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Shouto sat still. Father and son watched each other silently as they sat around the table. This was the first interaction they’d had alone since Enji had stumbled upon his family with that Nabe character, and he didn’t know how to act. Shouto continued to stare at him as Enji began to feel a cold sweat form on his neck. It was an odd feeling, because Enji rarely felt nervous, but as he’d found in the last couple of weeks, his children just had that effect on him.
“What do you want to do, Shouto?” Enji tried to break the silence, but his youngest son just continued to stare at him. There was judgement in his eyes and though Enji knew he deserved it, it didn’t help with his nerves.
“I’m going to watch a movie.” Without waiting for Enji, Shouto stood up from the table and walked into the living room. Scrambling from his seat, Enji followed his youngest son.
Shouto switched the TV on, and Enji was met with All Might. The man he’d been desperately pursuing the shadow of for the past decade. Shouto turned to face Enji. He was evaluating him and Enji knew it. Stiffening, he waited for his son to finish looking for whatever he was clearly searching for in Enji. It appeared as if whatever test his son was conducting had deemed Enji passable as his son didn’t react when Enji sat down beside the boy.
It was another few awkward moments before Shouto spoke.
“All Might probably has some secret nemesis that he’s not allowed to tell anyone about.” The words gave Enji a heart attack, but Shouto kept speaking, undeterred.
“It’s pretty obvious to anyone that the reason why the HPSC keep him at the top is because of some secret.” Shouto continued, and Enji could only stare wide-eyed as his son jumped into a miniature presentation outlining how in many countries, the No. 1 Hero is often constant for long periods of time.
“Whilst All Might has been the hero in Japan for decades, he’s not the only hero that’s kept his mantle as the No. 1 Hero for so long. In Brazil, the hero Boitata-”
“It’s Boitatá, Shouto.” Enji absentmindedly corrected. Shouto just gave him a look before continuing.
“Ok, the hero Boitatá has been the No. 1 Hero for 20 years now. And just like All Might, it doesn’t look like the government there is looking to replace her anytime soon. In China, Guan Yu is the same. He’s been their No. 1 Hero for over 25 years now. And guess what else connects all three heroes?” Shouto stared at Enji, as if waiting for an answer that Enji didn’t actually know. Their staring contest lasted for a few moments before Shouto answered his own question.
“They’re all very close to the government agencies running within their countries.” Ok. Enji had to cut Shouto off there. All heroes in the top 20 had close connections to the commissions running within their countries. It was a given as they took orders directly from the top.
“But-” Shouto didn’t let Enji cut him off, giving Enji a stern look that strangely reminded Enji of his wife.
“Yes. But some of these heroes became closer to their respective commissions just before rising to the No. 1 spot.” Enji sat, stunned as Shouto continued to ramble about how it was all a conspiracy and how the commissions of each country told the No. 1 Heroes too much for them to be replaced so easily. Each No. 1 must then be assigned a villain that they had to dedicate their lives to defeating, so cannot drop the mantle of No. 1 Hero. All Might was a hero that was informed of his nemesis shortly after his debut, and that’s why he rose to the top so quickly.
—-------
By the time Rei and his other children had returned from whatever they were doing, Enji had curled into a ball as his youngest kept going on about his theory. Shouto had been pulling information from nowhere, but somehow still managing to string everything together in a way that strangely made sense.
Enji didn’t know what to think anymore. All he knew was that he had a headache…and he needed to invest in a corkboard for his son’s overimaginative mind. If only for his sake, so he could understand what his son was talking about next time.
—-------
Little did Enji know, this would spiral into an ongoing obsession for Shouto, who would plan out his conspiracy theories in detail before going to him to info dump everything.
Enji had built a stable relationship with his youngest based on his love of conspiracy theories. But at what cost?
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 43: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM PART I
Summary:
Being late has consequences. Eraserhead would like to tell his boss that right before an exam is not the time to torment his staff.
Notes:
This chapter will include parts of what happened during the Sports Festival.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The morning of the Provisional Licensing Exam saw both first year heroics classes meeting at the buses. Each bus would take them to a separate location, but it didn’t stop them from conversing through their anxiety. It was calm until-
“TODOROKI!” A loud, boisterous boy from Class 1B approached the bicoloured boy, a grin threatening to split his face as he barrelled towards his target.
—-------
To Todoroki’s credit, he was able to dodge the rambunctious boy that had tried to attack him. Sadly, it didn’t deter his would-be assailant as the tall boy just continued to try to get close to him. This resulted in both boys playing a strange version of “keep away”, Todoroki doing his best to create as much distance as he could as Yoarashi used his winds to propel himself forward.
It was a comedic sight for everyone who wasn’t Todoroki or Yoarashi. Comedic yet awe-inspiring. As Todoroki ducked and dodged the taller boy, he created ice platforms, blasting himself towards them with concentrated bursts of fire. Yoarashi seemed completely at ease in the air as he followed the 1A student.
“TODOROKI! I JUST WANT TO TALK!” Yoarashi kept yelling over the loud noise of his own winds, but with the fast-paced movements, he was unable to control the winds to both carry his voice and fly. He could do either well on their own, but altogether was still a challenge. As passionate as Yoarashi claimed he was, he was not stupid. Falling out of the sky because he wanted to be louder was a waste of the passionate words he had formed in his mind.
If he were to fall, the youngest Todoroki wouldn’t ever respect him!
So Yoarashi continued to chase Shouto around in the sky. Doing his best to tackle the red-and-white boy in order to stop him from running away.
—-------
Class 1A and Class 1B watched on as their classmates shot through the sky, one controlling the winds and the other using his flames to propel himself away from the other. Their teachers exchanged equal looks of confusion and annoyance at the interruption.
“Eraser!” And just as one, Shouta Aizawa thought his day couldn’t get worse-
“It’s Miss Joke!” The green gremlin of his class announced her presence, but Shouta already knew the bane of his existence was already here. Her voice haunted his worst nightmares. HOW DID SHE EVEN GET HERE?!
His answer was given in the form of a text. As his phone dinged, Shouta stared down in horror as Nezu’s contact stared back at him. He had invited her to say hello to Shouta before they left.
Damn rat.
“Marry me Eraser!” Emi Fukukado cheered as Shouta desperately tried to find a way to escape the situation he found himself in. It was too late. Arms wrapped around him as Shouta resigned himself to his fate. He was going to put rat poison into the principal’s tea one of these days. Screw the consequences.
“No.” As always, Fukukado began laughing uproariously as Shouta shot a look at Vlad.
‘Help me. ’ His eyes practically screamed, but to his disgust, his coworker just shot him a grin before turning away. As if he couldn’t see Shouta’s current distress. Shouta would get his revenge. Once he found a way out of this situation, Vlad would have to sleep with one eye open.
Glaring at Vlad, Shouta hid his grin as the man visibly flinched. Good. Be afraid Kan. Be afraid.
Luckily, a scream in the distance gave Shouta an opportunity to slip away.
So Todoroki and Yoarashi fighting as a godsend after all. For once, Shouta might actually be lucky.
Happy to have a legitimate reason to get away from Fukukado’s grasp, Shouta practically ran to his problem child.
Shouto Todoroki was found in a similar position to the one Shouta had escaped. Wrapped up in the arms of Yoarashi and being squeezed in what could barely be called a hug, the teenager was doing his best to shove Yoarashi’s face away from his shoulder.
“Let go! Let go, you big idiot!” Shouta paused for a minute. That was the first time he’d heard the boy say anything overtly insulting towards another peer. To be fair, this particular peer had him lifted above the ground and was holding him. But the sentiment held.
Shouto Todoroki was a polite child. Sometimes he could be a bit blunt, but he never went out of his way to insult a classmate. This was new for him.
—-------
Shouto was annoyed. To be honest, he was far more than just annoyed. Not only was he away from his classmates, but some random idiot was also holding him too close.
Said idiot was wearing some sort of hero costume, a thick brown suit covered his form, a matching cape lined with fur covered him. Covered them both. Shouto’s legs dangled above the ground as the idiot held him like a rag doll.
Shouto continued to writhe in order to get away, but it was like the idiot’s arms were steel restraints holding him captive. He didn’t want to use his quirk to get away lest he be disqualified from the exam, but Shouto wasn’t seeing any other option.
“TODOROKI! REMEMBER ME?! WE WERE ON THE SAME TEAM DURING THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!! OUR PASSIONATE TEAM CAME FIRST!!” And all of a sudden, Shouto remembered who the idiot was.
“TODOROKI! LET ME JOIN YOU! WE’LL WIN WITH PASSION!!” The familiar words rang in his mind and Shouto was reminded of what had happened during the Sports Festival.
—-------
“TODOROKI! LET ME JOIN YOU! WE’LL WIN WITH PASSION!!” Shouto winced and covered his ears as a deafening voice cut through the sounds of the other students. Despite being the No. 1 Target for pretty much every other contestant, Shouto had proven himself to be a formidable adversary, and thus, had no shortage of people wanting to be on his team.
He was currently surrounded by both Class 1A, as well as some unfamiliar students, all clamouring for him to let them join.
It was giving Shouto a headache listening to all of them.
Just as Shouto was about to just say “screw it” (something Touya had told him to do when being overwhelmed by people he didn’t want to listen to), and just pick the first three people that seemed useful, he was grabbed and dragged out of the crowd.
When he’d felt the hand grasping his wrist, Shouto had been ready to pull his arm back. But one look at the person that hand was attached to, stopped him.
“Hey, you ok Shouto?” Neito Monoma was staring at him with obvious concern in his eyes.
Relief flooded Shouto as he looked at his…friend. They hadn’t really labelled whatever they had, but at this point, Shouto was pretty sure Neito was what he’d call a “childhood friend”. They hadn’t interacted as much as Shouto did with Tenya, but there was no other word that he could use to describe what they were. In his memories, as fuzzy as they may be, Neito had proven to be a good friend who cared for Shouto.
Even if he had a strange way of showing it sometimes…
Now, Neito was making sure that no one approached Shouto. It didn’t last long. They still had a competition to prepare for, but it was enough.
Shouto was able to pick his team without any further problems and Round 2 of the Sports Festival began.
—-------
In hindsight, Shouto had made very good picks, even if they were very random at the time.
Yoarashi was a good teammate. Even just between them, they were able to take out most of the other groups, securing first place and moving on to the next stage of the Sports Festival.
With Tenya and Sero, they dominated the second stage of the Sports Festival.
And that brought Shouto back to the present. Yoarashi was still staring at him.
“Ah..I remember.” Shouto mumbled quietly, but the rambunctious boy was still able to hear him perfectly.
“FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT YOU FORGOT OUR PASSIONATE PERFORMANCE!” Shouto twitched slightly, but thankfully, it went ignored as Yoarashi continued to loudly wish Shouto luck in the Provisional Licensing Exams.
In the next couple minutes (truthfully, Shouto wasn’t sure), Yoarashi inundated Shouto with questions and praise for his siblings and the work that they were doing across Japan. And as flattering as that was, Shouto really didn’t need to hear it at this volume.
Shouto was saved from his predicament when Mr. Aizawa came to escort him onto the bus.
Thank god.
—-------
There were plenty of nerves all around as Class 1A settled into the bus that will take them to the Provisional Licensing Exam. Nevertheless, the class were still unable to keep silent, as they fed off the energy, chatting mindlessly amongst themselves.
“Todoroki! Are you nervous for the exam?” When Shouto stared back at Midoriya, he could see his friend start to fluster.
“I don’t mean you have to be nervous or anything! I mean-you’re super powerful and obviously have been trained for years with your father and siblings! You’ll definitely pass!” Midoriya kept mumbling as Shouto blank screened. He knew that his friend mumbled and went on his tangents sometimes, but this was a bit much.
“Midoriya.” Shouto tried to get his friend’s attention, but the green-haired boy was his own little world even as Shouto shook him gently.
“Hey. Midoriya. HEY!” Midoriya jolted as if shocked by one of Kaminari’s accidental zaps.
“Yes?!” Midoriya practically yelled into Shouto’s ear as he winced.
“Calm down…I’m sure you’ll pass too. I have faith in our class.” Midoriya looked at Shouto as if he had just told him he’d be the No. 1 Hero. Shouto felt himself blush at the stars that shone in Midoriya’s eyes, but didn’t look away. He wanted Midoriya to know that he was being honest.
They settled into a comfortable silence. That silence was soon broken by Ashido’s loud squeals.
“Awwwwww! Todoroki! That’s so sweet! You really believe in us?!”
The entire class were looking at Shouto, many of them having smiles on their faces.
Shouto wouldn’t know it, but his vote of confidence had calmed them down. It was reassuring to have the youngest child of one of the most prominent pro hero families believe in them. It made them feel as if they were ready.
—-------
As the buses stopped in front of their test centre, Class 1A were led out of the buses by Eraserhead. Due to the disruption back at UA, they barely made it in time to sign in.
‘At least that would be the end of the surprises for today.’ was the thought on more than one student’s mind.
They would be wrong in that assumption.
Their lack of time led them to be completely aware of the multiple eyes stealing glances in their direction.
When the first section of the exams started. So did the assault.
—-------
As soon as they were allowed to begin, the ground rumbled and tore apart. Rock and concrete splintered and shot up, surrounding and breaking up UA’s Class 1A. Shouto was left with Sero as the rest of the class disappeared from view.
They were separated.
—-------
Hanta didn’t know what he was doing. He barely had time to think before the rest of the class surreptitiously split up, leaving him alone with Todoroki. Only… they weren’t alone.
Mr. Aizawa’s training had been brief, but it had given them enough skill to at least detect when they were being watched. Every sense was screaming at him to move. Something told him that splitting them up was a calculated move by the rest of the examinees. The eyes on them came from multiple directions, each one placing him under a microscope, readying themselves for the first strike.
If Hanta and Todoroki were spiders on the wall, everyone else was a person with a newspaper, ready to swat at them the moment they let their guard down.
Or…maybe they wouldn’t even wait.
Nine students from a school that Hanta didn’t recognise descended on them, and Hanta had to dive to the side in order to avoid the onslaught of rocks from burying him.
“Hey!” Their attackers didn’t relent, and Hanta had to duck and weave through both the quirkfire and the ammunition being thrown at them. Todoroki just blasted the rocks away, and blocked whatever he couldn’t blast away with his ice walls.
Lucky bastard.
Hanta was not jealous. No.
Using his tape to sling a rock back at a hero student that tried to punch him, Hanta felt a strange sense of satisfaction as the rock collided with his side. The red-head crumpled to the ground, his arms clutching at his side.
Hanta took the chance to hit his targets, taking him out of the exam.
The guy’s friends didn’t like that. Yelling out “Nakano!” Most likely the guy’s name as his targets flashed red.
They turned their attention to Hanta as he smiled.
Bring it.
Notes:
Shouto's interactions with other characters in this arc...were not planned. Somehow..it was like it wrote itself and I was just putting whatever came to mind down :')
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 44: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM PART II
Summary:
Teamups and surprises.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shouto was impressed with his impromptu teammate. As a class, they’d never spoken about who would pair with who during the Provisional Licensing Exam. They’d never even considered the possibility. Too busy training their own quirks and Ultimate Moves leading up to the exam.
Shouto was ready to run off by himself. The other students taking the exam didn’t have the same idea. They surrounded both him and Sero, pelting them with their quirks as well as rocks. They worked in perfect tandem, as one student moved forward, another would move back to recuperate or get ready for the next wave of their onslaught.
They were clearly one of the hero teams that Natsuo had warned him about.
Unlike UA, which doesn’t typically have a hero teamup focus. Many other schools did. To make up for fire power and each other’s weaknesses, the schools would encourage their students to make connections with each other and train to debut as a hero team rather than an individual hero. It was smart.
Rather than pumping out more mediocre heroes into society, the schools prioritised heroes that could work in small units in order to complete a single goal. It made sense. It didn’t churn out the most popular heroes, or most independent heroes, but it churned out good heroes. Even if they lost effectiveness once separated.
There were many reasons such hero groups were great. They knew how to use their talents where it mattered. They also often communicated the most efficiently on the field. But there was one factor that betrayed them.
Blasting a dark-haired girl with a jet of flames, Shouto promptly tagged her out. She groaned as her targets all lit up red, standing up and walking away from the fight.
They lost effectiveness when separated.
Nodding at Sero, Shouto used his ice to force their opponents apart. The ground was already unstable from whatever separated Class 1A, but Shouto would make sure that they weren’t the only ones that would suffer from that decision.
—-------
Katsuki was pissed. Some extra had the guts to mess with his class, to mess with HIM. Katsuki wasn’t going to let them beat him, or any of the idiots in his class.
Surveying those still with him, Katsuki noted Ears, The Frog, and The Emo Bird. He hadn’t ever worked with them before, but they would do. Just as he was going to tell them to follow him, The Emo Bird opened his stupid beak.
“I can’t work with you Bakugo.”
“Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?” Katsuki was confused. Why wouldn’t The Emo Bird work with him? They would be strong! Katsuki even acknowledged The Emo Bird as strong! So why-
“Your quirk is a direct counter to mine.” Katsuki knew that! That’s why they’re working together!
“Sorry, but I think I’d work better off alone.” Without giving Katsuki a chance to reply, The Emo Bird ran off.
Katsuki paused for a moment, not knowing what to say before Ears poked him.
“Hey! Bakugo! We need to go!” Fuck it. If that Emo Bird thought he knew what he was doing, it was none of Katsuki’s fucking business.
Turning to Ears and The Frog, Katsuki grinned.
“Let’s kill them all.”
—-------
Izuku barely kept himself from freaking out when they were all separated. He’d only managed to get a glimpse of a smile and a flash of bright green before a small earthquake rocked through the exam centre, leaving him with only Aoyama and Hagakure. He didn’t even have time to reorganise himself before Izuku found himself surrounded on all sides by a large group of students from multiple schools. He could see some with the signature Shiketsu hat, but also some with pins and badges signalling their school. Amongst the crowd, he noted a few students from Ketsubutsu High, Seijin High School and even Chimu Academy.
Over the years, Izuku had read about each of the hero schools. Ever since he was a child, his dream was to become a hero like All Might. Not having a quirk, Izuku knew that his chances were slim. He wasn’t a flashy hero like those churned out by UA on a regular basis. There was little to market about him other than his quirklessness, and even then, that was only a gimmick that would soon get old. Izuku wasn’t someone that people would immediately look to for support or help.
In order to try to combat that, Izuku did more digging and research. Unlike what most people thought, heroics wasn’t just top 10 heroes and working independently. There were many other facets to heroics that were often unexplored. Hero teamups weren’t out of the ordinary, and in such hero teamups, there were multiple roles that needed to be filled. There wasn’t as much of an emphasis on individual quirk use. Why would there be when there were other people to help you where you couldn’t help yourself?
Before meeting All Might, Izuku was ready to apply to all the hero schools. UA would always be his dream, but Izuku knew that he had to be open to all options if he wanted a chance to become a pro hero as he was. But with his mentor teaching at UA, it seemed silly to be anywhere else.
Izuku let the power of OFA course through his body as he kicked a pair of students that were aiming at one of his targets. He ducked as another nearly knocked him out with a baton. Twirling around, Izuku sent out a shockwave of air in order to stop a few other students from overrunning Aoyama. The other boy was doing his best to keep the others away from him, but Izuku could tell he was struggling. Hand-to-hand combat was not Aoyama’s strong point. As a ranged fighter, he hadn’t practiced his close combat as much as he probably should have.
Izuku lost himself to the fast paced fight, his mind focused on defending himself and Aoyama and Hagakure, both of whom remained with him as the others were scattered who knows where.
He just hoped they were doing alright. Wherever they might be.
—-------
Momo wasn’t frightened when she found herself running through the uneven terrain towards the cityscape. Why would she be? Kaminari and Kirishima at her sides; Momo was satisfied with the little group she was with. Her classmates are strong and she has every confidence that they’ll be able to pass this stage of the exam together.
As she approached the first building, Momo began to form x-ray goggles for herself and the two boys. If they were going to pass this, they’d need to know where their opponents are. Gather information in order to win.
Momo was going to pass, with her classmates alongside her. This is her first step into becoming the creative hero she knew she’d become.
—-------
He knew that as a hero he’d have to be prepared for the unexpected. It would be his duty to be able to protect and fight in any situation he found himself in, but Tenya never expected that moment to come so soon.
With Mineta tucked under one arm and Koda running beside him, Tenya stepped to the side as a barrage of balls sailed harmlessly where he’d been running before.
Tenya knew that being a hero was tough. But why was this situation so out of control?!
—-------
Hanta knew that the Provisional Licensing Exams would be tough. But this was on a completely different level!
Between both him and Todoroki, they’d managed to take down four of the original nine assailants, but this only served to make the others more infuriated with them. Taking down the guy-Nakano, had another charge at him. But when Todoroki took out a third, the rest became more wary. They converged on the two of them in an attempt to overwhelm them with numbers. And had Hanta been alone, it probably would have worked.
The key words there were “had Hanta been alone”.
Hanta knew that Todoroki was powerful. He was the No. 1 Student in their class for a reason, but when he saw the ice climb the limbs of their assailants, the cold crystals making beautiful patterns on their uniforms, Hanta was struck by how out of standard Todoroki truly was. The red-and-white boy was leagues above what the rest of their classmates could do. It was a given that Todoroki would be strong with who his family was, but this…Todoroki was terrifying. Hanta was glad that they were on the same team.
He didn’t know what he’d do if Todoroki came after him.
—-------
Izuku was in trouble. He knew that. Behind him, Hagakure screamed as multiple students zeroed in on her position. As a stealth based hero, her fighting style was based on being hidden. She trained in order to utilise her quirk to hide and strike when her opponent was unaware. Right now, they were very much aware. It appeared as if multiple of the students surrounding her had quirks that influenced their senses. Combined with some well placed powder on the ground, Hagakure’s footsteps and location were clearly visible. She had nowhere to hide.
Aoyama wasn’t doing any better. It was obvious to both him and Izuku that the students currently surrounding the blonde had researched their quirks. They enclosed Aoyama, making sure to either keep out of his direct line of sight, or be ready to move at the slightest twitch.
Their muscles tensed, and Izuku knew that the moment Navel Laser was used, they’d either just move to the side, or take the chance to rush Aoyama. This situation was hellish.
Fighting off a student trying to get at the target on his chest, Izuku’s mind whirled for any possible ways they could make it through this. He missed the student about to kick him, and he paid the price. Izuku had the wind knocked out of his lungs, but he got an idea.
“Can’t Stop Twinkling! Move Set 16!” Izuku called out, hoping that Aoyama understood what he meant. He couldn’t see Hagakure, but feeling the extra eyes on him, he knew that his classmate was gawking at him.
“YOU HAVE A MOVE SET?!” A beam of light shot from where Aoyama was standing directly at Hagakure. Everyone in the way of the laser jumped out of the way. No one had expected Aoyama to shoot at his own classmate.
Not even Hagakure.
She screamed before flashing briefly. Aoyama’s naval laser rebounding off of her skin before scattering and hitting all the students around Hagakure. Everyone stopped. Izuku had to prompt Hagakure to take advantage of the situation, but soon every student that had surrounded Hagakure was out, and Hagakure had passed.
Izuku grinned. Now that a good chunk of the students were out, he and Aoyama could handle the rest. Sending a small wave at Hagakure, Izuku powered up OFA and charged.
The rest of the battle was simple enough. Without having to worry about Hagakure, and with significantly less opposition, Izuku and Aoyama managed to defeat all the students surrounding them, passing Stage 1 of the exam.
When they met Hagakure in the break room, Izuku had to apologise profusely for the plan. He and Aoyama bowed lowly as Hagakure scolded them. She had been grateful for the help afterwards, but the blast had terrified her at the time.
That being said, she still thanked them for giving her the push she needed to break free.
—-------
Momo knew something was wrong when they saw the ground littered with strange clumps. Each clump was a mess of hair, eyes and teeth. It was in no way natural, and Momo bit back a shudder as more than one eye twitched in her direction.
And at the center of it all- a male student with a Shiketsu hat and a red and black uniform stood. Where his arms should have been were globs of what Momo could only assume to be his flesh. A clear showing of his quirk.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Kirishima yelled at the Shiketsu student and Momo winced. They shouldn’t have drawn attention to themselves. They could have used the chance to attack him with his guard down.
The student who was most likely to be the source of the scene before them turned quickly, and Momo could see the moment he realised he wasn’t alone. His shoulders tensed before relaxing again, leg sliding back with practiced ease before the blobs floating where his arms should be, shot at them. Diving to the side, Momo narrowly missed the flying projectiles as they went over her head. Not a second sooner, Momo had to scramble to her feet and dodge again as the blobs turned around.
Quickly making a large shield with her quirk, Momo used it to bat the blobs away from her. The dull thuds telling her that she’d managed to hit them a safe distance away.
It would protect her for now, but she wasn’t naive enough to believe that they’d be able to win without a plan. Whoever this senpai is, he was strong enough to take out all the students currently turned into meatballs on the ground. He was a force to be reckoned with.
She could see Kirishima and Kaminari each doing their own things to avoid the senpai’s quirks, but it was Kaminari that held her interest the longest.
Her classmate had commissioned new gear from the Support Course, and was using his projectiles to form an electrified area around him. It was a smart plan. In her peripheral vision, Momo watched as Kaminari sent a blast of electricity at the blobs. When the blobs moved to avoid his attack, his electricity changed directions. In an arc of light, Kaminari’s electricity struck the blob, causing it to spasm and drop to the ground. Motionless.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 45: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM PART III
Summary:
More teamups, Tenya doesn't have fun.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Denki had never been so grateful that he studied in his life. Aside from the Entrance Exam, which he barely passed, this was the only time he’d been so invested in his studies.
Branching off from an internet deep dive, Denki had followed one Herotube video to the next. What started off as a cool video of electrical quirk compilations soon became a video of how different electrical quirks worked, that soon became a video about electrical conductivity. Denki hadn’t even realised he’d binged multiple videos on conductivity of materials and insulating substances until the sun rose that morning.
His mind buzzed with possibilities and that day, Denki had to work extra hard to keep the stray jolts from leaping from his skin. His quirk always got a little out of hand whenever he didn’t sleep properly. Last night though…it was productive.
Denki had gone to the Support Labs as soon as class ended. This was important. And it would help him create his Ultimate Move.
Wrapping his body in an ambient blanket of electricity, Denki wasn’t too afraid of being grabbed or punched. What he was afraid of, was whatever that guy did to make the other contestants the squirming meatballs on the ground.
Firing off a disc behind the guy, Denki tried to use his quirk to immobilise him. No dice.
In a move that awed Denki, the senpai jumped onto some of the floating blobs that surrounded him and flew? Levitated? Away from any surface that Denki could have touched. Denki couldn’t aim at him up there with his discs. It was smart.
Denki only briefly registered the clip slammed onto his hand before Yaomomo’s voice called out to Kirishima.
“KIRISHIMA! CATCH!” Something was thrown at the redhead, but the Sturdy Hero didn’t catch it. The end of the cord was in the hands of the senpai they were fighting.
“KAMINARI, USE YOUR QUIRK!”
Without thinking, Denki unleashed his Indiscriminant Shock at 1 Million Volts. The electricity shot through the clip that Yaomomo had given him, travelling up the cord faster than anyone could react. And it met its target.
The senpai was hit immediately, body spasming as the blobs underneath him trembled, losing form and causing him to fall. Yaomomo had given Kirishima some material to catch the senpai in, so that the Sturdy Hero wouldn’t be affected by any lingering volts of Denki’s electricity.
They tagged all of the senpai’s targets before placing him down beside a wall. The medbots would retrieve him later.
Groaning filled the air as the blobs all shook. Arms shot out and legs grew from the mess of limbs.
The other competitors were coming to.
A hand clapped his shoulder and Denki turned to see his friend’s bright smile.
“You were so manly bro!”
“Thanks!”
They had to be brought back to the present by a polite cough.
“Ahem.”
“You were so manly too Yaomomo-”
“Sorry Kirishima, Kaminari, but we can save the congratulations for a later time. We have company.”
All three UA students shared matching smiles.
“We can do this.”
—-------
Tenya was running. That was normal. Tenya was running with Mineta under his arm. That was.. less normal. Tenya was running away from a crowd of people as they tried to attack him… that was not at all normal.
“I’m going to throw up!” Mineta flopped in his arms as Tenya ran, but he paid him no mind. He regretted it.
As the unholy stench filled his nostrils, Tenya dropped his classmate and halted. The contents of Mineta’s stomach painted a disgusting image on his armour, and Tenya bit back a gag as he pulled a rag from his side pocket, wiping himself clean.
Mineta was still sprawled on the ground, clutching at his stomach when Koda finally caught up to them. Not being able to keep up with Tenya’s speed for the last few minutes.
Tenya regretted not carrying him as well, but they’d barely been given any time before they’d had to run.
The sound of footsteps alerted them to their pursuers’ rapid approach.
They wouldn’t be able to run forever. And if they wanted to pass. They needed to start eliminating other contestants.
Tenya wanted to have confidence in their chances. He really wanted to. But the sounds of Mineta retching in the background did more than a little to dampen his spirits and lower his hopes.
—-------
After separating from Bakugo, Jiro, and Tsu, Fumikage ran deep into the cityscape. In order to use his quirk to the best of his abilities, he’d need to first find some people to tag out, preferably in a dimly lit area so that Dark Shadow wouldn’t be limited.
Using his cloak to cover Dark Shadow from the light, Fumikage ran into the alley created by a building that he assumed was meant to represent a bank, and one that looked a little like a library.
The shade allowed him to loosen his grip on his cape, letting it drop, and Dark Shadow grew.
“It’s showtime!” His quirk cackled before slamming a student that was trying to sneak up on them into a wall. The student choked and clawed at Dark Shadow, but Fumikage’s quirk didn’t let up. Pulling a ball from Fumikage’s pocket, Dark Shadow tagged all the boy’s targets until they all flashed red.
Fumikage would have felt bad, had the boy not tried to sneak up on him, but alas. Poor decisions often led to poor consequences. If he wasn’t caught, Fumikage might have been the one taken out. So he left the boy propped up against a wall as he kept running. One down. One to go. It shouldn’t be too hard.
When Fumikage exited the alleyway, he was met by the faces of two of his classmates. Shoji and Sato stared at him across the rocky terrain as students from multiple schools surrounded them.
“Tokoyami!” One of Shoji’s limbs called out as Fumikage took in the scene he’d just arrived at.
Dark Shadow squirmed in his cloak as Fumikage felt rage grow within him. There were at least 30 students currently fighting 2 of his friends. 30 versus 2.
This wasn’t fair.
Reacting to his emotions, Dark Shadow emerged from the dark fabric tied around his shoulders. Emboldened by his rage, is quirk grew larger, more ferocious as they swiped at the students surrounding Shoji.
The next swipe cleared the area around Sato.
Fumikage ran to his friends, both of whom looked at him with gratitude as they formed a small triangle, backs to each other as they faced the remaining students.
They’d win this. Together.
—-------
Mina let her acid form pools around her as she took advantage of the other students’ caution. From what she’d seen in their actions, they’d all watched the Sports Festival, and planned for each of their quirks.
It was infuriating as they kept away from her, eyeing her hands as if she was about to reach forward and grab them, with her quirk pouring acid at them.
It was insulting to see them so weary at her. And it pulled up a memory that Mina tried to suppress.
The fear in their eyes reminded her too much of th terror her classmates had felt when Shigaraki’s quirk had rained acid on them during the Training Camp.
It.. stung.
—-------
Things were looking up for them. After putting themselves back together, Tenya, Mineta and Koda were able to strew together a quick plan. With Koda acting as a distraction, calling all the nearby birds and insects to their location, their attackers had little time to watch or prepare for what lay ahead.
In a moment of genius, Mineta had told Tenya and Koda of the plan he had. Though rushed, and unpolished, it was a plan, and that was all they could ask for.
With Mineta acting as the crutch, they had the majority of their attackers glued to the ground. And in the next few moments, they were able to tag two students each, passing the first stage of the exam.
They didn’t need to tag them all. It was a waste of time. But that didn’t mean they simply let their opponents go. No. Feeling an odd sense of glee, Tenya walked to the waiting room with his classmates.
Leaving the students still stuck to the ground.
He may have been a little annoyed by them targeting of him and his classmates, leading him to be…regurgitated on..by Mineta, but this wasn’t a move spurred by spite. No! A hero always strove for justice!
But he couldn’t deny the satisfaction he felt as Tenya walked away from the students still tugging at the ground in a bid to free themselves.
Tenya is a hero. Just like his elder brother, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to joke around like him either.
This was just a joke.
—-------
Ochako knew that if they didn’t come up with a plan fast, there was no chance that they’d pass the first stage of the exam. One of her targets was already tagged, and she feared that another misstep on her part would have the rest of her targets glow red, ending any chance of her receiving her provisional license.
Laboured breathing blocked out most of the surrounding sounds around her, but Ochako tried to keep a clear mind. She could feel the adrenaline being pumped through her veins. It made her ready to run the moment she felt endangered-but she couldn’t.
Despite every sense telling her to get away and regroup, Ochako remained stubbornly still. To others, that stillness may be due to her freezing in fear in face of the overwhelming odds, but for Ochako, it was different.
She had to force herself to stay put. Force herself to stay strong as she reminded herself of the stakes.
If she ran now, there was a chance that she would be taken out by other students. Or that she wouldn’t pass in time to be allowed to continue onto stage 2 of the exam.
What would Deku do?!
And then inspiration hit her. As much as she hated it, Ochako couldn’t ignore or deny the similarities between Mina’s quirk and Shigaraki’s. It was an awful thought, and it may have been fueled by desperation more than anything, but a plan formed in her mind.
“Mina!” Ochako called out to her pink friend, just as the aforementioned girl formed a shield of acid around her. The balls that hit the shield melted. Perfect.
“I have a plan!” This drew the attention of Ojiro, as their male classmate struck two students, hitting them away from himself.
“That sounds great! Anytime now!” He said, heavy breathing accenting his words as he continued to fight.
Ochako turned to Mina, staring into her eyes in a bid to convey how serious the plan would be.
“Mina. You remember Shigaraki right?”
—-------
Mina felt a chill creep up her spine the moment that name left Ochako’s mouth. How could she forget?! Shigaraki was everything Mina feared she’d become. With a quirk so similar to hers, Mina couldn’t help but notice how the effects of the quirk never left so much as a mark on her.
That was proof enough that her quirk was just like Shigaraki’s.
“Yes.” Mina bit out. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going.
“Her quirk. Acid rain. We could recreate it.” Mina was right. This wasn’t something she wanted to hear. Ochako continued to speak, her plan slowly being revealed.
Mina wanted to ignore it. She wanted to pretend that she didn’t just listen to one of her classmates, her FRIEND-telling her how similar her quirk could be to Shigaraki’s. How, with the help of Zero Gravity, Mina could float above the crowd and disorient them with her quirk so they could be taken out.
The excited tones of Uraraka just made the knife digging into her chest throb more.
“It would be so powerful! And you can control how strong your acid is right?!” The smile that Uraraka sent her hurt . How could someone being so genuine hurt so much?
But Mina couldn’t deny that it was a plan. And it’s the only one they had.
So pushing her emotions down, Mina smiled at her friends.
“That’s a great idea Ochako!"
Her friend grinned back at her.
“Thanks! But we need to hurry!”
—-------
With help from Ojiro, the girls were able to launch Mina into the air, where the pink heroine unleashed a shower of acid around her.
She tried to make sure that the concentration was low. She didn’t want to kill people. But that didn’t stop the chemical burns from appearing.
It disorientated their opponents. Students dropped what they were doing in favour of checking over their own injuries, nasty red welts that appeared on any surface of skin that managed to contact any of the acid that had rained down on them.
It was effective in letting Mina, Uraraka, and Ojiro pass.
But when it was all over, and Mina had the chance to look over her friends, she noticed something.
They weren’t protected from her acid.
Though not as severe as the other students (potentially due to the fact that they knew to cover themselves), there were still burns and wounds in places they were unable to cover in time.
Mina stared guiltily at Uraraka and Ojiro as they walked to the waiting room together.
Her quirk…it was so similar to hers.
—-------
Shouto found himself surrounded by classmates as everyone congregated in the waiting room. With the exception of Tenya, who was in the washroom cleaning up, all of Class 1A were grouped together at the side of the room.
They’d all passed this stage.
And they’d crush the next in a similar fashion.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 46: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM PART IV
Summary:
Start of Stage 2 of the Exam.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Katsuki was stood by the extras as Shitty Hair and Dunce Face bragged about how they’d managed to face a bunch of other extras and some Shiketsu idiot.
He was saved from having to listen for the FIFTH TIME about how Dunce Face electrocuted the bastard. Honestly, he didn’t understand what Dunce Face was even so proud of. From what he heard, Creation Bitch came up with the plan and executed it. Dunce Face was little more than a glorified electrical socket.
Katsuki could give credit where it’s due, but Dunce Face shouldn’t have been talking big when the person who deserved the most credit remained silent. It was just disrespectful.
He was about to tell Dunce Face to shut up when an announcement rung through the room. A sleepy-eyed fucker stood on stage and addressed them.
“In light of All Might’s retirement, villains have become more confident, and crime rates have risen. To combat this, the HPSC has ensured that the next generation of heroes will be put to the test and trained to be competent enough to enter the field.” Then, the fucker smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. That smile was deranged. One that shouldn’t ever see the light of day.
Katsuki was a little disturbed when the bastard chuckled softly. To be honest, the fact that there was a microphone in front of his face, made any noise that the creepy fuck made 100 times louder, but Katsuki could imagine that sound being in a horror game. One that alerted the player that something bad was going to happen.
And he was right.
“The events of Kamino Ward have proven that heroes need to be stronger than ever.”
Katsuki ignored the stares from some of the extras around him as he continued to listen.
“-but a hero doesn’t just fight.”
An explosion rattled the ground and sent a few extras stumbling forward.
There was a commotion before Katsuki looked back up at the stage.
The HPSC fucker was gone.
Sirens blared as a robotic voice cut through the mayhem.
“You are heroes dispatched after a villain attack. Rescue the victims and neutralise any remaining threats.”
Damn it.
More explosions sounded as the screaming began.
Shit.
The explosions grew louder, each one sounding clearer, no doubt they were detonating nearer to where they were currently standing.
Fuck. They needed to get moving.
—-------
When the explosions started, Shouto did his best to clear his head.
If he wanted to be of any use in this situation, he needed to stay calm. He could deal with this. Touya and Fuyumi had gone over rescue situations during his internship!
Breathing in and out slowly, Shouto gradually brought himself down from the panic he’d felt at the shock of the sudden start of the second stage of the exam.
Once he was able to think properly, Shouto immediately saw through the HPSC’s ploy. It was odd that they wouldn’t announce the start of the second stage. Even more suspicious when he considered how abruptly the explosions had started.
Shouto took a moment to survey his surroundings. Some students, like him, were doing the same, whilst others ran straight into the mayhem without stopping to think.
It was to weed out those who couldn’t handle the high stress situations a hero worked in. If they lost their mind at the explosions and ran in without a plan, it could cause them, as well as others to become casualties,
With new understanding, Shouto frantically looked around for his classmates. Thankfully, they had not yet moved, still weary over the new situation they’d found themselves in.
Bringing attention to himself, Shouto called for his classmates to form a group around him.
They listened to him easily, congregating just before the burning city.
“This is a rescue operation, so we need to be smart about this.” There were nods in agreement, and a grumbled “duh” from Bakugo before Shouto turned to face Momo.
“Momo. I need you to make us all communication devices. Can you do that?” There was a contemplative look on her face before the black-haired girl nodded before her arm started to glow. Once the glowing stopped, Momo was holding twenty earpieces. She handed them out, giving Shouto his first before walking to each of their classmates and handing the rest out.
“We need to split up to cover more ground. And we need to establish a first aid station. Does anyone want to volunteer for that?”
During his internship, Father had told him to take control of a situation. The sooner he could control the situation, the sooner he could act. The advice fit his father perfectly. As a hero, Endeavor was known for his quick action and decisiveness. That was the flattering way to say it.
It only works for his father because the man owns his agency and is its main hero. He could make all the decisions he wanted because those around him were his sidekicks. His father was notoriously bad at taking instructions from other heroes. Which basically meant, he took no instructions from other heroes. Father had his moments if the hero was from the generation that taught him, but those times were few and far in between. Most heroes at that age group retired or perished in the line of duty.
Natsuo had given Shouto much more practical advice.
“You can be decisive, but you need to listen to your peers. Sometimes, you’ll find you can learn a lot from them.” Shouto was willing to work with that.
“I think it’ll be better if I were to be at the first aid station.” Momo spoke up and Shouto gave her a nod.
“My quirk would be good for making medical supplies when we need them.” She continued as the class voiced their agreement.
“I can help with first aid!” Hagakure jumped up and down, waving her arms enthusiastically as Shouto nodded.
“I’ll stay as well.” Surprisingly, it was Sero that volunteered next.
“I’ve gotten some training in first aid before, so I might be handy to have around.” Grinning at them, Sero made his way to stand with the rest of the first aid team.
Shouto pointed at an area behind them that seemed untouched from the chaos of the second stage of the exam.
“We’ll set up the first aid station over there, so when you find casualties, please bring them back for us to treat them. We need to spread out and try to find as many people as we can. Make sure to keep your comms on in order to relay back information.
When everyone voiced their compliance, Class 1A separated.
Their impromptu meeting hadn’t lasted more than a few minutes, but it was enough for them to lose the early lead leaving immediately would have afforded them. But even without that early lead, Class 1A would be fine. Unlike the others, they were organised and set out as a team.
—-------
Class 1A worked in perfect tandem as they ran deep into the urban sprawl, clearing a path and yelling for any victims to make themselves known.
They weren’t exactly professional, and their technique wasn’t perfect, but Class 1A were still able to locate multiple “civilians” and bring them to the first aid station they had set up.
—-------
“Don’t worry! We’re here to protect you!” Uraraka smiled at the actor playing a small child as she brought him into her arms and jumped away from the wreckage as she released her quirk. Smiling at the “child”, she ran to the first aid station.
Behind her, the building crashed to the ground, the structure crumbling under its own weight. Had the “little boy” still been there, he would have been crushed under the mountain of debris.
HUC actors were trained to remain safe in a multitude of scenarios, but even that training may not have saved him.
—-------
“You are safe now. Please reemerge from the darkness you have chosen to cloak yourself in, for I am here to guide you to safety.” Tokoyami and Dark Shadow tried to coax the little girl from the corner she’d hidden in. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she pushed further away from them as she rubbed furiously at her eyes.
“I-I’m scared!” She wailed, huddling into a small ball as she remained stubbornly still.
“Please. We need to get you to safety-”
“No! I want my mommy!” Hitting his hands away, the child kept panicking as the boy did his best to placate her.
It didn’t work.
As his desperation grew, so did Dark Shadow’s impatience.
“Kid, shut up!” The quirk snapped.
The little girl immediately silenced. Her hands dropped from her face and her head turned slowly to face them.
“10 points off for yelling at a distraught civilian child.” Fumikage flinched as the strict voice of a fully grown woman snapped at him. The girl that he’d been trying to save was glaring at him sternly, brows furrowed, and face twisted into an expression of disappointment before something seemed to click.
The hands came back up, and the crying began again. Had Fumikage not known that the girl was an actor, he could have mistaken her for a real little girl. He could’ve. But nothing about the look he’d been given just mere moments before was that of a child.
This was a test. And Fumikage had already made a mistake.
—-------
“Over there!” Mezo formed one of his limbs into an ear as he did his best to hone in on any sounds that could indicate a trapped civilian. All around him, he could hear the sounds of running as multiple hero students leapt to find the civilians and escort them to safety.
A muffled sob caught Mezo’s attention as he ran towards the sound. It was coming from behind a door partially obscured by crumbling walls and piles of dust-no doubt from the destruction that was currently spreading across the cityscape. Wait-spreading?!
“Hey, whoever’s in there! Get away from the door!” Mezo waited for only a second before tearing the door off its hinges. Once the entryway was made, Mezo was met with multiple civilians, all in various stages of distress, and some nursing fake wounds (or at least Mezo hoped they were fake) as they stared back at him.
Numbly, Mezo reached for his earpiece.
“This is Shoji speaking, I’ve found a room full of civilians in need of extraction. I’m in the-” Mezo looked around.
“-I’m in the school. Requesting backup.”
There were a few muffled sounds from the earpiece before Shoji could hear Midoriya answer him.
“I’m in the area, will arrive soon.”
“So that’s where you ran off to man!” Mineta’s nasally voice was next to reply, and Mezo briefly remembered that he’d been with the grape-haired boy and Koda before the cries of a child had led him away.
Mezo heard a small crack as his blood ran cold. The hairline fractures that had accented the walls before had grown, climbing towards the ceiling like vines.
This place was unstable. He needed to get these people out. Exam or no exam, this was going too far!
Looking back at the “injured civilians”, Mezo knew he needed to act quickly. There was no telling how long they had before the roof fell on them, and backup might not arrive in time. He needed to act. Now.
“I’m going to help you.” Ok. So that’s a start. Now, what should he say?
Mezo wasn’t sure if it was his nerves or lack of social skills, but he didn’t know what he needed to say for these people to listen to him.
“I-” Mezo paused, thinking about his next words carefully. He needed these people to trust him enough to follow him out of the building. If this exercise was meant to replicate what they’d have to do as heroes-
“I’m Tentacole, a hero. And I need you all to listen to me. This place isn’t safe for you, but other heroes have created a safe zone.” As he spoke, Mezo began to feel more comfortable and confident. That’s it. He could do this. Everything will be fine.
“Tentacole! We’re here to help!” Koda’s soft voice came from behind him, and Mezo was relieved to see that his reinforcements have arrived.
“Thank you.” Without turning around to look at his classmates, Mezo addressed the crowd again.
“Other heroes have arrived to help, so please follow us to safety. Anyone who can’t walk on their own, please make yourself known so we can help you.” A few hands were raised and Mezo wasted no time reaching them. Growing more limbs, he easily lifted them and walked outside of the building, he could hear Koda and Mineta ushering the other civilians out just as Midoriya arrived.
They’d be fine. They could do this.
Notes:
Exams are starting soon so I may take a month off to study. Thanks for understanding!
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 47: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM PART V
Summary:
Who's the villain this time, I wonder?
Chapter Text
Towers of ice began to erupt from all over the exam field. Growing rapidly from the ground, they reached heights of 20 to 50m before they stopped. Roads and paths were soon iced over and blocked as two figures stood at the center of it all.
“Frosty, do you think you may have overdone it?” Pro Hero Midas, or Tenko Watanabe asked his partner for this assignment.
“Not at all!” Pro Hero Jack Frost, or Natsuo Todoroki grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he once again placed his hands on the ground. The towers around them grew.
“Now all of you, to your posts.”
“Yes Sir!” The sidekicks that had come with them from the agency did a small mock salute before dispersing, leaving Natsuo alone with Tenko.
Natsuo was so glad that he’d managed to get them assigned to the same mission.
When the Fire Bird Agency was once again requested to be guest examiners for the Provisional Licensing Exam, Natsuo had jumped at the opportunity to mess with Shouto.
It helped that he knew he would be able to invite Tenko along. And to a chill assignment too!
It was almost like a date! Natsuo had been so excited when Tenko had accepted his invitation, nothing could bring him down!
Trapping an examinee nearly entirely in ice, Natsuo smiled as he returned to talking with Tenko. In his peripheral vision, he could see one of the sidekicks from a nearby tower start to climb back down. No doubt, said sidekick would place the examinee in the allocated “jail cell”. Well, that was just one more examinee that wouldn’t pass this exam. But Natsuo wasn’t too worried. It wasn’t his job to make sure the kids passed. It was his job to make sure that if they couldn’t handle hero work, they wouldn’t pass.
Touya and Fuyumi had done a great job the previous year, lowering the pass rate from 50% down to 25%. Touya had bragged about it to him just before he and Tenko left for this assignment. But Natsuo was going to beat it. It wasn’t secret why the HPSC had requested that their agency test the kids.
Recent events had destabilised hero society in a way that threatened its foundation. With Stain’s arrest and motivations being public knowledge, and All Might’s retirement, it was no wonder that villain activity had picked up.
If they were going to rebuild without the Symbol of Peace, they needed strong heroes. It wouldn’t do to coddle the students. They needed to learn now.
So Natsuo’s goal in this exam was simple. He wanted to make the pass rate 10%. Only the best hero students would get their provisional license. And that meant he wasn’t going to hold back.
A group of students tried to charge at him as Natsuo used his quirk to form a bow staff. Striking one student to the side of the head and using the back to jab another right at his sternum, Natsuo twisted to dodge as a third student tried a hit to his side.
Natsuo could see Tenko fighting his own group of students as more flowed into the area. They were no doubt brought here to investigate his towers.
Smiling at the pale faces of some of the kids, Natsuo couldn’t wait to take them out.
—-------
When multiple towers of ice began to grow around one specific area, it was a reason for concern.
Then the announcement crackled to life, and the familiar voice of the HPSC Representative from before could be heard.
“Villains have been spotted in the Downtown Area. Heroes are to stop the villains and continue to assist with evacuations.”
Well, that was another reason to be concerned…
Shouto could hear a rumble shake the ground. No doubt the first group of examinees had already encountered the villains. From the vibrations, they must be nearby.
“Momo-”
“Shouto, you should go and assist in the villain takedown. If they continue to get closer, the civilians will be in danger.” Closing his mouth, Shouto nodded. After erecting a few more walls to keep the shelter safe, he ran towards the source of the chaos.
—-------
Tenko wasn’t sure how it got to this, but as he kicked a kid into the waiting arms of one of the sidekicks, he could start to see the kids withdraw from the fight. Rather than attacking him all at once, they hung back and watched as he took down their peers one by one. He could feel their eyes calculating his movements, waiting for a chance to jump in and break his momentum.
Even with his gloves on, Tenko couldn’t be too careful with his quirk usage. With Decay being unable to be turned off, Tenko worked primarily quirkless, only using his quirk to break down large masses during rescue operations. It meant fighting crowds of people head-on was not something he’d willingly do too often. Tenko wondered why he even agreed to this mission.
Grabbing onto another examinee and throwing him into an ice pillar, Tenko watched as another sidekick clasped the examinee’s hands into cuffs and started pulling the kid away to Natsuo’s ice dungeon.
Tenko was sure that the games he and Natsuo played must have influenced him.
—-------
Shouto cursed when he made it to the center of the chaos. He should have known. With all the ice, it should have been obvious that it was all Natsuo’s doing. Shouto had trained with Natsuo a lot as a child. With Father, Nabe, and Touya teaching him how to better use his fire side, Fuyumi, and Natsuo hadn’t let his ice training fall behind.
Despite all that training, Shouto still isn’t as good as either of them. Shit. Fuck. They were in so much trouble now. From where he was standing, Shouto still had a few minutes until either Natsuo or Tenko noticed him. Maybe both. Either way, Shouto was in a lot of trouble. Shouto winced as he watched Natsuo use the blunt end of his ice sword to smack an examinee across the face and into the waiting arms of a sidekick. Now that Shouto thought about it- glancing around the field, Shouto finally noticed something that should have been the first red flag.
The familiar armbands told him everything he needed to know.
Shouto’s siblings ran their own agency. And like all other agencies, they hired many sidekicks to help manage everything. That went triple when considering the multiple locations that their agencies operated in.
As top heroes, Shouto’s siblings were placed in charge of multiple large areas all across Japan. It was a daunting task, and should have realistically taken Shouto’s siblings far from home. The only reason it hadn’t, was because they were all demons at multitasking and assigning roles to their sidekicks.
Unlike other agencies where the heroes were required to be available and present at all hours of the day (often living nearby their agency building), Shouto’s siblings had their own way of managing. Due to the multiple agency buildings they owned, it was impossible for them to be everywhere at once. It was impractical. Instead, each took to training their own “squad” of sidekicks. Shouto’s siblings trained their personal squads to work with terrifying efficiency. They could support Shouto’s siblings as well as operate alone with the same deadly efficiency. They patrolled specific zones when Shouto’s siblings were caught up with other duties. They were a prominent force on their own and could probably go on to start their own agencies if they really wanted to. But they didn’t. Having been trained from the ground up by the Phoenix Agency, they had a deep loyalty to it. The few that left went on to become strong heroes in their own right, but those that remained were able to cooperate with each other and members of the agency like second nature.
Judging by the armbands these specific sidekicks donned, they were Natsuo’s personal squad. If Shouto wanted to even try to keep Natsuo back until the rescue efforts were over and the exam ended, he needed backup.
—-------
Natsuo was having fun. In fact, he didn’t understand why he hadn’t done this before. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t had this request from the HPSC in the past. The Fire Bird Agency had been requested to provide guest examiners at least four times before. Touya and Fuyumi had gone all those times. Sometimes it was Touya by himself (though he was joined by other heroes from other agencies sometimes), or Fuyumi all alone, or even that year when both Touya AND Fuyumi went and obliterated the previous pass rates.
Yeah. Natsuo could tell why they enjoyed it so much.
This year, he’d done everything in his power to secure his spot in the mission alongside Tenko. It was hard enough to pry the places from Touya and Fuyumi, so he couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Akira to get the last spot. He pitied the other hero. There was no doubt in his mind that Touya and Fuyumi must have been beyond annoying to convince.
Nonetheless, Natsuo couldn’t wait to mess with Shouto. Secretly, he hopes that his little brother will learn from this experience and grow stronger. Shouto has been relying on the moves they’ve taught him far too much. It was time for the youngest to finally spread his wings and learn how to fly on his own.
—-------
As an underground hero, Tenko prided himself on his observational skills. That was why he was able to spot the youngest Todoroki hiding behind one of Natsuo’s pillars during a brief lull amidst the fighting. Shouto’s signature red-and-white hair made him easy to spot amidst the ice, and Tenko made sure that Natsuo noticed.
Subtly nudging his partner, Tenko made sure Natsuo knew exactly where his little brother was.
Receiving a cute feral grin as thanks, Tenko felt his heart threaten to beat out of his chest as he grappled with another examinee.
In the corner of his eyes, he could see Natsuo signal for two sidekicks to go after Shouto.
Tenko wondered if Shouto would be ok.
—-------
Shouto shifted in his hiding place, unknowing as two figures approached him from behind. Their steps were near silent as they readied themselves to capture their boss’ little brother.
“-roki! Watch out!”
Instinctively, Shouto threw himself to the side, and not a moment too soon. When he looked back at where he’d been sitting, Shouto was met with the sight of one of Natsuo’s sidekicks with a stone cage surrounding where he’d been mere seconds ago.
If Shouto hadn’t moved, he would have been caught.
“Todoroki! Are you ok?!” Midoriya came to a stop next to him as Shouto readied himself to fight. He could see his brother’s sidekicks already making their way towards them.
“I’m fine. Thanks for the warning.” Shouto assured his friend before turning his attention back to the fight that would no doubt erupt in the next few seconds. In the corner of his eyes, Shouto could see Midoriya mirror his action. Even if his brother’s sidekicks were strong, in a 2 vs 2 fight, Shouto knew he wouldn’t lose. Had the fight been Natsuo’s entire squad vs himself, the outcome may be different, but he was confident that so long as neither he, nor Midoriya made any big mistakes, taking out these two sidekicks would be no trouble at all.
“Ready, Midoriya?” Shouto asked under his breath, careful to not tip off Natsuo’s sidekicks about their impending attack.
“Ready, Todoroki.”
Shouto smiled as both he, and Midoriya leapt at the sidekicks. This shouldn’t take too long, and then he could worry about taking down Natsuo and Tenko.
—-------
The wave of destruction caused by “villains” Jack Frost and Midas spread as examinee after examinee failed to slow their progress. Hero student after hero student had points deducted, with some failing due to the mistakes they made whilst trying to take down the threat.
As they continue to move outwards, Jack Frost and Midas get closer and closer to the first aid stations. If the examinees didn’t stop them, they’d soon find the civilians.
—-------
Momo felt the ground shake before she ever saw the danger. Running out of the shelter Shouto had created, Momo could see the ice towers getting closer- in fact, the destruction was getting closer. Rushing back into the refuge, Momo plastered a calm expression onto her face.
“Sero, can we talk?”
Hagakure was still wrapping the leg of one of the “injured civilians”, an old lady who was found under some rubble, but Momo knew that if they didn’t do anything, there was a very real possibility that all the effort they’d already gone to would be wasted.
“Sure, Yaomomo.”
Once she and Sero had walked far enough away from the civilians so that they’d be unable to hear their conversation, Momo turned to face her classmate.
“Sero-” An explosion sounded in the distance and both hero students whirled around to watch as an ice tower in the distance shook.
“You need to-”
“I’m on it.” With a smile, Sero gave her a two-fingered salute as he shot off towards the chaos.
Momo stood alone for a moment as she watched him disappear into the distance.
“I hope they’re all ok.” She whispered to herself before running back to the shelter to help Hagakure.
She needed to be here to help save as many people as possible. Even if she wasn’t fighting on the front lines, she still needed to do all she could here.
Even if it’s a test, she needed to treat it as if it were a real situation. Who knows what would happen in the future? She needed to practice in every situation.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 48: PROVISIONAL LICENSING EXAM VI
Summary:
Students vs Natsuo + Tenko
Notes:
The author is very sick of writing the Provisional Licensing Exam Arc at this point...
This chapter is pretty short, you've been warned.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Shouto thanked his father for his fire. He never thought he’d ever say that, but at the moment, it was the only thing stopping Natsuo from freezing him in a block of ice. Dancing around the ice that his brother left on the ground and staying out of reach of Tenko, Shouto’s lungs burned from both the physical exertion and the cold as each breath came out visible in the chilled air. Blasting a jet of fire at a wall of ice, Shouto quickly ran to escape his brother, who was looking far too happy to be attacking him right now.
This was targeting! How was this fair?!
“Stop dodging, Shouto!” Natsuo called gleefully from behind him, and Shouto could feel the frustration bubbling up as the exhaustion took its toll.
“NO WAY!” He shouted back as he kept running. He could see his classmates arriving in the distance. He needed to regroup with the others if they wanted any chance at beating his jerk of a brother.
He could hear Natsuo’s cackling laughter as he kept running.
‘Damn it, Natsuo! I’m going to make you pay later!’ Shouto vowed to himself. Tokoyami and Bakugo were already approaching rapidly, no doubt Groups 1 and 5 would be right behind them. The rest of Group 3 would arrive soon as well, if Midoriya’s earlier entrance was anything to go by.
Relief flooded him as Shouto saw more and more of his classmates appear. He had backup.
—-------
Izuku felt OFA tingle on his skin before he was hit by one of Midas’ punches. He couldn’t believe that Midas, THE MIDAS was one of the proctors for the exam! As an underground and rescue hero, it was rare to see any of Midas’ fights and here Izuku was given the best view of Midas he’d ever get! It took everything for Izuku not to pull out his notebook when he’d first realised that pro heroes Midas and Jack Frost were in their exam area. He’d still get their autographs afterwards of course, but it was still exhilarating to exchange blows with one of the underground’s top heroes.
Izuku had always had what he could call a healthy admiration for heroes, but since entering UA and meeting all these heroes, he’d been inexplicably drawn to the hero he was currently fighting.
Something inside of Izuku always felt strangely happy whenever there was any mention of Pro Hero Midas, and his attention was always glued to the screen whenever any news praising his actions arose. It gave him a warm feeling.
Maybe it was watching a pro hero that didn’t use their quirk often in hero work. It was what Izuku hoped he would’ve done if he’d never received OFA. Watching Midas fight in the exams quirkless tugged at something in him. The part of him that had never given up on being the first quirkless hero when he didn’t have OFA. The child that had grown up being told that he’d be nothing without a quirk wept at the sight of a hero that obviously didn’t need his quirk to be great. It was cathartic.
A split second was the difference between Izuku staying upright versus where he would’ve landed had he not moved out of the way of one of Midas’ kicks. Izuku could see the glint of steel in his shoes. Just like his. If that kick had landed…it would have hurt.
“Midoriya!” The sound of his name broke his concentration, and Izuku was rewarded with a painful punch to the face for his troubles.
“Get back here!” Shaking off the fuzzy feeling in his head, Izuku used OFA to jump away from the fight, leaping back to his classmates. When he stumbled, Todoroki caught him.
“Careful!” Izuku let himself have a few breaths to recover before pulling himself up, nodding at his friend in thanks. Todoroki gave him a brief smile in return.
“My brother’s not going easy on us, so we need a plan.” And so, Izuku listened as his friend stepped into his role as the class representative they’d elected. Todoroki wasn’t the tallest in the group by any means, but when Izuku looked at him, Todoroki had looked so tall.
—-------
Katsuki fired off an explosion as he started the attack on Icy Hot’s brother and his boyfriend. He would provide the cover for the rest of the extras to move the downed extras from the battlefield. At his side, Icy Hot struck up a defensive position, raising jagged spikes of ice to obscure Deku and Shitty Hair from view. They were picking up the extras that had passed out from fighting the “villains”. Katsuki scoffed to himself. Damn extras.
Spinning around and detonating an explosion at one of the Ice Fucker’s sidekicks, Katsuki charged at the man himself.
“DIE! VILLAIN TRASH!” He yelled, smashing through an ice wall as he continued to the “villains” he had to defeat. Throwing another explosion at a sidekick, Katsuki raced towards his target.
He had to pull back before he could smack face first into a wall of ice, weaving around it as his explosions sparked behind him.
Icy Hot let his quirk loose on his brother and Katsuki took that as a chance to send one of his AP shots at the fucker. He wanted to end this as soon as possible. Between the two he was fighting with, Katsuki was expecting it to get cold. If he wanted to be able to use his quirk, he needed to stop the “villain” before that could happen. No problem. Katsuki could do it.
He was one meter away from the Ice Fucker, one second from ending it when the intercom crackled to life.
“All civilians have been evacuated. Thank you for participating in this year’s Provisional Licensing Exam!”
Katsuki stumbled before stopping. In his confusion, Katsuki landed on a patch of ice he hadn’t noticed in the commotion of the exam ending. Katsuki felt his feet slide out from under him as he tumbled to the ground.
He could already feel the multiple sets of eyes on him as Katsuki ground his teeth together. Fuck.
—-------
Class 1A gathered around the large noticeboards along with the other students as they tried to search for their own names.
“Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-” Izuku scanned the list where his name should be. He should have passed! With anticipation and fear in his heart, Izuku scanned the list. Mi-
Mida-
Mide-
Midor-
Midoriya!
He did it! Izuku passed the Provisional Licensing Exam! Izuku was about to call out to his friends but a hand clasped onto his shoulder. A shiver ran up his spine as Izuku felt a strange familiarity in the action. Eyes travelling up the arm to finally rest on a face, Izuku felt dread grow within him.
Izuku hated the feeling and sickness that came with it, but years of conditioning himself to flinch and run away could not be forgotten just yet.
Kacchan had a serious look on his face when he looked at Izuku.
“You got your answers before. It’s my turn now nerd. Starting with that fucking quirk of yours. I’m not buying that ‘late bloomer’ bullshit. ” Izuku let a nervous laugh escape, eyes darting around to look for something, anything to help him escape the questions-
“Don’t even think about running away, nerd. I want answers.” Izuku gulped as he recognised the look in Kacchan’s eyes. It was a look that Kacchan had whenever he wanted something. Izuku wasn’t going to be able to get out of this…
“Later.” He finally let out.
“I’ll tell you later. This place is too public.” That seemed to satisfy the blonde as Kacchan walked away, hands shoved in his pockets.
Izuku needed to tell All Might. He prayed that his mentor wouldn’t be too mad at him for revealing their secret.
—-------
In the end, nearly all of Class 1A passed the Provisional Licensing Exam. All but Katsuki Bakugo, who could have been a little more comforting with the civilians. Nevertheless, he was invited to join the make up classes. He’d be able to get his provisional license after a few months of hard work.
Bakugo hadn’t said anything when he was told his exam results, but kept his eyes locked on his score sheet. Had his quirk been laser eyes, he would have long burned the piece of paper to nothing.
The lack of explosions was a testament to how this failure shook him. He needed to learn how to communicate properly. What the fuck?
—----------------------------
BONUS:
-Neito's Preliminary Licensing Exam-
Neito was fine! He was fine! He had nothing to be worried about!
Neito yelped as a hand punched through the door he was hiding behind. Stiffly looking up towards his attacker, periwinkle eyes met an identical pair.
“Hi, little brother!” Neito trembled as he sensed the edge in his brother’s voice. Fuck. He was in danger.
When his older brother told him that he came home to visit and for a mission, this was not what Neito had in mind!
Neito yelped as he stumbled away from his brother, but Akira was faster. Wait-
Scanning his brother for any signs of a quirk, Neito immediately zoned in on the ENGINES on his brother’s arm. So that’s how Akira was able to punch through the door so easily...but if his brother had engines-
Neito saw the dust cloud being kicked up before he saw the hero. Ingenium stood holding onto some random examinee as said examinee kicked and struggled to get away.
Fuck. There wasn’t just one, but two pro heroes as examiners today.
What did Neito ever do to deserve this?!
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 49: A VISIT FROM DAD
Summary:
Class 1A and 1B, meet Dad. Dad, meet Class 1A and 1B.
Chapter Text
With the majority of Class 1A passing the Provisional Licensing Exam, the mood of the UA dorms was at an all time high. Between both heroics classes, all but one received their provisional license-and Bakugo would receive his provisional license after completing the extra lessons anyways, so it wasn’t a total loss. Either way, the students were jubilant as they laughed and talked amongst themselves.
Just as the last of the party food was being prepared for their mini celebration, there was a knock at the door.
—-------
Neither class was expecting anyone tonight. They’d all sent their results back home, but hadn’t thought much of it. After all, what would their parents do aside from sending a congratulatory text back?
Iida stood up from where he was seated on the common room couch and made his way to the door. Eyes flickered between him and his destination as more than a few of his peers tensed, ready for any attack that may happen. As safe as they may be at UA, there’d been enough incidents this year for them to be a little wary of unexpected visitors.
The door swung open and to the shock of pretty much everyone present, Shouto Todoroki came barreling into a stranger’s arms.
The stranger in question was a young adult with fair skin and light blue hair that seemed to make his blue eyes glow like the hottest of flames. Toned arms wrapped around the youngest Todoroki as a smile broke out on his face.
The UA dorms took a collective gasp as the cool, stoic member of their number grinned like a child on Christmas morning.
“Dad!”
They could have sworn they saw sparkles surrounding Todoroki as he beamed at the strange figure. In the background, Aoyama’s eyes practically shone as he took in his classmate’s sudden change. He was all but vibrating in his seat. No doubt itching to discuss Todoroki’s… magnifique sparkles.
—-------
Shouto buried his face into his dad’s shirt. When the familiar figure of Nabe had appeared at the doorway, it was like time had stopped for a moment. Whilst Shouto had told him, as well as the rest of his family of his success during the Provisional Licensing Exams, Dad had never even mentioned a possible visit.
Nevertheless, he was glad to see the man.
That feeling was intensified the moment he saw the box that lay at his dad’s feet. The signature branding of the Phoenix Cafe, a comforting sight. With all the training he’d been doing lately, and the UA dorms being put into effect, Shouto had been unable to visit the cafe at all in the last couple of weeks. It didn’t help that UA had such strong security put in place. Shouto understood the need. They’d lost a lot of trust from their teachers after the stunt they pulled at Kamino, but he still couldn’t help but be disappointed at their inability to leave campus.
Shouto felt a fist gently rub into the top of his head.
“Soooo..are you going to let me in Shouto? Or am I going to have to stand outside?” Shouto blushed as he scrambled to move aside. He knew his dad was teasing him, but he still flustered at the jab.
Dad picked up the box and Shouto led him into the UA Heights Alliance.
—-------
Touya wanted to surprise Shouto. He’d spoken to both Rei and Enji, and they all agreed that Shouto deserved a treat after everything that had happened recently. With Kamino and the Provisional Licensing Exams, Shouto had been through a lot in the past few weeks. That was why Touya had requested Nezu allow him access to the UA dorms just for a few hours. Being the rat that he is, the principal had weaseled another deal with the cafe out of him, but Touya could deal with that. Sending an extra batch of pastries next month (though on a different week) would provide Nezu with the entertainment he wanted; that was easy enough.
The events at the Training Camp, and then Kamino had left Touya with a deep sense of guilt. He’d been unable to protect Shouto during the Training Camp and his kid was hurt. He’d only barely been able to protect Little Touya during Kamino, and he was almost killed. It was nothing short of a miracle that Touya himself had only been left with a few broken bones instead of a broken neck. Touya was very lucky to make it out of Kamino without suffering any critical injuries, though his ribs may have been a bit tender for the weeks that followed.
Touya was lucky. He wasn’t skilled enough, but he was lucky.
That wasn’t enough.
Why was Touya so weak?
Ripping himself from his mental spiral, Touya forced a smile on his face as he looked at Shouto.
“Congrats on getting your provisional license, kid.” Touya chuckled as Shouto threw his arms around his shoulders. His heart melted as Shouto held onto him like a little koala. Just like when he was younger. For a brief moment, it was just Touya and his kid when-
“So..is anyone going to ask who that guy is and what he’s doing with Todoroki?”
Touya looked up at the voice and made eye contact with a blonde kid with golden eyes. The kid had a weird black lightning bolt in his hair-is it dyed? Nevermind. Turning to face the rest of the students, all of whom were staring at him. Touya tried to pry Shouto off of his torso, so that he could introduce himself. The little brat refused to let go. So Touya was forced to address the students with a teenager clinging to him like a baby koala clinging to its mother. If he was even a little less patient right now-
“Is that you, Mr. Nabe?” A voice called out to him, and Touya whipped around the sea of faces in order to find the source. A familiar face greeted him.
“Hello, Neito.” Touya greeted.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” Alongside Akira, Neito had visited the infamous Phoenix Cafe multiple times. As such, he’s able to easily recognise Nabe at a glance. It helps that Mr. Nabe looks like an older version of Pro Hero Blaze, a fact that many of their classmates were beginning to recognise.
“Is that guy, like…Pro Hero Blaze’s dad or something?” The same blonde kid as before commented before being smacked upside the head by a girl with long ears.
“Endeavor is Blaze’s dad, you idiot!” The blonde whined at the hit for a moment before he spoke again.
“But..look at him! He looks like what Baze would look like if he was older by a couple of years!” Touya smiled. He was still reeling from the guilt he felt at being unable to protect his kids, and here are some students arguing over the parentage of his younger self.
Little Touya is one of his kids. Touya had long since severed his ties with his old world. But in this moment of weakness. He was Dabi again. Touya was a reflection of what he could have been.
—-------
No one noticed how still Nabe had gone. Too busy awwing over Shouto as he flushed a light pink, but refused to let go of the man who’d just walked through the door. A cold look flashed in his eyes for a second, and in the next it was gone. Nabe smiled as cheerfully as he always did, returning Shouto’s hug and gently running his fingers through the red and white strands of Shouto’s hair. The boy leaned into his touch like a kitten, causing another round of awws to erupt from his classmates.
They stayed in this position for a few more minutes, Shouto basking in the warmth that his dad provided, and no one stopped them. It was nice to see the typically cool boy so loving and sweet with someone he was obviously so close to.
Eventually, they had to part, and Nabe placed his hands to the boy’s shoulders, slowly prying him off and moving him so that he was standing next to the man. Now that Shouto was standing up properly, it was clear that he was only a few centimeters shorter than the man he had clung to. How did the man carry Shouto then? They wouldn’t get an answer to that.
—-------
A silence passed over the room as its occupants stared at the newcomer. Now that Todoroki wasn’t plastered over him, they could see the man recognised by Monoma as “Nabe” more clearly. Like in their initial observation, they noted that Nabe had light blue hair, and fair skin. He was handsome and young, but most shockingly, he looked almost identical to Todoroki’s eldest brother. If they hadn’t known better, they could have mistaken him for Pro Hero Blaze himself!
The Blaze-lookalike put down his bag, and unzipped it. He pulled a box out.
A gasp from the kitchen drew the attention of the hero students, and everyone turned to face the person who made the noise.
Rikido Sato was gaping at the box and the man as he held a platter of food in his hands.
“Y-you’re the owner of the Phoenix Cafe!” He stuttered out, eyes widening in shock and twitching slightly as he stood rooted in place. No one had ever seen Sato so excited before.
“Eh?!” And that’s when the other shoe dropped. Suddenly, the entire room burst into a frenzy of conversation as students matched the man to the cafe.
A few had gone to the aforementioned cafe before, they’d even sat down and enjoyed a meal and drink, but they’d never seen Nabe before. The owner of the cafe didn’t often serve customers directly, too busy in the cafe kitchens pumping out treat after delicious treat. With the popularity of the cafe, it was no wonder that he was so busy all the time!
Only regulars would know the man by appearance.
Rikido Sato was a regular. With his quirk and sweet tooth. He had to be. And that was why, he was currently acting like Midoriya in front of All Might.
—-------
Rikido was trembling in excitement.
Ever since he got his quirk, Rikido had been forced to consume sickening amounts of sugar in order to power up. Without the substance, he was pretty much quirkless. So to adapt to the sweetness that he had to now tolerate, Rikido took up baking. He worked hard in order to learn how to make different foods so that he could vary what he ate rather than chugging tube after tube of sugar down. It made transitioning into his new diet much easier, and his quirk did the rest.
Like most quirk users that had an activation requirement, Rikido craved sugar at times. His mouth would dry and he would find himself subconsciously looking through the cabinets in order to satisfy his itch for sustenance. His quirk cried for sugar on the days that Rikido failed to consume enough, but his mind rebelled at any large influx of sweetness. It was maddening in the first few months after he’d gotten his quirk.
It only made his need to slowly add increasing amounts of sugar into his diet more important. Thus, baking. By making his own food, Rikido could control the amount of sugar he had without needing to eat pure sugar. There were times that he’d needed to of course. He wasn’t perfect. But he enjoyed the control. Learned to love baking and cooking for himself and his loved ones. Seeing their smiles brought joy to him.
His parents had welcomed his new hobby with open arms. His mum had jumped at the chance to spend more time with him in the kitchen, and his dad did his best to participate at least once a week in their cooking adventures, no matter how busy work got. Baking and cooking brought them together, and it was an important and cherished part of their lives.
One day, his dad had brought him to a new cafe. It was a tradition that they’d come up with. His dad spent a lot of time working, so it wasn’t often that he got a break. But whenever he did, they liked to visit new food places together. It led them on many small adventures all around Musutafu and the surrounding cities. One of those adventures just happened to lead straight to the Phoenix Cafe.
The cakes and desserts he’d tried had him hooked. He wanted to learn how to cook like that. Seeing the smile on his dad’s face made him want to be able to bake like that for his friends and family. It had encouraged him to dive deeper into different recipe books and online videos. Anything to replicate the taste that he remembered so fondly.
He would visit the cafe on multiple occasions after that, though it was difficult to get exactly what he wanted all the time due to the popularity of the cafe itself.
And here was the owner of said cafe.
Rikido wouldn’t be surprised if he acted a little too eager as he spoke to the man he looked up to so much.
—-------
Aside from Monoma, Sato and of course Todoroki, there were two other students that recognised Touya Watanabe. Two students who recognised Nabe as something other than a dad, a role model, or a childhood guardian. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo stared at Touya Watanabe in utter shock. The childhood friends remembered the man very clearly. He’d made a big impression on them as children, and thus his face remained a vivid image whenever the two remembered that day at the park.
Now, with Nabe in front of them once again, Izuku and Katsuki didn’t know what to say.
What could they say?
They settled for silence as Todoroki explained who the man is, and how he knew him.
“This is my dad. Touya Watanabe.” There were mixed reactions around the room. Those from 1A stared at Shouto with a glass-eyed expression.
Here we go again.
Class 1A had already been informed of Todoroki’s unique family relationships during the final exams. It was a dizzying experience, with multiple questions thrown around new information making them all want to just pretend the whole event didn’t happen.
But it did.
And Shouto Todoroki revealed his second paternal figure. His dad.
Shouto Todoroki’s dad was not Endeavor. It was instead, a man that he had grown a bond with in his childhood, someone who was more of a father to his siblings than himself (they ignored how he said that the man was his older siblings’ true father, for it was a little too much to take). They knew he existed, and that’s why they weren’t shocked when he finally appeared.
Class 1B on the other hand-
They didn’t have the same luxuries. Aside from Neito Monoma, the class was staring between Touya Watanabe and Shouto Todoroki in not at all concealed shock. From the expressions on their faces, it was clear that a million questions were running through their minds.
Class 1A didn’t blame them. This was a lot to take in. It had been too much to take in when they were told before. So they left Todoroki to answer Class 1B’s questions as they finally spoke to his dad.
—-------
This was a chance to finally thank the man that had encouraged him to be a hero when he was younger, so Izuku took it.
Kacchan must have had the same idea.
“I remember you!”
“You’re the bastard from that day!”
They spoke over each other as they tried to get the man’s attention.
Todoroki’s dad faced them and smiled wryly, raising one eyebrow as both Izuku and Kacchan approached him. He looked between them with a smile firmly fixed to his face as he waited for them to continue.
All three just stared at each other, none wanting to speak just yet, though it was obvious something needed to be said.
The rest of Class 1A seemed to get the hint, dispersing and returning to their previous activities before Mr. Watanabe showed up. Izuku ignored how Sato had to be pulled away by Shoji as he struggled to stay.
Izuku would have to thank his multi-limbed friend later.
—-------
Touya watched as the other students of Class 1A dispersed, leaving him with the green bush and the pomeranian. Said bush and pomeranian stared at him. He stared back.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, no one breaking the silence that had settled around them.
“Thank you.” The green bush suddenly said, and Touya hummed in response. He didn’t remember exactly what he did, but he’ll take the thanks for it.
His cluelessness must have been obvious because the green bush started to explain.
“You’re the first person to tell me that I could be a hero back then. That even quirkless, I would have been able to make it. So thank you.” Now, this made Touya do a double take.
What?
Ok. His memory of the last timeline was a little fuzzy. But he knew that getting a quirk from being quirkless was definitely not a common phenomenon. Especially if the person who got the quirk was a Hero Course student-
Touya’s blood ran cold as he realised just who the boy standing before him is. It had been many years since the events of the first timeline, and justifiably, Touya didn’t remember every single detail, too busy trying to remember the tidbits that the Doctor had spilled, but this was something he was supposed to remember! This was important!
Touya knew that his smile was probably slipping from his face so he looked to the side, feigning a cough before turning back to the student he now knew to be the successor of All Might.
He took down Shigaraki and started the hunt on the League.
Touya’s nails dug into his palms as he hid them behind his back. He remembered how the heroes had cornered them. How Himiko had cried into his arms when their little family grew smaller and smaller with each arrest.
“You really encouraged me to become a hero! So thank you!” The boy bowed lowly, gratitude and earnest clear in his voice. It calmed Touya. For a moment, he could forget what this kid would become. The poster child for hero society. The shiny shield protecting the corruption. The bandaid over the rot.
When he smiled. It was bright. Ha…maybe there’s a reason why that shield was so effective…
Touya couldn’t hear most of the mumbling, but he didn’t need to. The child in front of him looked so happy to be here. He practically glowed as he talked about everything that had happened since then and how he finally got his quirk, but never forgot what Touya had told him. How even before he got a quirk, he still practiced and trained in his own way.
Touya smiled. If this is what society thought a hero looked like, he couldn’t disagree. The excitement to help people and lack of thought for anything else reminded him of the ideals that drew him to Stain in the last timeline.
Maybe if he got rid of the rot. The bandaid could help this time… Touya would just have to wait and see.
—-------
Touya had dinner with the kids. He was originally just going to drop off the celebratory cake and soba for Shouto before leaving, but somehow the hero brats managed to rope him into staying.
Touya’s cheeks were still hot from the many, many compliments his baking received. That twinkly stare from that kid with big lips didn’t help.
Shouto had done the equivalent of a 3 year old showing off a prized possession in front of his classmates before acting surprised that bush boy and pomeranian brat knew him. All in all, it was a nice dinner. Even if he only knew three of them.
Shouto escorted him to the door before Touya told him to stay with his classmates. His kid would have escorted him to the UA Gate had he not. Tonight was time for Shouto to celebrate with his classmates, and Touya didn’t want to take that from him. Touya could get to the gates alone. He didn’t need a babysitter.
Just as he turned to walk away, a gruff voice called out to him.
“I’m going to be a hero.” What?
Emerging from behind a tree, pomeranian brat made his appearance. The kid probably waited for a while for Shouto to leave. Annoying rascal.
Making a show of raising his eyebrow, Touya waited for the undoubtedly long rant. A rant that never came.
“You said I’d be a villain when I was younger. But I’ll prove you wrong, so just watch me.” Then, the kid walked back inside, not letting him say anything, whether to agree or disagree. He wasn’t even given a chance.
Pfft-
Touya couldn’t help it. He laughed at the sheer ridiculous nature of tonight. He came here expecting to congratulate his kid, but instead received not one, but TWO kids coming at him with things he’d told them years ago. Long enough for them to have slipped his mind completely.
He couldn’t wait to see what these kids get up to. He’d watch from the shadows.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 50: WORK STUDIES
Summary:
It begins.
Notes:
I've passed all my uni exams! To celebrate, here's the next chapter!
This is the start of the last arc of the first season of Time Travel - Where I Adopt a Bunch of Brats.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Thank you for introducing me to your work study Mirio-senpai!” A cheery broccoli said next to his senpai as they walked to the Nighteye Agency.
They’d only been told about their work studies by their senpais, last week, but with All Might’s recommendation and Mirio-senpai’s encouragement, Izuku was on his way to requesting Sir Nighteye to take him on as an intern. As someone All Might had trusted for so long, and someone who actually knew about OFA, Izuku had no doubt that Sir Nighteye would be the mentor that helped him grow the most . The fact that Gran Torino couldn’t take him for Work Studies due to being largely retired helped his choice. Sir Nighteye was really the only person that could help him master OFA now, and Izuku knew that he had to seize the chance now that he had it.
—-------
Shouto would later deny that he pouted as he glared at his siblings.
“Why won’t you take me on as a work study student?” Shouto asked again as Touya kept signing off on his paperwork. His eldest brother didn’t even look at him!
“I’ve already told you Shouto. We have a very important mission that we need to prepare for. We don’t have time to babysit you.”
“I’m not a baby!”
Touya gave Shouto a dead-eyed look as Shouto tried his best not to fidget under his brother’s gaze. Touya didn’t say anything, but kept staring at Shouto. In that moment, Shouto couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Nabe and Touya even more.
Over the years, Touya had grown taller and bigger. His frame conditioned regularly by his training and hero work, leaving him with lean muscle; Shouto could still remember what Touya had looked like when they were still kids. Gangly and slightly awkward, though the potential was always there. Just like his dad, Shouto knew that Touya would be every bit as handsome as Nabe.
And he was right. As the years passed, and Touya grew, so did the number of similarities between him and Nabe. From the facial features to the figure, Touya resembled his biological father so much that they could have been twins. Nabe looked young for his age, the man was old enough to be Touya’s father, (Shouto thinks the man should be in his 40s, but had never confirmed, he could be in his 50s for all Shouto knows, but he doubted it) but could have easily been mistaken for a university student. When Shouto had asked, Nabe had told him something about being born prematurely, yet another trait that he and Touya shared. It must have been biological. Not that Shouto knew anything about that.
—-------
Touya groaned again as his youngest brother kept pestering him over internships. Didn’t Shouto understand that they were busy?!
More information had come in about the Overhaul case, and it all needed to be reviewed. The towers of paperwork that Touya had to look through alone were insane, nevermind the meetings and briefings he had to attend. Sometimes, Touya wished he just settled down and worked a normal job at his dad’s cafe. It would have been so relaxing. No worries about how every mistake would kill someone, every second wasted another person hurt. Living a life like his dad would have been so much easier.
But whenever he looked at someone he’d saved, he couldn’t help but be overcome with emotions. He felt happy whenever he managed to save another person. And that was a feeling he’d never give up.
He could imagine himself working at the cafe. It was easy when he already helped out sometimes. What he couldn’t imagine, was ever not being a hero.
“Touyaaaaaaa!” Shouto voice came out as a whine, and Touya grit his teeth as his little brother once again clung to him.
Whatever Fuyumi had told him when he was younger had stuck. And Shouto was currently trying to use the puppy eyes on him. It wasn’t cute. Not at all. But god was it effective. Shouto looked constipated. It wasn’t cute, but it might make him break anyways, if only to stop his little brother from shoving his face into Touya’s sight again.
“Touya! Pleaseeeeeeee!” Ignore it Touya .
“I could help!” No, you wouldn’t.
“You took me on as an intern before!” That was different.
“I promise, I’ll be able to help! Touya, please!” Ignore.
Shouto must’ve realised that what he was saying wasn’t working, because he defaulted back to what he did best.
Annoy the hell out of Touya.
“Touyaaaaaaaa! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!” Touya tried to ignore it.
“Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!”
“FINE!” Touya finally gave in. It wasn’t worth it to keep denying the brat. Whatever distraction he’d be during the mission wasn’t going to compare to the annoyance he is now.
Shouto grinned in victory, and Touya had to fight the urge to smack the smug look off his face.
From behind his back, Shouto pulled out a form. How long has he had that?!
Glaring at the gremlin he called a younger sibling, Touya signed it off. At least Shouto could learn from this mission.
—-------
Null cursed as he gripped his broken arm. The mission was a failure.
Someone had ratted them out.
It was just supposed to be an easy raid. The Doctor had a warehouse of supplies here that needed to be burned to the ground. They were supposed to just get in and get out .
When Null and the Musutafu Vigilantes had arrived at the warehouse, it had been quiet. Normal. But the moment they’d gotten inside…
There were multiple Nomu, of all shapes and sizes laying in wait.
The Doctor had prepared for them to arrive. He was planning on killing them all.
Null and the others had barely managed to escape with their lives. The explosions and sounds of fighting had alerted nearby heroes and police, which made escaping all the more difficult.
Whoever sold them out had wanted to fuck them over. This plan was meant to give them no chance of survival. They’d either be killed by the Nomu, or arrested by the heroes and police that arrived.
Null had known that the Doctor hated them. Wanted them gone as their meddling had slowed his research and progress with the Nomu to a snail’s pace. It was no wonder he wanted them eliminated so badly.
Staggering on his feet, Null made his way back home.
The mission’s failure weighed on him like sandbags.
Damn it. Why couldn’t he do anything right?! He should have known that informant was sketchy! He was usually so thorough with screening the information, so why did he forget now?!
Null knew the answer. He’d gotten too complacent. Life was too perfect.
And Touya could never be happy.
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 51: INFORMATION LEAK
Summary:
Tenko has a plan, and Touya doesn't have a great time.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sitting in a meeting with all the heroes involved in the Overhaul case, Tenko let his mind wander. Sir Nighteye had sent him all the files to look over the other day, and Tenko had somehow managed to read the files page to page. He knew what was going on, and this meeting was nothing more than a formal recap of the same information to the rest of the heroes.
Sir Nighteye had told him that he had to be here today, but Tenko didn’t need to be. And they both knew it.
He was here so the other heroes involved in the operation could meet him. Nothing more, nothing less.
With his mind wandering, a thought kept reappearing in his mind.
Null. The vigilante was odd. Mysterious for sure, but still odd. Tenko hadn’t had the chance to cooperate a lot with the man himself, but he’d definitely had help from the vigilante’s connections. Null practically ran the Musutafu underground scene, with the majority of vigilantes based in Musutafu cooperating with him one way or another.
Null was an old name in the underground, he’s been around since Tenko was a kid and had somehow remained uncaught after multiple years of activity. It was a testament to his skill.
Tenko hadn’t met the man before this year, but somehow there was a strange familiarity when he’d met him. It wasn’t obvious. There was no eureka moment where he immediately knew something was wrong, on the contrary, it was a slow realisation. What had started out as a mere tingling in his subconscious had graduated to a pull towards the vigilante that Tenko just couldn’t ignore.
When Null had saved Shouto during the Training Camp Disaster and then Touya during the Kamino Disaster, those feelings just intensified.
Null had an unusual care for the Todorokis, his poorly masked interest in their conversations whenever they discussed their patrol and fights made every logical part of Tenko’s brain scream. Null had to know them. No matter what Touya and Natsuo said, this wasn’t the action of some fan. Null had to know them.
There weren’t too many people that Null could have been. The amount of care he showed them was evidence enough that his relationship with them must be beyond that of mere acquaintances.
If Tenko could only have one guess, there was a face that always came up.
His dad.
It didn’t make sense for anyone else to care so much. Tenko didn’t have any evidence to prove his theory, but he would soon.
—-------
Stumbling through the backdoor, Touya grit his teeth as the adrenalin thrummed beneath his skin. Scratches and wounds of various sizes littered his body and blood poured out of the few injuries that had not clotted over.
He’d failed.
It was supposed to be an easy mission. They had everything planned, from the location, to their entry point, and exit. Everything was perfect.
But it had all been a trap. A trap for him.
Touya nearly tripped over his own feet as he reached into a cupboard for a spare rag. Thankfully, he was alone tonight. Tenko had been busy with a mission, the Overhaul Mission no doubt, for weeks now. Between the little information his son had personally told him about his work schedule, and what Touya himself knew from being involved in the case, Touya knew that Tenko would not be home in the next few days. All the heroes had gone strangely silent over the last week. Typically in the underground scene, if heroes disappeared after consulting with vigilantes, it meant that their collaboration was over. And that would be fine. Null had dealt with his fair share of heroes in his many years of operation. But it wasn’t Null that was so invested in this case.
It was Touya.
He remembered Overhaul from the last timeline. No matter how much he’d hated the man, even he had to admit that Overhaul had been powerful. Powerful and dangerous. And this time, it was his kids fighting that monster. Not some random heroes. No. His kids.
When he’d finally located the spare rag, Touya stuffed it into his mouth and braced before ripping a large claw from his thigh. Despite the presence of the rag, Touya could still taste the iron in his blood as he instinctively bit down to muffle the pained scream that he would have no doubt let out otherwise. Sweat beaded at his forehead as he pulled bandages from his pack and started to dress the wound as neatly as he could. He’d have to go see Nostra at some point. It would be impossible to hide his injury otherwise.
Nostra was a godsend in the underground. Working illegally, there weren’t many places that vigilantes could get healed without being clasped into quirk cancelling handcuffs and being carted to Tartarus. Nostra was the vigilante’s version of Recovery Girl. Except, it was illegal and she didn’t have a quirk license. But neither did they, so that was alright. It was hardly the sketchiest thing vigilantes did, nor did they have any other option. If they wanted to survive and keep fighting, they’d need all the support they could get.
Nostra’s quirk, Instant Heal was all they had in terms of medical care aside from what they could do themselves. If it weren’t for her, Touya would not have been able to resume normal life nearly as easily as he did after Kamino. Sure it hurt, but he’d at least been able to move.
Moving one foot in front of another, Touya trudged up the stairs, passing by Tenko’s room as he endeavoured to reach his own. He would’ve just walked past Tenko’s room, and if it were any other day, he probably would’ve. But his son’s door was ajar. Tenko never left his room open. Even as a child, Tenko had always hated leaving his personal space exposed when he wasn’t there. Though Touya would have never let Tenko have a lock as a small child, he did eventually install one. And Tenko had only rarely not used it.
The curiosity ate at him as Touya struggled to hold back from what he was about to do. He respected his son, and respected his personal boundaries. He really shouldn’t go snooping.
Standing in the hallway for what felt like an eternity, Touya’s morals and worry for his kid warred against each other. Tenko was old enough to deal with things himself now. And if he needed any help, he would have told Touya. But Tenko was currently handling a dangerous mission. He’d never tell his civilian parent.
Tenko could die on this mission.
And if Touya didn’t help, he’d only get the news after it was too late.
The pain from tonight’s failure suddenly became all the more obnoxious. His injuries throbbed and the blood roared in his ears as every possible scenario ran through his mind.
Overhaul could destroy Tenko with one touch.
He could change the layout of the base and crush Tenko.
What if Touya hadn’t trained Tenko enough?
What if Tenko wasn’t ready to face such a dangerous villain?!
Magne had died in the last timeline before any of them could even blink.
As hot tears pricked at his eyes, Touya felt the pain of his injuries begin to ebb away until he was numb.
No. He wouldn’t let Tenko die. Never.
Brushing away his previous concerns, Touya strode into Tenko’s room. It was…clean.
Tenko had never been an especially messy child, and everything was as it should be.
Walking right up to Tenko’s desk, Touya ruffled around in his son’s drawers desperately looking for anything that could give him a hint at what the heroes were up to.
After a few minutes, Touya hit the jackpot. On a piece of paper that he now held in his hands, was an outline to the heroes’ plans. In Tenko’s familiar scrawl, a coded note on the location and time of attack on the Shie Hassaikai was clearly outlined. If it were anyone else, they would have assumed that the message was illegible. Thankfully for Touya , Tenko had asked him for help writing up his own code as a child. It had only become more difficult to decipher as his son had grown up, but armed with the knowledge of the original code, it didn’t take too long for Touya to understand and memorise the heroes’ plans.
Gingerly tucking the note, as well as the rest of his son’s belongings back into his desk, Touya walked out of Tenko’s room. His bandages were now a rusted brown as the blood hardened, the injury a mere throb compared to the thoughts in his mind.
He didn’t have much time.
If he wanted to help Tenko, he needed to prepare.
—-----------------------------
BONUS:
-That one patrol-
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, my dear ?” The smooth voice of Hawks called out to the lone figure sitting at the edge of the roof. Null was perched on top of an apartment building, tonight was quiet. As the cold air kissed his cheek, Null could almost imagine that the whole city was asleep. Even though he knew that the underground came alive at night, tonight was peaceful enough for him to just imagine it wasn’t. In the last few hours, Null had caught just one villain. A petty thief that he left tied up outside the police precinct. There was very little for a vigilante to do except watch the city from where he sat.
Even as the hero approached, Null didn’t flinch like he would have all those years ago. When he’d first seen Keigo again in this timeline, Null was justifiably terrified. Seeing the man he’d once loved was like a slap to the face. It reminded him that everything he’d built was one conversation away from being taken from him. It had taken years of constant pestering, and unplanned teamups before Null had the courage to sit beside Keigo without bolting immediately.
Red wings had once again become familiar, and Null found himself comforted as the hero sat beside him.
“Quiet night?” Hawks asked as Null remained silent, staring out into the cityscape.
“C’mon. We’ve known each other long enough Null! Just say something!” There was a petulant tone to the hero’s voice as Null kept his mouth shut. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine this was a memory.
“You’re still so mysterious after all these years, my dear. When will you finally let me hear your voice?” The dulcet tones of the man beside him almost made Null break, if not for a lifetime of stifling his emotions
Never.
“C’mon, Null! Surely, you should trust me by now! When have I ever done anything to prove otherwise?”
In another life.
As the hero continued to whinge, Null didn’t deign to give him a response. Eventually, Hawks stopped.
“I will get you to talk to me at some point, you know.”
Sure.
“Haaaaaaaaaa!” Letting out a laboured breath, Hawks slumped back, staring towards the sky.
“It sure is pretty here tonight.” Taking in a deep breath, Hawks laid on the roof, feathers fanned out beneath him like a giant cushion as he stopped his efforts to bait Null into replying. It had become a routine at this point. Hawks would try to get a word out of Null for a while until he got bored, and just started ignoring Null again. Just like in their last life.
“Sometimes, I like to watch the stars.” Hawks stated calmly, at peace as Null laid beside him, relaxing slightly, but always ready to escape should the need arise and Hawks breaks their tentative truce.
“I wonder if my loved ones are looking at the same stars, or if they’re just sleeping the night away.” Hawks suddenly said, and Null once again listened. Hawks got like this sometimes. Introspective . But Null wouldn’t say anything.
“Maybe they’re not here. Maybe the people I used to love are gone. Maybe they hate me.”
—-------
Keigo turned to face his dear vigilante. Null had been quiet the entire time as he spoke. The vigilante had become a constant in his life after night had fallen. It had been many years since they’d first met, but Keigo somehow still didn’t feel much closer to the elusive leader of the underground.
No matter how much Keigo spoke about himself, talked for hours about life, and asked the vigilante questions about himself, there was never a reply. Keigo had never so much as heard a whisper of Null’s voice in all the years he’s known the other.
At first, it had been a challenge that Keigo had wanted to beat. A competition between their wills as Keigo spoke and Null listened, but after so many years, that original competitive feeling that Keigo had turned to camaraderie. Keigo still wanted to talk with Null like regular friends, but there was something comforting about knowing that the vigilante would always be there to listen to him.
No matter what nonsense spilled out of his lips, or how much he complained about his work, or even his sadness at failing to rescue some civilians that day, Null had always been there. He’d become a silent support that Keigo had used as a crutch in his most vulnerable of times, even if he didn’t want to admit it aloud. Null wouldn’t judge him. Not to his face at least. Null wouldn’t even speak to him. But Keigo found it comforting. He never had to be careful for fear of being rebuked. Didn’t have to fear the disappointment in his eyes as the great hero Japan saw him as reverted to Keigo.
“You’re a really good listener, Null.” Keigo commented. He didn’t expect a response.
There wasn’t a sound, but Keigo felt eyes on him. He took the acknowledgement for what it was.
“Thanks for that.” Standing up again, Keigo let his wings stretch as he readied himself for the flight back home. As soon as he was done, Keigo smiled and waved at Null before entering the sky.
“See you later my dear!” Sticking out his tongue at the vigilante, Keigo began his journey home.
—-------
Null stared at the retreating figure of the hero as he bit his lip.
“Goodbye.” Mumbled under his breath, the wind carried his words away before anyone could hear them.
Null. Or rather, Touya Watanabe watched as the red wings grew smaller and smaller, the distance between himself and Hawks growing larger and larger. Inwardly, he ignored it as a dull ache throbbed in his chest.
“Goodbye.”
Notes:
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 52: BREAK IN PART I
Summary:
Null invites himself into the Overhaul Raid and meets an old acquaintance while he’s there.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The police rang the doorbell as the heroes waited for their cue to engage. They’d be able to act once the yakuza read the warrant. The door to the hideout creaked open, and a face peeked out.
“What?” A man with a plague mask asked as Tsukauchi stepped forward, warrant in hand.
“We-” The door exploded as a large mass of a man punched through, arms bulging with obviously quirk-enhanced muscles.
“What do you want?!” The villain, Rappa bellowed as he charged at the heroes and police.
“How did they know we were coming?!”
“That doesn’t matter! Go! Go! Go!” The police and heroes scrambled forward. It was time.
—-------
Touya wrapped the coat around him tighter, his vigilante outfit hidden underneath the dark fabric as he hurried towards the location specified in Tenko’s notes. Today was the day of the raid. The heroes would attack and detain Overhaul, and Null would be there to make sure the operation goes off without a hitch. He won’t interfere unless it was necessary. And if it was necessary, he’d kill to protect his kids.
Null arrived after the heroes and police had already barged into the Shie Hassaikai’s base. The heroes had left him a path to follow. Null touched the wall, the edges of the hole crumbling under his fingers. The tell-tale signs of Tenko’s decay accented the otherwise traditional exterior of the building, the cracks spreading like spiderwebs around the portions of the wall that his son had destroyed. It brought him a sense of pride that the cracks didn’t extend much further. Tenko had trained hard to get his quirk under control. He was so proud.
Police were cuffing other members of the yakuza as Null ran by. They didn’t deign to give him more than a look before going back to struggling against the yakuza. They had bigger problems than one wayward vigilante, especially one that didn’t cause too much harm in the past, and thus, Null was blessedly unimpeded as he sprinted after the heroes.
The passageways twisted and shifted as he moved from where the traditional passageways ended and the industrial steel started, it only became more difficult to trace where the heroes had gone. Every turn that he took only brought him before more corridors and passages. It was driving him crazy. Null swore that he’s seen that same bend in the path five times already!
Just as he was about to once again run left it was as if the ground and walls around him trembled. The walls around him shook and shuddered as if they were alive, and dying before him. The trembling lasted only a few more moments before everything stopped.
To his right, cracks formed on the surface of the wall. Walking closer to investigate, Null knocked on the wall. It was hollow. Taking a step back, Null swung his leg back and kicked down the wall. There was another path.
Null started running.
—-------
Lemillion had gone ahead to scout the layout of the base as Tenko decayed the walls behind him. Whilst Lemillion was their eyes and ears, Tenko would be the main force that let them breach the yakuza’s compound without bringing the ceiling on their heads.
“This way!” The loud blonde’s head stuck out of a section of the wall before disappearing behind it again. Tenko simply placed a hand where the teenager had been before letting his quirk do its work. Tenko focused on letting the decay spread to only a certain area of the wall. He needed to be careful. One wrong move from either Lemillion or himself, and they could accidentally bring down a supporting wall. Not only would that cause a big enough distraction to the heroes for Overhaul to escape, but it would cause untold harm to everyone present.
As efficient as his quirk could be, Tenko never forgot how destructive it was-is. He was proud of his quirk now, but for decaying small sections of things rather than the whole thing, he still needed to focus. Behind him, Sir Nighteye, Eraserhead, The Phoenix Agency, Shouto, and his green friend, Deku, were following quickly.
Staring at the wall that Lemillion disappeared behind, Tenko waited for the blonde boy to appear again. A minute ticked by, and the heroes waited in tense silence for Lemilion to reappear.
They waited. Another minute ticked by.
And another.
And another.
Until-
“I’m decaying it.” Tenko said, ignoring Sir Nighteye’s attempt at telling him to ‘wait, and stick to the plan!’ . Yeah, no. He’s waited long enough. If Lemillion isn’t back yet, there’s a very real chance that he’s being held up by villains, and Tenko wasn’t willing to let a kid fight off some dangerous opponents all on his own, no matter what Sir Nighteye’s plan was.
Tenko pressed his hand on the last wall, letting his quirk spread slowly. He made the hole big enough for them to all pass through, and no larger. He didn’t know if this wall was important to the foundation, but they had no other choice.
When they went through the wall, Tenko was proven correct. Bloodied and clutching at his side was Lemillion. And a little girl was cowering behind him.
—-------
Null kept running through different passageways as he raced towards where the heroes were no doubt fighting. He’d passed through multiple decayed walls-the work of Tenko, and knew that he must be getting close. He should be approaching the battleground soon..
Lost in his thoughts and eager to reach his kids, Null turned the corner and barrelled straight into a very familiar figure.
“Hey! What’s the big deal?! Are you ok? ” Null came face to face with the man he’d failed to protect in the last timeline.
Twice.
And the villain was just as Null remembered him. A black and grey mask and suit with white eye sockets. He looked exactly like he did the day he died in front of Dabi…
“Hey!! Are you going to say something?! Shut up! ” Null felt his heart twinge in pain as Twice continued to stare at him. All of a sudden, it was as if nothing had ever changed. Twice was alive. Alive and acting exactly how he always did.
“Dabi! Get him!”
He could still remember the man’s last words to him. The plea that he’d failed to acknowledge in light of his lover’s betrayal all those years ago. He’d walked in on Keigo-no Hawks killing Twice and everything had gone blank afterwards.
Dabi had never had the chance to properly mourn his friend.
“Hey!! Are you deaf or something?! Helloooooooooo! Idiot. ” Twice waved a hand in front of Null’s face.
Null laughed.
He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face, soaking through his mask and plastering the fabric to his cheeks.
Twice never changed.
—-------
Jin didn’t understand the new person that had run into him. He wasn’t a hero. That was for sure, but he wasn’t one of the yakuza guys either.
“Who the fuck is this guy?” Jin #2 grumbled in his mind. Jin watched as the weird guy just stood there. He looked like he was about to cry.
“Hey!! Are you deaf or something?! Helloooooooooo!” Jin waved a hand in front of the guy’s face. He didn’t react.
“Idiot.” Jin #3 jeered. Then..the guy started.. laughing …
It was a broken sort of laugh, one that Jin’s heard many times as he held himself back from splitting. Madness scratched at the edges and clawed at the fringes of his sanity. The guy’s voice cracked as the laughter became hysterical. Tears streamed down his face as his body was wracked with the sounds leaving him. It was chilling. It was as chilling as it was familiar.
Before, Jin was a man on the precipice of falling into himself, losing control.
Jin’s been there before. And even if he didn’t know this guy, he didn’t wish this on anyone.
“Hey! HEY! SNAP OUT OF IT!” Jin screamed into the guy’s face as he clutched at black-clad shoulders.
“WAKE UP!” He shook the guy back and forth, but nothing seemed to work.
“FUCKING WAKE UP STUPID!!” For once, he and Jin #2 were in agreement. They didn’t want this guy to be like them. Split in his mind as he grappled for any semblance of calm.
“WAKE UP!” Finally, Jin slapped the guy across the face. Not bracing for it, or even seeing it coming, the guy’s head snapped to the side as his laughter stopped.
“Finally!” Jin #4 muttered in his head, but Jin could hear the hidden relief behind the bite.
When the guy finally calmed down and Jin didn’t have to worry about the guy cracking, he finally got a good look at his face.
“I KNOW YOU!” Jin cried out, pointing a finger at the vigilante, Null. Jin’s heard of this vigilante before from multiple underground sources. You couldn’t operate in Musutafu’s underworld without knowing the vigilantes prominent in the area. Null was the recognised leader of the vigilantes in Musutafu, he was the one who brought them all together. And here he was…
“WHO ARE YOU?!” Andddddddddd…Jin #2 had to have his say. Goal accomplished, Jin #2 was back to contradicting everything Jin said. Typical.
“Am not!” Jin #2 hissed back in his mind.
Ignoring Jin #2, Jin looked up to see a smile begin to grow on the vigilante’s face as both Jin, and Jin #4 readied themselves to stop another mad outbreak. Only…it didn’t come.
Instead, the vigilante just kept watching Jin with tired eyes. Jin didn’t like it.
“What’s the big deal?!” Jin #3 snarked, and Jin didn’t try to amend the question. He also wanted to know.
“Why are you a villain?” The question came out of nowhere, and neither version of Jin had a response.
“Why do you do this?” Null reworded the question, but it didn’t hit any less harshly, nor did it cut any less deep.
“What’s it to you? It’s none of your business! ” Jin and Jin #3 hissed at the vigilante. He had no right to meddle in Jin’s life. He didn’t know Jin! Yet despite Jin’s words, the vigilante didn’t seem angry, or even annoyed. It was like he didn’t even care that his offer had been snubbed-
“It might not be my business, but I want to help.” The vigilante said.
“He’s lying.” Jin #4’s voice hissed in his head. How many times had he wished something like this would happen? That someone would reach out a hand and offer him some help? ‘ Too many times .’ His mind supplied, and Jin could feel something tugging within him. When he’d wanted help, no one had given him the time of day. He was forced to work things out on his own. Make mistakes and suffer the consequences. Make choices that he wasn’t proud of. And it had split him into multiple aspects, tearing his mind open until all that remained was bruised and broken, bloody and crying out in agony.
When he’d helped himself, the law came after him and no one had spent any more time than it took to label him a “villain”. No matter how much he pleaded and begged for help, he was never worthy of it.
But here, a stranger was asking him if he needed help..
“What are you talking about? You’re lying to me! ” Jin ignored Jin #2, staring at the vigilante that had just come out of nowhere and decided to poke his nose where it wasn’t invited.
Jin didn’t know what he was expecting, but he wasn’t ready for what the vigilante said next.
“I could help you walk away from the League and villainy, you know.” Jin bluescreened. And for the first time in forever, he couldn’t hear the voices in his head. Jin #2 didn’t say anything, and the whispers he sometimes heard from other Jins were also silenced. It was just Jin in his mind. It was unsettling.
—-------
Null waited for Twice’s response. Internally, he begged his old friend to just take the chance! Of all the people Dabi had felt he failed the most in the last timeline, Twice was on the top of the list. He was a villain, yes, but to Dabi, Twice had never felt evil. There was always a tinge of fear whenever he did anything that could harm others, and he’d always been so content just hanging around the rest of the League. He wasn’t some monster that took pleasure in killing and causing harm like Muscular, or some deranged maniac like Moonfish. Twice had been a victim of the system. Someone who couldn’t help but become what he was due to circumstances rather than any choice of his own.
And he’d been killed for it.
Twice had been killed for doing what he could to live and be free. His killer had walked away scot-free and Dabi had never forgiven himself for it. Twice had used his last breath to beg Dabi to avenge him, avenge them for the betrayal they had suffered, and Dabi had failed. Dabi had failed miserably, and on top of that, some part of him had been glad.
No matter how much Dabi hated himself for it, he couldn’t bring himself to land the finishing blow on Keigo. There would always be a part of him that loved the traitor and would never stop.
Even though he had ripped Dabi’s heart out, Dabi wasn’t sure if he could stop him.
Even when he killed Dabi’s friend, Dabi couldn’t honour Twice’s last wishes. Now that Twice was alive in front of him, Null hoped he could find a way to repent. If he couldn’t fulfill Twice’s last wishes in the previous timeline, maybe he could find a way to lead Twice away from his death in this timeline? Everything hinged on Twice’s answer to his offer, and Null held his breath as he waited.
Distantly, he could hear the crashes as heroes fought through the labyrinth of tunnels and yakuza members. Null itched to go, to make sure that his kids were safe, but for now, Twice’s answer meant the world to him.
This was his chance at redemption. One of the only real ways he could make up for his failures in the previous timeline. And he’d be damned if he didn’t take it.
As Twice continued to mull over his offer, Null only became twitchier. His kids were still out there. They were still fighting the monster known as Overhaul. And he wasn’t nearby to help. Null didn’t know how to feel about himself. No matter what he did, he knew that he would hate himself.
If he left Twice again, then he was dooming the man to a life of crime when he had the means to help this time. By letting Twice go, he’d need to prepare to take him and the League down later. But if he stayed for too long and anything happened to his kids…
He’d rather die. He’d rather let it be him that takes the blow for them if it meant they were safe. He needed to make a choice, but the options were killing him inside.
“What do you say?” Null tried to prompt, as Twice continued to stand in the same pose, a hand rested underneath his chin in a show of consideration over his words.
“Give me more time to think! I’ve come to a decision! ” As always Twice contradicted himself, but this time, Null felt anger rising in his chest. A combination of worry and rage borne from the fear that anything could have happened to his kids prompted him to say something he’d regret.
“WELL COME TO YOUR DECISION!” As soon as the words left his mouth, Null was overwhelmed with remorse. He shouldn’t have said it like that. He shouldn’t have yelled. Now, Twice might not-
“No.” Null froze.
“W-What?” His voice cracked as he stared at Twice in disbelief. He willed the words he heard to be some figment of his imagination, that Twice hadn’t really said ‘no’, hadn’t really declined his offer-
“I said no.” The words broke him out of his denial before he could spiral further, but it only ignited the feelings he’d only just begun to acknowledge.
“But, you could just walk away from all this! Walk away from putting your life in danger! You could live a stable, and normal life!” Nu-Dabi screamed at his once-friend. He tried to force as much emotion through his voice as possible, willing the other man to stop and just rethink what he just said, to realise that Null was giving him an out of this life. To give him what he couldn’t have before.
“I know.” Twice’s voice wasn’t cheerful. To be honest, it sounded pained. It was too quiet. Twice was never quiet. It was unsettling.
“Don’t you want that?” Null’s voice was soft as he spoke to the villain, and for a moment, villain and vigilante shared an intimate connection. A true understanding of what the world truly was.
To Null, it was a moment of realisation that once again, he’d failed to save Twice. The first time, he’d been too late to save Twice from Hawks, and that would always be a sin he’d have to bear. But this failure only hurt more. Physically, he couldn’t save Twice in the last timeline. Mentally, he couldn’t save Twice now. He couldn’t save Twice from himself.
“I do.” It hurt to hear Twice so sure about something. There was no contradiction, no secondary voice that might have persuaded Twice to accept. Just quiet resignation that this was the path he’d follow.
“Then, why?” Null knew that he was fighting a losing battle. Twice won’t change his answer, but he had to at least know how he failed this time.
“...what’s the point in stability and freedom if it meant I sold my friends out?” Null almost laughed again. This was exactly like Twice. So loyal to those he called ‘friends’. It was a stab to the chest and a reminder that he’d never be as close to the man ever again. Fuck, they might even face each other from opposite sides of the battlefield later on! But he didn’t try to fight Twice’s decision. He didn’t say anything at all.
“I appreciate the offer Null. I’m sure you had a proper way for me to ‘escape’, but I don’t want it.” The way Twice said “proper” made Null flinch. There was no heat behind his words, but he could still sense the distrust behind the man’s words. He could tell that the villain didn’t fully believe his claims, and why would he? It wasn’t as if they were friends. Twice didn’t know what had happened, what would happen. In his perspective, some random vigilante had just given him a suspicious offer. Null didn’t blame him for being cautious. Twice probably thought he was throwing around empty words like everyone else did. He was protecting himself.
“I can’t betray my friends after all!” Twice’s grin was bright, but Null’s world felt like a shadow had been cast over it. He failed. Again.
Barely holding back a scream, Null stopped himself from falling to his knees and shouting his grievances to the sky.
No matter how much he hurt, how much moving on dug into him like a knife wound, he couldn’t stop. When he’s out like this, wearing his gear, he isn’t Touya. He isn’t Nabe. He is Null.
And even if he was bleeding to death. He’d rather it be him than them.
Notes:
*sips tea*
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian
Chapter 53: BREAK IN PART II
Summary:
An excerpt of a conversation between the beta reader and the author:
Scarlet: You wouldn’t….
Myths: Wouldn’t I?
Notes:
This is the last chapter of Season 1 of Time Travel - Where I Adopt a Bunch of Brats. There will be another part picking up right from Ch. 53.
I may have listened to "You're a Useless Child" on repeat when writing this chapter.
I'm very proud of this chapter and I am not sorry for what that means for you all.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Touya knew that the LOV were working with the Shie Hassaikai, but he didn't expect them to be this involved. All around him, Nomu were fighting the heroes as Overhaul-the bastard stood on his pedestal watching over them.
Touya felt like a dog being forced to fight for onlookers. It was like they were the performance and Overhaul was the observer. It was demeaning.
In a corner, he could see the little girl they were meant to be protecting- Eri cowering behind Lemillion’s cape. The red fabric was torn in multiple places, and the edges had obviously been ripped by… something, but Eri held onto the rag like a lifeline.
With how tiny the little girl was, the scrap of material was almost enough to completely cover her, leaving only the top of her head exposed. She was so little.
She trembled as she clutched onto the bright red fabric, her tiny fists balled into the cloth as she shook in terror.
“Eri. Stop your ridiculous fight and come here. You’re just causing everyone trouble.” Overhaul shouted at the little girl over the chaos, and Touya grit his teeth as he cremated one of the Nomu about to tackle him.
“Can’t you see that you’re just causing all these people pain with your curse?!” Touya finally broke away from fighting the Nomu long enough to turn to face the little girl-Eri only to stop as she stumbled to her feet.
She was so frail. Riddled with bandages and small scrapes, Touya felt the roar of flames in him raise to new heights when she tried - oh god - she tried to go back to her tormentor. Fear shone in her eyes, her whole body shook as she raised her face to look at Overhaul.
“W-Will they be ok if I go?” She asked, trembling hands clasped in each other in a futile attempt to comfort herself.
“Of course, Eri. Now be a good girl and come here.” Touya’s blood ran cold as Eri nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks, and started to move towards the villain.
“Everything will be ok!” She said, as if reaffirming what Overhaul had told her.
This little girl was about to sacrifice herself for them. And if Touya let her, he would never forgive himself. Throwing himself forward, Touya bundled the little girl into his arms, making sure that he wasn’t hurting her before turning back to the bastard that had just told a little girl that she wasn’t worth saving.
“YOU’RE NEVER HURTING HER AGAIN OVERHAUL!! YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!”
Touya had to duck to avoid a spike of concrete coming for his head. For the next few minutes, Touya ducked and dodged to avoid each spike as they tried to skewer him. He was doing well with the girl in his arms. Neither he, nor Eri had even gotten so much as a nick!
But Touya wasn’t going to let Eri stay in the potential crossfire. And that was where Touya made his biggest regret.
Touya thought he had the time. He thought he could turn around for a second to settle Eri somewhere so that he could face Overhaul without having to worry about her getting hurt.
Touya should’ve remembered one of the first rules his dad had taught him.
Never turn your back on the opponent. For any reason.
“TOUYA!!!”
Hearing Fuyumi’s scream, Touya whirled around, ready to do anything to defend her…only for a spike of concrete to almost flash in front of him. He didn’t have time to dodge or move out of the way. He was going to die.
Bracing himself for the overwhelming pain, Touya relaxed his muscles. This was going to hurt.
But it didn’t. Warm arms held him for a moment before Touya was shoved out of the way. A splatter of blood sprayed onto his face as Touya stared… wide-eyed at the vigilante who had saved him.
It was Null.
Touya fell back, but wasted no time in picking himself back up. What … what had just happened?
The vigilante laid prone on the ground as half of the heroes present stared at him. The other half were still trying to immobilise Overhaul, who hadn’t even paused to see the repercussions of what he had just done. Tenko was staring at the unmoving body of the vigilante with undisguised terror. Touya’s mind went blank. Why? Why did Null save him? There was no reason for Null to even care if Touya survived, so why? Picking himself off the floor, Touya stumbled over to the vigilante. Null had a gaping wound at his side and blood was pouring out of him steadily. At this rate, Null would bleed out. That is…if the shock didn’t kill him first.
A million questions whirled around Touya’s head. Questions that he so desperately wanted answered, but at the moment, it came secondary to saving Null.
Touya didn’t notice Tenko’s panic attack happening right behind him.
Pressing a rag to the vigilante’s side to stem the bleeding, Touya could feel Natsuo and Fuyumi appear at his sides as all three siblings gave Null emergency first aid. They’d only just stopped the bleeding before Touya took a knife out of his belt and cut the vigilante’s mask off. Null might never forgive him for going back on their deal and revealing his identity, but they needed to make sure the vigilante was still breathing.
The mask covering Null’s face sliced open easily, giving little resistance against Touya’s knife. Touya’s grip slackened when he finally saw who the vigilante was…
“Dad…” Numbly, Touya barely heard Fuyumi’s gasp of horror next to him and Natsuo’s curses as little Shouto looked over them.
With trembling hands, Touya scrambled to find a pulse. Anything that could tell him that his dad isn’t dead. That he didn’t just sacrifice himself for Touya. That he was still at the cafe. Baking and smiling like always.
There was no pulse.
Then…this must be a doppelganger! Yeah! That has to be it! There was no way that his dad was dead. There was no way!
Shoving his hand into his pocket and rummaging for his phone, Touya ignored the yells around him. At this moment, all he needed was his dad. To know that he was safe.
Maybe his dad would scold him for using his phone on a mission? Touya snickered to himself, imagining the man’s nagging that he was bound to hear once he picked up the phone.
Touya dialled his dad. It rang once, twice, and redirected him to voicemail. Ok. Maybe his dad was baking something and needed to wash his hands? Touya ignored the voice screaming at him, telling him that his dad would have picked up anyways, that the call going to voicemail was very unusual.
Touya dialled his dad again. A ringing sounded from next to him.
He ended his call. The ringing stopped. He redialled. The ringing started again.
Robotically turning towards the source of the ringing, Touya dug into the vigilante’s pocket.
Sure enough, he found the vigilante’s phone.
Opening it, Touya stared at the screen as the sounds around him grew muted.
On the phone’s screen, there was one name. Null had received a call from a number called “ Brat #2 ”. Touya wanted to deny that this was his dad’s phone. But he couldn’t. Alongside the name, his photo stared damningly back at him. A wide smile on a younger Touya’s face, as if mocking his current counterpart.
A choked sob sounded. Who was crying?
The sob turned into a scream. Who was screaming?
His throat hurt. He wanted his dad.
Why was everything so hot?
—-------
Touya was screaming, and his quirk reacted in kind.
Everything was a hellscape of flames.
—-------
Tenko couldn’t breathe. Dad…
As soon as he saw Null jump in front of Touya, it was like the world froze around him. The air was heavy and his head felt like it had been submerged under cold water.
Dad…
Time ticked forward slowly, Tenko could see the moment the spike stabbed through his dad. A spray of blood erupted from his dad’s side as he was thrown backwards and crashed into a wall, sliding down to finally rest on the ground.
He wasn’t moving. Dad…
Tenko fell to his knees. The sounds around him ceased to exist as all the blood in his body rushed to his ears. Dad …
There was no way Null could have found where they were. Not unless the vigilante is .. Dad…
And if the vigilante is Dad…
Tenko’s eyes widened as a harrowing thought struck him. This is his fault. This is all his fault. Why couldn’t he be more patient?!
Dad was hurt. Dad was hurt because of him. Tenko had killed his dad . Had all but signed his death certificate himself. No…He did sign his death certificate. The moment he came up with that dumb plan and left the papers out where his dad could see them!
This was all Tenko’s fault. Yes! It was all Tenko’s fault.
He was a horrible son…and now he’s lost his dad…
Tenko wasn’t stupid. That attack that Dad had protected Touya from…the stillness of his body…the blood everywhere…Dad was dead. And it was all his fault.
—-------
Tenko sat on the ground. His breaths were coming out in short, sharp gasps as one hand made its way to his neck. No one could tell if he was trying to strangle himself, or simply desperate to regain control over his breathing. It could have been both.
Tenko placed a hand down, he was still choking for breath, each gasp escaping him rasping and pained. He looked about ready to keel over and pass out.
In his panic, Tenko couldn’t control his quirk.
Decay started to spread from where his hand met the ground.
—-------
“FUYUMI! MAKE BARRIERS! SHOUTO! HELP HER!”
Natsuo cursed as Tenko’s Decay started to destroy everything around them. It turned the remainder of the Nomu to dust, but kept progressing closer and closer to the heroes. They needed to get as much between them and Tenko as possible. At least until they could swap places with Eraserhead.
Eraserhead was currently doing his best to stop Touya from cremating them all, but the heat and height of his flames kept him just out of Eraserhead’s sight. He couldn’t get too close without burning himself or drying his eyes out, but from this distance, there was no way for Eraserhead to get to Touya.
Behind him, Fuyumi and Shouto were straining to make enough ice for Tenko’s quirk to destroy without reaching them, but he knew that his siblings had limits. There was no way they could keep this up. Not indefinitely. But without their help, Natsuo wasn’t sure that he could put out Touya’s flames.
Touya’s quirk was extremely powerful; one of the hottest fire quirks in Asia, and Natsuo hadn’t ever had to go directly against his older brother in raw strength before. There was no strategy that could outmanoeuvre sheer strength like this, and in the state he was in, Touya was fire itself.
There was no bargaining or words that could break Touya out of the self-induced tornado of fire that was currently surrounding him… and Nabe..
Nabe is here. And he saved Touya from being hit by one of Overhaul’s concrete spikes.
Nabe might be dead.
‘ He will be dead if you don’t do anything. ’ Natsuo’s mind hissed at him as his resolve strengthened. He needed to make a way through Touya’s flames long enough for Eraserhead to get to him and shut off his quirk before getting Eraserhead to go shut off Tenko’s quirk.
Taking a deep breath, Natsuo reminded himself of everything he knew about his quirk and how to get the most output. Touya’s quirk was hot enough to instantly melt any normal ice that came at him, never mind when he was in this state. Natsuo couldn’t be sure of anything so he had to make sure he was able to get it right the first time. He couldn’t waste any time.
Breathing in through his nose and exhaling to get the tension out of himself, Natsuo stomped his foot on the ground and focused on getting his ice as cold as possible as it hurried towards Touya.
That was a bad move.
Natsuo forgot that Touya had almost been killed by a spike coming at him at full speed. There was no way that Touya would have reacted well to Natsuo’s ice doing the same. It was one mistake. One mistake, but Natsuo would instantly regret it.
The flames surrounding Touya flared up and rose to even greater heights, as if barricading the quirk user away from the world. Natsuo’s ice barely cut a path through the inferno before more flames replaced the ones that had been extinguished.
They wrapped around the hero in the center of it all with the possessiveness of a dragon, but Natsuo wasn’t going to give up. Focusing once again, Natsuo sent multiple bursts of ice at the wall of flames. He regretted shocking Touya, but now that his quirk was getting so out of control, Natsuo couldn’t wait any longer to come up with a new plan.
Touya may be better at controlling his quirk so that he isn’t burned, but he had never gotten rid of his poor constitution for fire. At the moment, Touya wasn’t controlling his quirk properly, and if left to his own devices, he’d cremate himself, and the rest of them at the same time.
Sweat beaded at his forehead as Natsuo strained under the exertion. Just …a little more! Finally, there was a big enough gap for someone to run through. Eraserhead, standing at the ready, ran straight in. He’d been watching Natsuo and knew what he was planning.
Natsuo had never been so grateful for his ex-homeroom teacher before.
When the flames fizzled out, and the room’s temperature lessened, Natsuo knew that his plan had succeeded.
“NATSUO! ANY TIME NOW!!” Fuyumi’s tired voice reminded Natsuo that there was another place Eraserhead needed to be.
“Eraser-”
“I got it kid.” His ex-homeroom teacher cut him off before he finished asking, but he knew Aizawa would know what to do.
Running past him and around the ice walls that Fuyumi and Shouto were making, Eraserhead’s eyes glowed red as the path of destruction Decay halted in its tracks. Tenko was pale as he lay crouched on the ground. Both hands were pressed on the ground as Tenko retched, though nothing came up. Tenko was never the one to eat a heavy meal before a mission.
“It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault…” Tenko recited the words under his breath like a prayer, as if saying them would remind him of whatever terrible crime he’d convinced himself he’d committed.
Natsuo pulled him in his arms and held him. Tenko couldn’t be on the field right now. And neither could Touya.
As much as he knew he’d hate it, and how much they hated it, Natsuo signalled for one of the pros in charge of air control during this mission. Out of fear that Overhaul would escape through the sky, Sir Nighteye had enlisted some…other heroes into the mission. Heroes that would have otherwise never been involved. Natsuo held his tongue as Hawks and Falcon landed in front of him. If he had the choice, he’d never leave Tenko and Touya to them. But he didn’t have a choice. It was life or death, and there was no way either Tenko or Touya would be able to continue with the mission. They needed to be withdrawn.
Placing Tenko into Hawks’ arms and watching as Falcon gently picked Touya up, Natsuo glared at both of them before quietly asking them to bring Tenko and Touya away from the fighting.
Both heroes nodded before flying off. They sure didn’t waste any time…
—-------
Keigo felt his heart stop when the vigilante’s face was revealed. It was his angel!
But his angel is hurt…
Keigo shouldn’t have felt any more than the usual concern over someone getting injured, but he found himself in a mild panic over the vigilante’s wound.
He had to make it. He had to!
Keigo didn’t know why he felt so strongly about it, but some part of him knew. His angel was special. Even if his angel was Dabi, his angel was Null.
And Null was one of his best friends-Null was one of his best friends.
And the man was currently dying down there!
It took a stern look from Ryukyu and a grip from his little brother, but Keigo paused long enough to realise what he’d almost done. He’d almost compromised the mission. The heroes were fighting down there, and if something went wrong, Keigo could have put them in danger. But…every instinct was screaming at Keigo to swoop down and scoop the vigilante into his arms and take him away from the danger.
When he was signalled to come down, Keigo was disappointed that it wasn’t to retrieve Null. Instead, he was asked to bring Midas and Blaze away from the fight.
Not wanting to compromise the mission, Keigo did as asked. The sooner they beat Overhaul, the sooner they could get everyone some medical attention. They could get Null some medical attention..
—-------
Amidst the chaos, somehow, Eraserhead’s kid, Shouto’s friend Deku, had managed to defeat Overhaul.
But in the calm of the aftermath, there was still one thing that filled Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shouto’s thoughts.
“DAD!!” Fuyumi and Shouto screamed in unison as they ran to the prone body on the ground. Natsuo followed them, though he still didn’t call Nabe his dad.
Nabe was laying in a pool of his own blood. His shirt was glued to his skin as the blood dried, but the pungent metallic scent still had tears streaming down their faces.
Natsuo dropped to his knees, checking Nabe’s breathing before stilling.
He… he couldn’t feel anything.
Nabe wasn’t breathing.
A rush of panic flooded him as Natsuo wondered if he’d done anything wrong. Had he made the wrong call not bringing Nabe out of the field? But, if they’d moved him, he could’ve been even more injured. The procedure! Tears wet his cheeks as Natsuo ran through every step in his mind. They weren’t supposed to move the victim if they were this injured. They were meant to leave it to the medical professionals. But…what if Natsuo’s call had killed Nabe?
How could he ever forgive himself?! What would Tenko say?!
Fuyumi and Shouto had already started to bawl. Nabe wasn’t breathing. They’d lost a paternal figure.
Natsuo refused to let it end like this! He must have missed something! There was no way Nabe could be dead! Not like this!
Pulling a small mirror that he had in his pocket out, Natsuo put it in front of Nabe’s face.
And then he waited.
He waited for something to happen.
He willed for anything to prove that Nabe hadn’t left them.
That Natsuo hadn’t witnessed Tenko’s dad jump in to save them for the last time.
A second ticked by.
Then a few.
Then…something happened.
Slowly, a mist started to form over the surface of the mirror, and Natsuo jumped to his feet.
Nabe was still alive!
Excitedly, Natsuo turned to his siblings. They hadn’t noticed yet-
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” A scream broke through the silence.
That Deku kid was spasming on the ground as the little girl clung to him. Both were crying out in pain, but in a moment of clarity, Natsuo noticed something.
Though Midoriya was obviously in pain, it didn’t look like he was gaining any more injuries. Natsuo had been briefed about each hero’s quirk prior to the mission, and from what he’d read, Midoriya’s quirk caused him to break his bones if he went too far.
It wasn’t as if Natsuo doubted the kid, but there was no way a first year had managed to subdue Overhaul without pushing some limits. Yet…there was not a single broken bone that Natsuo could see.
He didn’t think that Midoriya had managed to conquer such a massive drawback so quickly, so that left the little girl.
Both Deku and Eri were glowing in some strange golden light, no doubt the little girl’s quirk. And if her quirk worked how Natsuo thought it worked-
Running up to both kids, Natsuo signalled to Eraserhead to not do anything as he lifted the child and ran back to where Nabe was laying on the ground. The energy she let off made him feel like he was about to explode, but this would be the only chance he got. Natsuo gently placed the child next to Nabe and pulled her hands until she was touching Nabe.
‘Please let this work.’ Natsuo’s eyes never left Nabe or the little girl.
‘Nabe…you need to live. Tenko still needs you. We still need you.’
For a scary moment, Natsuo thought he was too late. Eri’s quirk did nothing for the injuries littering Nabe’s body. There was no movement, no glow or sign that Nabe would ever wake up.
“Fucking wake up!” Natsuo’s words caught on the back of his throat as raw emotions seeped into it.
“WAKE UP DAMN IT!! FUCKING DO SOMETHING! MOVE! BREATHE!” Natsuo felt like he was going insane.
No.
No. It can’t be.
No.
No.
No.
He refused to believe it!
Nabe couldn’t be gone.
He couldn’t!
Natsuo felt arms restrain him as his world fell apart around him.
No.
No.
No. No. No. No. No. No. No!
“You need to let go, kid-”
“NO!!”
Natsuo struggled as a capture weapon wrapped around him, pulling him back from Nabe, who was still alive on the ground.
“HE’S ALIVE! I KNOW IT!” Natsuo struggled in Eraserhead’s capture weapon, but it wouldn’t let him go.
“HE’S GOING TO BE OK! WE JUST NEED TO WAIT! PLEASE!”
“Kid…”
Natsuo had tears streaming down his face as he fought to go back to Nabe’s side. He didn’t need to look at Fuyumi or Shouto to know that they must be in a similar situation.
“PLEASE MR. AIZAWA! PLEASE!” Natsuo was begging at this point.
Whilst Nabe had never been a father to him, he was still close to the man. And losing Nabe would completely crush him and his family.
His ex-teacher looked at him with a strange mixture of grief and pity in his eyes and Natsuo was reminded that the man was a regular at Nabe’s cafe. He all but lived there, and thus knew Nabe quite well. Natsuo wouldn’t be surprised if he and Nabe had been friends-no. They’re still friends. Because Nabe is alive.
There was a minute of prolonged eye contact between Natsuo and Eraserhead. The man asking whether he was sure this is what he wanted as Natsuo asserted that he needed to be at Nabe’s side.
They were caught off guard when-
It was a miracle.
As Eri’s quirk spread over to Nabe, it was as if his injuries rewound themselves. The blood staining his clothes evaporated as the hole in his side knitted together, flesh regrowing and healing over.
The heroes watched in awe as Eri brought Null back from what seemed like death. It only stopped when the little girl passed out. At this point, Null had already been mostly healed though there were still some injuries that Eri’s quirk had just not gotten to, but that was fine.
The worst of his injuries were gone and that was all that mattered.
Fuyumi and Shouto wept in relief as Natsuo let out a sigh.
Nabe was alive. For now.
But…looking around at the other heroes, Natsuo realised that he needed to find a way to silence them all about Null’s reveal.
He couldn’t ask for his father-in-law’s blessing from Tartarus, Tenko would never forgive him! If he even got the chance ..
Turning to look at Aizawa, Natsuo made a show of hiding Nabe’s face. His ex-teacher understood.
“I’ll have Nezu work on it.” The low timbre of Eraserhead’s voice had never felt more comforting.
“Now, we need to get him to a hospital.” Natsuo said. Fuyumi giggled as she wiped a tear away.
“Yes. We do.”
Notes:
*Sipping tea in my underground bunker*
I'm not apologising. I'll just hide out in here until everyone calms down. 😊
While you're at it, please read Ch. 3 again. Then remember what Tenko said then versus now. 😄
I hope to see you all again in the next Season. Make sure to bookmark/subscribe to the series for the update!
Credits to my beta @ScarletDamian