Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Leaving his decrepit housekeeper and simpering nanny to oversee the children (Shouto’s scar, Fuyumi’s tears, Natsuo’s detachment and Touya’s rage were things he didn’t need to face again this evening, at least), Todoroki Enji stepped out and into the muggy, summer evening, his costume ablaze whilst a deep sigh rocked him.

Who’d have thought that Rei would fail him so badly…

That his eldest son would keep rebelling so stupidly…

That Shouto could have lost an eye over such trifles…

Tch!

He was struggling even now, a whole week later, to understand it all.

Forbidding Touya to train and locking him in his room hadn’t helped.

Isolating his prodigy wasn’t helping and, worse still, without his wife at home, who else would oversee them since he couldn’t find staff who’d mind their own business and do as they were told?

“Endeavour-sama?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, the current #2 looked down to regard his chauffer (shit; he’d been so lost in thought that the beta had felt the need to leave the vehicle and approach him at the patio he’d clearly been stood in for too long) for this evening’s… mandatory celebration.

“I’ll be right there.”

Why he had to suffer through such things for the sake of his Pro Hero ranking he’d never know; however, as he walked through his perfectly manicured garden, his flaming boots thudding ominously down the circular flag-stones, Enji lamented that he wasn’t doing this for himself.

No.

If Shouto (who was refusing to talk to him, who’d barricaded himself into his room with a glacial barrier, who only ate and trained if he left their side of his expansive estate; the other children, for the six-year-old’s safety, were carefully sequestered in the east wing with several locked doors between them) was to become #1, then this was necessary.

Getting his successor, the only one who’d met his biological expectations, into UA on recommendation and helping him to get noticed as soon as possible was paramount.

That’s what all of this suffering…

His sham of a marriage…

The arrangement he’d had with Rei…

His status as an alpha being put into question because he’d pursued a femme, a woman as opposed to an omega was for, wasn’t it?

Because he couldn’t afford to be… mated.

Forming a bond was permanent.

The emotional and psychological burden of such a tie would only breed weakness in him.

And provide a target for his (many) enemies to aim for.

Tch.

And now what?

How could he move past this?

Divorcing his estranged wife would only create more scandal…

Sending the children to live with his parents, similarly, could cast further doubts on him and his status as the head of his own household…

Shit!

“If I may, sir… how is Rei-sama fairing?”

Somehow resisting his urge to snap at the driver (who, unlike some of his staff, had served him loyally) whilst the tinted-windowed estate car pulled away from the curb, the expansive security gates that barred his home clanging shut in their wake), the Pro Hero released a huff.

“She’s settled in her new… lodgings” he grunted, his brawny arms gruffly folded across his chest.

“And Shouto-kun?”

Meeting the beta’s amber gaze thanks to the car’s rear-view mirror, he was certain that the sneer he wore had done the trick, his turquoise eyes then staring dispassionately out at the slowly dimming evening light.

Tch.

There had to be a solution to… all of this, didn’t there?

But… what?

As angry as he was… as furious as he had been he…

He couldn’t bring himself to harm Rei any more than what her failure to meet, reconcile and live with the choice he’d given her when they’d first started courting (he’d made himself perfectly clear that heirs were all he’d wanted from her, that a child who had combined ice and fire quirks was the ideal he’d sought) had already done.

Pointless cruelty was unbecoming of a hero and it’d serve no purpose, either.

Sending her to another country, too, posed a similar dilemma.

It was bad enough that he’d had to make a statement for the press because his (so called) fans had spotted private-ambulances rushing into his exclusive, similarly gated neighbourhood, the paramedics having parked, in their haste, directly outside of what many speculated to be his residence.

God.

He’d never get her out of the country without someone knowing.

That, and he knew Touya would be all too quick to spread the word when he returned to school after the summer holidays; keeping him and the other two at home, with no tutoring, was out of the question as well.

Hmm.

Then, his brows lifting a fraction, he turned back to his driver.

“Kabe” he said, a flicker of memory threading through his mind; “your oldest boy mated an omega, did he not?”

Watching as the man, well into his sixties by now blinked at him through the reflective surface, the driver offered a quick nod; “ah~! Why, yes sir… he did” he answered. “My wife and I had never dreamed that she’d give us an alpha son and, ahh~! But Katsuya is the apple of our eyes… his mate is a delightful young man, too, and they’re having their second child in a month or so” he furthered warmly.

“I see” he murmured; “and… their relationship? He was courting a femme before, if I remember correctly?”

“Ah… yes, you have quite the memory, sir” the other returned, that twinkle in his gaze fizzling a touch; “laws being what they are, well? Alphas and omegas are born to be together, aren’t they?”

Mulling the other’s words over in his mind, Enji once again regarded the shifting city-scape that they drove through it, the cogs of his mind churning.

Now that he was older.

Now that he’d given up any aspirations of becoming #1, perhaps finding an omega wasn’t something to be avoided.

No.

Alphas and omegas were born to be together, weren’t they?

Him mating such a man would be grounds for an annulment (because heat and rut were biological impulses that couldn’t be overcome) with Rei.

There’d be the opportunity for more children, for stronger and more capable children because omegas only gave birth to exceptional alphas, femmes and omegas.

He’d be able to build a pack-family with an omega, too; the man’s paternal instincts would provide the nurturing that his current children would need and he’d be fulfilling the role of a true alpha.

Tch.

He wasn’t like… All Might-o.

He couldn’t get away with not being typical; tch… being #1, being so strong, so congenial and busy shielded that bastard from such scrutiny because it’d be irresponsible for him to mate…

It’d be too damaging to a potential partner and children since that son of a bitch was always throwing himself into trouble…

Trouble that was ancient and modern…

Trouble that no one else (himself included… though he hated admitting it) could handle…

Hmm.

Then, his mind made up, he retrieved his phone from a concealed pocket sewn seamlessly into his hero-suit, accessed his emails and flicked through the guest list for *Captain Celebrity’s Gala; as #2, he had the authority to look into, check on and otherwise learn about any other Pro Hero and, with time being of the essence?

Why shouldn’t he begin his search for a mate now?

~*~

In the thirty or more minutes it took for the estate car to enter a fully secured, underground garage, Todoroki Enji had scoured the attendance list (tch; the former American hero turned media-darling of Japan loved throwing huge, extravagant parties) and found five suitable candidates.

All five were omega.

All five were single.

All five had graduated from prestigious schools.

All five also used scent-blockers and were assigned ‘beta’ on their licenses; not that he blamed them. Laws were, of course, always on the side of alphas for good reason; however, when such men were Pro Heroes (and only omega with beyond exceptional quirks were allowed to be so), every protection needed to be given.

Villains, the bastards that they were, would find ways to take advantage of the biological weaknesses that existed in the rarest of the genders otherwise.

“We’re here, sir.”

Offering the driver a nod (“I’ll make my own way home this evening, so don’t wait around”), he exited the vehicle to find several other Pros (all listed in the top twenty) similarly leaving their own cars whilst little swarms of staff scurried about them, handing out i.d. badges, access-passes and other such things.

Tch.

“Endeavour-sama~! Welcome~!”

Glowering at the preppy young woman who’d scampered up to him, he took what she offered him on a tray (alongside a flute of cheap champagne; feh!), donned the fire-resistant lanyards and walked away from her without a second glance.

He’d never had time to placate the help.

He could hardly believe that other people close to his rank did.

The fact that she was watching him go, her scent spiked with shock and upset, similarly didn’t bother him.

He was here as a hero who saved people from villains, after all, and All Might-o’s socialist message about saving people with a smile and caring about anything other than the people being safe and the criminals brought to justice was, quite frankly, ludicrous.

And an utter waste of time, besides.

He didn’t join this fight against the lawless, evils of the world to be popular with citizens (outside of what it meant for his rank; number of lives saved, number of incidents tackled and low rates of property damage was what he relied on in his career because that was important) or make friends.

No.

He’d joined to defeat foes, no matter the size.

Unlike some loud-mouthed, overly smiley morons he knew.

Tch!

At least he didn’t have to suffer him and his gawdy laughter this evening.

No.

Because he had some vetting and hunting to do, didn’t he?

And so, his broad from stepping into a private elevator (the two lower ranked Pros and their minders having scurried out at his approach; heh, at least they new their place), he scowled when the attendant cowered a little before pressing the appropriate button.

Tch.

Then, as the lift began its ascent, he returned his attention to the list he’d created on his phone.

The five omegas he’d picked out, though they’d be in their costumes this evening, met what he’d find… tolerable in a life-long partner from what he’d read in their PHSC profiles.

Native was, for all intents and purposes, a quiet man wearing (to his mind) a ridiculous get-up; however, his quirk (which made him an expert tracker), though not flashy, could give any children they bred an advantage on the battlefield.

Snipe, too, wore an unusual outfit (the full mask covering his face concerned him; not that he cared about aesthetics, per say, but the #2’s mate and step-parent to the future #1 should at least be… presentable) but his skillset (and position at UA) could be useful.

Similarly, Power Loader made a good choice because of his connections to UA; their height and overall size difference was, admittedly, a concern though… as was the other’s mecha-orientated look, hmm.

Manual, though, was much easier on the eye outside of the bizarre, fish-inspired suit he wore; the eighteen-year old’s water-based quirk marrying with his flames would be a formidable combination but, with him being so young, that…

That could be problematic, couldn’t it? Especially since he was from a large family who, legally or otherwise, could kick up a fuss, couldn’t they?

Which meant, scruffy though he was?

Eraserhead seemed to be his best match, didn’t he?

An orphan turned UA graduate, he hunted the lowest forms of scum in the backwaters of Musutafu (**Naruhata in particular), wore a costume suited to his job and boasted (not that he was one for bragging; his media presence was virtually nil and he wasn’t even ranked on any polls, official or otherwise) an admittedly incredible quirk.

Erasure, he’d named it; heh… children with a combination of that quirk and his own would be nigh on undefeatable, wouldn’t they?

Hell!

Most villains would simply surrender when faced with a Pro who could nullify their powers then set them alight.

Or use their flames as a deterrent, at least.

Hmm.

** Ping! **

Allowing the barest hint of a smirk to tug at his lips, Todoroki Enji swallowed the last of his champagne and ventured into the penthouse flooded with gawdy decorations, tacky-banners, cheap balloons and star-struck servers being far too familiar with their betters whilst they ferried oversized platters dotted with tiny appetisers.

Not that he’d let such… vulgarity deter him from his goal.

No.

By the end of this evening, he’d sworn to himself that he’d gain much needed recognisance and select the most suitable candidate to join his family and, like every other goal he’d set himself?

He’d do whatever it took to reach it.

~*~

“Aww, come on Eraser-kun~! This is a party~! Live a little~!”

Trying his best to melt into the comforting protection of his capture-weapon, Aizawa Shouta begrudgingly took another swallow of the (actually disgusting; tch, give him a beer or sake any day) tepid, overly bubbly piss-water Nemuri had gushed over and called cham-pagne but refused to budge from the chair he’d sat in.

He wasn’t being paid to be here.

He didn’t want to be here, so why shouldn’t he take a load off and keep working?

“Maa~! Eraser~! All work and no play makes you a dull boy, you know~!”

Huffing, he waved Hizashi away (“go keep an eye on that wife of yours before she gets carried away and starts mixing up drinks***”), fished out his phone and hunkered down within this corner in the huge, conference hall-like space (that had no business existing in an apartment, he didn’t care how fancy it was) well out of the way.

Heh.

The second they’d been waved through the door, he’d scouted out the area (filled with a veritable who’s who of Pros of all ranks) and headed straight for the sparsest area he could see, his body slipping into a gold-framed, overly plush dining chair behind a clothed table.

He’d told his friends that he’d save two seats for them for when they got bored fan-girling and fan-boying over the few top-tens who’d deigned to grace them all with their… presence.

Tch!

He had no idea why they’d been invited to this Gala in the first place.

Their Agency was tiny, wasn’t it?

Although, from the way several alphas and betas leered at Midnight, he was beginning to understand why; tch, knot-headed idiots like them would never win a mate of such beauty, intelligence and class.

Beauty, intelligence and class he knew his other best-friend adored and worshipped as he should.

Heh.

If Oboro could only see them now; he’d always said the pair were a sure thing…

Just like…

Well.

There was no point dwelling on the past; the only alpha he’d ever wanted was dead and nothing was going to change that, was it?

No.

So, instead of moping or following his friends’ advice (“you… he’d want you to be happy, Shou… you were going to be mates so we know that you’re interested and we… we just don’t want to see you lonely and unhappy, okay?”), he’d thrown himself into the life of an underground Pro.

That way, with any luck?

He could stop someone else’s partner from needlessly dying.

He could prevent teenagers from getting their hands on drugs.

He could stop human-trafficking rings from forming and abusing people.

He could look after the children of others, through his hero-work, since he had no intentions of having his own…

Huffing, his shoulders slumping slightly, he continued to drown out the sounds a live quartet strumming in the background, the inane chatter of servers desperately trying to meet the demands of heroes who should know better and the (ridiculous, illogical) bragging of said Pros all dying for attention as they spun numerous tales of their heroics.

God.

This…

This wasn’t what he’d signed up for.

These alphas, betas and femmes (he’d only noticed a few other sporting his concealed gender) for the majority were rowdy, boisterous glory-hogs seeking fame and adulation far beyond the few words of congenial thanks he was always more than grateful to receive.

Tch…

What he wouldn’t given for the case he was on to break this evening, not just because it was important but because he loathed being inactive; he was networking with three other Pros (the bastards had managed to get out of this… Gala, somehow) to bring in a sleazy pimp who was prostituting vulnerable betas near the docks.

God.

It made him sick just thinking about it and, although the Police Force had made significant headway?

They were still lacking evidence.

Evidence that only someone with the knowledge of Naruhata could supply, evidence that you only got when you’d been slinking through the shadows there and establishing yourself in the bowels of the seedy, little communities thriving beneath common decency and the everyday working person.

Heh.

He’d been stalking around that cesspool even before he’d graduated from UA and soon, hopefully before the next week started (it was currently Friday evening, 20:37 according to the phone he was tapping notes on, his text-chat with one of the asset’s he’d acquired open; he was close to cracking Hanabe, he could feel it), he’d have what he needed.

Oh yes.

Just a few more names of the people responsible for approaching, poaching and coercing unsuspecting people in night-clubs and he’d be…

“Ano… Eraserhead-san?”

Blinking away from the (not exactly intimidating, just on the right side of threatening) message he’d sent the low-level drug dealer he was trying to pump for information, Shouta lifted his head a fraction to see a decidedly nervous femme standing across from him and the table he was sequestered behind.

“Umm?” he managed noncommittally, his brows lifting further as she bowed at him (from the way she was dressed, he could see that she was of Captain Celebrity’s top hostesses; hell, if the fussy shirt, a-line skirt and high-heels didn’t give it away then the walkie-talkie and clip-board she clutched sure did), her expression…

Concerned?

“Endeavour-sama has requested to speak with you… privately.”

Baulking at her (because there was no way the so-called hell-fire hero knew who he was, let alone wanted to talk to him), the twenty-one-year-old was about to tell her as much, when…

“Please sir” she whispered, the board lifting up to shield her mouth from view whilst she sneaked nervous glances around the huge space still thrumming with activity, laughter, music and… fan-squealing; “he is being very… insistent that I bring you to him in one of the smaller parlours...”

Tch.

“He’s been throwing his weight around and intimidating you unnecessarily to do his bidding, you mean” he countered dryly, the start of a headache forming before he took pity on the woman (clearly close to him in age and obviously dreading his refusal) and stood; “but fine” he conceded.

“Lead the way…”

~*~

Eraserhead was, for all intents and purposes, virtually ideal for what he wanted in a mate.

“Leave us.”

Sure, aesthetically there was progress to be made (the omega looked as though he’d not slept in an age and that lazy, surly look he was sporting needed… correcting) but, even in the overly baggy costume he wore, Enji could see potential there.

The man was slender, yet muscular.

His long hair was shaggy, yet lustrous.

His face, though mostly hidden, seemed angular and potentially handsome.

He required a good grooming, of course, but given his dental records and medical reports?

There was nothing that a thorough clean and decent makeover couldn’t solve.

That? And he was just tall enough that their height difference wouldn’t be as… commented on as the difference between himself and Rei.

Plus, from the private files he’d been able to access, the twenty-one-year-old (with no extended family or any listed next of kin; there’d be no one to kick up a fuss when he was taken during heat whilst on a mission, would there?) was officious, competent and gaining a good reputation for himself in the underground circuit.

Not that he’d be working in such… circumstance for long.

“Take a seat” he offered when the attendants (such simpering people) had skittered out of the parlour he’d demanded, the other quirking a brow but sitting across from him in the (even he’d admit) ridiculously over-stuffed armchair, their bodies facing each other next to a curtained window; “you’re working Naruhata, correct?”

Somehow concealing a grin when the other blinked, those dark eyes (neither lazy no tired, he noticed; they glistened clearly, keenly under the dim lighting of the wall sconces dotted around them) narrowing a touch, the hell-fire hero folded his arms imperiously; “from what I understand, you’re attempting to topple Nagisa Kon and his… associates, right?”

“Yes” the other nodded, a hint of suspicious displeasure tainting his features.

“You’ve also established good connections with some of the low-lives who inhabit that area” he furthered, his head inclining to the left a fraction; “so I would like to propose… a team-up, of sorts” he offered, his lips quipping this time when the other visibly baulked: “I’ll give you Nagisa and his gang” he said. “And, in exchange, I’d like you to support me on a Special-Rank mission on Sunday evening” he stated, their eyes locking; “my sidekicks have told me that you’re a beta ruled by logic and reason… so I’m hoping I’ve not wasted my time in approaching you” he added when the other frowned.

“I have been trying to take Nagisa down for three months” he finally spoke, his body (quite awkwardly bunched in the chair; hmm… he’d have to do something about that posture from when the media were notified of their bonding) leaning forward; “but you can just arrest him? Just like that?”

“Your Agency lacks funds and resources” he countered, his tone blunt; “you’re based in Musutafu and you rely more so on your own skills and footwork, so it’s not surprising that securing the necessary evidence for a successful arrest and conviction would take you that amount of time” he shrugged. “What your limited investigation wouldn’t be able to tell you is that Nagisa Kon is the grandson of Nagisa Koji, a corrupt Judge who works in Osaka, a corrupt Judge who I’ve had on my books for the past ten years” he mused. “Kon is somewhat of a… black-sheep who his grandfather will help us to… correct” he continued, his smirk curling as the omega hiding in plain sight visibly bristled.

Heh.

Oh, how he remembered such feelings himself.

There was, for many fledgling Pros so dedicated to their craft, few things worse than someone else (All Might-o, for an annoying example) bowling into your investigation and taking it over as though the countless sleepless nights, endless stakeouts and hours of life tirelessly spent in pursuit of a villain you wanted to arrest was for nothing.

Oh…

He liked the challenging fire he saw in other’s eyes.

He’d enjoy taming it.

“So, do we have a deal?”

One second…

Two…

“Getting Nagisa and his trafficking-ring stopped as soon as possible is my number one priority” the other replied evenly, the stiffness draining from his shoulders whilst he resigned himself to the greater good despite his pride; “so I’ll accept your assistance and say thank you” he huffed out as though the admittance pained him.

Then, his posture shifting and expression flattening to something more serious, he said:

“What do you need from me for this S-Class mission, then?”

~*~

*For more information about him, please see: https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Captain_Celebrity

**In the BNHA Vigilantes manga, Naruhata (an area within Musutafu) is stated as Earserhead’s “hunting ground”.

***In a BNHA Drama CD (which should be on YouTube somewhere), Mic, Midnight, Eraser and All Might go out for drinks (I think, if I remember correctly, they were either celebrating All Might’s retirement or birthday) and the three best friends drink quite a bit. Kayama Nemuri is also called out for “mixing lethal drinks” and “forcing them” onto Yamada Hizashi (there’s some great manga art of this out there) so don’t think I’m accusing Midnight of anything that isn’t canon-based~!

XD

Chapter Text

“You’re doing what?!”

When he’d left the parlour Endeavour had called him to, their bargain struck, Aizawa Shouta had known (because the only friends he had or could ever want were irrationally predictable, especially when they’d been drinking) that he’d be thoroughly unable to escape an interrogation and so, with a heavy sigh, he simply went along with it.

It was illogical to fight the inevitable after all and, as they dragged him (he’d become an unresisting lump, his arms bound by theirs; their antics hadn’t changed a day since UA and, however comical it may have looked to outsiders? There was a certain… comfort in it) back to where he’d been trying to get some work done during this farce of a Gala?

The underground Pro was wondering the same thing.

“O-okay so… so he’s just… just going to bust that trafficking-ring-g you’ve been-n busting your ass to p-put a-away just… just like that? And all he… he wants in… in exchange is for you to… to go to Tokyo and… play d-dress-up?” Nemuri attempted to whisper, not that anyone was listening, thank goodness.

Captain Celebrity was giving some grand speech at the other end of the expansive chamber and urging everyone to dance, drink and pose for some kind of charity (he wouldn’t be surprised if said organisation was something he’d invented; tch, how he’d left his wife and child back in the States was one thing but his expensive showboating was quite another) calendar.

Tch…

“Shou? I gotta tell ya, something just doesn’t seem… right here, you k-now?” Hizashi hedged, his cheeks pinked from beer though his sharp, emerald eyes were gleaming in a way that strongly suggested his concern; “the guy is… well, you know, a complete and utter jerk” he reminded. “W-why would he go… go out of his way an’ lean on one of his i-informants to help you f-for… for so little in return, neh? I-I mean… he’s fucking no-torious for turnin’ down team-ups and workin’ with others, ain’t he?”

Huffing, his arms folding just under the capture weapon he wore, Shouta nodded his agreement.

He was missing something, of that he was sure, but what was it?

“I’ve looked into the villain he wants me to potentially nullify with my quirk and arrest if possible” he told them, his phone raised for the pair to (a little woozily; this conversation, he knew, would have to pick-up again tomorrow but since neither would be swayed to wait, he may as well air his own, more sober thoughts now, hadn’t he?) view.

“He can generate and manipulate huge spouts of water which, I suppose, would be reason enough for Endeavour to want such a power deactivated” he shrugged; “but… considering that the #2 has twenty or more sidekicks, three who could trap a water-user quite easily, it makes me wonder why he needs me, specifically” he furthered. “Having them draw this guy’s attention out and into the open would probably do the trick even if this… *Suijin only lurks and skulks about fancy restaurants, expensive hotels and private clubs, right?” he reasoned, his eyes narrowing a touch.

As reasons for a team-up went?

This was unusual and strange since, although careful when it came to the more expensive areas of any city he worked in, the hell-fire hero didn’t hold back when it came to crushing his targets, especially if he could turn the capture into a publicity stunt to further his name and… reputation.

Hmm.

Thinking back to the conversation (his phone now in Nemuri’s hands as she and her beta husband, the effects of their drinking dimming, allowed their genius minds to suck in this A-listed criminal’s credentials) he’d had with the towering alpha, Shouta churned the older man’s words over once more…

“…Fuchida Dai, aka Suijin, is someone I’ve been trying to bring in for the past six months; he’s as slippery and smarmy as his chosen ridiculous alias suggests…”

Heh.

He remembered thinking, his expression no doubt incredulous behind the cover of his binding cloth, that Hell Fire Hero Endeavour passing such judgement on others had been a quite poignant irony.

“…and, although he’s not known for causing physical destruction, my sources tell me that he’s getting more and more connected with criminals overseas who are daring to make themselves known here in Japan. That’s why I need to arrest him and bring him in for interrogative purposes; my methods and those of my sidekicks mean that we’re unable to move within his circles without being spotted by him or his protectors but you? You are relatively unknown and, following the instructions I give you, I believe you… capable of pursuing and steering him out of his preferred Sunday haunt and into the ambush I’ve arranged…”

Tch.

The haughty prick saying that he was capable was no doubt meant to be a compliment he should have revelled in.

He was surprised, thinking back to all of fifteen minutes ago, that he’d not rolled his eyes and been kicked out of the meeting for his impertinence.

In retrospect, he was (more than a little) pleased that he hadn’t been, because, well?

This job (which’d last about four hours, plus travel) would see him earning more than what his bank account saw in a month with expenses (which included a train ticket to Tokyo and back, a membership card to an exclusive club and, of all things, a swanky set of clothes to wear) which was pretty sweet.

Heh; he had a feeling, though, that if he was supposed to brag about anything then it should be the so-called prestige of working with the #2.

The #2 who, of course, had so magnanimously thought of poor, little old him when it came to this covert mission.

A covert mission where his anonymity and quirk would, allegedly, enable him to approach, man-handle and escort this supposed Water-God out through a private corridor of the “Kitty-Kitty Club” (it was a fucking **maid-café with purely omega staff from what a quick internet search had told him; God… places like that made his skin-crawl) and into the older bastard’s fiery arms.

Hmm.

On the surface?

Everything sounded legitimate and looking a gift-horse in the mouth, especially one like this, was probably overly paranoid, even for him, but…

He couldn’t shake the feeling of his gut twisting at the thought of it all, could he?

“Maa… Shouta” Hizashi said, his tone oddly quietly as they regarded each other; “you… you’re not… he’s not asking you to put on a dress and cat-ears to…”

“No” he interrupted, his sharp gaze flitting around to ensure their continued privacy (the other Pros and special guests were too busy showing off to bother them in their corner, still, and Endeavour was, blessedly, nowhere to be seen); “for all intents and purposes? I’m a beta and my medical-records are sealed” he reminded. “That, and alphas and betas are the only clientele welcomed in that place as patrons and guests… tch, it must have cost him a considerable amount to buy me a way in there but, if I was a server? Moving around and doing my job would be too difficult, anyway…” he grumped, his expression souring.

“You know how maids are treated in establishments like that, right?” he couldn’t help adding, his nose scrunching in distaste because places like the ‘Kitty-Kitty’, to his mind, just perpetuated sexist stereotypes about his rare gender.

Not that he blamed the men (probably all young) who worked there, of course; being an omega meant that alphas saw you as trophies, femmes saw you as competition and betas revered you as unattainable and so, if you wanted to work and be self-sufficient?

Regardless of certain labour laws (including the generous decision that omegas could be heroes if they met certain, stringent criteria) changing seventy years ago?

You had several road-blocks preventing you from making decent money.

Most employers didn’t bother offering interviews because ‘you’ll meet an alpha one day, end up going into heat and off you’ll go making nests and having babies’ which, although women got married and became pregnant?

Omegas were considered much too submissive, breedable and fragile to cope with satisfying their alpha and their work commitments.

Furthermore, if you were lucky enough to get a job?

Rates of pay, sexual harassment and work-place stereotyping made most careers difficult.

If he’d not been orphaned at such a young age, his gender (at least) protecting him from being adopted easily (because omega children getting snatched up for black-market sales was terrifyingly common despite All Might-o’s various campaigns) and inheriting his incredibly useful and powerful quirk, then…

He could have ended up in such a club.

A club where, although it must be humiliating, the young men could earn good sums of money (through tips, gifts and patronage-support from wealthy clients) and afford to attend University or buy small apartments and set aside nest-eggs to support them for when they did become mated.

Or to buy themselves scent-blockers, suppressants and ‘change of gender’ application-form for official certification which…

Weren’t cheap.

Tch.

If not for UA and the PHSC seeing such value in him then he wouldn’t be able to afford such things, either.

Because being an omega was a blessing ever since World War Three when gene-bombs could have wiped the entire human-race off the globe.

The bio-engineering of DNA which came in that awful time’s wake allowed new stronger, more potent genders to form (complete with genetic markers, desirable-traits and, for omega-males, two fully-functioning sets of reproductive organs) to be born so that their species’ numbers could increase.

Ah.

Progress…

“Umm? Shou… you’ve just had an e-mail from… eh? From the hotel he’s booked you in so you can get… can get all gussied-up to schmooze like the r-rich bastards who’re actually members of that c-club... huh…”

Blinking out of his thoughts, he gladly took his phone from Nemuri (her blue eyes tinged with the same, contemplative light that made her very bad news for any asshole who crossed her) and tapped the full message open, his brows rising as he read.

“E-everything okay?”

“T-tch! He’s booked me into a spa-treatment” he grunted, his scowl deepening; “so that I look the part” he seethed: “hair-conditioning, manicure, pedicure and… waxing” he managed, his hands tightening his grip upon the device he held.

Of all the fucking nerve!

“That son of a… oi! Are you bastards… laughing at me?!” he hissed, his cheeks pinking despite himself as Hizashi and his wife fell into each other, their hysterics no doubt heightened by the drinking they’d done.

And his embarrassment…

“Ooohh~! I’ve been b-beginnin’ you for YEARS to let… let me make you pretty~!” Nemuri veritably squealed; “ugh~! Forget I said anything b-bad about Endeavour ever~! He’s now my f-favourite~!” she snickered before she grasped at his hands and squeezed them.

“You~! You gotta do it, Shou~!” she grinned; “and I… I want pictures~!”

Grumbling under his breath (tch… maybe he was being too cautious and hell? If that blustery old blow-hard wanted to spend his money on him then fine), the secret omega allowed his two best (and only) friends to have their fun at his expensive.

It was a small price to pay, he figured, to have no rent-worries for a while and, hell…

Maybe he’d be able to foster another cat thanks to this monetary windfall, too…

~*~

As Sunday morning crested, Shouta handed over Sushi (the cat all three had sworn to raise… just as Oboro would have wanted) and Momo (a one-eyed stray he’d found a year ago, her coarse fur the same shade as her fruit-namesake) in their cat-carriers to Nemuri and Hizashi with a grin.

“I think that suit I’m having to wear will be rented, so I won’t be able to come back in it” he warned after the woman reminded him, for the hundredth time, that she wanted photos of his make-over; he’d relented on the understanding that no dating-app profiles would spring up for him as a result.

“Aww~! You’re so mean, Shou-chan” she sighed, her pout wobbling comically whilst he rolled his eyes and her husband snickered a touch; “but still” she suddenly perked up. “You’ve said nothing about me using that handsome mug of yours as blackmail so~! We you get back tomorrow? You are gonna treat us to a boozy-brunch at that new, swanky European place that’s opened up downtown~!” she grinned.

“Tch… fine” he huffed, his eyes rolling fondly whilst the lover’s high-fived in their apartment’s doorway.

They both knew he would have treated them to such a thing anyway; life was short, tomorrow was promised to now one, so splurging a little when any of them got a monetary windfall had become a bit of a tradition.

A tradition that’d started with Oboro.

Heh.

The loveable alpha had always treated them to Lunch Rush’s specials when he could afford it, hadn’t he?

“Oh, and don’t forget to check in with us as soon as it’s over, okay? Ooohh~! And order room-service, too~! You may as well enjoy yourself on Endeavour’s yen while you can, right?”

Chuckling, he nodded his goodbyes before walking away from their third-floor home, a back-pack containing his goggles (just in case), mission pack (containing a new i.d., pertinent information about Suijin, a burner-phone and his… ‘Kitty-Kitty’ membership card), change of clothes and his scent-blocker-pills slung over his shoulder as he walked down the apartment block’s stairwell.

By this time tomorrow?

He’d be ¥310,000*** richer and able to put this… strange team-up behind him, wouldn’t he?

Hmm.

He would have much rather had headed straight back to Musutafu after they caught the villain but, as he ambled his way down the sparsely populated streets, his eyes trained on the subway station he’d use to catch a connection to the main railway station, Shouta couldn’t help his sigh.

He’d not been to Tokyo in a while and, although the underground trains in this part of the city weren’t… great, riding in one beat paying for a cab, didn’t it?

Just because Endeavour had offered to cover all of his costs didn’t mean that he’d take advantage, oh no.

He didn’t want to be indebted to the man beyond anything that he needed to get the job done, really.

Room-service did sound pretty good though, didn’t it?

His cupboards back in the tiny, studio apartment he rented (not that he minded; he’d always been a minimalist at heart: buying things that served no purpose was an irrational waste of money and time, wasn’t it?) weren’t exactly full (well, aside from premium cat-food, treats and the like for his own cats and the strays he looked after), were they?

So maybe enjoying a proper meal wasn’t pushing his luck too far.

Heh.

Sitting in the ‘Kitty-Kitty’ with a rumbling stomach simply wouldn’t do since his new alias was Tano Haruto, a wealthy beta from Osaka who enjoyed playing-alpha almost as much as spending his doting Grandmother’s money, now, would it?

~*~

When Aizawa Shouta walked into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Todoroki Enji observed him through the series of CCTV cameras he had privileged access to, just to make sure he’d backed the right horse…

So-to-speak.

Manual was still a viable option if Eraserhead didn’t come up to scratch; again, how the omega looked wasn’t such a concern but musculature, fertility and genetic-markers were important.

The so-called gene-wars of two hundred years ago (that’d limited technological progress, born the new world of alphas, betas, omegas and femmes (or women, if you preferred more traditional language) and shifted the evolution of quirks on its axis; back then? Only 20% of people had powers, or so the history books said) meant that such checks were necessary.

Well.

If you wanted only the finest offspring, of course.

That was why he’d insisted on the young man eating and having the spa-treatments he’d booked him into; he’d enlisted the help of some… associates who owed him favours in the Police Force to snag DNA samples (hair-follicles from the waxing and plucking he’d asked for should do the trick) to see how likely ‘erasure’ could be inherited.

Swabs taken from any bottle or glass he drank from could similarly be screened to discover what contraceptive and gender-blocking medicines the omega was taking.

That way he’d be able to judge what heat-inducing pheromones would be the most effective to use on the man, later.

It was now 15:00.

Aizawa (soon to be Todoroki should the urine-testing (the underground hero would be asked for a sample because drug-screening was standard practise in their circles) show clear indicators that the other was fertile) wouldn’t be arriving at the ‘Kitty-Kitty Club’ until 21:00, which gave his associates plenty of time to do their jobs.

Should the younger man not his exacting criteria then, well?

He could cancel the mission and send him home none the wiser, couldn’t he?

A couple hundred-thousand yen was nothing he’d miss, after all, and he could use the same set up next week with ‘Manual’ just with another supposedly wanted villain, too.

Such things were a small price to pay when considering the future.

A future where a Todoroki would become #1 ranked hero.

Where villainy would recede even further than it had when All Might-o returned from America eight years ago.

Where his family would be known across the globe as the best and feared by every criminal from the lowest scum to the more corrupt crime-lord.

Yes.

He wasn’t making so many sacrifices (and having others do the same) for anything small or petty, no.

No!

He was safeguarding the future by ensuring a heroic lineage that’d watch over Japan long after he’d retired; heh…

Admittedly, when Rei disgraced herself, he’d found himself despairing that his plans would be for nothing but, now?

Now as he watched the raven-haired man walk into the modest, single-bedded room (dressed in a baggy, light-weight grey t-shirt and loose, black jeans with old sneakers) to unpack his unbranded-bag and lay out everything neatly (well, that was a desirable trait, to be sure) upon the simple desk?

He was beginning to think that he and his wife separating was… fortuitous.

For, should Shouto continue to follow Touya’s defiant, disobedient streak then as… unfortunate as that would be?

Aizawa Shouta was twenty-one.

This meant that, potentially, the omega had a good fifteen to twenty years’ worth of child-bearing time in him, didn’t he?

Hmm.

~*~

Checking his room over (the concierge had been friendly but not pushy or overbearing in the way that Westerns seemed to enjoy, thank God) and feeling further relief when he found it was simple (the shower wasn’t ridiculously complicated, the bed didn’t host confections or… towel-animals), pale-blue and soft turquoise accented space, Eraserhead sighed.

He had five hours to kill (surely the spa-treatments wouldn’t keep him busy until the estate-car that’d been booked for him rolled up at 20:30) and so, after setting up the sparse desk with everything he’d need, he grabbed his bag and approached the slender wardrobe next to the bathroom.

When pulling the door open, he felt his eyebrows rise at the sight of a garment bag (from some expensive tailor or another… was that, Italian? French, maybe?) hanging on the rail with a pair of polished, black-leather loafers.

Tch.

Pulling his change of underwear (and the additional jeans and t-shirt he’d brought along, just in case; it was hot, after all and even he had standards when it came to body-odour and overall cleanliness as it’d be illogical not to: being dirty and becoming sick, sadly, went hand in hand, didn’t they?) from his backpack and putting everything on the shelf provided, he huffed.

Endeavour wanted him to play the part alright (he’d found a complimentary shaving kit in the bathroom when he’d popped his toiletry and medicine bags into the mirrored cabinet the quite sizeable wet-room hosted) and hell.

If there was something he hated more than buying clutter for the sake of it, then it was… fashion.

Clothes were clothes!

So long as they covered you, shielded you from the elements, allowed you to move and didn’t disintegrate in the washing machine that was all a logical person should need.

Tch!

‘Keep it together, Aizawa… a mission is a mission… this Suijin bastard is bringing black-market trade in from overseas and stopping him is more important than your personal feelings’ he reminded himself; ‘you’re being irrational’ his mind furthered in a voice that sounded a little too much like his long-dead grandfather.

Sighing, he took the black bag (with gold-trim; the fancy, foreign writing of the designer flourished at the top) from the wardrobe and laid it onto the bed.

Then, his right brow quirking, he pulled the zip down and blinked at the high-thread count suit (in deep jet) and the periwinkle-blue shirt under the jacket; there was a deep cobalt tie which matched the shirt’s buttons in a fancy box attached to the handle, too.

Hmm.

And, judging from what he could see?

Everything would fit; at first, he’d been more than a little put out that Endeavour’s Agency had asked him for his measurements but, he supposed, if he was playing the role of an entitled brat with money than sense, then this look would help him fit the bill, wouldn’t it?

Wonderful…

*Bleep-bleep, bleep-bleep, bleep-bleep*

Blinking out of his thoughts, Shouta left the clothes where they were and approached the phone ringing on the bedside table.

“Good afternoon, Tano-sama” a perky voice chirped into his ear, the tone and cheerfulness instantly draining him: “you’ve been booked into our spa for ‘the works’ which is accompanied by either complimentary champagne, honjozo sake or premium larger, so could I have your selection, please?”

“Just water is fine” he replied whilst trying not to sound too… uncomfortable.

Not that he thought he was under any kind of surveillance from the villain or his cronies but, just like the many missions he’d run with the Police Force**** where he’d needed to adopt an alias?

He needed to be Tano Haruto from now on.

“Ah? Oh… yes sir, of course… ano, we’re all ready for you if you’d like to come down to the Spa now?”

Resisting the urge to sigh, he merely said “thanks” and hung up in the way he’d imagine a spoiled brat would.

Shit.

This was probably going to be more difficult than he’d thought…

Chapter Text

How in the world Kayama Nemuri enjoyed such things he’d never know…

“Tano-sama, would you like the cucumber facial or would you prefer watermelon?”

… because ever since he’d walked through the ornate, electronic glass doors (in a fucking dressing gown, of all things; apparently it was the done thing and, although he was wearing a pair of the hotel’s swim-trunks underneath the fluffy fabric, it was beyond embarrassing to be swanning around in such a thing, everyone else be damned) he’d felt…

“Tano-sama, you’re so tense~! Please try to relax your shoulders just a little… ano, Tsubasa-san? Can you try and work through these knots?”

… Ridiculous!

Not only because he was being (what felt like) pulled from pillar to post by a team of dainty, exceedingly pretty women and omegas but because they were applying lotions, potions and fuck only knew what else to him and touching him in places that he’d not been expecting…

“Tano-sama, we’re going to use an argan-oil mask on your hair if you’d like to lie down here, please… ah, and the wax had just reached the right temperature… ano; you don’t have a lot of body hair, so I take it that we’re to do your legs, eyebrows and a little bit of man-scaping down here, yes?”

… he actually felt violated, especially when he’d been asked to fucking strip, his cheeks flushing despite himself at the appreciative stares and knowing, little smiles the attendants shared between themselves what he displayed himself for their attentions; hell! He couldn’t believe that people chose to do this…

“Tano-sama, please! You must hold still~! It’ll all be over soon but you need to settle down~!”

“The h-hell I do!” he yelped as another rectangle of waxed-parchment was torn away from his leg; it was only by virtue of his training that he didn’t kick out at them or bolt out of the plush, padded, dentist-styled chair he’d been asked to sit in.

Fuck!

“How is this supposed to be soothing?!” he added through a snarl whilst a pair of omegas ripped the pieces of wax-glued paper from his brows, their giggles further adding to his ire as the women whipped off the rest from his struggling legs and around his… private parts.

“H-hey!”

“Maa~! Tano-sama, the benefits will be felt momentarily… we have manuka-honey balms and aloe-vera salves, see? There now~! Doesn’t that feel better?”

Grumping (he really didn’t need to act like a brat now, did he? He was feeling positively petulant and would be sure to pass on his ire to Suijin when he encountered the prick this evening), Shouta did his best not to glare when the men and women (all older than him and mated, he noticed) cooed at him.

If it weren’t for their well-practised hands gently slathering the highly perfumed stuff across his reddened limbs and face, instantly relieving the pain and extinguishing the burn, he’d probably be storming out of here.

Tch!

It was becoming more… bearable by the minutes, too…

The steamy room (with soft, mood lighting) and its plethora of pleasant scents was… relaxing he supposed; plus, Endeavour had sprung for a premium package where he was alone with these attendants, his humiliation something that only they’d talk about (at Tano’s expense) in their staffroom during their evening break, he was sure.

That was something, at least, wasn’t it?

“There you go, Tano-sama… now then, just lie there and let that argan-mask do its work whilst Aoba-san prepares your straight-razor shave, alright? Oh, and your sushi is being prepared by our chefs right now, sir… would you like to eat it in your room or should we arrange a seat for you in our 5* restaurant?”

Feeling a sigh (of relief more than anything) leave him, the underground Pro hummed noncommittally; “I’ll take it in my room… thank you” he offered glibly, his dark gaze straying to the shaving set being wheeled towards him as he tried not to get annoyed about, well, everything again.

God.

If he ever had to work with Endeavour again it’d be too bloody soon, wouldn’t it?

~*~

As 20:00 came to pass, Todoroki Enji couldn’t have been more pleased by his choice for, not only was Aizawa Shouta in excellent, physical condition, he was definitely fertile and there were no quirkless people in his family lineage going back five generations.

That, and his parents had both possessed fine powers; his mother, in particular, came from a line of femmes and omegas whose quirks all concerned the nullification of something and, considering his soon-to-be mate was such a prime example of his gender, well?

He was certain that their offspring would develop considerable powers all their own.

Powers, perhaps, far stronger than any that’d preceded them.

Hmm.

“Endeavour-sama?”

Blinking away from the genetics report, the #2 tapped at his earpiece as he lounged in the room he’d booked himself into for the soul purpose of assessing the man he’d be securing later that evening; “report.”

A room that, thanks to one of his more technologically gifted sidekicks, was decked out with screens showing key visuals from the hotel’s CCTV system; he’d not bugged Aizawa’s room (underground heroes were notoriously paranoid and him finding spying equipment could have prevented him from carrying out his mission) but there was nothing stopping him from keeping tabs in the public areas.

He’d also easily explained his need for such access away because of the mission.

Suijin did frequent this hotel; however, since the villainous-scum was on his hook? He definitely wouldn’t be here right now because the water-quirk user was following his instructions.

He’d caught him yesterday.

He’d strong-armed him into doing his bidding.

He’d traded the criminal’s freedom (or so the moron thought; he’d placed a tracking device in the ice-tea the fool had been drinking: he’d have his sidekicks pick him up and arrest him properly on Monday after letting him go tonight) for his… assistance.

“Tano-san is leaving his room and heading to the lobby as requested.”

Assistance which involved the low-level, low-life carrying a very special, incredibly potent aerosol (a black-market drug (which could be mixed with an alpha’s pheromones) that was becoming more popular these days; as #2, getting hold of a vial for analysis had been easy) that he’d spray at Aizawa when the unranked-hero chased him out of the Kitty-Kitty Club.

The aerosol would trigger the omega’s heat (regardless of any suppressants or contraceptives) and, as he ran to tackle Suijin in the alley-way (as part of the planned arrest formation), well?

An unclaimed alpha colliding with an unclaimed omega going into heat was an incident covered by law…

They wouldn’t be able to help themselves…

They’d be unable to fight their biological impulses…

He’d have to take Aizawa to his home where he’d be safe…

He’d need to keep him safe otherwise he could be rushed by any number of similarly unmated alphas in that ridiculous, cat-themed Club…

It was the only logical and good thing to do, he…

“Whoa… someone cleans up nicely, huh?”

Blinking out of his thoughts (he’d have to remind his sidekicks about the unprofessionalism of needless chatter across comms, later), Enji looked to the security camera feeds, his crimson brows rising to his hairline as the formerly scruffy, tired looking hero he’d hired for this mission walked down one of the hotel’s sweeping corridors, heading towards the lobby.

He looked stupefyingly different.

The long, raven waves of his hair had been tamed into a neat, half-bun that sat at the back of his head…

The rakish smattering of stubble he’d sported (probably supporting his beta persona) was gone, allowing the other’s angular, handsome jawline to shine…

His posture, which’d been huddled and stooped, was corrected; he walked at his full height, his disinterested gaze focused on the burner phone he’d been told to use whilst many of the actual guests looked him up and down, the cut of his suit flattering the musculature that Eraserhead’s boiler-suit concealed so well…

Hmm…

“Everyone, to your positions” he stated, his right hand texting the omega he’d soon be enjoying, his usual, impassive-mask in place so as not to rouse anyone’s suspicion; “Burnin? Do we have confirmation that Suijin is in the Club?”

“The bouncer on payroll has confirmed that he’s entered through the Platinum VIP entrance at 19:00… we have no visuals but his AMEX card has been scanned twice across their tills in the past thirty minutes, sir.”

Grunting, the #2 shut down the screens, contacted his tech-support team to remove the devices and finished the text he was sending to Aizawa.

“We’re on the move” he advised, his lips quipping into a smirk despite himself; “I hope you’re ready.”

~*~

The Kitty-Kitty Club, from what he could see, met with his general expectations of what you’d find in *Akihabara; the frontage was black and sleek, for the majority but that was quite difficult to see considering there several, HD video-screens showing short clips of the staff.

All omegas.

All crowned with ribboned cat-ears and sashaying about with bow-decorated tails, some of them quirk-natural, most of them fake.

All wearing the traditional maid uniform made popular last millennium (the 1990s were still cited as a time where anime and manga become culturally appreciated world-wide, the creation of cosplay and costumed-eateries springing up along the way from there) and posing cutely whilst pouring drinks or giving… massages to their patrons’ shoulders, hands and feet.

God.

Then, his private-hire car turning down the road (the streets were packed with pedestrians; shit: if Suijin got past him he’d be able to merge into this crowd and disappear with ease) to head down and into the underground parking lot which connected to the Club (and other more exclusive places like the members only pachinko-casino and a strip-club hidden in plain-sight), Shouta sighed.

The half an hour he’d been told to schmooze was going to be a living hell.

He’d have to smile and chuckle and act all superior and coy with the young men (anyone of whom could have been him in another life) whilst they fawned and fussed and pandered to him and the credit-card he’d been told to flash around.

Hell.

He could hardly believe that the world still bowed and gushed over spoiled rich-kids and their… fetishes.

“Have a pleasant evening, Tano-sama.”

Nodding at the driver (one of Endeavour’s sidekicks, he was sure; they’d not talked at all after he’d entered the vehicle and, for that alone, he was grateful) the undercover Pro exited the fancy estate car, checked the parking-lot (because playing a role didn’t mean he had to be stupid for the sake of it) and hummed.

Knowing your exits wasn’t always vital (until it was), but he couldn’t just ditch his instincts at the door and before walking away, he made a mental note of everything his experience had taught him to pay attention to. Then, his eyes clocking a few key-details, he strode confidently and purposefully toward an illuminated, neon-pink sign for a winking cat-boy.

Tch…

The ‘Kitty-Kitty’s’ basement entrance, as it turned out, was actually a private elevator and, as he approached it, he slipped the VIP Card from the periwinkle-blue, satiny inside pocket of the ridiculously expensive suit’s blazer, his nimble fingers swiping it against the security pad with ease... and disdain.

As the red light flashed green, the downwards arrow above the sliding, metal doors lit-up and he looked around once more, just in case.

If Suijin did use this elevator as an escape route (though they were all banking on him heading for the alley-way that only the staff and the few criminals who liked to come and go as they pleased thanks to deals struck with the owner, knew about), then there was only one illuminated exit he could see.

Not that that would matter if the man created a tidal-wave and washed himself up and out of here through the car-lanes.

Hmm…

**Ping~!**

Huffing, he made his way into the brightly illuminated space (which, instead of the classic mirrors he’d expected to find) where he was bombarded by more video-boards and a high-pitched, feminine voice welcoming him, assuring him that his every need would be met with an irritating “nya~!” at the end of each utterance.

God…

‘Remember that you’re meant to be… enjoying this… the whole operation depends on you doing your job and playing your part… hell; if you could survive being a hippy at a quirk-rights protest then this? This should be easy’ he reminded himself as…

**Ping~!**

… the doors pulled apart to reveal the actual hellscape within…

“Master~! Welcome~!”

… instantly, his senses were overpowered by the vivid, bright lighting from golden fixtures and fittings dotting the wall and hanging from the ceiling as chandeliers. Similarly, his nose veritably itched thanks to the pungent aromas of strong coffee, cocktails and cigars whilst the general clatter and chatter of such a place being filled with patrons and staff alike assaulted his ears…

“A table for one, sir~?!”

… The café was the size of a conference-room he’d seen back at the hotel he’d just left; the décor was styled after Victorian England (how… novel) with its candy-striped wallpaper, highly-polished oaken tables (complete with lacey, ivory cloths similarly peppered with ribbons), fine-china plates, silver cutlery and the like…

“Please follow me, master~!”

… The place was dripping with gawdy elegance and, as the man (somewhere around eighteen; shit!) with an actual tail with ears (though he suspected the man had a mink-quirk) swished his skirted form, smiled at some of the guests already seated and honest to God winked at him as he pulled out a chair, Shouta forced a smile…

“Thank you, koneko-tan…”

“Maa-aa~! Master~! It’s my pleasure~! Here is your menu~! Try not to miss me too much, okay~?!”

… played the game and sank into the chair (with its plush, cushioned bottom) and regarded the leather-bound papers with a huff he couldn’t disguise…

The prices were astronomical.

The food items ridiculous.

The beverages mostly foreign.

Hmm…

So this is how the wealthy liked to spend their time?

And he was being paid to protect them?

Tch.

“I’m back, master~!”

Blinking (and somehow restraining his compulsion to jerk in surprise), the under-cover Pro smiled once more as the man (his name tag only ‘Neko-tan’, just like the other fifteen or so staff he’d clocked) stood perkily to his right, a silver tray hosting a complimentary selection of tiny-cakes (mille-feuille, or something similar; heh, and Nemuri called him uncultured) for him to try.

“Have you decided what you’d like to drink yet, sir~?!”

Flicking his eyes (hopefully not as disinterested as he felt) back to the menu, his shrugged his right shoulder lazily; “I’ll have a flute of whatever your most expensive champagne is” he stated nonchalantly before brandishing the credit card he’d been given, a smirk tugging his lips as his fellow omega openly gushed.

“Tip yourself ¥20,000” he furthered whilst the other gasped dramatically, his ears and tail all a flutter; “and could you let Suijin-sama know that Hisano’s little brother would like to speak with him when he has a minute, please?”

Chapter Text

Suijin was…

“Ahahahaaa… ha! Yes, well, look… I really, really shouldn’t be here, you know? I… I was meant to be in Osaka on business and, well? Sure, what I do isn’t pretty or nice but it… it doesn’t hurt anyone, you understand? I don’t want to hurt anyone… or to be responsible for such things but I… I had to be here, tonight~!””

Not what he was expecting; according to the Endeavour Agency files he’d been given to read, the beta was supposed to be smooth, suave and charismatic to the point where he’d endeared himself to some of the oldest and most professional drug-cartels this side of the Atlantic, so…

“U-um? You… you don’t look that much like Hisano nee-chan… it’s almost as though you shouldn’t be here, too~! Ahahahahaaaa~! But it’s, ugh, it’s not funny but this… this whole thing isn’t a great idea~!”

Why was he this jumpy and nervous?

Had his cover been blown already?

Had someone tipped this man (who sported turquoise hair, steel-grey eyes and a smile full of sharp, shark-like teeth) off?

Was that why he seemed to awkwardly fidget, his gaze uneasy whilst he veritably chugged his beer and looked at him with building unease; hell, even their maids (who he’d tipped further for their troubles, his request that as many different staff come to serve them as possible being eagerly received; heh, he may as well hand out the #2’s cash whilst he had it, hadn’t he?) were concerned…

“N-not that I’m suggesting that I don’t… want to work with you, of course~! Ah… opportunities being what they are, and all… who… who did you say your, umm, boss was, again?”

Taking another casual sip of his (ridiculously over-priced; but still, the low alcoholic content would keep him sharp whilst not destroying the illusion of his supposed wealth… not that it mattered if the jig was up, of course) champagne, he dismissed their attendants with a wave, his eyes narrowing.

“My boss?” he murmured; “he was the one who set up this deal, wasn’t he?”

“Y-yeah… that’s, that’s what I’m afraid of, look” the older murmured, his dark-blue skin paling a touch; “we… we’re talking in private, right? Just you and me?”

Feeling his brows lift despite himself (because that was… an odd question to ask; something really, really wasn’t right here), Shouta cocked his head to the side.

“We’re in a private club and the maids are paid a lot to be… discreet, aren’t they?” he said, slowly, his own dark gaze darting around; “why?”

“No that… that’s not what I mean” the broader tried, his body becoming even more nervous; “look… I’m a conman, a bad guy, I’ve done stupid things” he spat out hurriedly, his tremoring left hand running through his hair, the gold rings on his fingers gleaming in the atmospheric lighting. “But this? This is… shit” he grumbled before reaching into the smart, royal-blue blazer he wore to pull out a gold-case of expensive, slender cigars; “I’m… risking a lot by telling you this… and you’re risking more by being here” he furthered, the tobacco product between his lips.

“You’re in…”

“Aaaahhhhhh~! It’s… it’s Endeavour-sama~!”

“F-fuck!”

Everything happened so fast…

“Everyone, to the emergency exits! Quickly!”

“Eraser! Don’t just stand there! He’s getting away!”

The public entrance to the Kitty-Kitty Club had clanged open with a mighty, violent bang which shattered the glass, the non-membership patrons on the lower floor scattering and yelling in the commotion as the hell-fire hero (clearly pissed off; shit! So, he had been made but… but how?!) stomped inside despite the staff squealing.

Shit!

What the hell had happened, he…

“Hey!”

Taking off after Suijin (who’d used his water-quirk to plough through the fancy-tables and customers alike; shit! This was dangerous! There were electrical outlets everywhere), Shouta couldn’t help but curse himself for whatever mistake he’d made but, for the life of him?

He couldn’t figure it out…

Suijin had been twitchy from the start of their meeting…

He’d hesitated to come over, it was almost as if he’d been worried from the very beginning…

He’d eventually joined him, though, and taken the seat he’d offered; hell, he’d even nibbled at some of the tiny, beautifully made sandwiches and cakes he’d ordered, their lines of conversation oddly congenial (and all based around his older sister; Tano Hisano was, apparently, a very big player in Shanghai when it came to the black-market) and appropriate…

The bastard fleeing from him had been the one who’d done most of the talking, too, so…

How?

How had he tipped him off and ruined the mission so severely that Endeavour had felt the need to step in?

Shit!

“Y-you… you need to stop chasing me, kid!”

“Then stop running!” he snapped, his eyes catching several members of staff (all soaked and scrambling around) trying to get their high-end cliental away from the gushes of water the supposed low-level crook had spouted out before he’d activated his power; “it’s over! Let me take you in and—!”

“That… that’s not what he wants, you know?!”

He?

“Who?!” he close to growled as the man leapt over a table, over-turned a few chairs and bolted towards the backdoor-exit that Endeavour had theorised he’d use.

Well, at least that was something.

“Fuck! Stop chasing me! I don’t wanna do this!”

“Do what?!” he snapped, his limber form easily skidding over the highly-polished service-bar despite the waspish protests from the bartenders; “slow down and talk to me—!”

“I can’t!” the older villain yelped whilst he belted down the dark, staff-corridor, his left hand seemingly trying to activate his quirk (which, regardless of his eye-strain, he just couldn’t allow) as his right fumbled in his pants’ pocket.

Tch; he’d be damned if this mission failed not because of anything illogical, like pride, but because this criminal couldn’t be allowed to get away for the sake of bigger operations that were hunting bigger, drug-running fiends and so, putting on a burst of speed, he shoved supposed water-God through the fire-exit…

“Ah! S-shit, no~!”

“W-what?!”

… and, as the man he was pursuing attempted to steady himself, he dropped something that he wasn’t quick enough to avoid, his expensive, rented (shit!) shoes stamping on it and smashing it (a… glass vial?) into a hundred pieces or more…

“O-oh fuck! Fuck, kid, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay?!”

Coughing (he’d been running, hadn’t he, his mouth and nose sucking in lungfuls of air contaminated with (a gas? An aerosol?) whatever the hell was in there), his vision suddenly woozy, Shouta gasped, rasped and found his hands tugging at the tie that felt like a noose around his neck.

F-fuck…

Fuck!

Was…

Had Endeavour set the place on fire?

“Eraserhead!? What’re you doing? Why aren’t you… ngh!”

Sinking to his knees, his eyes screwing shut, the twenty-year-old felt a keen sing from his throat whilst he scabbled to undo his shirt-buttons, let down his hair and shrug off (suddenly heavy, suffocating) his blazer.

God…

He was boiling…

He was baking in his skin…

He w-wanted…

He needed…

He…

“Y-you… you’re an o-omega?”

Baulking, a touch of sanity returning to him (it… it’d been a long time since he’d felt this; most of his gender experienced heat for the first time at sixteen and, after going through the experience (for medical reasons or some such shit) only then could they choose to use suppressants and scent-blockers), Shouta looked up…

And up to see the #2 looming over him, his face free of flames, those turquoise eyes being rapidly swallowed by glistening, dilated pupils…

Oh…

Oh shit…

“M… m’not” he tried, his head shaking in denial whilst he panted on the dusty, concrete floor, the sounds of traffic streaming past the alleyway and the worried shouts of the alpha’s sidekicks filtering in and out of his consciousness.

God…

This?

This was bad…

He had to get up…

He needed to leave…

There were safe-houses around here, right?

Burnin’ was a femme, she’d be able to get him to one safely, wouldn’t she?

“Y-you… should have told me” the tall, broad, overly muscular man hissed, his tone a low, possessive growl.

“I… I’m sorry” he tried and fuck, shit, he could feel his secondary gender shifting, changing and coming to the fore, his body preparing to release slick and open him up, ready for an alpha’s cock and knot to… shit! He needed to leave, he needed to get away from the man, the probably-definitely married alpha); “j-just… just get me to… to a s-safe-house and…”

“Tch… it’s too late for that... Shouta-a…”

“W-wha?” he managed before, with a gasp, he found himself scooped into flame quirk user’s arms, the older man’s face pressed against the tender flesh that joined his neck and shoulder to allow a hot, rough tongue to lick at the mating glands that’d started to bead up there.

Oh…

Oh no…

He couldn’t…

He wasn’t thinking that…

“D-don’t” he gasped, his whole-body trembling despite himself, his resistance (and… reasoning) weakening; “l-let me… let me go” he half-moaned, half whimpered, his eyes rolling back when the #2 growled at him, a quick nip at his skin warning him against trying to wriggle away.

F-fuck…

“Endeavor-sama?!”

“H-holy shit… is he…”

“G-get back!”

Shuddering, his omega instincts taking over, the twenty-year-old curled into the muscle-corded, powerful arms that held him, his face shifting to press against the other’s brawny neck as wave after wave of potent, heat-soothing (which was ironic, given his quirk) pheromones washed over him, chasing his previous concerns away.

Hmm…

“S-sir?”

“S-stand down… I… I’m going into… rut” the older man hissed, those same arms bundling him closer, making him sigh and almost purr out his contentment whilst any worries (what were they, again?) or concerns (something about… mating being… bad?) that’d previously plagued him evaporated like so much hot-air…

He…

He’d not had sex in so, so long and his body?

It was aching…

It knew what it wanted…

Good idea, bad idea be damned, he…

He was tired of fighting what he was, wasn’t he?

Surely, it’d be simpler?

And certainly more logical; would it be such a terrible thing for him to stop living a lie and feeling good for a change…

God…

It’d been an age since he’d even thought about sex, let alone had any; hell, the closest he’d come to such a thing was the few and far between experiences he’d shared with Shirakumo Oboro…

Heh…

Their hands, that’d been clumsy with inexperience and anticipation, had stumbled and fumbled them through such innocent things as kissing, touching and exploring each other, he…

He missed that…

He missed him…

He just didn’t want to ache, and hurt and grieve anymore…

“We… we can get you both to… to hospital… there’re clinics…”

No…

Somehow holding back a sob, he tried to shake his head, the thought of being stuck in some cold, sterile room to ride this out alone a fresh, new hell he just couldn’t face…

Not anymore…

Not again…

“No” the burly Pro (who must have looked a sight, stood here, in this tiny alley-way, Suijin nowhere to be seen, his flames extinguished whilst he curled around him protectively which was… nice, wasn’t it? Why… why had he not wanted this again?) interrupted hotly.

“B-Burnin… you… you’re in c-charge of t-the Agency until… Wednesday… a-alert the top 5 and… and the C-commission” the man who’d effectively pinned him to that massive, firm chest (umm…) managed to grind out whilst he, his eyes closed and body relaxing, found himself uncaring of anything and anyone else.

“B-both P-Pro Hero Eraserhead and… Endeavour are… off r-rotation until t-then… understood?”

~*~

Somehow hiding his smirk of absolute triumph (he’d been livid that that bastard villain had tried to warn his soon to be mate away; oh… oh how he’d make him pay for that later), Todoroki Enji almost couldn’t believe how potent the drug he’d manipulated was.

He could scent himself on his Shouta, even now.

Oh…

Oh, how easy this had been…

“Y-yes sir!” his loyal (clearly worried; tch, stupid girl, didn’t she know that an alpha claiming an omega was a good thing regardless of that alpha being potentially married to a femme or beta? Or, perhaps, had she longed for such a position, herself? Tch! No matter, he had what he wanted, what he was owed, didn’t he?) side-kick replied. “I… I promise I’ll make you proud!”

Grunting and offering a nod (his mind satisfied that everything still looked accidental; the aerosol would be completely dispersed by now and any swabs taken from what remained of the vial only had the water-God’s DNA on it, didn’t it?), he then regarded his prize.

Gone was the serious, surly Eraserhead who’d been so (adorably) eager to do well on this mission and, in his place, mewled his Shouta, the omega who’d carry numerous strong, capable children and, after some… coaxing be the dutiful house-mate and bed-warmer that the #2 hero deserved.

Oh…

Oh~! He could hardly wait and so, after his other side-kicks promised to “secure the scene” and “ get on Suijin’s tail”, he nodded at them and use his quirk to blast both himself and his precious charge up and into the air.

Then, after a relatively short flight?

They’d be home.

Home where, his other children still safely tucked away, the house-keeper relieved that her long labour (with a pension she deserved) would soon be over, he’d strip the whimpering, keening man (who smelled beyond delicious; he could almost taste his slick across his tongue) so cutely pressed against him and breed him, he…

He’d never been this excited about sex…

He’d never felt this turned on and Rei…

Rei had been so small, so delicate; their couplings had been brief…

Passionless.

He’d never been able to do more than what was necessary for fear of physically harming her, but Shouta…

Shouta was six feet tall…

He was slaked in muscle…

He was writhing, moaning and grinding against him so beautifully…

Heh…

No wonder so many alphas fought for, sought out and snagged an omega at any given opportunity…

“And I won’t be letting you go” he told him, his powerful form blasting hotly against the sun-set, his turquoise gaze fixed on Musutafu and his expansive, regal estate.

“Todoroki Shouta suits you well, doesn’t it, hmm?”

Chapter Text

“You be good, now, you hear? Your father has promised to speak with all of you on Tuesday, so that’s something to look forward to and, although I’m needed elsewhere? You can fend for yourselves until then, can’t you?”

Todoroki Touya, for all intents and purposes, couldn’t have given a damn about his boorish father or his promises; however, as he stood in the kitchen (the doors to anywhere other than the living room (where their futons had been unrolled) and ground-floor bathroom had been sealed off) with Fuyumi (who was crying… again) and Natsuo, he felt his curiosity spark.

“What’s the old man up to, anyway?” he challenged the elderly woman who cared for them; at the flinch she offered him (‘yes, that’s right… you’re scared of me, aren’t you?’), he seized his advantage: “where’s our mother? Where is the golden-boy, hmm?” he pushed. “And you can’t just leave us here, either, you know? It’s against the law to leave minors unattended and Endeavour wouldn’t like it if the police showed up again, would he? Plus he promised me that he’d come to Sekoto Peak today, what’s gonna happen if someone sees me out at his training spot all by myself crying because he didn’t come, huh?” he continued whilst her waspish old face narrowed.

“You listen to me, boy” she snapped; “you’re a wicked, wicked thing and a cause of lots of trouble, but you’ll not be getting the best of me today!” she sneered. “I’ve been given the right to use my quirk on this house, the sprinkler-system has been primed with a powerful flame-retardant and so there’ll be no leaving, no fuss, no flames and no police” she huffed haughtily. “Shouto-sama is away, at the moment, and shall return on Wednesday and you know damned well where that woman is” she hissed before, with a sigh, she narrowed her gaze at the girl so desperately scrubbing at her eyes.

“Come-come, Fuyumi, what good is that doing you?” she asked pointedly before rolling her eyes and moving to the large fridge; “I’ve made up several meals for you, there’re also snacks, drinks and the rice-cookers are pre-set” she advised. “The kettles, saucepans and knives have all been put away and, in case of an emergency? Push the panic-button… the CCTV is on and don’t go trying to find or pull out any of the cameras Natsuo, I mean it” she growled whilst he glared at her.

“Tch… whatever” Touya replied flippantly, his own eyes rolling in defiance; “all I know is that the old man must be paying you way above your rate for all of this law-breaking you do for him…”

“No more than what he paid to keep you out of trouble when you moved to attack your brother, you demonic-brat” she replied tersely, her words causing his flames (mostly blue now, he’d noticed) to ghost and flicker about his hair.

“I’ve said I was sorry for that and I am, I am!” he snarled; “I was jealous and angry and hurt because your boss just threw me away! He threw all of us away and God knows that I was angry at mom, too, but she didn’t deserve to get thrown away, too!” he told her bluntly whilst Natsuo stood at his side.

Finally…

“Touya-nii is right!” the white-haired child yelled; “what’s going on?! What’s happening?! We have the right to—”

“Right?!” she laughed at them, her head shaking; “you’re children” she chuffed before, that cruel glint in her eyes sharpening: “however? Since you believe you’re so grown up? I’ll tell you” she mused, her legs shuffling her and the ridiculously ornate yukata she wore towards the back door that her quirk would no doubt seal as she left through it.

“You need to forget about the woman who birthed you… and you need to stop being so spoiled and selfish” she grinned, her hand upon the doorknob, ready to turn it. “Because, tonight? Why, this very evening? Your new Papa is being welcomed into the family and, not that you’ll have that much to do with him, especially you Touya, but things are going to change around this house and quite quickly why, I should imagine that boarding-schools overseas would be best for you after your siblings are born, don’t you think?”

Blinking, his eyes narrowing in shock whilst Natsuo gasped and Fuyumi teared up anew, the oldest Todoroki child felt his hands curl into fists.

No…

That…

How was that possible?

Endeavour didn’t date, let alone have affairs; he just worked and trained and worked some more, he…

“That bastard” he breathed, the special biology and sex-ed classes he’d attended at his private school waving red-flags in his fifteen-year-old, omega mind; “he… he’s entrapped someone” he hissed, his turquoise eyes locking onto the preening old femme hotly: “and you’re helping him?!”

“Alphas and omegas are supposed to be together” she shrugged, the door opening as she prepared to leave through it; “and perhaps, if you learn to shut your mouth and behave, you’ll learn as much yourself when you’re old enough to be bound” she smiled, the flash of her teeth anything but friendly.

Shit.

“Now, be good, children” she called; “you stand to lose a great deal more than you have to gain if you aren’t, after all…”

~*~

Having landed unobtrusively in the lesser, enclosed court-yard garden that connected to the new bedroom suite he’d created for himself and his omega-mate to use, his booted feet crackling on the slatey gravel which encircled a sculpture he’d liberated from some villain or another’s hideout, Todoroki Enji was having to wrestle against the baser instincts of his hind-brain.

Shit.

He’d never been so turned-on; hell, his flushed cock was straining against the confines of his hero-costume whilst he moved resolutely to the opened, window-panelled shoji-doors, his eyes narrowing fixatedly upon the emperor sized futon (free of blankets but loaded with various, purpose-shaped pillows that he’d ordered on a private account he’d set up just for his fresh-start) which lay there.

He’d put the tatami mats away in favour of floor cushions since the immaculate, polished oaken floor-boards would be a cooler surface for his omega’s face and chest to rub against…

There were dimmed lights faintly glowing from the wall sconces, walls that he’d had sound-proofed even though the children were neatly tucked away in the east-wing, one of his more… discerning, alpha side-kicks keeping tabs on them whilst his house-keeper doted on Shouto in a private, secured hotel a few miles away…

He’d also removed all of the furniture (just in case; when his rational mind returned, Shouta could attempt using his fighting skill-set to retaliate against him, no matter how futilely, and so providing him with materials to weaponize was out of the question) aside from a bamboo-tray that he’d placed a selection of aids upon.

Blue-silk ropes to ensure the wily omega didn’t try wandering off…

A plush blindfold (to inhibit the younger man’s senses, making him more docile and sensitive) with a matching set of soft hand-cuffs…

A selection of chocolates (he’d read that such things were a stimulant for omegas in the throes of heat) and a deep-crimson, butter-soft leather collar with his family’s crest neatly hanging from it in gold, for he was nothing if not a traditionalist.

Hmm…

He was very much looking forward to seeing his new mate wearing that and nothing else…

~*~

Woozy with need, the proximity of an alpha being so close to him doing wonders for the initial discomfort he’d felt as his secondary gender came to the fore, Shouta could only purr and sigh whilst he was placed (gently, he noticed, which wasn’t an unwelcomed surprise) onto a thick, sumptuous futon, his clumsy hands drunkenly attacking the buttons of his ridiculously expensive shirt.

So what if a few came off?

So what if this clothing was rented and needed to be pristine when they returned it to the store?

Why should he care?

Where had caring gotten him lately?

Wait…

Where was he, again, exactly?

“Eager, are we?”

Blinking, his head (that was swimming; shit… this was worse than being drunk: he could barely remember what his last heat-cycle was like but he was sure it didn’t burn this way… he’d been aware of himself, hadn’t he?) swivelling on the soft (memory-foam, maybe?) surface, the underground hero hummed.

Who was talking to him?

He could see the alpha, sure, but he couldn’t think of the name…

Or how they’d gotten here, in this room that smelt like their combined arousal (his vanilla mixing deliciously with the scent of a cedar-log-fire) and clean air (that you couldn’t find in inner-city Tokyo or Musutafu or wherever the hell they were; was he back in that swanky-hotel?), the lighting low, the sound of cicadas loud and abrasive against his ears, he…

“S’hot” he managed unintelligibly, his gaze locked on… whoever had addressed him, his fingers clumsily picking at the buttons (how… why were there so many? Had his tie blown-away when they’d been flying? They had been flying… hadn’t they?) whilst he fought to sit up. “S’hot” he tried again as he attempted to get his memory to function past the inner-monologue of his mind…

‘Hot… aching… need… fuck… too hot… hurts… alpha… alpha please…’

… because this mystery-man was tall, broad (not All Might; he’d never met that man but the colouring was wrong: the Symbol of Peace could never smirk like that whilst peeling away that body-tight layer of blue, orange and red to reveal perfectly-sculpted pectorals in alabaster skin) and had crimson-hair in a clipped, military styled cut…

No beard…

No scars…

But those turquoise eyes of his were piercing in their intensity…

‘B-burning… empty… so empty… come on… alpha, alpha, alpha!’

His omega-instincts were thrilled by the sight; his body knew what it wanted, a moan rippling up and out of him as the other (older, smug… almost as though he’d won something or was congratulating himself in the arrogant, prick way that only alphas could pull off) summarily pulled his pants down to reveal a long, thick, rigid cock…

‘H-his k-knot is… is gonna be…’

“Impressed? You should be” he heard the other quip (and it was wrong, so very very wrong that he could barely form words) as he strutted around like a peacock, his clothes (a… hero suit?) left with his boots by the open door…

Doors; there was a blue sky beyond them…

Dotted with clouds, he…

“O-Oboro?”

~*~

Uncharacteristically shucking his (state of the art and far superior to the several, overly flamboyant suits that Yagi wore) uniform off and leaving it in a clump, his body actually welcoming the cooling breeze sweeping in from the small courtyard, Todoroki Enji felt the thrill of his triumph dim a touch whilst regarding the younger man still sprawled out across their bed.

“He’s gone” he told him, the other blinking, swallowing and slumping with a sigh that softened his frown, a flicker of sympathy igniting in him as he remembered some of the… more tragic parts of the research he’d carried out on the omega he’d taken.

To look at him now, (he’d gone back to uselessly fidgeting with the ruined (because there’d be no fixing the damage he intended to do) suit) it wasn’t difficult to imagine the heartbreak he must have felt ever since that fateful day in May during his second year of High School…

For Shirakumo Oboro had been one of Shouta’s class mates (and, as this display only solidified, so much more) who was now, sadly, nothing more than a black-smudge across the otherwise perfect safety record held by UA’s Hero Course; his death was a tragedy, a terrible accident in the filed…

A young-life taken too soon by the actions of criminal scum; oh yes...

He’d seen the reports (his soon-to-be mate’s life choices had been inextricably tied to that God awful day when a villain hopped up on trigger flattened a five-man pro-squad, His Purple Highness and all other second-year students trying to stop him at the time) and they, too, had been one of the reasons why he’d selected this omega to breed.

For, not only had he beaten the odds (his quick-mind, gymnastic skills and quirk sewing together seamlessly) by defeating Garvey, but?

The raven-haired beauty (now squirming, his discomfort returning whilst that previously lily-white face flushed deep red once more whilst whimpers dribbled from his plumped, pinked-lips; he could taste his slick upon the air now) had no one and nothing else in his world beside a friend or two and missions.

And that would change after this evening; that lifestyle of jelly-pouch drinks, unusual sleep-patterns and overall anti-social behaviour (so… un-omega-like; he’d soon have that corrected) would no longer be tolerated because he’d have a new purpose to follow, pups to care for and a hundred or more mate-duties besides to keep him… busy.

Busy enough that he could, he would have to consign the partner he’d lost, and everything else from his pre-mated life, to the past...

“I’m your mate, now” he told him, his words not angry or stern, simply lacquered in finality; “tonight is the start of new life as a sub and parent” he furthered whilst prowling over, the other’s scent (sweet, mouth-watering) drawing him in and chasing his previous, gloomy thoughts away.

“So, let’s begin your initiation into the Todoroki Clan, shall we?”

~*~
FINAL WARNING~! The following is EXPLICT/GRAPHIC in terms of alpha/omega sex and EVERYTHING that goes with it; if you’re under 18/have triggers/KNOW that this ISN’T FOR YOU then PLEASE back-arrow out of here~! Again, if you DON’T like it, DON’T read it~!
~*~

Struggling to really understand what the big (oh… so big) alpha had been saying (it was hard to hear anything over the racing of his heart, the panting of his breath and the keening, needy voice in the back of his mind that just wanted to be naked and fucked already), Shouta couldn’t help his sigh when the other lowered himself and crawled over him.

Oh…

Finally; he should probably mind having him kneeling over him like that, though…

He should certainly be put-out that the other could simply tear the stupid shirt he’d been trying (why, again?) to undo apart right along with the silk-lined blazer…

He could forgive such annoyances, however, because soon his top half was free of all fabrics, a delighted purr rippling up and out of him as the tatters were cast aside so that those large (God… this man could probably encircle his waist with them, couldn’t he? Hmm…) hands could cup his chest…

“Aahhh…”

… to allow index fingers and thumbs to rub, taunt and pinch at the dusky-buds of his nipples, his own hands gripping the bedding beneath as he writhed under the gentle, pleasant torture…

“Ah-aahhh!”

… whilst the big man seemed to fight, internally, between his lust (that erection certainly hadn’t dimmed) and curiosity; it was almost as though he’d never been with an omega before, the soft frown he wore thinning whilst he appraised him…

“Y-you’re… softer than I thought you’d be.”

… and sure, the tentative touches and searching finger tips as they strummed over his ribs, smoothed down his sides and slinked across his still clothed hips were all nice but…

“A-alpha” he breathed, his body sitting up to meet the alpha half-way, his right hand pressing against the other’s neck as the left reached for and grasped the dick that was now only an inch or so away from his washboard abs, his fingers squeezing it, causing the other to growl…

“P-please-e?” he asked in a moment of clarity…

Not sanity… because he was not himself…

Not brevity… because there was nothing funny or light-hearted about what they’re doing…

He’d given up…

Given in…

And all that was left of him was the omega that would be sated if it was the last thing they did…

~*~

Smirking…

‘Is it any wonder why omegas are so prized?’

… Enji shoved the younger man back to the futon with a light push before using the searing heat of his fingers to strip him of his tailored pants…

‘I’ll have more of those suits ordered for him plus a range of traditional wears; summer yukata emblazoned with our family crest and flames across a black-background will look fine on him, especially for media-junkets and commemorative photo-shoots to promote my Agency, won’t they?’

… before, his impatience having won the war with his conscious decisions? He simply tore the omega’s briefs (scented with silk; heh… it’d taken Rei so long to get wet that he could hardly believe it) away, after clearing the futon, he rolled the other over and reached for the ropes…

‘I have, however, always preferred the shape of women… so taking him like this ideal in the first instance… I’m certain a body like his will endear itself to me in time, especially since he smells so… delicious’

… strangely, he found the other wriggling, writhing and attempting to fend him off more entertaining than annoying; Rei had been quiet, unresisting and compliant but Shouta? He was delightfully feisty and not afraid to grumble his unintelligible ire at having his wrists bound at the small of his back or those long, slender legs roped with those supple calves secured against muscle-sculpted thighs, ensuring he wouldn’t be kicking out or scampering off…

“H-hey~!”

… which made securing the blindfold and collar he’d picked out for his new mate all the easier; the handcuffs, though lying dormant at the moment, could always be used later.

He had a sneaking suspicion that he’d not be sated with only fucking him the once this evening…

“E-easy now” he breathed, his eyes appraising his handywork; he had his omega’s body in the perfect submissive position, the salacious spread of his legs showing off the reddened, glistening rutting-channel that’d opened, like a carnation, for him to plunder; “you’ve been so good for me… here” he offered, his right hand reaching for a rich, dark chocolate. “Continue to be a good boy and you’ll be rewarded further” he added haughtily, his smirk deepening when the other sniffed at and snatched the truffle with his teeth, a purr rumbling up and out of him, his displeasure subsiding a touch.

Then, with the other placated for now?

Enji ran his chocolate dusted fingers across the tender junction where Shouta’s neck met his shoulder, his dilated pupils glistening wider as he watched his digits play across the mating-glands beading up there.

Ready to bite.

Ready to bind the milky-skinned beauty to him for the rest of their lives…

~*~

Humming in pleasure (he’d never been one for chocolate before but the one he’d just chewed and swallowed down was pretty good), the underground hero sighed and allowed himself to settle into the futon once more, his blissed-out mind barely registering those long, thick fingers resumed their exploration of him…

“O-oohhh…” he heard himself breathe when the firm globes of his ass were cupped and spread further…

‘Come-on-come-on-come-on-come-on!’

… before, much to his relief, one of those fingers began to circle the slickened, puckered hole that was the cause of his fever before pushing its way inside…

“Aaaa-aaahhhaaaa…”

“Heh; y-you’re tight, aren’t you, my Shouta?”

Grunting, his bound body (which was aggravating him to no end) wriggling to encourage deeper penetration as he whined and keened, the digit’s slow, curious exploration driving him mad all over again…

“N-nngghhhh!”

“Shh-shh-shh… I know what you want…”

‘G-give it… to me… then!’ he thought after another, desperate wiggle whilst the finger retracted, making his back arch and his eyes screw shut in anger, until…

~*~

Chuckling as his mate fussed and struggled, Enji rubbed the vanilla-spiced slick across the fattened helm of his straining cock whilst licking his lips.

Sure, he could take his time.

He could force the other to wait.

To keen.

To beg.

‘But there’ll be time for that… later’ he grinned before lining himself up, his smirk returning full blast.

“I’ve not prepared you thoroughly” he growled; “so let this be a lesson to you about patience my Shouta” he added before, with a wolfish expression washing over his features, he capped his left hand onto the other’s hip whilst his right hand guided his erection to the entrance…

“W-wha…”

… and rammed the tip inside…

“Aaaaahhhhhhh~!”

“God” he snarled, his eyes rolling back as the tight, slick rim squeezed, sucked and massaged him… pulling the last strands of self-control as he moved to lay atop the panting, whimpering man he’d entrapped, his larger form pushing him into the futon…

“Nnn-nngghhh!”

“You’re mine now, Shouta-kun” he whispered whilst moving his mouth to the mating glands, his tongue giving the area a long, wet lick before shunting his needy cock forward…

“Aaaaahhhhhh-aaahhhhhhhhh~!”

… until all twelve inches were nestled inside the constricting, velvety passage-way, the nest of his crimson-curls and his forming knot kissing the stretched, strained ring of muscle that was choking him well beyond the point of madness…

“Aaahhh… m-move… too… too… b-big…”

“Relax” he growled harshly, his annoyance mainly directed at himself and lack of self-control whilst he waited (a minute that felt like an eternity) for the other’s quivering form to adjust; “t-there we go” he hummed before he began a series of slow, deep thrusts whilst his tongue lapped and his teeth nipped their way across a neck he intended to leave very decorated before the morning came.

“Ahh… ah... hard-er... harder, please...”

Allowing a low, darkening groan to escape him, the broader did as ordered and was soon snapping his hips with a rapid, maddening abandon, his hips angling to pound the other’s sweet-spots, his own hands digging into soft, lily-white flesh until part of his mind returned.

Gasping, his right hand (trembling, desperate) slipped past their sweat-slickened stomachs to fist and tug (not too harshly; he had to be mindful in the differences of their strength and physiology) at Shouta’s purpled, weeping member…

“Aaaaahhhhh!”

Coaxing him into a climax that came with a sputtered, unbidden scream and a tightened, crushing pressure around his own pleasure-seeking cock…

“Yyyeeessss!” he roared, his hind-brain thrilling, Enji continued to plough into his omega with hard, angled thrusts whilst his alpha-fangs sharpened and his knot continued to swell…

“Aaaahhh-ahhh-aahhhh-ahhhh!”

God, he was close; he’d never allowed himself to do this with Rei, he’d never thought to use the fullness of his strength and yet, with two, three, four, five hard rolls of his hips?

“Mine!”

He came harder than he had since puberty hit his libido like a train, a puff of flame erupting from his back as he slammed his teeth into the wailing man’s neck…

“Aaaahhhhh!”

… to begin their bond whilst, with a snarled-roar, his hips pinned the omega down whilst his pushed, ground and pressed the tight-bulb of his knot into the slippery rutting chamber, his teeth bloodying his partner’s beautiful skin further until it was finally seated…

“Aaahhh… ahh… oohhh…”

… to spurt gush after gush of his seed deeply inside the other man, his nose flaring as he continued to shove and push and grunt whilst his knot was milked, his hands burning the bedding he’s buried them into in his haste to follow his biological imperatives as his tongue finally moved to lick and lap the purpled wound he’d made, his own form panting…

“Oh” he managed, his tongue then licking up to the other’s ear where he nibbled on a delicate lobe; “you’ll not be able to walk tomorrow by the time I’m done with you, my Shouta-kun…”

Chapter Text

After taking his Shouta the once, Todoroki Enji found it difficult to stop; keeping him blindfolded and submissive, he’d turned the omega over and bred him whilst pressing that lily-white back into the ruined futon, his hungry lips openly mouthing pert nipples before sharing a chocolate or two with him, the second knotting an easier process now that he’d broken him in...

“Aaahh-aaahhh-aahh!”

Then, still not satisfied, he’d loosed his mate’s bindings before impaling him upon his still greedy cock as he’d sat up, the night sky darkening outside whilst he encouraged the other (so energetic, even now, so eager to sate himself) to ride him and enjoy himself, it…

Rei had never been open to anything like this…

Rei hadn’t gripped his neck and smashed their lips together…

Rei hadn’t moaned in pleasure…

Or keened in delight like his Shouta…

His Shouta who now writhed in ecstasy…

Egged him on…

Purred and growled, his pearly teeth flashing in the darkening night…

His lithe, athletic form submitting in one instance and then demanding attention in another as those long, sinuous limbs (strong, determined and muscle-slaked) wrapped around him…

Pulling him close…

Running fingers up the nape of his neck and through his hair…

Purposefully clenching that restrictive, blissfully hot rutting-channel around him as since it continued to slick, tightening harshly and sucking his straining cock in as he groaned and bucked and nipped his own sharp teeth at him, constantly sneaking back to the mark he’d made on his mate…

Deepening the bite he’d left each time…

Causing Shouta to sigh and curl closer to him in the way only a true sub could…

Heh…

Would he ever get tired of stuffing his new mate with his seed again and again?

“Aaaahhhh-aaahhhh-aahhh! T-there-e-e!”

Hmm…

He somehow doubted it…

~*~

By the time the sun had started to peak through the tress which ensconced his vast-estate, the omega he’d claimed had dropped into a deep slumber and left him quite alone to admire his handiwork.

In his mind, almost palpable, he could feel the younger man dozing through their developing bond whilst, in the world outside of their growing connection, he could see the patches and dots of purple he’d littered across that mostly perfect skin, the gorgeous redness of his lips and vivid bite-mark blooming from his neck proving quite the sight to see.

Perfect…

And so beautifully offset by the crimson collar he’d set around the other’s neck and those long, wavy-locks of ebony hair that were artfully strewn atop the spoiled, formally white and pristine bedding.

Then, slowly pulling out of the omega he’d secured, his body truly spent and knot thoroughly milked, the broader alpha sat for a few seconds more before carefully disentangling his mate from the binds he’d reapplied at some point, lifting the blindfold (moist with tears borne of pleasure and frustration) and gently laying back down to spoon behind him.

He…

He’d never done this before, either…

No.

Rei had been so timid, so fragile that he’d left her bed the second they’d finished…

She had asked him once, if he recalled correctly, if he’d liked to stay, but?

But…

It’d not felt right…

He’d worried that his larger form could have rolled upon her during the night and that?

That did not make for a sound-sleep or comfort, did it?

Let alone something as fickle as… romance.

Not that he knew or cared about such things, though; with Shouta being a man (for the most part) he was hopeful that he’d feel similarly about such tactile nonsense, however, only time would tell…

And he could see himself meeting the other half-way…

Alpha and omega couples were, of course, meant to display themselves publicly in such ways, weren’t they?

Perhaps, given time (he didn’t expect the other to be thrilled by their new arrangement) they could present themselves to society as they should; hmm…

That should do wonders for his Pro Ranking, too, shouldn’t it?

Then, his mind choosing to be settled and sleepy on that positive note, Enji allowed his right arm to drape over the shorter male’s waist, his hand rubbing the (now protruding) abdomen where his seed had pooled, his essence now mingling with Shouta’s, forming at least one new member of the Todoroki Clan.

And that alone was cause to make him content if nothing else…

~*~

Grumbling at the sun in his eyes (shit; he never drew his curtains… had Nemuri been cleaning his apartment again? Tch… not that he was ungrateful but it wasn’t as though he had much to clen in the first place, her favourite hobby be damned), the underground Pro scrabbled, his arms strangely leaden, to grapple with and pull a pillow over his head.

God, he had a pounding headache (had he been crying in his sleep? Or had he overused his quirk yesterday… shit; what day was it, exactly? For reasons that escaped him he… he just couldn’t get his mind to engage) and his body felt weird, too.

How could you ache but feel amazing at the same time?

“Mm? You’re awake, so soon are you?”

Burying his head further into the bedding (because he didn’t need his best friend (though Hizashi’s voice sounded… deeper all of a sudden but the sunny-blond was the only alpha he knew, let alone allow into his bedroom) ribbing him on top of having a strange kind of cold or flu or something (that must be why the older man was here), the omega grumbled.

“M’sick… g’way” he managed to grit out before he slowly (his mind was like molasses) realised a few really important things.

One, he was naked.

Two, his best friend (his body overly warm and… larger) was also naked.

Three, this wasn’t his bed.

And four?

“What the actual fuck?!”

Yelping (an effect brought on by a combination of his memories smacking him across his consciousness and sitting up way too fast), Shouta fell back onto the futon with a whimper, his eyes screwing shut in the sunlight whilst the bastard next to him chuckled, that deep, rumbling tone indulgent.

“You’re more… spritely than I’d thought you’d be and that, if nothing else, is a testament to your skills as a Pro…”

“S-spritely?!” the omega yowled, his now garnet eyes wild as he glared at (holy shit! E-Endeavour?!) the clearly pleased, slightly smirking alpha so casually lying alongside him on what seemed to be a seared, singed and thoroughly wrecked looking futon; “what… what the fuck have you done?!”

“Me? Shouta-kun… this isn’t on me, is it? Don’t you remember? Isn’t this outcome just the obvious conclusion of a dangerous situation that you put yourself in?” the tall, smug as all fuck, #2 retorted, his tone lacquered with his usual arrogance and peppered with a triumph that was making his balling fists tighten. “You failed to flag your true gender to me or any of my people, went into heat and needed to be… seen to.”

“Oh no… no, no, no!” the shorter male hissed whilst he tried to scoot away; “you crazy son of a bitch” he continued, his tone verging on hysterical. “What in the hell were you thinking?! Burnin’ or one of your beta sidekicks could have taken me to a heat-ward! Tokyo has one of the best and you… w-whoa!” he yipped when, instead of getting to the edge of the futon (because he was so out of here), his right arm was snagged and he was pulled back.

“E-Endeavour! I’m not fucking playing here, you’d better—”

“And neither am I” the older said, his tone serious as they regarded each other; “you’re being entirely too emotional about this…”

“Emotional?!” the younger hissed; “you… you triggered my heat and took advantage of me! That’s what Suijin was trying to… to warn me about, wasn’t it, you… you son of a bitch! W-what the hell was in the vial I stepped on, huh? Did… did you seriously think you could drug me and get away with it?!”

“I… may have orchestrated these events, it’s true, but…” the alpha argued calmly, that massive hand not giving an inch; “Shouta? Regardless of the circumstances? You’re mine now, it’s done…”

“N-no” he breathed, his head shaking in denial regardless of the telling throb across his mating-glands and… lower down besides…

Shit…

Shit!

“No… not… not like… not like this!”

“Yes, like this” the brawny warrior breathed, his grip tightening as he pulled the shorter man closer still; “you’re my mate, just as I’m yours… surely you can feel it through our bond, right?”

“Yeah, well, that… that is besides the point” the raven-haired omega spat; “let go of my arm…”

“No…”

“Endeavour, hell, I don’t even know your actual name! Let go of my arm or I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” the other cut in, those turquoise eyes hardening as they regarded each other; “where will you go? How will you get there? The police will only bring you back* to me and your assets? Your meagre possessions? They’re legally mine now, as well, just as all I have from my three properties and vast income, is yours when I grant it to you… whether you like it or want or not is irrelevant, isn’t it?”

Blinking, the world slowing down around him, Shouta stopped his struggling, his heart sinking as the realisation of what the older alpha had said sank in.

Shit… shit he couldn’t argue any of that, could he?

This…

This nightmare?

It was real…

It was happening…

He didn’t have a fucking leg to stand on legally…

He had no alpha relations to contest this entrapment on his behalf and, worse still?

Because he had chosen to hide his secondary gender?

He could be accused of trying to entrap the #2, couldn’t he? There were precedents where it’d been proven (rightly or wrongly) that omegas had done such things to improve their own circumstances and statuses all over the world and, with Endeavour being one of the most powerful alphas in Japan?

No one other than his friends and maybe a few, former classmates would believe him…

A ‘he said’, ‘I said’ argument in a court of law (never mind that of public opinion; traditionalists didn’t believe that omegas should be Pros and what’d happened here would only add fuel to that particular fire, potentially setting omega-rights back for decades) would be quashed immediately and he’d still be bound to him…

S-shit…

“Y-you… you’re an absolute bastard for trapping me like this…” he seethed; “damn it! I… why? Why me?! We have never even worked together before now and hell, hell! You? You’re married aren’t you? Doesn’t that…”

“My wife and I are… estranged; plus? Our bond automatically annuls any legal ties I had to her, doesn’t it?” the crimson haired hero reminded, his expression ruthlessly neutral; “alphas and omegas were made to be together, after all, and given some time to adjust? You’ll settle into your new role and life, you’ll see…”

“You… you don’t know that…”

“You can and you will” the alpha sighed, his tone quite… put upon; of all the fucking nerve!

“You’re a rational man, after all, and really? What have you got to lose? You are far better of being here than you are trying to leave, don’t you think?”

“Tch… is pretending like you’re not forcing me to stay better for you, huh?” the still garnet eyed male hissed (shit; he’d be giving himself eye strain at this rate) before tugging at his arm once more, his scowl deepening when the other simply pulled him to lie at his side with a wince; “this is a fucking nightmare…”

“It doesn’t have to be” the burly man said as he loomed over him; “from what I know of you, you’re the sensible sort who can be reasoned with so, after the dust has settled? We can discuss your roles here, especially since your hero career is…”

“Is what, exactly? Tch! I don’t like that look in your eyes, either, you… you’re imagining me just… just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, right? That’s how you see this thing playing out…”

“Don’t be ridiculous” the other snorted; “according to my research, you can’t cook…”

“Are you seriously trying to make jokes and belittle me at a time like this you crazy-stalking-bastard, ah!?”

“I’m merely talking plainly” Enji huffed, a smile trying to quirk his lips; “I’m not saying that the thought of you simply living here and focusing on the children isn’t the ideal I’d prefer” he admitted with a lazy shrug: “and there will be times when such a life-style change will be necessary for your safety and wellbeing” he added. “However… I’m not opposed to you… consulting on cases as you have been with the Police Force in the meantime” he furthered; “would it be so terrible to indulge in your true nature in the short term, Shouta?” he asked quietly. “Then… when the children are older, you can go back to taking on lesser-missions under a new alias with side-kick protection if you want, ano… but your life as an underground Pro is over and you must reconcile yourself to that” he mused, his expression brokering no argument.

“No, that’s…”

“Even if we do somehow manage to limit your presence in the media, we’ll not be able to keep investigative journalists from learning your name even if linking you to Eraserhead is…”

“Oh yeah, like there’s any hope of that happening” Shouta spat caustically; “you’ve knocked me up, our scents are different and even if the world doesn’t know that yet, I do!” he ground out. “Which means I can’t endanger myself and whoever’s growing inside me, can I? Just like I won’t be able to hide it or keep this a secret because your side-kicks have probably been flooding the rumour-mill about what happened, haven’t they?” he sneered before moving to roll from the futon again.

“L-let go!”

“Take a breath and calm down” the alpha partially growled; “your adrenaline rush is going to die out any minute and then you’re going to crash” he huffed, that hand (like a fucking vice) still not releasing his arm: “what you need is a shower and something to eat…”

“What I need is for you to let me go… thank you” he snapped, his left hand rubbing at where the other’s hand had been, his body once more moving to sit up but not away because, whether he liked it or not?

The prick was right.

He was exhausted and the aches he’d felt upon waking were sharpening considerably.

Shit…

“I can’t do this” he heard himself say, his hands now scrubbing over his face and burning eyes; “I can’t… I don’t know the first thing about families or kids or mates or anything” he continued, his teeth gritting: “and I don’t want to, either, I…”

“I’m not expecting you to… adjust straight away” the older man magnanimously offered; “let’s start with a shower and then you can visit your nesting-room…”

“My what?” he baulked; “I… I’m not staying here and… nesting” he snipped as the other (with an ease that was further fuelling his temper) pulled himself into a stand: “I have my apartment, that’s my territory and…”

“Your apartment is going to be re-leased to a new tenant by the end of the week; I’ll take care of the fee for breaking your rental-agreement and have any personal effects you want brought here for you to place wherever you like in the suite of rooms you’ll have to oversee” the alpha said before daring to reach down for him; “then…”

“No, you can’t just— hey! W-what the fuck?! P-put me down!” he snarled when, at a dizzying speed that had him seeing stars, he was slung over the #2’s wide, broad shoulder, his fists uselessly bouncing off the wall of his muscle that was the older man’s back; “bastard!!”

“Call me what you like in private, Shouta… but I’ll not have you saying such things in front of the press, you understand?”

Huffing through a sneer, the omega closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at the immaculate wooden flooring as he was walked, he presumed, to a bathing area.

So, the media was one of this prick’s weaknesses, was it?

Hmm.

He could work with that…

Chapter Text

“So? What’s your name?”

Deciding to play nice (while they were in the bathroom, anyway; he’d been relieved that the other wasn’t pawing all over him at the moment, however, as his heat-fogged memories started to clear? He believed he’d found another advantage he could use; this bastard had really enjoyed sex, hadn’t he? Hmm…) at the moment, Shouta continued to soap himself up.

“Todoroki Enji” was the gruff reply as his mate seemed (from what he could see out of the corner of his eye; he’d purposefully turned away from the alpha but was making sure his legs and similarly naked form were displayed nicely upon the short-stool he’d perched on despite the ache in his backside) to struggled to tear his turquoise gaze away from him.

Tch.

“Todoroki Enji” he repeated, his hair kinking more so in the steam building up in the large bathing chamber (that was almost a mini-onsen, really, just without the sulphur-peppered hot-springs) whilst he rubbed at his neck.

Clearly showing off his mating-bite.

Just so the bastard (who was pretending, quite badly, to be focused on filling the large, marble tub they could both comfortably sit in) was kept on his toes.

Kept interested whilst still keeping his distance.

Because he had to give a little here or he may not have many choices left, if any at all.

Hell; being entrapped was one thing but, outside of direct, malicious, physical abuse?

He knew theoretically and logically that he was in an incredibly vulnerable position here.

His status as a Pro Hero effectively meant nothing, now.

Society would take one look at his mating-glands and brand him as property.

And fucking praise him for it.

Shit.

That was why putting on a show and speaking evenly were his best line of defence whilst he continued to look for weak-spots to exploit.

Move advantages to take.

“You talked about children before” he swiftly redirected before reaching for the bowl of warm, clean water at his feet to swill the jasmine-scented suds off of himself slowly; “were you talking in past or future tense?” he continued blithely, his senses thoroughly aware that the burly man was tracing the paths of water skimming down him.

“B-both” the older managed after a cough, his brows furrowing and scowl setting when he realised he’d been caught staring, those large hands now hurriedly turning-off the faucets; “I currently have four and, considering our coupling was so…”

“Full on?”

“… successful” the broader man continued whilst he hurriedly scrubbed at himself with his own soaped-up sponge; “it stands to reason that, together? We have at least five… for now—”

“For now, he says” he hummed, the other grunting and clearly not enjoying the direction their talk was heading in or the flippancy of his answer; “so you only want me for breeding, then?”

“I… no…” he stumbled, their eyes meeting.

Heh.

‘If you weren’t expecting the tough questions… if you think you have a conscience, Mr #2, then you have gravelly miscalculated what you’ve done’ he thought before he pulled himself into a standing-stretch and padded his bare-feet across the damp, wooden slats which covered the floor of this very traditional steam-room.

“You can be honest, you know?” he told him plainly through a shrug, his gaze appraising the sweet-smelling, rectangular tub; “neither of us is getting out of this and, since I’m the one holding the shitty end of the stick? I’d rather you be up front with me” he added.

‘So I can wrack-up as much evidence against you as I can to feed the tabloids with, destroying both of our aliases and careers because I know that that will harm you more than anything else, you conceited prick’ his mind supplied whilst he took a step into the bath.

Tch.

At least the hulking brute who’d abducted and bound him could make the water a near-perfect temperature.

“You continuing my line is, ultimately, what I’d prefer” the alpha admitted after another huff whilst moving (maybe a little too quickly, too eagerly, hmm… he could work with that) to join him; “but I… you’re not to be a *broodmare, you understand?” he explained as though this meant anything.

As though their mating had been accidental.

As though he hadn’t set him up.

Like so many other alphas did when they spied an omega they wanted, especially in these more modern times where femme and omega rights were hot topics for change.

In a world where anyone good access the job-market, vote and live independent lives.

Yeah; the old guard like people Endeavour’s age and older really didn’t seem to like that, did they?”

“So… what am I, then?” he asked, their bodies only inches apart.

“You’re my mate” he stated firmly; “which means that yes, as I told you earlier, I want you to have a hand in everything to do with my household, raise our kids and help to prepare those who are able to join Pro Hero Society” he furthered. “You have a keen mind, your work as an underground operative has been exemplary” he continued (and holy shit? Did… did he think he was flattering him? Tch… more fool him; he could work with that, too); “and I believe that our children can benefit from your experiences… unless, you’re opposed?”

“Heh… it’s not as though I can teach any femmes and omegas how to bake or keep house, is it?” he replied glibly, the other letting out a sigh.

“I had hoped you’d be a little more… receptive—”

“Yeah, well, I’d hoped to live how I wanted but we don’t get everything we want in life, do we?” he quipped, the smile he offered insipid; “so… you’re out to build a legacy” he continued before the other could interrupt: “you’ve always wanted to succeed All Might-o, haven’t you?” he mused and, instead of mocking him…

(Even though he really, really wanted to!)

… he inclined his head; “that’s… an admirable goal, I suppose” he told him, the other’s blink (coupled with the puffing out of that indominable chest; fuck… he could probably bench-press a house, couldn’t he? Shit… he’d need to be even more careful if the prink had super-strength alongside fire power, wouldn’t he? Wonderful) something he was quick to register.

“It has been my life’s ambition” the older male breathed, his expression stoic and serious; “I have always felt that that buffoon is too simple, too… smiley to truly keep the underworld in check” he all but sneered: “his strength, I’ll admit, is… impressive” he breathed.

Like it pained him.

Hmm…

“But he’s held the #1 spot for too long… he’s too western for our country and, one day? An evil will rise that even he can’t face” he huffed, those large hands lifting out of the water they were sat in. “And… regardless of how hard I try? I know that I’m unable to match him, let alone best him” he sighed, that intense (and fuck, that gaze was almost deranged) gaze locking with his; “however? I believe that a mixture of my powerful quirk with yours and that of my youngest son, too, who has his mother’s powers and mine… they are the future” he breathed.

Oh fuck…

Oh shit!

If he hadn’t known that this bastard was crazy before then he certainly, funking did now!

He…

He saw children as… weapons…

He’d entrapped him for his quirk…

He’d probably had a bloody quirk-marriage with his former spouse, the (so called) estranged wife no doubt feeling obligated (hopefully not… honoured; some traditional families saw such arranged marriages as sacred or some such bullshit) to play her role for the greater good.

Shit!

‘I need to get out of here at the first, fucking opportunity and bring those four kids with me’ he thought whilst, outwardly, he attempted to nod.

Going along with a madman’s reasoning, he’d learned, was always a better idea.

Before you could get away, get help and bring them to justice, at least.

“Okay” he breathed; “that… I can understand” he tried (fuck, he hoped his tone sounded more convinced to the other’s ears), the water rippling slightly when the bastard who’d abducted him sagged a little in relief: “when… when will I meet your other children?” he asked (because timings were going to be very important).

“You’ll meet my oldest children on Tuesday” the alpha said, his expression softening; “the youngest will be returning to our home on Wednesday” he added, his brows lifting a little: “it… pleases me that you’d be interested in meeting them” he offered, something gleaming in his eyes.

“I have arranged for them to be sent to boarding schools, well, the oldest three at any rate, in August—”

“Don’t do that on my account” he cut in, his hackles raising; “if… if they’re settled here and have friends? I’d prefer that they stay regardless of what they think of me… us” he added as an afterthought, his mind reeling.

Shit…

Shit!

As a child subjected to the foster-care system?

He knew what it was to be unwanted.

To be put aside.

To be at the mercy of strangers and hell, he genuinely meant it; these kids could hate his guts all they wanted (he wouldn’t blame they; tch… with a father like this? With whatever happened to their mother? He wouldn’t be surprised if all four of them would need a shit-ton of therapy… and they’d bloody well have it!) but he was not going to ignore them.

No.

If anything?

He wanted to get them the hell away from this delusional man.

His twisted dreams.

His demented goals.

Ambitions that had led him to stalk, coerce and entrap an omega he’d only met a week before the event itself because, that shit right there?

It wasn’t healthy.

And he was going to have to employ deeper pools of strength, stamina and cunningness if he was going to pull all of this off and hell!

This…

This wasn’t going to be quick or easy but, if his underground work had taught him anything, well?

Subversion and patience were key.

He…

He could do this.

There…

There was no other way…

"So, tell me... what are they like?"

~*~

Humming (and beyond pleased; he’d clearly made the best choice in omega to take), Enji nodded; “very well, then” he replied: “my youngest son is six and he’s everything I’d hope he’d be and more” he explained, a trill of pride dancing through him. “His quirk is the perfect balance of fire and ice and, although he’s young? He is adapting well to training and, one day?” he breathed, his tone a little wistful; “he’ll come to thank me for nurturing his talent, of that I’m certain” he affirmed, a flash of the boy’s scarred face momentarily flaring his temper.

Shit.

He needed to put a cap on such strong feelings.

For all their sakes, didn’t he?

“My oldest, however, is an omega; he’s fifteen and I’d greatly appreciate you working with him, in particular” he said, a flicker of grief-tinged annoyance fluttering across his consciousness. “He… his mother and I? We have been unable to… quell his enthusiasm for heroics” he continued, his shoulders slumping a little; “I would be incredibly grateful if you could help him to see sense, he…” he sighed, his head shaking.

“He has an astounding fire-quirk, one that could have surpassed mine, however” he added (and God… it felt good to get this whole… mess off of his chest), his eyes meeting the dark gaze of his lither partner: “his body has changed… his flesh has a tolerance for ice, not fire” he told him, his teeth gritting.

He’d been so disappointed that Touya’s biology had backfired.

He’d had such hopes!

He’d thought his oldest boy would have been the one to secure their victory over All Might!

But now?

Now he just saw a broken, angry boy consigned to the life of all omegas, eventually.

Getting him mated (and hell, that was going to be a difficult task considering his snarky, heated attitude and growing proclivity for foul language, rude gestures and defiance; that? And his temper was leading to other, further acts of violence that, thankfully, he’d not turned towards his brother and sister but he’d be damned if he ever allowed Shouto near him again) and settled was the only way forward for him now, he was sure.

His dream of having his oldest, omega child besting a supposed alpha Symbol of Peace had been too lofty (and deliciously satisfying) a goal, hadn’t it?

Unless Shouto, too, presented as one when he hit puberty.

Hmm…

“But… couldn’t support gear counteract such a thing?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, the #2 huffed; “if a hero needs support gear to function, then they’re not a hero at all” he said, his tone resolute, his mindset unwavering: “I couldn’t send my son out into the world to face villains knowing that he was a malfunctioning piece of gear away from getting seriously hurt… or worse” he grunted.

“A true hero has a quirk that enables them to be victorious regardless and Touya? Well… even if he could regulate his flames without getting burned, he… his temperament isn’t suited to being a hero” he managed, his hands screwing into fists. “He’s pig-headed, determined and overwhelmingly stubborn… my wife was tasked with cowing him but, so far? He’s still obsessed with becoming a Pro… I do not want him wasting his life chasing a pipe-dream or he could end up—”

“Like me?”

Scowling, he levelled a glare at the other, his brows furrowing; “my son being mated to a wealthy, powerful alpha able to handle his moods and who’ll ensure his protection is exactly what I want for him” he said, his tone dark with displeasure.

“Oh, I’m sorry… am I sounding ungrateful?” the raven-haired beauty deadpanned, his eyes rolling before he closed them, sucked in a breath and allowed his tone to smooth out. “Getting back on topic…” he (wisely) redirected (tch; thankfully, his mate (though… tetchy) wasn’t a fool and was, as he’d hoped, choosing to be rational: this would only make their new, shared lives together easier, wouldn’t it?); “what about the other two?”

Leaning into the back of the tub, his eyes shifting to the gold, water-fogged faucet, he sighed.

“Fuyumi is twelve and… sensitive” he mused; “she’s studious and always tries her best to be courteous and polite… she has been having to help out around the house more since my wife left but she’s mostly cheerful and never misbehaves” he furthered. “Natsuo, on the other hand, is nine and becoming more and more like Touya… I’m pretty certain he’ll mature into an alpha, which means this rebellious streak needs to be quelled quite quickly” he grumped; “that was one of the reasons I believed that boarding-school, a military school, perhaps, would be a better place for him to grow up—”

“No... no, he’ll be fine, here... like I said, you don't need to go down that path, alright?”

Blinking, he regarded the other’s serious expression, the cogs of his mind turning; “for someone who claims to know nothing about children, you seem very… insistent about this... almost too willing to have them stay here” he argued, his temper flaring slightly because, if his omega thought to turn his brood further against him, then…

"Are you trying to..."

“I know what it’s like to be orphaned, that's all.”

Feeling the other’s words strike him through their bond like a punch to the gut, Enji felt himself doing a double take, he…

“And, sure… you and their mother are alive, but? I can promise you that being sent far away to a place you don’t know, to live with people you don’t know with no guarantees of safety, let alone comfort, that… that can be really damaging to kids at any age” the other continued quietly before his own features hardened. “So? I’m not going to be the person responsible or the reason for them to be sent away from here, you understand? I’ll manage, I’m an adult and I will do what I can to work with them, not the other way around” he stated, his tone clipped.

His resolve strong.

Hmm.

“I’m sorry” he heard himself say, a ripple of shock running through their developing connection because he meant it; “it was wrong of me to assume… I had only thought to make things, in this house, more welcoming for you” he said: “many omegas wouldn’t be as… understanding or willing to incorporate a femme’s children into their own nest” he reasoned.

“Yeah, well… I’m not exactly typical, am I?”

“Heh… no” he replied, a smile tugging his lips; “no you’re not…”

~*~

If the ability to supress existential-horror was an Olympic sport?

“I wasn’t sure which nesting materials you’d like or prefer, so I bought in a range from a website with the best reviews; feel free to use as many as you like… you’re also free to order anything else you’d like, too.”

Then someone should hand him all the gold-medals.

“You also have the use of a small, private garden; please don’t attempt to climb or scale the walls because your collar has been pre-set with this Estate’s perimeter and, if you try to leave? You’ll trigger a silent alarm and either myself or my staff will ensure you don’t get far… and I’d be loathed to restrict you to living only in the house or our suite of rooms, Shouta… this is for your continued safety, you understand? Being my mate has painted a target on your back and, until such time that you’re not carrying a child? I’d rather you stay where I know you’re protected unless you have one of the body-guard’s I’m interviewing with you.”

Because now he was getting to tour his new home (prison, or gilded-cage if you wanted to be all fancy and poetic about it… like so many famous beta-poets who thought they were helping the omega-rites cause by penning pretty verses as opposed to voting or protesting) and learn about all of the safety features that would protect him.

Yeah…

Right.

“Body-guards” he murmured as they walked down yet another highly polished, impeccably clean, mahogany floored corridors, the insipid magnolia walls all blurring together whilst he churned a thought over in his mind.

Wait…

“Do I get a say in who’ll be guarding me?” he asked, his body still naked save for the navy-blue yukata (that was a perfect fit on him; tch!) and orange sash (because dressing his mate up in his hero-colours must be making Enji’s hind-brain cartwheel ecstatically) he’d been given when they’d left the tub.

They were on their way to where a meal had been prepared for them, apparently.

Fuck; this Estate was probably bigger than the apartment block he’d lived toppled over and laid out flat; wonderful.

“You’ll be consulted, of course” the gruff, burly bastard walking steadily at his side, their bare-feet noiseless in the air-conditioned air, his eyes occasionally spying a window which showed manicured, traditional gardens and high walls beyond them.

Musutafu proper, with it’s high-rises, sky-scrapers and municipal blocks was too far away for him to see.

Shit.

“Then… can I make a suggestion?” he tried (and fuck, he needed to keep his tone neutral for fear of the other dismissing what he was about to ask outright), his arms tightening a little across his chest as they turned yet another corner.

“Hmm?”

“I… I don’t have many friends, in fact, it’s probably truer to say that I have exactly two outside of casual acquaintances” he revealed (and, knowing this prick? He was probably well aware of his life), his head tilting submissively; “they’re both Pro Heroes and, although I’m breaking their trust by telling you this, they’re married” he furthered.

“Shouta…”

“Just… hear me out” he cut in, his feet pausing, causing the other to stop; “they’ll be worried about me… they’ll no doubt be trying to find out what’s happened, why I’m not home or answering my phone” he reasoned: “and? If you want to employ people who are genuinely interested in my welfare? Then they’re the best people for the job…”

“Tch; and they’ll be so quick to throw their careers away to live here and look after you, will they?” the alpha chuffed; “and neither will be tempted undermine me in my own home out of protectiveness for you?” he grumbled, his eyes rolling.

“I’d prefer we have staff who’re neutral…”

“And I’d prefer to have people who I can trust… the only people I can trust” he bit out, his brows furrowing before he glared at the alpha; “a good mate would understand that” he told him frankly: “a mate who wanted to keep my blood-pressure low and my contentment high would—”

“Alright, fine” the crimson haired #2 growled; “but I reserve the right to interview them and terminate their employment if they don’t adhere to the rules of my home” he grunted, the scowl he wore darkening.

Tch!

“Thank you” he somehow managed to get out with a sprinkle of something that sounded sincere; “you won’t regret this…”

“I’d better not” he murmured before resuming their walk; “now, come on” he instructed: “it’s getting late and I don’t want our luncheon spoiled.”

Chapter Text

Luncheon was an equally depressing affair; some minion or other (his senses were pretty super-powered right now, proof-positive that he was carrying a child… hooray) had slipped into yet another, traditional-room and laid out a neat, summer-spread across a table at the room’s centre.

The table was highly-polished mahogany with two matching, zaisu* chairs, too.

Tch.

After being fucked so hard, he really didn’t appreciate the traditionally thin-cushions upon the flat, ground-level furniture, either.

But he could cope with that.

He would.

Because he didn’t just have himself to think about and rescue anymore.

Plus? In the gloom of this situation?

There was some hope.

Hope in the shape of Hizashi and Nemuri who he’d been told he could contact tomorrow.

The #2 would need this evening to catch up on other paper-work, the prerequisites he’d already drawn up for his new mate’s security team (wasn’t he so… lucky to have such a considerate alpha?) something he’d been told Endeavour would use during the interview process he’d be informing his best friends of later that evening.

If they were interested.

If they were willing to give up their other jobs.

If they met Todoroki’s lofty standards.

“And I can’t speak to them before you do, because?” he asked, his hands steadily pouring out nihonshu (a Junmai by the scent of it; tch… he’d never been much for their country’s traditional, rice-based sake (pale-ale and beer had always sat best with him) but it did smell good probably because he couldn’t have any) into Enji’s cup.

Like a good mate.

A dutiful one.

Someone give him a ‘traditional, little homemaker’ trophy.

‘So I can ram it down this prick’s thick-throat’ he thought to himself, his mind already weaving more ideas, plans and strategies together.

“Because you have enough to deal with at the moment, don’t you?” the turquoise eyed male huffed, his chest puffing whilst he took the cup and swallowed a hefty mouthful; “keeping your blood-pressure relatively stable, nesting and bonding with my… our other children are the only things you should be thinking about right now” he stated before picking up his rice bowl.

‘I bet you would prefer it if I didn’t think at all, you piece of shit’ his mind helpfully supplied whilst he served himself sumptuous slices of seared steak (which had been a welcomed surprised and a treat his limited budget usually reserved for only special occasions), his chopsticks greedily adding them to his plate.

Because red-meat would give the baby vital nutrients, his partner had insisted, so who was he to say no? Especially since the #2 hadn’t spouted any kind of sexist, ‘you better give me an alpha’ bullshit to ruin his appetite with yet.

Which… had been surprising.

For, oddly? Although the smug, broad-shouldered dickhead (who was starting on his second rice-bowl, the steak and vegetables he’d picked out all but gone) painted himself in such traditionalist attitudes, Shouta got the impression that all he wanted for and from his children were strong quirks.

Male, female and the other genders in between didn’t seem to matter.

Which was… something, he supposed.

Even in this hellscape of a situation, a situation where he was very much alone.

Shit.

“They are my friends, you know” he tried again (if anything just to see how far he could push his limited luck now that the other had had both of his appetites sated), his right hand reaching for his glass of ice-water; “if I’d had any family? I would be allowed to have my mother and any femme or omega siblings here to help me, right?”

“You don’t have such familial ties, though” the other reminded, his tone blunt not to hurt him, no.

He was just dense.

Completely and utterly unaware of social-cues or, at the very least, not understanding the emotive impact of what he said.

The knot-headed prick.

“Wow…” he deadpanned; “thanks for your concern and consideration…”

“I meant no offense” the older cut in, his scowl deepening; “but there is no getting around it, is there? You don’t have any blood relatives, so that particular part of nesting is moot for you, isn’t it?” he asked, his right brow rising at him. “Therefore? You are mine to keep and protect and, although you think so highly of those Z-list heroes you went to UA with? Your friends are strangers to me… strangers to my territory and my kin” he advised, a flicker of flame ghosting about his shoulders. “Bringing them here too soon could make me… defensive” he said, his tone lacquered in a strange heat that made the bond they shared flutter oddly.

So, he was going to be possessive?

Potentially violent to outsiders?

Hmm.

All the more reason to get himself and the kids the fuck out of here, wasn’t it?

“Alright” he nodded because an act of compliance here and a concession there should keep that fiery ego appeased while rut still dominated his hind-brain, wouldn’t it?

“But what about the other staff? A place like this must take some looking after?” he mused; logically speaking, he probably wouldn’t find anyone… sympathetic to his plight in this old-era-inspired nightmare. However? Seeing the man he was mated to up-close? Surely there’d be someone in the bastard’s employ who wouldn’t mind seeing him brought down a peg or two?

Hmm…

“I only directly employ three personnel in the management of my Estate” the other replied, his right hand snatching up the serving chopsticks by the steak to place the last three slices onto his platter with a gesture that he eat it; “being such a highly ranked hero with children? There are only a few people I choose to trust” he furthered. “I hire an ever-fluctuating range of extremely well-vetted cleaners and gardeners who are screened by my Agency, for the most part, and our meals are supplied from a similarly trusted caterer so that my housekeeper has plenty of time to oversee and discipline my oldest three whilst I see to Shouto’s training…”

Blinking, his mouth pausing mid-chew, Shouta felt his hackles rise as the other kept talking.

“… he follows a strict schedule which begins at five a.m. and concludes at seven p.m.” he continued blithely.

As though they were discussing the weather and not the kind of regime even a militant army would find excessive.

“He studies, too, of course; he will enter UA on recommendation, that’s a given… however? For him to be #1? He’ll need to speak several languages, be well versed in diplomacy, business, mission-strategy, hand-to-hand and code-breaking” the turquoise eyed son of a bitch continued, his massive chest puffing against the yukata he wore. “He’ll be someone known and praised the world over, a man whose legacy will dwarf that of our current oafish, America-loving so-called Symbol of Peace who only does so well by virtue of that quirk of his” he breathed, an actual, honest to goodness smile pulling his lips.

“Because Shouto will earn such praise; through every broken bone, through every trial, through advancing his dual-quirk before puberty, through effort, resilience and tenacity! That is how true legends are born!”

It was… horrifying.

“And… eh?” he paused, the rant he was about to continue stopping, their eyes locking.

Oh shit…

Oh fuck…

Had their bond developed so quickly that his mate had felt his disgust?

“You…” he tried, that thunderous scowl returning; “what…”

“You’re a fucking monster” he heard himself say, the utterance swiftly followed by the urge to face palm but fuck it.

In for a penny?

In for a fucking pound.

“Don’t be ridiculous” the alpha snapped, those flames returning, only thicker this time; “being a hero is serious business and training young breeds discipline and…”

“Fear” he hissed, his own quirk activating, causing the other to baulk as those plumes of heat faded to nothing; “he’s a six-year-old child for fuck’s sake” he snapped: “and you’re a six-foot four wall of muscle… he must be terrified of you…”

“Absurd” the older snarled; “he knows he’s made for greatness…”

“He’s six!” he growled back, his anger easily combating the eye-strain that’d be visiting him regardless; “the only thing he should know is who his favourite cartoon character is and what games he wants to play with his friends in elementary school” he spat, another wave of horror washing over him.

“But he doesn’t have any friends, does he…”

“Tch! Follies and distractions!” the older man roared, a meaty fist smacking onto the table between them to rattle the cutlery and what remained of their luncheon; “he doesn’t need…”

“Communication skills? Team-building? Socialisation? A fucking childhood?!” he all but howled, his arms rushing to wrap around his middle, his quirk deactivating as he shook his head in a mixture of denial and shock; “I won’t let you do that to this baby…”

“Shouta!”

“I’d sooner die and take you with me” he said, his voice now ruthlessly calm thanks to the cool, cruel rationality he’d always called on to see him through nightmarish situations, his right hand snatching up the glinting, serrated blade that’d been used to cut the steak to brandish it at his neck before the other could blink; “just see if I don’t…”

“Y-you… you’re b-being… no… no! S-stop!” Enji baulked, his form stood but halting all motion when he pressed its sharpened tip near a major artery.

Heh.

He wasn’t smiling now, was he?

He was wasn’t frowning or snarling, either.

He looked… haunted.

Stricken.

Good.

“Y-you… you’d d-do it?”

“What have I got to lose, Enji? You’re the one holding all of the cards, aren’t you?” he asked him, his eyes narrowing; “at first? Since I was stuck with you thanks to my cursed biology? I was going to try and play nice on the surface of things” he told him: “but you’ve made a very grim mistake by underestimating me… you can tell I’m serious, right? You can feel it, can’t you? My certainty? My strength of will? Not even you would be quick enough to stop me or halt the bleeding” he stated coolly.

“So? It appears that we’re at an impasse, doesn’t it? I might be yours by law but even if you locked me in a padded cell or rendered me unconscious you’d suffer for it and hell, you wouldn’t be able to keep tabs on me for every minute of every day, trying your best to stop me for topping myself and dragging you along for the ride, would you? Not with your precious career and longing for media-approval… no, I’m just one swallowed-tongue, one dip in the bath, one bathrobe-belt away from making good on this threat I’m making… I don’t believe in the afterlife, I’ve seen enough of hell just be living as it is” he reminded, the other sinking to his knees.

“And before your little… admission of child abuse just now? All that was really stopping me from seriously considering this drastic course of action was helping out your kids, who you clearly don’t give two fucks about, and the baby” he told him frankly; “however? Right now, it’s merely a cluster of cells dividing and multiplying, so? Let’s talk shop properly shall we?” he offered, his teeth flashing in a nasty little smile all his own.

“Because, at the moment? I think a world without Endeavour in it sounds pretty, fucking good.”

~*~

Being Aizawa Shouta’s emergency contacts had always been something that Nemuri and her younger husband had been proud of; after Shirakumo’s tragic death, despite everything, the three of them had become very close.

Even when the secretive omega locked himself away in one of UA’s many gyms to train into exhaustion.

Even though he’d not wanted to tell them about his living-circumstances and lack of family.

Even when he growled, became increasingly defensive and didn’t even hang around his and Hizashi’s graduation ceremony for photos** because, well?

She didn’t have… the best relationship with her prudish parents.

Her hubby, too, had most of his family in America and didn’t get to see them in person that often, either.

All they really had was each other, and so?

When one of Endeavour’s side-kicks (a shaky, relatively young recruit straight of Shiketsu) had contacted them about the mission Eraserhead had taken at the #2’s behest?

They’d pushed their way into the hellfire hero’s Tokyo offices and demanded answers.

“What the hell do you mean they aren’t contactable at this time?!”

They’d soon wished they hadn’t.

Because no sooner had they finally found someone with seniority had they learned the terrible, awful truth.

“Eraserhead mustn’t have had his scent-blockers that afternoon, or something, because the drug-runner we hired him to help us arrest made-him and doused him with one of those heat-triggering date-rape drugs we’re all so desperate to get off of the streets… tch! And now Endeavour-sama is going to have to annul his marriage, upset his kids, make arrangements for his ex-wife and be a mate to him! This is why omegas shouldn’t be out in the field, I… Oi! Don’t you glare at me like that! He was working with the #2 hero! He should have made us aware of his secondary gender! If he had? Then none of this would have happened, you know? Now get out of here, both of you, we’ve got five missions pending so we don’t need your irritation and anger stinking up the air, you get me?!”

Their best friend had, through NO fault of his own (but God, would have ever been blamed for it privately, if not publicly) gotten caught up with a married alpha who already had children.

His life as a single omega-in-hiding was over.

His career as an underground hero was in jeopardy.

How he chose to spend his time would now be dictated by antiquated laws that forbid him from doing as he pleased; he’d be expected to be a Papa and care-giver now, above all else.

They’d been panicked.

They’d been horrified.

Her husband had even been tempted to use his hacking-skills to find out exactly who the #2 was and where he lived so they could drive over to where he lived and…

Do what, exactly?

Break and enter into what was probably a highly-guarded estate of some kind?

Rush any security staff who no doubt protected the place?

Face off against Endeavour, break even more laws, and have their asses handed to them before their hero licenses were taken and they were thrown into Tartarus?

That was why, when Hizashi’s phone began to chime with an unknown number calling, the sunny-blond had nearly flung the thing (which’d been resting between them, on their small couch in the equally small apartment they rented) half-way across the room in his haste to grab it.

Neither of them had slept a wink since yesterday and it was now 14:37.

“H-hello? Yamada speaking?”

“Zashi?”

Gasping, the jade-eyed alpha moved the phone from his ear and hit the loud-speaker button.

“Holy shit! Shou! Shou? Where are you?! Are you alright?!”

“We’ve been worried sick about you?! What’s happened?!”

“I-it’s great to hear y-your voices” their best friend replied, his relief palpable and tone quite strained; “I… I need your help” he furthered, the pair of them flinching.

“W-whatever you need, Shou!”

“Just tell us where to go and—”

“That won’t be necessary” another person interrupted through a tired, weary huff.

Wait…

Was that?

“A car has been sent to pick you up” Endeavour stated flatly; “please pack a few things for an over-night stay, won’t you?”

Chapter Text

When heavy footfalls echoed down one of the previously closed off corridors way earlier than scheduled (it was only Monday evening; they weren’t meant to meet the omega his bastard father had literally fucked over until tomorrow at the earliest, were they?), Todoroki Touya was instantly on high alert.

Natsuo had heard the noise, too, both of them sharing a glance from where they were stood at the sink diligently washing and drying the dishes since Fuyumi had offered to put their evening meal together… again.

Their sister, luckily, was curled up on one of the stiff, minimalistic chairs that bracketed the TV (that only hosted a few news channels and appropriate, educational documentary boxsets), her ears plugged with air-buds as she completed some extra curricular lesson or another with a virtual tutor.

Shit.

She was fragile enough over, well, everything that had happened since mom had…

Since mom was…

Shit!

“Nii-san” his youngest sibling (because Shouto was… not here; hell… he’d not seen the kid in person in actual years, either, their father’s domineering presence forbidding anything other than quick glances across hallways and balconies) whispered, his hands shaking a little as he placed the bowl he’d been drying down for fear of breaking it. “W-what should we do?”

“Go stand near Yumi” he instructed, a flicker of flame ghosting around his hair; “I won’t let him near either of you but it’ll be easier for me to keep you both safe if you’re behind me” he added, his nostrils flaring as the scent of an alpha-bastard and an omega he didn’t recognise (his sire’s stink had changed, too) reached them through the door.

“T-Touya…”

“He’s newly-mated, Natsuo… you’re a juvenile, sure, but you’re an alpha as well” he reminded hotly; “you might be his son and you’re too young to rut but you’ve not seen the sex-ed videos I have… he could see you as a threat to him… to whoever he’s taken” he added, the other’s eyes shrinking in shock before widening in understanding.

Tch…

Their… father wasn’t the easiest man to live with before his brain got flooded with bonding-hormones, after all; he was stoic, mean, loud and although he’d never raised a hand to him (or them) outside of training sessions? His obsession with Shouto had made him even more… erratic as of late and hell…

He couldn’t help but think of all those sappy, lovey-dovey (clearly propaganda, to his mind) movies that studios seemed to pump out ad-nauseum were full of bullshit scenes where even the gruffest alpha softened and became the stereotypically perfect caregiver and provider for his family after meeting his destined omega.

Yeah, right…

How unbelievable…

What nonsense!

Omegas weren’t magic, they were people, so he wasn’t expecting any of that… sap from the infamous Todoroki Enji; shit, he wasn’t even expecting him to mellow, not now.

Not ever.

Not at all.

Oh no.

No, because? Just as their nanny had said?

He was probably coming here, new broodmare in tow, to briefly introduce them all before throwing his failures onto planes bound for whichever boarding school he’d sunk his money into.

Tch!

But he’d be damned if he was dragged out of here (and oh… oh he’d be kicking and screaming the whole way regardless) without giving that prick a piece of his mind, he—

“Why the hell is the doorknob… glowing?”

Wait…

What?!

“My housekeeper has the ability to seal doors that can only be opened by people she grants permissions to… it’s for—”

H-holy shit…

Had his father’s new mate just spoken to him like that and gotten away with it?!

“Let me guess… their safety, right? And there’s no need to worry thanks to all of your little spy-cameras, hmm?”

That was…

Unheard of…

Their mother never would have dared…

“They’re not…”

“Enji? Seriously? You can hear yourself and what you’re saying, right? No normal parent in their sane mind would dream of having a system like yours to monitor their kids… the house when no one’s home, sure… but this? Don’t look at me like that and open the bloody thing, would you?”

Steeling himself (and swallowing thickly), Touya quickly checked on his siblings (both watching him like hawks, their body-posture pensive) before squaring up only ten feet or so away from the door.

The knob was turning.

He sucked in a breath.

Released it, he…

“Tch; I cannot be here all of the time—”

“Well? That’s not going to be a problem anymore, is it? My friends and I will be seeing to things here from now on so you can relax, can’t you, hmm?”

… couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d tried for there? His face sneered by its usual sourness but his demeanour more cowed than he’d ever seen it was his father…

His father who was dressed in a simple yukata, his brawny arm actually holding the barrier open for a relatively tall, (way more attractive and toned then he’d thought; shit… was he one of the extremely rare omega Pros?!) slender man with dark eyes and hair.

“Oh…”

His scent was… something else and he was at once all too aware that he’d never met, let alone engaged with, someone of his own gender who’d reached maturity.

“Touya?”

“Old man” he quipped on impulse, the #2 glowering a touch at the distain he’d no doubt heard.

“You…”

“So this is the young man we’ll be getting hero support gear for, is it?”

Blinking, he felt his head snap back to the man, the omega, who was similarly dressed in a traditional robe, his expression oddly proud, pleased as he approached him, he…

“From what little I’ve been told? You have the makings of a dedicated Pro in you, Todoroki-kun” he greeted whilst approaching him without fear, annoyance or anger…

Without the consent of his huffing alpha…

Without concern of any repercussions, he…

“My name is Shouta” he introduced, the slight smile he’d worn dimming as he looked from him to his tremulous siblings; “and I’m not here to replace your mother… and me being here doesn’t mean that you have to go anywhere you don’t want to, okay?” he said, his dark gaze then shifting to where Endeavour still loomed (he… he was allowing this?!).

“At the very least? I want to be someone who can help you in every way you’re comfortable letting me… and that goes for your sire, too” he revealed, the three of them (because Natsuo and Fuyumi’s gasps were something he’d become distinctly attuned to, over time) baulking.

“Things are going to change around here… and they’re going to change for the better, alright?”

~*~

Miscalculating had never been something that Todoroki Enji would be comfortable with and now, as he so awkwardly stood here (in his own home, his own territory no less!) whilst his new mate snubbed him? He’d realised all too late that the quiet, rational, pliable omega he’d hoped to snag was a pipe dream of his own design.

A pipe dream that had held a blade to his throat, fully intending to end them both and held him to fucking ransom!

Tch!

It was ridiculous!

Unbelievable!

And, worse still?

A part of him was… begrudgingly impressed by that, wasn’t it?!

“B-but you… he’s…”

“He’s been focusing on the wrong things, it’s true… I share a bond with him so I know that his… intentions have been a driving force in his life and that you, your siblings and your mother have suffered for that” his (for better or worse; there was no going back!) mate soothed whilst addressing the children that weren’t his but were. “And I’m not making any excuses for him, alright? I’m just going to help… correct his thinking so that we can all get along better… it… it’s not going to happen overnight but I believe I have the right… skills to persuade him.”

Ha!

“My thinking is…”

“Flawed, unequivocally” his Shouta huffed, the emotion that’d bled out of him during the phone call he’d demanded only fifteen minutes ago long gone as he glowered at him with bloody eyes and levitating hair that had his sons and daughter gaping. “These are your children who need a father who is present in their lives for support… not a drill-sergeant who only cares about training and hell… we’re going to have to work on the whole parenting thing together but we’re not going to keep things the way they are… we’ve been over this” the younger quipped.

And damn…

And hell!

He should be furious but…

“You like it when I’m happy, don’t you… Enji-kun?”

But!

“Tch!” he snapped, his arms folding gruffly whilst he resolutely glared at the hallway they’d just walked down.

The hallway Shouta had insisted they traverse before tomorrow.

The hallway his omega had walked down as though he already owned the place.

“Now-now, there’s no need to sulk… stop being so ridiculous and come over here because you’ve got a lot to make up for and, since you’re not back on active duty until Wednesday? What better time than now to start?”

Because, apparently?

He did!

TCH!

“My children are…”

“Actually, genuinely worried about you being here… or does your nose suddenly not work?” the other deadpanned, his right arm waving over at the children he had been… overlooking, he supposed.

But they weren’t neglected!

They had every educational opportunity going!

Their diets were closely monitored to ensure healthy-growth and overall development and…

“They’re—!!”

… and…

“God… you’re as dense as you look, aren’t you? Breathe in dumbass, through your nose, and realise that the only reason you’re not literally all fired up right now is because I’m stopping you…”

… wait…

“I…” he baulked, his nostrils flaring as his eyes narrowed in scrutiny whilst he cast a critical glance over the younger people in the room, he; “w-what?”

Fuyumi (trembling, her eyes teared) was partially hidden behind Natsuo (angry, his teeth grit and posture rigid) who seemed to be… shielding her as Touya remained (glaring, his hands curled into shaking fists at his side) poised, resting on the balls of his agitated feet, before him with a ghosting of flame tinging his whitened hair, he…

“What’s the matter with you all?” he grunted, his brows furrowing as the scent… the stench of fear soured the air even further; “is this anyway to behave? Weren’t you all told to be on your best behaviour? I—”

“Hey!”

Snapping his displeased face around to his mate (and barely hiding the wince the spike of anger which’d shot through their fledgling bond had brought him), Enji sneered; “what?!”

“What?!” the younger man parroted and oh!

Oh!

If only he’d known!

If only he’d realised what kind of person (someone who’d kill them both without regret!) he was going to be dealing with!

His attitude was just as bad as Touya’s! He—

“Are you being serious right now?! How?! How can you be mad at them for being frightened of you?!” the dark-haired man veritably hissed whilst storming up to him, a quicksilver hand snapping out to snatch at the front of his yukata; “no child is meant to be genuinely scared of their father—”

“They’re not!” he defended, his eyes returning to the mostly white-haired youths; “they…” he furthered before, with a blink, he looked at them.

Really looked.

This…

What he saw before him weren’t children who were putting on a display to rile him or show him up, he…

“I…” be blinked; “I don’t understand” he said, his head shaking lightly: “I have never raised a hand to you, have I?” he questioned, his frown deepening when they flinched. “What is this all about?” he pushed, his volume lowering a touch whilst he took his cues from Shouta (who’d made a strange gesture that he’d somehow understood; ‘you’re a six-foot-four wall of muscle… he must be terrified of you…’) and relaxed his posture.

“Well?”

~*~

In his fifteen years of life?

Todoroki Touya had never expected to be approached by his father, their father, and actually be asked such a question, shit…

He was probably doing an Oscar-worthy impression of a big-mouthed bass right now, but fuck it!

He… didn’t believe in miracles and sure, an actual conversation wasn’t anything that should be worthy of such a title; however?

Since this… Shouta seemed to wear that invisible plot-armour that omegas on the big-screen used?

He may as well say something, hadn’t he?

It’d test just how far his new… Papa could be trusted in the first instance, too, wouldn’t it?

“What are we supposed to say to that, Chichi-ue?” he began after a swallow; “I have my own reasons but them?” he stated, his turquoise eyes (which he’d grown to hate because they were like Endeavour’s) flitting over his brother and sister. “You don’t even know them… and all they know about you is that you’ve taken S-Shouto away and when m-mom tried to stop you? Y-you… you grabbed her… you r-rule this house with the iron-fist of your angry voice and flames!” he ended up spitting.

“A-all… all you care about is your precious legacy” he furthered when the old alpha grunted; “you don’t care about us! We… we’re just your failed creations… ha! Don’t look at me like that!” he hissed when the other huffed.

“Touya… that’s ridiculous…”

“Then prove me wrong, otou-san!” he challenged hotly; “what’s Fuyumi’s favourite colour? Who is Natsuo’s least favourite tutor? What do they want to be when they grow up because you’ve forbidden all of us to be heroes, huh?!” he demanded, his toes curling against the vintage, varnished oaken floor boards.

“I…” the gruff bastard managed in a third show of such weakness; “it… it’s true that I am busy and not around you all, that’s something I’d thought would be for the best and I… I don’t want any of you entering into heroics, yes... but it’s not… you’ve taken my actions completely the wrong way” he breathed in astonishment.

As though he was actually surprised.

What the hell?!

What the fuck!

“I’ve kept you all sheltered here… sheltered and safe because your quirks aren’t suited to being a Pro… none of you are strong enough… you don’t have the kind of potential or… uniqueness, power that will keep you alive out there” he said, his tone reserved and resolute. “I keep you all at arm’s length for that reason, too… I have many enemies and I don’t want that to stop you from living normal, ordinary lives as your own people… not the children of Endeavour… not under my shadow that could make you targets” he explained.

“I…”

“That’s such bullshit!” he heard himself snap, his eyes screwing shut as he fought back tears.

Tears he didn’t want to shed.

Not because of him.

Not in front of him!

Not in the sight of this man who’d written him off!

Decided completely and utterly by himself that he had no potential!

That he could never be as good as his youngest sibling who was nine years his fucking junior!

“Touya!”

“He’s right, you know.”

Sniffing, the omega looked towards the dark-haired man (he couldn’t have been that much older than him, either… shit…) and tried to pull himself together.

“Shouta… you’ve been under my roof for less than forty-eight hours so you can’t—”

“And I already have my work cut out for me, don’t I?” the other sighed, his head shaking; “your emotional constipation makes me look as though I should win a Noble Prize for mental stability” he quipped, his tone deadpanned whilst he rubbed at his eyes: “your kids are hurting… you’ve hurt them and, what’s worse? You don’t even know you’ve done it… that you’re doing it right now” he partially groaned.

“But that stops today” he said resolutely, his body moving to stand before his father (without fear… without any worry of reprisals) to place a hand upon his chest.

Over his heart.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it” he admitted whilst looking back at them; “and it’s not going to happen over night but, for better or worse? We’re all family now” he told them with a nod.

“And we’ll find out and shape what we want that to mean as we go, okay?”

Chapter Text

Arriving at the expansive (“it’s fucking huge!”, “holy-shit… how’re we gonna find him in there?!”) estate, their sour-faced driver growing progressively more pensive (as he no doubt was listening in to their ongoing concerns and mounting anger), Hizashi and his wife were struggling not to go overboard, because:

Shouta had said he was okay…

Shouta had said that things were well in hand…

Shouta had said he knew what he was doing…

Shouta, however, liked to sell them that kind of grade-A bullshit when he was lying in a hospital bed after a mission because he didn’t want them fussing over him!

Shit!

“If I may” the old man offered when they pulled up to the curb; “Todoroki-sama isn’t one for… crass language…”

“Yeah, well, Todoroki-sama will just have to shove it up his ass” the jade-eyed DJ-come-Pro sniffed whilst shoving the ritzy car’s passenger door open with a loud, resounding clunk; “alphas who entrap omegas are the lowest of the lowest scum, and we’re here to make sure he knows it!” he furthered before getting out and stomping to the vehicle’s trunk.

“W-what?” the greyed male sputtered.

“You heard my husband” Nemuri replied whilst she similarly exited the car, her beautiful eyes narrowed at the traditional, ornately decadent building and its zen-karesansui* gardens bordered with artfully cut shrubs; “so, thanks for the ride, pops, but we won’t be needing a ride home” she told him, her shoulders straightening as her husband stood beside her.

“Because we aren’t leaving this place… not unless we’re taking our friend and a bunch of traumatised kids with us” the blond Pro affirmed, his fingerless-gloved hands gripping the two duffle bags brimming with their first set of provisions.

There would be more coming in a moving truck on Wednesday.

“W-w-what-?”

Closing the passenger door behind her (because really, they didn’t have the time to waste here), the R-Rated hero (dressed in one of her more conservative outfits of a power-suit consisting of a black blazer, a-line skirt and a bright-crimson corset) whilst her alpha wore his hero-costume minus his neck-speaker (because he was too tempted to use it) and a scowl.

They were ready for this.

They were as prepared as they could be for what lay beyond those gates.

They were going to back and support their friend who was stuck in this living nightmare.

They were not going to allow that old, fiery windbag stop them from doing everything they wanted, either.

Not for a second and so, opting to vault over the gates (because fuck the rules; Endeavour didn’t think he needed a sophisticated home-alarm system, for whatever arrogant reason, apparently), they landed upon the gravelled driveway and began their walk to the main house.

“Tch… I feel like I’m walking to one of those obnoxious, fake shrines you see westerners construct to promote their authentic restaurants” her husband grumbled, his hands gesturing around them; “I mean, I don’t have arbor-adore or anything but some of these trees look like they’re fake and where’re the birds? Where’re the sounds of, you know, nature?” he huffed. “God; does this arrogant jackass think he can control such things? That he can just say what will be and live in his gardens?” he groused, his nose wrinkling; “we’re gonna have our work cut out for us, aren’t we?”

“Um” the love of his life nodded, her knee-high boots crunching in the quiet of this museum-like elegance; “I’ve already reached out to some of my friends from the counselling-side of things, not just for Shou and the kids but for our resident prick” she reminded. “Someone with a God-complex this out of control probably has an inferiority complex to match, after all… and getting them all on the right-track needs to be our number one priority” she mused.

“So… you have the blackmail stuff handled, right?”

“Heh, do I ever” her moustached beau smirked whilst cracking his knuckles; “if our words can’t bend that creep to our will then the piles of data my sneaky, hacking-little fingers have managed to source should” he stated confidently as they finally reached the doors to the home.

They were large, wooden barricades that looked as though they’d survive an encounter with a battering ram or two, the immaculate glossy paint and cast-iron hinges were proof that no one had gotten close enough to try, though, they—

“You’re late and you’ve triggered my silent alarms.”

Blinking up and to the right where a barely visible CCTV camera observed them, Nemuri offered the gruff-voiced #2 her most sadistic, little smile.

“Now-now, Enji-san” she all but purred; “let’s be friendly here and play nice” she offered with a wink before brandishing the whip concealed at the small of her back: “or we can do things the hard way? And, by the hard way? I mean that my beloved here will flood social-media with so many of your deep, dark secrets that you’ll drown in them~!”

“Wha— you wouldn’t dare!” he spat through the two-way comms system; “and I haven’t…”

“Where is Todoroki Rei-san, hmm?” Hizashi asked whilst lowering his amber shades to regard the camera knowingly; “and under what… circumstances was she submitted to that very private, ultra exclusive hospital, neh?” he pushed, his right brow quirking.

“And how come your personal, private and Pro Agency bank accounts, which should be separate by law, seem to have some pretty big numbers swapping over and across each other, hmm? I mean… you having most of your accounts based in off-shore companies certainly doesn’t suggest anything shady going on, either and—”

*Bzz!*

Waving at the camera (because their message must have been received loud and clear; heh… good), the married couple strutted through the doors that were opening to them, their feeling of self-satisfaction enough for them…

For now.

The future, of course, held no guarantees.

They were dealing with Endeavour, a man who’d been a Pro for almost as long as Shouta had been alive; he hadn’t risen to #2 through his fire-power alone.

No.

But they’d be watchful.

They’d be mindful.

They’d shoulder that burden so that their omega best friend could focus on making the best of the situation he was stuck in, now.

That was the least they could do for him, wasn’t it?

~*~

Somehow resisting the urge to set everything on fire, Todoroki Enji begrudgingly led his two new… family members through his home (what had once been his sanctuary; tch… not anymore) with the only good thing about it being that they were polite enough to leave their shoes in the genkan**.

Tch!

“These sure are some fancy digs, Endeavour” the loud blond offered by way of a (backhanded, he was sure) compliment; “is this your family’s clan house?”

“No” he grunted; “the Todoroki’s are, ancestrally, nobility from Jigokudani***” he replied, his tone hot and terse: “this estate was built by my father, though, and is the inheritance I will pass down to Shouto when he becomes #1” he mused, his folded arms tightening further. “Or whichever of my children reach that goal” he begrudgingly redacted.

Tch.

His Shouta may be volatile and… demanding but he wouldn’t be able to hold out against his omega nature for long.

No.

There’d be more children, given time, of that he was certain and, with each new life?

All the more opportunity to secure any one of them at the top, to have people who were true to their country, culture and traditional at the top of Pro Hero society was the only way forward to ensure a safe, villain-less future, after all and yes, right now, his mate couldn’t see that.

But he would.

They all would, and—

“And… what about the kids who don’t want to be #1, ah?”

Blinking (and having to face reality… again; tch… he just needed to remember that having them here was a small price to pay for his mate’s peace of mind: he’d be going back to his Agency, soon, and would be more than happy to leave them to it), Enji side-eyed his fellow alpha coldly.

He and his wife weren’t a threat to him.

He needed to remember that.

Their scents were closely linked but they weren’t mated as only alphas and omegas could be.

His hind-brain was something he’d worked on to control, of course; however?

To avoid getting… physical, he’d go to his Shouta as soon as they arrived in the main living area, just as they’d discussed.

“I don’t know of any child with a powerful quirk who wouldn’t aspire to such things” he huffed, a ghosting of flame exuding from his nostrils; “even you with your… mediocre meta-abilities surely longed for some kind of fame, didn’t you?” he challenged.

“Fame?” the blue-eyed femme snorted; “honey, we’re heroes to help people” she affirmed, her expression incredulous: “that’s what anyone should be in to for… I mean, what the hell is the point of the ranking looking at the good-deeds of heroes if a powerful quirk was all you needed?” she pushed. “All Might-o is ridiculous strong, it’s true but… he’s not #1 just because of that—”

“Nonsense” he grumbled as they turned down the final, long veranda that would lead them to his family; “he’s an oafish fool who laughs and smiles at nothing so, if that’s all he had, then—”

“People would still love him because he wouldn’t allow not having a quirk stop him from saving the day” Hizashi cut in, his tone incredulous; “you do get that, don’t you big guy?”

“Tch!” he sneered, his head snapping away so he could stare resolutely forward; “all I know is that he and he alone stands at the top of our profession” he stated tartly: “and, should he ever be toppled from it in the meantime? That is not how I’d choose to be #1… no, I know my limits” he admitted caustically.

“It’s the future that’s important and at least one of my children will be able to meet him there” he allowed, his right hand reaching out to open the door to where he could scent his mate and children.

“For all our sakes…”

~*~

“So this isn’t totally awkward at all, is it?”

Sat on the stiff, probably ridiculously expensive (his mate clearly favoured some deranged form of minimalist (and not his kind, either) style over substance; shit, his coccyx was veritably grating on the wooden frame beneath the thin cushion he was sat on) couch, Shouta could already tell he liked these kids.

“Heh… yeah, that’s one way to put it” he said, his dark eyes looking to Touya’s as the younger omega fidget-paced in front of the large, incredibly clean (it looked relatively untouched; were… did these kids not get to use it?) TV; Fuyumi (God, getting this girl some confidence was going to be… difficult) remained in her chair with Natsuo (stoically but relieved) guarding her.

Hmm.

“And you’re just going to… go along with all of this because?”

“Because” he nodded with a little shrug; “making the best of a bad-situation is the most logical way forward” he told them: “I can’t change the bond I have with your father and, as much as that… irks me, that doesn’t mean we can’t find a way forward” he offered. “I don’t know what kind of… lives you’ve had until now and hell, my childhood wasn’t exactly a picnic” he sighed, his eyes moving to each of them in turn; “but I meant what I said before… the buck stops here” he stated before leaning up, his expression setting into something more serious.

“This being said? What can I do for you now?” he asked, the three of them baulking; “long-term changes are going to take time, of course, but there’s nothing stopping us from talking about anything and everything you want, especially things I can put into place in the first instance” he furthered.

Hmm.

Their little jaws hanging open wasn’t the most encouraging sign, was it?

“That… that’s?! You’re craz—”

“Hitome-san.”

Blinking, he and the other males snapped their attention to the femme (clutching her table to her chest, those olive-eyes tearing; God… confidence and as much affection as he could throw at her) of their group, a small hand shoving her glasses up and away to rub at her eyes; “she… she’s awful, Shouta-san… she’s mean and hateful a-and—” she sniffed.

“The house-keeper, I take it” he partially growled; “consider her gone…”

“W-wha— you… you can’t” the young alpha gaped; “he won’t…”

“He doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter” he cut in gently; “just like I’m stuck with him? He’s stuck with me” he reminded: “and we’ve come to an… understanding” he tried.

Heh.

Seeing Touya’s eyes narrow only reaffirmed what he’d already guessed about the boy, too.

He was sharp, astute and (sadly; such knowledge was a blessing and a curse) keenly aware of what being an omega meant but, as his unrelenting anger as his witness?

The ivory haired young man wouldn’t face a fate like his.

No.

Not on his watch.

“Okay then” he watched him breath, his shoulders young, muscular straightening; “I’m with Yumi on this… and I… I want to go to UA, I want to try out for the hero-course next year with that support gear you talked about” he said, his gaze then turning back to his siblings: “and we… we want Shouto to live with us” he stated, the pair gasping.

“A-and mom” Natsuo breathed; “w-we… we need to see her…”

“Y-yeah and… and I… I hate being h-home-schooled I… I want to m-meet other kids… have friends” Fuyumi gushed, their voices increasing in volume and urgency; “a-and cats… please? Or rabbits… m-maybe a dog?”

“O-oh! And I wanna play sports! I… I don’t just wanna have to watch other people play baseball I… I’ve read all about it I… I think I’d be good at it” their youngest brother in the room said, his hands balling into fists; “I… I don’t care about m-my quirk… I… I already look like him enough as it is I… I want to be my own man” he said, his tone full of ambition.

“A man that’s better than him in every way I can be~!”

Chapter Text

Todoroki Shouto had learned, in his short life, that adults lied, schemed and couldn’t be trusted…

“E-eh?!”

They were only concerned with themselves, how they felt and what they wanted; that was why his fa— Endeavour punished him, why his mother had been taken away and why, he presumed, the dark-haired stranger who’d greeted them at the door (Hitome-san had visibly baulked when the phone call summoning them home had rang) was here.

And why he smelt like the alpha who ruled over him and his… family (if… if they could call each other that) with a literally flaming-fist…

“That… there… there must b-be some kind of… of m-mistake~!”

However, as he allowed Fuyumi to hug him tight (Natsuo was standing, boldly, in front of him whilst Touya (who… wasn’t glaring at him, for a change; maybe… maybe because they were both scarred now, they could finally get along?) whilst the omega (who smelled like vanilla and… safety?) summarily dropped a suitcase before their dragon of a housekeeper?

“There is no mistake… and there’ll be no references for you, either; the exit is that way.”

He… was starting to rethink his initial assumptions…

“B-but!”

“But nothing” the unknown male (fierce, his eyes now glowing crimson whilst those raven waves stood on end; his siblings, he noticed, were baulking as he was) cut in, his yukata swathed body not giving an inch in the slightest; “now get off of my property before I call the police…”

“Police?!” Hitome-san snapped; “no, no! If you dismiss me every secret I have will be…”

“Turned against you… your hands aren’t so clean, and I have four suffering kids to prove it” the man shrugged, his voice like waves slapping calmly against smoothed rocks; “you’ll not be hurting them anymore; plus? My mate would sue you for slander, gross-misconduct and bearing false-witness, too, but I have a feeling you know that” he grinned, his arms folded coolly whilst their nanny paled. “You also know that you haven’t the funds to employ lawyers that are a match for his…”

“No this… this isn’t right! I demand to see him! He’s my employer, not you!”

“Ahh, but Watanabe-san? I’m the keeper of this house now and my mate, as you know, as you signed a legally-binding contract to keep his identity a secret, is a very busy man, why, he’s even more busy considering our… fated-meeting has taken up so much of his time, wouldn’t you say?” he almost purred, his hair still waving. “So, thank you for your… services, if I can call them that” he mused with another shrug; “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

“W-w-what?!”

Gasping, his eyes narrowing in shock before they broadened in wonder, Shouto allowed himself to release a shuddering, grateful breath when the barrier to this part of their expansive home slammed loudly in the face of the femme who’d been so sneeringly pleasant to him.

And not to his siblings.

Not that he’d gotten to see them, often.

Not that he knew what they were dealing with or how they’d suffered.

How their mother had…

Was still suffering…

“H-holy shit!”

“T-Touya~!” their sister gushed whilst cupping his ears; “that’s…”

“Fine, nee-san” he grumped as he tapped at her hands; “I… that’s the best way to put it, anyway” he heard himself say, his eyes sneaking from the small duffle-bag that contained his belongings (he… he wasn’t supposed to come home until Wednesday, was he?) to the mysterious omega whose scent was, indeed, tainted by their father’s…

He…

He wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly…

But he knew it wasn’t good…

He remembered Hitome-san talking to someone, on the phone, about how an alpha deserved an omega mate and—

“Heh, I believe that Shouto-kun is right” the raven-haired beauty smirked after locking the door (they could still hear their former nanny ranting as she clattered away on her high-platformed, geta-sandals), his form turning to them; “now then, with your father away until the end of the week? What d’you say to us having take-out with your new aunty and uncle, hm?”

~*~

It… was difficult to believe, but?

“Umm~! S’good~! What’s this western dish called again, Nemuri-san?”

Sitting in Endeavour’s formal dining room, his imposing presence absent (he’d been asked to get his Agency in order so that he could have more time at home to acclimatise to their… new normal), Touya couldn’t quite come to terms with Shouta being a man of his word…

“This is Pizza, Yumi-chan~! Here, try a slice of mine and don’t worry if it’s too spicy for you, okay?”

Shouta’s friends (who were to be their live-in, honorary aunty and uncle; they… they’d never had relatives comes to stay with them, before: Enji’s parents stoically invaded their peace for certain, traditional holidays whilst their mother’s only sent cards and gifts for birthdays), too, seemed oddly… genuine…

“These chicken-strips are amazing~! We… we only ever get to eat such things steamed, you know… and not with any of these sauces… ano… what do these western letters mean?”

And hell, he wasn’t sure what kind of dirt they’d gotten on Endeavour, but?

As he sat here?

Able to laugh…

Able to eat…

Able to ask questions without reproach?

Able to be near Shouto (who was still wary of him; he… he’d work to fix that, he’d find a way: it… wasn’t the younger boy’s fault that he’d been born with the quirks their maniacal father had been craving, just like it wasn’t their mother’s fault that his body rejected his flames he… he saw that now), he…

“Umm… I think it’s an American abbreviation for barbecue; your uncle Hizashi will undoubtedly correct me if I’m wrong once he’s finished stuffing his face, of course…”

He couldn’t have been gladder if he tried…

“Umph! Oi~! Shou-chan, if anyone is sporting food-puffed hamster cheeks here then it’s you, my guy~”

~*~

Prowling past his security team…

“E-Endeavour-s-san?! W-we… we didn’t e-expect you back here, so soon… I… are you, alright? Is… is everything, umm, okay with you and Eraserhead?”

… Todoroki Enji was struggling to maintain his composure as he replayed the conversation that’d led him back here much earlier than originally planned…

“What?!”

“You heard me, hubby; go cool off, get your affairs in order, delegate some responsibilities and then come back, oh, let’s say this time next week…”

“T-that’s not—!!”

“That’s not a lot for me to ask of you, right now; you live to work, everyone in hero-society knows it and besides… we’re doing this for the kids and, if you want me to hold up my side of our deal? Then go and do as I’ve asked and I’ll give you a proper welcome when you come home… hell, I’ll even submit myself to the press for any interviews you want to make and help to stoke the media in your favour, alright?”

… shit! If he’d realised just how potent the other’s pheromones were he wouldn’t have allowed his mate to be so close to him while they were talking…

“E-Endeavour-sama?! A-ah! W-welcome back, sir… umm… we weren’t expecting you to be—”

“Clearly” he grunted, the flames of his Pro costume covered body flaring with temper whilst he glared around the wide, open-planned office where all thirty of his sidekicks resided during their working hours.

Tch!

He was spending a fortune keeping these people fed, trained and housed in this Tokyo property and how was he repaid?

“E-eh?”

With sloppiness!

Messiness!

A complete disregard for the rigid standards he expected just because he wasn’t in the building keeping tabs on them all!

“Where is Blazin?! Why are your desks untidy?! Since when am I paying you all to loaf around?!” he snapped, the room instantly quieting with majority of his subordinates bowing and muttering simpering apologies.

God; it was like his carefully planned, well-structured life was being toppled no matter where he turned!

He was supposed to rely on these people!

They were meant to be adults!

“We, umm, it… it’s Blazin’s day off but we’ll call her in… ugh~ I mean, I’ll go get her now~!”

“The desks will be organised properly in less than five minutes, sir, I swear~! Oh! And I’ll get you a coffee!”

“Zeta-team and Delta-team are out patrolling, sir, and Suijin has been apprehended, too~! W-we picked him up last night and there’s a full report on your—”

Oh?

“Where is he?” he spat, his eyes narrowing; the last thing he needed was his stooge spouting off about their… arrangement, wasn’t it?

Shit…

Could this blasted evening get any worse?

Tch; he should be lying upon his futon right now, his mate lounging beside him…

“O-oh, ugh, we took him straight to Police Force HQ and—”

Tch!

“Get their commander on the phone” he ground out before menacingly stalking towards his (private, secured, ornate) office; “and patch him through to me when you do” he stated whilst yanking a mahogany-doors apart and stomping inside: “then get back to work, all of you!”

“Y-yes sir!”

Huffing, his left-hand scrubbing across his tired eyes (Shouta’s scent was still lingering in his nostrils, the feel of a lithe hand cupping his jaw before he sent him on his way to ensure he’d complete his task of delegation all but haunting him because he was going to be a family man now whether he liked it or not, his #1 ambitions heading for the back burner… or else), Enji sighed.

This…

This was a nightmare…

How had he so badly miscalculated?

Why had he not thrown his considerable weight and influence around?!

Why was he (begrudgingly, angrily, furiously) actually not as… disappointed (not upset as that blue-eyed temptress had snickered with her, admittedly, quick-witted husband because that would be ridiculous!) by this… situation as he should be?

Hell!

Hell!

He’d never wanted to be a… family man.

He’d made that clear to Rei.

She’d accepted her role.

She’d been honoured at first, he was sure of it and…

No.

No, that wasn’t right, was it?

He wasn’t as bull-headed as his critics would report in their (scathing; tch! Being soft on criminals and not ruling over his agency with gruff but fair leadership would lead him and all of them to wreck and ruin: humans were weak, fallible and lazy, which meant that discipline and routine were vital to ensuring a prospering society flourished) reviews, after all.

He… had been ignorant to her loneliness, he knew that, now…

He’d overlooked the dissention in the ranks of his children, he’d… ignored the oldest three and used the excuse of them being better off to justify his actions…

And, worse still? He’d thought that just leaving his wife (soon to be ex; he’d need to consult his legal team in the morning to get the ball rolling on the mountains of paperwork a fated meeting of an alpha and omega tended to generate; a swift divorce would be the least of it) to see to them, especially once Shouto turned four, would be for the best.

Tch…

How wrong he’d been and now?

Now he’d gone a made an even bigger mess.

A mess that he was on the receiving end of, much to his chagrin, he—

*Bzz-bzz-bzz*

Grumbling (he realised he’s just been standing upon the Persian-rug that swathed the majority of the varnished, oaken floorboards his (seemingly only) sanctuary boasted), he briskly walked towards his desk, slipped into his executive’s chair and picked up the phone.

“Commander?”

“A-ah! No, sorry, Endeavour-san…” and unfamiliar (yet somehow… not) voice veritably chirped down the line; “my name is Kizuki Chitose* and I’m an investigative journalist with Juko News” she continued: “I—”

“How in the world did you get this number?” he growled; “you—”

“Maa~ well, I just so happen to have a woman with me, a woman who gave me this number as a form of, ahh… proof that she is who she says she is~” the journalist cut in, the lyrical quality of her voice having sharpened in some kind of imagined, pre-victory.

“W-what?”

“Ano… my source is, umm, quite upset by her unfair dismissal from her post… an unfair dismissal she claims was authorised by an omega you intentionally pursued, entrapped and mated, without his prior knowledge and consent, through premediated means” the femme pushed, the lilt of her voice alight with some kind of sadistic pleasure.

“And so I was wondering, Endeavour-san, if I could get a comment about that from you~ ara~! Or maybe a face to face interview with you and this new husband of yours, neh~!?”

Chapter Text

Struggling to stay awake (because he didn’t want to sleep; his dreams were… not nice and, if this was one of the good ones (as he suspected) then, if he did sleep, then he’d wake in a world where he was still trapped in a house away from his siblings, his father’s looming shadow eating up the light), Todoroki Shouto rubbed at his eye.

The other one (still tender, still sore; the bandages would need changing, soon) was still working, luckily, and he longed to itch at it, too; however, he knew that that was a dumb idea.

His nanny had warned him about infections and further damage and…

“Would you mind if I sat with you, Shouto-kun?”

Blinking (and trying to suppress a yawn), the six-year-old looked up at the man he’d been offered to call Shouta-san, his need to fidget growing even as he nodded, he…

“No... you can sit… it… this is your h-house now, right?”

He’d never been good with… strangers despite the hope he could feel trying to creep up in him, the same hope that’d been born when Touya-nii had tried to smile at him earlier and Fuyumi-nee hugged him and Natsuo-nii gave him his last chicken-strip and…

“I’d like to think that it’s our house… and thank you” the dark-haired man replied, the rest of their family (if they could call it that, if he could) sat on the floor a little ways in front of them, the other adults (his new… aunty and uncle) guiding his brothers and sister through the rules of a board-game he was too unsure of himself to try; “are you feeling sleepy?”

“N-no” he tried, the lie stumbling between his lips (because lying was wrong, lying led to punishments) as he leaned into his side of the couch he’d only ever seen in passing, this wing of their father’s estate a place he’d not been allowed to be in after his fourth birthday and his parents’… argument over his training; “I just… my eye is…”

“Would you be okay with me having a look?” the older asked gently, his body still at a respectable distance whilst the sounds of surprise and laughter floated all around them; “I should imagine it’s getting a little itchy, huh?” he furthered warmly, his hand brandishing a green medi-kit that he must have carried over with him.

“Um” he replied quietly; “I can do it, though” he said, his shoulders straightening as one of the first lessons he’d so painfully learned came to the forefront of his mind: “chichi-ue says that I need to get used to—”

“Shouto-kun, if I may?” the man (a Pro hero, his siblings had said) cut-in gently; “your father isn’t here” he reminded: “and getting used to treating your own wounds is a valuable skill, that’s true, but I’d say that’s more so for a young adult going into a hero course and not someone of your tender years” he furthered with a small smile. “Not that I’ll stop you if you want to do it yourself, of course” he told him, those words causing him to blink; “however, I’d like to help you… if that’s alright?”

Swallowing thickly, he found himself at a loss for words.

No adult, not even his mother (who’d been so protective of him… until she… hadn’t been) had spoken to him like that; was… was this what it was like to be validated and considered?

“C-can… would you do it, please?”

Watching as the other didn’t baby him or laugh or grunt at him for failing some kind of… test, the six-year-old could only let out a relieved sigh as the omega who’d come to live with them (and… make things better?) nodded at his request, opened the kit and gestured for him to move closer.

“M’sorry… for the trouble” he heard himself say as fresh gauze, bandage and a few bottles were removed, his visible eye sneaking a quick glance at the others as Yamada-san praised Natsuo-nii’s game-playing whilst Kayama-san promised that she’d make a come-back and win, his teeth pinching his bottom lip; “s-shouldn’t you be playing, too, Shouta-san?”

“I have plenty of time to play games” the raven-haired housekeeper murmured gently, that small smile he’d been wearing widening a bit; “we both will, from now on, okay? But, at this moment? There’s nothing I’d like to do more than help you, alright?”

Nodding (because… what was he supposed to say to that?), the youngest Todoroki felt his little hands close into fists atop his lap; “b-but I… I don’t know h-how… t-to play…”

“Then I’ll show you” the hero his father had dragged into this estate in his mother’s stead murmured; “there’s no need to rush things, either… today has been a really big day, hasn’t it?” he tried to chuckle: “and we’ve all got a lot of adjusting to do… and adjusting takes time, so please don’t feel that you have to do everything right away” he said. “For now? Let’s just take each new day as it comes… and, for what it’s worth? I think you’re doing an amazing job… you’ve already lived through so much” he mused, their gazes locking; “you’re an incredible young man, Shouto-kun, and probably one of the bravest people I know.”

Sucking in a breath, his body moving on its own, the flame and ice quirk user didn’t register himself moving or any other reactions around the room…

“It’s okay… it’s okay… that’s right… let it out…”

… as he all but leapt into the omega’s welcoming form, sob after sob tumbling unbidden from his mouth as he clutched onto the man’s yukata and burrowed himself into the safety of strong, gently soothing arms…

“M’not b-brave! I’m n-not!”

“Yes, yes you are… but even brave people need to cry, sometimes.”

… his body trembling like it did during his training-sessions and on that terrible, awful day not so long ago when his mother (who’d loved him, he was sure that she’d loved him… she loved him, right?!) had turned on him, the kettle in hand, her icy-fingers trying to help but making things worse…

“D’you cry-y?”

“Heh, probably not as much as I should.”

… and he’d been so scared; everyone… everyone he’d ever known seemed to hate him and he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it…

“B-b-but you… you’re a… a P-pro, aren’t y-you?”

“I’m human, too… and being a hero doesn’t mean that you don’t feel sad, Shouto-kun; hell… even if people like All Might-o smile all the time for the cameras? You better believe that he has sad days, too, because everyone does.”

… his father said that Touya was irrationally jealous of him because, just like Fuyumi and Natsuo, the omega teenager hadn’t been born for greatness, unlike him with his two-toned hair and eyes…

“E-even… even E-Endeav-our?”

“Yes, even him… though I doubt he’d admit it” the man who held him replied, his tone as gentle as the fingers running through his hair; “but, together? I’m hoping that me, you, your older brothers and sister can make a life where we won’t need to cry as much… your new aunt and uncle and your younger sibling will help us out, too, alright?”

~*~

After letting the youngest child of his mate’s cry himself to sleep? The mood of the room became sombre once more; shit…

Looking around at the other kids, his best friends (who he still felt guilty as fuck over including in this… mess) similarly at a loss, he looked around the room as something… instinctive, something down-right omega pushed itself to the surface and poured out of his mouth. “Hey” he began, the others looking to him (as they probably would, for now on; shit… he hoped that Enji’s wife could forgive him); “ano… I have an idea, so… everyone? How would you feel about, well, camping out in here, with all of us together, umm… just for tonight?”

It wasn’t the best start but, being rational?

“E-eh? Ah~! Shou-chan~! I think that’s a great idea~! Why, we can grab up all’a the futons, and cushions and you know, make a proper night of it~! Hell~! We can put a movie on that big-ol TV and munch on popcorn, right? I’m sure that I saw some dried-kernels in the pantry~!”

Things… could have been worse and maybe, just maybe, Shouto venting (and sobbing his heart out; shit!) had been a good thing for them all; Fuyumi had quickly followed suit (Nemuri scooping her up instantly) whilst Natsuo and Touya (who had their own trauma and demons to battle with in their own ways) had looked on, the vote for everyone to get ready for bed a unanimous one.

“So… this is going to be like one of those… sleep-overs people our age talk about on TV, right?”

Grinning at the alpha boy (he still had Shouto in his arms, his freshly bandaged eye all the better for a clean though, sadly, it looked as though he’d carry the scar for the rest of his days), Shouta nodded as he watched Hizashi and Touya shove the bulky furniture aside to make from for their futons; “it won’t be exactly the same” he reminded. “However, even if it’s just for tonight? I know that I’ll feel a lot better with us all together in one room” he offered with a light shrug; “that? And I think it’s about time that you guys get to claim parts of your own home and live in it, make changes to it and hell, if everyone’s feeling up to it? Maybe we should head out to one of the smaller malls tomorrow” he mused. “I’m a minimalist, by nature, but that certainly doesn’t mean that you guys have to be, plus? Your aunt and uncle are very good at spending money and shopping” he snickered, his best friends cackling in a way that had Fuyumi giggling and the boys’ blink.

“Oh, you know us too well, Shou-chan~!” Nemuri tittered whilst helping the young girl beside her shake out the blankets and pillows Hizashi, Touya and Natsuo had carried in from other rooms; “and I think that it’s a great idea, why, we can really make a day of it… well, so long as you guys want to” she back-tracked a little, her tone sheepish.

They were all well aware that these kids (damaged in ways they’d barely scratched the surface of) needed breaking in… gently to the world beyond their sire’s walled estate, all of them having been home-schooled and repressed to the point where something as small and normal as shopping could be too much.

“I… I’d like that” Natsuo admitted, his smile broadening; “ano… I don’t have any money, though…”

“This will be our treat, lil listener~!” Hizashi grinned whilst high-fiving his wife; “think of it as us making up for missed birthdays and whatnot as your officially unofficial aunty and uncle, alright~?” he added with a wink whilst Touya frowned a touch.

“It’s his money we should be spending” he stated flatly, his arms folding tightly across his chest before looking to him, his scowl softening; “b-but, thank you… it… it’s probably not the best idea to try digging into his funds just yet but, you know, since he caused all of this… this trouble? I promise that he’ll pay you back…”

“Maa-aa~! Touya-kun~!” the raven-haired woman now diligently fluffing their pillows chuckled; “you don’t need to take responsibility for this or anything, you know~!” she said with a wink that had the pale-haired teen blink: “all I… we want for you guys is to enjoy being young~! Enjoy the things that you’ve been kept from” she furthered, her smile dimming. “You… you really all deserve at least that much and now that we’re here? We’ll do everything we can to try and make your lives better and closer to, well, the kind of normal we enjoyed… you know, friends, school, fashion, media and sneaking up onto the roof of UA when you’re not allowed to but doing it, anyway~!”

Laugh-snorting alongside his blond best-friend, the children gasping and then offering little chuckles themselves, Shouta continued to cradle the sleeping Todoroki close to him as Fuyumi and her brothers grew bolder with their curious questions, his eyes slowly surveying the small amount of progress they’d made and feeling himself relax, even if a little.

He…

They could do this.

Together? He knew they could make a go of this strange… family they’d been cobbled into even if the Enji problem (and boy, was getting him in line ever going to be) still loomed large and over them all; because?

He’d never backed down from a challenge before, or a villain for that matter, and so?

“Okay then” he called, his smile quipping; “let’s go get our teeth brushed and pyjamas on” he told them, a weird, paternal tingle tripping up his hindbrain: “especially you, Nemuri… don’t think I missed you hogging all of the garlic-dip during dinner~!”

~*~

Pulling in a deep breath away from the receiver, Todoroki Enji pressed the ‘emergency’ button under his desk to alert his most senior sidekicks that there was a threat building, his eyes slanting to the doors as Clair Voyance* and Kido** appeared; “Kizuki-san” he replied meaningfully, his subordinates nodding before leaving once more.

They’d be quick to investigate this… journalist and prepare a file for him whilst he stalled; “I can only imagine that the person with you, at this time, is Watanabe-san, yes?” he mused, his tone gruffly-demure: “please inform my former house-keeper that she will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for several violations of the ‘Pro Secrets Act’” he grunted.

“My… source is well aware of the ramifications of their actions, Endeavour-san” the woman on the other end of his private-line (that the Police Force Commander could be waiting on; shit! He needed to know that Suijin, the little criminal-snot that he was, would be keeping his mouth shut sooner rather than later) purred. “Juko News will be more than happy to cover any and all of their legal costs, and—”

“Allow me to stop you there” he said, his tone calm and meaningfully low; “the Hero Public Safety Commission have been made aware of you contacting me and your… accusations” he relayed neutrally enough: “furthermore, should you wish to truly capitalise on the circumstances Watanabe has no doubt given you a one-sided version of?” he teased. “Then, perhaps, in exchange for… allowing justice to be served against her? You’d be more than happy to meet myself and the omega of which she’s told you such… slanderous lies about” he offered, a smirk pricking his lips when he heard the news-hound’s intake of breath; “surely an exclusive with the #2 hero would be worth more to you than her lies, yes?”

One beat…

Two…

“Ah-h, Endeavour-sama, but of course~!” the femme uttered, his smirk curling into something devilishly pleased (because hadn’t his Shouta offered to play along in exchange for his… week-long exile from their nest?) as he allowed himself to relax into his office’s chair; “would tomorrow be acceptable, or…”

“Make it Tuesday, in the afternoon” he replied, his tone unchanged; “as you’re thoroughly aware, I have a family to consider outside of the terrorist attack which has led me and the omega you’ve been told about to our… current situation, a situation that many an alpha and omega have been… led to, thanks to biology” he said.

Altering the narrative to the one he preferred…

Casting further doubt upon his disgruntled, former employee…

Assuring that his well-orchestrated version of events would take precedent, especially if Suijin had known better than to run his stupid, z-list criminal mouth off; “this way? I can prepare my children, who’ve already met with him and are with him now, so that news of our… coupling is fully squared away with them before it’s spread across the media” he mused.

“I would consider this a Juko News exclusive, too” he added, the greedy-woman’s inhale all the answer he needed; “so, do we have ourselves a deal?”

Chapter Text

By 05:00 on Monday morning, Todoroki Enji, though tired (he’d had quite the busy few hours after thoroughly bedding the svelte beauty who was his and carrying the first of more heirs) was feeling remarkedly accomplished.

He’d secured the interview he’d have to give at some point, anyway, whilst seeing Watanabe arrested (he felt no sympathy for the housekeeper upon whom he’d previously relied so much, no; the burn of betrayal had always stung him deeply and he’d never shown mercy to anyone who crossed him: he never would) and taken away for processing.

He’d also been able to visit and interrogate Suijin off the record (as was his right as the #2 hero, let alone a Pro who’d been directly and irrevocably effected by the other’s act of terrorism), the little snot all but pissing himself…

“P-please, sir… I… I didn’t mean to… ugh…”

“You picked a fine time to grow a conscience, didn’t you?”

“I… I… I just… I mean… I tried to… I…”

“Continue to keep your mouth shut and you’ll be rewarded with a more lenient sentence, you understand? I’ll even vouch that you, criminal scum that you are, weren’t known to carry such potent, biological agents and corroborate on the story my lawyer will give you later. However? Should you try to go against me? Should that… conscience of yours make a comeback then I’ll bury you so far inside Tartarus that even the Special Rank Criminals will pity you, do you understand?”

… before he’d happily joined the party-line and decided his life meant more than the truth.

Heh, but what was truth other than perception?

And perception changed in accordance with different viewpoints, didn’t it?

Plus?

What was the point in revealing what’d actually happened?

What good would it do?

Hell, even his mate understood that, didn’t he?

Because what would be the fall out?

Shouta would still be mated to him but he’d lose his license, his status, his estate, his Agency, his money and any real or meaningful way to support the man he was bound to and, worse of all?

The children would be taken from his custody which, for the oldest three?

That would probably be fine but he would not allow his prodigy to be taken from him, no.

No.

And, it was with that thought that he continued to fly home, that noun carrying more weight than it ever did because now, with their bond and the children?

He… they could actually make one… even if those interlopers were there to stay.

Hmm.

Perhaps that was something he could work on, too…

~*~

Waking early, as he always did (sleep came to him in fits and star since his career as an underground Pro had kicked in; shit… he’d need to start working on ways to get his mate to back down on him never returning to his true-calling by ensuring parenting was balanced between them… somehow) Aizawa Shouta felt…

Oddly hopeful, really.

Shouto was curled at his side, his cherubic yet bandaged face relaxed and pain-free for the time being…

Touya was sprawled out to his right, his body star-fished atop his futon whilst he snored, faintly…

Fuyumi was nestled between Nemuri and Hizashi, her form curved more towards the woman she’d made an instant connection with, probably due to her own mother being… elsewhere…

Natsuo, however, although he’d claimed that he might just go back to his room (there were years of trauma laying beneath the other’s friendly exterior, he could tell, and he’d make sure that he and his sister were never ignored as the cast-off children ever again) lay to his left but, unlike his siblings?

His body was coiled tightly.

His teeth were gritted.

He didn’t look as though he’d enjoyed any peace during this time of rest; shit.

When they were all awake, the kids hopefully distracted by some fun game his female best-friend so good at putting together on the fly, he’d take Hizashi to one-side and see if the blond could look into any alpha-based, self-esteem programs for teens because this?

This was not right.

A kid with his whole life ahead of him shouldn’t be so pent-up with tension that he couldn’t even enjoy a night’s worth of sleep; hmm…

He had a sneaking suspicion that being the son of a certain someone, an alpha someone, had something to do with it and, speaking of which?

He could feel… something trickling through the fledgling bond he had…

Something that was telling him, unfortunately, that the bastard responsible for 99.9% of the pain he’d seen over the last forty-eight hours or so was on the approach…

Days ahead of the schedule they’d previously agreed to because of course Endeavour wouldn’t keep such a simple promise…

Of course he’d see his ownership of the homestead (their marriage not properly discussed, the conditions of how they’d be sharing what assets they had between them and when something he was very conscious of… not that the law would allow him to do much even with his fellow Pro Hero friends in his corner) as an invitation…

Shit…

However?

As much as he didn’t want to deal with Todoroki Enji?

He wanted him around these precious, beautiful children even less and so, with a sigh?

He carefully pulled away from Shouto (ensuring that his naturally cooler side was carefully ensconced by the blanket they’d been sharing; it was the summer, yes, but the mornings were still cool, especially in a drafty, old house like this one) and stood, his body still covered in the pyjamas his friends had kindly brought over to him with several other items from his ho—

Former home; shit.

Then, his head shaking lightly, he delicately made his way out of the gathered futons to gently shake Nemuri awake (because Hizashi was prone to… outbursts when shocked and, given how deeply he was sleeping, it wasn’t a risk worth taking), the woman’s blue eyes widening then narrowing upon him, his soothing omega pheromones ensuring that she wouldn’t think he was in distress.

“The dumpster-fire is coming” he whispered, her brows furrowing as she scowled; “I’m going out to meet him and pull him away from the main house… just let the kids know that there’s nothing to worry about, alright?” he murmured whilst she nodded.

“Just be careful” she breathed; “and remember that we’re here if you need us, okay?”

~*~

Landing, the twang of feelings across the bond (solidifying with every second) not unexpected, Enji was surprised that his mate had come out to greet him, his body hidden beneath old, baggy pyjamas (which simply wouldn’t do; he’d have more appropriate clothing (all emblazoned with his family’s crest) made for him soon) as he stood in their bedroom’s private courtyard.

“Oh honey” he announced blandly; “you’re home early” he deadpanned with a sarcastic little bow (which he shouldn’t have found endearing… but he did), his arms crossed imperiously across his chest: “how nice to know that your promises mean nothing…”

“I would have called, however, I wasn’t anticipating that you’d be awake, let alone so… eager to welcome me” he chuffed, the hint of a grin tugging at his lips whilst he allowed the flames of his quirk to die away; “there has been… a development” he said before walking past the other.

Hmm.

The eyerolling was something they’d need to work on, especially before Wednesday afternoon.

“And I should care because?”

“Because it was your clumsy handling of Watanabe that has led to me being here early and me having to strike a deal that’ll allow us to live without the hounding of the media—”

“Without the media finding out the truth and you getting your entrapping ass dragged through the mud you mean” the (clever, so very clever) younger retorted blandly, a single shrug of his shoulders revealing how little he cared about the housekeeper kicking up a fuss; “so we’re going to play husband and wifey for the cameras sooner rather than later?”

“Yes, tomorrow…”

“Tomorrow?” his Shouta snipped, his head shaking ruefully; “oh yeah, fine, sure… why the hell not?” he grumbled whilst stalking after him, his bare-feet soundless upon the morning cool slabs of highly polished sandstone which led the way to their bedchamber. “Should I wear a wedding veil to match that damned, leather collar you’ve gifted me with, hmm? Or maybe I should go for the whole nine-yards and wear a dress, too…”

“Or you could, perhaps, practise that logical mindset you’ve been so renowned for and approach this matter more candidly” he huffed whilst toeing off his boots and walking inside, his right brow cocking when he found the chamber to be scentless, the futon still immaculately covered with its blankets; “you… didn’t sleep here?”

“Tch, obviously” the omega said whilst walking past him, his right arm gesturing to the door; “my friends and I spent all of yesterday getting to know those incredibly amazing kids of yours” he stated, the edge of his tone sharpening: “the way you’ve treated them is deplorable” he grunted. “Touya is raging ball of hurt covered by a thin skin of rebellion, Fuyumi is so reserved and subdued that she doesn’t dare to speak her mind and Natsuo resents being your son so much that he can’t even sleep properly” he furthered, their eyes locking.

“And then there’s Shouto, isn’t there?” he grumbled while he continued to remove his uniform, the top half folded neatly and placed in the laundry basket he’d assigned to his costume next to his shoulder-guards which could do with a polish; “you are not going to train him—”

“You over-step yourself” he growled darkly, a flare of self-righteous anger speeding through the bond, causing his mate to flinch; “he is…”

“Not going to be trained by you, not until he’s older, not unless he wants to and most certainly not until you’ve learned to rein in that nasty temper of yours” the omega challenged, the protective anger he sent back to him making his breath catch whilst the other’s hair snaked upwards, his bloody gaze narrowed. “I will train him, I will train all of them, well, any of them who want to learn” he continued whilst advancing towards him, a pointed, accusatory fingers poking him harshly in the chest; “and I swear to you that I’ll make good on the threat I made to our lives the other day if you dare to go against me on this—”

“A-alright” he heard himself say, his breathing becoming… difficult under the oppressive pressure bearing down on him; shit…

It was like he was being choked but… how?

“Good” the other snipped, his quirk dying with a blinked-scowl and a furious swipe at those reddened eyes; “and stop being such a dick, too… I mean, what do you hope to gain from all of this bluster and bullying, huh? Would it hurt you to treat those children as though you actually give a fuck?!”

Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, Enji sneered but kept his side of the bond locked down; “give a fuck?” he murmured. “That is all I do” he said, his tone flat and brokering no argument as the omega bristled. “You’re a hero, Shouta… you know what kind of scum roam about this world, you know there are people developing quirks, organically or otherwise, and weaponizing them… hell, only 20% of the global population is quirkless, now” he stated. “When I was born it was 35% and—"

“I don’t need or want a lecture or a history lesson, thank you” the shorter said dismissively before daring to turn his back and move towards the door; “you’re just making up excuses to be full of yourself and— whoa~”

Moving at a speed he’d not thought himself capable of, the alpha was suddenly between his mate and the door, his eyes blazing; “they’re not excuses, you fool!” he spat, his hands balling into fists. “Why can’t you see the writing on the wall? Why is everyone so blind?!” he snapped, his body looming over the other who was refusing to back away even though they could both feel his trembling.

“The next generations, Shouta… there are going to be children born with quirks the likes of which will make even All Might seem mediocre” he ground out, his shoulders bunching when he managed to push that oaf’s blasted name out of his mouth. “There are children Shouto’s age with that kind of potential, too… and not all of them will want to be heroes” he reminded. “No… no many of them will be enticed by the freedom they think villainy offers, they’ll want to destroy civilisation as we know for their own base, selfish desires and that means the heroes of the future must be stronger! They must be ready! Don’t you see that?!” he asked, his eyes searching the other’s expression.

“So tell me, since you’re clearly the person in the right, here? What would you have me do? Let Touya push himself to the point of life-altering scars only to be killed by some criminal who’ll take advantage of them? Allow Fuyumi and Natsuo to try their hands at combat when the girl faints at the sight of blood and the boy can hardly generate a frost?” he hissed.

“Should I just shrug my shoulders, laugh it off and wave them away to die?! Well?!” he hissed, his teeth gritting whilst he tried to stop his powers from erupting; “or maybe I should ingratiate myself with them, hmm? Maybe I shouldn’t be on patrol, seven days a week, morning, noon and night fighting the fights that lesser heroes can’t, would that be better?! To let the weaker ones perish when I could have been there instead?!”

“I…”

“Then, when I die at a villain’s hands or yours, wouldn’t be it so nice for them to see me dead and actually want to mourn me?! Causing them that kind of psychological harm and prompting them to seek vengeance for my death, probably resulting in their own, is far superior to how they’ve been raised so far, yes? With ridiculously expensive tutors ensuring they can make names for themselves academically, most of Japan not knowing that they’re mine meaning they’re less likely to be targeted by my many enemies and every material comfort they could ever need, well! I guess you’re right, huh?! I’m such a terrible, awful monster, aren’t I? Well?! What’s the matter?! You were so eager to talk before, weren’t you?!” he snarled.

“Well?!”

~*~

Of all the ways that this shit-show could have gone down? This scenario hadn’t been a factor at all; shit…

“What I think, right now, is that you need to get some sleep” he said, his tone quiet, the animosity he’d been feeling dying away as he began to unpack the verbal tsunami the other had unleashed, his hindbrain realising that underneath all of that vitriol and anger there was…

Fear…

Grief…

Remorse…

Conflict and pain…

A pain so deep that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it all; shit…

“Tch” the other managed, his form deflating since he’d not risen to take the bait and spin the argument they’d been having to the point where it could have become physical; “fine, but we will—”

“I’m not going anywhere” he cut in and, after a swallow, he walked towards the other (who blinked, almost flinchingly) as he had done when Enji had introduced him to the children, a hand reaching out to gently rest atop the other’s warm chest. “You’re hurting and, regardless of everything else? We’re never going to move forward if we keep butting heads and, although it’s not in my nature to be open and unguarded? I can do it and you… you really can’t, not right now… so I’ll step up today, for both our sakes” he offered, their eyes locking.

Shit…

The alpha looked drained… helpless…

“I… don’t need or want your pity…”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want your attitude or to share a futon with you smelling like a day-old bonfire” he quipped before reaching out to take the other’s hand, the bewildered, owlish look suddenly back across that formerly furious face. “So come on… Nemuri and Hizashi will be looking after the kids, so let’s get you washed and then tucked in for a power nap” he ordered whilst tugging the other, like some sluggishly-grumpy bear, towards the bathroom; “and yes, I’ll scrub your back and wash your hair but anything else you want scrubbing in on you, you hear?”

“I…”

“Good, now then… let’s get this done, quick” he huffed, his eyes-rolling; “you look like you’re ready to drop and there is no way any of us are going to be able to pick you up and carry you if you do, is there, huh?”

Chapter Text

An hour or so later saw soon to be Todoroki (which he was not thrilled about) Shouta sat upon the expansive futon that was his mating-bed, the alpha who’d entrapped him (and there was no reason to stay mad at the situation, he supposed; not that he’d let Enji off so easy) fast asleep, his head pillowed in his lap.

Letting out a sigh, his dark eyes tracking a small flock of sparrows dancing and tittering around the courtyard and the summer-sweetened acer-tress through the window, he almost didn’t hear the quiet cough and tap at the shoji door behind him.

Blinking, he looked to find Nemuri peeking through the crack, a worried-annoyed looking Touya crouching to do the same; umm…

Could he smell food?

“Hey” he called through a whisper, his right hand beckoning them in whilst his left hand (just for something to do) continued to run through the alpha’s crimson hair as he lightly snored and curled further around him in his sleep; “breakfast?” he asked as the door slid away to allow the two inside.

“We’ve brought enough for the big-guy too, you know, when he wakes up” his friend (now dressed in her favourite, baggy sweater dress despite the building, summer-heat and her mop-slippers* whilst her long, formerly cascading deep-navy hair was shoved into an artful ponytail) murmured whilst shuffling inside.

Touya, a little more reluctant (his turquoise eyes shifting around the room (that he didn’t think used to be shared by the #2 and his soon to be ex-wife) cautiously) scuttled after her, his body dressed in loose, grey-pants and an oversized white t-shirt whilst he carried a tray of drinks, two of which were steaming cups of coffee.

Oh… thank the God he didn’t believe in!

“Thank you” he replied with a nod; “how’re you, Touya-kun? Are you sister and brothers alright?” he asked as the teenager he’d be helping to become a Pro (though he’d be starting a year later than most; he was sure that his father’s… good name would mean that wouldn’t be a problem, though: he had a plan of his own, too) carefully approached.

“Shouldn’t it be me who’s asking you that?” his fellow omega murmured, the scowl he wore darkening when he looked to his sleeping, biological parent; “just because he’s done this to you shouldn’t mean that you have to be mauled by him” he added, a touch of anger spiking his tone.

Heh.

“Amen, kid” he told him, their eyes meeting. “But I did mean what I told you… what I said to all of you when we first met” he reminded softly before gratefully taking a mug of black (decaff, he lamented, but psychologically it didn’t matter), nourishing goodness whilst Nemuri (silently watching them and taking everything in) placed the tray of miso-soup, steamed-rice, pickles and poached salmon onto the tatami-mat covered floor. “We’re all in this together… and I’ll do everything I can to help you guys, even him… so that we can all live the best lives possible and include your mom, as well, when she’s better” he stated, the teen’s expression creasing lightly with pain…

Guilt?

Regret?

“Y-yeah… well, make sure you eat” the youth tried to say whilst looking away and getting up; “I’ll go back and tell ‘em all that you’re okay before Zashi-ji puts that big, neck-amplifier thing on and starts yelling or whatever” he muttered before scurrying out of the room.

Damn…

That poor, sweet kid…

“You sir, are a wonder, you know that?”

Regarding his friend candidly as she seasoned one of the bowls of rice for him, Shouta shook his head lightly and looked down at the alpha (who seemed younger and less troubled in the deep sleep his burn-out had brought on) he was unceremoniously petting; “I’m just being logical” he told her quietly. “Since there is no undoing this? It’s up to me… to us to make this work with as little collateral damage as possible” he admitted before taking a mouthful of his beverage; “it’s you and Hizashi who are—”

“Ah-ah-ah” she cut in with a wink; “we’re your family, too, you know” she grinned: “now make sure that you eat something, okay? Me and my hubby are going to take this… opportunity to hack through all of Endeavour’s parental controls and introduce the kiddos to TV, the good side of the internet and start shopping for… necessities with his Black AMEX~!” she snickered with a wink.

Allowing his shoulders to relax, Shouta let a little chuckle escape him whilst raising his coffee-mug at her; “my only requests are cat-based” he said whilst she snickered; “take that as you will…”

~*~

Awakening to the scent of breakfasts foods, his eyelids (not as heavy as they had been) drowsily shuttering open, Todoroki Enji looked up to see his mate (for better or worse but he had hope; the fact that Shouta had taken to the children, so well, was something he’d not dared to hope for previously… most omegas only wanted their kids) drinking miso-soup.

“You feeling any better?”

“Marginally” he replied before (reluctantly; he’d been stupidly, irresponsibly comfortable just now) moving to sit up, his brows rising at the sight of the half-eaten breakfast tray; “I thought you said you couldn’t cook?”

“I can’t” the younger shrugged before drinking down the rest of his soup; “this is all Nemuri and Hizashi’s doing” he told the other whilst he reached for the other cup of the salty, tofu-accented broth: “they went to cooking classes for date nights after we graduated from UA and, for the time being? They’re more than happy to keep us all fed” he furthered.

“I… see” he grunted before downing the soup (which was… good, he supposed; there were seasonings he couldn’t quite place which, he thought, was probably a more… modern take on a traditional recipe) and reaching for the tray so that he could eat his salmon, rice and pickles together; “so… you intend for them to stay with us indefinitely?”

“Definitely, so long as our drama doesn’t affect them negatively and so long as they want to” the lither male told him pointedly; “this is a big estate and we have a lot of kids with at least one more on the way” he reminded him, his eyes narrowing: “surely you weren’t expecting me to do everything, right?”

“No… not as such” he allowed after chewing and swallowing a mouthful; “I had just thought we’d employ our own people instead of imposing such duties on Pro Heroes who have enough duties to…”

“You just don’t like the idea of the three of us ganging up on you” the younger cut in, his lips tilting into that little smirk that he shouldn’t have found so endearing but?

The flames of his ancestors help him, he did.

“Touché” he offered, the smaller man putting his finished cup down to drink the rest of his caffeine free (he’d made sure that Watanabe had thrown out all of the more potent beverages; he could get a stronger coffee at his Agency or whilst out on patrols, after all, but wouldn’t not tempt himself or Shouta by having such drinks in the house) brew. “And it’s no less than what I deserve, I suppose” he begrudgingly admitted, the meal (which was delicious, if colder than what he’d prefer) he’d been given almost eaten; “I… it is not my intention to isolate you and I… I hadn’t intended for Rei to be… to feel as she did” he sighed, his chopsticks pausing over the last of his salmon as his stomach churned.

“Touya has told me… some of what happened… Shouto, too” his soon to be spouse said, his tone quiet and neutral whilst they regarded each other; “so? What’s your take on it all?”

“I…”

“I don’t mean to pry” the other Pro interrupted, his surprise-tinged-anger probably sparking through the bond; “I’d just prefer to hear all sides of the situation; I’m not going to vilify or condemn you, Enji (and… part of him softened, a touch, to hear his name spoken by the other) because that’d be irrational… what’s done is done” he reasoned. “However? You’re my mate now and the sire to my child” he stated bluntly; “so I need to know exactly the kind of… circumstances led to her breakdown so that, together? We can avoid such things in the future… not just for us, but for those children you share with her” he murmured.

“I do not want them going through anymore trauma… not if I can help it.”

Swallowing thickly (because he… couldn’t deny the rationality behind that request, nor could he deny the sentiment; he’d made many mistakes and been too blinded by his own ambitions and missions to see that, the dawning terror of this fact something that this new… situation was starting to make him see), the alpha nodded.

“What Touya and Shouto have told you is probably more accurate than I am… comfortable admitting” he replied, his food forgotten as he looked out at the courtyard where small flocks of sparrows were flittering and tittering in the mid-morning light; “Rei and I were… matched by our families… that is no excuse, of course” he added through a huff.

“But I was so… idealistic, back then… Ya— All Might-o and I? We were in the same class at UA and, my family’s honour being in the balance? When I realised… when I knew that my quirk was no match for his? It was decided that I’d focus my time on being the best Pro I could be whilst working on my legacy” he breathed, his eyes closing. “My mother introduced us, you know? She went out of her way to approach the Himura Clan to me and Rei, well? We both knew what our roles were” he sighed, his brows furrowing; “her family was as old as ours but they’d fallen on hard times and, since neither of us had any… romantic inclinations elsewhere? We began… courting” he said.

Which was the truth…

Which was something he’d been annoyed by, at the time; he’d been so eager to train and develop his own Agency away from his mother’s in his early twenties, the #2 rank his almost immediately after graduation (after Yagi, hell-be-damned Toshinori) and something he’d had to work very hard to keep.

“We… went on walks with chaperones, I bought her ice-lilies and she made me bentos, and we… we were quite happy, in the beginning” he allowed, his head shaking ruefully; “I had been very honest, before our marriage, that I had no… desire to play the role of husband, that my career would always come first…”

“… how romantic…”

“… and that all I expected… all I wanted in return for her family’s raised status and her not having to work was an heir who would either have a quirk strong enough to challenge the number one using one of our families’ genetic lineages or the balanced combination of the two” he carried on whilst the other rolled his eyes. “At the time? Because I’d been so honest and because I genuinely didn’t… feel anything for her outside of a lukewarm friendship? I… thought that she understood… I thought she felt the same…”

“Heh, so you are as dense as you look?” the omega quipped; “good to know…”

“That’s—”

“No, Enji” his Shouta stated, his tone firm; “from your point of view? As someone who feels similarly? I can… empathise with you becoming… disgruntled when she changed her mind but, for fuck’s sake… you’re an alpha with a working sense of smell” he chided. “You’re also someone hailed as a taction, someone who can see how your sidekicks work together enough to create strong teams who are almost Pros in their own right” he reminded whilst he blinked.

“Surely you could have understood that her needs, desires and wants had changed? That giving birth, a trauma in and of itself, would have altered her and how she felt… especially since you weren’t best pleased when Touya’s body started to let him down—”

“That is beside the point!” he snapped before reigning in his temper; “she and I made promises, we knew where we stood with each other, we—"

“Yeah, well? Things changed, Enji” the raven-haired omega laugh-snorted; “are you seriously telling me that she never once tried to talk to you? She never tried to share her concerns? Make you aware that she was struggling?”

“I…”

“Or did you just push her and her worries aside? You’d made a deal, after all, and since you were keeping yours? Well, it only stood to reason that she could… she would do the same, right?”

Snapping his mouth shut, he looked away from the other whilst previously unknown feelings of shame and… guilt flooded him.

“She… could have left, she could have taken the oldest three with her… I told her that…”

“Wow” the man he’d bound himself to deadpanned; “so she could have abandoned her youngest child and gone begging to her parents, who sound like dicks by the way, with her honour in tatters and a divorce settlement in tow?” he quipped, his eyes rolling. “Gee… I wonder why she didn’t take you up on your magnanimous offer…”

“It… it wouldn’t have—”

“The actual fuck?” the younger snipped. “How else would it have been, huh? You idyllically raising Shouto, who somehow wouldn’t miss his mother, to be the perfect Pro in between missions whilst she, Touya, Fuyumi and Natsuo just went on to live lives completely separate from you and everything they’d ever known in a house filled with angry, disappointed Himura’s?”

Oh…

Well…

He…

“Yeah… that’s what I thought” he chuffed, those dark eyes rolling; “but… at least you were honest with her and, to an extent, me… which is something, I guess” he said before moving off of the futon with a stretch: “we are going to do right by Rei-san from now on” he stated, his tone brokering no argument. “And I do mean shared custody and anything else, including an allowance she can live off of, she might want when she’s better—”

“Shouta, you can’t…”

“Yes I can” the other affirmed, his quirk flashing across his eyes momentarily; “she deserves that much, at least… and so do your kids” he told him hotly: “they have to come before all of us” he continued bluntly, his arms folding. “Not just because they’re our future? But because they deserve it… all four of them regardless of your #1 ranking ambitions, alright?”

“Tch… fine” he conceded before moving to finish off his (now) cold breakfast; “and? After we’ve gone to check on them? You and I will have to prepare for our interview…”

“Oh, don’t you worry” the cunning omega cut in, his smirk curling dangerously; “by in large? I know exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it…”

Chapter Text

Kizuki Chitose would admit that, in all of her journalistic career, this opportunity was something she could never have anticipated, let alone hoped for because Endeavour wasn’t like All Might-o who would happily smile and pose for cameras both before and after interviews, no…

No.

He grunted at any member of the press bold enough to approach him…

Jetted away from the crimes he’d stopped as soon as his job was done…

Redirected any questions of any nature to his Agency’s dedicated helpline…

And so, as one of the first people to ever get a sit-down interview with the infamous alpha (let alone when she’d been given such juicy gossip by Watanabe-san… it was a shame, she lamented, that the poor dear had been arrested for infringing the Pro Secrets Act, but still…) let alone his new mate, well?

This was unprecedented~!

This was spectacular~!

This would no doubt win her a prize, an award, a promotion~!

Plus?

Re-Destro-sama would be pleased, wouldn’t he?

Grinning to herself as she slipped out of the taxi she’d used to arrive at the meeting, the teal-skinned femme grinned whilst regarding the infamous Pro’s Agency building; she’d been given her ‘press-pass’ and would be greeted, apparently, by one of Endeavour’s top-ten sidekicks.

Hmm.

And maybe, if she was careful?

She could make notes of entrances and exits…

Spy potential areas of weakness…

Find the best nooks and crannies for planting surveillance gear, she…

“Kizuki-san?”

Blinking out of her thoughts (she’d been standing outside the security-heavy doors, her eyes slinking this way and that around what parts of the lobby she could see behind the thick, quirk-resistant glass), the journalist plastered on her mega-watt smile and replied “hai~!” simperingly.

“Please follow me” Burnin (the sidekick who was most rumoured to be romantically entangled with Endeavour; hmm~! Was that another, juicy titbit she could milk?) offered, her luminous eyes narrowed a touch whilst her smile strained to spread against her young face.

Hmm~!

“Of course~!” she veritably chirped as the doors opened with a quieted swoosh, her preppy demeanour thoroughly in place as she scampered behind the younger femme, her designer stilettos tapping merrily against the (ooh~!) marble flooring to resound around that (ah~!) high-ceilinged reception are. “Ano… Burnin-kun” she veritably chirped whilst the other marched diligently ahead, the two or three other sidekicks hovering in the ornate, opulent lobby regarding her warily (ho?); “were you with our newly mated couple when this… umm… incident occurred?”

“There was nothing incidental about it” the green-haired woman (more of a girl, really; according to her research? This femme Pro had been in the classic ‘Big Three’ of UA last year and, instead of carving out a career for herself? She’d… settled, here, as a sidekick) bit out; “they were attacked by a villain” she added bluntly. “Or did you not read the press-release our Agency put out nationally, hm? Isn’t that part of your… profession?” she chuffed, her tone defensive…

Aggravated?

Annoyed?

Guilty?

Well-well-well~!

“Maa-aa~ yes, you’re right, of course~!” she cooed, her smile trying to soften as they approached a grand, marble framed elevator; “it must have been quite the… harrowing situation” she murmured: “and so… unexpected, besides…”

“I’m not sure what you think you’re getting at, kisha-san” the girl chuffed, the luminescent green of her hair flaring whilst she veritably jabbed at the button to summon the lift; “but I’ll remind you that you’re a guest here” she added: “and guests who overstay their welcome will not be tolerated in this Agency, you hear?”

“Hm? Of yes, you’ve made yourself quite clear, Burnin-san” she replied whilst trying not to grin to cruelly; “I’ll be on my best behaviour with your boss and his mate” she furthered whilst the tell-tale ding announced the parting of gold-guilted doors: “you have my word…”

~*~

Sitting (stiffly; he’d never been on edge in his own, God damned office for fuck’s sake!) in his executive’s chair, his face aflame and uniform aglow, Pro Hero Endeavour wasn’t sure who he was more… concerned about talking during this ill-fated encounter…

“This office is an eyesore; you decked it out with your inheritance and not public money, I take it?”

… because, after having Claire Voyance and Kido look into Kizuki-san? They’d reported back to him in great and worrying detail all about her keen-wit, patronising tone and annoying proclivity for picking at the person she was interviewing until they trapped themselves in their own wording…

“You do realise that this kind of square-footage would be better used for training facilities or, heaven forbid, a mental-health station… you work your people hard, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however? Have you ever stopped to think about what you can do to help them avoid burn-out?”

… which, when paired with his (volatile, eerily chatty) mate? Well…

“Hell, even giving those sidekicks of yours some decent, well-stocked vending-machines since you have them running around doing your bidding so often would be something; I mean... why bother placing shared kitchenettes on the residential floors when they hardly get the chance to do any cooking?”

This was going to be a disaster…

He was going to be ruined and, although he did have other means by which to support himself (and his new mate and children and Rei… fuck) he was not relishing the trial to come.

Shit.

“Tch… you believe that my status and Agency will survive this encounter?” he quipped blandly, his turquoise eyes narrowing on the omega (who, in a move no doubt intended to further nark him) wearing his bland, baggy uniform instead of the kimono he’d had made for him. “Considering that you’re so… insistent on what you wish to say despite my media-officer’s best efforts? I certainly have my doubts” he chuffed unhappily; “your eyes have been gleaming with some kind of… intent since I broke the news of this meeting to you the other day…”

“Now… honey” the other deadpanned, the barest hint of a shit-eating grin pricking those deliciously pinked lips; “don’t be so quick to forget that your… status, as you put it, spreads food on the table and keeps a roof over our heads” he hummed deceptively sweet: “if you believe nothing else then believe that I don’t want to jeopardise that…”

“Heh, so you say” he grumped, his arms folding imperially across his broad-chest; “don’t forget that I’m wise to you and your… friends conspiring” he stated, their eyes locking from where the underground hero was slouched (irritatingly indelicately) by the large window to his right. “You’re already plotting and planning ahead for whatever fallout is to come—"

“We are planning ways to make our new family work, Enji-kun” the younger man cut in, his smirk deepening; “and you’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not, so you’re being pulled along after I find a way of pulling that stick out of your ass” he huffed. “Change, Nemuri tells me, is as good thing after all” he said just as the private elevator, which connected the lobby to his office directly, chimed like a death-knell; “and what better time to start yanking that stick than now, hmm?”

~*~

Feeling more than a little giddy (it was probably hormones; he’d started to read, against his better judgement (he wasn’t due for over eight months and anything, being logical, could happen before then), an omega-pregnancy book), Aizawa Shouta (ugh; would he have to marry his mate at some point?) schooled his features and regarded the elevator.

Endeavour was standing (ramrod straight, those obnoxiously showy flames of his brightening in wary annoyance) at his desk now, his attention similarly narrowed.

Heh.

Being someone who despised the media in all of its forms?

He shouldn’t be so eager to use them to his advantage, should he?

“Oh my goodness, this office is just as I’d imagined it to be~!”

However? As the infamous Kizuki-san (who Hizashi had taken a good, long look at via his vast communications network both as a Pro and a DJ) tittered and skittered into his mate’s ridiculously gawdy sanctuary with a kind of false-faked enthusiasm which was supposed to undermine those she interviewed?

“Ah~! Thank you so much for this opportunity, Endeavour-sama~! Maa~! And you must be the underground hero Eraserhead, yes?”

The omega found himself all the more eager to play along.

“That’s right” he replied, their eyes locking whilst (which was a little surprising) her smile faltered slightly.

Oh?

“Ano… please forgive me for asking such a personal question before we get started, but?” she said whilst appraising him thoroughly; “you… wouldn’t happen to be related to Hanabata-sama, would you? Hanabata Koku*, the leader of the Hearts and Minds Party?”

Blinking (and feeling Enji’s eyes snap towards him), Shouta allowed himself a lazy shrug; “not to my knowledge” he replied dully: “I was orphaned at a young age, so I’m not completely sure about my family tree beyond my parents” he admitted as she took her turn to blink. “Why do you ask?”

“O-oh, um… my apologies” she said, some of that false-cheer dulling; “I… it’s just that you look so similar~! It’s really quite… uncanny~!” she tried to chirp whilst a sweat-drop peppered her brow: “maa-aa~! Shall we get started with our interview properly now, hm?” she said whilst redirecting her attention to the narrow-eyed alpha.

Hmm.

“Yes… of course” the hellfire Pro murmured whilst gesturing her to the seat across from him at that stupidly wide, probably Victorian mahogany desk, her preppy-demeanour swiftly returning whilst Burnin stood (quiet and demur) by the elevator’s frontage and he, because it’d annoy his mate, remained at the window.

“Thank you~!” she grinned, her voice-recorder, tablet and microphone quickly freed from her large, expensive designer bag (which had been scanned without her knowledge, he’d been assured; you never could be too careful, these days) whilst she crossed her legs, sat up straight and veritably beamed at the wary man before her.

“Now then, where should we start, neh?” she all but purred, a predatory tone he’d heard Nemuri use a time or two before taking down a villain she’d been tracking lilting across her words; “I…”

“If I may, Kizuki-san? Since you’ve been so kind to offer your time to us?” he cut in (oh, but the look on Enji’s face was priceless) whilst sauntering over, his posture the epitome of relaxed (not only because he couldn’t care less about her or this... interview but because this should hopefully teach his mate a lesson or two) to stand beside the alpha. “Would you allow me to begin?”

“Goodness~!” she chittered; “how thrilling to see you two as such a modern couple with the omega leading the way~!” she gushed (in an attempt to rile Enji, no doubt; heh… his ego wouldn’t be the same after this meeting, he was sure) simperingly, her manicured fingers swiftly activating her devices with a giggled-coo.

“A modern couple might be pushing things a little far” he mused glibly whilst gesturing around at the office; “as you can see? Endeavour-sama’s tastes could do with updating a little, wouldn’t you say?”

“T-tch!”

“A-ahahaaa~! Maa-aa, Eraserhead-sama~!” the femme chortled, her smile broadening in the face of the alpha’s scowling maw; “you’re certainly taking your new partner to task” she complimented with a wink: “it would seem that you’re adjusting very well to this… new relationship you find yourself in” she added, her smile curling.

Tch.

“In that regard, you’re mistaken” he stated, the subtle flinch he could feel reverberating up the leather-chair he leaned against from his mate almost making him rethink what he was about to do; “this hasn’t been easy for either of us” he clarified, his soon to be husband jerking once more in surprise. “We have been forced together under circumstances which neither of us could have foreseen… but what I’d like to make very clear, Kizuki-san, is that I want your article to see us as two people working things out” he explained whilst she blinked. “I… we will be pursuing legal action should you attempt to paint me as a poor, victimised omega who is being cruelly trapped because he chose to be a hero” he told her firmly whilst she widened her eyes at him.

“Maa… I…”

“We’ll similarly be pursuing legal action should any of the lies Watanabe-san peddled you feature in your report” he continued, her bravado dimming a touch; “as the #2 hero in the country? My mate is exceptionally busy and usually far too industrious to keep the closest eye he could upon his household, especially with his wife being in ill health, which is something his former employee used to her advantage” he continued, his eyes narrowing. “You will not look into soon to be ex-wife, either, do you understand? She is in hospital and, although we will do everything we can to keep her within our family, on her terms? She’s just as much a victim as we are in this mess and she deserves to hear what happened, from us, when she’s ready” he said, his tone brokering no argument.

“A-ano…”

“Plus? If I see any hint, any hint at all about omegas not being allowed to become heroes with me cited as some kind of cautionary tale? I will take that personally” he warned, a flash of red colouring his irises; “and if you believe nothing else today? Then believe that you don’t want that…”

“Y-you’re threatening me? Really?” she tried to laugh, her unusual eyes narrowing balefully whilst waving the separate voice recorder at him mockingly as though she was the one with the advantage; “that is hardly the done thing—”

“I’m no more threatening you than you were threatening my mate when you twisted his arm into this… interview” he reminded, her smile vanishing momentarily. “Watanabe-san had been abusing the leniency my mate had given her to look after his children and you? You took in, spoke with and recorded her words in a clear breach of the Pro Secrets Act, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes, well, I…”

“However? This could be a situation where quid pro quo** applies, couldn’t it?” he grinned with a lazy, cat-like shrug; “it’s no secret than I’m an underground Pro and that, due to my profession, I can bend and weave around the rules far easier than my mate can” he reminded. “This means, of course, that leaning on people who try to manipulate me and making deals that the #2 can’t sully his hands with, is something I can very much do” he smirked. “And so? Let’s be friends… let’s make this a beneficial arrangement between you and us” he offered whilst her eyes widened but that silly smile and childish-manner hadn’t returned, no.

She looked…

Impressed?

“Oh, I think I’ll enjoy being friends with you very much, Eraserhead” she replied primly, her finely crafted brows lifting; “you have yourself a deal.”

~*~

In all his thirty-six years of life?

“I think the people of Musufatu will sleep easier knowing that you’ll be back on the streets as a Pro after your child is born; have you been to the doctor yet?”

Todoroki Enji had never felt more out of his depth…

“We’ve made arrangements for the end of the week; as you’ll understand, Kizuki-san, there has been a great deal of upheaval in our lives and, since I was in good health before that terrorist attack? We feel such things can wait a while as we have other children to consider.”

Or more bewildered, either…

“Of course; ano… are you hoping for a particular gender, at all?”

Because here he was, the master of this space, the owner of this building, sat numb and dumb whilst his omega and a wily femme talked like they were old friends just chewing the fat as though his presence here was inconsequential…

“All we care about is them being healthy and well; however? Speaking personally, I think it’d be nice for us to have a femme... although, if he were being honest? The more alphas the better would probably be what he’d say, right?”

“I…”

Unnecessary…

“Wonderful, wonderful~! And we at Juko-news wish you all the best with your pregnancy and we’ll be checking in on you, as we can, to keep our readers up-to-date with your progress; neh, Endeavour-sama? It must have been quite… humbling to have your mate turn down the offer of becoming your sidekick, though, neh?”

“Tch” he managed to huff out; “it’s not as though I can insist, is it?” he grumbled, his body jerking when Shouta smoothed a hand (in an incredibly casual yet oddly intimate gesture that no one, let alone this busybody, should be privy to them sharing) through his hair.

“He’s… very protective” the omega explained; “he knows that I’m more than capable of looking after myself but as an alpha freshly mated? Of course he’s going to want to swaddle me up” he smiled, the curve of it a cruel, mocking and dangerous thing.

Wait…

Was he going to use this interview and the article that’d follow it to get his own way?!

To make certain statements he could use against him, once they’d been published, in a court of law?!

“But he’s a big enough man and a reasonable enough man to realise that trying to control me is wrong so he’s working on his more… brutish tendencies and mellowing, aren’t you, hmm?” he said; “he has completely condoned me wanting my career, my space and whatever freedoms I’m used to, haven’t you darling?” and oh…

Oh that sneaky, conniving little…

“And? Since I’m the parent who’ll be at home the most? I’m going to be using this… hiatus in my career to get his house in order, to get our family in order and to help him realise his ambition to be #1 in a… healthier way, isn’t that so?”

“Sh— Eraser, we are not—”

“Ara-ara~! There’s no need to be embarrassed, Endeavour-sama~!” the kisha preened; “this interview has shown me such another side of you and I just know that your fans will be delighted to hear that you’re so amenable, anti-traditional and committed to your mate’s happiness and wellbeing~!” she told him brightly.

“Oh~! I can see this making the front page of tomorrow’s addition~!”

“N-no… you… you shouldn’t—”

“Kizuki-san, that’s very generous” his mate (the little, impish hellcat that he was; shit!) interrupted him with another hair ruffle; “thank you for your hard work…”

Chapter Text

Two weeks in to his… new normal saw an incredibly tired, very conflicted Todoroki Enji sat in a dining-room now dotted with drawings and awash with multi-coloured cushions (creating a chamber he no longer recognised, in his own house, no less; tch! Was it even his anymore?) at the head of their family’s low-slung table, his body dressed in jeans and a t-shirt he didn’t remember buying, either…

“Umm~ cold soba is the best thing to eat on hot days like this~”

… and after what had been some of the most embarrassing and confusing instances of his life, too… For Kizuki-san, true to her word, had created a maddening exposé that had seen his Agency veritably swamped with fan-mail, messages and positive, liberal-minded calls from the public. A public who, although he was #2 (predominantly due to his excellent stats when it came to villain capture, processing and minimal property damage; thanks to Kiddo? He could easily catapult his foes into the air with him, meaning inner-city destruction was minimalised) weren’t exactly enamoured with him before now…

“This mappo-tofu is great too~! You and Nemuri ba-chan did a great job with this, Fuyumi-chan~!”

… and, to his growing consternation? He was finding himself, more and more, just sitting in rooms and allowing all of these changes. Changes which saw new, westernised décor throughout his formerly traditional house, the children picking their own clothes and accessories for their rooms, new-fangled kitchen-gadgets and his youngest children attending Private schools!

“Do you think so, Natsuo-kun? I’m… I’m really glad you like it~!”

His true-heir was mixing with people beneath him, making (ugh!) friends with those who could be his direct competition as a Pro whilst it was Touya, of course, who’d been (unfairly, he felt) singled out for special-treatment since he was being tutored by his mate, at home!

“Maa~ Shou~ d’you mind passing me the fried chicken?”

Tch! This (bizarre, swift and almost frightening) metamorphosis of his life, his offspring’s’ lives was all happening so fast! Too fast! And it worried him; it was as though he were driving a car with no steering wheel or brakes…

“Here Shouto-kun, try this ponzu-sauce next… you like zesty things, right? Well… this has got a little chilli in it, so just add a bit to your cup before you mix in your soba, okay?”

… as though he had no real control over his life anymore, a life that he’d once been so sure of, so deeply and irrevocable entrenched in…

“Um? Ma~ Touya-nii, that’s really good~ thank you~”

… but no. No that wasn’t quite right; rather, it was as like the world he’d known had been flipped upside down, spun around and then inexplicably righted to include all of the people and places that he’d known, well, with the inclusion for three newcomers, one of whom he’d selected (foolishly; God, what an idiot he’d been) and two other’s he was stuck with upon penalty of death…

“So? How was work? Were Blazin, Kiddo and Claire Voyance pleased by their premotions, big-guy?”

Grunting, his eyes narrowed (Yamada Nemuri, aka Kayama Nemuri, a-k-a R-Rated Hero, Midnight; tch! Having a D-List hero talk to him so… informally was grating on his last nerve, however, as he went to snap at her, a sharp pain zinged at him from across the devilled bond he’d made with his demon-spouse), Enji cough-choked on the water he’d been drinking.

Shifting his eyes to Shouta (who was sat, almost serenely, to his right as he dutifully topped-up Fuyumi’s glass), the alpha sucked in a breath before huffing it out whilst regarding the dark-haired woman all but smirking at him from further down the expansive, food-laden table.

“They were… surprised” he managed to grit out, his sour mood spoiling further; “everyone was surprised to learn that I would be coming into the office only five-days a week plus emergency-calls—"

“Well, what do you expect from the alpha hero most recently voted ‘Mate of the Month’ by Juko News, hmm?” Yamada Hizashi (aka Present Mic, a-k-a the devious little shit who’d virtually skipped through his Agency’s supposedly secure-servers to plunder, store and taunt him about the skeletons in his closet) snickered. “Surely this… focus on family will only add to your popularity, Mr Wannabe #1?”

Narrowing his glare, a flicker of flame ghosting about his hair (until Eraser doused the heat alongside another, particularly nasty flare of displeasure jutting through their bond; tch!), Enji struggled not to crush the cool, slippery glass so tightly held within his grasp.

Tch!

“Insisting that I take a step back from my duties is absurd on its own, let alone citing that this… this lapse in commitment will prove fortuitous in terms of my ultimate goal—”

“Let’s change focus” his mate cut in, his tone neutral and expression demur until he accepted the platter of goyza Natsuo was passing to him; “Touya-kun has an appointment with Power-loader at UA tomorrow and we’ve all been invited to attend” he stated, his smile broadening further as (but of course) his words brought chaos to what almost a standard, formal meal!

“P-Papa! You… you mean it?!”

“Ha~! So that’s why you were all secretive and pleased this morning, Shou~!”

“UA?! Wah~! My new friends at Elementary School are gonna be so jealous~!”

“Um~! Rika-chan’s brother is a first year there~!”

“Ano… I don’t think I’ve ever travelled that far away from the house before, isn’t it on the other side of the city?”

Veritably seething, the glare he levelled at the omega he’d so stupidly gone after withering, the #2 found that no amount of his ire would be enough to dislodge the others amusement; “we are not—!!”

“Going there without you, why, of course not” the dark-haired Pro interrupted blithely, his delicate shoulders lifting and falling gracefully from with the loose confines of the royal-blue, Todoroki-crested yukata he wore (on purpose, no doubt, to disarm him!); “the new Principle, Nedzu Nezu, is looking forward to your reunion, as well” he quipped.

Wait…

Nedzu as in that small, intelligent animal-man who used strategy to outwit his opponents?

Nedzu, the former lab-experiment who’d been admitted into UA through a Government scheme?

Nedzu, a non-human who held a deep distrust of humans, had become a teacher?

A principle?

OF UA?!

“How?” he managed, his head shaking; “he was a first year when I graduated” he furthered, his anger momentarily forgotten as his mind brought up images of the rare, animal-quirked Pro whilst the Yamadas’ kept up the children’s excitement and animatedly answered their questions whilst continuing to eat in a boisterous manner most unbecoming.

Tch.

“Things change, times change” the underground hero (who’d framed the front page featuring their farce of an interview and hung it, pride of place, in the main living room over the hearth; he’d not touched it, of course, as it’d only prove the little hellion right about his attitude and demeanour!) mused after a mouthful of rice. “He was incredibly welcoming and spoke very highly of his R&D department, so I have no doubt that Touya will be able to have a suit, maybe even some gauntlets, which will allow him to use his flames without injury—”

“And should a villain find this weakness when he’s out there fighting, what then?! What?!” he snapped, his left hand slamming down on the table, the merry conversations that’d been filling the room stopping dead.

Causing Shouto to curl into his oldest brother’s side whilst Fuyumi latched onto the oldest omega who merely arched his right brow at him imperiously whilst his friends quietly moved to soothe a pensive Natsuo.

“You’re being irrational, dearest” the other reminded, his tone ruthlessly neutral; “any villain can find any hero’s weakness, that’s how the world works, that’s why conflicts are ongoing” he reminded pointedly. “And besides, all of the children wish to learn self-defence, so I will equip them with the skills they’ll need to defend themselves should their quirks fail” he said, his lips smoothing into a small frown when he went to protest.

“You claim that these little… melodramas of yours are out of concern, that you don’t want any child of yours out fighting if they cannot protest themselves” he reminded shortly; “and then you rile when I try to correct that supposed fault, which is ridiculous” he told him frankly, a gentle hand smoothing over Fuyumi’s two-tone hair. “Shutting them up in this house or sending them away or ignoring them because their quirks aren’t what you consider to be ideal is not going to happen, we’ve been over this—”

“Shouta—”

“—and I will not allow it for the child inside of me, either, now… let’s stop going over old ground” he advised, his head inclining at their quietly watching audience; “because I am so sick and tired of you turning what should be good days, good news and good times shared within our family into something negative and all about you” he snipped, his tone trite with finality.

“You don’t—”

“D-daddy?”

Baulking, his jaw snapping shut at speed as he looked at his (so far) only daughter, her olive-eyes (just like her mother’s) shining with unshed tears, the alpha suddenly found himself unable to speak.

“P-please daddy… p-please don’t-t yell” she asked through a sniffle whilst the man who was to help him raise her gently pulled her closer (she… was so small for her age, just like Touya and unlike Natsu who was scowling at him as waves of angry, prepubescent alpha pheromones rippled from where Hizashi was rubbing his back) but didn’t move to stop her from talking. “I… I d-don’t know w-why you… you being-g with us is… is such a bad and… h-horrible thing-g for you” she breathed and shit…

Shit, he…

That’s…

That’s not what he meant…

He didn’t want her to think that she was…

That they were people he didn’t want to care for…

“B-but I want… what I w-want more than… than any-anything is for u-us to try… to try to b-be a f-family… to… to help you and b-be with you, too, so…”

“Fuyumi” he heard himself breath, his head-shaking in denial; “it… it’s not you… it’s not any of you, I… I have enemies… and the world of Pros isn’t this glamorous thing that the world makes it out to be” he said, his shoulders sagging beneath the weight of the eyes levelled at him. “I do not want to hurt you—”

“We’re already hurt!”

Blinking, it was Natsuo (not Touya, whom he’d expected; the omega, however, was oddly quiet whilst he continued to sit at his left (rigged, tense) with Shouto’s little body shielded by his own; they… they had become so close in his absence, it seemed, the teenage omega’s former hatred of their youngest seemingly gone… for now) who stood to challenge him.

“That wasn’t my intention… I’ve told you this…”

“Then instead of telling them” his mate said, his dark eyes unwavering and unflinching despite the maelstrom of emotions, scents and anger filling the chamber like a poisoned gas; “show them, Enji… let your actions speak louder than your words, for a change” he advised, his tone flat yet determined.

“I…”

“Come with us to UA, tomorrow… I made the appointment for five pm so none of them will miss school and you’ll still get to attend your precious, end of week meetings” he supplied, a calming hand still gently petting the girl’s hair as Nemuri quietly shuffled to sit so that his alpha son was ensconced between herself and her husband.

Shit.

Here he was.

The villain once more.

The tyrant; tch…

“Fine” he allowed, the oppressive atmosphere within the large, traditional washitus slowly bleeding away as he slipped his gaze to Touya (the fifteen-year-old’s resolve unwavering; he’d taken to Shouta a great deal and seemed to be… adopting some of his mannerisms: hmm…) meaningfully; “but when the experts tell you that they cannot help you…”

“If they say that” the now white-haired youth countered meaningfully; “then fine, I’ll accept it but I’m still going to train and I’m going to help Shouto” he stated firmly, his free hand then gesturing at his other siblings: “and Fuyumi-chan and Natsuo, too, because we’ve decided that we are gonna get stronger, together” he stated, his eyes widening at the affirmation.

“And you can’t stop us from doing that, Endeavour…”

~*~

Sucking in a deep breath (because as much as he didn’t particularly want to go through with this compromises and… rewards would have to dominate his life from now on), Aizawa Shouta (for now… they’d not set a wedding date since the Todoroki’s divorce wasn’t official just yet) walked down a quiet, dark corridor with a bottle of Enji’s favourite beer.

It was 22:00 and, after the first evening meal they’d all shared, together, had nearly come off the rails?

He knew that he needed to work harder at keeping his mate… sweet because, since he’d been able to (effectively) get-away with making so many changes when the alpha was off heroing?

He understood, sadly, that this grace-period could very well evaporate (his resolve to end them both notwithstanding; such… actions would become more difficult as his bonds with those children and the growth of his own continued, after all) if he kept pushing his luck, and so?

The hulking man who’d entrapped him needed to be appeased, didn’t he?

Tch.

However?

The idea of sleeping with the other wasn’t totally unappealing; he’d found, much to his growing consternation, that being pregnant (and mated, he was sure) had made him…

Ugh… horny and, as embarrassing as that was?

Being a rational, realist?

Why should he sit, alone, in the room he’d picked out for himself (on the opposite side of the court-yard he’d glared at the morning after the mate-night before) in the same wing as the children (with Nemuri and Hizashi snuggled in the room next to his) when his mate was so close by?

“This better not come back to bite me” he mumbled to himself, his bare feet padding silently across the highly-polished floorboards; he’d checked in with the kids on his way, of course, their doors partially open (in case anyone had nightmares; they’d abated, as of late, thank goodness) and found them all sleeping soundly.

His friends would be on hand to help them if they woke, as well.

Which meant, he acknowledged with a sigh, he was all out of excuses.

Yay…

And so, after a few more steps, a right turn followed by another right, he was at Enji’s door.

*Knock-knock*

“What now?”

Blinking (a laugh he couldn’t squash because the other man was like a pouty-pup and he couldn’t help but find his sullen moods amusing), Shouta gently poked at the bond they shared to let the other know that his intentions weren’t so terrible; “I’ve got you a beer” he said: “would you like me to leave it at the door, or…”

Watching as the barrier slid open, the omega peered up at the non-plussed expression on his alpha’s lips.

“Is it poisoned?”

“No, it’s just unreasonably expensive” he quipped, a smile tugging at his lips whilst he brandished the brown, glass bottle for the other to take, his expression wary; “you do know that our country produces several, high-quality beers, right?” he added when the other grunted and moved out of the way to allow his admittance.

“German beer is better” the other groused, his turquoise eyes narrowing slightly as he watched him; “why are you here?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he shrugged nonchalantly whilst wandering into the room he’d not been in since that morning; “you have been… remarkably well-behaved” he admitted, his eyes meeting the other’s over his shoulder: “so? I felt a reward was warranted…”

“But you’re already pregnant” the other huffed, his tone disbelieving; “there is no need to…”

“Well? I beg to differ” he said, his grin curling slightly before it dimmed; “I… I’m not Rei” he reminded, each of them flinching slightly at her name until he turned to regard him fully: “and we… we’re a mated pair, aren’t we?” he reminded as they stood, awkwardly, within the too quiet room. “I… I don’t want us to be strangers” he admitted quietly, his arms crossing self-consciously across his chest; “and, for better or worse? We’re here… we have a family, a life intertwined…”

“I’ll not be your rapist” the older man breathed, his posture stiff and high-strung; “what Rei and I had was wrong… what I’ve done to you, to us, is wrong…”

“Yes, well… you’ve made this bed for us” he cut in, his tone not as biting as it could have been; “so? If we’re both willing? I… I have no qualms about lying in it” he admitted, his cheeks pinking whilst he looked away: “my biology being what it is? As much I… resent what’s happened? What’s the point in making a bad situation worse?” he asked, the other baulking at his words.

“B-but…”

“No buts, Enji” he affirmed, his hand reaching for and loosing the frontal bow he’d made in his yukata’s sash; “I… I need you to be with me, now… physically, at first, is fine… but I want you to get onboard with what I’m trying to do with our kids, as well” he murmured, his robe parting to allow the other an eyeful of his smaller form.

“I… I don’t… how?” he breathed, his head shaking; “how can you offer me this? W-why? Why when I’m not… I cannot be worthy of you… of what you’ve done for children who aren’t yours by blood—”

“They are mine, though… just as much as you are” he smiled, his expression softening; “now… come on; all of these bigger questions, these worries of ours? They can wait until tomorrow… until later, even” he said as the alpha drew closer.

“But? As for tonight, well… let’s… let’s just see how we go… let’s allow our bodies to sate the needs we have in the meantime” he offered as those large (umm… so big) hands landed upon his waist.

“It’s… it’s the only logical step forward, right?”

Chapter Text

Regarding the omega he both cursed (because he… he shouldn’t have this much sway over him! He was the alpha!) and revered (which was irrational! He’d been nothing but trouble!), Todoroki Enji was torn between stomping to the bedroom door to usher him out and ushering him to their futon.

“You… you” he tried, his head shaking as he tried to clear it; “fine” he managed, his eyes narrowing before he turned and prowled to the futon, his left hand twisting the cap from his beer and taking a swig: “but I will be very displeased if you use this against me” he snipped pointedly before taking another long gulp.

“You’re always displeased” the wily-beauty snickered, his lighter footfalls slinking him (his yukata open to show off his slender, muscular-build and his lack of any underwear; hmm) to the bed they were to share with an effortless grace he couldn’t help but admire; “and this is different to the last time we were together for many reasons” he mused. “With the most important being my self-awareness since I’m not under the influence of heat and me choosing to spend my time with you” he offered with a lazy shrug, their eyes meeting as they stood across from each other, the futon resting silently between them.

“Shouta” he said, his brows furrowing; “I…”

“Not now” the younger murmured; “there’ll be time for that… and that’s not why I’m here” he assured before sinking to the floor, his head tilting to the side as he patted the bedding.

Chuffing, he drank some more from his bottle before discarding it on the tatami mat which covered the floor that their bed (not a nest, not yet; maybe… maybe one day, when his mate was further into his pregnancy, he’d allow him to assist in the building of such a thing) rested upon; “you… keep on surprising me” he murmured before sitting. “You’re infuriating in one moment and seductive in the next and it… it vexes me…”

“Good” the other teased, his smirk shit eating as he moved to lounge atop the soft, high thread-count bedding; “you could do with a little more vexing since you seem determined to vex everyone else” he added with a long, lazy shrug: “and who knows? Maybe it’ll do you some good” he crooned and oh…

Oh!

That insufferable, little…

“You are… trying to provoke me?!”

“I” the omega answered coyly; “am merely trying to get laid” he purred: “or, I suppose, I could always just take care of myself without you—”

“Like hell you will” he grumbled, his voice a rolling growl as moved lean over the other; “you have come into our room and asked me, your alpha, to satisfy you” he reminded, his hands moving to untie the sash of his own garment and tug it loose: “so that is what you’ll get…”

“Promises, promises” his deliciously tantalising partner (in all things… he could see that now and he could curse, he would curse himself for thinking otherwise, well… on the days his Shouta gave him such positive attention, at least) murmured gently as his long, supple legs parted invitingly to allow him to settled between them. “And I certainly hope that my alpha knows a thing or two about foreplay” he added, a lightning-quick hand moving to curl about his already very interested cock.

“Ah—, that’s…”

“Ah-ah-ah, Enji-sama” the cunning little minx hummed, his honeyed voice making him shudder; “I’m not in heat and you’re not exactly… lacking” he reminded, those work-toughened fingers applying just the right amount of pressure to make him hiss lowly: “so? Why not let me ride you, hm? I think that’ll help us to get started” he mused. “Then? Once I’m all slicked up and adjusted, well… I’ll be more than happy to let you have your way with me… so long as you make me cum before knotting me again” he smirked seductively whilst his own hind-brain moaned hungrily and his dick throbbed with growing, determined interest.

“Do we have ourselves a deal, then?”

~*~SMUT ahoy~! If you’re here for the plot then scroll on down to the next, bolded banner or back-arrow out of here if this fic/pairing/plot development is not your cup of tea~!~*~

Watching the conflicting emotions wash over the #2’s face, coupled with the flood of confusion infused arousal was, admittedly, both satisfying and hilarious, especially when the older man narrowed a glare at him before literally (and metaphorically; not that he’d call him out on it just yet) rolling over.

Oh?

“For the record? I am not pleased…”

“Aww, there-there” he chuckled, his body shucking off his yukata completely and abandoning it to futon they were about to dishevel, his form soon straddling the other’s waist as he grunted; “let me chase away your vexation and teach you a thing or two” he offered whilst gesturing for the other to raise his hands.

“T-tch!”

“Now-now” he mock chided whilst taking them into his own, the size difference only exciting him further as he guided them to his currently smoothed-pecks, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips; “lesson one? My nipples are very sensitive… it’s one of the reasons why I chose a loose-fitting hero-suit” he alighted, the broader man blinking.

“So… you want me to avoid them?”

“No” he said slowly, his expression no doubt deadpanned and incredulous; “I want you to rub them… ah… g-gently” he said through gritted teeth, a sigh leaving him when the other stilled and tried again, those turquoise eyes widening when the flesh he was manipulating responded by perking up.

“Is… does that feel good?”

“You’re a n-natural” he praised, his tone a little breathy as pleasure sparked and danced across his skin to zip and zing lower down, helping to get his own cock stiffening and his rutting-channel opening. “Ah… just like that-t” he hummed when the other became a little bolder, his thumbs and index fingers pebbling his nipples before carefully skimming over them.

“And this… pleases you?”

“Um… very much” he replied before, with a blink, he regarded the other; “sit up” he said.

“But you—”

“I am this close to making you cum so hard that you’ll forget your own name” he warned, his tone darkening to the gruff cadence he used with criminals. “And I don’t like repeating myself— heh, that’s better” he stated whilst the other moved and he, in quick succession, guided those large, strong hands to his hips as he shuffled back, carefully brushing past the other’s erection to perch on those thick, muscular thighs.

“S-Shouta…” he warned whilst he regarded the other in those (rare) beautiful eyes.

“Kiss me.”

“I don’t appreciate being bossed around, either” the other grumbled petulantly, his cheeks… pinking?

Really?

“Oh… I beg to differ” he purred, his new position helping him to meet the other’s eye-level; “in fact? I think that you’re enjoying me giving you directions” he crooned. “Who’d have thought that me, someone whose only had a fleeting, teenage romance and a fling or two would be more experienced— umph?” he cut off, his eyes widening.

Because the alpha he was straddling had shifted his right hand to cup the back of his head in a movement too fast for him to register…

Because those hot, insistent lips were moving against his own…

Because a domineering, hungry tongue was insisting that it plunder his mouth, the taste of that beer mixing (not unpleasantly) with a subtle twang of toothpaste, his own mouth eagerly returning the gesture until they pulled apart for air.

“I do not want to hear about former… trysts” the older man growled; “you’re mine now…”

“Okay, alright” he soothed, his hands resting atop those thick, muscle taught shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze; “I’m sorry” he added, the other huffing: “I didn’t mean to rile you… I was just surprised, that’s all” he said, the dim amber lighting of the room casting an almost ethereal glow over the other’s crimson hair.

Hmm.

“Y-yes, well… becoming a successful hero with a fire quirk, since such things are common, was something I focused on more so than courting—”

“No shop-talk, not right now” he cut in, his eye-rolling (talk about killing the mood; although he could probably make the older man cum just by whispering that he was better than All Might and would be #1, couldn’t he? Tch) whilst he kneaded the shoulders he held.

“No?”

“No… in fact, let’s not waste our time with talking… like we agreed? There’s time for that later” he murmured in an attempt to get things back on track (because he really, really didn’t want get the man off track just when they were about to get it on; hmm… he should probably forgo any more foreplay then, shouldn’t he?), his smirk returning.

“I think I’m ready, now…” he hummed, his thighs and hips moving to lift himself up and settle over the stupefied alpha’s cock.

“W-wait you… you can’t just…”

“I stretched myself before approaching you” he grinned as the other baulked, his expression warring between shock, disappointment and his default setting of annoyed (tch), those big, firm hands resettling on his hips whilst he scowled.

“You did not think that I would…”

“No” he sighed, his head shaking ruefully; “I did it because I could, because it would save time and because I wasn’t sure how warmly I’d be received” he reminded whilst his mate continued to scowl.

“In the future? I will prepare you” he stated through a grunt; “and I will have you teach me what you like—”

“We’ll learn about what we both like, together, at our own pace” he agreed; “but, right now? I’m done with waiting if you are?” he asked, the #2 releasing a slow, pleased sounding chuckle.

“Full of surprises-s-s-s” he managed to say, that large, muscle-corded body tensing and shuddering as he started to ease himself down (fuck; he’d need to invest in a larger toy from now on, wouldn’t he? Heh… it was a good job he was such a size-queen, wasn’t it?), the feel of the alpha’s cock breaching his tight, well-lubed passage making his moan.

Umm…

“S-S-Shou… t-t-a”

“E-easy Enji” he gasped, half of that thick, throbbing length inside of him as his eyes rolled back; then, afterr an uncomfortable few seconds, he finally rested in the broader man’s lap, their arms wrapped about each other whilst they kissed earnestly.

Hmm.

All things considered?

He could definitely get used to this, couldn’t he?

Filing those thoughts away for later (stupid bond, illogical hormones; yes, they were to blame for such irrationality), his body finally adjusted, the younger male started to rock up and down upon the thick, pulsing shaft he’d captured.

Oh…

That was… good…

“C-can… can I…” he heard his mate whisper, his breaths quickening into low, shall pants whilst those fingers gripped and rubbed at his hips; “I… I want to…”

“G-go ahead” he managed because regardless of what the alpha was intending?

He was having a fine enough time just getting himself off and—

“A-ah~!” he rasped, another pleasured cry leaving him when the #2’s grip on his hips tightened so he could angle him just so, the thick, hot helm of that thick, pulsing member now bumping perfectly against his erogenous zones.

“Ahh… ah, aahhhh… God… there~!” he keened, his body juddering as they decided to up the tempo of their rhythm, their bodies moving together as though they’d been made for each other, their pace electing cries from both of them.

Nothing could be sweeter for either of them, he was sure, their bond singing across their mindscapes…

“Aaahhh… d-damn… I’m… I’m close…” he gasped, his back arching when the alpha shakily sent his left hand to close about his weeping cock and started to pump it in time with their thrusting, the added pressure causing his hind-brain to mewl as he rolled his hips harder, faster.

“S-Shouta-a-a…” the crimson-haired menace breathed as, after seven good, hard tugs, he came with a cry, his already crushing grip on Enji’s dick tightened further, causing the alpha to ram up and into that velvet, scorching channel until, his hands (regardless of the bruising) brought the smaller Pro down to meet him with a scream, his own climax escaping him.

“O-oh… u-umm… that… that was something” he sighed out, his forehead resting against the taller male’s as they panted, his hips gently rocking under the other’s influence whilst his body worked to milk the knot that he’d swallowed, almost effortlessly, thanks to this position.

“I… thank you” he heard his mate murmur quietly, his head pulling back so they could regard each other; “would… are you staying here, with me, tonight?”

Blinking, the omega allowed a small, genuine smile to touch his lips.

“Sure” he offered, his right shoulder offering a lazy shrug; “why not?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sitting at the breakfast table…

“Come on, fire-cracker, I know that you’re nervous but you’ve got to eat, okay?”

… his new aunt and uncle (who he really liked, their bright presence within his formerly stuffy home something that had awakened a kind of joy within himself and his siblings, a joy he’d never expected to feel, let alone want) bustling about him and the others…

“A-ah, yeah… sorry this… this is really great, thank you Nemuri ba-chan.”

… Todoroki Touya felt, for the first time in his fifteen years, really and truly happy…

“Um~! Soufflé-pancakes are my new favourite thing~! Here, Shouto-kun, let me put some strawberries on your plate for you~!”

… not only because he was visiting UA today (he… he couldn’t believe it) but he was also surrounded by family who were getting along really well…

“Thank you nee-chan… oh, here… I’m finished with the blueberries if you want them?”

… hell! Even chichiue, his countenance so radically different, was sat quietly at the head of the table, his eyes reading from a tablet whilst he drank coffee before seamlessly moving to pour quirk-warmed maple-syrup over a blinking Natsuo’s food when he noticed the nine-year old eyeing the bottle but not daring to take it from their sire’s side…

“Oh~! That’s great, thank you~! Ano~! Hizashi-ji, may I have another pancake, please?”

… whilst Shouta-san (their new Papa; not that they’d said as much just yet it… things were still new and awkward and their mother was still… away) diligently tapped away at his laptop, his hair shoved into a wild-maned bun at the nape of his as he drank the rest of his miso-soup…

“Anything for our lil princess~!”

… because he had been up early (according to his aunt) putting the final touches on their family outing, the fruit they were eating alongside the blonde’s (actually amazing) cooking all put together and prepared by him so that his friends could have the rest of the day off, for a change…

“Ah~! I’m stuffed… umm… chichi-ue? I… ugh… thank you, um, for the syrup.”

… he was also dressed in his Pro uniform (it was so cool; he… he wasn’t sure what the suit he’d be given at UA would look like but he hoped that there were some of Eraserhead’s theme sprinkled in: he… he had slipped a note to his fellow omega asking for such the other day), meaning he’d assisting him in some way during his interview…

“You’re welcome… I’m glad that you enjoyed it.”

… An interview where, using the prototypes of the support-gear the illustrious school had put together for him, he’d undergo something similar (Hizashi-ji had whispered conspiratorial to him with a wink) to the entrance exam and, should he successfully complete the tasks?

“And speaking of enjoying things? Shouto? When I spoke to your homeroom teacher yesterday she gave me a glowing report about that team-building exercise you took part in on Tuesday.”

Then the newly instated Principal Nedzu (who was making ‘quite the name for himself’ with his radical reforms and ‘out of the box’ thinking Nemuri ba-chan had giggled; the pair of them, once the Todoroki household was… settled thought that teaching was a profession they could pursue) would accept him next year.

“Which followed very nicely with the similarly great reports Matsu-sensei and Abe-sensei gave me about Fuyumi and Natsuo; you kids are making an excellent impression at your new schools and I’m... we're very proud of you all.”

Which, though he’d be a year older than the other members of Class 1 A or B didn’t particularly bother him; he was small for his age, after all, and if anyone found out he was a year older then his new Papa had assured him that certain… family-issues would be more than enough explanation for anyone.

“That’s why, after Touya thoroughly impresses everyone at UA with the skills my friends and I have taught him coupled with his own, natural talents? We’ll be having a special dinner tonight to celebrate how far you’ve all come, the progress you’ve made and the hard-work you’re putting in, won’t we Enji?”

And he… he could already see himself there; he had what it took, he just knew it, and—

“Yes.”

Blinking, he and his siblings (who’d been looking to their newest parent and veritably preening under his thoughtfully expressed and genuinely spoken praise; they… hadn’t been used to such things, even from their mother, her mental-health making her shrink every inward and away from them) looked to the turquoise man who blinked in return.

“What?”

“You… you’ve never really” he tried when his younger brothers and sister struggled to find the words; shit.

If he wasn’t careful?

He could ruin this moment, couldn’t he?

‘No’ he thought with a swallow; ‘I… nothings going to be ruined, not anymore… too much has changed… our world is brighter so I… I can be the bigger person… a hero works to resolve conflicts, not make them worse' his mind supplied as he stood from his chair and looked at the alpha square in the face.

“T-thank you, chichi-ue” he stated before offering him a bow, his cheeks pinking with mild embarrassment (because everyone was looking at him); “we… we are very happy that we've m-made you proud!”

One beat.

Two.

“T-Touya” he heard his sire breathe, his head daring to lift a touch to look at the man, his eyes shrinking in shock as the alpha seemed to blink back tears.

“I… I am so sorry… sorry to all of you” he furthered, his tablet lost to the table as he looked from one child to the next.

“I… I am proud… I have always been… I…” he managed before coughing, his shoulders straightening as he sat up a little straighter; “I will endeavour to show you all that I care… that I love you” he furthered, all of them taken aback by the admission as he bowed his own head.

“I will also find ways to earn your forgiveness… and that? That is a promise I shall never break” he added, his own head bowing lower.

“A promise that I extend to my new mate… Yamada-san, Kayama-san and… your mother.”

Chapter Text

Sitting at the head of his office’s boardroom amidst his most senior sidekicks, Todoroki Enji was…

“Your approval ratings are through the roof at the moment, sir, and the late-night news segment yesterday also featured a general consensus with several members of the public who had nothing but praise and support for you and your mysterious omegan hero mate, too~! We’ve recorded it for you just in case you missed it~!”

… bemused; how could it be only a month since his (cruel, he now realised; he was glad that guilt often plagued his mind now: it was the least that he deserved) plan to ensure his legacy had been enacted and why, when he’d clearly been so undeserving, were people starting to rate him as highly as All Might-o? He…

“Crime in the eastern side of your territory is at an all time low and sales of Endeavour merchandise have tripled… ano… would Eraserhead-sama be willing to talk with the marketing department? We’ve had ten companies approach us about having him sign off on his own range of products including costumes for omega children to wear on Pro Hero Day… We would have them sold separately to your products and make sure that any chatter connecting the pair of you was hushed, of course, especially since he could be back out patrolling next year.”

… he was getting everything he ever wanted and yet? The victory he’d always craved over Yagi seemed empty, hollow now…

“And speaking of patrolling, sir? I can see that you’ve block-booked this evening off but the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission has asked for a meeting with you, she’s even gone so far as to say she will join you at UA during Touya-kun’s interview—”

Wait…

What?!

“And how, exactly, does she know about my son’s interview?” he heard himself say, his attention back in the room as his eyes narrowed.

“Ano… Endeavour-sama, UA and all hero schools fall under her direct jurisdiction and since Touya-kun will be undergoing training exercises they’ll have had to register the event with the Commission, right?” Burnin offered with a blink, everyone else in the room similarly regarding him owlishly before Kido let out a chuckle.

“Ease off, guys” he said, his tone warm; “he’s only a month into his bonding and bonds, as all of you should have learned in middle-school, bring out alphas’ protective instincts, plus? This is a big deal, isn’t it?” he mused, the other sidekicks smiling and nodding around. “The Endeavour Agency is set to become a family-firm and it’s only natural that our leader is so focused on his oldest son during such an important time, wouldn’t you agree?” he furthered, the other seven murmuring their approval.

He…

Since when had they started to see him as someone they could talk to in such a friendly, sociable manner?

He’d always been so stoic, waspish even… and that had been the wrong approach, too, hadn’t it?

“Neh-neh, Endeavour-san, would you like me to call her office and ask for a rain-check? Just because she’s the President doesn’t mean she gets to barge in on family business and I’d be more than happy to tell her as much, you know?”

“That won’t be necessary… but thank you, though” he said, the others blinking at him once more; shit…

Was…

Had he truly been such a tyrant?

His bluster, efficacy and high standards coming over as something so much more than authoritative and commanding?

“Thank you, everyone… it has been quite the month and I… I am sorry, truly, for how I have been running things, for the extra hours I ask of you and for the caustic way I have been dictating this Agency” he admitted, his brows furrowing; “an Agency that would be nothing if not for you, your efforts and your support” he added meaningfully.

One beat…

Two.

“Maa-aa, Endeavour-sama~! Don’t be silly~!” Burnin gushed, her dumbfounded colleagues (some blushing a little) similarly waving him off with their hands; “you’re a serious man who is serious about his goals and stopping villains and we should be working hard, hell~! If everyone ran as tight a ship as you do, so to speak, then the crime rate in Japan would be zero, I’m sure~! Why, even being mated hasn’t slowed you down, sir… maa~! If anything? Your productivity has somehow become even greater~!” she praised, the others animatedly agreeing, he…

He didn’t deserve this…

‘No… you don’t’ he heard a voice eerily similar to his mate whisper across his mindset; ‘this guilt is the price you must shoulder and shoulder it you must while you do what you can too deserve their admiration and your place in hero-society’ it stated with the calm, rational coolness he’d come to enjoy.

Hmm.

“Very well, then” he stated whilst standing; “Claire Voyance? Please inform Madame President that I will meet her at UA so long as Principal Nedzu isn’t opposed” he directed; “X-Less? Have the marketing department make some samples of what they’d like to create and I’ll have my mate review them when they’re ready but I make no promises other than that, understood?”

“Hai~!” the pair replied as everyone else also stood.

“Good… now, unless an S-Class threat arises? I’ll see you all tomorrow” he told them with a small, customary nod.

“You got it, boss~!” Native replied; “and please tell Touya-kun that we’re rooting for him, okay?”

~*~

Sitting in the private, dark-window tainted minibus that his father had arranged for them, Todoroki Touya cycled through the breathing exercises his new Papa had taught him whilst the dark-haired man beside him continued to marvel at the weird, cat-thing Shouto had somehow constructed from popsicle sticks, glue and playdough…

“It’s not very realistic, though… but sensei insisted that using pink and yellow was okay.”

“Art doesn’t have to be realistic, Shouto-kun; the most important thing about this is that you made it and enjoyed doing so, right?”

… whilst Natsuo and Fuyumi (who they’d just picked up from their elementary school) played along…

“Yeah, Papa is right~! And I think it’s really cute~!”

“Heh… we’ll just have to make sure that the real cat dad’s promised to get us at the start of summer so we can train it properly doesn’t get its claws on it, that’s all.”

… and God, he was glad. He’d told them all that he didn’t want a fuss, that he just wanted to centre himself on the twenty-minute drive to a school he’d been dreaming about attending since he was five, the prospect of someone other than his newest parent seeing what he could do and saying he was enough a dizzying thought…

“Oh, ugh… I’ll keep it in my room, then, on a high shelf… ano; have we decided on a type of cat yet or are we still, you know, trying to get one each?”

“I believe that you’re all capable and ready for the responsibility of one each, plus? We live in a big house with expansive grounds and I have always wanted a cat of my own, so let’s see what we can do, shall we?”

… he just hoped that his Papa was right; after years of being told no, after several fits of jealousy (one, he shamefully realised, that could have led him to seriously hurting his youngest sibling… well, youngest for now) and an attitude he’d been festering and souring as he grew more despondent, it was hard believe he had this chance…

“Maa-aa~ then I’d love to have a ragdoll~ they’re fluffy and docile and I could bond with it through grooming~”

“Then I’d like a birman~ they’re really friendly and get along with other pets, too~”

… because, really? He didn’t deserve it; not after yelling at mom (who they still couldn’t see; he’d overheard his Papa, father and their new aunt and uncle talking quietly about her three nights ago; the doctors were hopeful that she’d become responsive soon but she was still catatonic) and being mean to his brothers and sister. Hell, he’d called Fuyumi useless, he’d constantly bothered Natsuo to the point of the other boy also losing sleep and, as for Shouto, well? It’d taken him a considerable amount of… effort just to look at him and fake wanting to help him because he’d only, at that time, been interested in himself and his own goals… just like the father he’d so hypocritically accused of doing the same thing, he now realised…

“I… I really like calicos, umm… they can have hetercrom… heterocrem… ugh, mismatched eyes, you know, like me?”

“Heterochromia can be found in quite a few cat-species and, if you have your heart set on a furry companion with that genetic feature, then I’m sure we can find you one.”

… which was an epiphany that’d made him feel sick when it hit him, like a slap to the face, however? As his new parent liked to say? There was no point dwelling on the past and the mistakes that you left there because the present and future were more important…

“Aww~ that’s so sweet, Shouto-kun~! Neh, Papa, what kind of cat do you want, huh?”

“Heh… well? I’d like to visit a shelter I support to pick out someone whose had a bad start in life… there are lots of cats who’ve been in accidents or had medical issues resulting in their owners either handing them in or abandoning them, so I figure that your father’s bank-balance could easily rehome a cat like that.”

… and speaking of which?

“W-wah~! P-Papa~! I’ll help you look after a kitty like that~!”

“Me too~!”

“And me~!”

“And so will I” he smiled, the others beaming big smiles at him as the minibus driver turned onto the highway, everyone’s mood lifting now that he’d shoved his nerves aside to be a part of their discussion, something he’d been really trying his best to do, lately; “this family is all about second chances, right? And heroes help those in need, so that’s what we’ll do, too~!”

“Yeah~!”

~*~

Ushering the kids who weren’t his but were (and nothing could or would ever change that) out of the minibus, his mate’s chauffer (a kindly man who always seemed to look… guilty when he caught the beta’s gaze appraising him through the rear-view mirror) nodding and wishing Touya luck, Shouta looked to UA’s frontage with a smile.

All things considered?

He’d had some good times, here.

Even after Shirakumo Oboro and the tears in his heart the alpha’s death had caused…

“Ah~! Eraserhead~! Todoroki-tachi~! Welcome~!”

Blinking, a small smile tugging his lips, the omega turned to the now Principal Nedzu (who had been the Assistant Principal when he’d graduated) and offered him a small bow which the children in his care mimicked; “thank you, Kōkō no kōchō*” he replied. “It’s my pleasure to introduce Todoroki Shouto, Natsuo, Fuyumi and Touya” he furthered, each child then bowing in turn as he placed what he hoped was a comforting hand upon the slight fifteen-year-old’s shoulder, his fingers giving the tense flesh he felt a gentle squeeze.

“Touya-kun has been working incredibly hard in preparation for today” he stated, the boy looking up at him in gratitude; “and we’re very much looking forward to seeing him explore his potential” he smiled whilst the white-furred teacher clapped his paws approvingly.

“I must admit that my staff and I are equally excited” he preened; “so please follow me and we’ll get started in the R&D department” he called before spinning on his booted feet (causing Fuyumi to giggle) and walking down the white-tiled promenade. “Powerloader has been particularly inspired and creative when putting together a range of options for you, Touya-kun” he called over his shoulder as they walked, the late afternoon sun beaming down warmly from a cloud-dotted sky. “However, I want you to be honest, okay? We’ll not be offended, displeased or less likely to consider you as a student should you feel that the equipment and or suit we’ve crafted don’t meet your needs, alright?”

“O-oh, I… sir, with all due respect” the fifteen-year-old gushed; “I… I never really expected to get even this far so I’ll be grateful for anything” he assured, his siblings blinking: “and, ugh… I just hope that I’m not wasting your time, and—”

“Touya-nii~! Don’t say that~!” Fuyumi yipped, her body suddenly on his left, her arms wrapped about his; “you’re amazing~!” she praised and, his old, fractured heart warming some more?

“Yeah~! You’re gonna blow all of the assessments out of the water, you’ll see~!”

“I… we believe in you, aniki~!”

Shouta watched as Natsuo (so full of life now) and Shouto (similarly opening up, the fractured relationship that’d previously existed between him and his oldest brother healing day by day) joined the girl in praising their blushing, sheepish looking sibling.

Heh.

“T-thanks you guys…”

Now all that was left to do was get Enji (who wasn’t here, who’d just texted him) onboard…

Yay…

~*~

Touching down behind the imposing gates of UA, Endeavour checked the time (he was half an hour late; he’d texted his mate to apologise (the President had called him, he couldn’t exactly decline to talk with his superior) and received a glum-faced emoji followed by an eyeroll and a middle-finger; tch!) and jogged towards the entrance.

He couldn’t believe that he’d potentially screwed over all of the progress they’d been making!

But… the interview couldn’t be over, surely? He…

“Oi~! Endeavour-san~! Come over this way~!”

Blinking, his head snapping to the right, Enji quirked a brow at Cementoss who was waving his greyed arms at him; “Touya-kun has assembled his support gear and is about to undergo a pseudo entrance exam at Ground Beta**~!” he told him: “I can open up an underground tunnel, from here, so you can get there in no time~!”

Nodding, he fired up his quirk and jetted over to the teacher, his frown lightening; “thank you” he grunted, his teeth gritting slightly: “I feared that I’d be too late again…”

“Ah, please don’t worry” the younger Pro said, his hands digging into the ground and pulling it seamlessly apart; “Nedzu-san has also been contacted by the Commission’s President who is merely five minutes behind you” he explained as the tunnel he spoke of became exposed. “Therefore Touya-kun was given some extra time to try out the gear and get his look right” he grinned; “if you don’t mind me saying so? Your son seems to be a chip off the old block, especially in terms of taking the role of a hero seriously~!”

Swallowing thickly (the pressure of further guilt (he… he was slowly realising that pushing his oldest child away and hoping to turn him against being hero had caused him deep, psychological harm because of how dearly he wanted to be one) weighing on him), Enji just about managed a “thanks” before zipping into the brightly lit tunnel.

Shit!

Shit!

He’d been so blind and now?

What…

What would he do when Nedzu confirmed his own fears for the boy?

Could he trust Touya to be emotionally mature enough to handle it?

Would it set back or break the bonds he’d been forming with his siblings?

He—

“Pro Hero Endeavour, take the next left, fly straight and then exit at Terminus 3C~”

Regarding the small robot speeding down the track beneath him, he nodded, made the turn and kept going, his mate’s displeased face looming large in his mind…

“So we’ll meet you there at five, no excuses?”

“You know that I can’t promise anything—”

“You know that you can… it’s just a matter of who takes priority and, for once? It needs to be Touya… you’re the one he wants to be seen by, not me, not UA and no one else, either… so if you screw this up for him, well? I’m not quite sure if I’ll be able to forgive you for that… not when I’ve already forgiven so much already...”

Shit!

Shooting up the Terminus stairway (the doors thankfully open), the Todoroki patriarch found another small robot awaiting him; “this way please, #2” it dutifully chirped: “Principal Nedzu has requested your presence in the viewing and assessment chamber—”

“And my family?” he asked, the words flowing out of him before he’d thought better of it, the ‘f’ word coming so naturally to him that it’d caused him to blink.

“Todoroki Fuyumi, Natsuo and Shouto have taken seats in an underground observation room, for their safety, to watch Todoroki Touya complete both the target-competency and rescue elements of his assessment” the android supplied. “Pro Hero Eraserhead is on the surface level; he will be running the assessment and will intervene should Touya’s quirk overpower the safeguards of his temperature-modulation suit” it added as they continued, at speed, through the deserted corridors. “Similarly, Pro Hero Gang Orca is on site as a safeguarding measure since the UA staff are aware that Touya has not begun a hero course despite Eraserhead’s expert tutelage” it added, the inflection of the robot’s tone shocking him because, hell!

Now he was being judged by a machine now?!

Tch!

“Are we nearly there?” he grit out, his tone exasperated (he’d forgotten just how vast UA was and it had, of course, only expanded since he and Yagi had attended) as they exited the building they’d been speeding around, an expanse of grass now sprawling out before what he recognised as the city-zone most first year students used to cut their teeth.

Hmm.

Was it not to soon to have his son attempt something (anything) here?

Shit… he really should have pressed Shouta for more details…

‘You should have been more interested; tch, your mate is right, you are dense’ he mentally chided; damn…

“Ground Beta is directly ahead” the little bot (that he wasn’t thinking about blasting with his flames because that’d be childish and, despite what his mate said, he wasn’t!) stated glumly; “please make your way up the exterior stairs and enter through the door of the fourth floor of the building directly before you.”

~*~

Delicately sipping at his tea…

“Nedzu-san, I’m here!”

… the furred Pro hummed in the back of his throat…

“Wonderful~ please come and sit beside me, won’t you? I’m enjoying a cup of Gold-Tips Imperial if you’d like to join me?”

… but kept his analytical eyes on the young man stood upon the concrete courtyard before the building he’d be entering shortly…

“A-ah, yes, well… thank you.”

… because, although he was Endeavour’s biological son? He saw a lot more of Aizawa Shouta’s influence on him; they’d talked briefly (informally), of course, a handful of times whilst venturing to make today possible and, as the hulking alpha thunked into the chair beside him? He felt that his fears about how the newly mated pair had come together was grounded in reality…

“Madame President will be with us shortly, too, I understand; has she… bothered you much since the incident with the villain Suijin?”

… for the Todoroki children (who’d no one had ever really seen which, given their father’s status, was… odd since hero-work and celebrity appearances went hand in hand) seemed to genuinely adore their newest guardian but were quite socially awkward, reserved and unsure of themselves…

“Nothing beyond the usual checks and balances when a situation of accidental bonding on the field arises, no… why do you ask?”

… which in turn suggested that it was Eraserhead who was pushing the need for them to live beyond their father’s shadow and, given Endeavour’s lack of involvement, well, the rumours of him being controlling, calculated and covetous of his family seemed to be true. So true, in fact, that when his wife had to be admitted into a hospital (there were worryingly few details about the hows and whys) he may have decided to take a replacement; Aizawa hadn’t said as much but, as someone who’d seen the crueller, greedier side of human nature, well? Nedzu found such things greatly distasteful…

“Oh, no real reason… I just find your new situation quite interesting, oh yes, and interesting in a way that I, for one, would see fit to investigate it further but who am I to impose my thoughts and wishes up the Hero Public Safety Commission?”

… therefore he may have done a little meddling… he may have made Todoroki Touya (who Aizawa had spoken so passionately about, an edge of a deeper worry and harsher pain dancing around the edges of his voice) lots of different options to allow him to become the person he wanted to be…

“I… are you threatening me, Principal?”

… especially since a certain flaming-alpha someone appeared to be making up the rules for the people he was meant to love and protect and enforcing them in one way or another…

“Threaten you? Oh no… no, no, no~ Endeavour-san… I am merely expounding on how lucky you’ve been and on what a… suspiciously fortuitous match you’ve made~”

“I don’t…”

“Aizawa-kun has always been such a realist; it’s one of his greatest strengths and bitterest weaknesses, wouldn’t you agree?” he hummed after another sip, the alpha’s ire deflating. “He is an exceptional hero and he’s besotted with those children, all four of them” he mused elegantly.

Meaningfully.

“I’m not sure what he’s told you—"

“Oh, he’s told me nothing” he assured, his free paw waving at the man to keep him seated in the wide, austere, clinical chamber outfitted with various monitors and control panels hosting views of the two omegas; “as always with… situations like this? It’s what isn’t said that’s the more telling” he alighted, their eyes meeting.

“He and those children and the other children you’ll have as well, no doubt, are people I would like to invest in very much…”

“You—”

“Maa~! There’s no need to thank me” he smirked, his left brow arching wryly at the flames ghosting atop the other’s head; “I’m just making you aware…”

“We… they won’t need your—“

“But they shall have it all the same~!”’he merrily interjected before reaching for and pushing the button on his chair’s armrest; “neh, Touya-kun~! Your father is here so you can begin any time you like, okay~?”

Chapter Text

Standing on the dusty cement of the courtyard to a building he’d soon be investigating, the eeriness of an entire, deserted city looming all around him doing little to soothe his nerves (or… upset; his father wasn’t here… he probably wasn’t coming, not just for him), Todoroki Touya continued to smooth curious hands over his prototype hero suit…

“Well? What do you think?”

“P-Papa! Nedzu-san, Powerloader-san it… it’s so cool! I love it! Thank you!”

… whilst his fellow omega (the only adult (aside from his new aunt and uncle, of course) who’d ever kept their word to him) watched him, the deep, soothing purr of his voice helping to keep him grounded as they waited for his father…

“Touya-kun?”

Who wasn’t here…

“Touya?”

Who might not even bother coming… again.

“Oi~”

Blinking, he looked away from the indigo-gloves he’d been inspecting (they were a kind of gauntlet, really; the vambraces* attached (stream-lined, modern; they were a deep blue and sported long, rectangular silver vents which would glow the colour of his flames when he released them) were currently inactive and a reassuring weight on his forearms) to Eraserhead.

“Stay focused.”

To a man who’d cowed his father, destroyed the gloom which’d ruled their lives and inspired him even without his costume but, oh~!

When he wore it, he…

“Do… do I look as cool as you, Papa?”

“E-eh?” the older man baulked through a shocked chuckle, his head shaking ruefully as he offered him that small, genuine smile he’d come to treasure; “you look a million times cooler than me, kid” he told him firmly whilst gesturing at him and encouraging him to do a little spin.

A spin which flared out the five tails of the indigo trench-coat he wore atop similarly coloured, loose fitting trousers (lined and accented with silver) whose ends were tucked into the same style of boot that the underground Pro wore. The indigo-silver colour scheme, however, was then lost to a gun-metal-grey, full body suit that was form-fitting and served as his top as you couldn’t see the rest of it thanks to his coat and pants; it’d felt weird and quite revealing when he’d first put it on, so he was glad of having other, looser things to wear atop it.

“R-really?”

It was stylish and functional; the fabric (that his Papa had helped to make; Hizashi-ji had whispered to him that the raven-haired man was an understated genius who’d created his capture weapon from scratch, his understanding of chemistry and physics a match for any scientist) would work with his quirk and the fitting would help him direct it.

“Of course; but the aesthetic isn’t that important, especially at this early stage… does it still feel comfortable? Have you gotten used to the feel the chill you noticed earlier?”

“Maa~ if anything? I’m maybe a little too comfortable wearing it all~” he admitted sheepishly whilst meeting the other’s dark yet compassionate gaze; “I… I don’t really wanna take it off, you know… even if this trial doesn’t work out… even if I can’t be a h-hero and I’m—”

“None of that” the other cut in whilst walking towards him, that smile dipping into a worried frown; “don’t let your father get in your head… you’re a strong, talented young man, quirk or no” he reaffirmed, the same hand that’d comforted him earlier resting on his shoulder once more. “Do not let him or what he says and does define or confine you, Touya… there have been people with far bigger quirk issues than yours who have become successful Pros” he reminded, that smile returning.

“You have the capacity to be an excellent hero… not because of your powers, but because of how much you’ve matured and grown over such a short amount of time” he soothed and oh…

Oh yeah, he…

“And besides? In my eyes? In the eyes of your aunt, uncle and siblings? You already are a hero… and no one can take that away from you, alright?”

Oh…

“P-Papa… I…”

“Neh, Touya-kun~! Your father is here so you can begin any time you like, okay~?” Nedzu-san’s cheerful voice called out over the loudspeaker, its sudden presence causing him to blink…

“O-okay! Thank you!” he called back whilst hastily wiping the tears from his eyes (not because he was embarrassed; he… he knew better, now) so he could see properly, the younger omega looked to the taller (who chuffed out: “tch… it’s about time”), nodded at him and walked back to the ‘X’ he’d been asked to stand on.

Then, after taking and deep-breath and relaxing his shoulders, he looked to his left where Gang Orca (so cool!) was silent stood and…

Oh…

Ugh?

Was he wiping at his eyes, too?

“Hu-hmm~! Yes, well~! Todoroki-kun? Your first task is to demonstrate the versatility of your quirk” the towering, dolphin** quirked man coughed a little and strutted forward; “Eraserhead and I can easily contain any flames beyond your control; however, from what your mentor has told me?” he grinned.

“We’re sure you’ve got this, trainee hero Dabi~!”

~*~

“Dabi?”

Scowling slightly (before thinking better of it; his junior’s beady eyes were upon him and, again, he’d never stopped to ask Touya (his own son, for fuck’s sake! What the hell was wrong with him?!) what name, if any, he’d been considering because this… all of this was something he hadn’t condoned), Enji straightened his shoulders and coughed.

“It’s an unusual moniker, I’ll grant you” Nedzu mused whilst pouring himself another cup and refreshing the one he’d poured for him; “but when he explained his reasoning? I found myself quite taken aback by the thoughtfulness of it” the former lab-experiment hummed pleasantly. “Your son has clearly considered his approach in a way far more mature than our current batch of first years who just want something ‘cool’ sounding, why, if it weren’t for strict educational policies*** then I would try my best to slip him into Class 1A after the summer holidays~!”

Baulking slightly (because… they hadn’t seen what he had; Touya’s arms, stomach and chest all covered in burns, his flesh scarring, purpling, God! He should not be allowing this!), the #2 felt himself standing; “this… this is a mistake” he breathed, his turquoise eyes narrowing. “I… I can’t just stand idly by while he hurts himself…”

“With respect, Endeavour” the smaller hero cut in mildly, their eyes locking; “I shouldn’t need to tell you how fantastic my R&D department is” he grinned, that smile steeling a touch: “and I certainly shouldn’t have to tell you that your mate has got everything in hand because, surely?” he quipped. “Surely you wouldn’t have left the home-schooling and training of your eldest child to a man you didn’t trust to spur him on and ensure he was ready, right?”

Gritting his teeth (because what the fuck was he meant to say to that?!), the alpha restrained his sneer, roughly crossed his arms and glared at the monitor showing his son who—

“W-w-what?”

—who was alight with bright orange flames (so much like his own) that were darkening, reddening, turning a deep, royal-blue!?—

“I-it… it can’t be p-possible…” he whispered as, his feet lifting a few inches off of the concrete ground, his child (his beautiful, fierce, smiling son!) glowed amidst flames which the UA monitors were clocking at over 2000 degrees Celsius and he… he was fine!

He was laughing!

His mate was applauding their boy alongside Gang Orca!

“Oh? So… was it a case of Aizawa-kun not telling you about all of the hard work they’ve been putting in ready for this afternoon or you simply not asking?”

“I…”

“Ah, that was a rhetorical question Todoroki-san… it’s incredibly clear to me that such things have been beneath your notice” the white-furred menace chuckled and hell! If he wasn’t so…

Astonished…

Impressed…

Overwhelmed with shock and pride, then he might have snapped at him for his impudence…

“Therefore allow me to fill you in, Todoroki-san… Aizawa-kun has been helping Touya-kun control his pyro-kinesis through rising his fire’s temperature in increments and then lowering it alongside a range of breathing and concentration exercises as a certain someone had only previously taught the boy to increase the heat and not regulate it.”

Swallowing guiltily, the #2 managed a grunt, his eyes watching as, under Gang Orca’s instructions, his boy flew up (he was using his hands, feet and the vents of his coat to steer himself in various directions… something that not even he could do at speed) and launched small bursts of searing-azure at the water balloons the #6 threw into the air, he…

“He also realised that, unlike his skin? Touya-kun’s hair doesn’t singe or burn in the slightest regardless of how hot him flames become and so, using his chemistry skills and Powerloader’s equipment? We created a material which blended your son’s hair with a synthetic gel**** that mimics liquid-nitrogen since Touya-kun’s body has an affinity with severe cold and so? His bodysuit, gloves and boots are perfectly balanced between hot and cold to allow him the full access to his fire quirk and true potential without burns whilst the gauntlets help him to build, store and direct—”

“W-wait” he breathed, the other’s words slowly registering as he continued to watch the fifteen-year-old spin, arch and speed through the air, his blasts popping every target effortlessly; “S-Shouta? My Shouta, he… he made…” he tried, his eyes then looking to the older omega who, no doubt, was calling out helpful suggestions, he…

“Hmm… whilst I’m not surprised, per say, that you weren’t aware of your mate’s innovative talents it does… sadden me; have you ever spoke to him about his hero work? What led him create his capture-weapon? The person and… incident which inspired him to be so rational and diligent in completing missions and busting up Trigger drug-rings?”

… he’d had no idea…

“I…”

“Well, perhaps you should” the Principal cut in decisively, any humour or brevity that’d previously alighted his tone now long gone; “personally speaking as someone not human? I feel that our country’s alpha-driven society is woefully lacking in several important things” he offered mildly, their eyes meeting once more.

“It is my sincerest hope however, Todoroki-san, that you will… re-evaluate what is important to you while you still can…”

~*~

Popping the final set of balloons (and not wanting to be cocky; his new aunt, uncle and Papa had told them all cautionary tales about rookie Pros and trainees getting full of themselves and the consequences of such things), his body filled with exhilaration and disbelief, Touya then released his flames gradually and set foot on the ground, he…

He’d done it!

It’d worked!

“I… there… there’re no b-burns~! I have no burns even though I… I used my hottest flames!” he gushed, his hands (still comfortably cool) touching at his face excitedly as he turned to the older omega approaching him; “it worked, Papa~! Oh~! Thank you, thank you, thank you— ah~” he breathed as he was brought into a hug.

Um…

He really enjoyed gentle physical-contact…

It was something that he and his siblings were discovering more and more of…

“You were magnificent” the taller man murmured gently whilst strong, firm fingers brushed through his hair in an affectionate gesture; “now then, after such a good start? Would you like to try a type of rescue mission?”

“O-oh~! Yes! And I’ll be using these~” he stated brightly when the other pulled away, his hands then reaching into the trench-coat’s pockets to retrieve four of the small, egg-shaped, heat-resistant ‘civilian-protection’ pods he’d worked with the underground Pro to make.

“I… I just throw them, not to hard but not too gently, at or onto a person and then they’ll swell up and surround whatever they contact, right?”

Allowing him to use his pyro-kinesis without fear of burning the people he’d be helping to save.

“That’s right, Dabi” his mentor (and who could have asked for a better one?) smiled whilst walking him to the building where Gang Orca was already waiting, his clipboard at the ready; “listen to your instructor, take in the brief and then only attempt what you feel comfortable with” he furthered. “This is very similar to what the first-year students do for their second assessment, so don’t become disheartened if you don’t get all three dummies out of the building, alright?”

“Um!” he replied before taking a deep breath and facing the hulking, formal-suit wearing Pro, he…

“Pro hero Dabi, the emergency services have confirmed that there are three people trapped within this building; two are believed to be in the basement and one has been cited on the third floor: the water-pipes below and within the building have ruptured, so? What is your course of action?”

He was ready for this!

“Considering that the flooding can add to structural instability, I’ll head downwards first, check on the civilians and, if they’re both stable? Then I’ll seal up the pipes with my flames before removing the people from the building because the last thing we’ll need is the structure collapsing thanks to either the water’s pressure or the volume of it pushing at the already damaged bricks… but I’ll have to be fast and careful to ensure I get them out, safely, before heading upstairs to locate, treat and bring out the third civilian, sir~”

He could totally do it!

“Heh… you’re certainly developing an analytically rational mind” Gang Orca grinned before nodding at his omegan parent; “wherever could you be getting that from, I wonder?”

~*~

Sharing around three boxes of their favourite pocky flavours (Nemu ba-chan had conspiratorially sneaked them to Natsuo before she and her husband ventured out for their well-deserved day off), the current youngest members of the Todoroki Clan marvelled at their big brother excitedly…

“Whoa~! Papa was right~! He can fly when he uses his blue-fire~ maa-aa~! Isn’t the colour beautiful~?”

… the years of their shared and individual (isolation, loneliness, suffering) experiences fizzling across their minds like so much ash upon the wind…

“And Dabi***** is such a cool choice of hero name~! It’s like his flames are so hot that they can burn away old pain, fear and worries into ash~ oh~ and he’ll have to update the quirk registry now too, won’t he? Hm~ kind’a makes me wonder what my quirk could do if I tried~!”

… as he led the way for himself (and them because they could, would follow his example) to become something that their father had forbidden, his will (alongside the assistance of their new family members) pushing past the limitations that’d been placed on him, the surly-angry persona he’d been developing seemingly behind him, now…

“Ano… why don’t you and Fuyumi-nee come train with Touya and me tomorrow? Papa won’t mind an’ you both have got lots of time to prepare if, you know, you want to become Pros.”

… In fact? None of them could truly remember having seen their onii-san smiling like that even if, right now, his brow was lightly furrowed with concentration as he carefully entered the cracked building containing debris on the second floor, virtually complete destruction on the third and a flood in the basement where gushing pipes had started to gurgle to life…

“Um~ okay, ugh… that is if you and Touya-nii don’t mind, Shouto-kun… um… so, you’ve made your decision, then? You’re gonna try out for UA when you’re older?”

… but, just like their Papa had taught all of them (his tone firm yet gentle; he’d told them that there was no such thing as a stupid question and that making mistakes wasn’t such a bad thing especially if you learned from them), he was constantly looking around himself and moving with a calculated caution…

“Oh… ugh… I… I’m still not sure… I mean… now that our oyaji****** isn’t training me I… I like it better… and Papa he… he’s so kind and helpful but I… I don’t know… and I… I like having choices, you know? I don’t feel like I’m Endeavour’s p-pet-project a-anymore… and I don’t feel-l the weight of his ex-pec-tations on me so I… I’m sleeping better even if mom… mom is still sick… cus of me…”

Wait…

What?

Baulking, Fuyumi and Natsuo were ensconcing their littlest brother within seconds, their hands smoothing over his face and hair; “S-Shouto~ don’t ever say such things~!” the alpha gushed: “mom was sick way before w-what… what happened and sure… we… we all know she didn’t mean what she did” he breathed. “B-but you? You were hurt! You are hurt! And that is nothing you a-asked for or deserved, okay? You… you just happened to be there and things… things are better now, aren’t they-y?”

“U-um” the six-year-old replied, his body curling in to theirs as Fuyumi hummed and rocked them, a feeling of calm swelling up and over him whilst, in the background?

He could see his older brother (who was nice to him now; he’d sat down with him only two weeks ago and told him that he was truly, deeply sorry for his jealousy and churlishness and, when he’d looked in to those turquoise eyes and asked him, quietly, if he actually liked him, well? Touya had hugged him just like the others were holding him now) excelling.

He’d waded effortlessly through frigid-water…

He’d seared the metal-pipes, twisting the metal to stop the flow of liquid into the basement after looking at the dummies, putting them into the recovery position and encapsulating them in the special pod-things their Papa had made…

Then, regardless of being soaked, he’d swiftly and effectively activated his hottest flames to float himself and the people he’d grabbed onto (thanks to the heat-resistant foam) to safety before ascending the building from the outside, looking through the windows, breaching one and swooping in to save the third and final casualty, he…

“If… if I can be a hero like Papa, ba-chan, ji-chan and nii-san then yeah… yeah I wanna be one, too…”

~*~

Panting a little, his booted feet touching the dusty ground whilst Gang Orca wrote up his notes and his Papa walked over to him, his smile soft and pleased, Touya couldn’t help his spirits lift higher than the buildings around him when the dark-haired Pro tousled his hair; “you did good, kid… you’re a natural.”

“Ah~ really? Was I quick enough? Did I check everything right, I—”

“TTTTTTOOOOOOUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!!”

Blinking, he and his raven-haired parent snapped their heads towards an opening at the top of one of the taller buildings where, like a distant beacon of blazing light, his alpha parent was glowing and hurtling towards him…

Shit!

He’d made a mistake!

He’d gone about the mission, mock or no, the wrong way!

He…

“T-tou-san, I…”

“You were magnificent!”

E-eh?!

Baulking, his eyes tearing once more (s-shit! He… he didn’t want to c-cry… not now… not when his father was finally looking a-at him!), the white-haired youth could only tremble in the strong yet considerate hold of his blood-parent’s arms.

“And I… I have been such a fool… such a blind, ignorant, stupid fool, Touya! Can… c-can you ever find it in your heart-t to forgive me-e? I can wait… I will w-wait a l-life-time I… h-how… how could I n-not see you w-when you were right here in f-front of me and… and to think that you… you’ve been working s-so hard, all this time” the older breathed. “I… I do not deserve you… none of you… I know that n-now and I… I promise…” he murmured into his hair whilst he sank into that embrace (that he’d dreamed of, that he’d craved since boyhood); “I… I will o-only be as in-involved as you want me to be… I will atone” he said, those arms giving him a firm squeeze.

“J-just tell me what you need… what you want and y-you’ll have it… you, F-Fuyumi, N-Nats-uo a-and S-Shouto, too… I s-swear it and R-Rei… your-r mother I… we… I will do what I-I can to make things right for-r her… for your P-Papa… for all of us if… if y-you’ll accept me… if you’ll l-let me?”

Swallowing thickly, his trembling arms struggling to curl around his father’s expansive bulk, the former outcast nodded into his father’s neck.

“W-we… we’ll do it t-together, otou-san…” he told him; “we… we’ll be b-better t-together, okay?”

Chapter Text

Watching the embracing pair, the small flicker of hope he’d been harbouring (that maybe they could all get out of the mess Enji and his manipulation had brought about) in terms of a wider and greater reconciliation between all of them flaring a touch, Aizawa Shouta (still unmarried for what little that meant) met his mate’s eyes…

“T-T-Touya… I do not deserve you to forgive me t-this e-easily… my d-doubts… my fears… the p-pain I’ve brought you, is—”

“—s’not like I’ve m-made things-s-s any b-better… I… I w-wasn’t k-kind to m-mom… the others I… I tried to hurt S-S-Shouto and I… I still h-have to m-make up for that-t, too… ‘cus b-being m-mad and u-upset and j-jealous wasn’t-t…. isn’t a-an excuse r-regardless-s of us and… and our i-issues, tou-san-n—”

… and, regardless of their (awful, terrible, very hard to forgive) start? He… really believed (the feelings of Enji’s shock, awe, surprise and a white-hot burning pride for his son having permeated through their bond) that they could make a go of things. That their relationship, and more importantly how the children they were responsible for were raised, something that wouldn’t be as dire as it could have been; it was irrational, in some ways, to think that anything good could bloom from their initial coupling, but? Given the… indestructible nature of bonds made between alphas and omegas? He… they could make this work…

“Y-you should never have felt so left out, I… I’d believed I was p-protecting you and I’ve been so stupid n-not to think of this solution, myself… I mean, look at you! Just look at you, Touya! Blue-flames?! And at your age?! I couldn’t generate flames that hot until I neared my thirties!”

“R-r-really?”

… because now that their oldest child and his father had been reconciled (for the moment, anyway; he knew that they’d butt heads again, maybe even tomorrow, but the bridge that’d been metaphorically burning between them looked as though it could be repaired) maybe, just maybe, the other children could receive the warmth and recognition he was seeing here…

“Y-yes… you’re a prodigy, Touya and now… now you can live up to your potential-l… you c-can choose the p-path of a h-hero… or not… just know that I see you, alright? I… I have always seen you I… I have just gone about things so… wrongly…”

“M’jus-st glad that you… you want-t to a-accept me, y-you know?”

… however? He… they could all possibly face another problem now, couldn’t they? For, even though this ideal image of father-son bonding appeared wholesome now? Safeguarding against the fifteen-year-old becoming another Endeavour (egotistic, arrogant and work-obsessed) was something he’d have to prepare for, just in case…

“I… I know now, son… I promise.”

Hmm.

“Maa-aa~! I’m sorry to interrupt, however, our Madame President has arrived and would like to speak with the three of you in Conference Room B2~!”

Blinking, his right brow cocking when Nedzu’s voice rang out across the Tanoy-system, Shouta watched his mate pull (though it seemed reluctant; that… that had to be good, didn’t it?) away from their oldest boy before shifting a glance to Ganga Orca who seemed, like him, quite… surprised that the Hero Public Safety Commission were here.

Hmm.

“Oh~! And please don’t worry about Fuyumi, Natsuo and Shouto, alright? Thirteen has gone to collect them and will be giving them a better, longer tour of the campus while we chat, okay~?”

Feeling his other brow join its twin closer to his hairline, the omega Pro let out a sigh before levelling a deadpanned look at the crimson haired alpha; “okay, I’ll bite” he mused whilst moving to approach him and Touya, the dolphin-quirked hero moving to do the same: “what’s happening here, exactly?”

“Your guess is as good as mine” the taller man replied, a touch of wariness peppering his tone; “I can make excuses for you, if—”

“Oh no” he was quick to cut in, his quirk sparking for a second; “the HPSC just happening to be here, at this time, with no clear agender plus the newly appointed Head of the organisation leading the talk, no less, seems incredibly off, to me” he grumped before standing at the white-haired child’s side. “I’m going with you to be an advocate for Touya if nothing else” he told the other, who blinked; “someone needs to be looking out for him and his best interests—”

“Are you implying that I wouldn’t?” the hulking #2 huffed, a puff of steam jetting from his nostrils.

“I’m not implying anything” he replied, his eyes rolling; “you have only just gotten onboard with the idea of him even having a future in our ranks” he reminded, his shoulders straightening: “and yes, I know, you’re his father, but? As a fellow omega? I am going to support him and offer him advice” he stated before looking to Touya.

“Unless you’d prefer me not to?”

“You’re my Papa” the teen said, his smile strong and sure; “so of course I want you with me” he added, a gloved hand reaching out to rest upon his bicep: “and I trust you… I trust that you’re looking out for me” he grinned before looking up at his father. “You trust him too, right o-tousan?”

Waiting a second for the inevitable, annoyed-chuffed, Shouta gave his oldest child’s hand a squeeze and prepared to walk towards the building the faintly scowling alpha had blasted from, his mouth opening to thank Sakamata Kūgo* for his time, when—

“Of course I trust him.”

Blinking, his head snapping back towards the taller man (despite himself; what an irrational reaction), the shorter hero felt his cheeks pinking before he could stop them, his shoulders hiking up so he could hide the majority of his face within the coils of his capture weapon whilst he refused to meet the #2’s eyes.

Shit.

“Y-yes, well… come on” he grumped, his gaze also desperately trying to ignore the delighted smile that flashed across Touya’s face (fuck; he didn’t want to get the kid’s hopes up too much, either) whilst he strode ahead, his arms folding once more.

“I… it’d be quicker if I carried you” the oldest Todoroki offered, a shiver tingling up his spine at the (embarrassment, shame) cringe inducing humiliation he’d feel (because he wasn’t a damsel, damn it!) but choosing not to snap at the other for being ridiculous (because he wouldn’t ruin today if he could help it), Shouta huffed.

“Thanks, but no” he told the other whilst looking doggedly ahead; “you and Touya can fly there if you like, though… oh, and Orca-san? Thank you for your time, today” he furthered before moving to tug at his binding-cloth, the feel of it almost coming alive in his hands soothing and empowering him all at once as he shot it at the nearest lamppost. Then, without a backwards glance (because they’d either keep pace or overtake him), he proceeded to travel towards his destination, a ripple of pleasure moving through him thanks to the momentary sense of freedom his skillset offered him.

He…

He'd missed this; sure, living with his best friends and those previously mistreated children had been wonderful in many ways (how he’d come to be in the house and know the kids notwithstanding) but this?

Being able to swing from point to point, the power and speed of his motions superior to what a normal person (like himself when his quirk was inactive) could achieve whilst running, the ebony-haired fighter relished travelling under his own strength and act of will… but it did make him wonder…

Could…

Would he be able to give this up?

Because hell, there’d be no way he could undertake these kinds of acrobatics, let alone missions, when he started… showing, plus?

Babies were… needy and, regardless of how he’d personally feel about it? He’d seen too many babies flit in and out of the care facility he’d grown up in and that, alone, would stop him from jumping straight back into heroics but… for how long?

Once the baby turned one?

Two?

Three?

Sighing, his eyes rolling (because he’d have to cross those bridges when he came to them), Shouta secured a grip on the fire-escape (still slightly sizzling after Endeavour had launched himself from it; hmm) and swung himself onto the platform, his smile returning when Nedzu-san opened the door for him.

“Maa, Aizawa-kun… looks as though you’ve acquired two new fans, doesn’t it, neh? They certainly seem to be impressed by that marvellous invention of yours~!”

Blinking, the omega looked from the animal-quirked genius back to where he’d travelled from, his right brow cocking once more to see both Enji and their oldest child floating in the air and regarding him owlishly, as though they couldn’t believe what they’d just seen.

Oh?

“Yeah, well, this must be the first time they’ve seen me use it” he shrugged before walking inside, his head shaking ruefully before he clocked the newly appointed Head of the organisation which oversaw his profession, the little smile he’d been trying to fight flat-lining when he looked from her, to her body-guards and the small, winged child beside her.

Hmm.

“Eraserhead-o? It’s a pleasure to put your face to a name I’ve been hearing quite a bit, lately” the congenial (too congenial; he’d never been much for politicians, journalists or the HPSC and something felt incredibly off about this: surely she wasn’t here because of the… incident between him and Enji?) femme offered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well, Madame President” he replied, his hackles still raised even as his mate and son arrived, his head offering a nod to her as Nedzu-san quick-stepped his booted feet to stand between his family and them, the white-furred man then gesturing to the chamber’s primary exit.

“Ah~! Well, now that we’re all here?” he called, his keen eyes glinting despite the jovial tone he’d used; “please allow me to guide you to the conference room we’ll be using, won’t you?”

~*~

Initially bristling (a touch; he… he shouldn’t have offered such a thing, should he? They weren’t love’s young dream by any means, were they?) at the (snub, rejection, flat out refusal) way in which his omega turned down his generous gesture, Todoroki Enji was about to huff at the other’s pride…

He was going to chide him for being irrational for ignoring a speedier form of transport…

Tell him that walking would only waste more time and delay whatever this meeting was about…

A delay that would potentially mean they’d be late for the meal the children had been looking forward to (and yes, the hypocrisy of him being annoyed that a family-gathering could be disrupted was not lost on him) when, to his shock and amazement?

The young man he’d so stupidly (and… fortunately though he didn’t deserve the good outcomes he was seeing) dragged into his life somehow turned the ivory-coils of cloth (that’d lain so demurely about his neck) he wore atop that awful, rag-wristed boiler-suit into moving, waving mass of fabric. Then, in a blur of motion, the end of it shot out to grab for and clutch the top of a street-light and, before he could stop him?

Before he could ask what in the world he thought it was doing?

Eraserhead was somehow off the ground, rapidly ascending thanks to both ends of the capture weapon jetting out at his command to grab at various building-protrusions and speeding his way down the city street with the kind of grace and agility that most gold-medallist gymnasts would envy, he…

“Wah~! That is so cool~! It almost looks like he’s flying~!” he vaguely heard his son (who he couldn’t be prouder of, who he was deeply, terribly ashamed of overlooking… he… he was a big enough man to admit that, now) gush whilst he could only stare, Nedzu’s earlier… talk with him ringing through his ears.

“Maa~ I bet Fuyumi-chan and Natsuo-kun would be able to do that, too, since their ice quirks probably won’t let them fly like we can with our flames~!”

Shit.

“I can’t wait until he starts using it with me during our training sessions~! I mean, I wonder what else he can do with it, you know~?”

It turned out that he’d not only been ignorant of his own child’s abilities but those of the older omega who he’d previously looked down on for running the underground-circuit, his… narrow-mindedness having caused him to think that his Shouta was essentially just a man patrolling back-streets because he wasn’t capable of anything greater.

“Wow~! He’s already back at the building you came from~!”

Shit…

“Ano… o-tou-san? Ugh… shouldn’t we get going, too?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, his quirk igniting, the alpha nodded before looking over his shoulder at Gang Orca, the other’s imposing bulk a match for his (and he did not appreciate the glare being levelled at him, especially since the other Pro was only ranked #7 in the polls) and managing a small bow with his “thanks”.

When the younger alpha sniffed at him (“you’re welcome, #2”) in distaste, instead of making a big deal out of it (he’d be sure to remember this slight and bring it up later, maybe during a top-ten debriefing; the next one would take place in a month or so), he used his powers to super-heat the air, push himself upwards and joined his son…

His beautiful, brilliant son who was gliding above the make-shift buildings this training site provided in a blue-halo, his smile resplendent as though he’d been born to do such a thing…

Because he had been…

And he, due to his sycophantic obsession (goodness knew that he’d heard Yamada, Kayama and his mate say as much when they thought he couldn’t hear them, their talks (that he sometimes stopped and listened to out of sight**) growing more dire and serious when the children were tucked in bed), had failed to see that.

Shit…

Gritting his teeth and stowing his newly awakened… feelings away for now, Todoroki Enji instead focused on the figure of his mate as he walked through the doorway Nedzu was holding open for them; hmm…

So much for the omega hero being the slowest of the three of them, huh?

~*~

Walking behind the President of the organisation which oversaw every hero in the country, he couldn’t stop his eyes (despite himself; he’d blame this current trend of irrationality on the pregnancy hormones that, according to the three books Nemuri had foisted upon him, were dancing around his brain right now) zipping to the winged boy…

“I must confess that I found this… review of Todoroki-kun and his skillset quite an unusual request when it crossed my desk, however? Upon witnessing the live feed Power-loader sent me? I am pleased that this exercise, though unorthodox, went ahead.”

… who was doggedly fixed at the old femme’s side, an alarm-bell or two ringing across his mind because, well? There was virtually no way (unless a side-effect of his quirk included a diminutive stature and child-like visage) that this little alpha boy (he’d be willing to bet he was Fuyumi’s age) was old enough to be on a hero course, so why was he here? Why did the (sly, cunning, former politician) President see fit to bring him here? Was he, like Touya, someone from a family with enough clout to convince UA that he needed a private assessment? However, if that was the case then where were his parents? Surely he wasn’t her son…

“And we’re grateful for your time and consideration, Abe-sama… however, may I ask why you’ve called for this meeting? I did offer you all of my office-hours for tomorrow—”

… not from an ageist point of view, of course, but the child didn’t resemble her in the slightest, those wings (bright red and arranged elegantly at his back, his body dressed in plain, generic clothes (black shorts and t-shirt accompanied by the red-boots that seemed very popular these days) obviously came from a family lineage. Plus, their scents were too dissimilar; the child smelled like fresh-air and sweet-popcorn whilst she was trying to cover her natural, tangy smell with a strong perfume (which could be a security measure, he supposed) floral odour…

“Endeavour-san? Considering… recent events, I find it difficult to believe that you’d be questioning my actions, motives and timing.”

Blinking, a light flinch rippling across him thanks to the bigger spike of guilt, shock and anger poking at him through their shared bond, Shouta looked back at his mate and narrowed his eyes a touch.

“A-ah, yes, well—"

Now was not the time to bring the past up because he had a feeling, deep down in his cynical little heart, that the crafty femme was attempting to (bully, intimidate) manipulate the #2 in some way; oh yes, it looked very much as though she wanted something and had a mind to get it, too.

“I also find it quite… irregular that someone under my direct jurisdiction would think to question me, as well; alpha or not? #2 or not, I expect my authority to be acknowledged and honoured, thank you.”

Hmm.

“O-of course, I apologise.”

Oh?

Filing away the older man’s deference for now (maybe he should ask the President for tips on how to train him in the finer arts of being cowed), Shouta dared to release a small sigh of relief when the furred Headteacher stopped at a door, opened it and ushered them all in.

Finally.

“Please make yourselves comfortable… I’ve provided tea and a selection of juice drinks for us to enjoy and the proposal Abe-sama has drafted for you to review has been duplicated and placed here and there… in the absence of Touya-kun’s mother? I have assured our President that Endeavour would prefer Eraserhead to have a copy, too.”

Oh?

Feeling the alarm-bells that’d been ringing since he initially saw the woman, her five escorts and the child she’d brought with her double their volume, Shouta slipped into the chair across from his mate and gestured for Touya to sit beside him whilst the President sat the table’s head with Nedzu on her right and the alpha-boy on the left.

“Proposal?” the red-haired alpha chuffed whilst he quickly flipped the cover of the file open, his hand pushing the paper closer to his oldest son so he could see it (because nothing would be hidden from him, not on his watch even though there was a small, angrily-protective voice muttering at the back of his mind about rumours concerning secret training programmes) properly.

“Yes” the President replied, her smile wan; “admittedly? What parents allow their children to do at home is not mine or the Government’s concern” she mused: “and you are not the only Pro hero parents who train their offspring to enter your profession, of course” she continued blithely but there was a sharpness to her gaze.

A keenness which was being levelled at the teenager so avidly reading next to him; shit…

“And, after seeing what Dabi is capable of? I wanted to offer him the opportunity to become part of the hero-elite under my direct guidance” she furthered, his eyes narrowing as he regarded her like the fucking predator she was; “and he wouldn’t be alone, of course… for young Hawks here is already making great progress” she smiled.

And oh…

“Like your son? He wasn’t given the… best start and, though his quirk is exceptional? Fire poses a threat to him and his abilities, which means they’d work excellently as a pair with Dabi offering a protective shield of sorts to ensure Hawks’ ‘fierce wings’ could act unimpeded.”

Oh shit.

“Why? Between them? I predict that they will be a popular force to be reckoned with… a team capable of out-shining Lady Nagant, Endeavour-san and, who knows?”

Oh fuck…

“Maybe even All Might-o, himself.”

Chapter Text

Somehow resisting the urge to face-palm when the name of his mate’s (self-proclaimed; he was damned sure that All Might-o paid Endeavour very little mind even at the best of times) rival entered the conversation, Aizawa Shouta immediately narrowed his eyes when Enji’s literally flaming costume blazed brighter with interest.

“So this… programme, Madame President? It’s a fast-tracking scheme?! It’d mean that my boy wouldn’t have to wait until next April to begin his career?!”

Tch! The flaming prick hadn’t even wanted his boy to attend today’s mock-assessment!

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Shit! It was as though she fucking knew exactly what she needed to say to win the bastard over!

“Why, that sounds—”

“A little too good to be true” he cut in swiftly, his utterance causing everyone in the room to look at him, including the boys who’d been not so secretly regarding each other from across the table the adults were sat around; “forgive me for being… sceptical” he furthered when the femme arched a wry brow at him.

“However? Despite what I know to be your good intentions, Abe-sama, I don’t like how… secretive and militant in nature this scheme seems to be” he admitted before turning his intention to the boy he wanted to advocate for.

“I… we had wanted to ensure Touya’s dream of attending the hero course here, at UA, came to fruition once everything that has… happened as of late, at home, had settled. That? And we’re both alumni of this school… we know the staff and how the courses are structured since we have already completed them… Plus? Attending here has been his fondest wish, and I want us to honour that, so—”

“Oh?” the woman crooned, the younger omega at his side suddenly sitting up straighter, those turquoise eyes (which’d been so keenly reading through the documents; from what he’d skimmed? The boy would be taken away from them and sequestered until he left the programme in his twenties as a certified Pro; hmm) sharpening.

“And you’d have him… wait a whole year more for such… sentimental reasons?” the shrewd woman pushed, her dull gaze narrowing onto Enji (caught between a rock that was the President and the inevitable hard-place he’d put the alpha in should he think to endorse such a plan irrationally quickly) in surprise. “I find the idea of Endeavour… preventing his child from succeeding as a Pro, at the earliest opportunity, quite hard to believe” she mused pointedly before making a gesture at one of her underlings.

At the motion, the bulkiest alpha (was this supposed to be a power-move meant to intimidate him?) amongst her staff skirted past a narrow-eyed Nedzu (who hadn’t taken kindly at the slight against his school) swiftly moving to pour out tea for her (really?) whilst she grinned and looked from the taller mate to the shorter.

“Ah? Well, perhaps it is Touya-kun’s newest… care-giver who I should be conducting this meeting with, solely?”

Shit.

“I would never presume to place myself above my mate when it comes to any of his and Rei-sama’s children, ma’am… not only from a biological perspective but out of the respect I have for him and his place at the head of our family” he was quick to reply before the brawny brute could start to undo his plans.

“S-Shouta…”

Because, fuck everything! He needed to calm everyone the fuck down before hastily signing the teenager (who he couldn’t have been prouder of; he would not see him sent away to some secret fate, not while he still drew breath!) over to this… woman.

“I am merely pointing out that, as his bond-recognised parents? We have discussed with Touya what he wants and where he sees his hero-journey starting” he stated firmly before leaning back and placing a firm but gentle hand upon the snow-haired teen’s shoulder; “however? I’ll not speak for him… and I don’t speak for his sire, either” he finished because, luckily?

“I… see.”

That wasn’t the response she’d been expecting; oh yes, he could see from her… dimming expression that she’d hoped to use his… newness to the Todoroki Clan as a way to create a wedge between the united front he wanted to present (regardless of their… reality) the three of them as.

“So then, young man? Since your biological parent seems so unusually tongue-tied about this offer of mine? What say you, hm? Eraserhead-o is right that it is your future we’re deciding, after all, and as young Hawks here will tell you? This is something you must be committed to... forsaking all else, of course.”

Tch.

He did not like the sound of that at all.

“Ano… Abe-sama” Touya replied diligently, his head bowing (in a display of manners he shouldn’t have been so proud of; pregnancy hormones, he was calling it now) reverently; “from what I’ve just read? I’d need to give up my identity and access to my family in order to fully focus and be successful, yes?”

Trying his best not to take a sharp inhale at the thought (because it was irrational; he’d been living alone since he was fifteen with a handful of visits from his social workers so it wasn’t such a big deal) of the teen up and leaving for the six-year duration of the course (which he also found… worrying), Shouta settled for crossing his arms.

Fuck…

~*~

“Yes, that’s right… you could keep the hero-name you’ve picked out for yourself, of course, just as Hawks has.”

Returning his eyes to the younger boy (an alpha, he could tell; should… he be concerned that those dull-gold eyes kept slinking to his sire and… sparkling?) with an admittedly amazing quirk that would be his father’s definition of flashy, Todoroki Touya let out a hum; “then I thank you very much for your generosity and consideration” he said…

… as his sire blinked…

… the old lady smiled…

… and his Papa tensed…

… before standing and bowing at her formally. “However? I must decline your offer” he added, the five big, sun-glasses wearing body-guards baulking (alongside that huge man he’d once been obsessed (to the point of mania) with pleasing; but… not anymore, not ever again) as the woman sniffed and Hawks snapped his face towards him.

“Oh?”

Shit…

“Yes, I… although this scheme sounds incredible, I… there are other opportunities I’d prefer to pursue and, um, other people who I’ve been childishly and selfishly overlooking who need me just as much as I need them.”

There’d been a flash of something he’d often seen on Fuyumi and Shouto’s faces… was it disappointment?

“Ah, but surely there’d be no better way to… atone for such things than by becoming a hero to make them all proud as you serve your country? You’d also reach heights arguably greater than what you could stand to do alone, couldn’t you? Wouldn’t you say it’d be more selfish for you to forsake the people of Japan in… favour of your parents and siblings?”

Worry?

“But I wouldn’t be forsaking them… unless you’d not allow me to join UA next April, ma’am?”

Lonely-sadness…

“Um… allowing someone who should be a second-year student to enter with first-year students could be considered a safeguarding issue.”

Yes, that was it.

“Then… could I not join as a second year?” he asked, his shoulders straightening; “my Papa has taught me so much in a very short time and… ah, not to be presumptuous, Nedzu-Kōchō, but I’m sure he could cover the first-year curriculum with me… and I’m sure he would be happy to tutor Hawks and Fuyumi, too… ugh… sorry~!” he gushed, his body bowing swiftly.

Shit!

“I… I didn’t mean to make presumptions and speak out of turn and—”

He’d let his mouth run off with him!

“Heh… this kid.”

Just like he had when he’d been… harsh and cruel to his m-mom…

“I personally think that’s a marvellous idea~!”

He… wait…

“And I also agree, of course~! My mate is more than qualified, well, outside of a teaching degree and I… I would appreciate him being allowed to do this, greatly—”

What?

“Tch; you just want me to have something else, anything else, better to do than my actual job Endeavour-san, however? I think Touya-kun is on to something… if you’d consider such a thing, of course, Abe-sama?”

The adults had listened to him and were considering his suggestion?

“Um…” the femme managed, the cogs of her mind no doubt turning even as the little alpha fluffed up his wings and seemed to be resisting the urge to fidget; “I will think on this… hastily concocted counter-proposal” she stated after another sip of tea. “I had worried about Hawks’ development under the current regime we have in place, as there have been… past failings, you see, so let it not be said that we at the HPSC aren’t open to reform and new ideas… no matter how boldly and crudely stated” she mused. “Yes, and being tutored by a Pro with such a useful quirk and UA’s support in a more… nurturing environment could certainly be beneficial… however, Endeavour-san? I would expect you to take an active part in their training, as well, especially if your daughter and other sons would consider taking part” she told him bluntly and oh…

“Yes! Certainly! I would ensure it, Madame, you have my word!”

Oh~!

“I’d also like certain… assurances that the boys’ training in the first instance, UA sponsored or not, remains strictly off the public-record; our country’s President and the Empress of Japan, herself, have okayed us to pursue certain… counter-measures to protect our interests and the public from all manner of threats… villainous or otherwise.”

This could be brilliant~!

“Governments globally have been running Special-Ops and spy agencies for years of course and, as heroes and heroes in training? I expect that all elements of the State Secrecy Law* to be covered regardless of your ages… this also leads me to ask whether can you entrust your youngest children… and your other guests to be careful with what they say and to whom? I am right in thinking that the three juveniles are no longer home-schooled, yes?”

He could just transfer straight into either Class 2 A or B and the winged boy, well, it’d mean he’d be ready early and he (maybe with Fuyumi if they were the same age? He… he knew she had the potential to be a hero and a brave one with a big, compassionate heart) could enter UA with knowledge that would put him at the top of his classes with ease, and—

“My children are impeccably behaved and diligently mindful of their duties due to my status, ma’am” his father replied, his chest puffing with pride; “and, though I was originally against it? I must defer to my mate and his impeccable judgement in this matter as the three of them are performing to much higher standards at their respective schools and they… they seem happier, too” he acknowledged, his flames dimming a touch.

“I have been… misguided in my previous thinking” he admitted to the room at large and Touya couldn’t be prouder to hear it; “I am realising, more and more, that I should place greater trust and deeper respect upon my family instead of pushing them away under some thinly veiled idea of protection” he huffed, his arms crossing.

“Up until recently, I viewed myself and my goals as mostly separate from them… and that is an error on my part that I plan to change” he added whilst looking at them in turn before considering the little alpha all but beaming up at him; “I no longer see collaboration as a weakness for those lesser than the top #5, and so yes” he affirmed.

“If you wish for us to take on this boy and support him and my eldest to become the best heroes they can be then, so long as my mate and Nedzu-san agree, I will meet any and all terms you wish to set” he stated, the bright-flames of his uniform stoking to a proud, orange furnace once more.

“On that? You have my word.”

~*~

Upon leaving the meeting (Hawks had enthusiastically thanked them and shyly asked for his mate’s autograph, of all things; it had been hilarious to watch the big man baulk and mutter that he didn’t usually do such things when he could practically feel him preening through their bond), Aizawa Shouta wasn’t sure what to think…

“Maa-aa, Papa~! Otou-san~! Thank you~! Ah~! And I should probably write a letter of thanks to Nedzu-san and Abe-sama, too, shouldn’t I~?”

… or how to feel about everything that’d transpired. He’d not liked one of the President’s body-guards snatching up all of the previous-proposals and effectively secreting them away (he’d wanted to keep a copy so that he and his friends could comb through it; the papers being taken… concerned him), either. In fact? The more he thought about it (as he and the oldest Todoroki’s followed a UA droid to meet the other members of their family), the more everything about that little powwow bothered him…

“That’s not only courteous but an excellent way to show you’re keen to get started, Touya~! See that you write them tomorrow and I’ll have someone from my Agency hand-deliver them, alright~?”

… because it’d all been a little too fast, a little too official to be passed off as something supposedly unofficial in nature. And sure, he knew that they’d be under surveillance (all members of the #10 were for various reasons concerning national-security and to protect them from stalkers and other fun things; him and Enji… mating the way they had would have doubled such measures), but? To simply drop-in on the pretext of offering Touya his wildest dreams on a silver-plater was a coincidence so incredulous that it was niggling at him…

“R-really~?! Thank you~! I mean, I could even write it tonight—”

… and that child, Hawks, true alias unknown, he… there was something really not right happening here, and that something went far beyond a brief thought he’d had no more than fifteen minutes ago about the boy potentially gaining entrance to their home in order to spy on them up-close…

“No, Touya.”

Blinking, a large hand suddenly on his shoulder (he didn’t flinch, luckily; that… that would have undermined a lot of the progress they’d been making, wouldn’t it? Shit…), the raven-haired omega looked to his mate (for better or worse; fuck… they didn’t need any more complications, he should have put a stop to this, whatever it was) and quirked his right brow.

“Tonight? We’re going to go out and have a meal together… just as I promised, not only to celebrate how marvellously you and your siblings have been doing in your studies, but to thank your Papa properly for all of his hard work, as well.”

Feeling his cheeks flush despite himself (ugh! Stupid feelings! Stupid pregnancy hormones!), the younger man sputtered out a coughed: “y-yes, well… l-let’s get going, then… I’m not a fan of irrational spending at such high-end places when we have perfectly good food at home but I think you’re right, for once, Enji.”

“Heh… was that really so difficult to say?” the brute (whose hand still rested upon him… and he’d not thought to pull away; hmm) quipped, a lilt of humour alighting his tone.

Oh?

“Strangely not as hard as I thought it would be” he replied, his lips ghosting into a smile matched by Touya’s, the sounds of the younger children calling out to them at the other end of the vast corridor putting him oddly at ease.

Hmm.

“Here’s hoping that we have other things to celebrate in the near future, too.”

Chapter Text

After he and his oldest son (because he was, the pack-bond they’d been subconsciously forming was growing more undeniable by the hour) changed out of their hero-costumes…

“Wow~! I can’t believe that I get to take my suit and all of this support gear home~! I even get to have an official UA carry-case, too~!”

“Heh… well? Since I’ll be getting you ready to start the second-year’s curriculum? I figured you’d need to have everything to hand so we can continue your training across Sekoto Peak and your father’s private quirk-gyms since we can only access the UA facilities on Sundays.”

… Aizawa Shouta (soon to be Todoroki; he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to put the ceremony off for too much longer, not that he cared: he and Enji were bonded by forces far more powerful than a signed piece of paper, prayers and high-thread count clothing; tch) walked with the ecstatic teen towards the exit a droid was leading them to…

“I… I really can’t thank you enough, Papa… I… I’m sorry for, well, causing you further trouble…”

“You’ve caused no trouble, Touya-kun… you have earned this opportunity, and besides? It’s not as though I can go out patrolling anytime soon and, as much as Nemuri is trying to teach me the basics of cooking? I don’t think I’ll ever be the domestic-type… so I should be thanking you for giving me something far better to do.”

… it was funny, in a way, how things had worked out. Not that he’d ever forgive or forget what had happened (it’s not like he could given the unbreakable nature of bonds) but he could admit that, even though he was (essentially) stuck with this life? It… could be worse…

“Maa~ you’re way too hard on yourself, Papa~! You managed to grill yesterday’s breakfast mackerel* without burning it too much—”

“Um-hm… and the **porridge wasn’t thick enough to glue bricks together but it was pretty-close, huh?”

… he could be; no… he was trying his best not to dwell on such things because it was irrational to worry about things that had happened and to worry over them transpiring in the future. No… the present was all that mattered and, right now? They, as a pack, seemed to be doing alright…

“A-ah~ yes, well? It’s not as though I can cook either~! So it’s a good job that Nemuri-ba, Hizashi-ji, Fuyumi and Natsuo are all great in the kitchen, isn’t it~?”

“Heh… amen, kid.”

… and doing something as stereotypically normal as going out for a family-meal shouldn’t be too much of a test for these building bonds, right?

~*~

“Maa-aa~ otou-san~ I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a western-styled suit*** before~”

Blinking at Fuyumi’s utterance and smiling (despite the pang of guilt he felt when he realised that yes, the girl had probably only seen him in his hero costume, Todoroki Clan yukatas in the summer and the informal training clothes he wore on the odd occasions he was in what had been her, her brothers and Rei’s side of the house), Enji felt… at a loss.

For… shouldn’t he have attempted to compliment her in return?

Reach down to pat her head in a similar way he’d seen Yamada, Kayama and his mate do?

Make some attempt at small-talk even though he loathed to do such things even with competent adults whom he had things in common?!

Shit!

Should he—

“It’s a good look on you, Enji… though, honestly? I think Fuyumi is out-shining all of us in her dress… that’s the one Nemuri picked out for you the other day, isn’t it?”

Releasing a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding (and hoping it didn’t sound like a sigh of relief), the alpha straightened his shoulders in pride as his daughter preened and twirled whilst his boys clapped and his mate gave her that small, soft smile he’d often seen him direct at them even from the beginning of this... arrangement.

“Mm-hm~! She has such excellent taste~! I can’t believe how comfy and pretty it is~! Nemu-ba also picked out Shouto and Natsuo’s clothes, too~”

Shit.

“Well, s’only fair that we get special outfits since Touya-nii got his hero-costume today~! Man~! You looked so cool out there~!”

He… did not deserve this man.

“Maa-aa~ Natsuo~ the three of you can be heroes too, you know, if you want? Oh~! And me and Papa might be training with someone else soon~! He’s got these amazing red-wings and I think he might just be Endeavour’s #1 fan~!”

Not at all.

“He did seem particularly enamoured with your father, didn’t he?”

Snapping out of his thoughts when his omega moved to stand at his side, a care-free hand giving his bicep a pat or two, Enji baulked.

“Don’t go looking like that, Endeavour, don’t you know that having fans is meant to be a good thing?” the younger man quipped, his right brow arching wryly.

“S-so says a Pro Hero with an excellent skill set who loathes such things” he countered through a huff whilst they, as a family (because… they were; despite everything even with Rei still… living where she was: shit… his mate was right (again)… it was wrong of him to have shoved her away. It was another wrong he must right) walked towards their car. “I… I regretfully didn’t look in to just how skilled you are… your talents, particularly with your capture weapon, are exceptional” he furthered, their eyes locking meaningfully; “you have everything you’d need to join the top ten, Shouta… and I… we would support you, if—”

“Heh… thanks, but no” the omega cut in, a strange expression that he couldn’t name crossing the other’s face briefly; “I’ll leave such… ambitions to you and the kids” he continued blithely whilst a weird feeling twanged across their bond before the omega snuffed it out: “all of you have such potential no matter what careers you seek out, alright?”

“Right~!”

Hmm.

“You—”

“So? Where are we going for this meal, exactly?” his mate said, a look they shared demanding that he cease and desist with the line of enquire he’d wanted to bring up since Nedzu virtually slapped him with it; well… he supposed it could wait until a time that was more private. “Because I think that Touya, especially, could do with a good feed after all of his hard work, don’t you?”

“Yes… well… you can all order whatever you like and as much as you like, of course… You’ve all been working hard and I am very pleased with your progress” he stated, his eyes widening at the cheer his words received, his dumbfounded expression no doubt increasing when his daughter (who he’d never exchanged affectionate physical contact with before… had he? Shit) reached out her little hand to his and?

“Yay~! Thank you, otou-san~!”

On reflex?

“Y-you’re welcome, Fuyumi-chan.”

He carefully enclosed it within his own.

~*~

Walking through the restaurant (old, traditional and dripping with class and full of well-known Pros; tch… why wasn’t he surprised?) where his mate had booked a private room (not a table, a whole God-damned room because of course he had) for them to eat in, Shouta could practically feel hundreds of curious eyes upon them…

“So that’s Eraserhead-o? He sure looks different to the photos I’ve seen on the PSHE mission intra-net, doesn’t he?”

“Um… and to think that Todoroki would bring him here and with his kids, no less? That’s quite the statement he’s making… especially since he never brought that wife of his here, isn’t it?”

… tch! And he wouldn’t have put it past the obnoxiously friendly waiting staff to have purposefully walked them, it seemed, past every gossipy hero possible…

“Word is that she’s in a hospital somewhere and has been for a while… something to do with the smallest kid’s scar, apparently.”

“Well I heard that Endeavour is trying to make up for our country’s declining birth-rate by having as many kids as possible… heh, bagging an omega almost half his age will surely help him to achieve that goal, right?”

… not that his bonded-alpha seemed to know or care (although, he supposed, the prick was probably used to such things; he did have a hoity reputation after all) and, to a certain extent neither did he (he’d never been much for rumour-mill chatter or the catty games that heroes in the top-thirty liked to play) but what he didn’t like…

“Say what you like but I think Todoroki-san has the right idea… I mean, those kids are half Himura and their ice-quirk was once considered legendary and as for Eraserhead, well? I’ve heard he can snuff out quirks with just a look… now imagine that kind of power combined with flames~”

“Holy-shit, you’re right… no villain would dare to mess with someone with a quirk like that; heh… and that smug, old bastard knows it, too… ano… maybe the rumours about him entrapping that rookie aren’t as farfetched as we thought, neh?”

… was that the children were with them; he just hoped that they (walking ahead of them as they were with Touya holding Shouto’s hand whilst all four looked around in open amazement at the opulence, finery and the self-obsessed, attention-seeking morons who were dressed in their costumes, no less) weren’t turned in to the whispered mutters he was hearing, and—

“You’ve gone awfully quiet.”

Blinking, his eyes shifting upwards to the (once again; tch… reputations and appearances had to be maintained, didn’t they?) imperious alpha whose posture had returned to its stiff, authoritative stance (with folded arms and glower both firmly in place; yay), Shouta offered him a small shrug.

“Um, just… soaking in the ambience” he replied dully as they were finally past the open-seated area and entering a series of amber-lit corridors hosting the private rooms; “for future reference? I don’t want the kids paraded back through here when we’re done eating—”

“Paraded?” the red-haired menace chuffed, his brows furrowing; “I don’t—”

“Enji” he quipped, his volume low though his tone was sharp; “this place is full of people from your circles and too many of them talk too loud and too much to have escaped your notice” he reminded whilst the broad alpha frowned: “and I couldn’t care less what they think about me or us… but our kids? I don’t want them exposed to this kind of hushed whispering… they’ve been through enough and I won’t have them speculated about, especially since Touya has yet to debut” he told him bluntly, his own arms folding.

“I… very well; I’ll have the staff open the fire-exits and we’ll leave that way” the #2 stated after a chuffed-out sigh and oh?

That was… surprisingly easy.

A little too easy.

Hmm.

“Good” he replied with a nod as they were welcomed into the large, classically and sparsely decorated washitsu by two kimono wearing femmes who cooed over the children and bowed at them in reverence.

Tch.

~*~

Watching as his family (a word he’d often belittled and taken for granted) sat around the traditionally low-table and merrily dug in to the feast of steaks, seafood, noodles, rice, pickles, tofu, fried-chicken and broths, Todoroki Enji was feeling better about his choice of venue now that the children had helped to soothe his mate’s ruffled feathers…

“Um~ this mappo-tofu is amazing~ I’m going to try my best to re-create it so that Hizashi-ji and Nemuri-ba can have some, too~!”

… or, at least he thought they had. Their bond was open, once more, but after the tight-exchange they’d just had (and hell, he’d not even thought about the gossip-mongers in their ranks; his skin was thick and he rarely considered such things… hell, he rarely considered anything; shit) he didn’t dare to poke at it…

“Maa-aa, Natsuo~ I thought you wanted to be an elite baseball player, not a chef~!”

… because he was getting pretty sick and tired, not of Shouta, but of himself and the… oafish fool he’d become…

“Why can’t he be both, Touya-nii? Hizashi-ji is a DJ and a hero, isn’t he?”

… an oaf who’d never dreamed of bringing his wife (who he’d wronged… most awfully and he… he could see that now) here and he’d not taken his children anywhere, not even for a treat not only for their protection (as he’d often self-rationalised) but because he’d seen such interactions as pointless…

“Ahh… an excellent point, Shouto-kun… heh~ you’re getting to be so smart and kind and I… I’m really proud of you, you know? I… I hope to be as smart and kind as you, Fuyumi, Natsuo and Papa are… so keep questioning me and helping me to do that, oaky?”

… useless and meaningless because how would such things help his chances of becoming #1? How could being a father in the more modern sense be useful? Especially since all such interactions would ultimate paint targets upon their backs and give him more things to worry about? Tch… in hindsight? Kayama, Yamada and his mate were right, weren’t they? Because everyone in their circles knew he’d had children… which in turn meant that any villain worth their salt would, too…

“Wah~! Touya-nii~ you’re super smart and… ugh… you’ve been really kind lately, too… and we… we’re really happy to see it… and you know we’ve only ever wanted to help you, right? Ano… you’re the oldest, so we’ll always look up to you and follow you, okay?”

… but he’d been too (stupid, unfeeling) ignorant to see that, no; all that mattered was his status and his ambition to finally beat Yagi…

“Y-yumi… thank you…”

… all because he felt he could, he should, their rivalry at UA something he still couldn’t let go of which, he was becoming to realise, was a foolish and childish thing to cling on to…

“O-oi… come on, now you two~! We’re supposed to be celebrating and eating, aren’t we? Ah~! Papa~! Were you just recording us~?”

… This knowledge, of course, only made things more… difficult, not only for him but for what he needed to do in order to atone…

“Maybe… I’ll delete this footage if you want me to, of course; however? You’ll only be children for so long and today has been a landmark for so many reasons, hasn’t it?”

… and, as awfully as it was? He was having to take his social cues from the very man he’d literally dragged into his problems; shit…

“Mm~! I think it’s great that we’re making and keeping nice memories~! Oh~! We should definitely have a family photo while we’re here, right? I mean… I don’t think that Izumi-san would mind taking one for us when she and the others come to take our plates away if we ask nicely right, otou-san?”

Blinking out of his musings when the eyes of his children and mate landed upon him, Enji managed a smile and did ruffle his (beautiful, empathetic, charming) daughter’s hair this time.

“I’m certain that she wouldn’t mind” he agreed gently; “it’s high time that we start to celebrate everything we have to be grateful for, isn’t it?”

~*~

Sitting quietly within the understated opulence of his preferred Tokyo penthouse apartment, All for One regarded the latest images that his Nomu had collected of Touya (no longer sullen or sneaking off to Sekoto Peak) and sighed because now, thanks to villainous events that even he hadn’t seen coming? His plan to secure Endeavour’s oldest get lay in tatters across the metaphorical chess-board he’d been playing, the power-base he’d been looking to create now one key player short.

Hmm.

“Maa… it seems that the world keeps getting smaller, eh, Shigaraki-sama? For who’d have thought that Aizawa would end up where he is or that his… bitching would result in such changes to our schedule, neh?”

Humming in the back of his throat, his keen eyes looking at the blurred training videos Garaki’s creations had managed to capture, the #1 villain offered his dear friend a lazy shrug whilst he continued to tinker with the CCTV Nomu on the lab-table he’d set up for him as he took another sip of his whisky and mulled the situation over.

“Hm… it is a shame that we couldn’t acquire that boy****, it’s true… but there could be a greater prize yet in Aizawa and the child he’s no doubt carrying” he mused mildly before looking to the images of the Shimura family, his mind still not made up when it came to targeting the girl (older, confident and the spit of Nana) or the quirkless, little cry-baby boy.

“Oh? You mean to whisk away the #2’s mate? Haha~! Well, I’m sure that Kurogiri would be very happy to oblige you, in that… though the inevitable fallout of such a thing would no doubt spark All Might-o’s interest… or is that merely a bonus for you, hm?”

Letting out a chuckle, the ageless fiend lazily turned his chair away from the array of monitors he’d been observing to look at the good doctor (elbows deep in the guts and mire of one of their greatest creations to date) and met those goggle-covered eyes with a preen.

“Um… the chaos of such an even does sound particularly glorious, doesn’t it?” he snickered whilst a slow, cruel smirk crawled across his lips; “that? And having Aizawa altered to raise and nurture either Hana or Tenko… hell, both even, could be useful since he seems to adept to it” he purred. “Hmm… I wonder how the stress of having a mating bond so suddenly and cruelly hampered would affect dear Todoroki-san and this sudden spate of… paternal behaviour he’s been exhibiting as of late, too” he chuckled before taking another sip of his drink.

Ha~!

“It makes me curious to know why and how such a change of attitude came to be in our once gruff and fierce Endeavour… especially since he’s still thwarting villainy with the same, voracious candour he exhibited before securing poor, little Eraserhead” he shrugged whilst lifting his glass in a toast. “Ano… if he is the key to such things? Then perhaps it’s high-time that I formed a kind of family of my own by reconnecting with my beloved Yoichi’s raven-haired descendant***** beyond merely stealing his quirk, neh?”

Chapter Text

“Shouta?”

So their first family outing, though he’d had his doubts, had been a good one; the kids had been suitably fussed over (with photos aplenty; Nemuri had nearly blown up his phone with heart emojis when he’d shared a few), the food had been delicious and Enji had continued to be courteous and… considerate, of all things.

“Um?”

Which was why, he supposed, he wasn’t too surprised when, after seeing the kids to bed (a little ritual he’d fallen into as they’d adjusted to their new normal; he… liked to know that the children were safely asleep in their new beds and rooms since, before, they’d been (with the exception of Shouto) lobbed in together*) his mate approached him in the main corridor.

“I… would you mind joining me for a night-cap… ah, non-alcoholic, of course?”

Blinking (the gesture oddly not… unwelcome? Really?), the omega hummed, nodded and padded away from Touya’s door (their oldest son already sprawled across his futon with the coat of his hero costume splayed across him, his sleep-softened face accented with a smile) and towards the taller man.

A man he should despise…

He should hate, and yet?

“Dare I ask what’s brought this… offer on?” he heard himself murmur as they walked, side-by-side, towards the alpha’s suite of rooms, his consciousness mindful of the hour (it’d just turned 21:00; Hizashi and Nemuri wouldn’t be home until actual midnight (pun intended) at his insistence because they… they needed time for themselves) and the quiet.

“Principal Nedzu, as it happens” the crimson haired Pro replied, his bulky shoulders rolling in a shrug; “he… he has caused me to think on things, on you, and on how I have been overlooking you in more ways than I’d previously realised… especially as a Pro” he continued, those turquoise eyes staring resolutely forward.

Oh?

“Heh… you seem to be veritably dripping with epiphanies these days” he chuckled dryly, his eyes rolling as they rounded a corner and approached the set of rooms he’d first been brought to only four weeks ago; “or are you becoming concerned and starting to rethink the deals we’ve put together on the fly when it comes to Touya’s training?”

“O-of course not!” the other baulked, his head turning to look at him so quickly he could swear he heard that thick neck crack; “I… I am in awe of the progress Touya has made… and in the astonishing change in his demeanour let alone his overall wellbeing” he furthered, their eyes locking. “And, well? Though I must admit that Yamada and Kayama have proven to be a positive influence? None of the positive outcomes for any of the children, outcomes I shamefully admit to being previously beneath my notice, would have happened… if not for you” he stated quietly whilst looking away.

“You have done all of this… you have helped children forced on you, just like everything else, and you’ve even signed up to assist and support a child on a Government hero-scheme to further that cause, and yet I… before now? I had so little idea about you as a person… Your compassion, your ethos, the reasons why you became a Pro on the underground-circuit of all things, I… that is important… you are important… and I cannot, will not repeat the mistakes I made with Rei… tch… and I still have such a penance to pay for her suffering… suffering I now know to have come from me once again failing to see what is truly important” he sighed, his head shaking whilst he pulled the door to his room aside.

“But I cannot go to her now, not while she’s still in the grip of that mania for fear of making her condition worse… but you? You’re here and I… I would like to rectify my ignorance when it comes to you, well… to any extent you’d be comfortable with?”

Blinking again (shit, he was going to get eye-strain at this rate, wasn’t he?), the omega felt a huff rise up and leave him as they walked into the bedroom, his arms crossing over his chest in a self-conscious gesture; “there’s not much to tell” he said, his eyes tracking to the chabudai** across from them, a tea-set already laid out.

Oh?

“In terms of anything personal I could say about myself? I’m pretty nondescript” he continued when a flicker of something like disappointment panged across their bond (fine then), his bare feet silently padding to one of the zabuton cushions on offer and sitting down. “I don’t remember much about my childhood before my parents died other than I was born in Tokyo, we lived in an apartment on the outskirts Adachi City and I was an only child” he shrugged whilst Enji nodded and began to pour them each a cup.

Hmm.

It was… unusual for an alpha to perform such a… domestic task; heh… it looked as though he wanted to get in to his good graces in any way that he could.

“It doesn’t surprise me that such things are unclear to you” the broader man murmured, his right hand reaching for the honey pot whilst he snagged a slice of lemon (Nemuri was constantly on at him to up his fruit and vegetable intake since he wasn’t a fan of the pregnancy-vitamins his new doctor had prescribed); “it must have been difficult—"

“Yeah, well, I don’t like to dwell on it” he cut in, his tone blunt but not unkind; “the past is the past and it doesn’t do any good to focus on it outside of learning from old mistakes to safeguard against new ones” he furthered glibly, his eyes moving from the night-cap to the nearest window.

“As for why I became a Pro for the underground circuit, well? Let’s just say that I don’t play well with others***” he mused blithely whilst taking his cup; “it’s not that I think other people are beneath me, or anything… I just don’t like this strange, irrational need for fame and adoration that so many heroes have” he said.

Then, their eyes locking once more; “I became a Pro to help people… especially those who are overlooked by the top ten” he told him, the other flinching slightly.

“And sure, any missions of mine, the majority which were successful, have barely graced the back-pages of newspaper, but?” he hummed before taking a sip (shit; that was a premium white-tea, wasn’t it?); “what I do… what I did, it made a difference in the lives of people straddling the poverty-line and those living under the threat of violence domestic or otherwise… and that’s all I ever truly wanted. Heh… having our own, little Agency to support places like Naruhata it… it was what Yamada, Kayama, Shirakumo and I always dreamed about when we were at UA” he conceded, his tone a little wistful as the cup came back to his lips.

“Shirakumo Oboro” his mate repeated softly, his head bowing a touch whilst he baulked slightly; “I read the field-report, of course, everyone in our circles did at the time, I mean… and your victory over Garvey was… is considered to be extraordinary, even now” the flame-wielder murmured, his frown gentling at the edges. “It must have been extremely difficult to lose someone you clearly cared for a great deal in such awful circumstances…”

“People die” he cut in, his tone harsher than what he’d like (but he… he could barely talk to Hizashi and Nemuri about him, about the bastard-cursed day when he… when he was… when he had been…) whilst he looked away; “life goes on… and I have enough on my plate without dragging up past traumas, thanks” he muttered.

And shit… who had the ill-temper, now?

Who was the inconsiderate, brooding, uncommunicative person stuck in this relationship—

“Of course… I apologise, that is to say… I’m sorry, I…” the alpha said, his cup of tea untouched; “I do not mean to be so obtuse—”

“No-no” he sighed, his right hand waving his apology away whilst his left rubbed at his eyes; “it… it’s been a long day and I… I’m never ready to talk, you know, especially about… my feelings” he admitted with a shudder, his shoulders easing as he tried to relax.

Shit.

“I… I know that you’re trying, Enji… and I am grateful for that, believe me” he added, his eyes suddenly finding the contents of his cup very interesting; “legally and technically? You have all the power here… so I recognise, regardless of your original motives or intent, that you’re trying to change for the better” he sighed, his head shaking lightly.

“All things considered? I… I appreciate what you’re trying to do… and I’m not meaning to be abrasive or—”

“Shouta” the older man breathed, his voice rasped enough to draw his attention; “you… you are not and I… I cannot put it into words” he muttered, his face washed with shame before he straightened his shoulders and huffed.

“So, instead? I will put my intentions in to words and deeds… for you, our children, your friends… and Rei” he stated; “and that? That is an oath I don’t take lightly, I assure you.”

~*~

Waking up with his mate (who he didn’t deserve, he never could and, like the coward he was? He couldn’t do anything about it… just like he couldn’t bear the thought of telling the other that he knew about the deeper connecting he’d had with Shirakumo… that he’d called out for him when they’d mated; shit) loosely embraced within his arms was a marvellous (if guilt-ridden) feeling…

Not that he’d ever allowed his… wife such things…

Not that he’d ever… thought to be tactile with her…

Because she…

She had been so small…

Delicate…

Fragile and bought… much in the same way he’d bought his Shouta who was so proud, so fierce, so dedicated to his convictions…

Dedicated in ways that Rei hadn’t been…

In ways she’d not been allowed to be thanks to her family…

Thanks to him…

But even after all of that?

Hadn’t she given him four beautiful children?

Hadn’t she done all that she could… and he’d been too blind, too stupid to see it?

Sighing, his face subconsciously nesting into the raven locks of the omega he’d so wrongfully taken, Todoroki Enji found himself holding the lither man a little closer even as the sun rose behind them to cast its warm, summer-heated glow through the windows overhead.

Hmm.

The children had all voiced their desire to see her, hadn’t they?

Then… perhaps, so long as the doctors were agreeable, today would be a good day to broach the subject and—

“S’early… an’ you’re thinkin’ too loud.”

Blinking, Enji watched as the younger hero (whose eyes were still closed) turned around and veritably buried his face into the open-collar of the yukata he’d worn to bed, his brows rising whilst the other sighed; “s’good idea, though… the kids need their mom… an’ I bet she needs’em, too” he murmured whilst he gaped.

“Shou—”

“Back ta sleep… s’weekend… an’ your first patrol isn’t til tweleve, right?”

“Yes, I—”

“Sleep then” the omega commanded whilst nuzzling closer; “make an’appointment with that hos-pital when you’re out” he advised through a yawn, his body relaxing when he moved to curl his thicker-arms more closely about him.

Oh?

“Um” he heard himself reply gently, his hands splaying over the other’s back to rub slow, soothing circles their whilst his eyes closed, his senses dulling even though his ear picked up the sound of a light clatter just beyond his… their bedroom’s doorway…

~*~

Yawning widely, her left hand rubbing at her eyes (hmm, maybe Nemuri-ba was right about her needing an eye-test, after all; not that she’d mind having glasses, of course, especially if she could have some like the kindly woman who’d become a second-mother to her), Todoroki Fuyumi wandered the hallways of her home blearily.

She wasn’t sure what had woken her (the sun was barely creeping across the skyline, meaning that it was somewhere around 04:40) but, since she was up?

She… liked to tour her home.

It made her feel useful for reasons she couldn’t name.

It was almost as though, since she was so young and powerless (these were facts, or so experience had taught her but, thanks to her Papa and Hizashi-ji? She was trying to challenge them by proving herself wrong), keeping a silent vigil over her home was at least something she could do.

Why?

Well… that’d been a question she’d struggled to answer when she’d inadvertently bumped into the blonde hero (who was so charming, intelligent and fun to be around; before she’d met him and Papa, she… she’d not realised that men didn’t have to be big, gruff and imposing) last week, their paths crossing near the kitchen…

“Ah, Yumi-chan… is everything alright?”

“Oh, ugh, yes ji-chan… ano, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Maa, well? This is the second time I’ve spotted you up and walking around so early; do you need anything? I’ve just poured myself some juice if you’d like some? My throat gets super-soar during the spring and summer months in the morning, you know, thanks to alla the pollen hanging around until the heat of the day lifts it all away~”

“Um… no, I’m not thirsty, thank you I… I just… I like to go around and check that everything’s, um… okay? I mean… I know the windows are closed and the doors’ are locked, but…”

… and although he’d not said as much? She could tell that what she’d said had worried him even though he’d smiled, gently ruffled her hair and guided her back to her new room (which she loved! It was so nice to have her own space and her own things~!) with a promise that they’d talk about her wandering later, when she was ready.

Which… though she’d nodded?

She didn’t quite know what he meant; she did know, however, that since they’d met she’d had an extra therapy session added to her schedule and been told by him, Papa and Nemuri-ba that she wasn’t in trouble and could, of course, continue to check around her home so long as it didn’t disrupt her sleep-pattern because she was a growing young woman…

Because she was loved and valued…

Because her health and well being were important and, well?

That… that meant so much to her; in fact… wasn’t this the first time in four days since she’d woken early to walker around? She—

*Clack*

Blinking, her head snapping up from the polished, cedar-wood flooring she’d been following, Fuyumi could have sworn there was a purplish haze…

A stormy mist lingering, shifting, evaporating away from her father’s private suite, her brows lifting whilst she rubbed at her eyes again only to see… nothing… well, nothing except for…

“Eh?”

Tottering forward, her footfalls silent, the second oldest Todoroki child found herself next to the room whose door she knew to only knock upon in the case of an emergency, her eyes widening when she found her Papa’s gold-coloured hero-goggles on the ground directly before the barrier that was ever-so-slightly open.

Bending down to pick them up, her gaze daring to flick to the crack she’d noticed, the youngest femme of their cojoined household felt a smile tug her lips as the dim sunlight shone over her father and Papa curled around each other on the futon, a small sigh of relief leaving her.

Hmm.

Maybe they’d been called out on a late-night mission and only just returned home?

That would explain, she supposed, the disturbance that woke her.

It would also explain why part of her shorter parent’s Pro costume was here, wouldn’t it?

Yes; they must have been too tired to realise that he’d dropped it as they went into their room and so, her hands pressing the precious item to her chest so that it didn’t make a noise (had she heard them fall? That seemed unlikely… she probably heard something else in their room), Fuyumi turned around and headed back to her room.

She could put the goggles back where they belonged (both Eraserhead and Midnight shared a small chamber (formerly their awful housekeeper’s sewing room) that her father had turned into a hero-costume wardrobe and changing room) on her way.

Chapter Text

As Saturday mornings went?

“Um~ tamagoyaki~ my favourite~ thank you, Hizashi-ji~”

This, he felt, was shaping up to be a good one.

“You’re welcome, lil-listener~ maa~ there’s fresh-ground coffee in the pot if you want a cup, Enji-san~”

Because everyone, it seemed, had had a wonderful Friday evening.

“Ah, thank you… ano, Nemuri-san? Here, my Agency is inundated by requests for product endorsements and I thought that you might like to attend this one… all of the details are attached to this email and, if you’d like to take part in this one, just reply to Kido and he’ll make the arrangements.”

From the kids (all well rested and merrily munching through his best-friend’s breakfast offerings; their smiles were a sight he’d never tire of seeing) to his dearest friends (their ‘night on the town’ a huge success) who’d so flawlessly walked into what could have been a nightmare (for his sake), there were smiles all around.

“E-eh?! Maa-aa~ Endeavour-sama~ how did you know that I love motorcycles, neh~?”

Which, all things considered, was nothing short of a miracle.

“Shouta may have mentioned it in passing once or twice… I am resolved to show you and your husband the gratitude you deserve, amongst other things, and I would be remiss in my duties as #2 if I wasn’t ensuring other heroes reaped the benefits of our combined hard-work.”

Therefore, as he took his seat next to Touya…

“Papa~ here~ Fuyumi and Shouto made you this fruit salad with the melon-chunks you like and Natsuo and me seasoned your rice just how you like it, oh~ and don’t forget the natto you were craving yesterday~”

… his own smile burgeoning…

“Thank you, it all looks delicious… itadakimasu.”

… he joined in with the breakfast as his mate and friends, his other family, settled in to join him and the kids…

“Oh~ can I have the last fried egg, please?”

… with the oldest, broadest alpha sat at the head of the table beside him…

“Sure thing, there you are… maa~ an’ you lil listeners need to drink the rest of this barely-tea, okay? It’s gonna be another scorcher today and not all of us have quirks that help us beat the heat, right?”

… and everyone else crowded in the places they’d picked, the breakfast spread (offering a wider variety than the austere foods he’d ever tried or what that bitch of a house-keeper had allowed the children to enjoy; tch) courtesy of the married-couple rapidly disappearing…

“Um-um~ and speaking of which? I thought it’d be fun if we went to a water-park today~? Hizashi and I still have some annual leave booked off and I think it’d be fun to get out of the house for a while~! Well, if that’s alright with you, Enji-san?”

… whilst plans for the weekend formed because it’d be illogical to assume that the very expense, private hospital where Rei-san was being treated would simply allow a visit for the children out of the blue just because Endeavour was calling them later. Plus, with him essentially benched (they had enough to deal with without him chasing drug-dealers around Naruhata all night Endeavour and his legal-team had argued; he’d reluctantly agreed (it’d be irrational not to right now), giving back to the kids was a better use of his time…

“If it’s a water-park you want to visit then go to Okuto-jima*… Gang Orca owes me a favour or two, even after yesterday when he oversaw Touya’s excellent performance, and his aquarium is one of the best, so the children would be adding to their educational pursuits, as I’d prefer, by visiting it.”

… and it looked like Enji, even though the lack of proper training time appeared to pain him, was finally coming around to the idea, too…

“Eh~?!”

“R-really~?!”

“B-but ‘tousan~ h-how would we get there~?”

“I’d have Claire Voyance escort you on one of our speed-boats for off-shore missions, of course… Burnin has told me that they needed running more often to prevent the engines seizing—"

“Wah~! We gett’a go on a boat-ride with a sidekick, too~?! C-Chichi-ue? You mean it~?”

“Of course… how would you get there, otherwise?”

“A-ano…” a small voice called over the growing reverie; “what’s a water-park?”

And, just like that, their previous reality (of isolation, seclusion and an overall closeted upbringing consisting of books and only themselves for company) settled back over them with a thunk; shit.

“That’s an excellent thing to query, Shouto” he began as those wide, curious eyes searched around the room before landing on him gratefully, his body still shrinking in on himself for fear of asking a ‘dumb question; fuck, he needed to nip that in the bud right-quick.

“A water park is a place that has slides, fountains and pools of water in various depths, shapes and sizes” he explained kindly, with no hint of shock, whilst his mate (a tingle or surprise followed by guilt skittering across their bond) tensed and everyone else faltered. “It’s a place that most people enjoy going to, especially on hot days like—”

“Does… do people get… um… hot water poured on them in the fountains?” the child (so innocent, the burn mark marring his eye having finally settled, the angry redness of it hard to miss regardless of it no longer scabbing) shakily interrupted, his nose sniffling as the tension in the air rose.

“No” he replied calmly, his voice taking on the low, gentle quality that his gender was renowned for; “the water is usually cool and designed to help people feel relief from the summer’s heat” he told him as their youngest ingested the information and nodded. “However, if you don’t feel like going to see one for yourself just yet? We can spend the day together, here, while your ba-chan and ji-chan take the others out…”

“B-but… but then you wouldn’t get to go” the boy voiced, his lower lip tremoring whilst he gently shook his head and smiled at him.

“You’d be doing me a favour” he told him breezily, his light chuckle causing the child to blink; “not that I want to rain on anyone else’s idea of a good time, but I’ve never been much for crowds or wearing swim-suits” he shrugged. “So, what do you say? I have a few errands to run downtown and then we can have lunch at a cat-café” he enticed as the boy (his siblings similarly looking forward to the summer-holiday when Enji had promised to take them ‘pet-shopping’) instantly brightened. “Then we can do the grocery shopping together and play some games when we get back” he grinned.

“I think, if we get some real practise time in, we’ll be able to beat your brothers and sister at that monster-card game you all like so much, right?” he furthered, the boy’s little hands curling into determined, adorable fists.

“Yes~!” he proclaimed, his declaration causing the darkening aura that had been looming above them to disperse instantly. “I… I will become a dragon-master and then I can ask Kirishima-kun and Ashidou-chan** if I… if I can join their tournaments during recess~” he stated as everyone (outside of his father who was battling another case of emotional constipation; tch) cooed and cheered him on, his own shoulders relaxing as the emotional crisis that could have been was averted.

For now.

Fuck.

“We are booking in more sessions, for all of us, with that therapist your lawyer recommended” he whispered to the alpha (no longer gulping his miso soup or enjoying his omelette) beside him who let out a low, quietly resigned sigh.

“Agreed.”

~*~

Waving off the jubilant children and his friends…

“We’ll bring back souvenirs and take lots pictures of me posing in my favourite speedos~!”

“Buy factor 50+ sunscreen for yourself and the kids, instead! And behave yourself, Hizashi! I mean it!”

… Shouta watched as the small mini-bus (being unofficially escorted by the flame-hero choosing to fly so innocuously overhead; fucking show-off) pulled out and away from the estate’s expansive drive to spirit the five of them (plus a genuinely delighted Claire; goofing off on Okuto-jima probably beat tackling the mounds of paper-work Enji dished out) away…

“Ah… peace at last” he sighed, his right hand gently squeezing Shouto’s left, their smallest child (he hadn’t changed his mind, per say, but he could tell the boy was internally conflicted and potentially feeling sad that he was missing out on an activity he and the others could have only dreamed about last month; shit) nodding and trying to smile.

God.

He was much too young to have known such awful suffering and, as someone who’d been orphaned before his eighth birthday?

The injustice of this, of everything, was still a bitter pill to swallow, he—

“Papa?”

Reaching down to scoop the kindergartener up and into his arms, the omega (dressed in black, linen pats and similarly breathable t-shirt (“wah~ Shou-chan~ would it kill you to wear something summery~?”, “why take the risk of finding out?”) chuckled when the other gasp-giggled.

“What shall we do first, um?” he asked, his left arm securing the lad against him whilst the right readjusted his (admittedly adorable; Enji had wanted all of the children to wear his gawdy merchandise: he’d vetoed that with a waspish threat involving knives in the dark) yellow-duck accented sun-hat.

“O-oh, um… didn’t you say you had errands?”

Heh; Kayama’s styling choices (her own risqué choices notwithstanding though he’d never judge her for it; hell, he and Hizashi had decked alphas and betas for commenting about what she wore, ignorant pervs every one of them) couldn’t be faulted when it came to the kids’ new wardrobes. Touya and Natsuo adored the sporty looks she’d matched for them, Fuyumi had looked every bit the princess she was in her sailor-dress and their youngest was decked out in soft, light-beige dungarees featuring two more of the ducks and a white-cotton t-shirt underneath.

“Yes, but we can go to the Underground Hero Offices a bit later if you’d prefer to visit the park, first?”

“I… I don’t really know if I like the park, or not” the child (so unsure of himself and the world around him; it was hardly surprising since he’d rarely been allowed to leave this house, let alone interact with other young people: the fact that he’d slotted effortlessly into his elementary school (under the excellent counsellor’s watchful gaze) was miraculous) murmured. “Last time we went… um… there were lots of loud kids running around and I… I don’t know how to play, you know, like they do…”

Shit.

“Neh, Shouto” he began gently, their eyes locking whilst he gave him a soft squeeze; “you can play in any way that makes you feel confident, alright? So you prefer the swings and the smaller slides, so what? Because if running around and making noise isn’t for you, then that’s fine, you’re fine just the way you are” he soothed as the youth blinked at him.

“Really?”

“Really” he assured; “so, are we going to walk down there first, hm? Your father’s driver can pick us up right away if you aren’t having a good time, alright?”

“Um~”

~*~

Landing upon the extended platform (a launch for his Agency’s hover-crafts***, helicopters and himself, of course) of his Musutafu offices, Todoroki Enji walked doggedly forward into the work-place that had once given him such purpose…

“Endeavour-sama~ welcome back~ here is your updated patrol-route, our latest polling-figures and your agenda for this afternoon including two meetings with the HPSC via video-link and the top-five conference which you’re expected to attend in person at Might Tower this evening.”

… such solace, and yet…

“Tell that American buffoon that I’m unable to visit his ridiculous Agency but I will join the meeting remotely” he chuffed, his turquoise eyes scanning over the tablet he’d been given dispassionately as he continued to march through the desk-peppered area where the various men and women he employed stood and bowed at him between taking calls and doing work.

“O-oh, ugh, yes… right away sir… ano? Are you staying in your office for a while, or—”

“Yes” he grunted before handing the technology back to Burnin, her brows lifting significantly (because it was rare for him not to head straight out on patrol, his desire to safeguard this territory (which spanned towards Tokyo and then vastly away to southern and western areas as agreed with the so-called #1; tch!) usually all encompassing) as he continued on his way.

“A-ah… I see~! Well? Can I get you anything—”

“I have a few private calls to make” he told her decisively, his hulking form (devoid of flames; he… hadn’t realised how often he kept his quirk active, even at home, and found that his beard and mask didn’t appear across his face so readily now: “you’re a walking health-hazard like that, you know? Plus… you do look better without them”) stood by expansive, oaken doors.

“See that I’m not disturbed in the mean-time and knock on for me at 13:00… we’ll head out on patrol, then” he ordered before regarding her over his shoulder.

“Has Onima**** reported back, yet?”

“Oh, yes, sir” she blinked; “everything you requested in terms of supervising and safeguarding your family is set up for you on your desk” she furthered, her smile strengthening: “I… we are all really happy for you, Endeavour-sama” she dared to add, a few of the eavesdroppers pretending not to watch them similarly straightening.

“To think that Eraserhead-o has taken so wonderfully to his role as your mate and—”

“That’ll be all… thank you” he just about managed, that same squirming guilt (which’d manifested since the first time he and Shouta talked, the image of the omega holding that lethally sharp steak-knife to his throat something which haunted him often) roiling in his gut before he stomped into his office, the doors thudding closed behind him helping him to settle.

Somewhat.

Shit.

‘What is wrong with you, Enji?’ he breathed to himself as he walked to his expansive desk, a new set of monitors (one showing his mate and youngest (at a park, Shouto talking with a green haired boy who was animatedly scuttling around him; oh?) and the other his older children joyously splashing about) greeting him as he slumped into his chair with a huff.

‘Not attending a top-five meeting in person’ he grumbled, his arms gruffly folding; ‘sending your progeny to another Pro’s theme-park and actually looking forward to returning to that house, your home, instead of doing your duty’ he breathed whilst shaking his head, his eyes slanting from the screens to his phone.

‘Are you really going to call the hospital?’ he asked himself; ‘weren’t you done with Rei? Wasn’t leaving her to be treated without interference, at least for a year or two, something that the doctors you’ve paid a small fortune for suggested?’ he mused until the scent of his mate filled his nose from memory…

“s’good idea, though… the kids need their mom… an’ I bet she needs’em, too.”

… his sleepy words this morning before they’d fallen back to sleep causing him to pick up the phone and start scrolling through his contacts; shit…

“Moshi-moshi, you’ve reached Ogawa Private Hospital, how might I direct you call?”

… because this was his reality now, and things were going to change.

~*~

Reaching the park (a wide, open green-space burgeoning with slides, climbing-frames, swings and all manner of brightly-coloured equipment), the scene awash with children (but not too many from the way Shouto’s small smile brightened), Shouta walked the boy toward a set of benches beneath an artfully cropped knoll of trees.

“Let’s have a juice break before going to the swings” he suggested, the other’s little hand squeezing his own even though his head was turning from left to right, the morning heat still relatively mild and getting more bearable as he noticed a plethora of over-head bars laced across the play-area delicately misting the air; “or you can try those dinosaur-slides if—”

“Shine! Take that you stupid, Deku-villain~!””

“Ow~! Kacchan, t-that hurt~!”

Blinking, the pair of them stopping, the omega felt his eyes narrow at one of the more boisterous sets of boys (who seemed to be there as a group, their parents no doubt at work*****) who’d been tumbling around a field only moments ago, his new parental instincts (or some such bullshit; stupid hormones) forcing him to watch when common sense…

“Aw, what? You gonna cry Deku?”

“Yeah-yeah~ you gonna use tears as your quirk, huh?!”

… logic and rationality (these weren’t children he knew, he didn’t know their parents and sure, he had his hero-license in his wallet but this could all be a game they were playing, making the teasing he could see potentially harmless) all told him that this? This was none of his business…

“Ow~ p-please~ please s-stop kicking g-grass at me~ I g-give up~ y-you win~”

“Ha! That’s right! Cus heroes always win, even when they have to beat a weakling-loser like you~!”

… nothing to do with him or the pensive, trembling boy similarly watching as the four, nasty little snots****** jeered, poked and sneered at the small, green-haired kid the obnoxiously loud blond had knocked to the floor with a hero-move; tch!

“Papa?”

“Stay by the bench for me, okay?” he murmured before he started moving the relatively short distance from under the shadowy canopy of trees they’d just entered, the small field he’d been observing only metres away on what should have been just a nice day out for his youngest charge.

Tch!

“N-no~ I’m going to come an’ help~” the boy stated firmly, his little legs rapidly catching up to him; “please, I…”

“Alright then… just let me do the talking in the first instance, okay?” he said, his expression lit with pride (because after everything he’d suffered? Shouto’s kindness and consideration of others never failed to surprise and humble them all) as the boy brightened at the thought of being helpful. “Something tells me that that kid could do with friend, right now, if nothing else” he sighed when the winged boy knocked the now crying youth back to the ground whilst the others laughed; “you ready to offer him that?”

“Um~”

“Heh… that’s my boy” he heard himself say before he activated his quirk and darkened his countenance entirely; “oi!” he snapped, the authoritative bark of his voice causing the little bastards to blink and baulk at his approach, the winged kid gasping…

“Step away from that boy, right now, and maybe I’ll go easy on you!”

… as his extra limbs drooped limply behind him.

“M-m-my quirk?!”

“W-who… who the hell are you supposed to be, old man?! Ah?!” the red-eyed blonde snapped, his hands (which’d been sparking before) balling into tight, bewildered fists; “you a perv, or something?”

“I’m a hero” he replied dully, his gaze narrowing; “and although arresting you for assault is below my pay-grade and most kids, wrong as it is, get away with such things? I can quite easily have you and your… friends here barred from every hero-course in the country, maybe further afield if my mate were to catch wind of this” he offered as the other three had the decency to squeak.

“W-what? No! No way!” the blonde (Kacchan?) hissed disbelievingly; “you can’t just—”

“I can and I will” he shrugged, his head tilting towards one of the many, flower-painted CCTV towers dotted around the place for the safety of parents and children alike, his quirk blinking away; “with my resources? Finding out who you are and where you live will similarly be easy” he smirked whilst reaching for his wallet and pulling out his i.d. card.

“E-e-e-eh?! E-Eraserhead-o?!” the toothy brunet gawked; “h-hey… ugh… I’m sorry… we’re sorry, right guys?” he tried, the other two nodding whilst the little hellion gulped.

“I’m not the one deserving of the apology” he stated firmly before approaching the freckled-boy whose eyes were wide and shining with awe at his i.d. of all things; “you okay, kid?”

“Mm~” he nodded, his little hand latching onto his as he pulled him up and proceeded to check him over; “these bruises” he began, his tone becoming menacing once more: “your handy-work, I presume?” he directed at the others whilst moving to stand between the sheepish, teary-eyed kid and them. “Well?”

“W-w-we… we were only—”

“I… I got bruises, too, see~ that’s what happens when-n—”

“S’not our fault that quirkless kids want to play hero games—”

“Yeah! We don’t even like ‘im, see? He’s the one who keeps chasing after us, and—”

“Quiet” he snipped, his arms crossing imperiously over his chest; “all I can hear are excuses for poor behaviour unbecoming of good people, let alone people who aspire to my profession” he told them bluntly, his gaze narrowing on Kacchan. “When someone chases after you and seeks your friendship, abusing that trust and snuffing out that hope with cruelty is one of the worst things a person can do” he stated whilst the boy huffed but looked away.

“That’s the kind of behaviour I’d expect from cowardly bullies who should know better” he intoned when all of the little bastards (well, maybe that was too harsh; they were just stupid kids and they at least had enough about them to look and act guilty but, just to really bring the message home?) flinched; “even most villains don’t treat their lackies the way you’ve just treated this young man”.

One beat.

Two.

“Sorry De… Midoriya…”

“Y-yeah…”

“We didn’t mean to—”

“Tch! J-just… just stop bothering us and we won’t bother you, Deku” the leader of their little gang sniffed before turning around and walking away; “come on, you guys… this park sucks, anyway…” he called, his sneaker covered feet kicking at the grass impetuously as he went, the other three tottering after him.

Tch.

“A-ano… I’m Todoroki Shouto… are you alright, Midoriya-kun?”

Blinking, Shouta felt the angry-annoyance that’d been building inside of him melt away as his currently youngest son stepped forward, the freckled tot (torn between going after the other boys (growing up, he remembered, was hard; sometimes any interactions with other kids was better than nothing, after all) and shyly replying) suddenly bowing at a dizzying rate.

“I… I’m o-okay, thank you To-Todoroki-kun~” he rasped, his head staying bowed; “t-t-thank you f-for helping me-e, Todoroki-sama… a-ahh! I-I mean, Eraserheado-sama~” as he continued, his tone becoming progressively more wobbly: “I… I’ll be h-heading o-off now so you… you can e-enjoy the r-rest of… of your m-morning, and—”

“Do you have to go?” his child managed, his little, sandaled feet taking another step towards the sniffing child who dared to look up at him; “because I… ugh… I’d like to play with you, um… if that’s okay?”

~*~

The next two hours had been nothing short of wonderful to watch…

“And then All Might-o scooped alla the kitties out of the river, dried them off with his cape and made sure they got new homes~! Isn’t that amazing~?!”

… because as he’d lounged on the bench (after a quick call to the smaller boy’s mother when he’d asked for the number; Midoriya Inko sounded like a lovely woman (and just as prone to tears as her only son): she’d thanked him, profusely, and said she’d come to collect Izuku at 12:00 and offered to take them all out to lunch), sent a few emails and observed…

“Wow, really~? Oh~ we’re getting at least one cat soon, too~”

… the pair playing. Because to hear Shouto laugh (completely unbridled, his expression brightened in a way he hadn’t seen before and yes, he’d taken a few photos; it was another, illogically biological response he was sure, his inner omega demanding physical evidence of his pup so elated, or something), gush and excitedly chatter was…

“Ah~ that’s so cool, Todoroki-kun~ would I be able to come over when you bring them home~ I love cats~”

… really something else, well, until a topic (a natural progression from their joyful bouts on the swings, playing pretend heroes across the jungle-gym and dizzying themselves on the round-about whilst discussing school, Pros, card-games and everything in between) that could be a little awkward popped up…

“Y-you… you want to come and visit me… I… I’ve never had a… a friend, really… let alone one whose w-wanted to visit…”

“O-oh? Um… well… I… I haven’t, really, either… I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked—"

… because Enji was all about security and sure, since he didn’t own the Todoroki Estate (or anything in it), maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to call out. “Of course Midoriya-kun can visit you… we’ll talk over the details with his mom when she arrives, okay?” he heard himself say, his body pulling into a stand from the bench he’d been relaxing on as they gasped and ran towards him…

“Papa~! Thank you~!”

“Yes, thank you~!”

… shit; so much for not getting involved, huh?

Chapter Text

“Shouto made a friend today and he will be coming over, tomorrow, for a play-date. This is not up for discussion.”

Staring at his phone, the sounds of Kido giving the standard afternoon debrief nothing but static in his ears, Todoroki Enji wasn’t sure how to react as he continued to stare at it.

“Shouto made a friend today and he will be coming over, tomorrow, for a play-date. This is not up for discussion.”

Because… what the hell?!

Shouta had invited some… some unknown, un-vetted child to their very secure home?!

A home where he, as the country’s #2, resided and sometimes did business, he—

“A-ano… Endeavour-sama?”

Baulking (and nearly cracking the phone screen as his ruthless clutch tightened), Enji snapped his head up and away from the device (which the others couldn’t see thanks to the conference table they were gathered around) to owlishly appraise his sidekicks (the six of them blinking back) and attempt to pull himself together.

Shit!

“Apologies” he grunted, his hand depositing the phone (his mate’s stark message still illuminated upon the mildly fractured screen) upon the expansive table with an annoyed huff; “I should not be bringing personal matters to work” he added, his brows furrowing: “it is the epitome of—”

“Boss, please don’t berate yourself like that~” Burnin called, her tone and face sheepishly endearing; “I mean… I’ll be the first to admit that I was really, really concerned when you and Eraserhead got together but, honestly? I think it’s done you the world of good~” she veritably chirped whilst the other five nodded along. “You seem so much more, I don’t know, settled now… and have you seen all of the gorgeous photos that Midnight, Present Mic and Onima have been uploading to the private server~?!” she gushed, the others animatedly chipping in…

“Maa~ I must admit that I was hoping we’d be able to finish the debriefing on such light and adorable news~”

What?

“I have never seen Claire Voyance smile so much~!”

Why?
“Oh~ and that little boy, Midoriya Izuku? He’s so sweet~ I think he and Shouto-kun are going to be the best of friends~”

Who?!

“Hey, let’s put the footage on the big-screen, neh? Eraserhead-sama said he was okay with Onima sharing what he’d seen… well, after he roughed him up a little” Kido chuckled good-naturedly before tilting his bandage covered head at him; “ano… maybe you should tell him that he has a shadow-escort in the future, boss~”

Snorting (because Onima being spotted and dressed down by his mate should have been more surprising to him than what it was; tch, his mate was fierce and protective to a fault, after all, and he’d no doubt get an ear-full about being spied on, later), Enji was about to protest when…

“Aww~ look at how excited they are~!”

Blinking, the tension in his shoulders suddenly bleeding away, the #2 felt his jaw go slack as the expansive, holo-board where positive trends in crime-reduction had previously been glowing gave way to a plethora of images showing his family…

“Fuyumi-chan has the most amazing smile, doesn’t she~”

“Heh, Natsuo-kun has the makings of an Olympic swimmer… I mean, just look at those shoulders~”

“And Touya-kun seems incredibly comfortable in water considering he has his father’s quirk~ maa~ perhaps he, too, has the potential to develop an ice or frost powers*~”

… both at the water-park, their young forms joyously running through shallow-pools, splashing around in deeper ones, laughing down slides, posing for photos (with equally jubilant Yamada, Kayama and Kurea Boyansu** in the various, brightly coloured backgrounds or gesturing at the camera with them) and eating ice-cream to a park…

“Yeah! You give those little bullying-shits what-for Eraserhead~! Ugh! Kids like that need a good scare to set’em straight!”

“Shouto-kun certainly has the makings of a fine hero in him~ look at how he reaches out to Midoriya-kun~”

“Aww~ aren’t they cute, together~?”

“I’ve already run several background checks on the Midoriya family, too, just to be safe, sir… from everything we’ve found, I can assure you that Inko-san is an employee at an accountancy firm in Musutafu and, although she’s technically still married to Midoriya Hisashi? He’s not been in Japan for the past four years… it doesn’t look as though he’s paying her child-support, either… hmm… can I set our legal-team on him, please? We are supposed to be protecting families in every way that we can, aren’t we?”

… and, in that park? He saw Shouto, his heir (amongst… other things; shit), running around and laughing in a way he’d never seen before, his mate (strong and beautiful, those dark eyes warm and fond) ever present in the background whilst a freckled child (equally happy) led his son around the play-area and enchanted him with whatever words he spoke…

“They… I have not seen them all so” he heard himself breath, his turquoise gaze shifting from one image to the next as he relaxed in full; “I… I had been so worried, needlessly cautious about allowing them this freedom to simply be” he sighed, his head shaking slowly.

“How could I have been so ignorant?” he asked, his right-hand gesturing at his phone; “I… I had thought to be angry, I had thought to call my mate and cancel this… play-date he’d arranged with that Midoriya boy” he sighed, his massive shoulders sinking in slow, heavy recognition of the cruel, paranoid tyrant he was.

“I…”

The tyrant he—

“Ano, Endeavour-sama… it’s only right to feel protective and, if I may? As an alpha and a parent, myself?” Kido breathed, the room (now sombre after his (deeply uncharacteristic; what the fuck was happening to him?!) confession) looking between them both.

“Although it is wrong to be controlling? You’re just finding out what a bond with an omega can do… and how strongly those feelings can take a man over” he advised, his tone softening.

“The fact that you’re acknowledging yourself and your reactions is important… it’s a step in the right direction to achieve a balance between giving your family autonomy and keeping them safe” he added, the white-eyes of his hero costume closing in to smiling arch-slits.

“And sure, it’s natural to be a little over-protective… but you didn’t insist on that play-date being cancelled, did you?”

“Well… no” he admitted; “but that’s only because…”

“No harm, no foul, I say~” Burnin grinned, her right hand reaching for and lifting her glass of water in a toast; “I believe in you and your ability to make your family situation work, Endeavour-sama~”

“Me too~”

“And me~!”

“You totally got this, boss~!”

Grunting in (shock, surprise) disbelief, Todoroki Enji huffed and shook his head; “I… I don’t deserve my family… or you and your support” he admitted, his resolve strengthening and he straightened himself and regarded them like the equals to him they were.

“But… that will change, I will change” he told them, the fire of his quirk and lineage ghosting about his fair.

“That is a promise.”

~*~

After enjoying lunch (which Onima paid for after he’d grabbed him and chewed him out (because being stalked was not okay, job or no) in the café bathroom he’d dragged him into when the boys and Midoriya-san were preoccupied with the lovely cats the eatery had on offer), pleasant conversations and a round of refreshing iced-drinks…

“A-ah, yes, of course I’ll see to the bill~! And, ugh, sorry… you know, again I… I… that is to say we, the Flaming Sidekicks that is, didn’t mean to cause offense or imply that you can’t handle yourself, you know~? We… we just want to, ugh, make sure you and Shouto-kun are safe and—”

“Stop sputtering nonsense in an attempt to get your over-protective boss of the hook… and make damned sure you charge everything to his account, alright? Tch, I swear, if I see you following us on the errands I have planned for this afternoon then you’re not going to be let off so easy, you got it?”

“Ugh… yes sir… I got it~!”

… Shouta bid farewell to Inko and her utterly charming (though his self-esteem issues and experiences of bullying at the hands of those brats was problematic; if his and Shouto’s friendship continued to develop then he’d be sure to help him work through such trauma) child with a small wave mimicked by his youngest child…

“Today has been so much fun~! Thank you Todoroki-sama~! Todoroki-kun~!”

“Um, yes~ we’ve had a wonderful time with you both~ but… are you certain that you want to send a car to pick him up and bring him back home again? I’d be more than happy to take the train with him~”

“Midoriya-san, I promise you that it’s no trouble… and besides, Shouto is just as eager to ride around in his father’s car and it is our pleasure to host Izuku-kun for the day so please, I implore you to enjoy your rare day off, okay?”

… before walking him into Musutafu’s city-centre, his larger hand holding his smaller one…

“I can’t wait to tell everyone that I made a friend all by myself today, Papa~!”

“You did incredibly well, Shouto-kun… and don’t worry about tomorrow for any reason, alright? Between Nemuri, Hizashi and I, we’ll come up with lots of fun things for you guys to do and your father won’t get in the way…”

“Hm~ I know that Papa… only good things have happened since you’ve come to live with us and oyaji— ugh, I mean otou-san, well, he actually listens to you… better yet? He seems to really like you and… and that? That’s something he never showed to me… to us… to our… m-mom.”

… the pair of them stopping under the shade of an empty bus-stop, the levity they’d been sharing dulling some as he crouched down to be closer to the child’s eye-level*** to regard him gently; “your father has his faults and that’s definitely one of them” he agreed as the child sniffled a touch. “However, just because he didn’t respect and appreciate your mom or love her like he should? That doesn’t mean that she’s not still at the heart of this family and due that respect” he breathed as the boy blinked.

“B-but I… I don’t want y-you to think that I… that we d-don’t love you, too, Papa—”

“Love, Shouto-kun” he murmured gently, his right hand reaching out to gently wipe at the tears he saw forming; “is the only thing we know of in this world that becomes bigger and more powerful as its spread out” he said, his smile returning when the tot’s eyes widened. “A very good friend of mine taught me that when I became… worried and scared, too, that I wasn’t contributing enough to our friendship group at UA and that they’d be better off cutting me loose” he chuckled, Oboro’s magnificent smile flitting past his mind’s eye as he regarded his young charge.

“Y-you… you were scared of… of not being liked?” his youngest breathed, his head shaking a little whilst small hands bunched into fists atop his chest; “b-but you… you’re so, so smart and skilled and strong and brave and—”

“Everyone gets scared sometimes, just like everyone cries****, Shouto-kun” he soothed; “me, your dad, even someone like All Might-o, too” he chuckled (because if Midoriya Izuku had accomplished anything this afternoon, it had been converting the smallest Todoroki into a fan of the #1; he couldn’t wait to see Enji have a conniption when he found out) sagely.

“That? And we have lots of love to share amongst those in our family, right? So that means there’s plenty for me, your mom and everyone else, doesn’t it, hm?”

~*~

Wandering around the supermarket, his little hands pushing his own, small trolley (and thoroughly enjoying the experience; he’d been so sheltered and kept away from normal things that doing something like this, something that his father would see as beneath him, was very exciting~!), Todoroki Shouto looked around in wonder.

“I… I never realised that there was so much of everything” he breathed as they turned down another aisle, the pleasant hum of music (some kind of piano-concerto; none of them had ever been pushed to play an instrument but their private tutors has gushed over such things… he… he was happy to be at an actual school, now) overhead soothing him.

“Heh… welcome to the joys of capitalism, kid” his Papa chuckled as shelf upon shelf of noodles (so. Much. Soba!) revealed themselves; “so, what is your task right now?”

“Ano~ to pick out anything I think me and my brothers and sister would like as snacks~” he replied happily, his eyes locking with the older man’s as his smile broadened; “you also said I should pick up anything I’d like to share with Midoriya-kun” he reminded before his expression softened: “can… can I pick up some things for you, ba-chan, ji-chan and… ugh, otou-san, too?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea” his Papa intoned fondly; “so? Why don’t you start with soba for yourself, Natsuo and Touya, hm? You’re all partial to the buckwheat kind that’s served cold, right?”

“Right~” he replied (his cheeks pinking a little at having his, their preferences acknowledged) before manoeuvring his wheeled, metal basket towards the soba-section, his eyes widening at the vast variety (even just the buckwheat section; wow…) as he looked from one box to the next, his hands hesitant to touch.

“Pick up anything you want to look at, alright? Your reading skills are excellent but I’ll happily answer any questions you have or reach anything down for you, okay?*****” one of the only adults he’d ever come to trust murmured with a warm gesture towards the multiple, multicoloured boxes.

Wow…

“And, while you’re looking at those? I’ll just be at the end of the aisle trying to figure out the Japanese translation for the Italian pasta your ba-chan said she wanted” his Papa sighed, his eyes narrowing at his phone; “why pasta can’t just be pasta I’ll never know or understand…”

Chuckling to himself (he knew that his omega parent wouldn’t mind him finding his dilemma amusing), Shouto squared his young shoulders and looked for his favourite brand; the boxes at their home were a deep purple with a cute, wheat-anime mascot on it. Yes, it was that one on the third shelf just out of reach and, with a quick look to his parent (who was bewilderedly huffing from his phone to a packet he held), the boy thought better of interrupting him and started to reach up, his tip-toes quivering a little as he tried to grab—

“Is this what you’re after, young man?”

Blinking, a shadowed hand having grasped the box he’d wanted to grip and brought down for him to take; “oh, yes… thank you” he smiled, his sandaled feet flat on the ground once more as he looked up (and up; wow, this vaporous person was as tall as his father) to meet powdered-lemon eyes set in a misty-face with a metal-collar and formal suit.

“You’re very welcome, Todoroki-kun.”

Huh?

“You” he said, his brows furrowing slightly; “you know my name?” he furthered whilst wracking his brain (he would definitely remember meeting someone whose quirk enveloped their body so profoundly, wouldn’t he?) as to who the tall, broad male (whose scent was obscured by his power) could be.

“That I do” the other replied, those ethereal eyes narrowing a little; “I know quite a bit about you, your brothers, sister and Papa… I also know your ji-san and ba-san, too” he intoned, his voice warm and wispy whilst they regarded each other.

“Ah, but Shouta is a wonderful man, isn’t he? Not that I’m surprised that he grew up so well” he continued before those eyes widened, his demeanour shifting in a way he wasn’t sure how to interpret (but something in the back of his mind prickled with concern) as he gazed towards the omega in question. “I always knew he’d make a fine parent” he all but sighed, his tone shifting.

“And an exceptional mate—”

Wait…

“He takes very good care of you, doesn’t he? You’d be happy so long as you had him to look after you, right?”

What?

“I…”

“Ah, but where are my manners?” the man chuckled, that otherworldly stare shifting back to him; “I knew your Papa once… a life-time ago” he said wistfully: “he… would not recognise me, now… so much has changed” he murmured, that flame-like head shaking.

“Please, do not worry that I have approached you” he furthered whilst he looked from him to his parent (so close, a simple shout would instantly capture his attention) once more; “I merely wanted to check in and to see, for myself, what your father has done in terms of… damage caused” he said and oh…

“You’re all bearing up so admirably…”

Oh…

“… especially given how the #2 used to run that house…”

Yes… although he didn’t completely understand?

“… and treat you all, you and Touya-kun especially…”

He knew that his Papa so suddenly (with no courtship that he or his siblings could name, their new parent materialising so soon after his… their mother had been sent away) appearing wasn’t, couldn’t be right…

“You… you really did know my Papa from before” he breathed, his anxious curiosity giving way to saddened surprise; “but how? How do you know about us and—”

“I am privy to all kinds of information… much of which I can share with you and the others when the time is right” the shadowed man replied gently, his tone crooning and soft. “However… I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this little chat of ours private… for now” he murmured whilst he regarded his non-biological parent, the Pro grabbing yet another packet of pasta and muttering something at his phone.

“I… do not wish to cause him any kind of distress—"

“Neither do I” he admitted, his resolve strengthening; “I… I love him… all of us do” he said, his head twisting back to the man (who’d not given a name), his brows crawling to his hairline when he found nothing but an empty aisle, his eyes flitting around in surprise, worry and shock because…

That man had been there!

He’d given him the soba box!

He’d talked to him… hadn’t he?

“Shouto-kun? Are you ready to move on?”

Holding the box of soba a little tighter, the six-year-old spun around, dropped the package into his trolley and dashed towards the ebony haired omega with a strained smile he didn’t feel, a strange sensation of unease bubbling around his gut as he nodded.

“Yes~” he replied, his eyes darting back just one more time before resolutely moving forward; “I… I would like to go to the candy section next, please…”

Chapter Text

When Todoroki Enji arrived home that evening, the usual (since the arrival of the other Pros) elated sounds of laughter, chatter and music (courtesy of Yamada; he’d become begrudgingly accustomed to the melodies, not that the other alpha needed to know that) filled his ears before the pattering of bare feet overtook his senses.

“O-tou-san is home~”

Not that he deserved it, not that he’d ever stopped to think about the deep, sincere and beautiful significance of the gesture (because she’d done this, almost every day, since she was old enough to walk properly) but as his (currently) only daughter rushed to greet him at the genkan, the #2 felt his heart flutter with a gratitude he’d not felt, before.

“O-tou-san~ welcome home~” she gushed pleasantly, her lovely face bright with a smile, her pigtails (Kayama’s handiwork, no doubt) bobbing as she bowed at him and presented a box of confectionary with Gang Orca’s chibi-merchandise mascot emblazoned across it; “here~ I bought this salt-water taffy for you with my allowance~”

Oh?

“Ah… thank you very much, Fuyumi” he murmured gently, his hands accepting the offering before he looked into her eyes.

Olive, like her mother’s.

“This is very kind of you” he stated, his smile faltering a little; “but you must allow me to repay this kindness by returning the money you’ve spent” he said whilst she blinded, her own smile faltering slightly: “I want you to spend your allowance on things for you, not me” he told her as she regarded him carefully.

“You deserve… you should have what you want, for yourself—”

“But I wanted to buy this for you, otou-san” she cut in, her expression brightening; “and it’s not just me~” she added, her smile now sparkling brighter than before: “Shouto-kun has bought treats for all of us after going to the supermarket with Papa and he even remembered what kind of ponzu-sauce you like on your soba~”

Wait…

What?

“I…”

“So~ come on~ what’re you waiting for~?” she gushed, her (gentle, insistent) small hands latching on to his right; “let’s go to the dining room so we can all eat together and talk about our day like families are supposed to~”* she added whilst giving his limb a gentle, playful tug.

He…

“Eh? Otou-san… are you… crying?”

Blinking, his left hand swiftly moving to swipe at the moisture collecting across his blurred eyes, the hero found his body moving before he could think to stop it…

“O-Otou-san…”

… and, in a gesture that shouldn’t have been so alien to him, he carefully wrapped his arms about the girl (so small yet so strong, her cheerful demeanour something he was coming to recognise for what his mate had called it, a defensive mechanism, and one that he and his actions had caused her to develop; shit) and held her.

“T-tou-san?”

“Fuyumi” he heard himself say; “your mother named you… your mother cared for you and I… you… you have always tried to see the best in me… you, out of everyone, has never given up on me” he breathed as she sniffled.

“I… I don’t know what I ever did… what I ever could have done to deserve you… you and your brothers… your mother… Shouta” he managed; “but I… I want you to know… I need you to know that you have deserved to be treated better, by me… and that I appreciate you, Fuyumi, and your love” he murmured as she sniffed and clutched him.

Shit.

“T-Tou-san” she fumbled; “I… thank-k you-u… for… for seein’ me and… and n-noticing” she said, the feeling of her body quivering filling him with a protective rage against himself, his stupid, blind, ignorant past self who’d shelved any kind of empathy to the wayside in his ridiculous pursuit of #1; shit!

“I-it… that’s all I… I’ve ever w-wanted~” she sobbed against his still hero-costumed chest and God-damned fucking everything!

How?!

Why?!

Why had he caused such harm?!

What was the reason?!

The purpose?!

Fuck!

“Y-your Papa is right, as always” he heard himself say as they both continued to soak in this (awfully, terribly) rare moment of paternal-affection; “I… I have been a fool… I was even thinking about staying late, tonight, at the office” he admitted whilst giving her another, soft squeeze.

“But I’m glad he, you and the others are starting to get through this thick, stubborn skull of mine” he told her as she giggled through a hiccup.

“Y-you’re doin’ great, otou-san~” she praised, her beautiful smile wobbly and sincere; “we believe in you, you know~”

~*~

Sitting between an elated Natsuo and grinning Touya, Shouta nodded along, asked the odd question but otherwise allowed the two (who’d been growing closer, which was wonderful to see) boys to tell him all about their ‘best day-out ever’ as they navigated through the photo-albums of their respective phone and tablet…

“Oh-oh~ then Hizashi-ji decided that he’d take on the tight-rope challenge~!”

“Yeah~ he was so cool when he walked it~ he even started heckling the park’s commentator and told him off for not being a good hype-man~”

… whilst Nemuri and Shouto diligently prepared their evening meal since his blond best friend had been called out on a mission. It was a shame that Present Mic couldn’t be here with them; however? He was a hero, all of them were, and as much as saving these children (and rebuilding this family) was important? He couldn’t, wouldn’t begrudge either him or his wife actually doing their jobs…

“The crowd loved him, too~ ah~ and here he is with his sash and the discount coupon he won~”

“He says that Shouto can have it and use it when he’s ready which is, like, just ji-san’s style all over~”

… not that he’d been contacted by any of the external agencies he worked with through the underground circuit, a little voice at the back of his mind chuffing irritably because it’d be irrational for anyone to even think of hiring his services when Endeavour’s wrath could quite literally rain fire upon them; tch! Being mated and pregnant were two very natural things that shouldn’t impede his ability to work, at least not yet…

“And this is when Nemuri-ba punched an alpha right in his face for wolf-whistling at her~ she then sat him down, in front of his laughing friends, and gave them all a lecture on inappropriate behaviour and respecting peoples’ right to wear bathing suits without harassment~!”

“It was super enlightening and all of them did the dogeza** afterwards~!”

… not that he could say as much he supposed because sure, Juko News (and the teal-skinned woman who messaged him every so often, her dedication to journalism clearly impeded by the deal they’d struck so long as he fed her ‘titbits’) had been discreet but, hero-society being the rumour-mill it was? He was under no illusion that every Pro from A to Z list knew about his new… situation and we no doubt chewing the fat over how it came about; tch!

“My favourite slide was the ‘sink-hole’ because you actually get sucked down and out through a whirlpool~! It was crazy~!”

“I thought the rapids ride was the best attraction overall, though~ oh~ and there’s this awesome looking submarine tour you can go on that takes you into Gang Orca’s aquariums but the queue for it was stupidly long but… ugh… it’d be great, you know, if we could go there and try it… ugh… sometime, maybe?”

Blinking at Natsuo, the boy’s sudden sheepishness catching his attention, Shouta felt his hand reach out to the other’s soft-spikes of platinum hair to give them an affection rub; “of course you’ll try it next time… we all will” he told him frankly as those olive-eyes widened in wonder.

“And, since you guys enjoyed this outing so much? Perhaps you can get together tomorrow, while Midoriya-kun is here, and pick out which theme park you’d like to visit next, hm?”

~*~

Proudly carrying a pot of brimming with the delicious pasta recipe that’d been passed down through her mother’s side*** of their mixed Italian-Japanese family, Yamada Nemuri (a name beautifully written across her marriage licence and official documents but, due to the nature of their work (married Pros didn’t do well in the popularity polls), sadly nowhere else) couldn’t help her smile.

“This smells so good ba-chan~!”

“Here, let me help you by getting the salad bowl and, ugh… what did you say this kind of pan****, again?”

“We call this kind of garlic-accented bread bruschetta, Touya-kun and thank you very much for helping Shouto-kun and I carry everything” she smiled before slanting an almost (because the overgrown bastard was taking steps to be a better man, she supposed) scathing glance at the hulking alpha so wrongly (there was no getting around it) mated to her best friend.

“Real gentleman always offer to help with such things, after all~”

“If I remember rightly, Kayama-san” the #2 chuffed from his seat at the head of the table she and her husband had insisted was moved from the washitsu down to the corridor to this room which opened in to the kitchen (because fuck tradition; all of them being together was far more important); “you chased me out of my kitchen the last time I offered help…”

“Well if I remember rightly” she countered, her pleasant smile cutting; “you were being a jerk~” she added with a wink that had Fuyumi and Natsuo giggling: “but, in any case, your incredibly chivalrous sons and enchanting daughter more than make up for your lack of manners and kingly-conduct” she furthered as the other rolled his teal-eyes.

“Tch… it’d do you well to remember whose money has purchased this… extravagant foreign meal you’ve made…”

Heh.

“Oh I’m well aware, Todoroki-sama… but why don’t you save your mockery of my ancestry until you’ve tasted what all of your… hard-work has bought, hm?”

All things considered?

“Fine… itadakimasu…”

If she could ever forgive him (which was doubtful) she could almost come to enjoy their banter.

“Well~?”

Almost.

“I… it… this pasta is delicious” he the oldest member of the room grumbled begrudgingly whilst the children cheered and Shouta (her beautiful, selfless friend) gave his mate (who didn’t deserve him) an approving look as he similarly ate the tomato-sauce coated meal she’d made alongside the rest of his, their family.

“Neh-neh, otou-san, here~ Shouto-kun helped to toss the salad and Fuyumi-chan made the bread with Hizashi-ji before he left~”

Because, rightly or wrongly?

“And Touya-nii took care of the drinks~ This lemonade is also from Italy but he cut and added the lime-wedges and strawberries to it~”

They were a family; she was the fun aunt, her darling husband the fun uncle and the kids had thrived under the joint care that they and Shouta had provided.

“Papa and I made sure we get everything on ba-chan’s list, too… I even got to have my own shopping cart and I… ano… it was really fun~”

Care that wouldn’t, couldn’t have been lavished on them had that fateful night where her friend had succumbed to heat; shit… that was a whole other situation and one that he’d told them both not to ponder or worry about because, the logical-bastard he was, he knew that no ‘good’ would come from proving entrapment, anyway.

“But not as fun as taking down some bullies and making a new friend, right~?”

Blinking back into the conversation, her own plate of a pasta rapidly emptying, Nemuri looked from a grinning (clearly pleased; she’d noticed that the juvenile alpha was both protective and supportive of all his siblings, a set of traits she and her husband would ensure he developed lest he fall under Endeavour’s still gruff example) Natsuo to a blushing Shouto.

Aww~

“It… Papa was the one who was brave” the child explained whilst the omega reached out to ruffle his hair.

“You stood by my side and decided, for yourself, that you didn’t want to see Midoriya-kun suffer… that is the sign of a true hero and you made me very proud” the raven haired omega praised whilst the boy’s face continued to heat despite him leaning in to the touch.

“Tch… you should have allowed my sidekick to take the names of those little hooligans” Enji grumped whilst offering his daughter a nod of gratitude as she passed him the salad bowl; “picking on the quirkless is cowardly behaviour and something Touya’s generation of heroes should target once they graduate” he added, his words causing the oldest child to preen.

Which, all things considered, was just beautiful to see~!

“Maa~ you can count on me, tou-san… ano… ugh… Yumi? Natsu? Didn’t you guys wanna say something, you know, when the time was right?”

Leaving the gentle levity that’d been building between them falter slightly, Nemuri sucked in a breath and held it.

“Ah… well… you see” the youngest alpha of the room started, his expression sheepish; “um… we… we’ve been giving it a lot of thought and, ugh—”

“We want to be heroes, too!”

Feeling herself gasp (in delight and pride), the oldest femme of the group looked to the youngest as she proclaimed her wish, those olive-eyes looking resolutely (which was… something else~!) at her stunned father, her small, soft hands balled in to fists; “I… we wanna work hard like you, Papa, ji-chan, ba-chan, Touya-nii and Shouto-chan~” she expressed. And oh~!

“I… I want to be brave like Papa…”

Oh~!

“I want to be smart like ji-chan and confident like ba-chan” she added, the volume of her voice rising like never before; “I… I want to beat the odds like nii-san~! I… I want to be considerate like Natsuo and determined like Shouto and I… more than anything?” she breathed whilst Enji, the big dope stunned in to some kind of amazed silence, regarded his second oldest child with eyes growing wider by the second.

“I want to be fierce and strong like you, otou-san~!”

~*~

Carefully monitoring their bond for his mate’s reaction (so he could pre-empt any negative or down-right stupid response; fuck knew it could be coming despite the crimson haired menace’s recent spate of parental progress: shit!), Shouta cautiously swallowed his mouthful of (admittedly) delicious pasta whilst carefully regarding Natsuo.

“Y-yeah~ Yeah! I feel exactly the same way… and Papa has already said he’d be happy to train us with this Hawks-kid, right?”

Releasing the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, the oldest omega of the room nodded; “training the five of you makes more sense in the long run” he admitted whilst sliding a glance towards the alpha beside him, his tone steady and neutral regardless of the flicker of tension skittering across his shoulders. “They’re all passionate and, regardless of the… misgivings you’ve previously held” he warned; “I believe in all of them… and I think they all deserve a chance to try” he said.

One beat.

Two.

“Y-yes, well, I… ugh” the #2 faltered, his crimson brows rapidly crawling towards his hairline; “I… I will need certain safeguards and assurances, of course, put in place” he somehow managed, his attention blessedly upon their children in a way that was, at least, trying to be supportive. “Like Touya? I need the two of you to promise me that you’ll stop if… should I… we feel this isn’t the right path for you to take… I will not see you hurt physical, especially since we all still clearly have other… issues to address” he added as both Natsuo and Fuyumi visibly brightened.

Hmm.

“You got it, otou-san~!”

On the surface? That was a better response than what he (and Nemuri if the look they’d quickly shared was anything to go by) had been anticipating.

“We’ll be careful, we promise~!” their daughter gushed delighted before smiling from him to Shouto; “we… we really think we can help you develop how you use your ice-quirk, otouto~” she told him before turning to a softly smiling Touya: “and we can help to keep you cool when your blue-flames take too much of your energy, nii-san~”

However, as he carefully searched the bond, he could tell that the older man had (several) misgivings; shit.

“Eh? Y-you guys that… that’s super sweet, an’ all, but… we don’t want you to try being heroes just for our sake, right Shouto?”

He’d have to have a talk with him, later, to make sure that this… sudden acquiescence wasn’t just for show, especially considering the strange, almost rivalry between his mate and female best friend (who’d always looked out for him, Hizashi and Oboro during their time at UA, her caring nature and dominant personality a match for any alpha) which could’ve prompted Enji to adhere to appearances.

“Um~ You… nii-san, nee-san… you’re both great in your own right and I… I only want to train with you if you want to train for yourselves~!”

Ugh! Why couldn’t (life, this family, what the hell they were even trying to do, here?!) things just be rational and simple?

“Oh, don’t you worry” Natsuo grinned (in a display of confidence which was becoming progressively more commonplace; small mercies) his proudly declared statement thankfully cutting through the suspicious miasma his mind had been sinking into; “we’ll be training for ourselves and each other, because that’s what heroes do, right~?”

~*~

Gritting his teeth and faking a smile had never been difficult for Yamada Hizashi…

“—I hear the omega saw him as a meal-ticket, you know, since the #2 was married and not mated so him just ‘unfortunately’ triggering his heat-cycle when they just so happen to be alone together? Pu-lease—”

… oh yes, as a child who’d presented his quirk at birth (his mother and the doctors whose eardrums he’d inadvertently burst had been healed at the time, of course, but all of his baby-clothes and even those he wore as a toddler had to be made with a special, quirk-dampening fabric*****) he’d quickly become popular… then annoying…

“—damn, what I wouldn’t give to have the cushy life of a kept mate with that kind of money in the bank; tch… that Eraser kid was on the underground-circuit, too, wasn’t he? Hell… just looking at his so-called costume made me think he was homeless, or something—”

… which had sucked but, instead of moping around, he’d capitalised upon that trait which had, in turn, led him to become a loveable nuisance during elementary school before blooming into a full-blown class-clown (and proud member of the ‘three-dumigoes’) in UA. Heh… well, for the first year and a half, anyway…

“—I wonder how Endeavour-sama can stomach being used like that; ano… do you think the rumours of the Flaming Sidekicks helping to keep Eraser out of sight are true? That clearly faked interview conducted by Juko News supposedly happened inside their HQ, didn’t it? Hmm… this kind of thing makes me think that the gender-laws for Pros need to be tightened-up again—”

… God, so much had happened since Oboro had died but, out of everything? This mess that Shouta had been (quite literally) dragged into against his will really took the cake; fuck… Living in that house when Todoroki Enji was there had been nigh on unbearable until very recently and now, here he was, having finished up a mission (all the way down in bloody Kyushu) and trapped in a group-transport listening to a bunch of C-D list Pros diss his best-buddy and there was nothing he could do about it!

“—Tch… trust a beta to pipe up about something his dynamic clearly doesn’t understand, ugh! If it was down to sexist morons like you then omegas and femmes would be chained to the kitchen-sink, right? D’you know what? Why don’t you do us all a favour and go back to school and learn some facts before you go spouting rhetoric that could impact real laws and people, ah?!”

Sighing and hunkering into his seat Hizashi was gritting his teeth to the point of pain now but he’d promised Shou that he wouldn’t make a scene or even pass a comment in the face of ‘irrational gossip’ because… what good could come from it? How would people knowing that he and Nem were involved make life any easier for him and the kids?

“Oi, everyone better pipe-down or I’ll be booting everyone off and you can make your own ways home, you get me?”

Well… it wouldn’t, and he loved them all (because despite the #2 being (mostly) a dumpster-fire? His children were the sweetest lil listeners he’d ever come across) too much to risk such problems even if listening to these bastards bicker was making his skin crawl; heh, the #1’s mentor (who some thought should retire) had never really flagged on his radar but he was pretty glad the old beta was here now.

“Oh come on, Gran Torino-san… we’re only voicing what the whole Pro community’s been concerned about, you know?” one of the more hoity alphas called from further down the armour-clad vehicle (which housed them and the unconscious villains they’d loaded into the secure-bay at the back); “don’t you think—”

“That it’s none of my business or yours, Death-arms?” the silver-haired flight-master chuffed whilst pulling a taiyaki out of a bag handed to him by one of the Police Force officers who’d accompanied their group for crowd-control; “why I couldn’t agree more… now quit your belly-aching and get to writing your reports, instead!” he advised gruffly.

Much to Hizashi’s relief; shit…

Maybe… maybe he should call Principal Nedzu back, tomorrow, after he had a chance to speak with his wife and Shouta because the more he and his beautiful Nemuri got involved in this… life, the more he couldn’t see them heading out on missions like they had done…

The more trying to act and be as they were before didn’t make sense…

The more the teacher-training package the white-furred genius had told him about (oddly enough via a phone call made to him just as he’d stepped off of the Todoroki-Estate; hm) sounded appealing…

Reasonable…

Logical; hell… the three of them were already kind’a-sort’a teaching Touya, after all, so maybe going back to UA and using what they’d learned to help others (Nedzu had, the cunning-sneak, hummed something along the lines of creating a business course which could eventually lead to legal meaning that graduates could, one day, be equipped to change the law) was right…

A good career-change for them all…

A way to have autonym outside of Enji’s influence…

A way for Shou to still earn his own money, to keep his Pro license up to date and to give him a life beyond the bonded-mate of the #2…

Hmm.

“Hey sweety” he texted, his jaw finally easing; “I’ll be back in Musutafu and home before 10pm” he added, his jade gaze narrowing a little as he typed: “can you and Shou make some excuse and come meet me in the rear-garden so we can chat?”

“Of course~! Is… everything okay?”

“Yeah” he quickly responded, a fledgling smile trying to prick his lips; “maybe better than okay…”

Chapter Text

With August and its oppressive heat well underway, Aizawa (but for how much longer had yet to be decided; tch) Shouta relished the cool, calm atmosphere of the (pricey) private maternity suit as he waited, quite alone (he’d not told the kids but his… mate and adult friends were aware and willing (mostly) to give him space), to be called in.

By now, his pregnancy (which’d been confirmed a few weeks ago and assured by Enji’s superior nose, of course (the virulent prick) over a month prior) was advanced enough that having a scan (to observe the heartbeat and development if nothing else; gender, a very loose term these days (and for good reason) would have to come later) was par for the course.

A course he wanted to be in control of.

A course that he wanted to oversee; this was his body, this was his child (regardless of the other genetic half that’d made it; he was doing the carrying, after all) and, although he and Enji had come a long way?

He… needed this autonomy, right now…

Assurances that what they were building as a pack wasn’t like… wasn’t what his alpha had had with Himura Rei…

Himura Rei who’d agreed to a divorce, with the sizeable stipend he’d insisted she’d have to live on, at the earliest date possible…

Himura Rei who’d agreed to see Fuyumi and Natsuo… but not Touya and Shouto…

Himura Rei who’d asked to meet him (alone) at a later date, as well…

Himura Rei who’d threatened to involve the media should Endeavour ever contact the hospital she’d become accustomed to again, Enji’s legal team having now become solely responsible for any further communications, queries and arrangements when it came to her interactions with their family…

Fuck…

Not that he’d expected anything too different, of course; however…

He couldn’t keep his guts from twisting when he remembered Kido (who’d spoken to them on behalf of the lawyers because they knew him; he’d been Enji’s first sidekick and was trusted above even someone as zealous as Burnin) talking with them two days ago and the stiffening of their kids, his kids, when two were picked to see their mother and two were not.

The revelation, which the bandage covered man had phrased as best he could (it wasn’t something you could sugar-coat and nothing that a made-up excuse, a lie about hospital policy could have covered), had led to Shouto shutting down verbally and Touya secluding himself at Sekoto Peak (under the watchful gaze of two sidekicks at any given time) from dawn ‘til dusk.

So much for the progress they’d been making…

So much for doing the right thing by everyone; tch…

“Ano… Aizawa-san?”

Blinking out of his reprieve (shit, he’d gotten distracted again; everything since Hizashi had pulled him and Nemuri aside to discuss the teaching positions Nedzu was offering just hadn’t gone to plan… and he was losing sleep over it, wasn’t he?), the omega looked away from the pamphlet he’d been given to appraise a gently smiling, rabbit-eared nurse.

“Dr *Ujiko is ready for you now” she stated with a little bow; “so would you please follow me to suite #7?”

~*~

Entering the stark, clinically clean and air-filtered maternity suite, Shouta hadn’t realised just how (worried, stressed), apprehensive he’d become over such a rationally simple thing; this was the eight-week mark and, since he was an omega who’d become pregnant under duress, having a scan was simply common sense.

“Ma~ Aizawa-san, welcome… please take a seat next to my workstation, won’t you… eto~ would you like Hana-san to remain in the room as a medical chaperone? Or, if you’d like, we also have omega nursing staff who’d happily attend with you, instead.”

It was the rational thing to do in order to assure the wellbeing of both himself and what had been, up until fairly recently, a cluster of cells.

“That won’t be necessary, thank you.”

A cluster of cells that’d become a foetus which was now, according to the (quite frankly terrifying) baby books he’d been peaking at when no one was looking, an embryo.

“Ah~ very well, then~ so… how’re you feeling, hm? Are you experiencing any severe headaches or nausea?”

Shit.

“Yes to both… but I don’t believe the former is associated with carrying.”

This was all becoming very real now, wasn’t it?

“Oh? Well, it isn’t for me to pry, Aizawa-san, however… as your physician it is my duty to caution you in terms of limiting stress and maintaining a stable blood-pressure…”

Because, up until now, he could have fooled himself into thinking he had the flu.

“…but, speaking plainly, we do have an excellent health-spa onsite with support groups where privacy and discretion is assured should you need someone to talk to about, well… your situation…”

He could have just pretended that he was bonded under mitigating circumstances and that was all, that his responsibilities began with the children he’d inherited and ended with Enji.

“…As I understand it, you’ve undergone a great many trials and tribulations which has led to you being here at this HPSC-certified hospital and, as someone who has worked with a few young men like yourself?”

But now, after today? He’d have hard evidence (photos, videos and data-sets) that something was (hopefully) very much alive and growing inside of him.

“Please believe me when I tell you that you’re not as alone as you may feel and that there are, sadly, others who might be empathetic to you in ways, perhaps, your family and friends cannot be.”

Shit.

“I… thank you, Ujiko-sensei” he replied, his tone a little awkward even to his own ears (fuck; knowing that there were other omegas, other Pros who’d been caught in the line of duty was doing little to soothe the butterflies beating against his insides); “I’ll… take that in to consideration” he furthered after a swallow, the doctor’s smile dimming.

“I apologise if I spoke out of turn…”

“No-no” he said after a little sigh; “I appreciate it… really” he added, his shoulders slumping a little: “but… right now? I have other things to prioritise over myself… starting with this” he said, his right hand absently resting atop the loose, grey t-shirt he wore. “And then there are the other children… nothing will settle, let alone change for the better, if they aren’t…” he cut off (fuck; since when did he start randomly spouting such personal things to absolute strangers?) with a cough, his eyes deliberately moving to the wall-clock overhead; “so… what does the scan I’m having today entail, exactly?”

~*~

After providing a urine sample in the privacy of the suite’s bathroom, Shouta answered every question he was asked honestly whilst he was weighed, had his blood-pressure taken and consented to a blood-test (because he may as well get as much of the medical testing done, today, hadn’t he) before finally lying on the medi-bed.

“The gel can feel quite cold to start with, but I promise that’s the end of the discomfort.”

“Heh… thanks; ano… what will we be able to see? I mean, what will you be able to tell me?**”

It was stupidly irrational to feel so… exposed by just lifting up his t-shirt, however, as the kindly old beta (who’d been the epitome of professionalism and understanding; he’d not talked down to him or belittled him (as he knew many of his colleagues had, believing him to be at fault for his… circumstances) at all) readied the bottle, he felt himself holding his breath.

“Ah, well~ in terms of what we’ll see? The embryo should resemble something similar to a kidney-bean in terms of its shape… we should also be able to see and measure, thanks to these advanced scanners, its overall proportions and, if we’re lucky, we’ll see the little heart pumping as well as hearing it~”

“Right.”

But, when the gel landed on his skin (which goose-pimpled instantly) he found himself expelling it with a flinch that the doctor (thankfully) didn’t comment on, his mind forcing his body to relax (or at least look as though it was) as the screens to his right hummed to life whilst Ujiko-sensei readied the white sensor.

“Okay… I’m going to press relatively firmly in places along your lower abdomen but please let me know if you experience any tenderness” he stated as, with the practise of someone who’d completed this procedure a thousand times or more, the doctor started to press the probe against his skin whilst they both looked to the screens.

“Mm-hm, here we are… maa~ a good, strong heartbeat~”

Blinking, the sound of a sturdy ‘woosh-ush-woosh-ush’ filling his ears, the underground Pro felt his jaw slacken in a mixture of shocked-amazement and worry-spiked surprise because there it was…

“Now, we can’t see too much detail here, of course, but from everything the scanner is picking up I can tell you, with all certainty, that this embryo is exactly as it should be~”

… a pale-pink, rounded living thing made up of his and Enji’s genes…

“Here is the gestational sac and that shape, there, is the yolk sac… you’ll also notice that the head and body are roughly the same size which is completely normal~”

… that was gently floating around under the layers of his flesh and muscles, growing…

“Okay, so the embryo measures approximately 17mm; however, it’ll be double the size by this time next week~ it really is so fascinating to watch something so complex form and build seemingly from nothing~”

… and uncurling second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour; shit…

“Ah~ but I am merely am observer and I don’t wish to trivialise the slew of symptoms that you may experience, going forward, Aizawa-san… I have mocked-up a folder for you with potential ailments alongside curatives that you can take, risk free, that should help you to feel better.”

“I… right, thank you” he heard himself say as the screens flickered and blinked in time with a printer smoothly popping out photos; “so that’s… that’s everything, then?”

“For now, Aizawa-san” the kindly doctor smiled pleasantly whilst deftly placing the photos and a memory-card into a decorative envelope; “we will, of course, be seeing a lot more of each over the coming months, I’m sure~”

~*~

Leaving the private health-facility (after double checking that no flaming sidekicks were covertly tailing him; he couldn’t blame Endeavour’s agents for worrying, he supposed, but he was only pregnant and, at this stage, he was more than capable of defending himself), the folders he’d been given safely tucked into a Ganriki Neko backpack, Shouta couldn’t help his sigh.

He should be happy that everything was okay with the bab— embryo and he was, but…

Even as he walked down the relatively quiet streets, his phone still switched off and eyes hidden by sunglasses, all he could think about was the devastation across the faces of the living, breathing, walking and talking children he’d come to know and care about so much.

Children who he’d mistakenly backed-up and supported (blindly) in their efforts to see and speak with their mother.

Fuck; Enji had been right (not that he’d tell him as much)… to contact her so soon after the breakdown she’d suffered just wasn’t going to end on an optimistic note, not that any of the kids had blamed him for getting their hopes up.

Not that any of them had really spoken to him about the news Kido had brought them three days ago.

Not that he could do anything about it; fuck!

Although, he supposed, it’d been irrational to think any differently; they’d all come together so well given their unusual circumstances and it’d been illogical, stupid of him to think that plain sailing could be their new normal.

Shit… if it wasn’t him meddling then…

Gritting his teeth, the omega almost didn’t stop himself at the road-crossing***, his light frown morphing to a scowl as he harshly jammed at the cross-walk button before folding his arms; he needed to get a hold of himself.

He wasn’t thinking clearly.

No, he was over thinking.

Spiralling in a downward flow of guilt, fear, regret and other emotions and that, right now, was going to—

“Wait” he breathed aloud, his body straightening; being emotional… being ruled by emotions, that was it…

That was why Himura Rei had decided to choose between her children, of course it was!

Her decision was not made out of malice or cruelty (as Burnin had uttered when the kids had reacted to the news and fled the room, his dear friends going after them as he’d tried to take in the news and wrestled with his mounting guilt) but because she likely blamed herself for Touya’s despair and Shouto’s injury.

Yes!

Yes, that made sense; she’d probably lacked the capability to phrase her feelings, too.

She’d likely been terrified knowing that her husband was reaching out to her, so soon, given the suffering she’d endured.

Hell, he’d only been a parent (biologically or otherwise) for just over two months and he’d been unable to express himself properly during a bloody pregnancy screening; fuck…

Sucking in a breath (and consequences be damned; to his mind, things couldn’t get any worse at… home), the underground hero crossed the street and headed in the completely opposite direction than what he’d been intending, his mind made up and capture weapon retrieved from his backpack.

Because he was going to visit Himura Rei right, fucking now.

Private hospital security be damned.

Endeavour and his precious reputation be damned.

Common sense, following rules, order and rationality be damned.

Fuck it, legal repercussions and even his fucking hero license be damned because his kids… their kids, his and Rei’s, were hurting.

And that wasn’t going to continue.

Not anymore.

Chapter Text

Casually scoping out the hospital via the limited photos and information (tch, Enji had out done himself when it came to picking the facility to help his wife; renowned for it’s many privacy policies, you could only access further images and costings if you paid for a consultation based on the patient’s diagnosis) he had would, for any other mission, have deterred him.

But not today.

No; after casually walking past the place (it had a modern, almost European frontage with the company’s logo posted out-front and little else to denote it as a hospital; there were flower-pots and hanging baskets awash with blooms, an accessibility ramp artfully sloping up to bullet-proof glass doors and wisteria climbing the walls), he knew just walking in wasn’t an option.

Because regardless of who his mate was, regardless of his hero-license being able to bypass most managers and other bureaucratic measures, the mission he’d set himself was the epitome of covert.

Which meant that Eraserhead, a Pro more suited to seedy back alleys, drug-dens and dingy bars, would have to come to the fore in terms of gaining access to the woman he sought, a feat made all the more difficult with it being early afternoon and not midnight, but still…

He knew that Himura Rei’s room was on the top floor, the third storey, on the western side of the building reserved for ‘special cases’.

He knew the room number (which made guessing its location, easier) and that it was a private suite, meaning that she would be quite alone other than any medical staff making the rounds.

He also knew that her room had a balcony and that, for the patients’ (or rather the people who’d had them committed; tch) comfort and privacy, there were no CCTV cameras pointed at the suites and, since this facility was known for its consideration?

There was limited surveillance within the suites, themselves.

Therefore, if he could get in… if he could convince her to just give him a few minutes of her time then maybe, just maybe, he could change her mind…

Or get thrown out by security, barred from the facility and stripped of his licence.

Heh.

Well, if that happened?

He was overdue a vigilante-arc, anyway…

~*~

Retrieving his capture weapon (he never left home without it, his titanium blade, goggles and hero credentials regardless of him being effectively benched, for now) and seating it across his shoulders, Shouta sucked out the dregs from his jelly-pouch drink (because staying hydrated was important) and sighed.

He’d made it to the roof of an adjacent building (an accountancy firm that’d seen better days, their security non-existent) and, after a few calculations, he was confident that he’d located Himura Rei’s room; unlocking his phone, he ignored the message notifications (mostly from Enji’s number; tch) and went straight to the camera app.

Using its zoom feature, he could literally see through the barely tinted, glass sliding doors and into the room where his target (he’d seen multiple photos and insisted that those that’d been hung or otherwise dotted around the estate remained) was sitting on her bed, a reading book in hand.

It’d long passed any reasonable time for lunch and so, unless a nurse or technician needed to give her medicine, this was as good a time as any and so, with a huff, he locked his phone, pocketed it in the black cargo pants he wore and sprinted back a few paces before vaulting forward to launch himself, at speed, from one roof to the other.

Then, after sticking the landing (a little more awkwardly than planned; shit, he’d only been off active duty for two months and, despite training Touya and working with the other kids, he’d already gotten rusty), Shouta offered his surroundings a tertiary glance (no gawking onlookers and no cameras, good) before surveying the roof itself.

Luckily, there were a number of sturdy looking vents and pipes jutting from the floor, any of them a perfect anchor for his capture weapon; nodding to himself and then lassoing a fixture virtually above the former Todoroki’s balcony, the omega looked around once more before making a slow, purposefully descent.

With any luck, the femme would be too focused on her book to register him straight away; the last thing he’d need, outside of worsening her nervous condition, would be to scare her outright into screaming and ending his mission before it’d begun.

Fuck.

This was crazy!

This was utterly irrational, and it would definitely blow up in his face; however…

As he gently swayed under the overhang and onto the balcony, Touya’s devastated features, Fuyumi’s tears, Natsuo’s shock and Shouto’s hiccupped-sobs blasted across his mindscape and shoved his other thoughts away, allowing him to stand, turn and walk with a confidence he shouldn’t feel into the suite.

“Himura-sama” he said, his voice calm and steady as she gasped, her eyes shrinking when her head snapped towards him; “I’m Aizawa Shouta” he furthered before she could say anything, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

“And we need to talk” he stated, his tone brokering no argument even as she trembled in place, those eyes (just like Fuyumi’s and Natsuo’s; shit) rapidly shifting from him to what he assumed to be a panic-button on the wall she could reach for; “please” he added gently, his boot clad feet unmoving: “I’m only here because of the kids… for your kids…”

“M-mine?” she whispered, a light coating of frost ghosting up her neck and crystalising in her shoulder-length hair; “no… not mine… not anymore… or were… were they ever?” she asked, her gaze looking through him; fuck.

He could potentially cause a lot of harm, here… but still, he needed to do this, he needed to tell her.

He needed to try and make her understand, breakdown or not, that their children’s feelings had to be considered before hers, his and Enji’s.

Especially Enji’s; hmm… maybe that was the tact he should take?

“They’re yours, they always have been and will be… yours more than anyone else’s” he affirmed mildly; “and they miss you, all four of them—”

“S-so says my re-replacement” she uttered dully, her right hand momentarily clutching at and freezing the book she held; “it’s all… all gone… all of that work, all of that effort and h-heartache… that time and planning and hoping” she murmured, her eyes squeezing shut.

“A-and now he… he sends y-you to… to taunt me… to… to s-show me w-what a… failure I am, is that it?!”

“No, I—”

“You’re so young” she cut in, her body trembling; “a-and strong, too… I bet you’re strong-g… stronger than I w-was… am, I—”

“I could never hope to be as strong as you, Himura-sama” he heard himself say, a small quiver lilting it despite himself (shit! He needed to keep himself together!) as she let out a laugh that sounded close to a sob.

“Don’t mock me—”

“I’m not, I swear” he breathed, his feet moving forward, prompting her to curl further onto the western-styled bed she sat on, her left hand reaching for the button and—

“I… the truth is? I’m… terrified” he admitted, their eyes locking; “and I… I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or wrong or insensitive but I… I had to come here” he furthered, his hands slowly moving to cover his abdomen as the woman across from him sucked in a breath. “I had to come… because they’re hurting and I… I didn’t know what else to do” he sighed, his head shaking ruefully; “honestly? I haven’t thought this through at all… and that isn’t like me, not at all” he continued when the other remained still, the button still close enough to touch.

“Heh… I don’t feel like I know who I am now… I mean, I know who I was before” he tried to explain before looking down at his hands; “but then, this morning? I… I went for my first ultrasound-scan and I saw… I heard-d” he managed after a swallow, his eyes daring to meet hers: “and it made me realise a lot of things” he said.

One beat.

Two.

“Initially? When you agreed to meet with me? I… I thought we’d approach each other simply as people manipulated by Todoroki Enji… because that’s the fate we’ve shared… it’s what we sadly have in common even though the external factors which led to our situations were different… even though our outcomes have been… are different” he reasoned. “I… I didn’t think that I should… that I deserved to speak to you as an equal… as a parent” he told her simply; “it hadn’t occurred to me, until today, that I might have a clue… a hint at what you’re feeling… what you feel for them, about them, after everything” he explained whilst scrubbing his left hand over his eyes.

Shit.

“You… you’ve decided not to see and speak with Touya or Shouto only because of the guilt you feel, right?” he asked, her intake of breath forcing him to regard her once more; “you… you blame yourself—”

“It is my—”

“They blame themselves!” he interrupted quickly, her eyes shrinking in horror as he sucked in a deep breath (he needed to calm down! He needed to be more careful with her!) to steady his nerves; “Himura-sama, please” he tried, his tone imploring. “F-for every minute you refuse to see those boys, the damage to them increases and I… I can’t bear to see it, not when mediation can happen… not when there’s still hope for reconciliation between you all” he murmured.

“They both love you… they love you and miss you so much” he continued; “they—”

“T-that… that c-can’t be… true” the pale haired woman sobbed; “T-Touya h-hates me for… for m-my weak-kness… I knew he was s-suffering but I… I turn-ed away from… from him, what… what mother does that? I… I didn’t-t listen to h-him… I didn’t-t even try” she whimpered. “Yumi and… and Natsuo were j-just so… so quiet and e-easy… but I… I failed them, too, j-just not as much… not so m-much and no one… no one else c-cared about them” she gushed, her hands rushing to grab and pull at her hair.

“B-but what… what I I did to… to S-S-Shouto… w-what I d-d-did to h-him… was… is!!” she cried as, his body moving before he could think to stop himself, the omega hero sat beside the woman and pulled her into him, his arms holding her tightly whilst the pair of them shook amidst the mess they’d been brought into.

A mess that maybe, hopefully, they could clean up together.

~*~

Having locked himself away in his private gym (he’d snapped, unfortunately, at Kido and warned him that he was not to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary), Todoroki Enji had destroyed at least ten training dummies, melted two weight wracks and punched several crater-marks into the walls and ceiling.

Shit!

It’d been weeks since he’d become so (angry, annoyed, livid) frustrated and now, as he panted on the floor of the mostly white-tiled chamber, he was starting to realise that maybe… just maybe Kayama Nemuri was right and he did need some separate counselling sessions; tch!

He wasn’t used to feeling this helpless!

This unsure!

This… upset!

Not that he’d ever admit to any such things out-loud, of course; hell… what good would he be to anyone (what good was he now?!) if he crumbled, honestly and openly?

No, no!

He needed to be strong!

He had to be strong and sure and certain… even when everything else, especially the fragile peace they’d been building as a family, was shattering into pieces.

Even when Touya (who’d not become violently obsessive again, thank God) was distancing himself from all of them; he woke at 05:00, ate a solitary breakfast and then marched himself to Sekoto Peak where he would remain for hours regardless of him, Yamada, Shouta or Kayama trying the soothe and bring him home…

Even when Fuyumi had stopped talking about adopting a cat, or anything even remotely positive, and had chosen to bury herself in books by day whilst wandering aimlessly throughout their estate at all hours of the night…

Even when Natsuo locked himself in his room, his appetite dwindling unless he was putting together bento for his older brother and sneaking out of his window to try and meet with him…

Even when Shouto refused to enter the kitchen or talk to anyone (not even his new friend, Midoriya Izuku; he’d had reservations about the quirkless boy but had swiftly succumbed to his wide-eyed hero-enthusiasm… and to think that such bad news from his wife had arrived not an hour after he’d gone home), his eyes down cast and mood perpetually sullen.

Shit!

He… he hadn’t thought, not for one second, that Rei could… would be so cruel, inconsiderate and callous!

Had she made her choice of picking two children over the others just to spite him?!

To set discord and upset in the new home his mate had tried to build for them all?!

His mate who’d become so perturbed by the decisions she’d made that he’d withdrawn from them all and chosen to attend his first ultrasound-scan alone when they’d planned to go together as a family?!

Ugh!

He—

“*Beep-beep, priority alert, beep-beep, this is a priority message alert*”

Blinking, baulking and damned near falling over himself (fuck! That was the ringtone he’d set up for Shouta and the children on a special line that was private, encrypted and bypassed even his most trusted sidekicks to ensure that they could reach him during an emergency), Enji launched himself towards the desk he’d set his phone on and unlocked it to find…

“Are you alone?”

“Eh?”

Chuffing, his hulking body slouching (the exhaustion he’d brought upon himself kicking in now that his sudden burst of adrenaline had been drained by his mate’s blunt and strange question; fuck… did… did this mean bad news?) onto the desk, Enji swallowed thickly.

“Yes… is everything alright?”

One beat.

Two…

“I’m going to add you to a call… you’ll be on mute and your presence hidden thanks to an app I’m not going to tell you about, so don’t ask… and don’t try to interfere, just click on the link when I send it” the other texted, his brows furrowing.

Wait…

“I’m trusting you” the next message pinged, his eyes widening; “so don’t make me regret this… you can chew me out over what I’m doing, later.”

What?!

Then, before he could reply, the promised link appeared and, without a moment’s hesitation, he tapped it.

~*~

Todoroki Touya, after three days of (sulking, worrying) focus, had decided that he’d had enough of crying and was now determined to overcome the (hurt, dismay, agony) upset that’d sent him off the rails (like a silly, immature brat and not an aspiring hero; tch!) right alongside his siblings.

Not that he’d realised what he was doing or what impact it would have (it was difficult for him to acknowledged being seen, now; he’d been so used to isolating himself and wallowing in what he now knew to be self-imposed pity) on his siblings and new family members until Natsuo had punched him an hour ago.

Until Natsuo had yelled that he was throwing all of their Papa’s hard-work and kindness out of the window.

Their Papa who’d been dragged into their lives, through no fault of his own, but had tried his best to unite them and make life better for them all, anyway.

Their Papa who’d gone to the private, hero-sponsored hospital today for something ridiculously important which he, spoiled moron that he was, had completely forgotten about because he’d been too busy fretting over his mother (who he’d been unforgivably cruel to; he didn’t deserve to see her or ask for forgiveness), quite rightly, not wanting to face his cruelty again.

Shit!

Shit!

*“N-no” he breathed, his body (exhausted, hungry and parched) stumbling down one of the many paths he’d trodden across Sekoto Peak; “this pity-party is over” he huffed, his hands curling in to determined fists: “it’s time to grow up and face your responsibilities… or you can never call yourself a hero” he reminded himself sternly, his resolve strengthening.

“You’re the oldest! It shouldn’t have taken Natsuo getting mad and being honest to get your selfish ass in gear!” he added whilst batting against the overgrown branches and nearly tripping on the multiple roots hidden by the fallen, sun-scorched leaves; “you know what your real purpose is, now, you—”

“*Beep-beep, priority alert, beep-beep, this is a priority call alert*”

Blinking (and almost stumbling in his haste to pull his phone from the tattered pocket of his scorch littered track-suit jacket), the pale haired youth grasped the device and answered the call immediately; “Papa?! Papa! I’m sorry! Are you okay?! Are you still at the hospital, I—”

“Touya” the other’s smooth, comforting voice replied in the same, gentle tone he’d come to trust and relish; “it’s unnecessary, but I accept your apology… and I have a favour to ask you” he continued calmly.

“Regardless of these last few days… I need you to get your sister and brothers together in your study room and access a link to a video call I’ve sent you on your email” he stated; “I know that I can trust you to do this… but can you get everyone together in the next ten minutes or so?”

Feeling tears (not of pain, but of joy; his dark-haired parent believed in him! He’d accepted his apology without question and knew that he was responsible enough, that he’d rise to those expectations placed on him, to do this) bubble at his lashes, the fifteen-year-old sniffed.

“You can count on me, Papa” he told him firmly; “we’ll see you, soon.”

Chapter Text

Sitting alone in his bedroom (a place of safety… or so he kept hoping), his fingers swiping through the photos his Papa (who he didn’t want to upset anymore, so he was keeping his distance; he always hurt that people he cared about… or so life was teaching him), aunt, uncle and siblings had taken when Izuku came to visit, Todoroki Shouto sniffled a little.

They’d had so much fun, that day; he and Touya had given the quirkless boy a tour of the estate when he’d arrived then all four of them had enjoyed a kick-ball game in the central courtyard where, not so long ago, he’d watched on enviously as his brothers and sister played whilst he was dragged to the dojo.

Then, at lunch time, Nemuri-ba and Fuyumi had created a feast of different cold soba dishes with what he’d purchased with his Papa the day before, the whole family (excluding his father who’d arrived later, his formerly stern countenance astonished under the onslaught of Izuku’s ardour and hero-knowledge) eating and chatting like things had always been that way.

They hadn’t, of course; sighing, he put his tablet to one side (the smiling faces, card-games, ice cream desserts and the sound of laughter ghosting from his mind) and flopped back onto his bed.

He should have known that the happiness he’d found would be fleeting; he was a monster, his fiery side a curse beyond his control because he wasn’t sternly-strong like his father (who’d chosen not to be angry with him for the time being, which was something, he supposed) or determined and ambitious like Touya.

No, he… he’d been wrong, so wrong, to show off his fire-quirk to his mother.

He couldn’t blame his Mama for scalding him with that water in an effort to protect herself.

He couldn’t, didn’t blame her for not wanting to see him, now, his scar an ugly reminder of that day.

She… must have been even more scared to find out that he’d been planning to train again, especially after he’d told her how he used to hate it, how he used to cry and beg her to help him get out of it; he…

He was such a hypocrite and a thoughtless child, besides but maybe… maybe he could learn to be more rational and mindful when… if he found the words to ask for such help from his Papa, aunt and uncle, well…

If he’d not ruined his chances by shutting down and locking himself away, his first instinct to hide finally an option he could take (because he and his siblings had choices now and Hizashi-ji had told him, very warmly, that if he needed space (‘so long as you’re safe and keep eating and drinking properly, lil listener~’) then he could have it) but it…

It didn’t feel as comforting as he’d hoped; he missed his Papa’s hugs, ji-san’s fist-bumps and ba-chan’s gentle tousling of his hair…

He missed Natsuo showing him how to skip stones across the ponds, Fuyumi sneaking him snacks from the kitchen and Touya-nii celebrating any and all progress he was making and actually treating him like he was wanted…

And not like he was the untouchable, sickeningly special golden-child; he’d often heard the older boy call him that on the few occasions they’d passed by each other back in those awful, terrible days where he lived in one part of the estate and them another, and—

*Knock-knock*

Blinking, sitting up and wiping hastily at his face (he shouldn’t be crying, he didn’t deserve to), Shouto sucked in a breath and held it; his uncle, father and Papa were out and his aunt had checked on him only half an hour ago, a plate of cookies and glass of milk placed on his bedside table so… whoever was knocking must be…

“Shouto? Can we come in, please?”

We?

“U-um” he replied, his little hands balled in his lap as, in various states of disarray, Natsuo (his soccer-themed play-clothes stained by grass), Fuyumi (a feather-duster sticking out of the sash tying her summer yukata in place) and Touya (his clothes dirty and burned, a light bruise dusting his left cheek) all but burst into his room, they…

“Shouto~ Papa’s left the hospital and he wants to talk with us before he comes home~!”

“We have to go to the study, all four of us, right now~!”

“Shouto… I’ve been a stupid, ungrateful and moronic older brother for too long… I’m sorry and I’m going to make things right, starting with us, then Papa and whoever he’s going to bring into our family… because you’re going to be a big brother, too… and we? We’re all going to help you be the best one you can be~! Heh… well, better than me, at any rate… ah, well, that’s if you want my help… if you’ll accept it?”

… they were all looking at him as though they wanted him to be involved; he…

“O-oh… yes, okay… that’s… nii-san, nee-san… that’s all I’ve ever wanted~” he breathed, his hands reaching out and taking his oldest brother’s; “so let’s go to the study~”

~*~

Silently cursing her (wonderful, long-suffering, self-flagellating) best friend, Kayama Nemuri was multi-tasking her way between texting her husband (who’d been stuck at his radio station in meetings he couldn’t avoid), re-reading Shouta’s messages, ignoring Endeavour’s and somehow running in mop-slippers* towards the kids’ study.

Shit!

All she had to go on was “Nem? What I’m about to do isn’t exactly legal… but this is the best way forward and the kids might need you with them for support so please, don’t ask me any questions so you have plausible deniability if shit hits the fan and go to the study-room asap… and thanks for this, for everything.”

Ugh!

If that insufferable moron had done what she and Hizashi had thought he might do sooner, rather than later, then she wasn’t sure if she was going to shake him by the shoulders and cuss him out or hug him ridiculously tightly and sob.

Damn-it!

Damn him!

Damn this whole, bloody rotten situation!

And damn anyone who tried to hurt him or the baby or those kids because she’d just about had enough! She—

“Nemu-ba-chan~!”

“Has Papa messaged you, too~?”

“Guys~! The link’s just come through~!”

“Here ba-chan~ You can sit on this stool~!”

Blinking and smiling (though it was a little wobbly; these past few days had been hell but, miraculously, here the beautiful Todoroki children were, huddled around Touya’s computer as though the jealousy, heartache and suffering caused by Kido’s revelations that Himura-san wouldn’t see her oldest or youngest had never taken place; kids were… something else**), Nemuri nodded.

“Thank you, Nats-kun~” she replied whilst taking the offered item but sitting a little to the side, her pensive energy hopefully masked well enough that they wouldn’t pick up on it as the oldest child she’d come to know and love deftly pressed on the blue, underlined text Shouta has sent via his ultra-encrypted underground-Pro server.

Shit.

‘I hope you know what you’re doing you adorable, potentially career-sacrificing moron…’

~*~

Even though they’d spent less than an hour together, Aizawa Shouta already felt as though he and Himura Rei could become good friends…

“Ah, yes… I think I’ll take a nap until dinner… reading has taken a lot out of me so please don’t disturb me until then, thank you; oh, and can you please inform my… Endeavour’s agency that I would like another meeting with Kido-san at some point? Tomorrow, maybe, if my doctor thinks I’m up to it? Mm… thank you, thank you very much.”

… because, after the initial upset? Not only had she reneged her decision but she’d accepted his offer to speak with them now, all together, in a move he was hoping would be transformative for all of them…

“Okay… that should buy us all of the time we need and ensure that you can sneak back out of here; ano… would you like a drink? I have a mini-fridge here and it’s important, well… I remember my doctors telling me it was important to stay hydrated when you’re carrying~”

“Oh… water would be great, thank you Himura-san—”

“Would… would it be too forward of me to ask you to call me Rei?” the woman who still stood near the door to her suite (where the intercom she’d just used was house) asked, her smile small but there.

“Only if you call me Shouta” he replied with a little shrug, his own smile lifting; “I want us to be equals in every way that counts… not only because we’re family, but because neither of us should have to face our new lives alone, right?”

“Mm~” she agreed before shuffling, her body cocooned in oversized yet lightweight pyjamas, to the small kitchenette (which only featured a sink, cupboards and said fridge) where she retrieved two bottles before moving to rejoin him on the bed; “I… I didn’t think that this, any of what we’re about to do, could be possible” she breathed tiredly.

“I thought… I didn’t think that you’d be the person that you are Aiz— Shouta-kun” she tried to laugh, her head shaking ruefully; “it’s like waking up from a nightmare… I mean, our reality is harsh, it’s hard to think about and deal with but… when you’re awake? At least you have some form of control, at least there are choices you can make” she sighed, her hands clasping the bottle she held tightly. “I… I think I’ve been sleep-walking through my life for a very long time” she admitted whilst he gently nodded, the empathy he felt for her doubling by the second.

Shit.

This woman had been so alone, so lonely in her marriage and life, hadn’t she?

If not for Hizashi and Nemuri, the pair of them having given him the strength and back up that he’d needed to tackle life as an honorary Todoroki, then he could very well have turned out like this, couldn’t he?

Shit.

“I can only empathise with that, Rei-san… and promise that you have my full support, our family’s full support, to, ugh… keep you awake, alright?” he smiled, his right hand proffering his phone; “so… are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be” she returned quietly, a shudder running through her; “I… you’re going to stay here with me, right?”

“Of course” he stated firmly, his left index finger moving towards the link (a notification had popped up only a minute ago to confirm that the children and their sire (who was still trying to text him; tch, why couldn’t they guy take a hint?***) had logged in) to tap it; “and we can leave the chat at any time you want, alright?”

~*~

All but collapsing to the floor of his gym, his hands gripping the phone he held like some kind of lifeline, Todoroki Enji felt a ragged gasp escape him when the image of his four children (reunited?! Clustered together?! Talking with each other again?! But… how?! What new miracle had taken place in his absence?!) shifted to the right to allow a new camera-feed to appear…

“M-m… Mama?”

“Mama…”

“Y-you… you’re-e”

“B-but you…”

“O-oh… oh m-my…my b-babies j-just… just look at you all~”

… A feed displaying his wife, ex-wife, sat mostly front and centre (she looked haunted, drawn and paler than he ever remembered seeing her; she looked so small and yet her eyes, eyes that’d looked glassy with mania the day he’d had her sectioned and hospitalised, didn’t seem so lifeless now) with his mate (calm as always) at her side…

“Is… is this happening?” he heard Natsuo breathe; “you… you’re reall-y-y…”

“It’s me, son” she replied even as those pale lashes laced with tears; “I… I was so, so frightened to see you, speak with you, I… I know that you must h-hate me… and that’s fine, I—”

“Mama, no!”

“No, that’s… that’s just no, Mama! We love you!”

“I… didn’t blame you for n-not wanting to see me, I… I was c-c-cruel, really stupid and j-just s-straight u-up out of… out of line! B-but I love you! I love you so much and I’m sorry!”

“I… I’m sorry too! I didn’t mean to… to s-s-scare you, Mama!”

… Feeling his own eyes tear (in shock, in wonder, in reaction to the heart-shattering guilt coursing through his veins because he was responsible for this… he’d led to all of this hurt, pain and suffering), Enji felt his head shaking; he… the children had been blaming themselves? No… of course they had, he’d just been too wilfully ignorant to truly take that onboard, to acknowledge their hurt and what that meant about them… about him, shit…

“N-no… no Touya, S-Shouto! O-oh S-S-Shouta… you were… you were right!” she gasped, her head shaking as she leaned closer to the phone’s camera; “b-b-boys… I… I didn’t think you would want to see me!” she told them, her expression desperate. “I… I’ve let all four of you d-down, it’s true… but you? M-my oldest and youngest I… the h-h-harm I’ve caused you, I… there’ll never be e-enough w-words I… I can say… I-I can’t take b-back the… s-scars I gave you… gave all of you, I—”

“O-oh Mama” Fuyumi gushed, her arms securely wrapped about her oldest brother and youngest, Natsuo copying her exactly; “we… we understand… we know how hard things were for you… but we, we’re here, Mama! We’ll always be here for you and we… we want to see you and hug you and show all’a the things t-that’ve changed!” she said. “And you have to meet ba-chan and ji-chan and otou-san! He’s changed so much, too~!”

Wait… was his daughter, beautiful and bright, resilient to a fault… defending him?

“He… he sees us now! Me and Natsuo and Touya! Oh! And he’s not mean as much and he doesn’t force Shouto to train anymore, either!”

Was she, once again, showing him the kind of love and kindness a monster of his calibre should never receive?

“We’re all working with Papa now and we’ve got a boy called Hawks coming to join us and, oh! Oh! We’re all in school and making friends! Shouto had one come over to the house, too, it was so much fun!”

God; what had he done to deserve her? To deserve any of them, even Rei… especially Rei, who he’d mentally accused of the cruelty only he, himself, could dream up and deliver.

“And we’re… things aren’t perfect but… they’re getting better they… they’ll be better when you… when we’re all together again, you know~!”

Chapter Text

Sneaking his way out of the mental-health facility using the same, stealthy methods that’d granted him entry (he’d been loathed to leave Rei there, of course, she’d told him it was for the best; she felt stronger, better than she had in years but she also knew she needed, wanted further psychiatric care), Aizawa Shouta couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that left him as he landed on public pavement.

Because sure, he would have faced any consequences for his actions (he’d never been one to back out of difficult situations and being mated and (shit; it was all becoming too real, now) pregnant wouldn’t change that) but the little thrill of ‘getting away’ with something was a delicious feeling he would relish.

A feeling that would only become more fleeting as time went on.

A feeling that, when he became more of a parent than he already was, would be irresponsible to seek.

Shit.

‘But still’ he thought as he casually made his way down the street and away from the hospital, his hands tucked into his pants’ pockets whilst he readjusted the weight of his backpack across his shoulders; ‘there’ll be other feelings, won’t there? Heh… I’m going to need to work on dealing with those, aren’t I?’ he huffed internally, his eyes rolling.

He hated how irrational such a proposition was and hated, even more so, that he couldn’t simply snap his fingers and reconcile himself to everything.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get onboard and be open to such things… it was just (annoying, illogical, confusing) difficult; not that he had any right to think so.

Not when he compared his childhood (harrowing though it was, in some parts) to those of the children who he’d become a Papa to.

Children he loved.

Children he’d just risked his career to help.

Children who he’d probably lay his life down for if needed but… was that enough?

Grunting and resisting the urge tug on his hair (an old habit from childhood he thought he’d broken), the omega hero continued to plod his way down the pleasantly quiet street, his phone on silent after he signed off from the live-feed and promised the kids (his kids, because they were) and mate he’d be home within an hour.

Home.

It shouldn’t be such a foreign concept to him and he was sure that he’d not associate such a word with the Todoroki Musutafu Estate if it weren’t for the children, Nemuri (who he’d similarly messaged and thanked for her support) and Hizashi, he—

“Shoutaaa~!!”

Turning, his eyes narrowing in a mix of shock and horror, the underground hero baulked and somehow didn’t activate his quirk on reflex (not that dropping that alpha barrelling towards him from the sky wouldn’t have thrilled him; shit, it was probably a reaction created by their (ugh!) bond) as Endeavour (in full regalia, no less) skidded to a melted tarmac stop beside him.

“You—!!”

“Arigatou~!”

Blinking, baulking and stepping back on reflex, Shouta regarded the alpha (how the fuck had he gotten here so quickly? His gaudy office was at least twenty miles away) who was (for fuck’s sake!) bowing at him from his waist in a saikeirei* pose he’d never expect a man with an ego his size to perform; shit!

“You cannot know what you’ve done for me, today…”

How the hell was he supposed to react to this?

“… and I know, I understand that it wasn’t for me…”

What should he say?

“… but I still can’t help but take joy in it, in you and the happiness…”

What should he do; tch!

“… you’ve brought to the children and to… to Rei who I’d misjudged, again, and—"

“G-get yourself stood up properly before someone sees you!” he whisper-hissed, his hackles raised and cheeks flushing with what he hoped was embarrassment, his teeth gritting as he moved towards the baulking oaf, grabbed his right hand and pulled him towards a secluded driveway (because the #2 was constantly stalked by paparazzi as were all the top-ten Pros) with a huff.

“Are you out of your mind? Tch! Of course you are” he grumbled, his head ducking out of the opening to critically scan the area and, when his eyes and nose (which’d become increasingly sensitive; damned pregnancy hormones) couldn’t detect any interlopers, he sighed and stepped back…

“O-oh?”

… right into the other’s arms!

Shit!

“D-don’t think this means anything” he huffed, his body sinking into the warmth (fuck! It was summer! He was plenty warm enough, damn-it!) the other offered; “and fine… you’re welcome, okay? And yes, I wasn’t thinking about you when I did this… although, I’ve gotta admit I’m shocked to see such a benevolent reaction” he mused, their eyes locking.

“Haven’t I just broken the law?”

“Y-yes, well…”

“Endangered our baby?”

“I, ugh…”

“Gotten involved in something you’ve repeatedly told me wasn’t my business?”

“All of that and more… definitely more” the alpha chuckled in a way that sounded (fuck) fond, those brawny arms gently folding around him; “and yet, despite it all? I can only think of praise to give you… for now, at least…”

“Heh, that’s more like it” he huffed, his body leaning closer (fucking hormones!) into the embrace despite himself.

Shit.

~*~

A bigger part of Yamada (nee Kayama) Nemuri’s mind should, of course, have been flagging up all kinds of worries and concerns about this (yet another) sudden turn of events and reversal of (anger, dissent, pain) feelings…

“Oh~ here~ I found some more decorations up in the attic~ these streamers will look great and I found some left over confetti from when Hizashi-ji threw us that ‘great-grades’ party, too~”

… because sure, they’d been granted another miracle (Shouta could have been arrested, he could have hurt himself getting in or out of the facility he’d unlawfully entered and Himura Rei (unstable and abused) could have lashed out at him, her ice powers potentially lethal under duress) but…

“And I’ve got more of that foreign, salty-liquorice Papa really likes from the secret-treat cupboard~ I knew it was a good idea to stash a box or two away for special occasions~!”

… living on a wing and prayer wasn’t exactly stable, was it? Shit; good luck (which seemed to visit them some days and then retreat just as quickly) was nice to have, however… they couldn’t build something as precious as a family on something so (fragile, fickle) unreliable…

“Okay… so… we’ve hung up the banner, stuck up some balloons, set the table, ordered food from that fancy place Hizashi-ji told us about a-a-and, we’re done~”

… and yet, as she stood here? As she watched the kids (who she’d seen loop around an emotional rollercoaster a time or two, their young psyches fractured but fixable) laugh, smile and prepare a ‘proper welcome’ for their Papa (she’d made sure to add in a few touches for Enji, just in case, because he was trying to make amends) and work together? She wanted, no, needed to believe that this could be their way of living from now on…

“Yatta~ maa~ we should totally take some photos on our phones now~ oh~ and then we can print them and make a memory book** for the new baby, you know, like what Mama made for all of us~?!”

… because sure, there were all kinds of odds set against them but they were due some happiness, all of the happiness she and the other adults in their lives could muster…

“Oh my gosh~ Natsuo~ that is an amazing idea~ ba-chan~ can you help us to buy one without Papa and otou-san knowing? I’ve got a lot of yen saved up from my allowance~” Touya gushed, the sullen darkness that’d been eating away at him up to an hour ago blasted away by the brilliance of his smile.

“Ah, well, I—"

“I want to add some of my money, too~ I was going to spend it on those special cat-treats we were looking at last week but I can just get the one subscription box~” Fuyumi chimed in excitedly, the sparkle she’d almost lost from those olive-eyes gleaming once more.

“Yumi-chan, that’s—”

“Hey~ I wanna help, too~” Natsuo called, his hands (that’d been trembling over the course of the upset that’d set upon them) sure and steady whilst he plucked his wallet from his jeans pocket.

“Alright, let’s—”

“And me~!” Shouto declared, his little voice raising to a volume she’d previously never heard, her eyes tearing as they all crowded her.

“E-eh? Ba-chan? Are you—”

“I love you guys so much!” she laugh-sobbed whilst reaching out with her arms to pull them into a warm hug; “and of course I’ll help you but no, none of you are going to spend a cent on this~ it’s my treat, it’s my deepest pleasure to help all of you welcome your new little brother or sister into our family~” she breathed as the kids (oh~) returned her embrace whole-heartedly.

“You’re the greatest, ba-chan~!”

“Thank you so much~!”

“I’m so glad you and ji-chan are here~!”

“I love that I… that we’re a family now~ a real one~ it’s… it’s just so great~”

~*~

After insisting that Hizashi (who he’d similarly been messaging; the popular DJ had just wrapped up an important meeting with his radio show producers (he’d be broadcasting from a room at the back of the Todoroki Estate now that the studio had agreed to lease their equipment) and was nearby) be the one to drive him home…

“But I have a car and a competent, highly-skilled driver! Hell! I have several such vehicles you should use since you’re so insistent that I not transport you myself—”

“He is my best friend, who I trust with my life implicitly, and someone who you should be incredibly grateful to since he’s willing to inconvenience himself for my comfort and safety… my comfort and safety that couldn’t be guaranteed if I chose to lie in your literally flaming arms for all the world to see…”

“I… well… that… Tch! Fine then… just… just tell him to stick to the speed limit in that overly-flashy American monstrosity of his—”

“Why not tell him, yourself? He’s pulling up behind you.”

… Shouta actually felt a little relieved to be bickering with his mate once more.

Because oddly? Stupidly? Setting the other off and pushing his buttons felt more natural than trying to force the kind of relationship you’d see in a shoujo-manga*** where the love interests had been pushed together in the kinds of ways they had been.

“Gladly…”

“Be nice… the or else isn’t implied.”

Heh; it wasn’t the best (or healthiest) way to go about things, he supposed, but keeping the alpha on his toes did help him to feel like the power imbalance of their pairing wasn’t too… terrible.

Obvious.

Shit.

“Oi, Mic! When was the last time you had this eyesore serviced, huh?”

“Maa-aa, Endeavour-sama~ I love this car almost as much as my darling wife, so she’s fine-tuned, super-clean and full of the sexiest safety features going, my guy~”

Good grief; “tone down your flames near the paint-work, please” he huffed, his eyes rolling whilst approaching the vehicle’s passenger door: “if you don’t like spending your money on things for the house then you’re definitely not going to want to pay for a custom-detailing job on this car” he huffed, his eyes locking meaningfully with his mate’s.

“Feh… my vehicles would never buckle under this level of heat—”

“And speaking of things that’re yours” he cut in meaningfully, his expression softening despite himself (shit, what’d he been thinking earlier? Why were his emotions so irrational now?!); “the kids are getting really excited… and I’d like for us to share in that, with them” he said as the other blinked, his brows lifting with surprise.

“So, call Kido or Burnin’ or whoever and tell them that you’re clocking off for an hour or two and meet us at home” he stated firmly, his eyes narrowing.

“We are not letting them down again.”

~*~

Pulling away from the curb, his jade eyes watching Todoroki Enji hurriedly snatch up his phone from some kind of hidden compartment at the small of his back****, Yamada Hizashi let out a sigh and shook his head ruefully; “I always knew you were some kind of special, Shouta” he said whilst looking ahead. “But to see the huge differences you’ve made in that guy and the kids, well? I’m in awe of you, man… I mean, it all still really sucks but, thanks to you? It’s… oh shit, Shou, I’m sorry” he quickly redirected when the other visibly deflated, his bangs covering his eyes.

“S’not you” the omega breathed, his voice a little raspy; “I don’t know where I’d be… or what I’d have done without you and Nemuri” the younger male admitted as he slumped into the plush seating, his fingers toying with the seatbelt whilst he turned his head to look out at the quiet, residential buildings they were passing.

Shit.

“Y-yeah, well… you don’t need to worry about that, you know?” he tried, his voice-quirk trying to creep in (it always did when he was either anxious or excited; in this instance anxiety was dancing across his psyche like a J-Pop idol during a concert) until he quashed it; “we… the both of us? We’re your ride or die, you know that~” he tried because; shit.

“Hizashi, I’m being serious—"

He… wasn’t good, never had been good at dealing with the darker emotions; hell… even when Shirakumo died he’d struggled be in that sadness because sadness was like a monster, it ate you if you let and he’d always been too afraid to feel it but Shouta?

“Yeah, well, so am I! Like, the most serious I’ve ever been which, you know, I’m not totally great at showing but you know me, man! You know I would never joke about something like this, don’t you?”

Shouta had that monster chomping on him since childhood; the death of his parents at seven, the cruel foster-system, families passing him over for younger kids, middle-school bullies and then the death of the first alpha he’d been in love with, his mind and heart closing down with every blow but never fully shutting, even now.

“I… I know, I just… aren’t I asking too much of you? Aren’t you both sick and tired of living from one drama to the next?”

Especially now, even though life had seen fit to (cruelly, un-fucking-fairly) bind him to a bastard who could never deserve him? Here he was, worried that he wasn’t doing a good enough job and inconveniencing him and Nemuri when…

“Dude, please, you gotta believe me here” he said, his car gently pulling up to the curb again so he could look at his fellow hero properly; “me and Nem? We’ve swapped manic working hours in a tiny apartment we could barely move into this, I dunno, mansion where we get to see you all the time when we, like barely used to see you and, seriously? Don’t get me started on those ridiculously adorable kids~”

… no one he knew, he’d ever known could be handling this mess better.

“But if… when your feelings change or… or when you guys are ready to start your own family—”

“—h-hey now—"

“—do you promise you’ll put yourselves first?”

Blinking, the smile he’d been trying to force slipping away completely, the jade-eyed hero reached out and squeezed the other’s shoulder; “Shou” he breathed, their eyes locking.

“You and the kids? All of your kids? You are our family, even if we up and decide to make our own, you dig?”

~*~

Standing before the two children (in the dull coloured back rooms of Garaki-sensei’s laboratory, a rudimentary apartment setup dimly lit behind them) he’d been charged with rearing, serving and protecting, Kurogiri couldn’t help but feel (if he could feel; he wasn’t so sure anymore) bemused.

“You have new names, now… new names and new lives, lives which I will help you build, lives that will enable you to rid the world of the scum others call heroes… but we know better than that, don’t we?”

Because these weren’t the offspring of Endeavour (though his master hadn’t ruled out his original schemes; erasure and powerful fire and ice quirks were still valuable tools but, given Shou— Eraserhead’s condition? Shigaraki-sama was choosing to bide his time; even rarer and more powerful quirks could come from his and the #2’s get, after all) he’d been preparing for.

“Oh yes… your grandmother abandoned your father, abandoned your family to raise another child… a child with better potential, a child who took your father’s place in her heart and turned him into the distance, cold, cruel man who denied you both the care and warmth you deserved, isn’t that so?”

However, he supposed that one group of traumatised children was as good as another and, it wasn’t as though he couldn’t see the omega he’d so wanted to mate and marry thanks to his new quirk and the free time he was granted.

“Shigaraki Nana? You carry that most detestable woman’s name as a reminder of your short-comings… like your grandame? You have ignored the abuse your brother has suffered and allowed him to take your beating for you, haven’t you? But not anymore… you’re going to take responsibility and you’re going to protect him and help him from now on.”

Which was something he’d come to relish; sure, he wasn’t free (he belonged to the ‘good doctor’ who’d granted him a second chance at like) in any traditional sense but warp-gate was enabling him to do so many things that Shirakumo Oboro couldn’t… or wouldn’t.

“And you, my boy~ you are to be congratulated~ celebrated~ for now you are Shigaraki Tomura~ the inheritor of my will and the alpha, the man, who will lead us all into a bright, new world of fairness and quirk-liberation~ a world without heroes~!”

Because he was and wasn’t that UA high-schooler, now; he had the (desires) body of a man, the skills of an assassin, the coldness of a killer and a mostly physical form that didn’t need to eat or sleep as it once had and yet? Despite all of those changes? Regardless of his primary directive? Aizawa Shouta haunted every one of his dreams and his scent lingered in the haze that engulfed him like a warm bath.

“Now then~ let us set about touring your new home, shall we? Kurogiri? Would you be so kind as to direct us to the bedrooms you’ve prepared?”

The same Aizawa Shouta who’d been promised to him, a reward for his labours and loyalty to the cause, when society was remade anew.

“Of course, Shigaraki-sama… please follow me.”

Chapter Text

After what had been a small but beautifully planned party (he couldn’t have been prouder) orchestrated by his family (because they were, biology be damned), Aizawa Shouta had felt every wisp of worry and stress leave him, even if it was just for these precious, fleeting moments…

“Whoa~ that… I don’t think I’ve ever heard a heartbeat before, let alone a baby’s~!”

“Aww~ our little brother or sister is about the size of a kidney-bean?! That’s so cute~!”

“Maa~ it sure looks like a bean, right now~”

“Wait… I thought we were human beings, not human-beans…”

“Pppppffffftttttt~ S-Shouto~ you’re too adorable for words, lil-listener~”

“And speaking of listening, you’ve simply got to tell us, in detail, everything the baby-doctor said to you, Shou-chan~”

“Yes! I… I ugh… I mean, I would like to hear anything you have to say about what the specialist told you about our child, Shouta.”

… even if being the centre of attention was something he never enjoyed; “ano… there’s not much to tell” he shrugged as everyone fawned over the information he’d been given after his appointment, his greedy fingers picking up another piece of liquorice to devour. “As far as any tests are concerned, the newest addition to our family is healthy and developing as expected” he said, his lips pulling into a gentle smile; “boy or girl, red-haired or black, you guys are all going to become older brothers and an older sister and, to me? That’s all that matters” he shrugged.

“W-wah~! Papa~! I… I’m gonna be the best big… ugh, eldest brother~ you’ll see~ I’m already doing so much better, aren’t I~?!”

“Oooohhh~ I shouldn’t want the baby to be any specific gender but I… I kind’a would like a sister… maa~ not that another brother wouldn’t be equally wonderful~!”

“Maa-aa~ Yumi~ I think it’d be great to have another sister in our family too, you know~!”

“Wait… can you wish or think a child to be a certain gender?”

“A-ah… ahahahaha~ Shouto~ you lil cutie~ biologically, well, unless a quirk is involved, that’s not actually possible~”

Watching as everyone (Enji almost included; he was still (rightfully) skittish around their current youngest child but they were making slow and steady progress towards a parent-child relationship that was healthy as opposed to domineering) fussed over the scar-faced boy, Shouta felt his smile deepen.

“Oh… I see… s-sorry…”

“Hey, don’t be hard on yourself, okay? It’s good to ask questions because that’d how you learn~”

“Fuyumi’s right~ and we want you to ask all of the questions you want, okay~?”

Because out of all the ways this new chapter of his life could have started?

“R-really?”

“You bet~!”

He was hopeful that this was a sign of more good things to come.

~*~

Watching his new mate (who he didn’t deserve, not one bit; shit) fawn over his other children (so neglected by himself and in vastly different ways; shit!) as they, in turn, gushed over him, Todoroki Enji couldn’t help but indulge in the pleasure this situation granted him… however misplaced that emotion was.

“Okay then, lil listeners~ let’s get this party started right~ yow~”

“Wah~ Hizashi-ji~ that’s a HUGE platter of soba~!”

“With premium ponzu-sauce, too~”

“Um-hm~ it’s all icy-cold and super delicious, so let’s get everyone around the table and enjoy it before everything gets warm~ and we’ve got ice-cream for dessert~”

“Yosh~ neh, Papa~ come on~ you need to sit at the head of the table with otou-san~”

“Heh… alright, I’m coming.”

And even more misplaced was the actual place Touya and Fuyumi were ushering him to sit in, his eyebrows lifting and eyes narrowing in surprise as he moved to sit beside the omega he’d so wrongly (yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel regret because he and his children had been in receipt of nothing short of miracles after his arrival) taken.

“Maa-aa~ go on, kids~ get around your male-folks so we can take some super-cute photos already~”

“Nemuri…”

“Oh~ Shou~ I know you’re camera shy but, seriously~?! This is a great day for so many reasons which means it’s got to be commemorated before our delicious lunch spoils, okay~?!”

Blinking, his shoulders loosening when the omega to his right laugh-snorted, shook his head and waved Natsuo and Fuyumi closer to him for the picture, Todoroki Enji welcomed Touya and Shouto (for their first positive, physical interaction in, well, a very long time; shit) to stand next to him, the group all managed to show smiles in varying degrees.

“Aww~ now that’s a fabulous photo~ I’ll share it with you all, right now~”

“Yay~ thank you Nemu-ba-chan~”

“Yes, thank you~ umm~ so~ … does this mean we can eat, now~?”

“Natsuo~!”

“What? We were all thinking about it, right~!?”

Feeling his own laughter bubble up and out of his mouth freely, the hell-fire hero allowed all of the stress, darkness and doubt that’d been threatening to crush lift away… for now, at least.

“Hahahahahaaa~ okay~ okay~ here~ let’s start passing out the plates and soba-choko*~”

“We’ve got barley-tea, fruits juices and lemonade, too~”

“Ooh~ and I’ll make some more ice and frame it around the fans~”

“Thanks Yumi-chan~”

Because yes, atonement would (it had to) be ongoing; however? The upset they’d just overcome was probably the tip of a much greater ice-burg and so, as inappropriate as it might be for someone like him?

He’d take Kido’s words to heart…

“… Todoroki-san, if I may? Life is fleeting, the lives of Pro heroes of your stature even more so, and that’s why we’re all glad, really, that you’re stepping back a little and, well, enjoying your family and making the most of their childhoods; heh, take it from me that even if you regret anything else, you’ll never regret being with them and watching them grow…”

… and give more of himself to the people around him…

“Here, otou-san, me and Touya chopped up these spring-onions for you since they’re full of nutrients and minerals that’ll help you with your training~”

“And Shouto thought you’d like some chilli-flakes, too~”

“They… they’re good for heart-health, or at least that’s what my Home-Economics teacher said.”

“T-thank you” he managed, his eyes meeting those of his children in turn; “I really appreciate these very thoughtful gestures” he said before, after a breath, he found his smile spreading unbidden.

“However, since actions speak louder than words? I would like for all of us, which includes your aunt and uncle if they’re free, to go to an appointment I’ve made with that animal shelter you’ve been looking at tomorrow afternoon” he said, the group blinking at him owlishly even as he refocused his attention on the children.

“You can bring friends with you, too, if you’d like? I certainly think that Midoriya would enjoy the outing and we can always use one of my covert mini-buses if each of you bring someone with you” he furthered when the rest of the room continued to regard him with looks ranging from shocked to teary; “or, well? If it’s too soon, then…”

“T-tou-san?! Y-you… you mean it~?! We can pick out our cats as soon as tomorrow~?!”

“Oh my gosh~! May I call Kurose Anan** after we’ve eaten~? She… she’s a really good friend to me and she loves cats, too~”

“I… nothing would make me happier, tou-san… I… I was hoping to find a good reason and a… a better way to… to contact Midoriya-kun again so I… I’d really like to call him later, too~”

“Maa-aa~ in that case I’d like to ask the HPSC President if Hawks can come with us~ he’s gonna be coming here on Monday, anyway, for training so I only think it’s fair that he meets us all in a less formal setting and it’ll hopefully help us all to work together better, don’t you think~?”

Nodding his ascent, the oldest member of their group then looked to his second eldest son; “and you, Natsuo? Would you like anyone to join you, tomorrow?”

Watching as the boy (who’d been eagerly settling into his zabuton***, his right hand already reaching for his chopsticks) blinked, baulked and then regarded him owlishly, Enji worried that he’d (somehow; he was still finding navigating their discussions difficult: shit!) made a mistake, when—

“Oh-h, ugh… well? I’ve been hanging out with two kids more so than anyone else” the boy fumbled, his tone warming as he spoke (fuck, his mate was right (again), he truly had been over-looking the young alpha far more than his other three children); “their names are Togata and Amajiki and yeah, yeah I’d like to ask them, if that’s okay?”

~*~

After enjoying (and genuinely so) the party (which’d been dominated by talks of cats, friendships and excited chatter about toys, treats and balanced diets for felines, of all things) that’d been thrown for himself and the #2, Shouta had gently pulled his mate aside (the kids had insisted on cleaning up alongside their aunt and uncle) and walked him towards the back gardens.

“That was quite the stunt you pulled, just now” he mused, his lips betraying him as they pulled into something closer to a smile than a smirk.

“E-eh? Stunt? I—”

“How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you’re learning to be so considerate, hm?” he offered through a mild chuckle, his words causing the softening brute beside him to relax a little more, it…

“Oh?”

… it was a good look on him.

“Yes” he conceded, his shoulder giving the other’s arm a gentle nudge; “and to see you widening your circle of trust to include people your children are befriending is another big-step that, honestly? I didn’t think you were anywhere close to taking” he admitted, their eyes meeting.

“A-ah, yes, well” the taller man fumbled, his face pinking (with a… blush? A momentary flit into their (slowly deepening) bond confirmed that the other wasn’t feeling consternation or embarrassment but pleasure at being complimented; hmm); “I am capable of change and I will not go back on my word… but I can’t promise there won’t be mistakes…”

“No one can make that promise” he was quick to assure (because taking one step forward and ten steps back wasn’t a pattern he wanted to create), his body moving to one of the shaded benches that daubed the largest of the outer courtyards; “the fact that you’re genuinely trying is more than I was expecting, plus?” he grinned.

“Seeing this paternal side of you is very… pleasing” he mused pleasantly whilst guiding the rapidly blinking hero to sit upon the wooden seat, his body slinking to pool in his lap with his thighs spreading around the other’s hips so he could sit more comfortably and close enough to subtly grind against the swell in the other’s pants.

“S-S-Shou-ta?”

“Mm?”

“I… we… it… it’s the a-afternoon-n…”

“Uh-huh” he agreed, their eyes locking once more; “and?”

“I… it’s… we’re n-not in our… our bedroom-m and… and we’re… the children are—”

“All the way on the other side of the estate” he mused, his nimble hands moving to grab the hem of his t-shirt in order to swiftly tug it up and over his head; “we’re quite alone, my friends will make sure of it” he furthered demurely whilst tilting his head to the left, causing the bite-mark across his mating gland to stand out more prominently.

“But if you’re not interested then we can always— mmph~”

Blinking when the alpha’s lips pressed insistently against his own (heh, that was quick), Shouta leaned into the kiss being offered whilst redirecting his partner’s hands to his chest once more, his delight spiking when Enji began to gently massage his pecks (it seemed as though his mate was retaining what he’d learned about him and his preferences, as well; good) with ease.

Heh.

“Feeling a lot more comfortable with this situation now, are we?” he smirked.

“Y-yes, well…” the older man huffed, his own smirk handsomely roguish; “for you I’ll make all kinds of exceptions, it seems…”

~*~

Takami Keigo (not that he could use that name, not anymore; his handlers told him that having a hero alias was a necessity, a precious thing that separated him from others and something that would, ultimately, set him apart from other Pro heroes, as well) tried not to let his excitement show at the news…

“You’re to treat this as a training exercise, Hawks; I’ll admit that even I was shocked when Endeavour’s agency reached out to ask for your participation in this… outing, however, I believe that any opportunity you have to study the children you’ll be training with and your new teacher in a non-combative environment should be useful.”

… but tomorrow morning he was going to meet Todoroki’s (he’d never really had friends before and sure, his training and special missions would always make such things more difficult but the #2 wanted him to join his children for a day-out which could only mean good things!) and his idol, the man who’d changed his life for the better…

“Now then, let’s go over the rules one last time; are you ready?”

… The man, the alpha who’d effectively rescued him (no matter how inadvertently) and was now generously providing his valuably-limited time, specialist facilities and even his own offspring (not that he’d been thinking about that slender, angelic omega swirled in blue flames, like, this entire time… or anything) for him~ To make him into someone special…

“Yes ma’am~!”

… to help him to prove to the HPSC (and himself) that he (the poorly educated son of a person made mentally ill by her quirk and the cowardly thief who she’d foolishly fallen for) was worthy of this fast-track program (which was tiring and lonely, sometimes, but all heroes had to make sacrifices) and worth all of the trouble and money the government was pouring into his development…

“Good; rule one? No divulging your true name or background: you are Hawks, you’re a ward of the State and have been selected for a fast-track course due to your exceptional quirk… and just what are you to tell them about fierce-wings?”

… Heh, all things considered? He’d been so lucky…

“That I can control every individual feather but I’m not to go into any further details, especially those associated with my espionage training****~”

… He was so blessed to be chosen…

“Very good, now, as for rule two?”

… ah~ But he was getting a little ahead of himself, wasn’t he? He’d not done anything of note (besides saving those few people from the car-crash he’d not been fast or experienced enough to prevent in the first place; never again) just yet, let alone anything that could possibly measure up to Endeavour’s calibre…

“I am to be pleasant, approachable and friendly but my main objective is to secure what information I can about the Todoroki children’s quirks and skills sets whilst learning what I can about erasure, as well” he replied dutifully, his eyes brightening.

“I’m also not to ask for another autograph or any merchandise… but…” he fumbled, his cheeks pinking whilst he regarded the woman (Watari-san was his main handler; she was gentle and considerate but very strict when it came to training and rules) who blinked before letting out a quiet, exasperated chuckle.

“Maa… if such things are offered unprompted then yes, Hawks, you may accept and keep them, okay?”

“Yatta~!”

Chapter Text

The drive to the cat-shelter his mate had suggested (the children had all been accessing the website to peruse the animals ready for adoption, his people had spoken to the staff and vetted the place to ensure a private viewing for them as well, of course) was more enjoyable than he’d been anticipating…

“Wah~ Fuyumi-chan~ I’m so glad that we managed to get all of these pompom* toys ready in time~”

“It was all thanks to you Anan-chan~ oh~ I hope that the shelter staff will make sure every kitty gets one~ eto… do you think we made enough?”

… because even though he was sat in one of his Agency’s mini-buses (repainted grey with dark-tinted windows to ensure they wouldn’t be bothered by the press who, despite his PR team feeding Juko News the titbits they’d arranged, were hungrily looking for more information about his mate and children) with a group young people chatting loudly behind him? He found their (excitement, joy, energy, comradery) conversations to be quite pleasant…

“Maa-ee~ you guys made enough pom-poms to fill three shelters~ maa~ are you sure I can’t keep a few more of them? I’m not gonna try an’ sell em’ when we’re back at school on Monday, I swear~”

“Natsuo~ my guy~ Yumi-chan already made and gave you twenty~ come on man, you gotta save some of the kitty-cats~”

… and enlightening; spending more time with his children (together and as individuals; he’d not realised the importance of such things until recently but he’d be damned if he wasted anymore precious time) was high on his lists of priorities and, though he was sat at the front beside his faithful driver and mate, his ears were helping him to pick up on important things he’d clearly missed…

“Heh~ Togata-kun is right, ototou** you can have too much of a good thing—"

“Ano… but don’t you have thirty, Touya-nii?”

… Like the kinds of friends his brood were making…

“W-wha— fine, you got me~ but as the oldest I felt it was my duty to take just a couple more so I could give them to Hawks, you know~ making a good impression is what I’m all about now, well… most of the time, anyway~”

“Eh? You telling me that Fuyumi-chan and Anan-chan made these? Wow… I thought you guys had bought them from a store, or something~ maa~ what else can you make~?”

… and what kind of child the HPSC were raising in one of their latest schemes; he’d heard of such secret, off-the-books projects before of course (the top five Pros were never consulted on such things, however, not much escaped the eyes and ears of their Agencies) but he’d never officially met any of the heroes made in such a way…

“O-oh, um… we’ve been making origami pieces, too~ I’m helping Anan-chan to make kusudama*** for her mother’s birthday~”

“Fuyumi-chan is being too modest, as always~ she has made almost half of it all by herself and it looks so good~ my Mama is going to love it~ ah~ we’ll have to take lots of photos when it’s done and share it in our new group-chat~”

… However, there were rumours (Shouta had, amongst other things, opened up his eyes and understanding when it came to the gossips amongst their ilk) and, with several up and coming ‘stars’ faltering (failing and ending up in Tartarus or strangely retired; O’Clock****, for instance, was an acquaintance he’d been unable to reach as of late), he had his concerns…

“Oh~ you guys have a group-chat? That’s so cool~”

“Um-hm~ Natsuo created it last night with Midoriya-kun***** and Amajiki-kun’s help cus’ they’re so great with apps and stuff~ maa~ if you got a phone we can totally add you~ oh~ and if you don’t have one, you can still access it on a computer~ so what d’you say, Hawks? We’re all okay with you joining, right guys~?”

… regardless of how harmlessly the red-feathered boy (young man, his mate had corrected; he was fourteen, after all) made himself out to be…

“It’s fine with me, Touya-kun~”

“Me too~”

“Welcome to the funhouse, Hawks-kun~”

“I think this’ll make our training sessions easier to schedule, as well~”

“I… I can help you to set up your account, if you like?”

… because sure, the young alpha (unusually short for his age, hell, even shorter than Touya) seemed jovial and carefree. However? There was a tightness to his smiles, a stiffness in his demeanour and those eyes of his were sharp in one moment and soft in another…

“Midoriya-kun~ you’re so helpful and sweet, you know?”

“W-w-w-ha?”

… but there was a defined, hardened edge to that softness. Yes, there was no mistaking that this adolescent had been trained to be observant and made able to blend into whatever circumstance he happened to find himself in; tch! To think that the HPSC President didn’t have anything better to do than send a spy (no matter how young or unassuming) into the home of their approved #2…

“Izuku-kun, are you okay? You’ve gone all red in your face—”

“Aww~ you kiddos are just adorable~ I’m gonna take some photos now, so say cheese and strike a pose if you want to be in it, okay~?”

… and, worse still? That he was supposed to be grateful for such an intrusion upon their privacy and his mate’s precious time when it came to training all of the children, this winged interloper included…

“O-oh, ugh~ Cheese~ plus ultra~”

“Cheese-y~ Nemu ba-chan~”

… But still, he knew things could be worse; the President could have threatened him with all kinds of fines, sanctions and penalties (it wasn’t illegal for children to do quirk-related exercises at home under the guidance of an adult; however, full on training (especially non-regulated activities outside of a Quirk Evaluation Centre) was taboo) couldn’t she? And it wasn’t as though the feathered alpha didn’t fit-in…

“Shouto-kun~ shall we try to do the hand-heart pose~?”

“Okay… is that right? Ah~ it worked~ cheese, ba-chan~ we did it~ see~?”

… in fact, he wasn’t only affable with Touya (his intended partner (and nothing more; he’d be sure to make that very clear if it turned out he was right about the way the sandy-haired brat was looking at his eldest… Shouta had soundly thwacked him across the head with his newspaper when he’d grumbled this accusation aloud to him before they entered the minibus) in the hero program) but the other children…

“Cheese Kayama-san~ wah~ Tamaki~ it’s okay~ I’ll cover your face with my hands, alright~?”

“Me too~ you’re okay~”

… Too affable; tch! The little spy (‘stop calling him that; regardless of who or what he is? He’s our responsibility when he’s here and you will make him welcome even if it’s only to ensure Touya gets what he deserves out of the HPSC’s bargain’) had probably undergone social-integration training…

“Oh~ I can give you some of my feathers, if you like~?”

“Mm… m’okay… s-sorry…”

… and knew exactly what to say and how to act in order to make a good impression…

“Hey, you’ve got nothing to apologise for, lil-listener~ being shy or not wanting to be in a photo is totally cool, you dig~? You do you, my guy~”

“Zashi-ji’s right Amajiki-kun~ so please don’t feel bad, okay~?”

… Well, he could try all he wanted to impress him (he’d not forgotten the young man asking for his autograph when they’d first met at UA; tch! What a simpering little trick to endear himself; heh… not on his watch!), oh yes! He could try until he was blue in the face…

“Speaking of feeling things? Can you really, like, move all of your feathers around and send them away from your body to do other stuff? I mean— whoa~ holy crow, Hawks~ hah~ and here I thought that my quirk was versatile~! That is totally amazing~!”

“Ano… Izuku-kun really loves learning about quirks, Hawks-san… but he’s a little shy around new people, too… eto… would you mind answering some of his questions for the data book he’s making?”

… but he wouldn’t be fooled…

“Eh~ Shouto-chan~ of course I’ll answer any of Midoriya-chan’s questions~"

“R-really~?! Thank you~"

… no. The last two months had proven to him, time and again, that he’d been lapse when it came to protecting what was truly important (his career and ensuring the overall safety of Japan especially when that buffoon was galivanting off in America, aside) and no young man, hero-candidate or otherwise, would get in his way.

“Okay, lil listeners~ get ready to unfasten those seat-belts and exit the vehicle because we~ are~ here~”

“Yatta~!”

~*~

Slipping out of the passenger’s seat he’d secured next to his mate (who’d been nothing but broodily silent the whole drive since he’d (only mildly) scolded him and warned against any tantrums during this daytrip), Aizawa Shouta (for how much longer, he wasn’t sure; a marriage would have to be arranged at some point, wouldn’t it?) regarded the cat-shelter with a smile.

“Oh wow~ this place is so cute~ they even have a merchandise stand with a kitty mascot******~ maa~ Fuyumi-chan~ let’s get matching key-chains to take home with us~”

“Um~!"

He’d supported many such places (and still did; lawfully, all of his assets had been refiled under Enji’s (it was just another way alpha-led society protected omegas and femmes, apparently) but the older man had told him that his wages, savings and any other money he earned was his to use as he pleased) but this particular shelter had a strict no-kill policy.

“Natsuo, are you sure you, Amajiki-kun and Togata-kun don’t mind bringing the boxes of toys from the back? I’ll come help if you need me to…”

“We got this, Touya-nii~ right guys~?”

“Right~!”

“Y-yeah~”

They were also partnered with a veterinary practice that, thanks to donations from people like himself (and his mate; the big lug hadn’t told him directly but the shelter’s manager (a friend of his) had emailed only days ago to express her thanks for the huge sum that’s been transferred through Endeavour’s Agency), offered treatments free of charge to low-income pet owners.

“Okay, so… first we go inside and look through the gift-shop while your otou-san and Papa can fill in the paperwork, then we need to swap our shoes for the slippers provided to lessen the chance of cross-contamination and leave our bags in the lockers provided before going in, maa~ I love how sensible and animal-safe it all is~”

“That’s probably why it’s one of my Papa’s favourite places… you like when things are rational, right?”

Blinking away from the wood-fronted building (with two wide windows showcasing photos of various cats, the shelter’s interior and families who’d previously adopted animals combined with cute manga-styled characters, information about services provided, fees and appointment times) to look down at Shouto, his smile strengthening.

“I do” he agreed, his right hand opening on reflex for their currently youngest child to take as Midoriya Izuku (a similarly wonderful child; the relief he’d felt at their rekindled friendship had even spiked itself through the mating-bond at the time: the alpha had, on reflex, reached out to Midoriya Inko to arrange another playdate for the boys) eagerly grasped his left. “Not that things can be rational all of the time, especially when cats are involved” he added with a little shrug, the boys laughing and nodding as they walked the short distance from the bus to shelter with Touya and Hawks quickly flanking them whilst Anan and his daughter skipped ahead with Hizashi and his wife.

“Ano, Aizawa-sensei? Is there any reason why your family are adopting pets? I mean… haven’t most of the cats here had other families that didn’t work out for whatever reason? Surely it’d be easier and, uh, more rational to buy kittens, right?”

Shifting his dark eyes towards Hawks (he really wasn’t comfortable with the kid, almost Touya’s age, having an alias and a veritable gag-order hanging over his young head, but still, he’d accept and support him regardless), the omega grinned and cocked his head behind them; “you’re not wrong… and that was certainly my mate’s preference” he said whilst regarding Enji for a moment. Wonderfully enough, the tallest alpha of their group was hanging back to oversee Natsuo and his friends as they happily gathered up the boxes (what’d started as Nemuri introducing their daughter to the hobby-craft of pom-pom making had soon spun into the latest fad to sweep her Middle School) completely unprompted.

Hmm.

“Then, after the children and I started talking about what kinds of furred companions we’d like to share, I brought up the idea of adoption to help, rehabilitate and provide a family for at least one cat that needed a second chance to be happy and loved and well? We’ve never looked back since” he stated whilst his sons preened and nodded.

“Maa~ Papa is a big believer in giving everyone second chances” his fellow omega stated proudly before, with a sheepish expression, he rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head; “and, luckily for me and dad in particular? He’s also a believer in third, fourth and fifth chances, too~”

Snickering, Shouta shook his head ruefully whilst regarding the fifteen-year-old; “and I’ll continue to grant you and the rest of our family such things” he stated warmly: “so long as all of you continue to do the same for me, alright?"

~*~

Walking behind his second oldest son (and his two friends; Togata was a little too cheerful for his liking whilst Amajiki was far too timid but, as his mate had reminded him (frequently), their children were free to make friends with whomever they wished because it was good for them), Enji couldn’t help his azure eyes moving to his Shouta.

“Wah~ Papa~ of course we will~”

“You can have all of my chances, too~”

Whose grace, patience, kindness and dauntless resolve never failed to impress him because now, even when they were realising one of his dreams (he’d spoken fondly of a cat he, the married couple and his first love had reared together (who lived with the Shirakumo family to this day) with a glint in his eye that’d surprised him) he was fussing over their boys.

“Wah~ you’re so cool, Eraserhead-o~”

“Heh… when you put it like that? It… it sounds real nice, sensei… I, ugh, I’d never thought about rehabilitation like that… so many people today just prefer convenience, you know?”

And Midoriya (who was sweet, respectful, charming and endearing; he couldn’t have been more pleased with Shouto’s choice of companion… even if the boy was quirkless) alongside Hawks.

“Nothing worth having comes easy, boys… and this is something you two must remember after you pick out your new friends today, okay? It could take at least three months before they truly feel at home with us, after all.*******”

“We know, Papa… maa~ it’s not like we aren’t good at adjusting to new things ourselves, right~”

Tch.

“Heh… you’re definitely right, Touya-kun… now then, who wants to help me keep the doors open so everyone else can come inside out of this heat, hm?”

"Oh~ I will~”

“Me too~”

“No way, Shouto~ you and Midoriya-chan should go inside, okay? Hawks and I have got the doors, haven’t we?"

"Ha~ our first mission as a team is a go, Dabi~”

~*~

Walking into the blessed coolness of the reception area where Nemuri and Hizashi were already confirming their details to ensure a smooth visit and adoption process (both of them had told he and Enji that they wanted to make this trip entirely about ‘Todoroki-family good-time vibes’; heh), Shouta looked from Anan and his daughter…

“Wah~ they’re all so cute~ neh~ Fuyumi-chan… since you were good enough to invite me today, I want you to pick the key-chains and I’ll buy them for us, okay~”

“A-Anan-chan~ I… I’ll happily pick them if you like but you must let me pay~”

“Ara-ara, no lovely young ladies or gentlemen will be buying anything with their hard-earned allowances today, thank you~ your Nemu ba-chan and her purse will not allow it~”

… to the wide bay window giving any guest their first viewing of the cats (all ‘free-range’ in a large, cat-café styled enclosure; this was another attribute that’d won him over as a patron to the Ishiguro Cat Rescue: not that he blamed other shelters for keeping their cats in separate housing, especially if they were ill or lacked socialisation skills) inside…

“Ba-chan~ that’s not—”

“Ah-ah-ah, Yumi-chan~ your ba-chan who must spoil you rotten in order to be happy has spoken and she’s got your dad’s and Papa’s blessing~ so~ go on~ pick out whatever you want, okay~ you don’t want to make your ba-chan pout now, do you~?”

… his eyes softening further. He… he’d always wanted a cat of his own which was a little childish, he supposed; however after he, Oboro, Hizashi and his wife took on the responsibility of loving and raising Sushi he… he’d fallen deeper in love with the furred creatures and now that O— Shirakumo was gone? Carrying on their dream of having cats based in their own hero agency (a pipe-dream the remaining three of their quartet had given up on as their hero ambitions had shifted and changed in light of his death) wasn’t possible. What was possible, though, was having a group of various felines enjoying the vast estate that the three remaining ‘dumigoes’ occupied alongside his (because they were, everyone of them), their family… Even if he couldn’t quite believe that this was actually happening…

“Kayama-sama~ you’re amazing~ thank you very much~”

“Yes, thank you~ here~ we’d love to have these ones, right? They match our school satchels~”

“They’re perfect, Fuyumi~ oh~ and you picked a kitty with gold eyes for me? That’s so thoughtful of you~”

… let alone that Enji was endorsing it all. Heh… sure, the older man was gruff (and the way they’d come together to form their family was inherently wrong; he was on his way to forgiveness, sure… but he could, he would never forget it, not out of spite or hatred, but out of concerns for their own children and their futures in this alpha-centric world) but he really was developing, changing and growing as a person…

“Woah~ those key-chains are great~”

“Almost as nice as alla these toys they’ve made~ here you go, Ishiguro-san~ please take them with our thanks and share them out as you see fit~”

… meaning that he could relax a little, which was life-changing…

“My goodness Todoroki-tachi, thank you very much~”

“You’re welcome~”

… almost as life-changing as finally fulfilling one of the only dreams he’d ever allowed himself to have…

“Shouta?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, the raven-haired omega looked up to find his mate stood beside him, his impressive arms crossed over an equally impressive chest; “are you sure you only want the one? One cat, I mean?”

Feeling his expression soften despite himself (heh; he should have realised that his feelings and, to a lesser extent (their bond could develop to the point of telepathy if they worked at it, apparently) his thoughts, would reach the still oddly quiet man he was steadily growing fonder of), the shorter man shook his head before nudging him gently with his shoulder.

“I think we have enough on our hands at the moment, don’t you? And besides” he grinned, their eyes locking; “if I adopted more than one today, whatever would you get me for my birthday, hm?”

Chapter Text

It would be wrong to say he was (unsure, anxious, worried) nervous about entering the cat-enclosure he, his family and their friends were stood next to (because he knew what it was to feel… to be nervous), however… as he held his Papa’s hand (his other hand held by Izuku, his best friend), he found that same… feeling bubbling up from when his siblings visited the water park.

“Okay, Todoroki-tachi… before we enter? Alongside the cats you’ve inquired about we have a very recent addition to our shelter who has been ugh… a little difficult to detain…”

Yes, it was that same awful-squirmy feeling that swam in his belly like eels but… he could conquer it, couldn’t he?

“Difficult? I take it that this cat has a quirk, then?”

Because how could he grow? How could he change, develop and strengthen himself (like the rest of his siblings and his fa— dad) if he didn’t push himself to try?

“Ah~ that’s right, Shouta-san… her name is Yoru and she’s a Norwegian forest cat who, as her name suggests, has ebony fur and the power to, well? Merge into shadows* and anything darkly coloured, really and we… well? Keeping her confined without causing distress or injury has been a challenge~ however, she’s had all of her shots and is a generally placid feline… maa~ a placid feline who much prefers to slink around this open space than sleep in a crate like the other cats we house… honestly? I’m just happy that she’s chosen to stay here since he could quite easily sneak away at any time~”

So, he would; he could be brave, he was brave (everyone kept telling him that he was… at least)… wasn’t he?

“I can’t see this being a problem… however? Does anyone feel uncomfortable being in a room with a cat that can do such things?”

Sucking in a breath (he… he shouldn’t be scared of a cat he couldn’t keep track of, he wouldn’t be scared because that was worse than being nervous and he wasn’t), he swallowed it down and tried to relax his shoulders.

“Are you kidding~? That kitty sounds totally cool~”

Because he was okay, he was alright.

“Maa~ her quirk is a little like mine only I still get kind’a stuck trying to phase through stuff~”

He just needed to distract himself (a new strategy** his therapist had suggested; ‘sometimes our minds can become hyper-focused and super-noisy all at once so what we need to do is redirect the brain’s attention so the mind can shift… for me? I start looking around where I am and identify what I can see***’), so that’s what he did.

“Wah~ I’d love to see her~ is she definitely in there, Ishiguro-san?”

There were two people directly beside him; Midoriya Izuku had two arms and legs, four freckles on each cheek, emerald-eyes, emerald-hair, red boot-shoes, blue shorts and an All Might t-shirt that was also blue but featured white, golds, reds and an anime-styled caricature of the #1; his dad had scowled when he’d seen it but otherwise said nothing.

“Well, she wasn’t in her crate just now, Fuyumi-chan… however, please don’t get your hopes up when it comes to seeing or interacting with her, okay? Some cats are naturally skittish, of course, but Yoru is well… for lack of a better word? Aloof~”

His Papa was a great deal taller than them both; black trainers (unbranded no matter how much his dad and Nemu-ba begged him to wear designer clothing), black-linen trousers and a black t-shirt which sported a small flame-emblem (his dad’s icon; the oldest omega of their group had put it on before they left the house) settled loosely across his athletic frame. His hair was tied in a half-bun and he’d freshly shaved.

“Ano… what’s el-oo-ff mean, Papa?”

Ishiguro-san was stood before all of them, her form dressed in a knee-length pencil-skirt (brown and dotted with white cats), a white cotton-shirt, a cat-shaped fanny-pack and, perched on the bridge of his nose, a pair of glasses whose frames had been shaped to look like cat-paws; maybe… maybe Fuyumi would like a pair?

“Well Natsuo, we use this word to describe someone who is unfriendly, distant and usually unwilling to take part in socialising—”

“So… like how dad used to be?” he heard himself utter, his eyes widening in surprise (and shock; oh no… he’d not meant to say such a thing aloud!) before he snapped his head to look at the alpha who’d sired him, his mouth opening when—

“That’s an excellent comparison, Shouto-kun… good job.”

“O-oi…”

“Ppppfffttttt~! Oh, come on Todoroki-sama~ you can’t be mad at the truth, right~”

“I… I am not mad” the oldest of their group huffed, his expression softening (o-oh?) as they regarded each other; “I’m actually glad… happy that you think I’m changing for the better, son… thank you.”

~*~

Walking into the enclosure (he’d spied young Amajiki looking pensive and, after a quick nod and look with Hizashi, the blonde and his wife waited for the trio of nine year olds to walk past them to be there for the boy just in case he needed to leave; he’d similarly keep a close eye on Shouto since his little hand had yet to relax its grip on his), Shouta blinked.

“Ooh~ look at them all~ Fuyumi-chan… I think I see the ragdoll you were telling me about lounging on that cushion by the window~”

“S-she… she’s so beautiful~ ahh~ please help me not to get too excited around her, Anan-chan~ I… I don’t want to scare her~”

It was even more beautiful than he’d imagined based on the photos the homely, softly spoken shelter-owner had sent.

“Maa~ there’s Tiga~ heh~ of course a Bengal cat would be sprinting on the cat-wheel**** ~ when we go home I’ll show you guys the four we all built together yesterday~”

“That’s so cool, Touya~ ano~ Ishiguro-san? Are we okay to go over there? I know it’s super important to let the cats come to us but I’d love to have a closer look at him, if that’s okay? I promise to keep my feathers super-still~”

“Tiga is very friendly and curious, so I’m sure he won’t mind~ however, should he walk away from you please allow him to go without a fuss… felines aren’t fond of being chased by anyone they don’t know, after all~”

The space (large and rectangular, the air inside cool and definitely filtered to stop cat-dander from building up) feature three wide, bay-windows, cat-trees of various heights (dotted with cushions, beds, box-houses, dangling toys and coated with scratching-wrap and woven fabric for the kits to dig and bury their loose baby-teeth into), shelving on the back wall and play tunnels with closed litter-trays on the padded floor.

“Awesome~ neh~ Tamaki-kun… would you, Togata-kun and Natsuo like to come with us? It’s totally fine if you still need to hang back a bit~”

“O-oh, um… no I… I’d like to come if… I can peak over your shoulders at first? If… if I’m not bothering you by—”

“Tama-kun, you’re never a bother~ you take things at your own pace, alright~? We got you~”

Regarding the set-up he felt more confident that the cat-room (not that the felines he and the children chose wouldn’t have the run of the estate; however, felines were territorial and having a safe space just for them was something they’d all agreed on) they’d made together wouldn’t be too different to what they were used to, and—

“P-Papa? There… there’s a head pokin’ out of your c-chest…”

Blinking, his own head tilting down, the omega let out a chuckle (not only because he had a morbid sense of humour (this did look like something out of a supernatural movie) but to show his youngest son (his eyes shrunk in shock) that he wasn’t afraid) as a shadowy, fluffy face (with two bright-azure eyes) looked up at him imperiously.

“Yoru, I take it?” he asked, his grin broadening when the cat let out a little hiss, flashed her fangs and submerged herself completely into his t-shirt (heh, she must have approached him from behind and blended into his trousers; hmm… he’d not felt any change in weight, in fact, he’d had no idea she’d sneaked into his clothing at all) as everyone else turned to him.

“Woah…” many of the kids breathed in unison.

Heh; woah, indeed: “ano… Ishiguro-san? Am I okay to move, or…”

“Maa~ she’s a part of your clothing so, outside of tugging harshly on and trying to damage the fabric while she’s inside, you’ll find that she’s the perfect passenger” the older woman remarked sheepishly, her head shaking. “This is why it’s been so hard to keep track of her… here, she seems to like these treats the best” she added whilst shuffling over to him, her hand producing a small, clear pouch of mini fish-shaped biscuits from the bag belted around her waist. “I can try to coax her out now, if you like?”

Chuckling again, his eyes shifting back to Shouto (who looked more amazed now thanks to Midoriya’s growing excitement and quickly-mumbled whispering about how fantastic the quirk was and wondering how it functioned; heh… he was such a cute kid), he felt himself shrugging; “so long as she’s comfortable? She’s welcome to stay where she is” he stated, his hand squeezing his son’s again.

“Maybe this is a sign that the… what did you call it, Izuku-kun? ‘Cat distribution system*****’ is already at work, neh?”

~*~

Stopping himself (damn-it! He should have more self-control but the alpha in him had roared angrily at the thought of something potentially attacking his mate) just in time (because, as always, his Shouta handled the unusual situation with humility and grace), Enji stood rigidly in place (he’d initially followed Fuyumi and her friend since the Yamada’s were hovering near the boys) and let out a breath.

“Maa-aa~ Eraserhead-o~ I think it’d be so great if she did choose you~ I mean, it’s also super fine if you still prefer the kitty you came here to see but she… oh~ you could potentially train her to be your sidekick or mascot or something~ ah~ with her quirk and your hero suit she could travel with you real easy, too~”

“Oh my gosh~ I… I hadn’t thought about that~ Papa~ that’d be amazing~ I really like her now~”

He then mentally counted to five, his shoulders relaxing until, with a barely suppressed flinch, his head snapped down to see—

“Wow~ otou-san~ looks like you’ve made a new friend~”

“M-m-wow~

—a veritable mound of bright-orange fur leisurely slinking (rubbing firmly) between his legs to coat his freshly ironed pants (ugh! He thought that Kayama was teasing him when she commented that ‘beige slacks’ weren’t the best option for their cat-based outing; tch! None were meant to bother him!) with a thick coating of marmalade fur?!

“Apologies, Todoroki-sama… Kabocha is an older cat who loves to feel warmth and, well? I should imagine she finds your quirk to her liking~ you wouldn’t have thought she’d need to seek out heat given her thick coat, would you~?”

“I… see” he managed, his eyebrows reaching for his hairline as the creature (its large jade-eyes peering up at him inquisitively) started to purr at a volume he’d thought a cat of its (her) size incapable; “how do I… dislodge this cat from my legs?” he asked, his exasperation mounting.

“Ah, please forgive—”

“Enji” blinking again, his eyes now looking to his mate’s (dark and unwavering, a glint shining there… the same glint he saw when the other hoped he’d do better; shit), the alpha sighed and looked back to the shelter-owner; “thank you… but if it… if she can find some comfort in warming herself on me then I will allow it” he grumped. Then, a relatively clean (how cleanly in such an environment he couldn’t be sure, but still, he’d agreed to cats being in their home, so he’d better get used to these things) set of chairs catching his eye to the left, he carefully (because he’d been learning gentleness) reached down to the feline…

“Pppuuurrrrrrr~”

“That’s it, I’m not going to hurt you… my hands are warm too, right?”

… to slowly pick her up (she… was softer and lighter than he’d thought… longer, too), her body folding into his chest with even louder purring whilst he walked (with long yet steady strides) to the chairs and sat with the pumpkin (he was willing to admit that it was a suitable name given her colouring) happily in his lap.

Hmm.

“The cat distribution system strikes again~”

“O-otou-san… that’s… so… cute~”

He could certainly see the appeal of petting such a creature (the purring was rhythmic and she’d now moved to splay herself in his arms as an infant might, the tip of her tail waving languidly) as she sank into herself, her eyes closing whilst he slowly curled his fingers against her flank, his body weirdly relaxing during the process.

Hmm.

~*~

Sharing a quick glance with Touya (who mouthed ‘wow’ at him whilst Hawks (who seemed like a really cool guy, actually; Togata had even said so) grinned and offered a thumbs up), Natsuo turned back to view his father (Endeavour, the #2 feared by villains and some civilians alike) cuddling the big, orange feline one last time before looking away.

He knew that either Hizashi-ji or Nemu-ba (probably both; he’d similarly noticed a blushing, almost teary-eyed Fuyumi and star-struck Anan whip their phones out from their matching summer-dress pockets, too) would have sneakily taken photos of the (seemingly unbelievable) occurrence and so the nine year old decided to search for the cat he’d picked out, instead.

Not only because his Papa had purposefully made a fuss of him and his choice (although… it felt so good to be acknowledged; his birth parents were trying to connect with him now, sure, but… he’d always felt like the forgotten child of their family… the middle of three boys whose brothers were more gifted than him) but because he wanted…

“Maa~ is that the tabby you wanna adopt, man~ he’s gorgeous~! hey~ here kitty-kitty~ umm… psspsspss? Ha~ yeah~ that’s right~ come on down from that cat-tree and say hello to my buddy over here, why don’t ya?”

… Needed a companion, a living thing who he could care for, nurture, help and love; sure… maybe a dog would have been a better choice in terms of the friendship (he’d read that many cats could be distant, especially those who were adopted) he craved but everyone else had wanted cats and, since he’d never been around either animal?

“He… he’s coming over… oh my gosh, you guys~ he’s coming closer…”

He had no point of reference, only the dream that he’d (finally; it wasn’t right to still feel that way, he knew, but his therapist has told him any and all feelings he had were valid and that his healing would take however long it took, so he shouldn’t feel guilty and he… he wished he didn’t) gain some form of companion (outside of his friends and family) he could grow-up with.

“Wah~ Natsu-kun… he’s lookin’ right at you~ here… I drank some cat-nip tea so I could grow fresh leaves for you… I have them here… my Mama said they’d be better in this knitted pouch so… here~ I hope it helps~”

Blinking when Tamaki (so shy and timid despite his amazing quirk and fantasy-genre good-looks; he and Mirio had come as a ‘package deal’ according to the blonde who’d been so quick to befriend the awkward ‘new kid’… he… he’d been elated at the thought of having one friend, let alone two) presented him with a lovingly crocheted hacky-sack, the young alpha felt his lips wobble.

“I… this is…”

“Dude~ we knew this was like, a super big deal for you~ so of course we came prepared to help you make the best first impression with your new fur-buddy~ s’why I got you these~”

Looking from the elfin-eared omega (so sweet; he’d initially thought he and his blond best-friend had established some kind of premature bond: however, he’d come to realise that the permeation user had a definite inclination towards femmes… which Tamaki (if he thought of Mirio that way) didn’t seem to mind; hmm) to his fellow alpha, Natsuo blinked again.

“They’re *******churu cat-treats and my Hiyori-ba swears by them~ I got you a bunch of different flavours but she says that the chicken ones are the best, so… here~ let’s see if we can entice that tabby to come on over here with one or both of these treats, neh~?”