Forming a Family
"Your daddy is Endeavour's baby brother." Inko explained to her son, making his eyes widen.
"ITS ONLY A THREE YEAR GAP!" Hiashi snapped at the top of his lungs. Many winced or shushed him for his volume in a hospital, but the Midoirya husband/father did not apologize, even after Mitski slap him upside the head and told him there was no need for that volume.
The irony was lost on her.
While their parents argued, Katsuki and Izuku's minds wondered into daydreaming territory; with the reveal of them being related to the #2 Japanese hero, their dreams of becoming heroes was now assured just by blood alone. Ignoring Hisashi's dislike for his older brother, which they could admittedly see reasons for, this got them thinking: What if they had cousins?
With Katsuki still in bed, Izuku pulled on his mother's skirt to get her attention.
"Yes, baby?" Inko cooed at her son.
"Can we visit uncle Endeavour?" Izuku asked.
Teh conversations stopped immedaitly, and the silence grew even worse when Katsuki added:
"Hell yeah! Can we?"
The other adults turned to Hisashi.
"Well, I mean...we could...It's just...that..." Hisashi groaned with a growl, dragging his face down his face "I REEEEALLY don't want to see Enji today."
"Whose Enji?" Katsuki asked, Izuku nodding in simular confusion.
"Enji Todoroki? Endeavour's civilian identity?" Hisashi groaned. "AKA my jerkass of a sibling?"
"Hisashi!" Inko chatsized her husband. "Language!"
"You know its true!" He replied, then added in a whisper. "Pretentious pick didn't even come to our wedding, never mind the fact he never lets me visit my niece and nephews 'cause it could make them weak'! Jerk. Why Rei hasn't up and left him yet I'll never understand..."
Now, the Bakugo parents picked up on Hisashi's rant, and suddenly visiting the #2 Hero became something they wanted to avoid. The sensible parts of their personalities resurfaced; at ths point it was better to take their son home and let him rest from his injury and traumatic experience (even if Katsuki refused to see it as such).
However, their children were still quite young and the adults were still at the stage of parenting where, unless things were really bad, saying 'no' really hurt them just as much as the kids.
"Please daddy?" Izuku, Inko adding her own puppy dog pout.
"...Its a good thing you're cute." Hisashi groaned, drowning out the cheers of the two boys. "...Why do I get myself into these situations?
"Cause you can't say no to your wife and adore your kid?" Mistki teased, lightly punching her brother-in-law in the shoulder.
"Fine, let's get this over with."
The Bakugos followed along likewise, but Inko and Hisashi stayed behind; the mother giving her husband a rreassuring look and peck on the cheek. While Hisashi moved along, Inko could tell her husband's mood had not changed...
Then she recalled the date. On this day, practically right on the eve of Izuku's birth, something had happened at the Todoroki home.
"Oh no."
But the kids were now in the car, happily chanting how they were going to visit their uncle.
"Maybe he'll be on patrol?" Inko tried to assure her husband.
"God I hope he is."
MHOH
Rei Todoroki's life revolved around her children ever since marrying the #2 hero fresh out of college through a Quirk Marriage contract. She adored her daughter and sons above all else, but her youngest, Shoto, was currently her main concern.
The whole reason Rei 'enjoyed' the life she did was because of her Ice Quirk. Her husband and former childhood sweetheart had arranged a marriage between them not out of love, but in order to produce a child with a Quirk that would allow them to eclipse All Might. If Endeavour couldn't overcome the #1 Hero in life, he'd do it vicariously.
And poor Shoto, with quirk that was perfect fusion of fire and flame, was shaping up to be that child.
If there was any good thing that had remained of the man she had maybe still did love, it was his determination. Unfortunately, it was also his greatest flaw; Endeavour couldn't understand that power alone wasn;t what made a hero. Neither was being famous. A certain Disney movie her daughter had sat down to watch with Shoto recently could've told him that, but...
Well, the #2 Hero didn't slack off to get that rank and had..certain issues. Some of which tied back to her missing eldest child...
So, when she received a knock on the door and heard children on the other side, she both at ease and nervous; it couldn't be her husband, so perhaps some of her children's friends wanted to play with them? Or maybe her mother had stopped by?
When she saw who was at the door, her day got brighter.
"Kids! Someone you haven't seen in a while is here!"
"Rei, you're looking well." Hisashi smiled, giving his sister-in-law hug. "
"UNCLE HISASHI!"
Two children, a boy and a girl, with white and red hair, raced towards Hisashi.
"Hey hey! There you are!" The unshaven man smiled as he hugged his niece and nephew. "Look at how big you've gotten! Say, you guys remember your Aunt Inko, don't you?"
The two women hugged each other and exchanged greetings before the children hugged their aunt. It was at this point that Rei noticed they had not come alone.
"This is my sister Mitski, her husband Masaru Bakugo and their son Katsuki." Inko explained.
"Sup?" Katsuki waved his uninjured arm, then groaning. "Deku, come on! She's our aunt, she ain't gonna bite!"
A little boy with hair like broccoli and the cutest freckles Rei had ever seen poked his head out. Even after 4 years, she instantly recongized him.
"Is this little Izu?" Rei cooed, leaning down to see him as he hid behind his mother. "Do you remember me? I guess not, you were just a baby..."
Shoto stayed behind Rei, put poked his head out to see his extended family.
"Its okay, Shoto." Rei cooed at her youngest, gently pushing him forward. "This is your father's brother..."
"Who is not welcomed here."
The newcomer was a tall, incredibly well bulit man with a beard of flames and spiky red hair. Natsuo and Fuyumi quickly returned to thier mother's side as the man stepped forward. This was Enji Todoroki, AKA Endeavour.
"Enji!" Hisashi said through his teeth and an obviously forced smile. "You're here! In civilian clothes. Meaning you're here to stay. Oh. Goodie...!"
"Hisashi." Inko shushed her husband, spying and pointing to the youngest Todoroki.
"Brother." Enji said, anger clear in his tone. "What are you doing here?"
"What, a guy can't spontaeously visit his family after his son gets an introduction to Pro-Heroism?"
"Hi uncle Endeavour!"
Izuku launched him and smiled brightly at his uncle, blinding the #2 Hero with his cheerfulness
Hisashi chuckled at the sight and snapped a picture.
"Just made it my screensaver!" He declared displaying it to all. "Enji; this is my son Izuku. Certain...incidents led to him learning we're related and he wanted to meet you and his other cousins."
Enji glared at the 4 year old on his leg, who finally realized his uncle wasn't like Aunt Mitski orr Uncle Masaru and jumped off. Hisashi gently pushed his son behind him as the two brothers glared at each other; Enji's moustache and beard taking on a tingle of blue while Hisashi let smoke escape his mouth along with flickers of pure red flames.
"...I forgot how bad it was." Inko whispered to Mitski, who for once in her life, simply nodded. They would've called their sons to their sides, but Izuku and Katsuki had already made their way to Shoto, who seemed to be on edge but wanted to meet them.
"Nice to meet ya, cous!" Katsuki beamed with a hand reached out. "Names Katsuki Bakugo, future #1 hero!"
Enji 'tched' at that declaration.
"H-hello..." Shoto finally responded.
"Oh he DOES speak!" Katsuki annoucnted.
"Kachan!" Izuku chatsized his cousiin, also extending a hand. "Izuku Midoriya."
Shoto smiled and shook the hands.
"Shoto Todoroki."
"Oh let them be kids, Enji." Hiashi groaned. "Or are you so obessed over trivial matter that you don't remember what that means?"
Memories suddenly filled Enji. Unfortunately, they were not memories Hisashi had been hoping for.
6 years earlier
"Keep going!"
"Dad, it really hurt..."
"Keep! Going! It'll numb in time."
"Just five minutes...?"
"I SAID KEEP GOING! Your flames are even stronger than mine and you clearly CAN get this down!"
The smell of sizzling filled the air
"Dad, please...!"
"Bare it Touya! All Might could take this and way more!"
His son's pleading vanished and anger became clear as he panted for air and in anger.
"ALL MIGHT THIS! ALL MIGHT THAT! Is HE all you care about? What about mom? Natsuo? Fuyumi?"
"They're not strong enough! And I'm doing this for you! To become #1 and prove to the world that buffon is...!"
"I'm your son, dammit!"
Then something happened.
An explosion of flames and screams of pain.
Then darkness.
Present day
Enji's flames burst from his form in anger and he rose his fist towards his brother.
"HOW DARE...!"
Two spikes of ice suddenly rammed into Enji's stomach and sent him crashing into a wall. A silence fell over the room as all looked towards the source:
"Please don't hurt Uncle Hisashi!" Shoto begged, half wanting to make is point known and half terrified of what he had just done.
Another memory filled Enji's head. However, it also filled Hisashi's
Many years ago
SMACK!
"Do you think this good enough!?"
A 10 year old Enji hung his head in shame under his father's latest tirade.
"We of the Todoroki clan have been the top pyromancers since Quirks began, and you have the most powerful Quirk to date. I'm trying to toughen you up, and I'll do it even if I have to bend you over and snap you! Is that understood?!"
"Yes, father." Enji said, looking down at his feet,
"What was that?"
"Yes, Father!"
"Good. So tell me boy, why are you not doing better?"
When the 10 year old could not give a response...
SMACK!
"Answer!"
"I didn't think the fight was worth it. Just some dumb kid..."
"That 'dumb kid' disrespected a clan that has done more for this nation than all the #1 heroes combined. And you don't put him in his place?"
"Dad, stop hitting Enji!"
A tall and lean man glared at a younger Hisashi, who was glaring at the older man but shaking, knowing what was coming: A backhand sent the boy flying to the floor.
"Hisashi!" Enji snapped at attention and reached for his brother, only for a streak of flames to slam him into a wall. The adult Todoroki then marched over and pulled his younger son by the ear.
"I'm merely reminding your brother of the cost of half-assing it and letting people walk over us, failure. And to think you were born with our family's original quirk yet don't want to be a hero!"
"And what's wrong with that?!" Hisashi said before he thought, seeing the anger in his father's eye and the fear in his brother's. "I can still get great work! And Enji's way stronger than me anyways, but he needs time to figure out how Hellflame works."
Their father marched closer to his son.
"A brat like you..."
"Father, wait!" Enji begged, grabbing his father's arm and stepping in between him and his brother. "Hisashi has nothing to do with this! Please, just...just let him go and rest. I will not make this mistake again!"
Their father did not listen.
An hour later, the boys were bruised and using ice to kill the stinging.
"That was real dumb of you, you know that?"
"..."
"But...thanks."
"...We're brothers. I don't want to see you hurt."
Present
Without a second thought, Hisashi raced to his brother's side, using his fire breath to melt the ice and cauterize the wounds from the then dragged Enji into the infirmary and placed him onto a bed, blowing on the wounds a little more before wrapping them up with gauze.
"I...I didn't...I just..." Shoto, close to tears, whimpered, only to be taken into a hug by his mother and get calming hands on his shoulders from his cousins. He took the affection desperately and gratefully.
"Its okay baby." Rei cooed. "Its okay. I know you didn't mean it."
Shoto sniffled and smiled weakly. His smile became geniune when his cousins put on a bit of a show, with Katsuki using hsi explosions and Izuku producing anime charcters no one liked to be subjected to said explsoions
(AN: You'll have to pick and choose which, just make sure they're child approriate)
"..W-why don't you guys go out for dinner?" Hiashi suggested. "I'll stay here with him."
Before anyone could say otherwise, Mitski had already dragged them out the door and (after grabbing one of Enji's black credit cards), the family enjoyed a lovely meal at a pricey restaurant. Admittedly the adults had had more fun than the kids (who would've preferred Katsudon or burgers), but all left with full stomachs.
Suddenly a man in a mask leapt in front of them and demanded money, then calmly asked for some spare change...then stared at Mitski lustfully. Unfortunately for him, his sudden appearance spooked the younger children, and Rei instinctively blasted him with a chilly breeze before Mitski slammed him into the ground.
Katsuki and Shoto stared at their mothers, hero-worship clear in their eyes.
"And you told mom all those Judo lessons were a waste of money!" Inko smirked.
"...I hate it when you do that, sis." Mitski sighed, her dislike growing when Inko stuck out her tongue before returning to normal and telling her son to never do that. Mitski then turned to the apparent mugger:
"First of all, no. Second of all, I'm happily married and have a kid. Third of all: Don't scare the kids! Fourth of all: Are you part of gang or quintuplets, cause there's a whole lot of ya in the alley and that looks kinda desperate."
The man looked down then over his shoulder.
"Okay guys, call it."
The others, all sounding like him yet not responded:
"Finally!"
"Knew it..."
"If we'd gone with my plan...!"
"We'll get em next time!"
"Its alright, we ate last week."
"I never got a chance..."
"They're total MILFs!"
"...Mommy, whats a...?" Izuku started.
"A very mean and bad word you are never to use, young man." Inko hurriedly said, Rei nodding in agreement.
The others all vanished, leaving only the first mugger.
"I am so sorry. No I'm not!"
Rei and Izuku alone guessed what had happened.
"You can make clones?" Izuku asked, ignoring the shush from his mother and Fuyumi.
"Yep! And not just of myself!" The man started. "What do you mean yourself? You're not the original! Yes I am! No you're not!"
"Um..." Rei started.
"Regardless! I can make copies of people and other objects, right down to Quirks, provided I know their measurements!"
He then produced a measuring tape.
"What is your name?" Rei asked.
"Jin Bubaigawara. TWICE!"
Rei handed the man a business card.
"When you get a chance, come by. If you're interested, I'm sure my husband could make a hero out of you, if not get you a job."
Jin's eyes widened.
In this world, there were four ways of becoming a hero:
The first and most common was to attend and graduate from a hero school, then work your way up from Sidekick to Pro, building Agencies and solving cases to build up interest in yourself.
The second and rarest method was to perform an outstanding act of bravery and be issued a license or have your Hero education paid for you. The #3 Hero Hawks was such an example.
The final and least used method was to gain the attention/ recommendation of an established Pro.
MHOH
Back at the Todoroki husehold, Enji began to stir, wincing from pain.
"The kids went out for dinner with their moms. Just the two of us."
He saw his younger brother standing beside him, an unimpressed look on his face.
"...Ungrateful."
"Who?"
"All of you."
"You're sounding like the old man."
Enji leapt to his feet, his beard and mustache flaring.
"How dare you compare me to him! And how dare you come back today of all days! UI don;t need any more reminders of my failures! I mean, look at yourself."
Hisashi let out a sigh.
"At least I'm happy. I go home every day to the love of my life and the light of my existence. Why don't you see what you have? What happened to the Enji...?"
"He grew up and realized the world doesn't let you have what you want. And look at how far he came. By the time my Agnecy was a year old and my 20th birthday, I'd already climbed to the #2 position. It was because I made that climb that I understood... unless I reached the summit, it was all for nothing."
"Again, sounding too much like him. You're the rival to All Might, isn't that enough?"
"If all I cared about was titles, I could've worn a smile like you and that oaf...But I need to be the strongest!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT BEING THE STRONGEST?!" Hisashi snapped, silencing the larger man. "Seriously Enji. Answer me that right now: Who. Cares. About being the strongest? All Might? The man does NOTHING but encourage others to surpass him and treats being #1 like a bonus! The old man? He up and left us behind the minute we entered UA, in case you forgot! He's probably on a beach in Morocco not thinking about us at all!"
He then gasped for air as tears begun to sting his eyes.
"You're the one who always had to be the best. All I wanted was my brother! All Rei wanted, in spite of everything you ever did, was the Enji who wooed her with a freaking Jojo reference! And all your kids ever wanted was their father!"
Enji began to feel tears in his own eyes.
"...What happened to us?" Hiashi asked.
No response ever came, so Hisashi cleared his eyes and nose when e heard the garage open.
"Don't worry, you'll never see me again after this. Just...please. Let Izuku and Shoto see each other sometimes."
He turned and began to walk away.
"Hisashi, wait!"
He did and turned.
"..Follow me, please."
Interested peaked, Hisashi did as he was asked. Soon, the two came to Hisashi's childhood room, where inside, on the cot, was something Hisashi hadn't seen in years:
A bodysuit modelled after a Dragon, complete with glider on the chest were the Kanji for 'dragon' and 'emperor.'
"Y-you kept this old thing?" Hisashi asked, holding the costume gently and with care.
"...Was going to be my successor's costume if you never came back." Enji admitted tearfully. "But it is yours. So, take it. Maybe Izuku can use it."
"...Thank you."
"Hisashi? Honey?" Inko called out.
"I'll be right there, baby!" Hisashi called, Enji opening the door for him and escorting him to the door. They stopped just in front of their families and sighed.
Hisashi glanced up at his brother, steeled himself and then placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.
"...I...I'm glad we got to see each other." Hisashi managed to say.
Enji placed a hand on Hisashi's shoulder.
"As am I. Please...keep in contact."
With a smile, Hisashi placed his other hand on the other shoulder.
"Will do as long as..." He paused when Enji placed his free hand on the other shoulder. "...You...do...the...same?"
Inko and Rei gasped.
"What... is happening?" Enji asked, honestly confused.
"I...I think we're about to hug for the first time in years." Hisashi responded, a weak and desperate smile on his face.
"...Should we?" Enji asked, a simular smile appearing on his face.
"Hug! Hug! Hug! Hug! Hug!" Their children and Inko chanted. Masaru and Rei looked on with hope in their eyes, while Mitski merely watched from the sidelines.
With a shurg and smile, followed by some brief stops and retries, they did so. Instantly, the two men gripped each other tightly and let tears escape their eyes.
"I missed you, aniki." Hisashi teared.
"Missed you too, baby brother." Enji teared. "Please. Stay the night at least. W-we have pleanty of room..."
There was soon not a single dry eye in the Todoroki household. The next day, it was decided that the Midoriyas and Bakugos would move in.
MHOH
A few days later, Inko had gone back to the apartment to grab a few things left there while Izuku was at school and Hisashi was being put through a training regimen. She found herself worried and on edge when she found that the door was already opened...and it had been forced open by a blunt object.
She attracted her phone and pressed a button to let her family know where she was before entering, finding the sounds or crashing and tables being turned.
Someone she knew.
"Kenji?"
The intruder stopped midmovement and dropped the strange item they had been carrying over their shoulder.
Kenji Hikiishi had been an old college friend of Inko. In fact, they had been such close friends that Inko had been there when Kenji emerged from the operation and helped her adjust to becoming a woman. They had drifted apart after Kenji had dropped out and Inko had met Hisashi...
"I-Inko?"
While still confused and now greatly concerned for what was going on, Inko nonetheless smiled and sat her old friend down before making some tea.
Kenji explained that she had been disowned after the change, which had led to her dropping out of college. To save what little money she had left Living on minimum wage jobs for a while, she had eventually snapped after one too many less than polite comments about her gender and ideals and had started robbing apartments and pawning off anything of value she could find.
At least, that had been her plan: She'd had no idea this apartment belonged to her old friend, due in part to the fact that most of the pictures had been taken down already, leaving only Izuku's All Might merchandise and some old paperwork from Hiashi's now former job. Had Kenji known, she would've gone to another apartment and tried her luck.
"You know you're lucky it was me..." Inko started.
"I know."
"...Why didn't you reach out?" Inko asked. "You know I would've..."
"And be in debt? No! I just want to live free! To be accepted for who I am!" Kenji snapped, only for waterworks to fly. "I'm sorry Inko!"
Inko simply let her cry into her shoulder, gently patting her on the shoulder until her tears became sniffles. She then spied something; the whole reason she had come over.
"Oh. There it is."
She used her quirk to bring the item close to her; a picture of herself, Mitski, another little girl and a little boy, all beaming happily alongside a beautiful woman in gloves with a white cape.
"Is that...?"
Inko nodded.
"Mommy. Nana Shimura."
Kenji had actually met the woman in the photo a few times; an incredibly kindhearted, comedic but nonetheless devoted heroine who had had absolutely zero problems with her. She'd welcomed Kenji with open arms and always smiled at her.
Now, the same couldn't have been said for Hiashi...Kenji remembered that at her last hangout with Inko, Inko had spun a tale of how poor Hisashi had spent the entire evening begging for the chance to just as Inko out for tea. Turned out Nana had been joking, but...well, there was a reason Inko thought her son's jittery behaviour was biological.
"Where are you staying?" Inko asked suddenly.
Kenji didn't answer.
"Well I know. You're coming with me. In Enji has a problem with it, he'll just have to grin and bear it. And before you say anything, you should know you were actually my second choice of godparent."
Kenji rose an eyebrow.
"Wait, you're a mommy now?!"
Inko nodded happily and showed her old friend a picture of her son.
"Well you look amazing! The kid must be an angel!"
"Well, there was the Terrible Twos..." Inko joked.
MHOH
While initially shocked, Enji had actually proven to be quite fine with Kenji moving in and had offered her a job at his Agency right off the bat. Magnetism was a very in demand quirk and Kenji's adept street-fighting skills were also needed.
Izuku had been the first to take to Kenji, and the transgender woman immediately fell in love (in a motherly sense) with the boy, telling him stories of his mother in her youth and happily listening to his Quirk analysis for hours on end, especially when it came to her own. Kenji had also quickly bonded with Mitski and Rei, along with Fuyumi, who had been the first to call her 'Auntie.'
Perhaps the biggest shock was the quick friendship (and possibly more) that happened between her and Jin. She found his split persona endearing and he had been moved by her own backstory. They were quickly made partners within the Endeavour Agency and while not yet offically debuted, popular amoung their coworkers.
Thus, the Magnetic heroine known Magne came to be.
By the end of the weekend, the three families were now moved in together. Within days, it became clear that Izuku, Katsuki and Shoto were borderline inseparable, the three cousins seeing each other like brothers and going and doing almost everything together.
It took a lot of doing (and several months of family therapy that could be their own story) but Hisashi and Enji eventually returned to the bond they'd had as children, with Enji also apologizing to his wife and children for how he had behaved. While the kids would never forget, even the stubborn Natsuo came to forgive his father.
And thus but unknown to many, a new age had begun.
Next Chapter: I AM HERE! AND PART OF THE FAMILY!?
All Might returns with a huge, shocking reveal! Someone comes back from the dead! And...Bakugo gets a girlfriend?
Read and review, would ye kindly?
Okay, NOT the next day...but considering the 14 pages I think you may see why.
So, I hope this was worth the wait; setting up some drama for the Todoroki family down the line (this is NOT the last we've seen of Grandpa) and giving two of the League of Villains redemption before they even became evil.
The Jojo reference bit is a nod to the 'Doting Father' fic, which I will be using for reference on how to portray Post-Heel-Face turn Enji
Hope you liked it, have a good one