New year's resolution: finish this story! It was on hiatus since mid-2020 due to too many things that happened in my life, including the pandemic. But I already have more time and I want to finish this job. I know that many things have happened in the manga and we have secrets revealed, but none of that will change the course of this fanfic, I will continue on the same path and it will end. Good luck to everyone in this 2021!
Touya's eyes slowly widened adjusting to the dim light in the room. He was confused for a moment not recognizing where he was. The white walls and the unmistakable scent of disinfectant that he knew well reminded him. His arms felt sore, he lifted them a little over his face to look at the bandages he was wearing. He wondered if there were horrible marks left, he hoped not. A slight headache made him put a hand to his face, the images of the night before came to his mind. He remembered the pain, the fear, and the despair. City lights like distant, fuzzy glints through the window of his father's car. He could remember the warm feel of Enji's arms, his voice calling out to him asking him to hold on a little longer. His worried face as he left him with the medical staff and the strange feeling he felt when he saw him that way.
Turning his face, he saw his father sleeping badly in a hospital chair. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his head rested wearily on his right shoulder. The cast on his arm had a stain of what he thought looked like coffe. He was wearing a white tank top that he used to sleep in, and wasted jeans, to decorate the outfit, his black sandals from walking around the house. Touya's face lit up with a small mocking smile. The Pro Hero # 2 would never be seen on the street like this and yet he was sitting there uncomfortably in that uncomfortable little hospital chair trying to rest. He watched attentively at his father for a while, watched him stir and wake up. Enji looked tired, he rubbed his face with his hand as he yawned. His eyes quickly went to Touya who frowned. What a way to say hello in the morning, Endeavor thought.
"Touya, how are you feeling?", he asked, standing up to go to the bed.
"I think I'm fine", he huffed, shaking a couple of hairs on his forehead and leaned back again, "I'm just tired and sore, have you stayed here all night?", Touya asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.
Enji looked at him calmly, his son seemed to feel good and that calmed the fears in his chest.
"Yes I spent the night here, I'm glad you're okay. Your mother was very worried"
A note of frustration spread across Touya's face. He didn't like worrying his mother about him. He feel hurt to be weak and that she felt bad for him.
"The doctor said he will do some tests." Enji went to the window to move the curtains and let in the sun's rays. "If it's okay with you to stay for a while, I can just go get your mother."
Enji looked over his shoulder to see his son nod. He walked around the hospital bed to grab his phone and keys from the table next to the uncomfortable chair he had spent the night in. Touya turned his back on him curling up on the bed. His father looked at him one last time before heading to the door.
"We'll be back soon son…" He scratched the back of his head resigned to not having an answer from the boy and spun on his feet.
When he opened the door and the metallic sound of the latch filled the room, he heard Touya's thin voice calling out to him.
"Dad ..." The flame hero turned to see his son look at him with doubt, he watched him tighten his lips and hold the sheets on the bed tightly, definitely he was trying with all his might to express himself. "Thank you for staying with me...", He finally said through clenched teeth.
Enji nodded without saying anything more, he did not want to make that an embarrassing moment for his son and make that achievement something more difficult than it already was for the boy.
Rei heard the unmistakable noise of gravel outside the house and hurried to the door. She opened it before her husband could even remove the key from his pockets. Enji looked at her in surprise and his wife jumped into his arms in despair. He held her as best he could with his arm in his cast. Rei was crying against Enji's chest and he felt her cold breath hit him.
"Rei, take it easy… He's fine. You must calm down…", he whispered against her mop of white hair.
The woman raised her face and her gray eyes looked up at him fearfully. Enji wiped away his wife's tears with his thumb, gently dragging it over her skin, Rei shuddered at the warmth of his touch and pulled away from he to let him into the house.
She followed him silently to his room, she sat on the edge of the bed cradling her swollen belly. Her husband stopped in front of her crossing his arms over his chest, sighed and took a breath as if mentally preparing to tell her everything that happened the night before in a simple and fast way. Rei noticed the tired face of her husband, he had well marked dark circles and his eyes were red. His hair was tousled and she noticed he was wearing the same shabby jeans he had been wearing the day before to work in the garden.
"Last night Touya had another crisis with his quirk that was activated while he was sleeping and his arms got burned"
She put a hand to her chest as if trying to calm her restless heart. She was silent and nodded hoping that Enji would continue.
"I found him in the kitchen badly injured and I took him to the hospital. I didn't want to scare you, that's why I didn't wake you up, he was treated and is stable. He is waiting for you in the hospital"
Rei felt the soul return to her body, but she would not be completely calm until she was at the side of her precious child.
"I'll take a shower and take you to the hospital", Enji walked over to her and patted her shoulder in support. "Keep calm dear"
Rei nodded trying to smile and watched him go to the bathroom. She decided it would be a good idea to make coffee and a quick breakfast for her husband while he showered and changed clothes. It was still early in the morning, outside the students began to go out to the streets to get to classes and the traffic began its daily routine.
She made sure her younger children were still asleep before going to the kitchen. Natsuo as usual lay crossed his bed with the blankets at his side. His mother carefully tucked a pillow under his head and covered him with the blankets. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and went to see Fuyumi who was resting calmly, the mother caressed her white and reddish hair and also kissed her tender and delicate cheeks.
She hadn't dared to go to Touya's room before her husband arrived, but now that she knew he was stable, she went inside the room. As she opened the door the smell of burning skin flooded her nostrils, she put a hand to her nose to try to cover the terrible smell. She looked at her son's bed unmade, the blankets were blackened and she thanked God that what she had around her hadn't started a fire. She walked over to the windows and opened them wide to ventilate the place. She removed all the sheets from her son's bed and threw them in the trash. Calmly she put on new blankets and pillows on the bed. She took some of Touya's clothes and things important to him like his handheld video game console and headphones from him and put them in a backpack. She left it in a chair next to the breakfast table and began to prepare something quick for her husband, a while later Enji appeared with a less tired and fresher face. He sat down at the table and sipped some hot coffee that his wife had made.
He watched her sit in front of him and noted the weariness and heaviness in her eyes. He took her hand across the table and gently stroked her smooth skin.
"You feel good?", he asked, still looking into her eyes.
"Yeah, just this is very difficult… I couldn't bear to lose him…" Her voice cracked and she threw her head down trying not to cry.
When she calmed down, they shared a quick breakfast in silence. She told him that she had called the housekeeper and the cook to take care of the house and children in them absence. She did not wake them up and take them with them, as she wanted to avoid a stressful situation for Fuyumi and Natsuo; Enji nodded in understanding. Before leaving home, the two trusted employees of the Todoroki were ready to help with the day's work. Rei gave them instructions and left the house with her husband.
The night before, he hadn't minded waiting for his driver to take Touya to the hospital, and he driven himself with his arm still in that cumbersome cast that covered his entire forearm. This time, however, he knew that it was better if the driver drove them. His wife sat next to him in the back seat and leaned her head against his shoulder. The trip to the hospital seemed like an eternity to Rei, her hands moving anxiously over each other in her lap. Enji looked at her and placed his hand on hers, calming the movement, the warm touch of her husband pulled her out of her cloudy thoughts and gave him a smile. She closed her eyes resting her mind, she was thinking of Touya waiting in the hospital when an energetic movement in her belly made her start. She pulled away from Enji for a moment and straightened her back on the leather seat. She let the air out of her lungs through her mouth in an attempt to calm the impending pain that was beginning to bloom on her back. She had been in bed for a few days and the doctor finally allowed her to get up, but he had also told her to avoid overexertion and stress.
"You feel bad?", Enji asked concerned about the health of his wife.
"He kicked me so hard", she said almost in a plaintive whisper.
Enji blinked in confusion. Then she caressed her belly and understood that she was referring to the baby.
"Can I do something to help?"
She looked at him for a moment and turned her back on him. Enji thought he had bothered her, but instead she said:
"Back pain wants to come back, could you... press... your fist on my back", her voice had a ashamed tone, "that helps me..."
Enji nodded and brought his hand into a fist against his wife's lower back as she sucked in air through her nose and released it through her mouth trying to take the breaths the doctor said would help. He began to move his fist gently and carefully, exerting light pressure against his woman's muscles. She concentrated on the touch of her husband against her body, on the pleasant sensation of the pressure against her back and her muscles relaxing from her. The temperature of them bodies was totally opposite, and he could feel her cold through her clothes. A moment later she relaxed her shoulders and turned to look at him.
"Are you okay Rei?"
"Yes, it is over."
"You should see your doctor as we're going to the hospital" He crossed his arms and his brow furrowed in concern.
"It's not necessary, but if you insist I will" She stroked his arm with a gentle brush of her fingers.
When the elevator opened to the indicated floor, the woman walked hurriedly followed by her husband. Upon reaching the door of Touya's room, Enji grabbed her by the wrist and looked at her for a moment, she understood that she should relax and nodded. But when she opened the door and looked at Touya leaning back watching television, her heart sank and she almost ran to hug him. The boy was surrounded by the arms of his mother.
"My love, my boy", Rei said kissing his face.
"Mom, I'm fine", Touya said trying to calm his mother down.
Enji was looking at them standing next to the bed, he knew that his wife had been very scared and worried about Touya and her reaction was understandable. There was a knock on the door and he went over to open it. Dr. Nageda appeared with some nurses behind him.
"Good morning", he greeted politely.
"Good morning", Enji replied, shaking his hand. "She is my wife Rei"
The woman stood up and wiped her tears away by running her palm down her face. She shook the doctor's hand and she stood next to her husband.
"How are you feeling Touya?", The doctor asked, pulling out his stethoscope.
"I'm just tired"
"Have you felt discomfort?", The doctor listened to Touya's breaths as they spoke.
"Only my arms hurt", replied the boy, raising his arms to make the doctor notice the reason for his discomfort, the man smiled at him, checked his pupils and his throat.
"We'll give you something for that, we'll do some tests too, keep calm."
Touya nodded, the doctor patted his shoulder a couple of times and went to see the parents, who followed him out of the room.
"Yours son seems to be very well after last night's episode, there don't seem to be any major complications"
"But what will happen to him?, Do we have to wait for it to happen again?, Is there nothing to help us anticipate?" Rei asked with a hand on her chest.
"Factors external to Touya may be a trigger, stress, for example, I'm not really sure, but we can find out soon"
"Do you think Touya can control it?" Enji's voice held hope, the hope that his son could live in peace without fear of setting himself on fire.
"Maybe yes, I think that if he focused his energy on something, his body wouldn't have to focus all of it and he wouldn't break."
Enji nodded.
"Well I'll come later to see Touya, if everything stays the same he can go home this afternoon."
"Thank you doctor", Rei said cheerfully.
When the doctor left, Enji sat on a bench outside his son's room. He was thinking about what the doctor had said. He previously didn't remember hearing that, that Touya might be able to control himself if he used an implement for his quirk.
"Enji, what are you thinking about?"
"I think I know what to do", His face from his was lit up and he seemed liberated.
He stood up and placed his hands on Rei's shoulders and made her sit where he was before. He was looking at her with eyes blazing with energy.
"Stay with Touya. I'll be back as soon as I can"
"What will you do?", She asked somewhat confused.
Enji ran a hand over the belly of his woman, he hadn't dared to do it before but now he was filled with confidence. She looked at her husband's hand gently stroking her belly and she could feel Shouto move slightly, as did Enji who smirked.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine", He leaned over her and kissed her lips tenderly.
He took the woman's chin between his thumb and forefinger and watched her smile for him. Rei trusted him at that time and that made him feel free.
"Be careful Enji and come back soon"
"I will", he told her and turned to go to the elevator.
She stood for a moment watching her husband walk away, he waved his hand in goodbye from the elevator before the doors closed. Rei hoped that whatever her husband was thinking would work. She returned to Touya's room that was already waiting for her.