Corruption of the Light
Chapter 7.
o-o-O-o-o
Enji Todoroki groaned as he opened the door to his home. Today had been one of those days that almost made him regret becoming a hero. It had started simply enough. A purse snatcher had robbed a woman just as he was leaving a coffee shop with his morning brew and a bagel. That was simple enough to foil, a quick thought and a stuck out foot, tripped the thief up, while him bending down and setting his face alight ensured the thief gave up without a fight. Hell, he didn't even spill his coffee.
But then he arrived at his agency and he got this odd sense of foreboding. Like the other shoe was about to drop. So after quickly greeting a few of his employees, he made way to his office, his one safe space in the building. There he would put on some music, maybe catch on some paperwork he had been putting off, but otherwise try to relax as that bad feeling would hopefully come to pass. He almost made it too. But alas, fate wasn't on his side this day it seemed…
Juggling his coffee and his bag of breakfast, Enji tried to open the door as quickly and quietly before the other shoe would drop, but just as he got the door open he heard the sounds of another door opening. That door belonged to the office of his sidekick 'Burnin' AKA Moe Kamiji. Brash and hot headed, another fire user much like himself. A young woman who was well one her way to becoming a great hero. One of the best additions to his agency if he was honest. A true asset.
But today she looked a mess, her flaming hair sticking out in wild mess. Her posture slouched. Then he saw her eyes and even he could see the she had been crying. This was a situation he was sadly becoming accustomed as of late and a situation he had no idea how to rectify.
Maybe if he moved slowly and opened his office door quietly, she wouldn't notice him and his morning could be salvaged. But nothing could ever be simple in his life. Proven as his door began to creak as soon as he leaned into it. Forcing him to look down at the traitorous object in scorn before twisting to see if he had been discovered…
"Boss..." Burning cried out as she spotted her employer.
"Burning." Enji said as he eyed his sidekick like one would a snake as the girl approached.
"It's terrible boss..."
Enji just sighed as he stepped aside to let the flame haired girl walk into his office before closing the door behind them. Pausing to offer a chair to his underling as he sat down his breakfast and coffee on desk before taking a seat behind it and waited. He had learned in his years as being a professional hero that it paid to be patient. Both in dealing with villains and distraught employees. So he sat there in silence as he waited for her to reveal what was the cause of her newest woe
"It's Kenshiro boss..."
Enji had no idea who Kenshiro was. Was he a boyfriend? He could've sworn that she was dating a young man by the name of Ichigo, but how long ago was that?
"…He broke up with me..."
Enji sighed internally. He cared for all his employees in a professional sense of course. But he tried to make a point of keeping his professional and personal separate as possible, a view he wished more of his workers adhered to. But he also knew that there was times where that wasn't possible, so he would do his best to lend an ear.
He just wished that most of the time it wasn't Moe. Even in a house full of women, he had no idea how to handle the situations that Moe presented to him. He had no idea how to deal with relationship problems. He was happily married to a wonderful woman and his daughters? As far as he knew, none of them were in a relationships or he hoped so. He just wasn't prepared for his princesses to bring home boys… or girls for that matter, he wasn't one to judge. So why was he currently dealing with a young woman who just had a breakup? A young woman who tended to set things on fire when she got emotional. Like she was right now…
Enji smoothly pulled the various bits of paperwork away from Moe as she continued to vent…
"I don't get it boss. I did everything right. I always dressed nice for a our dates..."
"Maybe he just was prepared for a full blown relationship?" Enji suggested, more of a shot in the dark really. But anything that got the irritated girl out his office was a good shot in his mind at the moment, and he might have placed his bet on the wrong horse as Moe zeroed in on him.
"We met at bar during a singles night. Why wouldn't he be looking for a relationship." Moe asked, her emotions starting to swing to the opposite side of the spectrum as her started to burn a little brighter.
Enji wisely kept his mouth shut. He had a very good idea why a young man would hit up singles night at a bar and it wasn't because he was looking for a wife. Hopefully Moe wouldn't pick up on those clues, but the universe seemed to have it out for him today and he mentally winced as Moe's expression started to twist in anger…
"Was he trying to score? Get a little bit of the Burnin booty?" She asked.
Enji was so not liking where this talk was leading...
Moe suddenly stood up, knocking her chair back as she popped a fist into the air as her hair started to whip around. "Well this girl doesn't put out after a few measly dates. I expect to be romanced. To be treated like the queen I am…"
Enji just started to rub his temples as he felt the beginnings of headache start to bloom behind his eyes. He just wanted a simple day, not his sidekick having a moment of female empowerment and self discovery in his office. He had to do something before this day got any worse.
"Moe..."
"...I should be given the finest drinks. The finest foods…"
Okay, he was starting to get a little bit irritated now… "Moe..." He said a bit louder.
Moe just continued. "...And the gifts we cannot forget the gifts…" Before her face soured." ...The bastard never got me anything… Probably thought he could get my goodies on his own… Little dicked bastard..."
Okay, Enji had to put his down now. Any mention of another man's 'endowments' was not proper talk for the workplace especially between a boss and their subordinates.
"Moe!" He barked, finally interrupting her tirade.
"Yeah boss?"
"You remember those things that were discussed during your orientation? Things like proper workplace conduct?..." Enji just let the question hang.
Moe just sat there for a moment in silence as she sifted through her memories before she finally spoke. "I remember somethings, like how to behave and what can and can't be talked about..." Realization dawned on her face. "...Oh."
"Yeah..."
Moe had the decency enough to look embarrassed. "Sorry boss, it just pisses me off. I just wanted to find a decent guy..."
Enji nodded. "Very understandable."
"And with the realization he was more after my bits than me… It just irked me so much and I needed to vent, let out of my feelings, you know?"
Enji just nodded again in understanding.
"And I don't really have anyone else here I can talk to." She leaned forward and began to whisper. "The others here, I think they're scared of me..."
'You scare me..." Enji thought to himself.
"And I'm grateful that you lent me an..." *Gurgle* Moe blushed as her stomach interrupted her. "Sorry , didn't eat anything before coming here..."
Enji just sighed as he nudged his bag of breakfast towards Moe. Hoping the girl across from him would get the clue.
Moe just sat there as she watched her boss slide a bag of something across his desk in her direction, not quite getting what her boss was trying to do before realization kicked in. He was offering her his breakfast.
"Boss, I can't take your breakfast..."
"I insist, Kamiji. I need you in top form, and you'll feel better with something in your stomach."
Moe picked up the bag, speaking as she peeked at its contents. "I appreciate the gesture… ooh cream cheese. Never mind what I was going to say, thanks boss." Said Moe as she closed the bag and sat up.
Enji just watched her in silence as the girl left his office. Maybe now he would be able to get some work done though he lamented the loss of his bagels. But they were a sacrifice upon the altar of Kamiji… He would just have to make due with whatever was available in the various vending machines that littered the office.
Not an hour later he was trying to find a machine that stocked his favorites…
o-o-O-o-o
The time after that seemed to pass in a blur for the older hero. He had knocked down that large pile of paperwork that had been cluttering his desk for the past week into much more manageable pile, with further prospects of it being finished when he returned from lunch.
Even the office had a sense of calmness to it as he made his way to the exit. Most of the desks were empty as most of his employees had left the agency for their meals, with the few remaining either making small talk with compatriots or doing other tasks. Even Moe was chatting with a girl who's name currently eluded him, his sidekick in a much happier mood than earlier if the smile on her face was any indication. She even gave him a small wave. Things were finally starting to look up for Enji. Now if the rest of the day followed suit, he would indeed be a very happy man.
Silly Enji… What do they say about tempting fate?
o-o-O-o-o
Was there something in the goddamn water? A full moon tonight? Some kind of hallucinogenic gas in the air? These were the the questions that flew through Enji's mind as he dodged another blast of flame from some nameless villain. That was another question he had.
Who's idea was it to have him, a hero whose power was fire based, fight against a villain whose power was quite similar to his own. This wasn't a controlled burn to prevent a forest fire. This was two destructive forces going toe to toe. There would be no winners here today as even the surroundings were starting show signs of damage from the conflict… Okay there would some winners. Whichever construction firm won the bid to repair the damages. They would probably do quite well for themselves…
So why was he here again? Oh that's right… His agency was the closest to the incident when the villains made themselves known. It was a couple of low level thugs that the police could have probably handled on their own, but their leader was someone who had escaped from a prison meant for people, not quite Tartarus, but the facility wasn't exactly slacking when it came to security so the villain had the power to back himself up and was not afraid to use it, as the wall behind Enji could attest to. Another blast or two would most likely bring it down, possibly bringing the rest of the building with it. So how was he supposed to stop the villain without causing anymore collateral damage?
Now let's take a moment to go into a small observation about Enji Todoroki. He was man of large stature, though not quite as imposing as All Might. A father of four children whom he would gladly lay down his life for, all born within three years because of a healthy love life with his wife. His wife… she was his personal goddess, standing by his side since he was a rookie hero, through thick and thin. A true family man through and through.
His professional side, that was a different beast. He was a strict but fair leader to all his subordinates and employees. He had to be. His agency consisted completely of heroes whose quirks manifested in fire in some form. He knew what hardships heroes could face when their attempts at being helpful was as destructive if not more than the villains. It was Enji's job to prepare and temper this new generation of heroes. To help them not have to face the hardships he had to when he was their age. That did not mean was fireproof.
He was best described as 'fire-resistant'. Flames that would leave others with third degree burns would at most left him looking badly sun-burnt. But that was just flames, there was another side to the coin. While he was flame resistant, he wasn't immune to consistent high temperatures. Even with his quirk using it for too long risked his health due to dehydration. He could still sweat but it was boiled away by his quirk, doing nothing to lower his core temp. It was even worse when he was an enclosed space, his quirk heating up the air making area go from stifling to unbearable, now throw in another fire user. One that seemed to be unbothered by the heat… You can see where this is going…
Enji was at a crossroads, he could feel his body at the cusp of heat exhaustion, but the villain wasn't showing any signs of stopping as another blast of flame passed by his left. He needed to end this soon but his options were severely lacking.
He wasn't sure if could take down the villain in a face to face confrontation, not without going lethal at least and he wasn't prepared to take things that far. There was no hostages, nothing aside from the building itself that could be damaged. He had lost sight of Burning when she went after the villain's underlings but that was several floors and on the other end of the building so she was most likely safe, no he was positive she would be fine.
But that little bit of hope did nothing to improve his situation. He was still fighting a villain on an floor empty of everything. There wasn't anything he could use as a distraction or worse come to worse a weapon. The villain didn't even say anything! Any attempts at talking the villain down was met with a gout of flame, so that plan was out the window.
So the only sounds coming from that empty floor was the sounds of his own heavy breathing with the occasional crackle and ping coming from the still hot bricks behind him when he heard it. It sounded like footsteps but with the echo he couldn't place from where, then he heard something whizzing through the air before it sounded like a coconut being cracked.
Cautiously Enji poked his head out from behind the pillar he had been using as defense, fully expecting to have to pull his head back quickly as the villain would try to burn it off. He was not expecting to find the villain laying on the ground unconscious with the start of a goose egg forming on his forehead. How was the first question he had, but that was solved quickly as his foot had bumped against a rock that was about the size of his fist. The who became obvious as his eyes caught the telltale green glow from Burning's hair as she ran towards him.
"Boss!" The younger girl yelled as rushed towards him as the heat had finally got to him as he stumbled before being caught by his sidekick. "Holy hell, you're burning up."
Enji was not amused at her pun, but he wouldn't reprimand her even though he could see that twinkle of amusement in her eyes, she had pulled his ass out of the fire after all.
"I didn't kill him did I?" The girl asked, looking down at the still form of the villain while doing her best to hold up he much larger and heavier boss.
Enji joined his sidekick as he watched the villain for a moment, making sure that the unconscious man was indeed breathing and still alive. That was always a good thing. But he had to ask something…
"A rock, Burning?"
The flame haired girl actually flushed under her mentor's gaze.
"Where did you even find a rock?" Enji asked, as he let himself be led by his sidekick as they headed to the exit of building, they would let the police handle the rest. He needed to get outside to the cool night air and let his body return to normal.
"I kind of stubbed my toe on it when I was chasing the other guys..." She wouldn't mention how much that it hurt and what the other villains did when they saw what happened…
Enji nodded, no stranger to stubbing his toe, he raised four children after all. "And the throw?"
"High School softball."
Enji just nodded again, feeling infinitely better when they crossed the threshold that led to the outside as he breathed in the cool night air.
Stepping away from Burning, he signaled to the police that it was safe for them to go inside and finally detain the villains as he made his way towards an ambulance to get himself checked out. Thankfully after a quick check up it determine while he was severely dehydrated it wasn't past the point that he needed to go to a hospital. Moe was in even better shape than he was, no worse for wear despite her subduing two of the villains on her own. Though the manner which she did make him quirk a brow as they led out the villains that Moe had taken care of, both of them sharing a bruise like their leader…
Enji did not so much as blink when his sidekick refused to meet his gaze, the embarrassed flush on her face was more than enough to answer his unasked question. So mentor and mentee just sat in silence as Enji cooled down, both watching as the police finished loading up the villains when Moe finally decided to break the silence.
"Not a bad ending to the night if I have to say so myself."
Enji just creaked his head to the side as looked down at his sidekick. "You can't be serious… I should've been home two hours ago, but no I had to deal with not one, not two, but three villain attacks today and that's not counting the jackass I stopped this morning."
Moe just continued. "Yeah, but we stopped those guys pretty easily and look..." She gestured to the factory that stood before the pair. "Place is still standing right?"
What happened next would have been comical if he wasn't right there and possibly liable for it.
It started slow and a groan like a beached whale as the building shuddered like a waking god. Then the sounds of cracking ripped through the quiet ambiance of the night as everyone present stopped what they were doing to watch the carnage unfold. Soon the cracking was replaced with the sounds of various supports giving way as the roof collapsed followed by the various levels of floors. All coming together in an symphony of destruction. In a less than a minute, a building that existed before the rise of quirks was reduced to a pile of rubble.
"That place was empty right?" Moe asked.
Enji sat there while a stray brick rolled down. "I really hope so."
"This is going to be a lot of paperwork isn't it?"
"Yes Moe." Enji said as he pulled himself up to his feet. "And the sooner we get started, the sooner we can get home..."
o-o-O-o-o
Enji sighed as he pulled his car into his garage, finally happy to be home for the night after the day he had. Between emotional sidekicks, villain attacks and the paperwork that came with said villain attacks, he was lucky to be out of the agency before midnight and that was with Moe helping. God he needed some sleep… At least at this time of night everyone should be sleeping. The last thing he needed was another curve ball
So quietly as a cat he slipped into his home. Pausing to remove his shoes and leave his keys in a dish as he headed further into his home. Memory alone leading him through the darkness, through the living room, past the kitchen, before he stepped back and really looked into the kitchen…
It was his youngest, Shoko. Sitting in the darkness at the kitchen table, eating of all things at this time of night, a bowl of cereal while she was looking at her phone, the screen illuminating her face and hair while she chewed.
Enji watched her for a moment, the girl either unaware of his presence or completely ignoring him. He wasn't sure which was worse, before he broke the silence "What are you doing?"
Shoko showed no sign of being startled aside that she paused her eating, her cereal laden spoon hovering in the air, as turquoise eyes met her heterochromic ones.
Father and daughter stared at one another for several moments, before Shoko finished bringing the spoon to her mouth not once breaking eye contact with her sire.
Enji just sighed as he was the first to look away before. "I'm not going to say anything. Just make sure to clean up after yourself when your done."
Shoko just nodded before she returned to her browsing and midnight snack, not even giving her old man a second glance as he continued his trek upstairs.
Enji just grumbled to himself as he made his way upstairs to the hallway that led to the master bedroom. Taking extra effort to be as quiet as possible so not to wake his other daughters, but as he walked paternal instincts demanded he check up on his progeny. Touya's room was to his immediate left so he cracked her door slightly, seeing her black hair poking out from the mass of blankets and pillows, before he shut the door and walked over to the rooms that belonged to his twins. Fuyumi of course was sleeping peacefully, surrounded by the various plushies she had collected over the years. Natsuo was the complete opposite of her sister, sprawled haphazardly in her bed as she snored like an old outboard, drawing a quiet snort of laughter from Enji. Shoko… Well Shoko was currently downstairs stuffing herself with whatever sugary abomination she fancied this week.
That left only one bedroom to check, his own. But as he stood outside the door he noticed a small bit of light escaping from the bottom. That meant that Rei was still up. Part of him was glad, but another part of him didn't want his wife staying awake for his sake. It just wasn't fair to her, but he did appreciate the effort. So he opened the door carefully to not alert the occupant as he felt his breath catch…
Rei was currently propped up against the headboard and reading a book whose title he didn't recognize, wearing nothing but a simple white nightgown and a pair of wire rimmed reading glasses. It was just so... domestic that Enji had to stand there a for a moment and take it in.
Rei just continued reading, turning a page before she realized she no longer alone. She smiled as placed her bookmark and sat her book down on the night stand before facing her husband. "Welcome home."
Those two words alone were enough for Enji to feel all the tension he had been holding to dissipate. He was home, in the safety of his bedroom, with his beautiful wife. He could finally relax.
"Long day?" Rei asked, she of course knew the answer already, someone at Enji's agency had alerted her about the villains, but she still asked.
"You wouldn't believe the day I had..." Enji said as he began to strip. "But I'll tell you about it the morning. I just want to sleep."
"That bad huh?"
"Less talky, more sleepy..." The larger man said as he was finally stripped down to his underwear and started lumbering towards the bed, flopping down with the grace of an airborne humpback. Sighing as he felt himself sink into the memory foam. He could already feel his lids growing heavy…
"Not bothering to cover up?"
"Mmmm… too tired to care..."
"Well would you like to hear about what happened to me today?"
Enji just groaned into his pillow in response.
Rei just rolled her eyes at her hubby as she continued. "The neighborhood association meeting went without a hitch, but you already knew that didn't you?"
Enji carefully hid his grin, of course it went without a hitch, his wife was the chairperson. She may have looked meek and unassuming to the outside observer, but he knew better…
"Yagi also called, wanted to make sure you were still up for brunch. I told him you were of course."
Enji had completely forgotten about that, but that made him a touch happier. The promise of large quantities of bacon and waffles always had that effect on him. The fact he wasn't going to be the one footing the bill made it that much sweeter.
Rei removed her reading glasses and placed them next to her book as she reached out and hit the light before she shifted herself into sleeping position, tucking herself tight to husband's side. The effects of her staying up late finally making itself known as she yawned and smacked her lips a couple times as she mumbled something, completely unaware of the affect it would have on Enji.
"I think Touya has a boyfriend..."
Enji felt all tiredness leave his body as he heard those five little words. Eyes snapped open as he twisted his head to look at his wife. Just to see if he had heard right, but all that welcomed him was his wife's sleeping face. She couldn't possibly have said what he thought he said, but he had to be sure.
"What?"
o-o-O-o-o
A/n: A quick chapter I wanted to knock out pretty quickly. Thought about having the next few chapters focusing on specific characters as certain days/events take place. So this chapter focused on Enji. Next will most likely be Toh's side, then Yagi, etc. This does two things for me. It lets me focus on a specific character during a chapter without having to keep track of too many povs. The second thing being shorter chapters, meaning I can get them out sooner for you guys. As always enjoy and leave a comment/review.