Sorry for the late update. I blame the upcoming Easter holidays. I'm already visiting family. I think I'll manage the next chapter upload in time on Sunday. I'm not 100% certain though. So don't be surprised if the chapter only arrives on Monday.

Parental Decision

Tsukauchi met Enji fifteen minutes after the attack in his ruined office, where his eyes travelled over to the destruction in the room before he looked at Enji, who was leaning against his desk.

"Sorry about your office," Tsukauchi started. "You'll need a new one."

Enji nodded. Thankfully, the destruction was limited to his office only, and the building was still standing strong. The insurance would cover most of the damage – he hoped so, at least. Maybe they'd complain that it was him who had caused all the damage himself, but normally that wouldn't be a problem. He still suspected it would need at least until summer for the walls to be repaired.

He was shortly amused, as he considered making this his next project with Shoto. Repairing the office… But of course, the damage was too extensive for himself to handle and he didn't have that much free time anymore.

"The office is not what I wanted to talk about," Enji said, glowering at Tsukauchi.

The detective picked up a chair and dusted it off. "I didn't think so," he chuckled humorlessly as he sat down. "About Dabi, I presume."

Enji crossed his arms. "Actually, no." He sighed. "Not directly, at least. Touya…mentioned something interesting." Tsukauchi raised a curious brow. "He implied that Natsuo was back in contact with him."

At that moment, there was surprise on Tsukauchi's face – but not the kind Enji had expected. He wasn't staggered by the new information, but more so by the fact that Enji knew about it. Enji was certain he read him right. And he became even more certain when Tuskauchi's face closed off after the initial shock.

"So it's true," Enji guessed. "You're using my son to get to the League of Villains."

Tsukauchi coughed slightly. "Endeavor, this investigation is highly sensible. And your agency has so far declined to—"

Enji smashed his fist against the desk, shutting Tsukauchi up. "Do you, or do you not use Natsuo?" he asked more sharply.

That seemed to trigger something in Tsukauchi. "In my defense," the man sighed, "it wasn't my idea."

Angrily, Enji stormed behind his desk before he could decide differently and strangle the other man. He forced himself to sit. "So, who's idea was it?" Enji snapped, "Which idiot thought it was a good idea to involve—"

"It was your son's," Tsukauchi interrupted him sharply.

Enji stared at him. The words only slowly seemed to register in his mind. For a moment, he was completely speechless. Natsuo's own idea? Hadn't Natsuo learned anything?

"I wasn't happy about it," Tsukauchi added, unprompted. "Believe me, Endeavor, I'd rather not involve a 19-year-old college student with no hero or law enforcement background whatsoever, but he was adamant. And…" He looked as if he had to force the next words out of his lips, as if they tasted sour on his tongue. "And he is the best source we have. It's not easy to get a pipeline to the League."

Enji seethed. A pipeline to the League? They were endangering his son for that… Natsuo had paid the price for his first involvement with Touya, why would he do it again? "Don't you have Hawks for that?" he hissed.

If Tsukauchi was surprised that Enji knew about Hawks, he didn't comment on it. "Hawks' position is complicated and there is too much distrust between him and core League members. Natsuo, on the other hand, has Dabi's complete trust." He made a face as if he was impressed with Natsuo's performance himself.

Enji, of course, didn't know what exactly Natsuo was doing. For a short moment he felt a spark of pride that Natsuo had impressed even veteran detectives like Tsukauchi, but it was quickly overwhelmed by his increasing worry.

"Touya is dangerous," Enji warned. "Even to Natsuo. I won't let you endanger my son."

"I'm sorry, Endeavor." Tsukauchi's voice was turning a little harsher now. "This is not your decision to make." Enji was taken aback by the words. "It's your son's, and his mother's."

Enji's eyes narrowed. No way, he thought. No way would Rei agree to this. No way…never. She wouldn't endanger their son like that! He hadn't given away guardianship so Natsuo could run off and do his own thing with the police and the League of all people, dangerous villains and all that, with nobody there to stop him. What was Rei thinking!?

He felt anger rise in his belly, and he quickly wrestled it down. He was on a dangerous path, he knew. But he would have to talk to Rei.

"I want in," he growled through his teeth, forcing down his anger at Rei and Natsuo. "I'm back, so it's only right I get involved in the investigations."

"Of course," Tsukauchi said quickly. "I would have asked anyway as soon as your agency was back on track – but I guess it's no trouble doing it now." He stood up. "I'll send you the current progress in the investigation. Will that be all?"

Enji nodded jerkily, still angry.

"And good work out there. That was impressive."

Enji watched the detective leave. It was the middle of the day now, and Enji knew he wouldn't reach Natsuo, so instead he called Rei. It was better to do this over the phone, he decided. He didn't trust himself to meet Rei while he was angry.

Rei didn't take long to pick up the phone. "Hello?" There was a slight edge of worry in her voice, but her tone was easygoing enough. "Enji? I saw your fight on TV, is everything alright?"

Enji swallowed. He hadn't thought about how to voice his concerns. There was anger brewing in his insides, but no words on his tongue. "Uh, yes," he said after an embarrassing long pause. "I'm alright. It's not… That's not why I called." Rei waited quietly. "I was told Natsuo works with the police to help with their investigations." He waited then, to give Rei a chance to explain herself. He thought his concerns would be obvious for Rei, so she'd surely justify herself soon, or rectify the situation. Instead, however, there was only silence on the other end. "Regarding the League," he added. Pause. "You apparently allowed it."

"Ah…" It was just a small noise of recognition. He immediately understood it as what it was. An admission, not an explanation.

"Rei, it's dangerous! What were you thinking?"

"Enji…"

"What if he gets hurt?" He didn't let her interrupt him. "How could you allow that? It's dangerous! And he's only nineteen."

"—Enji!"

He immediately quieted at her sharper tone. She hadn't raised her voice at him in…well, in years. And this was over the phone, sure, but it was still different from her usual subdued tone… Enji bit his lip. He'd gotten louder, he realized. He hadn't planned to yell at her, and yet still his volume had increased with every word.

"Sorry…"

"You think I made this decision lightly?" Her voice was sharp, but not unkind.

Enji didn't know what to say to that. "He's just a kid. He will just get hurt."

This time Rei didn't answer immediately.

Enji waited.

"I know there's a risk," she admitted after a while.

Of course there was a risk! If she knew it, why did she allow it?

"—But he's determined. There was no stopping him."

Enji didn't think it was a good explanation. "You should've… I thought…" He bit his tongue again, angry at himself. He was not in the position to criticize her parenting.

"You think I should've stopped him," she said, "since it's my job as his parent? But he's nineteen, Enji. He'll turn 20 in a few months, and then he'll go and do it anyway. He's determined to stop Touya. I tried to talk him out of it, but I can't stop him. This way, at least he won't do it alone, and believe me – it's for the best."

Enji couldn't agree. How could it be for the best if it endangered their son? "You should've told me," he accused. There was a strong reproach in his voice, but he kept his volume low. "I would've talked some sense into him—"

The snort from the other end of the line made him stop. "Enji, there was nothing you could've done. You, least of all. This is for the best. He's with veteran police officers and heroes who monitor every one of his moves. They will keep him safe. This is better than him doing it on his own."

Enji shook his head. "If you can't handle Natsuo, I shouldn't have—"

"Enji! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" She hissed into the telephone. "You're not listening! He's nineteen. In four months, he will run off and do whatever he pleases. There's no point locking him in the house, when, as soon as he turns 20, he'll run out and get himself killed anyway. Think about it, Enji! If it were you, would you stop?"

Of course Enji wouldn't. But Natsuo…

Well, he guessed it would be the same for Natsuo. Enji should've considered this sooner. Of course he wouldn't be the only one determined to stop Touya. He thought about Shoto for a moment – one more reason for Shoto to accept the internship Enji had offered him. That way, he could have an eye on Shoto at least.

Enji had to relent, then. He felt his anger drain away, leaving him with a lethargic exhaustion. He closed his eyes in resignation.

"Enji?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

There was a long pause from Rei's end, before she answered with a breathy sigh. "There was nothing you could've done."

Enji shook his head. "That's not the answer to my question," he huffed. "Even if I couldn't have done anything… Why didn't you tell me?"

Rei didn't answer, but her silence was enough for Enji. He knew… Of course he knew. Rei hadn't wanted to tell him. She hadn't wanted to involve him.

"Rei," he said quietly, "I just want to help." It wasn't the whole truth. He hadn't called to help; he had called because he had been angry at her decision to allow Natsuo to work with the police. But she'd understand.

"I don't want your help," she whispered. "I haven't…"

"Rei, please—" There was a by now familiar itch behind his eyes.

"I haven't been there for them for so long," Rei admitted in a low voice. I want to prove I can do it alone. He heard her unspoken words clearly.

Enji didn't know how to reply to that.

"You're already doing enough," she said after a moment. "You pay for the apartment, the food, their tuition, their clothes… and they don't even live here…"

Enji shook his head, though she wouldn't see. "You have custody—"

"Yes, I have custody." She hissed the word as if it had offended her. "But there's nothing I can do for them. They don't even live here," she repeated. "Natsuo will be an adult in a few months, and I've never done anything for him!" He heard quiet sobs from her end, but her voice was strong and angry. "This was my job. I had to decide...It's the first time I ever got to decide..." He heard her breathing loudly. "And now you call to criticize me for it!"

Enji quickly retreated. This wasn't where he wanted to go. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I was just… I'm still their father." He had just called the retreat, and now he felt like he was back on the attack. "You made the decision yourself, fine. You have custody, but… You could've told me."

Rei didn't answer, but he could hear her loud and shaky inhales.

"I know I screwed up," he admitted before she could turn it against him, although he didn't think she would. "But I'm still their father. I just want to help. And I want to know…" He took a deep breath. "I want to know when my son is putting himself in danger before something happens."

There was a long pause.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Rei said eventually. Her voice was calm now. "Enji… If you want to help…"

He was surprised but immediately nodded. "Yes, I want to help."

"Keep him safe. I couldn't…live with myself, if…"

"I will."

Of course he would. He hadn't asked Tsukauchi to be part of the investigation just to sit around. He had two sons lost in that mess now, and now that he thought about it, it would probably only be a matter of time beforeShoto got involved as well. Never mind, the boy was at UA, which was a primary target of the League. At least he was sure that Fuyumi had more sense than her brothers…

He was going to make sure all three of them got out of this mess alive. Five years, he knew. All his doctors and he himself were certain that his body wouldn't be able to take the strain of this job for much longer than that. This might be his last and most important job yet. No matter what, he would succeed – if nothing else, he'd do right by his sons just this once.

He was distracted by the sudden ding of his phone. For a moment, Enji hoped it was Tsukauchi working quickly and already sending him the investigation files, but he was disappointed when it was just a text from Hawks.

'Good work, Endeavor!' and a fist bump emoji. 'Did you watch the news?'

Enji huffed. When would he have watched the news? He took the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV, which had survived the destruction of the office completely intact. He clicked through the channels, thinking something bad must have happened, instead on almost all channels, they spoke about his battle.

"If only they'd been able to deal with the Noumu last month that easily. Endeavor really—" He skipped the channel. "—to have him back! Finally, somebody who can deal with these—" Next. "—odd coincidence. Obviously Dabi only attacked to get to his father! If Endeavor had stayed away, this could have been prevented—" He moved on. "—a moment, there was a bright second sun lighting the sky over Musutafu—" "He's back—" "—he let Dabi run free again! When will he finally stop his son from—"

He turned the TV off again. The initial reactions were a mixed bag; he had understood that much. This time, even he had to agree with some of the criticism. Dabi had only attacked because of him – this might not be the only time. Enji had to be at the top of his game. With Noumu attacking just to get to him, he couldn't allow himself a moment of indulgence.

At least he could use flashfire again, though not quite the way he had before.

His phone rang again. He expected it to be Hawks once more, but instead it was from an unknown number.

He picked up with a sense of trepidation. At least this caller didn't hide their number. Hopefully, that meant it wasn't Touya again.

"Endeavor," they said. He couldn't place the male voice immediately. "It's good to have you back. I hope it's alright that I asked your brother for your number?"

Enji frowned at the lack of introduction. "Who is this?"

Why would anybody ask Aiji, of all people, for his contact details. His brother's identity wasn't common knowledge.

"Ah, sorry." The other man cleared his throat. "This is Ebony Fall from the Genius Agency."

Surprised, Enji looked at his phone. Why was Best Jeanist's sidekick calling him? But of course, Ebony Fall was a family friend of Aiji's… Enji felt a little guilty, now that he knew that Best Jeanist was alive and well, while his sidekicks were probably still in the dark.

"I remember you," Enji said with a nod. "What do you want? Is this about the search for Best Jeanist?"

There was a short pause before the other answered. "No, this is about one of our interns. UA first year, Bakugou Katsuki, Explosion quirk…"

"I know him," Enji responded, though it was a bit of an overstatement. He had watched his fights during the Sports Festival almost a year ago and had seen his face here and there, though he never talked to the kid. "My son's classmate."

"Yes. He joined our agency even before he got his license. With the boss gone, he came back to help, but there's little I can teach him." Jeanist's sidekick sounded uncertain. "Apparently, he has spoken with your son about changing to your agency?"

That was news to Enji. It gave him hope though. If Shoto was already talking to his classmates, inviting them to the agency… Surely that meant he'd accept Enji's offer himself.

"I don't know anything about that," Enji replied honestly. He wasn't buffoon enough not to realize what Ebony Fall meant to say, though, so he quickly added, "But if you're asking me, if I'd be willing to take him…?"

"Shoto and he talked about it, and I agree," the younger hero replied. "He has a fire-based quirk. Of course, it's decidedly different, but I think he could learn a lot from just watching you." By his tone, Enji was certain if Ebony Fall was in a room with him, he'd bow now. "So please, if you could take him in for a few weeks. At least, until we know for certain what happened to the boss and where to take the agency moving forward."

Enji agreed easily. When he made his list of students to invite to the agency, he had even briefly considered Bakugou, though he discarded the thought since the boy was already somewhere else. "I can take him. Just send him over next Monday."

This was a bit of an in between chapter, setting up the final confrontation. Most of the upcomng chapters will do that. I won't really focus a lot of attention on the Interns. I simply don't have time for that. But at least Enji will meat some of the kids soon. Before that thought...next chapter we'll deal with Shoto!

I really enjoy writing Rei in these short moments that she appears in. She doesn't get as much focus in the story as I would've liked when I first started writing it. And I have to admit, that often, when I write longer scenes with her, I don't quite know how to write her; but these short moments...I really like them. This whole situation isn't easy for her.

She has to find her own life now, and she has trouble with that. She feels inadequate because she's still not earning her own money, so in a way although she has custody over the kids, everything she has, Enji still pays for. At the same time, she wants to be a good parent, making up for some of the earlier mistakes, and feeling guilty for having left her kids for so long...but there's almost no time for that. Her kids are almost adults and they've grown up pretty much without her. While she got a lot of support from her children before, now she's also in the situation where as a parent she has to make decisions where she'll stand against her kids (telling them what they can and can't do) - something which her kids aren't really used to anymore, as Enji - especially with Natsuo had a bit of a hands-off aproach for a long time.

For Rei her custody-papers are ultimately little more than a useless piece of paper. cause ultimately, she might have felt happy and hopeful when she first got custody over Natsuo and Shoto, but Natsuo will be an adult in half a year, and he doesn't live there anymore, and his education is still paid for by Enji, and even whatever she buys him or when he comes to visit for the weekend...everything's factually still paid for by Enji. And Shoto is sixteen - so they still have a few years - but he for the most part lives on campus as well. He comes to visit for the weekends sure (minus spending saturday afternoons with Enji), but he's gone all week and he also now has a provisional license, so to a degree he (due to his license) is already treated like an almost adult and the commission makes decisions for him, giving him the right to do things like participating in dangerous jobs without her having much of an influence on it...So she feels really useless...As a consequence she wants to make things on her own - but she hasn't really taken care of herself (never mind her kids) for ten years...so she doesn't know how, and is constantly afraid to make mistakes. however, she also doesn't want to run to Enji for help - both because of their past and because she feels she has to do it herself.

So as a consequence, Enji feels left out. And Enji knows he has no real right to be included anymore...but he really wants to, because they're his family. And he might be alright with leaving them alone, but when they're hurt or in danger, he still wants to be told...