A/N: Sorry about the wait on this one, I had a fair amount of writers block when I started this chapter... Obviously once I got going it went away cause this is the longest chapter yet. Any way I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 5

By the weekend Shoto had returned to a normal work state and was back to going on patrols, Izuku taking over the chase for Fais for a bit since Katsuki had said he had a few new ideas about the case. Shoto was more than happy to step back from it for a bit. Jovial whispers followed him as he walked the streets on the tail end of his patrol, he was used to it by now, he stood out quite a bit with his two toned hair and the tell tale scar over his left eye, it was just another thing he had needed to get used to when he entered the pro arena. Now it didn't bug him nearly as much as it used too, and in this area people were used to seeing him or one of his sidekicks from his agency, his sidekicks were each one block away, helping him patrol a wide radius, they were connected by GPS trackers and headset walkie talkie style gadgets. A small child in a commercially produced replica onesie of his uniform and hair ran up to him, his eyes wide. Shoto smiled crouching down to engage with the child, whose mother looked beyond embarrassed that her son had distracted Shoto from his job. Shoto waved her off, "It's fine, I wouldn't have a daughter of my own if I didn't like kids." She smiled delighted with the genuine response from such a notorious pro hero. The child continued to babble on about how he was going to be a hero someday and he wanted to be just like Shoto. The child couldn't have been more than four, he was getting close to the time when his quirk would show up.

"Hey Shoto?" The ear bud crackled as he heard one of his sidekicks chime in across the link.

"Yes,"

"Umm there seems to be a pretty big disturbance behind us."

Another voice cut through, "Yea I just had a civilian warn me about something happening a few blocks from the agency."

"I heard that too. It's coming from 14th and Fern. Based on GPS you're closest to it boss. Sounds like a group of run of the mill hoodlums are trying to corner some woman."

Shoto grimaced as all three of the sidekicks had heard about this and he hadn't even though he was the closest "I'll head that way." He responded, as he dropped down to a knee "I have to go, something requires my attention at the moment, but I can't wait to work with you in the future." He said ruffling the kids hair causing the little kid to beam up at him, before nodding his head giving Shoto an awkward salute. Shoto smiled at the small child and nodded to the mom before breaking into a jog running toward where his team said the disturbance was. There was a squeal of tires as a news van screeched to a halt 2 blocks ahead of him, he broke into a sprint, ice aiding his forward propulsion as he slid forward.

If a news van was there then something was happening and as far as he knew he was the closest to the scene, his agency was only a few blocks away. He slid in it coming to a halt at the mouth of the alleyway. He looked down the street a group of hooded and masked villains had a woman backed into a corner, he let out a breath he'd been holding, his mouth twisting up at the corner. "Shoto, you're the first on the scene, what's yo-"

He looked over into the camera that was now on him, his mouth and eyebrows raising and twisting in amusement, "No I'm not." He said motioning to the woman down the alley catching her eye as she smiled, Aydin. He shook his head as he smiled back "She can take care of this just fine."

The camera man stared at the number two hero in shock, as he slowly swiveled back to the woman who looked to be surrounded. He heard her start speaking "Hmm..Lets see there is," she bit her lip worriedly as she pointed around counting. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...so there's ten of you and one of me. What's a poor girl to do?" She sighed, her eyes locking with her husband's who rolled his eyes at her. She dropped down into a ball covering her face with a fake sob.

A second camera popped up, focused on Shoto who was trying to not laugh, "Shoto, are you going to help her?"

Shoto looked over, "If she needs it I'll help," he replied, simply shrugging as he leaned back on the van, his hands resting on the side of the van behind him.

"She's completely outnumbered and she sounds like she needs-"

"I'm not arguing with you," Shoto cut the man off holding up a hand silencing him, when he got a nod from the reporter he turned to look back down the alleyway.

"We are on the scene of a villain attack, number two hero Shoto is with us, refusing to help-" The hooded figures closed in closer around her, her eyes flashed up meeting his, a smirk flirting across her lips.

"Don't put words in my mouth." He shot back, "And I'd focus on her, or you're going to miss it. Besides you're missing the point, my wife can handle this just fine on her own."

"Your wife?" The reporters stared at the duel quirk hero, their eyes widening as they realized what he'd said.

"That's what I said." He smiled. In a flash a leg swept around at the end of the alleyway upending the closest five people in masks, her hand trailing over their ankles as they fell, bare skin contact. She wasted no time in springing up above them using the wall behind her to leap over and clear their heads. A hand snatched her ankled holding it above her head as she landed awkwardly on one foot two others jumping forward to grab her arms.

"Still not going to help?" The camera man asked, still shocked at how calm the hero was, his wife was trapped from the look of it and he still hadn't moved a muscle to help.

"Why? They've lost." He stated simply one of his sidekicks running up to him.

"Hey boss, we have the perimeter set up a block away, police are three blocks away, what's going o-" Shoto cut him off, pointing down the alley "Oh, heh, that wasn't a smart target." His sidekick chuckled looking at Aydin.

"No it wasn't" Shoto agreed as the last two started towards her, their quirks activating one's hands turning into metal, the other's fingers lengthening.

"How many left?"

"Two." The grip on her ankle dropped and she swung her leg down forcefully flipping herself forward, taking the two holding her with her. The one with metal hands stepped forward taking a huge swing only to have his hand caught and deflected by hers. "One." Shoto smiled. The guys with the stretching quirk's finger wrapped around her neck. "Zero"

Suddenly all of them stopped sitting down in place where they were. Aydin dusted herself off walking to pick up her bag before walking back towards them "Seriously Sho, couldn't save me the headache?" He chuckled "Did you at least call the police?" She smacked his chest with the back of her hand as she stopped in front of him.

"Of course I did" he laughed. "I just always have enjoyed watching you work."

"And the camera crew?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Got nothing." His sidekick said simply. "I checked, Shoto disabled the camera connections"

"What are you talking about?" The new caster's eyes widened, diving into the van finding the cameras had all been disconnected from the control panels. "WHAT!" They screamed. Their head popping back out the side "We got none of that!"

"Nope" Aydin said, smiling "Thanks Lodestone." The sidekick smiled.

"Not a problem!" The man was happy to accept the praise of his boss' wife.

"How. Why? You can't do that!" The reporter yelled.

"Actually I can." Her voice was hard as she looked right at the reporter, "Hi, I'm Aydin, as a pro I go by Corpus Iuris, but outside the world of Pro hero's and you may know my family, I'm Patrick Murphy's grand daughter, and Cecilly Murphy is my aunt."

The reporter froze. "Wait Murphy as in the Murphys?" She nodded. "I am so sorry, of course, I'm so sorry, Kiyoshi put that camera away!" The reporter was suddenly frantically apologizing bowing as he realized he was standing in front of someone many would consider to be royalty in their hero society.

"Well you didn't get anything, so no harm no foul." Aydin waved off the apologies. As the police pulled up behind the new van Shoto waved his hand icing over the hands of the masked villains, as the police ran in Shoto and Aydin stepped into the alley directing them in the apprehension of all nine.

As the news vans and police pulled away, they watched them go before deciding to go back to Shoto's agency. "Hey Aydin?"

Her head turned to him as they walked a few paces, "Yea Sho-chan?"

"You watch far too many Disney movies on your days off." Shoto remarked smirking back at her.

Aydin burst out laughing "Oh you caught that?" Her smile widening at being called out.

"Of course I did, you watched that movie last night with our daughter." He rolled his eyes pulling her against him, kissing her forehead briefly before stepping back as they got to the alleyway entrance.

"It was too good to not pass up." She smiled, squeezing his hand briefly as they disconnected. He was not a fan of public displays of affection, especially when he was in his full uniform, something they both could agree on since it just put a bigger target on their family. He stayed close to her though as they walked the rest of the way to the agency, while he knew she could hold her own it had never stopped him from being protective of her. As soon as they were behind the closed doors of the elevator she was yanked into his arms. She didn't fight him at all snuggling closer to his side, her arms stroking his side as his head dropped onto hers.

"I'm going to start paperwork." Lodestone mumbled stepping out of the elevator wanting to put some space between himself and the two strongest heroes he'd been lucky enough to meet."

"We'll be in Shoto's office doing the same if you need anything," Aydin answered for them as Shoto pulled her closer. The elevator doors closed, "Ok Shoto, what's going on, you're never this much of a snuggler at work, I'm not complaining, but I think you scared the poor kid."

"I just forgot how sexy you are when you take charge. It reminded me of the time you literally pitted my father against us to only yank the proverbial rug from underneath them." He nuzzled into her neck. "You really are a tactical genius." She leaned her head over more giving him better access to her, he kissed her neck, nipping at the smooth skin as it stretched out in front of him.

"Oh did it? If I remember correctly you weren't too thrilled when I did that." She whispered her hand tugging at his hair, encouraging him to continue.

He laughed his voice low. "No I wasn't. I'd never seen someone challenge my father like that, it was unheard of for me at that time."

She pulled back, pressing her lips to his, stroking his cheek "Well not all of us were trained to roll over when told." He sighed letting his head drop onto hers, his eyes closing his face pulling into a shallow grimace as she dragged up feelings that now felt a lifetime ago, even though they still stung sometimes, like now, it wasn't even close to how they used to feel. He knew she hadn't meant to but he was also weirdly happy at how much less it affected him now. "Hey," She whispered, cupping his cheek, he locked eyes with her "I love you, and that journey made you the man you are, and the man I fell in love with. And I dare anyone to try that with you now, my incredible, brilliant, strong man. You aren't that boy anymore." She pulled his mouth back to hers brushing her lips against his.

He grabbed her, picking her up as the elevator doors opened to the top floor which contained his office. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her into his office, sinking onto the couch next to the floor to ceiling windows. "I wouldn't be any of those things without you Aydin." He said relaxing against the cushions her body wrapped around his as they cuddled in the warm sunlight. She rolled her eyes shaking her head but other than that she didn't verbally contradict him, she just nuzzled closer to him, her arms around his waist as her head buried deeper into his neck, her lips ghosting over his collarbone. He had changed, not 5 years ago he had been a completely different person. They'd both changed, her leap before looking tendency had calmed down, and he'd become much more comfortable with his emotions and who he was, they'd changed each other.

Flashback

Shoto stood in the entryway of his house, his hand clasped tightly around Aydin's, his 16 year old self was terrified of what he was doing. His face remained blank though only his eyes shifted nervously around, looking for the looming figure of his father- "Hey Shoto-kun." Her voice was distant, he suddenly had to remind himself that Aydin was here too, he followed it back suddenly arriving back in the present. "I'm not going anywhere." She said once his eyes had refocused on her.

She knew he reminded himself, his girlfriend, he had liked her for almost two years but he hadn't gotten the courage to ask her out until four months ago, halfway through their 2nd year at UA, she'd always been there for him in those two years though, and they had shared many a tough secret with each other by this point. She'd known for over a year now, since she'd fixed him up after their match at the Sports festival their first year. She knew about Endeavor's aggressive training methods, that's what she called it for his sake around others but they both knew it was abuse. He knew she knew what it was like to have expectations put on her by her family, she'd mentioned her family was incredibly strict with who she engaged with, what she did and that they weren't thrilled about her having a boyfriend they hadn't pre-approved. He'd learned over the years that she and all her cousins had been expected to be able to conform to the highest of society, learning at least the basics of multiple languages, music, ballroom dance, they were all well versed in martial arts of multiple styles. She'd never divulged how intensive and comprehensive those lessons had been until he'd been paired with her during a drivers training course they'd done at U.A. One of All Might's ideas after watching an old school movie about a bat hero. She'd lapped every single one of them, had hit the gas before the teacher had even begun to speak, and had even pulled out tricks the teacher hadn't even been able to perform. When asked about it, she had just shrugged saying it was one of the skills her grandfather had prioritized for her and her cousin's, her common response for most things. He'd had to drag the rest out of her, connecting to her since many of those things rang true for him too, his father forcing him to be a master of many trades. Their families both held onto some old and dated ideas of people needing to be accomplished to be able to fit into any situation that the Pro world would force on them, she still couldn't find what use being able to knit would ever do for her in the hero world.

She reached out interlocking their fingers, he smiled at the security of it knowing that she was in this with him. Smiling was something new to him, he'd only recently felt comfortable doing it around people other than her, he couldn't help but enjoy the light feeling in his chest as he realized the difference. He walked forward leading her into the house. They sat in the living room working on school work and chatting about the tournament against the exchange students that was coming up in the next week, until his older sister had called them for dinner. They sat quietly at the table, she was next to him, her hand resting on his knee, when Endeavor entered his broad form immediately intimidating Shoto as he stiffened instinctively. They ate in silence for about 5 minutes, Endeavor's glaring eyes not once leaving Shoto. Shoto was trembling next to her under his father's harsh gaze, or he would have been if she hadn't been physically steadying him, keeping his heartbeat calm and his muscles relaxed, he squeezed her hand appreciating her support. Endeavor slammed, his silverware down, Shoto looked up, stormy grey and turquoise met a piercing turquoise pair, pinning Shoto to his spot. "Shoto, where are your manners." His voice was firm and calm and if you hadn't seen his eyes you'd think Shoto wasn't in trouble at all, sadly that wasn't the case at all. "Aren't you going to introduce your guest."

Shoto lost his breath as those eyes stifled him, panic rising. A gentle squeeze on his leg brought him back. "O-of c-co-course." Shoto stumbled over his words. "Father, this is Henkan Aydin, she is in my class at U.A."

"Stop lying Shoto. That is your girlfriend. At least be strong enough to admit it." Endeavor sneered, his face twisting in disdain. "You act as if I don't know what's going on at that school." He paid no mind to Aydin as he interrupted his son. "How dare you!" He seethed slamming his hands into the table, his fire quirk radiating heat. Shoto's head dropped under the stare as he felt his face burn with embarrassment. Not now, not like this, he didn't want Aydin to see this. Her thumb rubbed calming circles on his thigh as if this was nothing new to her. "You know your duty to this family! You are to marry a woman who has the ability to match you and support you! Not some girl with a father who is barely in the top 30 of our hero society! This is unacceptable! I've worked too hard on your future for you to ruin it." Endeavor thundered. Shoto dropped his head even more curling in on himself, feeling like he'd just been stripped naked, sitting there more vulnerable than he'd ever been, he could barely feel the hand she still had on his leg anymore. The gaping hole and naked feeling his father had just dealt him overwhelming his senses. Endeavor hadn't even given mind to the fact that Aydin was still in the room which tore at him even more. He'd finally found someone who he wanted to bring home, who he had let in and his father couldn't even wait til she was gone to humiliate him. "Stand up!" Shoto obeyed, hoping if he was fast about it he's father would be brief, his legs threatening to give way "Get over here." He numbly walked forward. 'Not now' his thoughts pleaded 'not in front of her, not here'. This couldn't be what was about to happen, Natsuo and Fuyumi were dead silent as they watched in silent horror, they knew their father was cruel but this was in front of a guest, he'd never stooped to this low. Shoto slowly moved to stand in front of his father, his siblings eyes were sad as they watched their little brother knowing that there truly was nothing that they could do against him, especially when Endeavor was in this state. He drew his hand back letting it fly, Shoto stood his eyes closed waiting for the blow but it never came. He opened his eyes. Aydin was next to him, one hand on his back the other had his father's wrist in a tight grip.

"I wouldn't touch him in front of me if I was you." Her voice was deathly low, as she stepped up next to him, the hand on his back providing a comforting hold just below his shoulder blade.

"Are you threatening me?" He seethed, trying to activate his quirk. His eyes narrowed as he realized he couldn't, he watched her carefully, a quirk that could erase, nothing more than common place than Aizawa he decided, brushing off the girl as just tough words and a naive amount of courage and false strength in her words.

She smiled, still perfectly polite, as if she didn't have his wrist in a death grip "No. I'm telling you. There is a difference." She answered nonchalantly as if she was commenting on the weather. "Now let's finish dinner before you get hurt." She threw his arm away from Shoto forcibly before pulling Shoto back to his chair. Dinner was silent for the rest of the meal, Endeavor finishing quickly still glaring at the girl next to his son, his anger storming to even greater heights just below the surface, as she let go his flames came back to him the heat from his beard alone was withering in the room. Shoto was glad Aydin was on his right, his ice tempering the heat around her a bit. But even with his offset the whole table except Shoto still had sweat rolling down the back of their necks in minutes from the fiery rage boiling at the head of the table.

He shoved back from the table tossing his napkin onto the dinner "Shoto, you are to tell me before Henkan leaves so I can wish our guest goodnight." He growled his voice cold before he turned on his heel and stormed out. The entire table was quiet til they couldn't hear his footsteps any more. Shoto cooled the room quickly on instinct making the room a comfortable place, instead of the sauna it had been just minutes before.

"You know you just made it worse right?" Natsuo said, glaring across the table. "You aren't going to be here tonight to pick him up after Endeavor finishes with him."

Shoto was still quiet, his eyes staring off into space, glassy and unfocused, like he was a million miles away. "He won't touch him more than once tonight." Aydin said softly, her hand rubbing Shoto's back, her touch calming him considerably, he blinked his eyes starting to refocus. "Hey, Shoto. Shoto, he's gone." Shoto looked at her, his eyes wide and questioning, why was she still here, after what she'd just seen, how had she not run for the hills? Instead she looked at him, rubbed his back, smiled and kissed his cheek. "I told you Sho, I'm not going anywhere."

Her words broke a smile across his face. Much to the shock of his siblings they had so rarely seen him smile. "I still have some homework I need to get done, Thank you for dinner Fuyumi." he acknowledged his sister, briefly collecting plates from the table and putting them in the kitchen.

"Thank you for dinner," Aydin said, "I promise I didn't mean to start anything, but I wasn't just going to sit there either, not when I can do something." she was unapologetic which caused Natsuo's face to twist.

"Just try to be careful," He finally sighed, "He has to deal with a lot from our Father, he's his masterpiece, whatever that is supposed to mean so he takes the brunt of his temper."

Aydin nodded "I'm aware" was her only comment, before she disappeared after Shoto.

The other siblings finished their dinner and cleaned up before poking their heads into the living room, finding Aydin curled up next to their brother, her arms around him, her head resting on his chest as she studied, giving him the position above and around her. Fuyumi knew it was a subtle thing, but for a strong person like Aydin had shown herself to be, giving Shoto the quiet support he needed while letting him know that she wasn't leaving his side, warmed her heart toward the girl. She couldn't help smiling at the scene, her hand rested on Natsuo "She cares about him a lot." She whispered to him as they left the room. He nodded agreeing with her, he still didn't like that she'd poked the proverbial bear but he could tell she really didn't mean to hurt Shoto.

Aydin continued to read until she heard him sigh, the book he was reading dropping to the cushion. She closed her book, setting it down, wrapping her arm around him, "What is it?"

He let his head rest on the top of hers, "He won't let me go Aydin." He lifted his legs onto the couch effectively wrapping his body around her smaller one.

She breathed for a moment letting his words sink in "No, he probably won't, not without a fight at least." She looked up at him, her warm hazel green eyes meeting his. "But the more you know about what you want and who you want to be, the more you'll be able to differentiate that from what he wants, and fight for it, then he won't be able to hold on to you anymore. You already aren't here unless it's a holiday, or on the rare long weekend like this, so he doesn't have nearly the control you think he does." She spoke so matter of factly he couldn't help but start to believe what she was saying. "Shoto, you need to be your own motivation. Do you want to be a Pro or is that just a dream your father forced on you?"

Shoto paused that was it, the question that had been haunting him all year. "Most of the time yes. I do, I want to be a hero for all those who need me and are like me. But after nights like tonight I don't know. If that's what the current number one hero acts like then what if thats all I'm destined to be?" He finally answered.

Aydin nodded "Well you know what," he looked down at the girl, "All of those feelings are perfectly valid, and it's ok to have those feelings," She smiled. "I don't know the answer to that one myself actually. I don't want to be a hero in a world of people without good intentions, they may be doing good things but when it comes down to their reputation or the life of another, I don't trust them. I wish our council would have taken a better look at some of Stain's ideologies. Those things he was fighting against, that is what is going to be the undoing of our hero worshiping society." In that one confession she had taken all the stress off him as he realized what he was feeling was normal, and he wasn't alone in his struggles against what it meant to be a hero for themselves. He relaxed smiling at her, brushing his lips against hers briefly, tabling the current discussion for the time being. He was going to enjoy one of the few bits of time that they were able to spend together outside of school and over the long weekend.

"Aydin?" He took a deep breath a few minutes later, breaking away, convincing himself that he could ask what he needed to right then, he needed to quell that awful gnawing feeling he had in his chest, she looked up at him as she waited for him to continue. "Did," He took a breath "did tonight change how you think of me?"

She ran a hand through his hair messing it up. "Of course it did." he felt like he'd been stabbed, but she just smiled at him, pushing him down onto the couch and rolling, pulling him on top of her, a hand latching around the back of his neck holding him in place. "It showed me that my incredible, kind, intelligent, handsome boyfriend is stronger than I ever realized." She buried her nose in his neck as his arms looped around her, holding her against him, enjoying the feeling of her beneath him and her breath on his neck.

"I wouldn't quite frame it like that." he whispered, his forehead dropping onto hers. "You just saw one of my worst nightmares,"

"And you survived it,"

"No. I just stood there. You had to jump in."

"You can't blame yourself for your reaction Sho-chan." She stroked the side of his face, her fingers trailing down his neck. "He's been ingraining that response in you from the time you were born, that's not your fault. The fact that you are already separating yourself from him is a show of just how strong you are." She ran her fingers through his hair again as she leaned into his hand.

"There you go thinking I'm strong again." he smiled bitterly.

"Why don't you think you are?"

"Aydin, I cower whenever he raises his voice. I've lived in constant fear of him and what might happen if I don't do exactly what he says. I feel like a puppet and I hate it, it's like everytime I cut a string, three more attach." he said relaxing into her arms as they wound around him as they cuddled into each other.

"Oh Shoto," she kissed his neck. "Conditioned responses are hard to break away from. You're not giving yourself the credit you deserve, don't forget, you also defied your father, for so long because you wanted to use your quirks on your terms not his. You're not him. You refuse to be him. In these last two years you've grown so much, you learned how to be social and interact with others, you've made friends, you care about yourself now and you care for your friends as well, more than a lot of them give you credit for. You're still learning and growing, but you are so compassionate and you have everything it takes to be a hero. The hero that you want to be and can be proud of, not the one he wants." he sighed as his head dropped into her neck. "You don't have to be anything you don't want to be, if you want to be number one then you can be, but if you want to be the best hero rankings be damned then you can do that too."

"How do I get away from this, from him?" Shoto whispered. "It's not like he's going to let me go, he's always there haunting me."

"One day at a time." he smiled against her neck "One day at a time" her hand stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. "It's not easy, and it's not going to happen overnight, but slowly eventually it will get easier, you won't forget, but you'll be able to function without it being the first thing you think of."

"It's not the first thing I think of." Shoto confessed "Not anymore at least." her lips pressed against his.

"Shoto," he looked down to see her smiling, "You are amazing," she relaxed against him as their arms pulled one another closer, their lips brushing every few moments her arms running up and down his sides, as he tugged her even closer still, her presence calmed him down. She had his back and had stood next to him and fought for him even when he couldn't manage it. If she could do this, then he could too, especially if she was with him.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs, announcing the entrance of another. "Shoto it's time for her to go, you need to train."

"I should go," he mumbled against her neck not wanting to aggravate his father anymore that night, she nodded, he pushed himself up off her. They gathered their stuff and he walked her to the door. Endeavor glared at her from the stairs, a few steps above her, heat still radiating out menacingly but not as badly as it had been at dinner.

She moved to open the door when a steely voice cut through "I will end this, I've already been in talks with another prestigious family who moved here just two years ago. One that is a much better suited match for a legacy hero like Shoto will be."

"Father." Shoto's breath caught and eyes widened, "Are you suggesting a quirk marriage?" his blood ran cold as the words passed his lips, he would not be his father, he could not be his father. But his father seemed to be pushing him down the road all the same.

"No, an arranged marriage. This family will not end up in ruin over some silly high school crush my son has."

"Don't pass judgment on me, you never even took the time to try and get to know me." Aydin said brushing off his words, her face eerily calm as she answered him, he sneered there it was again her naive courage and confidence. "Either way you can try whatever you want Endeavor, it doesn't really matter to me." she stepped forward running a hand down Shoto's arm the other against his chest, her forehead resting against him. Her eyes flicked up to stare down the current number one hero, a fire in them that sent a strange chill up his spine. "I however will tell you, I will know if you lay a hand on Shoto and any pain you inflict, I will triple against you." He glared at the girl standing in his entryway, her arms wrapped protectively around Shoto, she held him and kissed his cheek whispering her goodnight in his ear. His arms squeezed numbly around her, he looked visibly shaken as he nodded. Endeavor shook off the warning as she stepped out the door. Shoto felt a weird fuzzy feeling course through his body as the door closed, he knew it was Aydin he still hadn't fully figured out her quirk but he knew she had some sort of ability to heal and there was some control aspect, he took a breath hoping it was enough to help him, here. Shoto turned back around and a resounding smack resonating with his face, his body flying sideways from the force, he grabbed the doorway that led from the entry to the living room to keep his footing. His vision blurring and his ears ringing it took him a moment to regain awareness of his surroundings. Endeavor had closed the gap between them in a blink of an eye, he hadn't thought he'd be hit quite that soon after Aydin left.

Natsuo sighed, grimacing from his place at the top of the stairs, his heart twinged painfully as his little brother flew into the wall. Knowing that unless he wanted to get the same treatment and to make it worse for the both of them he couldn't interfere. He was about to turn away as Shoto stood back up, the strong stoic mask back in place, when he froze in disbelief, his eyes shooting open wide, if he hadn't just watched it he would have never believed what he'd just witnessed.

Endeavor's head whipped to the side, his body thrown forcefully, crashing heavily into the wall opposite Shoto leaving a sizable dent, a thought flashing through his mind before he passed out, maybe that confidence wasn't so naive. Shoto watched his father get tossed sideways "She did warn you." he said, chuckling at the sight, glad he'd regained his vision in time to watch that transpire, a smile on his face as Endeavor slumped down on the floor out cold by the sudden mysterious impact that had rocked his body.

Shoto walked up and passed his father's suddenly not so intimidating form to his room. He shed his school clothes changing into clothes better suited for training. He pulled out his phone pressing her number and hitting call, he always enjoyed talking to her as he warmed up. "Did it work?" She asked, he heard the sound of the road behind her, she must have already been driving back towards her house.

"Yea he's currently in a heap at the bottom of our stairs"

"Good." Her voice was cold as she responded but he could tell she was excited by what she'd just done.

"You also put a dent in the wall." he said, smiling as he let out a low snicker, smiling at the image.

"Whoops," she laughed, joining him in his amusement of the situation.

He shook his head, an amused smile brushing across his lips before turning into a thin line "Aydin, I'm sorry tonight turned out this way," his voice dropping to a whisper as he sighed, hoping that his father hadn't scared her away.

"Oh please, that was nothing Sho-chan." She laughed, "My family is Irish, that was nothing. You've seen how we say hello." She laughed; he knew she was exaggerating a bit but it still calmed him down a great deal that none of what his father had done had scared her. "Hey I'll call you back tomorrow, my grandfather just pulled into the driveway in front of me, he just flew in from America, so my night just filled up."

Shoto nodded even though she couldn't see it. "Ok, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Hopefully your family's get together isn't anything like mine tonight."

"No promises," She laughed slamming her car door. "I'll text you later."

"Sounds good. If I don't get to say it again tonight, have a good night and I'll talk to you in the morning." Shoto said setting up on the treadmill in the training room.

"Sho?"

"Yea?"

"I love you."

"Good night Aydin." He answered her, smiling, it wasn't the first time she'd said it, but he still couldn't bring himself to repeat those words. He wanted to, he thought he loved her back but he didn't want to say anything until he was sure. He hoped when she'd told him that it was ok, and that she wanted him to say it in his own time that she meant it, she'd told him over a month ago and he still couldn't get up the courage to tell her he felt the same. She hung up first as he stayed on the line the fact that he couldn't yet tell her the same tying up his tongue, his face burning with shame.

Two days later he found himself being dragged to a dinner with his father. His father had only dared to slap him once more since dinner with Aydin, and much to Shoto's surprise and mirth his father had once again found himself on the floor from an invisible blow triple the strength. It had taken a lot of Shoto to bite back the scathing remark that he wanted to unleash. He settled with knowing he'd warned Aydin of their training session earlier that day, knowing she'd keep an eye on him.

They were greeted at the door of a large house expansive and elaborate, more so than even the Todoroki mansion. The tall older man had orange hair the color of hot coal embers. "Ahh Hello, you must be Enji!" His father didn't seem to mind the immediate use of his first name, Shoto remembered that in many other places first names were used instead of last names, he was probably going to not be called by his last name either, something he was ok with, having already distanced himself from it with the hero name he'd chosen. The older man was strikingly handsome even at his older age, you could tell he was still fit and engaged in hero work when he had to or at least the training of heros. "I'm Patrick, we spoke on the phone." with the name Shoto suddenly realized what his father had set up, two and two had come together the red hair, the American accent, the name, his father's threat of a prestigious family. Murphy. This was the grandfather in one of the greatest Hero Legacy families in the world. This was the family his father had set him up to enter into. A heavy crash shook the wall next to them. "Ahh umm sorry about that, my grandkids are training out in the gym. They should be in shortly, the exercise is almost over." He said inviting them in, "Please come in while we wait, can I get you two anything to drink while you wait. Is whiskey alright with you both?"

"Yes, thank you." Enji said, being the perfect figure of a hero while Patrick glanced at Shoto before nodding, pouring them both a glass of whiskey in the dining room, Shoto's was considerably lighter and cut with water though, making a light joke about it.

Patrick led them through the kitchen and into a sitting room. A woman with auburn hair and sky blue eyes was milling around the kitchen and gave him a gentle smile, nodding her head to him slightly as they passed. The sitting room was partially connected to the kitchen only a half wall separating the two rooms, the open floor plan allowing them all to hear the conversation. Shoto stopped between the two rooms just behind his father.

A man Shoto guessed with the woman's husband caught his attention as he entered from another room. He was carrying some sort of stick like appliance, he nodded curtly to Endeavor as their eyes met. They greeted each other with a firm handshake, before he went back into the kitchen with his wife, kissing her forehead, sweeping some of her hair back and tucking it behind her ear. The man gave off an arcadian air, but was sturdy and confident in his movements, his size was nothing comparable to his own father's, but he felt at ease around the man. His black hair pulled up into a neat bun and eyes of hazel green were calm and steady as they observed everyone. He immediately started helping the woman with dinner, Shoto didn't miss the gentle touches and smiles they shared as they worked. Was that what parents who loved each other looked like? The sight of them made Shoto's heart ache, an arranged marriage, he wouldn't have that, he wanted Aydin's arms around him.

Patrick and Enji took the two chairs leaving the Shoto to pick one of the couches. He settled on the couch across from the fireplace, dead center of everyone's attention, but closest to his father. "Now Shoto, you must be wondering about my granddaughter," Patrick mused. "It is only natural, seeing as she is to be your wife if everything works out."

"Works out?" he asked, his voice thank goodness was steady, even though he wasn't.

"Well of course, I'm not going to marry her off to just anyone, and she has to like you as well." Patrick laughed. Shoto shifted uncomfortably as he caught the expression on the girl's mother's face, she didn't look completely comfortable with what was going on which made him even more uneasy.

"I too am interested in the qualities of your granddaughter." Enji engaged the older man. It was just like his father.

The man smirked, "Well, she is one of the strongest in her year at her school from what I've come to understand from her parents reports. She has been trained thoroughly in multiple styles of martial arts, multiple languages, music, dance and other skills of benefit to any top hero, as a legacy family all my children and grandchildren have been held to a high standard. We spend the majority of their grade school homeschooling them at my manor in New York to ensure they are ready for the life and work that comes with being a pro hero."

"Shoto your father told me a bit about the amount you train. Though not as rigorous or intense as what my granddaughter has endured, it sounds like you two may have some sort of common ground in that department." Shoto nodded again not sure if he should be offended or laugh at the slight jabs the man was taking at his father and his own training schedule.

"And her quirk?"

"Ahh Enji, you know the Murphy family quirk is a secret, but I can tell you, her's is the strongest one of her generation and the one before it, I've seen her rival All Might when I last watched them spar. She no doubt could take even you down." Patrick laughed dismissing Endeavor with a casual wave, as if he couldn't hold a candle to the Murphy family. Which as far as Shoto had heard, almost no hero or villain alive could beat a Murphy when it came down to it, they were the pro world's ultimate Ace. Shoto shifted uncomfortably this man really wasn't giving Endeavor much credit, he could already tell from his tightening shoulders that he was steadily getting angrier with the old man, but was keeping it under control for the sake of appearances and to hopefully marry Shoto into their ranks. It was always another stepping stone for him. Feet were heard in the house along with a closing of a door. "Ah they must be done. I'm sure she is just going to freshen up before coming out to meet you." Patrick said. Endeavor continued to converse with Patrick while Shoto spaced out, he hadn't even touched the drink he'd been poured. He was shaken out as two more people arrived in the kitchen both with dark red hair matching the woman's beelining for the fridge, the boy got there first and opened the door before being soundly hip checked out of the way. The girl's long hair was down, Shoto's eyes narrowed, he knew those two. She grabbed a drink out tossing one to the other before backing up and hoping up onto the island that was in the middle. He couldn't hear their conversation clearly but he saw the girl nod her hair bouncing as she picked up a spoon and gave something on the stove a stir while the other boy moved to help grabbing plates down from the cupboards and utensils out of drawers.

"Ahh there she is, Aydin, please I would like you to meet someone. Grab a glass on your way in so you can toast with us." Patrick called, she stuck her hand in the air giving them a thumbs up as she drained the bottle she had in her hand. His heart leapt, hammering against his ribs at the sound of her name, no wonder she hadn't been worried, she'd known. A fact that suddenly made a lot of sense, she'd seemed weirdly dismissive at his anxiety over tonight earlier that day. She always had been quick when it came to insight and putting things together, and rarely realized that what was obvious to her, no one else saw coming until, like now, it hit them square in the face. She leaned back grabbing two glasses, the boy he now realized was Matt, tossing a giant cube of ice up to her from the freezer, as she tossed him down a glass. She caught it in her glass popping the cork off a bottle of whiskey pouring some into the glass before passing it. Shoto glanced over at his father, a smile starting to creep on to his face as his father's eyes widened, not believing what he was seeing or hearing.

"I appreciate that offer Papa, but I believe that I should be the one introducing you to my boyfriend not the other way around." Aydin mused, walking out and taking the seat next to Shoto their legs brushing together her jeans against his slacks.

"You knew!" Patrick laughed.

"Of course, I've known for the last two days." Aydin shrugged, reaching to interlock her fingers with Shoto's. "I was over at Sho-chan's when Todoroki-san came down the stairs talking about it, there was only one family fitting his description.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Enji spit out his face growing red with anger, Shoto biting his lip to keep from laughing at her deliberate use of the nickname she'd given him and the honorifics she used in addressing both him and his father.

"It means that my granddaughter has just played both of us." Patrick was still chuckling at the prospect.

"Like a fiddle" Aydin smiled leaning against Shoto as he relaxed considerably, this night had suddenly gotten much better and he didn't have to force himself to be the cookie cutter version of himself his father always wanted to present to the world. He was already accepted here.

"Aydin."

"Yes."

"Next time telling me, um earlier, would save us all some pain."

"But that takes all the fun out of it." Aydin smiled even wider as she took a small sip of her whiskey. The old man laughed engaging with Endeavor again.

"Is this normal for you?" Shoto asked looking pointedly at the drink in his hand that was still untouched, not quite sure what to do with it. He placed his arm over her shoulders pulling her against him, despite the annoyed look on his father's face as he realized he'd walked right into a corner of his own making. It hadn't been naivety he'd seen in her, it had been confidence and knowledge that she held all the cards and she knew it, he had egregiously underestimated her.

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to, but yes. It's not uncommon in our family to have a drink at home with family, my grandfather is originally from Ireland where they have a very different take on drinking, so both of us would be able to order beer or wine with dinner if we were out to dinner." she explained as she tucked her feet up onto the couch. He nodded glancing at his father who was glaring at him and looked at his full glass, almost naturally moving to show his almost empty one.

"Yea I don't think I'm being given much of a choice." Shoto muttered in her ear.

"You always have a choice, love" she placed her drink on her leg next to where his drink was resting. "I can always take yours and get you something else."

"Would you mind?" he asked quietly, unsure of how to handle the mix of signals, before defaulting to her since he was in her house, and with her family.

"Not at all," She stood pulling him up with her and into the kitchen, she took his glass pouring the contents into her glass "Don't worry my grandfather won't mind either, if anything he'll like you more for it. He has a weird thing about people who don't let others define them."

"Well that certainly explains a lot" Shoto laughed, as she held up a pot of tea he nodded. "Are you his favorite then?" he asked as she poured him a glass of the warm tea.

"No," she said as Matt said 'Yes' next to her, he shook his head a smile on his face taking the tea as he watched the cousins dissolve into a bickering match.

"Riona, dear, how's dinner coming?" Her grandpa called, interrupting the conversation he was having with Enji.

"Almost done!" The woman called from next to him. "I'm just finishing up with the soup,"

"Do you need any help?" he asked, her setting down his tea. She looked over at Aydin and Matt who were currently shoving one another, as they argued and laughed. The site sent a pained twinge through his chest as it jogged his was what his siblings looked like when he'd seen them playing in the courtyard together as children. He'd always been forced to walk past them, never allowed to join in, he was different, he was better, he was special, he had to train, he wasn't like them; but he'd always wanted to be them, it looked like fun.

"That would be wonderful, the soba is in a big bowl in the fridge if you could grab it." She rolled her eyes at her daughter and nephew as they crashed into the island "Careful of the burners you two." she called carrying the plates, her husband followed them with a water pitcher, the tea kettle, the bottle of whiskey and a few condiments. He set the bowl in the middle of the table. "Thank you!" She smiled at him, "Shoto was it?" He nodded. "I'm Riona, or Regime when I'm out working, and this is Koichi my husband, or Anatom if you're going by his hero name. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more of you from here on out. You're more than welcome to come over whenever you'd like." Riona was kind as she welcomed him into the house, Koichi placed a hand on her shoulder, quiet but strong showing that he mirrored his wife's sentiments toward him. He'd heard of both of them before, Izuku was slowly becoming obsessed with them, meaning he wouldn't shut up about it whenever they made the headlines, since their quirks were both unknown, allowing them to be an incredibly effective duo, who were quickly rising in the ranks.

"Thank you, I appreciate the offer, dinner looks wonderful." He inclined his head in a shallow bow.

"Oh Aydin made it earlier today, she said it was your favorite." Riona said as she finished setting out the plates and utensils.

His face broke into a warm smile as he caught her eye in the next room. His heart suddenly felt both light and heavy, his head spinning with a pleasant aloofness; he needed her in his arms. "It is." he turned back to them excusing himself walking over to her. He caught her waist with one hand shoving Matt gently off her the other hand cupping her cheek pulling her close to him. "I love you." he whispered to her, his forehead pressing against hers. Her lips immediately reacted to his words fusing with his. Her arms wrapping around his neck, immediately as she pressed against him grinning from ear to ear as she melted into him.

Across the room, Endeavor was silently fuming, he hated to lose and lose he had. "Well, it seems like this arrangement is going to work out Enji." Patrick acknowledged "Let's go eat before those two get any more carried away." Enji nodded stiffly, immensely disliking the current state, even though he had to admit it was exactly what he'd wanted to happen.

End Flashback

That had been the beginning of a new chapter for him, one that had led to him being happier than he'd ever thought was possible when he started high school. She was exactly where she'd always been, right next to him as both a support and an anchor, his wife, his love, his confidante, they had grown to be quite the pair. He adjusted their position on the couch so she was laying on top of him, her head able to tuck neatly under his chin. He kissed her forehead again, she sighed even as her face pinched in pain at the contact. He really should have saved her this headache, he thought as he brought his right hand up, holding it to her head, knowing he brought her some relief as she pressed gently into his palm. He chuckled "This is really why you married me isn't it." he teased.

She laughed keeping her eyes closed "Aww was it that obvious?"

"It is now that I'm your personal ice pack." He laughed as she pulled her head out of his hand burying her head in the left side of his neck kissing his collarbone.

"But you make such a nice cuddly ice pack." he groaned as she pressed against him.

"Ngghaahh!" he gasped, before narrowing his eyes at her "Not cool Aydin," he growled biting his lip.

"No, I'm not but you are." she pressed into him again.

"You don't play fair" he hissed, gripping her hips to stop them as his head fell back .

"You really should have already figured that out love."

"Oh I knew, you take care to remind me often enough, but first things first I'm hungry."

"Oh?" She pulled away, smirking.

"Aydin, I'm actually hungry." he rolled his eyes even as he smiled back at her stealing a kiss. "Besides I'm at work and you told Lodestone we were here if he needed anything, I'd rather him not walk in on us." he reasoned, emphasizing that she had been the one to tell Lodestone where they were if he needed anything.

She pouted playfully, a second kiss breaking it up. "Fine." she relented. "Hand me my bag. I was actually on my way to bring you lunch when I got stopped."

He arched back looking back to find her bag before, snagging it, dragging it to them. His hand dropping into it pulling out a tub, holding it up, Soba, he used his other arm to pull her flush against him as he kissed her again, "Have I told you I love you lately." he mumbled against her lips.

AN: Ok, If you can guess the Disney movie Aydin quoted during her fight, I'll send you a preview of a scene I've written for a few chapters in the future. (Googling it is cheating ;P)