Author's Notes:

So.
No, I don't know how did this happen. I never even was into Endeavor until I've read this awesome fic called Liquid Nitrogen. And I never intended to write Enji as Izuku's dad, I literally just started completely different Todobakudeku + Endhawks story and what? I'm suddenly writing and publishing this. Life's full of surprises.
This story concentrates on Enji and Midoriya family relation, so other stuff will be skipped or only mentioned, if not said differently assume it's the same as in canon. I don't want it to be too long a story, since I have like 5 wips, sigh
Anyway I try to be canon compliant whenever I can (obviously some stuff and some lines are gonna change, because of the obvious reason that is the fact Enji is Izuku's dad). However I watched first 4 seasons long time ago, and currently I'm in the middle of fifth season, but I try to do my research right. However I can still fruck something up, let me know if that's the case.
Besides:
- yes, I know Midoriya should not be named Midoriya now, since it's his dad's, Hisashi's surname, and we're not making Inko unfaithful to her husband (she's single here), but I've decided to keep the surname, so that Izuku Midoriya would be Izuku Midoriya as in canon
- yes, I know that if Izuku were Enji's son he would be a different person, I know how genes work, but we're making Izuku we know Enji's son here
- yes, I know a freckled child can't come from parents who don't have freckles. So I am not mentioning freckles, but if you love them you can imagine he has them by some miracle, cause honestly this is a universe where kids have car engines in their legs
And yeah, I need an English speaking beta, pretty please, cause I'm NO NATIVE (ARGH! THE STRUGGLE!).
Also, yes, one day I'll finish all my other stories, if I don't it means I'm dead and someone retrieve my drafts and finish these for me :D

Chapter 01 Towards the Dream

Todoroki Enji, Endeavor, the Flame Hero, already Number Two despite still being in his twenties clenched his fists, an angry frown on his face, lips strung tight. In front of him, in his spacious and luxurious agency sat Midoriya Inko, a girl that just months ago graduated her English studies and dreamed of becoming a teacher. So different the careers and so similar in one thing – they were about to crumble now.

Silence continued, heavy and stifling.

"I- I just thought you should know... I- I don't expect anything from you, really, you don't need to-"

"Then why are you even here?!" he snapped. He shouldn't, maybe, it was as much her fault as his. He felt tempted to put the blame on the girl, he really was, but that would be too blatant a lie to tell himself. He should have known better than to use expired condoms. He should have known better than to sleep at all with anyone. He should have known that with his godforsaken luck, one - just one! - infidelity will inevitably end up with pregnancy. He did not believe in demons, but he sometimes felt like he unknowingly sold his family life to the devil in exchange for a hero career, not that it even went all that well. All Might was unreachable as ever, even from the Number Two position.

She went stiff, the previous anxiety giving way to anger and... determination?

"I just thought you should know," she said coldly before she stood up and left his office.

He burrowed his face in his hands.

When he thought his family life couldn't get more complicated. More fucked. And this time he couldn't blame anyone other than himself. There was the temptation again, to put the blame on Rei. It was their pathetic intimate life that led him that particular night to try it with another girl. He has never slept with anyone other than Rei before. He always had more important matters, his dreamed goal in his mind, and sex would be just complication, unnecessary distraction. Not that it ever tempted him much anyway. But all the miserable nights spent with Rei in the sole purpose of procreation made him wonder... Was that really his fault he couldn't get it right? Was that really his fault it always was difficult and forced and often failed?

So he went and slept with one of his fangirls. He wanted to try and see how it would be to lay with someone actually willing. And it appeared he couldn't blame Rei. Apparently it was just another thing he simply wasn't good at. The amount of these things seemed to pile up like a mountain. The fury and hatred and pain at the thought that his mother might have been right all along burned him more than his flames could ever burn. That maybe he was after all destined to be a failure, a villain.

But he wasn't failure enough not to conceive a child. Oh, no, that would be too easy. If this at least had been a payment for a moment of true ecstasy, a moment of proper bliss, but no. Not in Enji's case. His life just couldn't be like that.

888

"Hello?"

"It's me, Todoroki."

Silence.

"I apologize," he hated apologizing. He had all the right to be angry! He's had enough problems without this. "I... did not take it well."

"You don't say."

She's become bolder, he noticed. Bolder than when he met her on the internet, bolder than when they met at her small rented apartment, bolder than when she came to his agency. Maybe she no longer saw him as her beloved hero.

He wanted to say, for a second, that his family life was shit, that his wife and children hated him, that he feared for his beloved son, but even before he uttered a word it sounded in his mind like a stream of pathetic excuses, even if all this was true. How many men said words like that? 'You know, I've slept with you, cause my wife doesn't love me and I'm lost and need comfort and that was a mistake.' Pathetic. Explanations and excuses wouldn't change a thing. He slept with her and now he would face the consequences.

"What do you need?"

"I've told you, I need nothing from you." She was cold. He did not think a girl as warm and kind and positive and understanding as she seemed to be previously could be that cold. The paralel to his wife's Quirk of course came to mind, unwanted and uncaring it had been unwanted.

He sighed.

"I... shall send you any amount of money."

She scoffed angrily.

"Ah, money to solve everything? To pay for my silence?"

"No," he said decisively. "You've got the right to say... the child is mine. I shall face the consequences of my..." Stupidity. Recklessness. Emotionality. "...deeds."

She said nothing to that.

"You intend to keep the child?"

"You think you should have a say in that?" she asked fiercely.

"No."

There was another silence. He never was good at this, at people.

She finally sighed. "I really don't need anything. I'm no gold digger. Forget about us."

888

"I have told you not to send me any money."

He was tired after his routine patrol that, during its last hour, just had to evolve into a risky and lengthy operation of retrieving hostages from the madman with a particularly tricky Quirk. Succeeding without spilling innocent blood required from him pushing all his mental and physical skills to its maximum and beyond. Plus ultra, eh? So, he really wasn't in the mood for this phone call, but he had answered it nevertheless. He rubbed his temple irritated.

"Do you think rearing up a child is easy?" he asked bluntly.

He must have surprised her, as no answer came.

He hesitated over his next words, but there was a part of him that tugged at his mind tenaciously and whispered 'It is your child. Do you want it to be another child of yours that's fucked?' So he said what he truly did not want to share with her, or anyone.

"I have four kids and my wife doesn't have to work, just look after them. And she still..." Fucks it up. "...doesn't find it easy. I barely am at home because of my hero work. Who is going to look after your child if you'll have to work to make ends meet for both of you?"

Again, no answer. Stupid girl, probably thinking she's gonna make it, somehow. He was stupid like that too, once, thinking that everyone has children, so it can't be that hard.

"I'm sending the money and you do whatever you please. But if you decided to keep the child, you'd better take good care of your kid," he said coldly. 'You'd better do a better job than Rei.' The familiar wave of anger towards his wife filled him again.

Midoriya sighed.

"If that's how you put it, fine." Did she sound less hostile? He definitely did not care. He's had enough problems as it were.

"Call me whenever you need anything," he added nonetheless. It was his responsibility whether he liked it or not, and he definitely didn't.

"Alright."

888

She did not.

Admittedly the amount of money he set to be sent monthly should have been enough to provide both mother and child, maybe not luxurious, but definitely a comfortable life. Still, he was sure, with his luck, she'd end up bothering him, even if she put on a brave face at the beginning. That she's gonna blackmail him for more money. That she's gonna demand from him to tell the truth to his family. That she's gonna seek reporters.

But she didn't. In his fucked up personal life, full of mistakes (Rei!), at least he managed to choose a right person for his fuck-up that was adultery.

She might have never been calling him, but he has been calling her. Those calls were sparse, what with being the Number Two Hero, his hands always full of work, the working hours completely unpredictable and often out of Japan, too. And with the rest of his day devoted to constant failed attempts to persuade Touya, arguments with Rei, smaller problems with Natsuo. Then there was Rei's fourth birth that brought new hope into his heart that maybe this child would be the cure for Touya's sickness, that his beloved boy would finally stop burning his own body in a doomed attempt to be a fire hero like his father.

The conversations were very short and to his surprise seemed to lack hostility. Maybe Midoriya was a better person than many. Than him.

888

So the time was passing quickly. Couple of months passed from his last call when on a hot and humid afternoon he saw her name on the screen. That was weird, she nev- he cursed suddenly. It was July. She was due in July. He had completely forgotten with all that was always going on in his private and professional life.

He'd fucking forgotten. He could almost feel his mother's eyes on him, judging, condemning.

"How are you feeling?" he asked immediately as if this pathetic behavior could excuse he hadn't called her during the final months. He wasn't the most empathetic person in the world, he was aware of that, but even he knew that the first birth was an unbelievably stressful experience for any woman. Hell, he remembered how stressed he was when Rei was due with Touya. He would swear never in his hero work was he that stressed as during these days. And now Midoriya was left alone with all this. At least she let him choose a good clinic for her, months before, the same Rei birthed their children in.

"I'm okay," she sounded tired. "Izuku is healthy."

Oh.

"I should have called before," he felt a wave of shame and self-loathing, nothing new here.

"It's okay. You save people's lives. It is more important." He couldn't hear resentment in her voice, only fatigue. Maybe she really was better than many. Or maybe she just gave birth to her child and had more important things on her mind than Enji who after all wasn't even a part of her life, not really.

"So it's a boy?" he asked, his own voice surprising him with softness.

"Yes. And he looks completely like me, green hair, big green eyes, small. You don't have to worry someone might recognize him."

"I-" he stumbled, suddenly choked for completely no reason. Or no reason he could discern. "It- it doesn't matter. I'm glad the boy is healthy. Izuku is a beautiful name." He did not even know to this moment what names she had chosen. But he felt he had had no right to ask anyway.

There was a moment of silence and he heard a sincere "Thank you."

"Do you have good care?"

"Yes, you were right about this clinic."

"Have you hired help for next months?"

"No, I-"

"Hire," he cut in. "You've got no experience and you'll agonize over everything." He knew.

"I've prepared myself!" She sounded a little offended.

"Hire help anyway. I'll send more money."

"No, it's fine, okay, I will hire help."

Before he hung up he heard himself asking, "What was your Quirk again?"

"Ah, just pulling objects, nothing too powerful though," she answered, sounding surprised.

He stared into the distance after the conversation was over. A telekinetic Quirk. With fire Quirk. It could mean... it could mean a fire Quirk that could be perfectly controlled. Fire, with its immense destructive power, completely harnessed. That could be released to its maximum strength with no fear of casualties.

He closed his eyes. He married Rei in search of the perfect Quirk. In hope to create a hero like All Might. Not like All Might, surpassing All Might. A hero that could always win and always save.

He made three children naturally and none of them got his dreamed Quirk.

(Shouto was supposed to be different. Despite Rei's protests he was created in a black market in vitro clinic, the genes cut and joined to ensure he would be that perfect wielder of both ice and fire Quirks.)

And now this child? Wouldn't it be ironic if it got the perfect Quirk? He shook his head and pushed away his old dreams. They brought him nothing but pain. If he knew how his naive and foolish dreams about a child with perfect Quirk would end up he'd never marry anyone. If he knew how your priorities change when you actually become a parent he'd never put any of his stupid dreams into Touya's head. He wouldn't have to feel anguish every time his beloved child has been appearing with new burns. Shouto wasn't brought to life because he still dreamed of a perfect hero. He was brought to life cause he feared for Touya with this deepest, primal fear a parent feels when his child suffers. He shook his head again and sighed. Izuku shall be a normal child and that will be for the best, far from stupid dreams of men like him.

888

"How is Izuku?"

Years have passed.

Hero work was even more and more time-consuming, though it seemed hardly possible it could. Sidekicks, other heroes, advisors, all of them sometimes were telling him he simply takes too much on himself. That he doesn't have to be always there and he doesn't have to oversee everything. That he should learn to delegate tasks more, to rely more on other people, but it wasn't in his nature.

Touya grew to be more and more difficult. Natsuo grew to loathe Enji. Rei feared him. Shouto hated training with him. Only Fuyumi as usual tried to please everyone, but so had been Rei, at the beginning. She even looked like her. He'd swear he saw fear behind her need to please.

He had a lot on his mind, always. Still he made the calls, once in a while, on longer intervals rather than shorter, but it's not like Midoriya seemed to need him. He checked up on them both a couple of times, making sure he was unseen by anyone, including them, and the two seemed to have created the happiest little family he's ever seen.

She did a better job than both he and Rei ever did.

It stung.

But it was good to see at least one of his children was happy.

Today however there was something off in Midoriya's voice. He felt a chill running down his spine. Something happened. Something bad definitely happened. It was too good so far!

"What's wrong?!"

"No, it's just..."

"Just say it!" he snapped, already mad with worry. Of course something had to happen!

"It's just he's already five... and no Quirk has manifested yet."

Oh. He sighed with relief. God.

"We've been to the doctor... and he's got the joint." She actually sniffed.

He became uncomfortable. He hated offering consolation. He was always a man of deeds, not words. They always came far easier to him.

"That's not the end of the world," he said, trying to hide his irritation. She scared him there for such a stupid reason!

"But Izuku wants to be a hero so much!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Every kid wants that. He'll be fine. He'll grow up and see there are plenty of jobs in which he can help people."

Midoriya did not sound convinced.

"Oh, I don't know, he-"

One of the sidekicks just barged into his office.

"What the hell d-"

"Endeavor-san! Your wife is calling you on the agency's line! There is a fire! You need to call her back, now!"

He dropped his phone.

888

He was staring and staring at the screen. He felt numb. He alternated between rage, grief and numbness, these days. The feelings came and went and came and went and...

He finally touched the screen.

There was silence.

He knew why she called. It was all over the media.

Seconds passed and finally she said in a choked voice, "I- I can't even begin to imagine... what you... how-"

"I'll be fine." He did not believe that. He would never be fine. His son was dead. He was dead because his parents did not help him. He hated himself. He loathed Rei. He'll never forgive her for that. He'll never forgive himself for that.

"Todoroki-san, if there is anything I could do..."

"Just make sure Izuku is fine." And he ended the call. It was cold, rude, but he couldn't make himself care. Nothing mattered anymore. Not really. Maybe only his other children. Maybe all the children he saved during his hero work. Were their lives bought with his Touya's life? He's almost never been at home, work, work, work, saving people. He wanted to scream.

888

"How is Izuku?"

"He's fine," but she sounded dejected.

"Is he?"

"Yes, just..." she hesitated. "He is bullied, because of his Quirklessness." She sounded so sad and helpless. It was irritating. He wished his family had problems like that.

"Good lesson for future life."

"W-what?" She sounded appalled.

He shrugged on reflex, not that she could see him. "Life is shitty. People are horrible. It's a good lesson. Unpleasant, but it'll make him stronger, wiser."

"You cannot be serious," she replied, obviously shocked.

He did not let himself utter a dry, bitter laugh. "My childhood was far from ideal. But it was a useful experience. Made me what I am today. Do you think I'd survive that long as a hero if I wasn't toughened to what people concoct for each other?"

She replied nothing to that and silence dragged for some minutes. He was about to finish the call when she asked out of the blue. At least it seemed out of the blue. He never was the best at reading people surrounding him. "Have you ever gone to a therapist?"

He bristled. "Do I seem mental?"

A hesitant silence, then "How can you say that? Aren't seeing a therapist compulsory when you're a hero?" Ah, this, the compulsory visit once a year everyone knew how to finish quickly and with no further complications.

"That's something else."

"Todoroki-san. Have you at least seen a therapist after your son died?"

It was years ago, but the wound was fresh as if it was yesterday.

"I really have bigger problems than this!" he realized he was shouting.

"Todoroki-san." Did he hear pity in her voice? He'd better not. "You don't go to a therapist to hear you're broken. You go to a therapist to understand yourself better."

He rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous.

"To understand your relations with others. To understand people surrounding you. To understand processes in you and in others."

"Cause I don't?" She knew nothing about him. 'You're unfair,' whispered the voice of his conscience. 'How is she supposed to know you?' And still. He did not understand people around him. Maybe it was obvious? She could see him on television sometimes, after all. Maybe it was screaming that he just-

Midoriya sighed. "All I want to say is that... It really might help. How is your family coping with your son's death?"

He wanted to snarl at her that it wasn't her business. But to his surprise he realized another part of him, he did not even suspect was there, reared its head whispering he's never ever talked with anyone about these years. With no one, ever. He did not realize, until the chance presented itself, how badly he wanted to.

He hesitated. But she proved she could keep a secret.

"My wife has been in asylum for some years now. My children hate me," he heard himself saying bluntly.

He heard a gasp. Her voice wavered a little when she answered, "You really need to go to a therapist, Todoroki-san. They are going to help you all."

"You know nothing," he murmured.

"I-" she hesitated. "I just- I have this friend. She helped me a lot. She helped me with... Izuku and everything." Everything? "She's always there for me. She is a truly good person, she is, and she loves her son and her son loves her back, but... She doesn't see what she's doing to her family. I mean, I am not saying you're doing anything bad to your family!" She immediately rushed to correct her words. "But it's just- we sometimes don't see things objectively. I mean- think about it. Therapist is not there to blame you or shame you, but to help you."

888

He noticed his children's looks when the phone buzzed.

Natsuo immediately went angry.

"You don't allow us to have phones during dinner! Apparently the precious rules aren't the same for everyone!"

"Natsuo-kun," Fuyumi started in a placatory voice, as always. "You know dad's a hero."

"Ah, sorry, I've completely forgotten," his son snarled venomously. "Our precious hero, shining example of virtue!"

"Natsuo-kun!"

Shouto seemed distant and completely uncaring, like most of the time. He was as cold as the Quirk he has chosen to use exclusively. Even though this evening was for him, especially.

He reached for his phone. He hoped it wasn't anything serious. Today the UA admission results have been announced and this dinner was to celebrate Shouto's huge step towards his hero career. Admittedly the boy refused to take part in an actual exam, knowing well Enji got him a place in the school anyway, but still. Enji was proud that the boy did agree at all to take the path he made for him. He was afraid Shouto would refuse to enter the UA out of hate towards Enji. He told the boy how proud he was of the choice Shouto made, but of course he received only an irritated glance. He wasn't surprised. He remembered how he hated it when his mother suddenly started to praise him when he got into UA. After a whole childhood full of insults and berating, sudden sweet words seemed always false to him. They clashed too much with his memories of the past. They fucked with his mind.

But his therapist was stubborn about this. He reminded him that one of the points of their therapy was to discern the behaviors born out of his childhood experiences and to root out those that were harmful to him and to others. He also said that every person deals with the same problems in different ways, so it is not necessarily true that his children will hate his praise after years of him denying that to them. Still, it seemed the boys did.

He glanced at the phone. It was Midoriya. She never called. Last time was when Touya... Something must have happened. He paled.

"Sorry," he said both nervous with fear and angry it had to happen now, on such an important occasion. Anger was one of the many issues he was working on during the therapy, but sometimes there seemed to be so many of them he had problems believing he could deal with this mountain of shit that seemed to be his mind. Maybe starting therapy when he was in his forties was simply too late. Too late to break down everything and rebuild it. He shook his head. He didn't choose the name Endeavor to be defeatist. And it did not matter now.

"What happened?!", he asked when he was outside, making sure no one could overhear.

"Oh, no, there's nothing wrong!" Midoriya replied in a very happy tone. He felt a familiar fury clouding his mind. This dinner was important!

"I was very busy!"

"Oh." The happiness evaporated. He made a huge effort to calm himself. It never was easy. Often because he usually felt he was right being angry with people.

"It's just. Izuku got admitted to UA today."

What?

"What? You told me he is going to Kita High School?" What? What? Yuuei? How come?

"I thought so too! I mean- we can talk about it some other time if you're busy."

He stared at his phone. Both of his sons got into UA today. It was surreal.

He really wanted to get back to his children, to Shouto, but... even he knew that would be beyond wrong. Izuku got so little from him and he still managed to get as far as Shouto, and without Enji's recommendation, and Quirkless too! He should at least give his mother this little time. Rei's children always came first, but he still owed something to the other child.

"Did he get into support?" Midoriya always said he was very smart. It made sense.

"No, he actually got into the hero course, as he always dreamed!"

"Quirkless?" he blurted out, completely lacking in understanding how this was possible.

"No, actually his Quirk finally manifested not so long ago!" She sounded so happy. "He didn't tell me until now!"

"What, at the age of 15?" This was unheard of. The oldest age any Quirk manifested itself, at least as far as he knew, was 8 and even this was a record. 15?

"Izuku thinks it's because his body would not have handled it before."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, he says it's a little destructive to his body, but it's nothing much. He came back healthy from the exams."

But Enji's mind went blank. He saw Touya again. Touya who so badly wanted to become a hero like his father. Touya whose Quirk was destroying his body. Touya with his skin so burned Enji did not know whether to scream at him or at himself or at Rei or just scream at this whole fucking unfair life. He saw the flames devouring the trees just as they devoured Touya.

"Inko." Last time he used her name was so many years ago, in her, too small for him, bed. His voice was shaking. "You must speak with him. You cannot let his Quirk destroy him!"

"But he's fine..." she sounded surprised, doubtful.

"Touya was also fine!" he shouted. "Touya also dreamed of becoming a hero! Touya also had a self-destructive Quirk!" Now he whole was shaking. "His own Quirk killed him!" He felt tears in his eyes.

"I-, I shall speak with him." Now she sounded scared. Good. She cannot make the same mistakes he did.

"Ask him what the Quirk did to him exactly! They have Recovery Girl in UA; just because he came back healthy means nothing!" At least they also had Eraser Head in UA and from what he heard the man most definitely would not let any child kill himself with their Quirk.

"Alright, alright," now her voice was as shaky as his. "I won't let any harm come to him, I won't! I should have- I knew I should have told him to forget about being a hero..." she sniffed.

There was a pause during which they both made an effort to calm themselves.

"Ah, so that is why... you weren't bothered about him being Quirkless?"

"It is still better than some Quirks," he said decidedly.

"Ah... now I understand. How quickly we jump to being judgemental..." she added the last sentence so quietly he was sure he wasn't meant to hear this. She thought he simply didn't care about his son's Quirklessness, he realised. And in a way, he didn't. Couldn't, not with what happened to Touya.

When he finally finished the harrowing conversation and came back to the table there was only Fuyumi left waiting for him.

888

"And?" he asked with no preamble.

"Um, I made sure he realizes the seriousness of the situation. I've been drilling and drilling him about the Quirk and exams and he finally admitted to me that he actually was training his Quirk supervised..."

"Supervised?"

"Yes, by All Might himself!"

What?

"What?"

"Yes, apparently they've met and All Might noticed they have similar Quirks-"

Similar Quirks? What? He had no one in his family with a body enhancing Quirk. Did Midoriya have? Sometimes Quirks jumped over generations after all...

"-and he says that he's getting the hang of it, that's what he said, and the teachers will make sure he'd not gonna harm himself."

After the conversation was over he felt better about Izuku's safety.

Still...

All Might was mentoring his son.

Could life be more ironic?

A part of him seethed with usual disdain for the man. He was a great hero, no doubt. Enji would not be striving to surpass someone who he'd consider worse than him. But he hated All Might's vision of heroics - eternal smiling, pretending their job was glorious and pure and virtuous, while in reality it broke so many. While in reality it meant you faced what was worst in humanity every goddamn day. But, of course, children were drooling over him, and dreaming of becoming heroes not realizing it was hell.

And there was another part of him, the part that whispered somewhere in the most despised part of his mind 'He is better hero than you and now he is going to be a better mentor to your son than you've ever been to Shouto, want to bet?' in a venomous voice, sounding very much like his mother's. Enji clenched his fists.

888

Enji wasn't sure how to touch the subject, but he felt he needed to.

"Is there a boy with self-destructive Quirk in your class, Shouto?" he finally asked during one of their dinners. Fuyumi froze and gave him a half-worried, half-scared look.

Shouto shrugged.

Enji sighed internally. All the money he put into therapy and he did not see much improvement in their relations. Admittedly the sessions were sparse, too sparse, as expected with Number Two hero work and being a single father trying to properly train his son and simply to spend time with all his children even if they hated it. He had a feeling that maybe the therapist gently suggested to him last time that he should give his children more space, but that seemed ridiculous. How is he going to improve the relations if he lets them loose? They're just gonna run away from him forever.

"Shouto," Fuyumi whispered with slight reproach.

The boy actually rolled his eyes. "There is this Midoriya. Fitting, his hair is green."

Enji's attention was now fully on Shouto's words. "What's with his Quirk?"

Shouto shrugged again. "I heard he broke almost all his limbs during the entrance exam, because of some super destructive attack."

Enji dropped his chopsticks. Fuyumi looked increasingly worried. "Dad..."

"What about the teachers?"

"Aizawa was mad."

Oh, thank God for Eraser Head.
"But in the end he's getting better at it. He only broke one finger during Aizawa's Quirk evaluation. He seems like he really isn't prepared to use the Quirk at all. Like he never bothered to hone it."

Shouto's eyes went cold and he looked straight into Enji's eyes.

"And maybe he had his reasons." His voice was sharp and arctic, eyes condemning Enji, as always.

888

He made sure he looked absolutely calm as he was being given a visitor badge at the entrance to the famous Yuuei, his old high school, the one that immensely helped him to learn what it meant to be a professional hero. He even smiled tightly at the security man who obviously had never met personally Number Two before and was doing his best to seem professional, not a hero fanboy. He made his way towards Nezu's office not meeting anyone, since the lessons were in progress. He was certain that was not accidental; it made sense Nezu would make sure his guests would not have to push their way through the crowds of teenagers, many of them definitely hero worshippers. Well, unless he did not like someone.

Enji was also certain that after this visit he's going to drop into that very circle of Nezu's acquaintances who would be pushing through the children. Too bad he couldn't care less. Not after what happened.

The only reason he knocked on the door was that he knew the principal well enough to be sure the door could be opened remotely only by Nezu and it wouldn't budge if he tried to barge in.

"Endeavor-san," he was welcomed by Nezu's most serious face. At least the principal would not try to downplay what happened or to sugar-placate him.

He finally let his flames burst around his face, not caring for possible fire alarms. "You let the army of villains invade the school," he growled, his fury dripping from every word he uttered, his rage set ablaze in every cell of his body. "You've endangered the lives of future generation of heroes!" 'Our children!' he thought struggling not to burn everything around him to the fucking ground.

"Endeavor-san," answered Nezu gravely. "How long have we known each other?"

Enji went quiet, trying to not let his (ratious!) anger take full control of him. Though a huge part of him truly wouldn't mind. His Shouto could have dies. His Izuku could have died. Sure, when they'd become proheroes this possibility would be always with him, but not yet! When they weren't ready!

"I have chosen this school for Shouto, so that I could be sure he would be best prepared to not die in action as a prohero. Not to see him dying because he entered it!"

Nezu sighed. "I don't have children. I cannot imagine how you feel..."

'If he mentions Touya, I'll punch him, to hell with consequences.'

"But you know me, Endeavor-san. Do you honestly think I don't take all precautions to make my students safe?"

"Apparently you don't," he answered coldly. It's about the results, not about clear conscience that you did your best.

Nezu's face shifted only so slightly. Enji usually wasn't the best at reading people's emotions, but he's grown to be quite good at discerning negative ones. He was surrounded by them at home, at work, all the time. So he noticed.

"The students shall be safe." Principal's tone dropped a few degrees colder, eyes lacking now understanding and sympathy from before. "If you haven't recalled, nobody was seriously hurt."

"Army of villains broke into your school, Nezu."

"And my teachers protected students," Nezu replied swiftly.

They were measuring each other for a few seconds.

"Nothing like this ever happened when Might Chuck was the principal."

Nezu's whiskers froze for a second.

"These are not the times of Might Chuck."

"Times are always the same. Competence may differ though."

Now Nezu's eyes were frigid. Enji couldn't care less. He was never known for sugarcoating his criticism or sweetening his words in order to maintain relationships.

"We have known each other for years, Endeavor-san. If you'd be so kind as to find time in your busy schedule to think about it."

"I have known you for years, Nezu. If you'd be so kind as to reconsider the trust you put in your staff."

The whiskers trembled for a split second and Enji knew Nezu had become angry now.

"I trust the people I have chosen."

"If this trust kills my son, I'll destroy you," said Enji simply, since if you are to burn the bridges you might as well do it to the very last pillar. And, besides, he knew anger could be the best propeller. He knew that well. Let it fuel rat's will to get to the bottom of the leak that could kill Yuuei students. That could kill his children.

"Surely you meant your both sons?" asked Nezu lightly.

Enji froze.

That furry spying son of a bitch.

They stared at each other for a short eternity; finally Nezu decided to continue as the aftershock of a killing blow subsided.

"Like I've said before, I can't imagine how you feel, since I can't have my own children, however since I can't, it's my students I consider that. " His eyes were hard, piercing. "I won't let anything happen to any of them."

Enji simply turned away and left.

He closed his eyes the moment the door shut, hearing the thudding of his heart in his ears. He made a huge effort to calm himself to some degree.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Just when he was trying to work things out with his family!

The door moved slightly and he instantly turned to face Nezu again.

"Endeavor-san," he sighed. "I apologize. But it is my duty to know all my students' backgrounds. Thoroughly."

"Then be as thorough in finding the leak," he replied, his throat dry, the fierceness from before gone.

Nezu's stare was long, penetrating, and Enji realized how much more the rat probably knows. Whatever he expected next to hear it wasn't this though.

"I'm sorry, Endeavor-san, for endangering your children, I am sorry." He bowed to him deeply. And then he was back in his office, the door shut.