Heroes Not Always Make Good Dads

by ashika pl

Just a what if story with Midoriya Izuku being Endeavor's secret 'love' child written from Enji's perspective, canon compliant when it can be.

8. Varia

Author's Notes:

So, promised additional scenes incoming! Honestly it's just a bunch of my little headcanons and some stuff I just wanted to see written, nothing all that important or ambitious, but I still hope you're going to like it. If not, well, they can be ignored.
They're in chronological order, if I didn't frack anything up, first happens after Enji's fight with High End, last years after the main story.
No smuts, after all, though we're quite close in a couple of scenes.
Also, as I mentioned once, I've been asked to write Inko's POV for this story, but this chapter ended up as so long that I will think about just writing a short one-shot maybe and making it a part of the series. Also, I'm very tempted to write Izuku's POV o his interactions with Endeavor and also of the Bakudeku thing. What do you think?
Also, I've used reverse GT to remove mistakes from main story and succeeded in removing a lot of vocabulary and punctuation problems, removed some grammar mistakes and added new ones XD (I'm especially fond of the fact that I have completely forgotten there is this magic construction 'was going to' so I pretty much replaced all would with will, cause GT said it makes more sense XD right XD I promise one day I'll make another go at removing all the mistakes) Also I have added a small scene in the last chapter of the main story, right before Hawks visits Enji in his bedroom, cause I realised the whole story is about Enji and Izuku and there is practically no Izuku in the last part XD.
So, lots of love 3

08. Varia

Hawks beamed, as usual, when their eyes met. Soon their sweet time together was going to be over, might as well squeeze everything he could out of it. And annoy the hell out of his beloved hero, Endeavor.

"What now, Hawks?" grumbled the big guy, but Hawks'd swear it was just a pretence and that his presence wasn't all that unwelcome. He was sure of that. Honestly, who'd find his presence unwelcome anyway?

"Brought you the best mocha in Fukuoka, and with cinnamon and choco stars!"

Endeavor-san rolled his eyes, because, as everyone knew, his Quirk made him unable to say nice things like 'Thank you'.

"And also some chidori manju! Nothing can beat those!"

"Polish krowki are better."

Hawks gasped.

"You stab me. You stab me in my heart. Look at it - all the love I've got for you is pouring out now."

"If you intend to spew bullshit, you can leave now."

"So cold!" Hawks pretended to be oh-so-hurt, but smirked as Endeavor-san obviously tried very hard not to seem as eager with his mocha as he was. It was so cute. Hawks had his personal theory that Endeavor-san was really soft inside, too soft, that's why he covered his core with such thick, hard crust. Would be nice if Hawks managed to break through it one day, by some miracle.

"Why are you still here? You can stare at my photos on your computer back in your home," grumbled the big guy some more.

"I wouldn't be able to smell your sweet manly scent, Endeavor-san!"

The number one rolled his eyes again.

"I don't smell. My Quirk prevents it."

"Huh, interesting."

Endeavor-san did not comment, munching through the manjuus. Hawks did his best so far, but finally gave up and stole one for himself too. He never could watch other people eat. He had enough of that in his childhood.

There was some surprisingly amicable silence while Endeavor was finishing his mocha and wordlessly sharing the manjus with Hawks. Hawks could stay like that, like, forever. Such a shame the man was married. Such a shame. Best ones always just had to be taken. Though in Hawks' books there wasn't any plural actually, there's been only this one flame, always.

"So... your feathers must be highly innervated? Considering how you use them?"

"Yes, the-" Suddenly Hawks realized where this was going. And he was right, as always, as he saw Endeavor's face dropping grim.

"Really, Endeavor-san, you've sustained almost crippling injuries yourself, you are laying in a hospital bed, and you worry about a little pain of mine?"

"Burning alive is not a little pain."

"You don't know that."

"I saw people burn." Endeavor-san's azure eyes were so dark now. Hawks hated it.

"I'm fine, Endeavor-san. Did you see me folded in half with pain during the fight? Cause I certainly don't remember anything like that."

Endeavor-san drove a long, penetrating look into Hawks' eyes. Hawks gazed back shamelessly.

"You certainly are very tough," Endeavor-san admitted finally. "But it doesn't change the facts. You were in pain because I burned you alive. It was my fault."

Hawks opened his mouth in protest and, of course, the doctor had to come in. Of course. Hawks' luck.

"Endeavor-san,"

"Just leave," said the man, again looking so angry. Always so angry. It pained Hawks more than his burned feathers had. He so badly wanted to dispell that endless anger. But Endeavor-san wasn't a man he could tell that to.

So he left, hoping to find some proper words next time they see each other. Words that would actually convince Endeavor-san that blaming himself was horseshit. And also a bit offensive. Hawks was a Number Two. He wasn't some civilian Endeavor-san failed to protect. If anything, all this was Hawks' fault...

888

"Oh my God, this is so warm!" exclaimed Hawks grinning.

Enji barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

"What else have you expected from a fire user?"

"I expected exactly this and I'm very happy I'm not disappointed!" the bird responded as he snuggled into Enji's huge body. "Oh, God, so nice! You know what you should do after we win this? Create a line of Endeavor heated dakimakura!"

"Who would want an Endeavor dakimakura?"

"Me."

This time Enji actually rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, you should hire me as your merchandise manager. You'll drown in money."

"Absolutely not."

888

He was so warm, as expected of a fire user. Hawks loved that. His light build, well suited for his Quirk, meant he was getting cold extremely easily. A fire Quirk user could have been his worst enemy, yes, but could have been his best friend too, in the right circumstances. And these were the best circumstances, in Hawks' humble opinion.

He shamelessly pushed his body against Endeavor-san's even more tightly. He was no fool. He knew this probably wouldn't happen again. Tonight was special; the night before the ultimate boss battle won't occur again. So Hawks was determined to enjoy every second of it, even if chastly.

Shame his cock had to misbehave, but who could blame it. All these years filled with dirty fantasies about Endeavor-san and here he was, laying in the big guy's bed, pressed against his muscular, aphrodisiacal body.

And of course Endeavor-san noticed, of course he would. He was the Number One, after all, he wouldn't get there with no keen awareness of surroundings.

"Sorry, Endeavor-san, please don't mind it."

Silence responded and Hawks sighed. All he needed now was this sweet moment to be ruined just because he got hard, like an average healthy young man he was.

"I'm really sorry," he said again and very reluctantly pushed himself away. He really wanted to lay with his nose pressed into Endeavor-san's sleeping jinbei, but he wasn't a man to make others uncomfortable like that. He already has been worried if Endeavor-san didn't feel sexually harassed by the flippant behavior he always showe around the man. The big guy might look tough and sturdy, but everyone has their issues and everyone has the right to have boundaries.

Endeavor-san's eyes were scrutinizing him.

"Are you angry? Want me to leave?" Would be nice if the big guy said something. Usually he was like an open book, but not this time. Hawks didn't like it.

"...I'm not. I suppose it's natural for... normal people."

"Is this how you see yourself? Not normal? Weird?"

Endeavor-san shrugged. "It isn't normal."

"Oh dear, please never say in the media you think asexuality isn't normal, Endeavor-san. That won't help your image," said Hawks jokingly, but honestly he couldn't care less for image, despite what he publicly claimed. All he cared about was how Endeavor-san's intimate life had to look like, if all these years he believed himself to be unnatural, not normal, a failure maybe.

"Not like my image could have been even worse."

Hawks thought carefully how he should approach the subject. And whether he should at all. But since when was he a coward, shying away from voicing his opinion? And it wasn't like he didn't want to help.

"There is nothing wrong or not normal in asexuality. One could say you're blessed, not burdened with thinking with your cock," he winked.

Endeavor-san's face actually softened. Hawks felt butterflies in his stomach at the sight. He said something that made this always scowling, irritated, obviously insecure big guy feel better. How cool was Hawks, really, to manage that, he patted himself internally.

"That's a nice view on that."

"I'm just saying what I'm thinking," Hawks assured him.

"I know. You don't like lying, do you?"

"No. Though I sometimes have to." He hated those times.

Enji nodded in understanding, his face serious.

And then he suddenly reached for Hawks' zipper. Hawks immediately realized what must have been going on in the big guy's mind.

"You don't need to do anything," he stopped Endeavor-san's hand. "I really did not come here to have sex with you."

Endeavor-san gazed into his eyes for a couple of very long seconds. "I want to give this to you. I probably- I definitely won't be too good at this, but I want to give this to you, Hawks."

"You really don't have to. I don't want this night to be a hateful memory in your mind."

"It won't." And there went the zipper. And pants. And underwear.

'I swear to God I'm gonna come the moment he touches me, like some goddamn virgin,' realized Hawks half-horrified. The other half replayed the words 'I definitely won't be too good'. Endeavor-san could probably use someone coming so easily for him, his obvious insecurities would definitely alleviate a bit.

But Endeavor-san did not reach for Hawks' cock. Instead he moved himself down Hawks' body, to have his face...

'Oh, God, if he gives me head I can die tomorrow with my life fulfilled and no regrets.'

And then Hawks realized.

And then Enji stared.

There fell a horrible, stretching for millenia pause.

"I was young, okay, and stupid. I thought it's gonna be sexy and funny," groaned Hawks.

"...is that me?"

Hawks closed his eyes. Fuck dying tomorrow, he's gonna die tonight, out of embarrassment.

"I was young, okay, mistakes of youth etc, okay?"

Endeavor-san was still staring at the stupid tattoo.

"I am afraid my cock really isn't that big, even erected," he finally said.

Hawks groaned. "Can we go to sleep now, pretty please?"

888

The bird took in stupid nerd's room wide eyed.

"Aaaaw, this reminds me of how my room used to look like when I was a teenager!"

"It was Endeavor themed though, right?" smiled All Might.

"You bet! All the money I've been getting from the Commission I've been spending on every possible Endeavor merch! Good thing they weren't releasing as many products as in your case, All Might-san! But I have every Endeavor action figure ever released! Every wall in my room was covered with posters, too! I even ordered one to be especially made for me, by some specialist in photoshop, and spent some lovely, quality time staring at it in the evenings, doing naughty stuff."

"Hawks, it's a little too much information," said All Might, clearly embarrassed.

But it was nothing compared to how the stupid nerd looked, his face so scarlet Katsuki expected him to explode in a fountain of blood any moment now, as he stared at All Might terrified.

"All Might! I don't- I never did- I wouldn't-" Stupid idiot, All Might hasn't even thought of that. Until now. How stupid could one get?

All Might now got equally purple as his nerd.

The bird grinned widely. Katsuki grinned back and their high fived each other cackling at the two embarrassed idiots. Living here might have some pros after all, Katsuki decided.

888

The silence was sated, full, pleasant, everyone too busy digesting the wonderful welcoming feast. Inko-san, Endeavor-san and Izuku-kun cleaned their plates nicely. Hawks approved. However.

"Are you gonna finish that, All Might-san?"

All Might-san got pink, clearly embarrased.

"I try to fight my habit of eating with my eyes, but it's impossible to win when there is so much temptation on the table."

"It's okay, I can finish it for you. It would be horrible if it went to waste."

He felt them looking, but he didn't care, he never cared about people staring, people wondering, people judging.

"We actually do have a composter, Hawks, don't worry about this," replied Enji.

But Hawks already dragged All Might's plate towards himself and shrugged.

"Plants don't deserve this work of art," he answered, devouring everything in seconds.

"Have you been being starved as a kid or what?" asked Katsuki-kun bluntly.

"My folks were poorer and less resourceful than an alley cat," Hawks shrugged. "If I wasn't disgusted by eating out of trash bins back then, than trust me, I won't find disgusting finishing someone else's meal now," he added a bit defiantly and stole Shouto's plate, who also apparently overestimated his stomach.

He felt Inko-san's and Katsuki-san's drilling look. He ignored them. He also ignored how they have exchanged the glances. He couldn't care less that they found it disgusting. He wouldn't let the food go to waste even if it would be used as a compost.

It was only tomorrow afternoon that he understood what was the meaning of exchanged glances.

"Kaaacchaaaan!" He called in a singsong voice as he entered the kitchen.

Katsuki-kun actually threw a spoon at him.

"Don't call me that, stupid bird."

"Oh, so only Izuku-kun can do that?"

Katsuki-kun got pink. So cute. They all were so cute and innocent here. Maybe apart from Inko-san. He could feel the familiar pervert vibes from her, he swore he did, even if she's been hiding it well.

But he actually had a reason to seek Katsuki-kun.

"Was that you that had stocked my cabinet with snacks?"

Instead of answering Katsuki beckoned him to the fridge.

"This is your shelf. You eat whatever whenever. Don't touch other shelves. If you eat the ingredients for the next meal I'll explode your bird ass."

"Mmm, doesn't it mean you'd need to put something in before?"

Katsuki-kun got nicely red. Oh, sweet teenage innocence.

"And if you're out of food here and in your room, this is your cupboard."

The cupboard looked like it had virtually all food Katsuki-kun (and probably Inko-san) found in the nearby supermarket. Hawks's heart melted, so he kissed Katsuki-kun on his cheek, receiving an indignant sound.

"Thanks," he said. "You'll make me so fat."

"Then have restraint," growled Katsuki-kun, but Hawks knew better than to take it as something actually hostile.

"I've always had perfect metabolism," he boasted. 'Well, at least when I had my wings to burn a lot of calories.' But he didn't add that. Even if he had slower metabolism now and got a little fatter it wouldn't matter. He no longer needed to be so light, after all. He also didn't say that out loud. He promised himself long time ago he won't let past drag him down. And Fierce Wings were part of past now.

So he said nothing more, just grinned at Katsuki-kun and planted another kiss on the cheek, to receive a very creative lithany of profanities.

888

"You're trending on Twitter, Endeavor-san!" Hawks smiled widely.

Enji gave him a suspicious look. Then it clicked.

"SHOUTO! I've specifically told you not to upload that photo!"

"It's okay, it boosted your popularity, I'd say," Hawks tried to comfort him.

"Show me."

And there it was, Enji sitting in his garden, only in his fireproof underwear, most of his body burning with fire of various degrees, the barbecue grate on his crossed legs loaded with barbecue food, some more barbecue delicacies impaled on wires and hanging from his arms and neck.

"Shouto!"

"Stop whining. Read the description."

'It may look ridiculous, but this actually is a difficult and effective way to train your fire quirk.'

Enji rolled his eyes. "Like they'd buy it."

"It has more than 100k likes, Endeavor-san, and the number goes up," grinned Hawks.

"The things I do for you all, really," mumbled Enji.

"Stop whining," said Katsuki again. "We're never using an actual grill again. I've never eaten meat so perfectly grilled before. Get used to this."

Enji pouted, but not really.

888

Izuku was scribbling fervently all the information he got about that new young hero from Kyushu, Cheshire. Her double quirk was amazing – mutant type cat with emitter type claws that could change into small black holes, of sorts. It was fascinating to try to analyze and understand the capabilities, limits and possible dangers involving using those claws. He wished he could meet her personally to ask her all sorts of questions! Perhaps they could meet one day on the field? Then he c-

"Preparation for coming back to school?" asked Dad, bringing him iced peach tea. Izuku almost jumped, so caught up in his favorite hobby he hadn't even noticed Dad coming in through the open shouji. He scolded himself internally. He needed to be more aware of his surroundings, even in the safe environment of his home. Because he could call this place that, right? He did not know if Mum intended to come back to their old apartment. They both certainly loved it, there were so many precious memories embedded in it, but Mum seemed to love this place even more – spacious, with giantic garden, with a big family as she immediately started to call them all. But would it even work? They weren't a pair, Mum and Dad; Dad was with Hawks, as far as he noticed, and it probably would be weird for both of them, especially for Hawks, to live with a woman Enji had a child with, even if Hawks seemed to adore Inko. So pro-

"Izuku?" Dad seemed amused.

"Ah, sorry, caught up in, er, thinking, Dad," he blushed embarrassed. At least this time he wasn't mumbling.

"Everything okay?"

"Sure, Dad," he smiled warmly. Dad was so easily melted with those little things that were most natural and everyday for Izuku. Mom was always the sort of person who would shower Izuku with affection. Hugs, and smiles, and gentle touches were how Izuku grew up. He knew most people, at least in this part of Japan, weren't too fond of those, so he learned quickly how to discern those who'd be alright with them. Dad was one of those people who seemed starved for them. Made Izuku want to perpetually hug him.

So he hugged him now, cause there never was anything wrong with a random hug with his Dad.

"You're just so unreal," mumbled Dad, as he hugged him back eagerly, as always. Izuku chuckled.

"Huh?" Dad noticed his hero analysis notebook, the latest one.

"Uh, that's nothing important."

"Is it alright for me...?"

"Sure," answered Izuku, a little embarrassed. His little analysis was probably going to seem naive for such a seasoned hero like Dad.

Dad started to browse it with wide eyes that quickly turned slightly.. misty? He definitely looked moved.

"Dad?"

Dad smiled quite enigmatically.

"Come, Izuku, love, I'll show you something."

He went after Dad, curious. He was led into one of the storage rooms, the one barely used, full of really old stuff, some he suspected Dad had brought from his childhood home, some gathered when his kids were small. He watched Dad rummage in one of the chests (actual chests! Like in Skyrim! Well, almost like those in Skyrim! Would Dad like Skyrim? It was such an old game, but so peaceful and Dad loved meditating in his garden, so he did have a peaceful side to him. And Shouto liked Sk-)

"Ah, there they are."

Izuku was brought back to Earth.

Dad smiled a little sheepishly.

"Look."

Izuku came closer, to see a couple of dozens of very old... notebooks? His eyes widened.

"You- you wanna say-"

"...I'm glad you take good things after me, Izuku. I always loved writing in those when I was young."

Izuku eagerly got to browsing them. Dad's calligraphy was beautiful, his drawings amazing, completely unlike Izuku's, but the very system was identical, almost as if created by the same person.

"Dad, you never told me you were so talented in drawing!"

"It's not that important. Not in hero work anyway." Dad looked a bit unsure of himself, always so insecure. Were his hero drawings derided by his mum? Who knows. Izuku hugged him anyway.

"I love them, Dad! Can I borrow them? I want to read it all!"

Dad's ears got slightly pink.

"I was young, these are not necessarily very accurate."

"They look amazing! I'd love to read about all these older heroes seen through your eyes, back in their times! And have you been analyzing your classmates too?"

"Yeah, they found it helpful, actually." Dad smiled, though this time more to his memories, it seemed.

"It will be so cool to compare their abilities back then and now when they are so long in the field!"

Dad's eyes were so bright now, so happy. Izuku felt warmth spreading in his heart.

888

Enji hesitated. This was such a sensitive subject, even if Hawks always approached it lightly and jokingly. But Enji wasn't stupid. He knew it had been a terrible loss for Hawks.

"Um, you want my driver to get you to our agency?"

"It would be quicker if you got me there yourself." Ah, so Hawks guessed correctly what was bothering Enji. Well, not for the first time.

"Um, okay."

"Oh, Enji, your face is like an open book. I would love to fly again with your help."

"Um, I'm sure it's not really like flying using actual wings..."

Hawks reached up for his face and dragged it down for a chaste kiss. Still Enji couldn't help but wonder if the boy wasn't thinking right now that with his wings he wouldn't have to reach up, he could just fly up and...

"Stop worrying so much. I'm happy with my life, Enji. I've got you."

Enji got slightly pink.

"I'm gonna get my goggles and warmer clothes."

Enji smiled. "Really? Warmer clothes?"

Hawks startled and started to laugh.

"True! Guess this is the force of habit!"

Soon they were rushing above the skyscrapers, Hawks in his arms, Enji wondering if it made the boy happy or on the contrary, pained, reminded of his loss.

"Can you do a flip?" he heard Hawks.

"Uh, I've told you these are not wings. It's not that easy to make finely controlled maneuvers using fire as the propeller in the air."

"It isn't, if you take only fire into your consideration. But there is also wind."

"These are not wings, Hawks."

"I know," Hawks looked up and there was such a tender, appreciative look in his eyes that Enji immediately knew he's going to agree with whatever Hawks says next. "Let me help you improve your mobility a bit, Endeavor-san. I can't fly anymore, but I can help you fly better."

In the end, of course, Hawks was right, as usual.

888

Enji was pouting and was not going to hide it in the slightest. Now that Katsuki had been finally cleared to go back to school all three of his boys were going back to dormitories. Both Izuku and Shouto had been already participating in classes before, but they got permission from Nezu to stay at Enji's house to help Katsuki keep up with classes. Now however came the dreadful, wretched day.

"Oh my god, dad, stop pouting," Shouto rolled his eyes as they were getting into the car.

Enji said nothing. This was horrible. He had all the right to pout. Before he realizes, they will be adults, having their own life, their own houses, and he did not understand why he should let these few left years be taken away from him.

Shouto groaned. "I think it's even worse than when I was leaving for dormitories for the first time."

Katsuki snickered.

"Don't worry, dad, I'll be calling you everyday!" assured him Izuku, the golden boy.

"Yeah, right, you won't be calling me at all and will be leaving me on read, too engaged in your teenage fascinating activities, I've been there" mumbled Enji in a sulking tone.

"Ah, right, Izuku. I have never warned you," said Shouto. "Now that you're his son, proper and official, you'd better change your phone number."

"Shouto!"

"He won't give you a moment of peace. He'll be harassing you day and night."

"That's not true, Shouto," Enji groaned in pain. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay!"

"Well, he wasn't," said Katsuki bluntly, as usual not caring that people were currently going through a tragedy. "How can he be okay if he's an introvert with a father that doesn't give a shit about that fact."

Shouto shot a surprised, but grateful look at Katsuki. Enji looked at Katsuki with hurt in his eyes.

"I just want to show him my love!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes. 'Oh my god, why do the children do that to you? Why do they have to stomp over your bleeding heart?' wondered Enji.

"Well, show him your love by respecting his needs, you extravert drama queen."

Enji reached depths of sulking not explored by mankind.

"It's okay, actually why won't we do it this way - I'm gonna call you everyday, dad, since I don't mind, and keep you up to date with Shouto's life, and Shouto'll have some space."

His Shouto looked at Izuku with actual love in his eyes.

"Izuku, you are the angel God sent me, I know that now," he said seriously.

888

It was a sunny, pleasant afternoon. It was just a mere couple of months since they had moved in, but Inko already could not imagine living somewhere else. Could not imagine living with someone else. Today was a rare day when everyone had a day off, so they decided to play together some sort of a strategy game Inko totally had no head for, so she settled to be the person bringing them cold beers and snacks and watching them while reading herself. It was so peaceful to see them all seated around the table brought onto the emerald grass, sipping their drinks, discussing things not necessarily game-related, grinning, relaxed. She was so happy to be here. So happy to see her Izuku beaming practically all the time, finally having a loving dad. Finally having Katsuki by his side, the other boy's mood greatly improved when he at last had been cleared to go back to school, last one of all injured heroes in this household, his internal injuries gravest even than All Might's.

There came a collective groan.

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

"There is no point in playing against your son, Inko-chan," sighed Hawks. "The boy is undefeatable."

Izuku grinned. "We can play something else."

"Let's play poker! I wanna see your poker faces!" decided Hawks.

"Shouto doesn't have to work on one."

"Kacchan."

"What, it's true."

They all started to laugh.

"What are you reading Inko-chan?"

She got slightly pink. "Oh, just some fanfiction."

Izuku got red. He once found her laptop opened on one of the smuts. Since that time he has never taken a single peek at her computer ever again.

"Ooooh, you read fanfiction?" Hawks seemed exhilarated. "Have you ever read 'Fan the Flames'?"

She stared at him. He looked back, absolute innocence in his eyes.

"Oh my god, Hawks, you read... Oh, of course you read endhawks fanfiction."

"Ah, look at you, you immediately know what fic I'm talking about!"

"Well, it was..." Explicit. Amazingly written. Smart. Funny. With unbelievable amounts of rough sex in practically every place and every position possible.

Hawks looked at her questioningly.

"...very well written."

"Thanks, I wrote it myself."

Shouto choked on his radler.

"You're writing about having sex with my father."

"Well, I'm a fanboy, what can I say?"

"What?" stared Enji, who obviously finally realized what the hell they were talking about.

"And, Shouto, how the hell do you know what I'm talking about?" asked Hawks, mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't even ask," groaned Shouto.

"I am asking."

Shouto rolled his eyes. "There are crazy fujoshi everywhere, even in my school. And dad is-"

She tried not to giggle at Enji's dropped jaw.

"-buff and big and high in the rankings. You don't want to know what kind of questions I'd been asked after they had seen this photo of you supporting him after his fight with High End, especially that everyone knows you're his fan."

"Shouto, that's horrible! I didn't know you were being bothered like that!" Enji seemed horrified.

Shouto merely shrugged.

"He's writing fanfiction himself," deadpanned Katsuki.

There fell a deaf silence as everyone was now staring at Shouto as if he turned into Tomura Shigaraki himself.

"...shut up, all of you," replied Shouto finally, his cheeks pink.

888

The first fight in the final part of the Sports Festival was Deku vs Uravity. That is going to be interesting. Well, actually, whole this years' Festival was something else, with students that already were on a pro level after taking part in an actual war against the greatest villain of all time. Still, Enji knew well who was going to take first place this year, even if everyone else was truly amazing.

He inhaled as much air as his lungs, weakened after the surgery, would allow.

"DEKUUUU!" he roared, startling the very fighters and half of the arena.

Izuku turned his head towards him and Enji sent him his best parental grin that hopefully conveyed all the pride and love and happiness that was filling him to the brink.

And Izuku grinned back, full of joy, and he'd swear he saw a couple of touched tears in the boy's eyes.

'You've got a proud dad, Izuku, don't forget that, you'll always have one.'

"DEKUUU!" he roared again, ignoring Present Mic's groan and Shouto hiding his face in his hands.

888

"I was sometimes wondering if you truly were so big or was it only me being a virgin back then," smiled Inko pleasantly, stretching her body, enjoying the postcoital glow. Silence answered, so she glanced at Enji to, of course, find him looking guilty.

She sighed. Poor guy. All the years of therapy and there still were so many wrinkles in his heart someone needed to straighten.

"Hey, Enji, penny for your thoughts?"

"I am sorry for your first time. It must have been horrible for you," he answered, pained.

Inko always believed healthy relationship should not rely on any lies, so she replied, "It was." He hung his head. "But it's not your fault."

"How could it not be my fault? I was supposed to be experienced, you had the right to expect-"

"No, I hadn't. That's the thing, Enji, I had no right to go to bed with you, seeing you only as the hero from my dreams, from the fanfiction I had read, expecting you to take me to heaven. Even the very expectation that a first time would be perfect with anyone was a little naive. And you are a human being, not a man from the dreams, Enji."

"It's not about not being not perfect. It's about me having made it horrible."

Inko snuggled closer and positioned herself so that she could be face to face with this big, sad man. She took his face into her hands to make sure he would look into her eyes and see there was no lie there.

"Enji, if you knew I was a virgin beforehand, would you have laid with me?"

"No, of course not."

"And who was the one who had kept it from you?"

Enji, of course, did not reply. She noticed that for some years now he became really reluctant to share the blame for anything. From extreme to extreme, huh?

"I knew you would have not laid with me, so I withheld it from you. I just reaped what I sowed, hiding that from you, and foolishly treating you like a fictional lover not like a human being just like me."

"Still."

"Oh, Enji," she planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "It's okay, sweetheart," His eyes widened a bit at the term. He was so easy like that, so starved for basic expressions of love, so bittersweet was that. "No harm was done. You haven't ruined my sex life or anything, my dearest flame. If anything, it was the encounter with me that had made you convinced you were no good, right?"

"It's not your fault! I knew- well, after I knew you had been a virgin, I knew I could try again with someone experienced. I just didn't want to."

"You didn't want to," she repeated.

"It's not your fault," he insisted.

"Let's make a deal, Enji, I won't be blaming myself and you won't be blaming yourself, okay?"

"But-"

"Okay, sweetheart?" She kissed him again.

He sighed and she felt him melting under her voice and eyes and touch. She smiled warmly.

"I don't regret what happened back then. I don't. I never will, Enji."

He, of course, sniffed. That worried her too. It was good he let himself release his emotions with ways other than anger, but he was close to tears a little too often these recent years, she had noticed. Moved with such small stuff sometimes. It was a sign things were still raw inside, still needed healing. But after so many difficult years he had behind him, mere few happy ones were maybe still a little too little.

She hugged him tight. "I am happy, and I hope we can make you happy too, Enji."

He kissed her back.

"You already do."

888

This had been the first time they had sex in proper bed, well, futon actually, since that one time, so many years ago, and it was so nice to be able to snuggle into her body, even if so much smaller than his. When he was young he had looked down at stout women, wondering if they don't care about their own health, not even realizing he was basically repeating his parents' opinion. When he got older and his family life started to break apart, he realised it truly was not his fucking business to judge others, especially for such little things that hurt no one. Now he realized he has come to love Inko's figure and he wouldn't want her to look any other way. Well, of course, he'd accept if she wanted to lose some weight, this was her body after all, but personally he hoped she stayed like this. It was wonderful to bury yourself in her softness like this. That she looked nothing like his mother also helped with Enji's issues a lot. He remembered well his mother's boney, tight hugs, rare, and always seeming false, even if she started to mean them late in their life.

But with Inko... With Inko before he realized, he was already dozing off peacefully, no voices in his head whispering he wasn't good enough, that maybe she had pretended, that he definitely had hurt her, that... It was all gone. It was wonderful.

A movement woke him up.

"Bathroom?" he mumbled. He did not want her to leave. It had been so nice to sleep by her side.

"No, Enji, you're just too warm and I can't sleep like that, love."

Oh. Rei too hated sleeping in his arms. She wouldn't say that out loud, but he had very quickly realized why she would just lay there all night, her eyes tired but open, and look exhausted in the mornings. They started to sleep in separate futons, and some time after in separate bedrooms.

"It's like sleeping in hell, sweetheart. Well, makes sense with you being handsome as some demon of lust." She kissed his forehead. And that was the difference. With Rei it had always stung so much, this little thing, it had been feeding the ocean of his insecurities, another small thing showing him that his Quirk was bad, that he himself was not good enough for anything... But Inko somehow was capable of dispelling all this with a few simple loving words, a genuine smile, and it did not hurt, it did not make him feel like shit. If she did not want to sleep in his arms, because he was too warm it only meant she did not want to sleep in his arms, because he was too warm, not that things were breaking apart, not that she meant something more, not that he fucked up and she was unwilling to say that, not that he was a horrible bed partner.

"Okay," he sighed.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, sweetheart."

Sweetheart. What was he, fifteen, that a ridiculous word like that was making him feel goddamn butterflies? Apparently he was.

"No, go to your bed, I'm fine, love."

"I'll stay."

She kissed him again, this time on top of his head.

Before he realized, he was deep asleep again, no worries in his heart.

888

"What are your favourite flowers?"

Toshinori stared at Enji, surprised. Enji got immediately embarrassed as he tended to, evidently immediately regretting asking.

"I used to like roses, like most, but now I love sunflowers. They look a lot like me, thin, tall, and with a bush of blond," he grinned, hoping it would loosen the other man up.

"Hm," replied Enji enigmatically and did not continue on the subject. Was he planning something for Toshinori's birthday? But flowers? Well, Enji did love them, but still, Toshinori just could not see Enji buying him a bouquet of flowers. These were reserved only for Inko-san and young Hawks.

Nor next day neither the day after had brought him any sunflowers in any form, so soon it dropped out of Toshinori's mind.

It was only months later that he spotted their young brown faces crowned with golden petals blooming in the garden and was reminded of the conversation.

He touched the subject when Enji came to the engawa with his laptop, to peacefully work by Toshinori's side. Enji might not look like it, with his not too superb people skills, anger issues and insecurities blocking him during human interactions, but Toshinori soon noticed the man was actually an extravert and he hated being alone. It was funny, really; nobody would ever guess that always beaming, always loving his fans, always taking parts in all sort of campaigns and events All Might actually was more of an introvert, while cold and untalkative Endeavor was an extravert. Still he wasn't an annoying type of extravert, so more introverted Toshinori did not mind the constant presence on the engawa. Not mentioning he was glad the ill feeling Enji always had towards Toshinori had finally ceased to exist, sign of healed issues. He smiled at the younger man.

"I noticed the sunflowers."

Enji got a little pink, as usual, always half-expecting whatever people said to him to be veiled criticism. He progressed a lot in this and many other fields, but it still wasn't completely rooted out.

"They're beautiful, can't wait for them to get bigger," he added kindly.

Enji chewed a bit on an answer. Toshinori hoped his smile and posture conveyed the other man could speak his mind freely, without feeling embarrassed.

"I just like to look at the garden," he finally replied, "and be reminded of everyone. To look at pansies and think of Inko and Hawks, look at daffodils and think of Izuku, look at lavender and think of Fuyumi..."

"Ah, I never thought about this that way. Never thought you could design the garden like that. This is so nice."

"This is being a sap, that's what it is," they've heard young Katsuki as he got out onto the engawa. "Brought you two lava cakes," he added.

Toshinori grinned. "And look who's talking."

"What?" young Katsuki bristled.

"Some people plant flowers for others, some cook," Enji replied smirking, to Toshinori's surprise.

"Bullshit," answered young Katsuki, because of course he would. But Toshinori would swear he saw a shadow of smile at boy's face.

"By the way, Katsuki loves clovers, but I haven't told you this," shared Enji in a conspiratory voice.

"Did you ask everyone what flowers do they like?"

"...maybe."

Toshinori kept smiling. He always had known the rough exterior Enji showed to the world couldn't be his true nature. Always suspected there had to be something broken inside, some internal struggle happening only Enji had known about. First time he had realized he had been correct about it had been during the Sports Festival and had only been kept proven right from that moment on until now. He always suspected even his hate towards All Might had not really been about All Might at all.

"...I never apologized," said quietly Enji.

"There is no need, Enji-san, you did me no wrong."

"Bullshit. I treated you like shit. Been attacking you for many things."

"And you were right on some matters."

"Wrong on others."

"It happens, Enji-san. But I always knew you only meant a greater good."

"Was I?"

"Weren't you?"

"...I tried."

"No one's a saint, Enji-san."

There fell a silence and Toshinori glanced at Enji. But the younger man's face was peaceful, Toshinori's words apparently reaching him. He was so glad. He had always kept his fingers crossed for this pained, conflicted hero.

"Thank you for taking care of Izuku."

Toshinori chuckled. "It was the best that has ever happened to me."

"I'm telling him that, you know that."

He grinned. "I've been telling him this countless times. Still cries every time."

"...and thank you for staying with us."

The balance in the universe apparently had to be kept, since now it was Toshinori who got embarrassed, a bit.

"It should be me thanking you for offering me your home and place in your family."

"You-"

"YOU RETARDED BIRD!"

"Just wanted some honey! They didn't sting me before!"

"It's EVENING, YOU CHICKEN BRAIN! And besides they recognise who comes to steal the honey, you smut nerd!"

Enji sighed. "You really sure you're glad you live in this household with all that shouting?"

Toshinori grinned. "Would not trade it for the world."

888

He, as usual, felt nervous and uneasy on the day of New Year. He always so badly wanted to show Natsuo how much he appreciated these rare visits, but at the same time he did not want to make it seem he pressures him to visit more often. He wanted to show the boy - well, young man, now, a fresh father himself - that he loves him so much, but at the same time not to make him think he expects love in return. He wanted to talk with him about everything, to show he cares and is interested, but without an aura of prying and judgment. It was rather hard to balance, especially to the absolutely pathetic in people skills Enji. Especially with Natsuo always tending to see unpleasant subtext in Enji's words. So, even if he was very happy to see his son, he still was invariably tense, when the rare day was coming.

And today was special. Today Enji would see if Natsuo had decided to grant him the pleasure of seeing his, born a couple of months before, daughter, the first child Natsuo and Miharu had.

"Enji," he heard a soft voice.

"Love," he replied immediately. The small man got closer and he felt the hands sneaking from behind and joining on the flat surface of his stomach. He felt Hawks' face against the small of his back.

"You're so strung everytime he comes."

He felt guilty that people, even if close ones, were able to see that. He loved his son, he did not want them to think badly about him.

"I am very happy he's coming at all, love, I just don't want to ruin anything."

Hawks hummed, instead of giving any reassurance. The smart light of his eyes apparently knew it wasn't just Enji's insecurities speaking this time. He knew that with Natsuo it wouldn't be difficult to ruin things, to give him the reason to stop coming at all.

"If he did not want to see you, he wouldn't have been coming, big guy. He wants to come. Concentrate on this, Enji."

And there was Natsuo's white car.

"Try to enjoy this, Enji," Hawks reached up and dragged Enji's face to his level to plant a kiss on his cheek. "You're a good dad to him now, Enji, you are."

Enji sighed and moved to welcome Natsuo, Miharu and, hopefully, the child, whose name was, according to Fuyumi, Mirei. Rei written with Natsuo's mother kanji. Enji sighed again, but his heart rose a bit when he saw Miharu indeed held a small bundle in her arms that obviously had to be Mirei. At least he'll be able to see his grandchild. On bad nights - which did not happen all that often now, with his new family giving him so much joy- before going to sleep the grim thought was weighing his heart down – the thought that he'll never ever see any of Natsuo's children. That they'll never see their grandfather. Now at least this fear was about to be dispelled.

"Hello, Natsuo, Miharu-san, I'm happy to see you," he was careful with words, better not to say too much, not to pressure Natsuo into any forced happy family image. He didn't hug him, or kiss him on the cheek, he wouldn't even show his happiness too much, not to burden the boy with what Natsuo would surely interpret as expectation to receive the same.

"Hello," Natsuo nodded. He hadn't called him dad for years. It was okay. It didn't matter. What mattered was that he was here.

"Hello, Todoroki-san," smiled Miharu politely. "This is our little Mirei," he approached to see the child better and suddenly stopped rooted to the spot. Natsuo immediately went tense; Enji could sense his boy trying to hide irritation and discomfort. And he was seeing right now the reason for that. The tiny child was actually not that tiny, considering her age, actually she was quite huge. And red-haired. And blue-eyed. Enji saw his photos when he had been a baby. This child looked just like him, like the genes just skipped both parents. He immediately knew he was absolutely not to comment on anything to do with the child's looks. He could imagine how Natsuo must have felt. Though it was ridiculous, looking like Enji or not it was Natsuo's kid, not Enji's, not Enji. If she took looks after Enji, then she probably will take personality after someone else. Better this way than the other way around.

"Hajimemashite, Mirei. Douzo yoroshiku."

888

"I'll never get over the fact how handsome Shouto is," sighed Inko as they all were watching the former hero class, now fresh U.A. graduates in immaculate formal clothes, leaving together for a graduate party Enji had paid for (to Izuku's supreme happiness).

"Thanks," he said proudly, as if he made the boy only by himself.

"True, true, the fangirls will never get over the fact he's asexual," grinned Hawks.

"Endeavor-san," he heard a familiar voice. They turned around to see principal Nezu.

They have been in contact many times during the war with All for One, but all their conversations were strictly professional and neither of them ever mentioned that bitter, unpleasant argument they had that day, a couple of years ago. Enji felt it was high time to apologize. He shouldn't have treated Nezu like that back then.

"Principal Nezu."

"Just wanted to personally congratulate you on your wonderful children. I can imagine how proud you must be. I was honored to have them in my school." Nezu's smile was genuine. The stupid rat must have forgiven him, he realized. Stupid. He shouldn't have, not until Enji apologized properly at least. He was an asshole to Nezu back then, after all.

"I am proud of them. On my part I want to thank you, principal, for making sure your school shaped them into heroes I can be proud of. I am grateful they both could attend your U.A." He sighed. He was much better at apologizing now than when he was younger, but it still wasn't the easiest thing. "...and I apologize... for my words that I had said after the League of Villains' attack on U.A. You are a great principal and I wasn't thinking straight, which is not an excuse of course."

Nezu sighed too. "Your children have been endangered on U.A.'s grounds. You were right. I should ha-"

"No. I know you, principal, and I know every precaution was taken and if this happened nevertheless, there was nothing that could have been done better."

Nezu smiled again. "Thank you, Endeavor-san. I am happy you don't resent me."

"Of course not... back then I was..."

"You were a parent," said Nezu simply, his eyes amicable, understanding. "Let's cooperate in the future like we used to, Endeavor-san."

"Of course."

Nezu left and Enji noticed another person he needed to talk to.

"Will you wait for me a moment longer?" he asked Hawks and Inko.

"Sure, it's not like Toshinori is here yet anyway."

He moved quickly towards Eraser Head before the man could flee unnoticed, always the last one to be fond of any human interaction, even if it were merely grateful parents.

"Eraser Head-sensei," he said as he managed to catch up to the man. Aizawa did not even try to hide the displeasure showing on his face. That man was even worse than Enji in social interactions. It was nice to remember that sometimes, when Enji was especially exasperated with his own people skills.

"I am truly grateful for these years you'd been watching over my children. Thank you for that. My boys couldn't have had a better homeroom teacher. Thank you."

Aizawa's face toned down a notch. "I don't think they think that," he smirked.

"They actually do."

"Then they're a bunch of little masochists. Then again it's a useful trait in a hero," he said this with a flat tone and face impossible to read. Was that a joke? Was Aizawa bitter? Or was that simply a praise?

"I am sorry for all the troubles and headaches my boys had caused you."

Aizawa grimaced again. "Don't even remind me. I have never ever taught a problem child like Midoriya. I am glad he is off my hands now."

"Right," Aizawa might be saying that in a dead serious voice, but from what Izuku and Shouto had been telling him Enji knew he had never heard such a bullshit before. "Thank you again."

888

Izuku was rushing back home, above the nightscape of Musutafu, enjoying the dancing snowflakes that graced their city that night. It was a rarity in this mild climate and he could see a lot of people staring at the cloudy sky, kids putting their tongues out to catch tiny frozen miracles of nature, youngsters taking pictures in the Christmas scenery. Izuku too enjoyed himself immensely, jumping from building to building, feeling like he was flying among the little cold whirling stars, the miniscule crystals thawing on his nose. It was so beautiful.

He had noticed another lonely figure making its way above the buildings and he recognized their trademark single fire jet.

"SHOUTO-NII!" he shouted. The figure changed its direction and soon he was hugging his brother.

"How was the session?"

"I loved the shot with puppies. The grown-ups were amazing too, though!"

"I'm sure they'll raise a lot of money for the people in need of service dogs thanks to you, Izuku."

"I hope so!"

"I have to rush to the agency. Kido wanted to talk to me about something before my shift."

They waved each other goodbye and soon Izuku reached their peaceful home. Their house was dark, to no surprise – Kacchan won't be sitting there alone when he can be shouting at someone in the main house instead, thought Izuku with a smile. He landed on the engawa, careful not to disturb the ideal plane the snow formed in their gardens. In the morning it most likely would disappear and magic would be gone, but for now, let it please their eyes. He entered the genkan, got rid of some of the clothes and went straight to the kitchen to say hello to Mom and Kacchan.

Kacchan wasn't there though. Weird. He usually was cooking something for the next day at this hour of day. He hugged Mom.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, you know, boring. Mostly cooking and listening to these fanfics Hawks sent me."

Izuku felt he was going red. Hawks' second vocation appeared to be being a specialist in fanfiction. You could give him any fandom, any trope, any tag, and you'd get at least five recommendations. Problem was Mom liked quite, uh, specific tags.

"Ummm, right, Mum." Mum chuckled goodnaturedly and ruffled his hair. "Where is Kacchan?"

Mum grinned mischievously. "Come with me, and I'll show you something."

He followed her, curious. They did not go far. Mum stopped by the shouji to the second living room, the one furnished in more Western style. She pushed the shouji open.

Inside, Dad was sitting on the large couch, Hawks curled up against him on one side, All Might sitting surprisingly close on the other, Kacchan sitting on the zabuton between Dad's legs. All in all, Izuku never saw them all so close and peaceful. Then he noticed the wavy air around Dad. He grinned. Inko chuckled again. "I guess we now know who hates winter in this household."

"So, you're not only the barbecue hero now, but the heater hero too, Dad?" Izuku rushed to hug them all.

Kacchan glared at him, All Might looked sheepish, Hawks smug, Dad unmoved.

"It was preferable to standing Katsuki's foul mood."

Kacchan growled something unintelligible.

888

It was a hot August day and when he and his boys came from the rare shift they all had together they found Inko asleep in a deckchair in a sunny spot of his garden in her swimming suit.

One look at her and Enji became horrified. Usually she covered herself more, but she evidently did not intend to fall asleep and be found like this.

Oh no.

Izuku froze as he stared at his mother.

Enji swallowed nervously.

"What're these bruises?" his son asked coldly. He never heard him speak like this to Enji. Rarely ever heard him speak like this to anyone.

Izuku turned to face him, his eyes frigid.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked quietly.

Enji had no idea how he was supposed to even begin to explain.

"Endeavor. Are you abusing my mom?" Not 'dad' anymore. The look Izuku had on his face was scary, but Enji couldn't think about it right now. All he could think were Touya's words.'The past won't disappear!' And he thought they'd been doing so fine... But apparently deep inside, in Izuku's eyes, he always would be an abusive monster, just waiting for its prey. It hurt so much.

Enji looked elsewhere, suddenly realizing he doesn't even want to explain.

Izuku clenched his fists.

Katsuki wheezed and started to cackle like a madman.

Shouto rolled his eyes.

Izuku startled. "You're the last one that should be laughing at things like this, Kacchan!"

"What, because I'm a poor abused kid from an abusive family? It's exactly because I'm a poor abused kid from an abusive family that I know these are not the bruises from being abused, you stupid virgin."

"...I'm no virgin, you know that best," mumbled Izuku, now apparently ultimately confused.

"Yeah, my mum had completely different marks," admitted Shouto. Now Enji felt even worse.

"Oh, Izuku, my love," they all heard Inko's voice. "I'm really sorry you thought... Enji would never hurt me, sweetheart."

"So, why do you have bruises and burns, mom?!" Izuku asked, clearly disturbed.

Inko hesitated.

"Aunt likes it rough, you thick headed idiot," Katsuki decided to save the day. Probably. In his mind at least.

Izuku's eyes widened as his brain overloaded with new information.

"Wait, you're sleeping with mom?!"

"Izuku, sweetie, you're our son."

Katsuki looked like he just got an early birthday gift as he watched the scene, the brat.

"But, but dad is sleeping with Hawks!"

"Hawks knows, sweetheart."

"You just noticed this now?" informed himself Shouto to Katsuki's delight.

"But, but," Izuku faltered.

"I told you it was a bad idea," mumbled Enji. Inko's face immediately went grave. She kneeled by her son.

"Izuku, my love, I love you very much, you know that, right?"

"...of course," replied Izuku, still looking deep in shock.

"But I swear to God if you just ruined the best part of my... night life I'm not gonna be speaking to you for the next decade. You have no idea how long it has taken me to convince your dad to be a little... rougher."

Katsuki actually bowed in two, laughing. Izuku was purple.

"Apologize to your dad, now."

888

"Dad?"

"Yes, Izuku?" Dad tried for a kind tone, but he was so easy to read. Admittedly since being a little kid Izuku has always been better in sensing other people's feelings than most, but Dad still seemed particularly obvious. Izuku saw very well that the whole situation with Mom's... bruises pushed him into his usual spiral of guilt, insecurity and self loathing. Even normally it'd pain Izuku, but now it was his fault. It had been so wrong to jump to conclusions like that.

"I'm really sorry, okay?"

Dad startled and looked even more guilty. At least Izuku could clearly see where he got it, that tendency to feel guilty for making other people feel guilty which tended to create a vicious circle of negative emotions, well at least if Izuku had not done his best to break it.

"No, don't apologize again, you had the right to suspect-"

"No, I didn't, Dad. I was an idiot. I know you, and I know you wouldn't hurt any of us."

"I-"

"No, Dad, back then it was different. You were given a burden you were not able to carry, broken as you were."

"That's not an excuse."

"No, but now is different. I shouldn't have ever said anything like that to you, knowing you as you are now. I love you, Dad, and I'm really sorry. I don't think you're what you used to be anymore, I really don't."

And there they were, the tears. Good, Izuku was very good at handling those as he hugged Dad tightly. Dad really needed those hugs, everything about him always screamed that to Izuku.

"I love you and I don't want any other Dad."

Dad just sniffed, but when they finally broke the hug his eyes looked different now, the shadow was gone. Good.

"I won't tell All Might you said that."

Izuku grinned.

888

He was working peacefully on the engawa, soft clicking of his keyboard and beautiful songs of birds barely heard over the incessant loud buzzing of cicadas. Little sex obsessed fuckers, thought Enji instinctively, for a bilionth time in his life. He recalled European gardens – so many flowers, the delicate sound of crickets, charming songs of local birds. Without a bazillion little engines turned on, nomen omen, at the same time.

He heard footsteps approaching and Katsuki and Izuku joined him. He shot a glance at both boys and tensed. They seemed nervous. It was barely visible, Izuku covering his emotions with a smile, as he often did, Katsuki with a glare. But he learned to read them easily over these years.

"What happened?" he asked bluntly. Izuku shot a covert - at least in his mind - glance at Katsuki who ignored him.

"It's nothing wrong, dad, it's about our wedding."

"Ah, right," he smiled, but actually felt anxious. Why would they be nervous? He felt a blow was incoming. A blow he probably deserved for all these years he wasn't a proper father for Izuku.

"Um, dad, uh."

He smiled at the boy. What Izuku wanted was a priority, not what he wanted. He'd agree with everything even if it might cause him pain.

"I would like All Might to lead me to the altar."

Ah, a knife through his heart.

"Sure, my love." A pinnacle of his acting skills in action.

"It's just. I want him to truly feel a part of our family. He has no one. And he's done so much for me."

"It's okay, Izuku, I'm okay with this." Right. He's come to like Toshinori, to his own surprise, he truly has. But still, it couldn't not pain him to see his son led by him instead of Enji.

"You'll always be my dad, no one can take that gift from us." Gift. This child. This beloved boy of his. Calling Enji Todoroki, the professional awful parent, a gift. "But All Might doesn't have that."

"I understand, love. Don't worry."

Katsuki cleared his throat.

"And also there is this fact you can't lead Izuku, cause you're gonna be leading me, you old grump."

"Kacchan! That's no way to ask!" Izuku was appalled.

Enji stared at them.

"What?"

Katsuki immediately got red, anger building up. The boy made enormous progress during these years, but weeding out everything was a matter of decades, Enji knew that well. When emotions were strong or touched some particularly painful part of the boy's heart, they would still sometimes translate to anger.

"I know I'm not your-"

"I mean, your mother will slaughter me."

Katsuki stared. Then laughed shortly, anger gone.

"My parents had me all their life. They've been with me on every important occasion. They won't die if someone else'll gonna be by my side once."

"I'd be honored," he answered, the pain from his heart gone. So this was what they decided upon? He could feel Izuku's hand in all this. To make sure no one is left out, to reach for those who needed it most. His beloved child.

He noticed Izuku all but intensively glaring at Katsuki for some reason.

"Well," added Katsuki very grumpily and seemingly unwillingly. "You... you've helped me a lot these recent years. Both as a hero and... I... Thanks," he ended awkwardly.

Enji felt the warmth spreading in his heart. So maybe it wasn't just that Izuku was feeling sorry for him. Maybe there was one more person that saw his efforts and appreciated them. He smiled.

"It is I who should be thanking you. I couldn't be more proud to be the best man to a hero like you."

888

Shouta glared at his two idiot headache-inducing problem children, one grinning at him with the smile that could have a major role in a dental commercial, second glaring back at him, daring him to just try and refuse.

"Don't glare at people when you invite them to your wedding, Dynamight."

"Kacchan!"

"I always glare, this is a part of my hero image, sensei."

"Kacchan!"

Shouta rolled his eyes.

"Do I look like a party man to you?"

"Honestly I always thought you're a cross between a cat and a caterpillar, not a real man, sensei."

"Kacchan!"

It was hard not to like Katsuki, but he would never show this to the brat.

"I want you to be invited, sensei, since you're one of the most important people in my life-"

"Like, am I in first hundred?"

Katsuki snickered. This boy truly was a kindred spirit, especially when he wasn't goddamn loud.

"-but it's okay if you won't come. This is going to be huge and loud. We shall pack you the cake and plenty of everything, sensei, and drop it here" smiled Izuku sincerely.

That child.

"...fine," he groaned. "I'll come. Just promise me you won't invite every hero you're friends with, because it will leave Japan completely defenseless for whole evening."

"Not if stupid nerd will invite the villains too, and he's not above that."

"I know," replied Shouta exchanging look full of understanding with Katsuki. "I feel for you taking this problem child upon yourself."

"Sensei," pouted Izuku, but not really. Shouta wasn't stupid.

"Just please, don't invite Shigaraki, I beg you."

Izuku grinned mischievously.

Shouta sighed heavily. "Okay, now I know I have to be there, just in very probable case you'd need my Erasure".

Izuku beamed. Enji was a lucky bastard, thought Shouta, but, of course, he would never say that out loud.

888

It was an extremely rare evening that they all had been together in their garden. It was almost never happening, what with Izuku being Number One, Katsuki Number Two, and Shouto Number Three (ah, Nezu was in seventh heaven, all the podium from his U.A., he practically vibrated when he's been speaking about the boys with anyone) – them having an evening off meant all three most powerful, most skillful, most professional heroes were not out there on the streets. Good thing times were relatively more peaceful than they used to be. The citizens, who survived a war, knew well how to protect themselves, even if heroes and police discouraged that, so the villains were more reluctant to actually attack anyone; it was mostly drug dealing, pickpocketing and reckless drivers they had to deal with nowadays.

So, they were sitting together around Enji, the local barbecue man for some years now, slowly sipping their beers, not wanting to intake too much alcohol in case something went to hell after all and they'd be needed.

There was a lull in conversation. It was getting late after all, and they were slowly getting tired, all of them either getting up very early or going to sleep very late or both.

"So, what were your parents like?", Shouto asked suddenly. That surprised Enji; the boy never asked about his grandparents. He probably, correctly, assumed Enji was the way he was, because his parents would not stand any chance in any loving families' competition. Why now?

"Um, that's not really a conversation for chilling at the barbecue," he replied. Not that he wouldn't share if Shouto really wanted to know his past, but he always thought speaking about it would sound like a bunch of excuses to his children.

"I was just thinking that most of us had more or less fucked up parents. I wonder how common this thing is, "explained Shouto.

"Wonder whose parents take the crown for being most shitty," added Katsuki.

"Young Bakugou, that's not something to compare or boast about," chastised Toshinori.

"Isn't it therapeutic, though?" Hawks joined in, to Enji's surprise. They were supposed to relax! "So, what was the worst thing any of your parents did? My dad beat me up so badly once, he broke most of my ribs. But I healed nicely, no harm done," his voice was cheerful, as if they weren't talking about the most horrible experiences they have had, that probably left scars in their hearts. How did this nice barbecue turn into this? He shot a calling for help glance towards Inko, but she just shook almost imperceptibly her head, her face serious. Hawks pinched him lightly. "They might need it," he said in a low voice.

"My mum actually burned my notebook with hero autographs when I was in middle school, and made me watch it. It was worse than any beating she gave me."

"Oh, god, Kacchan, I never knew! Why did she do it?"

Now Katsuki had a face of someone who just realized he had walked into his own death cell.

"...someone told the teacher I've been inciting you to commit suicide," he murmured gloomily, his eyes away from Izuku.

Of course, Izuku was already there hugging him, of course.

"It wasn't me, Kacchan."

"Oh my god, you stupid nerd, that's not the point! ...or it is, cause it should have been you, you bitch let me do everything I wanted, you stupid self sacrificing hero, never saying a word to anyon-"

"We had this conversation many times, Kacchan. It's all in the past," he hugged Katsuki so tightly Enji'd swear any moment and he'd hear bones breaking.

"Well, burning hero autographs is much higher on my scale, I admit," said Hawks. "If dad burned my Endeavor plushie I don't know how I would have handled it."

This conversation was horrible.

"I suppose my mom pouring the boiling water onto my face was probably the worst," admitted Shouto with some hesitation.

The boys looked at Izuku.

"Come on, nerd, tell us how your mum made you a strawberry pie instead of a raspberry one," laughed Katsuki.

"It's not my fault I had a proper parent," mumbled Izuku.

"Sorry about that, Izuku, love," smiled Inko.

"Well, there is the fact your dad wasn't there," murmured Enji. That was a horrible experience for the boy, wasn't it?

"Yeah, if he was, you might have a chance in this competition," smirked Shouto mercilessly. Ouch. "Dad, stop looking like that," added Shouto rolling his eyes at Enji's pained expression.

Now the youngsters looked at the older generation expectantly.

Inko sighed. "I really had loving parents. The worst thing they did to me was dying in a car accident." She looked so sad. Of course Izuku was already there hugging her, the little angel.

The boys' heads turned to Toshinori, who sighed. "I don't know my parents. I grew up in an orphanage." Jesus Christ. So finding a person not fucked up by their family was a rarity, it would seem.

Oh, and yeah, Enji's turn now. And it was supposed to be such a nice evening.

"I suppose the worst thing was that mum blamed me for not saving dad with my Quirk. After she made sure I wasn't able to use my Quirk. That was kind of..." he trailed off, couldn't even find the words.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Enji shrugged. Everyone spoke short here, no one had particularly elaborated on their experiences, so he did not want to do it either.

"Well, I burned our house down when I was three. It's a fire Quirk after all, and it jumped over two generations, so we did not have fireproof things in home. I was banned from using my Quirk after this."

They all just nodded, and it was so depressing. It was so depressing that things like that did not shock most of them anymore - they have seen so much evil in families, own or of people they've been saving, that it didn't shock them anymore. Sadden, yes, but not shake. He understood this. He's been a hero for so many years, had seen so many horrible things people did to each other he also wasn't shocked anymore. Very angry, yes. Very depressed, yes. Very disappointed and disillusioned, yes. But not shocked.

"But didn't your dad die when you were thirteen?" realized Izuku.

"Yeah."

"So... you haven't been using your Quirk until thirteen at all?"

"No, never. Kids from my school thought I was Quirkless. But it wasn't that bad, there were more quirkless kids back then than now."

Izuku's eyes were wide now.

"Can we please change the topic now?" asked Enji.

"You burned your house down, huh?" murmured Shouto. "Now it makes sense you wanted your kids to have a fire Quirk that'd be controllable."

"That's not it. I truly wanted a hero better than All Might. A hero who could save everyone."

"That's not really possible, dad."

"I know, I was stupid."

And there it was, a hug from Izuku, of course. What he'd do without these, he didn't know.

Silence fell, broken by Shouto.

"I think people should speak about this kind of stuff openly. You go into the world and you think everyone has a happy family and only you are the weird one. You feel ashamed to admit anything, like you have some embarrassing sickness."

"Yeah," admitted Katsuki. "So you shut up, think that's life, and have no idea there are people out there who've been there too and can show you way out of shit."

Enji knew what Katsuki meant. He was happy he had helped the boy out. Still.

"It's not that easy. People have the right not to want to speak about things like that. Not everyone will feel better talking out loud, knowing people will look at them and think of their past. And with living families sometimes you don't want to get into even more fighting and tearing the wounds open."

"We still could do something more about it," said Izuku, always an activist helping out a bazillion charities. "Do some interviews, hold a podcast, start some kind of campaign, showing people there are therapists, hotlines."

"Therapists cost a lot of money."

"Well, we could lobby for more funding then, who if not us? We're the most popular heroes in Japan."

"Well, Japan still has it alright, compared to other countries. We should help there too."

"We have to start somewhere, and it's easier in your own home. Then we could-"

He smiled. They truly were heroes. The best kind.

888

His shouji opened a little. He saw Shouto.

"Come in, Shouto."

The boy came in, looking unsure. He usually had this face when he was hesitating whether to ask Enji about something.

"Sit," he smiled, hopefully encouragingly.

Shouto did so and then asked bluntly, "Tell me more about your parents."

Oh.

"I don't want you to think I'm trying to excuse my... deeds."

Shouto was looking at him scrutinizingly for a moment.

"I know you're not excusing yourself, dad. But I want to know."

Enji shrugged, realizing suddenly he was far less prepared to talk about it than he had thought. He had spoken about it to his therapist, so thankfully it was easier than talking about it for the first time, but still...

"Mum... was easily bothered with small things," he finally started. "Always angry. Always... willing to punish. It started when I burned our home down. She had some very precious memorabilia there. I destroyed all this. Since that moment she had become obsessed I'm gonna become a villain. She believed... being strict was a good countermeasure."

"Strict as in...?"

Enji shrugged again, not sure why he was even doing the gesture.

"Well, she was making my dad beat me."

Shouto gave him a long look. His brows furrowed.

"These scars on your back. They're not from hero work."

He barely stopped himself from shrugging.

"She had this saying 'Stays on body, stays in mind.'"

Shouto looked impassive, as usual, the last one to share his emotions freely, especially to Enji.

"Horrible," he finally judged though.

"I... survived."

"So... your dad simply agreed with her?"

"He... wasn't the strongest willed person in the world. I think... I think she got pregnant to marry him, exactly because she knew he would be bending to her will. She always wanted people to do that. She'd never marry anyone capable of going against her."

He fell silent, thinking about his dad. He wasn't a bad person, just weak. He sometimes tried to comfort Enji, when mum wasn't looking, but it practically never happened that she wasn't. She always had her eyes on them.

"He used to tell me 'Just go along with her. Just do what she wants and it's gonna be okay, Enji.' ...but I was just a kid, and she had so many rules..."

"Like?"

Enji sighed. "Like nothing could just lay around. Everything should be in its proper place. I would get a beating if I did not bring a cup from my room immediately after drinking everything. Sometimes even before I drank it whole. It was enough if it got cold and was there too long."

"Wait, are you serious?" Now Shouto's eyes actually widened.

"Well, yeah. Many things... annoyed her."

"You... got beaten to the point of blood showing, because you did not bring a cup to a dishwasher, do I understand it right?"

"...yeah. It's in the past, Shouto, don't dwell upon it."

"I was going to ask you if you think you did a better job than your parents, but now it's kind of obvious," Shouto actually seemed angry. Angry for him. He felt moved.

"Well, it's not really saying much, being better than my mother. It's definitely not saying I was good."

"No, but it's saying that you really never knew how to do it."

"Do what?"

"The parenting. You had no model. Nothing."

Enji thought about it. "...yeah. Thought I'd just gonna be better than them and it's gonna be enough. Thought I could put the bulk of it on your mother."

"Who also came from an abusive family."

They fell silent.

Shoto finally asked, "Do you hate them?"

Enji hesitated, but he didn't want to lie to his boy. "I do hate mum. Still, I really tried to be a good son, despite everything. I truly tried not to hate her. I think she wasn't really... alright. Mentally. The more I think about her behavior, the more I think that. My therapist agrees. But... she shouldn't have been doing all that. Not to a kid at least. She shouldn't. I tried not to hate her. But I can't."

"But you still call her 'mum'."

Enji fell silent. "It's just a matter of habit," he murmured.

"And father?"

"...I blamed him all my childhood for not standing up for me. For not being there most of the time - five days a week in the corporation from morning to late night. I thought I hated him too, but when he died... I realized I didn't. He was just weak. Afraid of mum's threats. She'd been often threatening him, threatening me... He wasn't bad. He always looked at me, and I saw the guilt in his eyes."

Shouto frowned.

"You were his child. It was his job to protect you. No amount of guilt in the eyes can erase even a percent of what had been happening to you."

Enji lowered his head.

"I'm not talking about you now!" added Shouto immediately. "You're doing your best... you..." he hesitated. "I know now that you've been trying to do your best for us. You still are. We all see it. We all see it, Dad. You're not just standing there feeling guilty."

"Still... Touya was right. Past won't go away."

"Past is past. Now is... I like now," and he gave him a light smile. But seeing Enji still looked down he added, "Sorry I'm not like Izuku. Sorry I'm not a hugg-"

"Shouto! Stop it!" Shouto looked startled.

"You're you, Shouto. You don't need to hug me, you don't need to cling to me, you don't have to comfort me... Izuku has... different issues, and a different past than you. Different needs. I... I'll be happy if I can see you smiling. You've got the most beautiful smile, Shouto."

Shouto got slightly pink. "You really are a bakaoya. Who says things like that to their adult son, really." But he smiled again. "You... Don't think too much about the past, dad. I... really like the way things are now. Thank you for that. You're... It's okay now," he finally finished a little awkwardly, never the most proficient in people skills, still much better than Enji though. He hesitantly reached out and put his hand on Enji's.

"...so Izuku does take the crying after you," he groaned after a moment.

"I'm not crying," he mumbled. "They're merely wet. It doesn't count as crying. It's being misty-eyed or something."

"Right."

888

Enji was completely lost for the whole world. Utterly raptured to the plains unreachable by mere mortals. Like Inko watching him with a smile as he absolutely gave his whole mind, heart and soul to the tiny child that has been left in his care for the whole afternoon and evening. Inko initially intended to help his man out, but she saw now the absurdity of her plan. It would be like trying to help Izuku with heroing. Enji in an instant turned into a 100% professional bakaoya (or bakaoji, to be precise), with the experience of rearing four kids to back up the enthusiasm with actual knowledge and practice.

It was so nice to watch him play with his little granddaughter the stupidest games babies of this age loved with not a drop of boredom or irritation, absolutely smitten smile on face, zero trace of Endeavor, the scary Flame Hero, terror to both the villains and most of his agency workers in this big cooing grandpa.

She noticed Shouto taking compromising pictures and shooed him away. Let the man dissolve into the universal grandparental puddle of love he perhaps always had destined to be.

"This is it, Inko-chan. We're no longer the love of his life," came Hawks' murmur.

Before she could answer, Enji suddenly looked right at Hawks and glared.

"Oh, oops, what did I do, Inko-chan?" Hawks whispered urgently.

"If you have time to stand there and watch me, you have time to lend some feathers, you know she loves them," demanded Enji, zero place for any protest in his voice.

Inko chuckled as Hawks rolled his eyes exaggeratingly and joined the two, a couple of his feathers preceding him.

She watched them some more, her eyes barely leaving Enji's delighted face. He was happy with them - with her and Hawks, with Shouto and Izuku - he smiled more often than ever, and his voice permanently lost this ever present undertone of anger and pain she remembered hearing for so many years in their phone conversations. But still, she never saw him as happy as now. Taking care of the little bearer of his blood seemed to be what fulfilled him more than his hero job ever had.

How could his family have ended like this? How could that man have been able to completely break his wife and push away his children? How badly harmed he must have been that this so naturally coming for him love and need for family bonds could not properly shine through before? It saddened her so much. It was so obvious he needed and loved family so much, and yet, the things he had done broken as he had been...

She sighed. At least this chain of hurt and issues transmitted generation to generation finally has been shattered and Enji became a good family man, as he always craved. And his grandchild, hopefully grandchildren in the future, would have a wonderful grandfather.

888

Keimi squealed gleefully as she saw her grandpa.

"Hey, my dearest little one!" beamed Enji, the tiny child already in his arms.

Fuyumi grinned. "I don't think she reacts like that to anyone else, dad. You're completely spoiling her."

"You bet he does. We no longer exist when Keimi stays at our place," Hawks pretended to whine. "We could die slaughtered by villains and he would be merely irritated we try to distract him from playing with her."

Fuyumi laughed. Enji visibly swelled with pride, his ears red. Hawks knew how much it meant to him, to be praised in the context of family skills. How much did it mean that Fuyumi wasn't afraid to leave her child with him. That the child actually worshiped him. He was so happy for his big guy.

888

He opened the gate, as usual feeling nervous to face Natsuo and Mirei.

"Hello," he said in a tone sounding very timid even in his own ears.

Natsuo's lips were strung in a tight line, as it was always the case when he came here to drop Mirei for her hero training. Mirei was also cloudy both around her father, who for such a long time had not been approving of her dream to become a prohero, and around Enji, who had never had the balls to stand up to Natsuo and support Mirei. He so badly did not want their relations to get cut, he had failed to help his granddaughter when she had needed it.

"Where is uncle Shouto?" She asked immediately.

"He is going to be a little late, but Keimi is already here." She nodded and passed him without a word, leaving both men in an uneasy silence.

"You don't want to stop for a bowl of tea?" he asked, since it was polite to do so. Not that he did not want his son to just once agree, but he knew better. Natsuo wasn't happy to be here, he wasn't happy Mirei had been striving to enter the dangerous path of a hero, he probably blamed Enji's genes for all this. And Shouto for fanning the flames, literal flames too in Mirei's case. The relation between the two brothers had become ice cold since Natsuo realized Shouto had been encouraging and later secretly training his child. Still, seeing the child's determination, he relented and let Mirei continue training and even has been dropping her off here himself to come again later to take her back.

"No."

Enji gave a slight nod of understanding. "Have a good day then, Natsuo."

Natsuo nodded too and turned back. But he did not enter his car. Was there something else? Enji felt his anxiety getting stronger. What could Natsuo want to tell him? They barely spoke now that Mirei seemed to be so much like Enji.

Natsuo turned to face him again, evidently unwillingly.

"Make sure he trains her well. That is- so she'd- survive."

His lips had become even tighter, he almost seemed in pain. He entered the car and shut the door loudly before Enji could respond. Was Natsuo thinking of all those times he had seen Endeavor the hero kissing death in excruciating, lethal battles? Probably.

888

He had no idea what to expect. This was going to be the first dinner spent with his whole family, ever.

The last time he had dinner with Rei it had been before she had been sent to asylum. It seemed like a whole lifetime ago. So many things changed, in his life, in her life, in their children's lives.

The occasion theoretically should be joyful – Mirei got into her dreamed-of U.A., to follow the footsteps of so many great heroes, and by taking the exam too, since she refused to be recommended, wanted to get there on her own effort. And she got the best entrance score! He was so proud, even if it was Shouto that was the main trainer of Mirei. But was this dinner really going to be joyful? He knew Miharu supported Mirei, wanted the girl to follow her dream to help people, but Natsuo... Natsuo seemed to always see Enji in Mirei, and seemed to be afraid she'd grow up to be like her grandfather.

He sighed.

He felt Izuku's hand sneaking into his and squeezing. He looked at the encouragingly smiling man, his wonderful son.

"It's going to be a nice afternoon, you'll see." Izuku said it with such conviction it was hard not to believe him.

"I think Natsuo is slowly coming to accept Mirei's path, dad," added Shouto. "Her brilliant score definitely helped. He can see she can back up her dangerous dream with abilities to keep her safe. It is only going to get better from now on between them."

"I hope so," he answered without much confidence. Natsuo could be so stubborn sometimes. Probably took it after Enji.

"He loves her a lot," added Toshinori kindly.

"I know," replied Enji. Yeah, he did. But Enji also loved his children very much and he still had hurt them in the past. But Natsuo definitely was a better father than Enji, that was for sure, low bar as it was.

"If you're going to go there so strung up and worried it definitely won't help," added Katsuki.

"Just leave him be, of course he's worried," said Inko, obviously nervous herself. They all again fell into silence, all probably thinking the same. Inko was going to take part in a dinner with Rei.

He moved closer to her and hugged her, planting a kiss on her cheek. She smiled at him, with the trademark Midoriya Smile that made the whole world better for a moment, but he knew her well enough by now to see the worry and guilt hidden in her eyes.

"She's been unfaithful too, Inko," he said in a low voice. "She's no more saint than you, love."

Inko sighed. "Still, I shouldn't have done that. ...and the worst thing is I can't and won't ever regret that," she added, giving him a loving look. They huddled closer to each other as they crossed the final kilometer and reached the restaurant near Enji's home that Mirei loved.

Living so close they were here before Fuyumi's and Natsuo's families who needed to commute, but it did not take a long time before they heard happy voices of Fuyumi and Hotaru's kids. Soon little Ippo was rocketing towards Izuku, his favorite uncle, followed by grinning all-female rest of his family.

"I'm gonna have better points than Mirei-chan when I enter U.A., uncle Deku!"

"I'm sure you will!" grinned Izuku.

"Entrance exam is nothing, I'm gonna beat her in the Sports Festival!", declared proudly Keimi as she hugged tightly Enji, her beloved hero grandpa, who'd been training her since the moment she realized what was the meaning of a word 'hero', with immediate stubborn realization that was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. He loved this sweetest, kindest child so much.

"Oh, really?'' They heard the familiar voice and there they were, Natsuo's family. The younger children happily ran towards each other and immediately started to boast about the newest additions to whatever they were collecting now. Kids always seemed to be collecting something - some things did not change no matter the generation.

"Oh, really. Your Quirk is nothing to me," grinned Mirei as both girls exchanged some weird set of gestures that youngsters did as a form of saying hello that was supposed to show how cool and uptodate they were. It seemed to change every couple of years. Enji somehow managed to follow those and he secretly was very proud of himself.

"Winning is never only about your quirk, you little brat, I'll beat your a-"

"Mirei," scolded Miharu.

"Ass is an animal, mom!" shouted little Kurio. "It's not a swear word!"

Miharu sighed, smiling. Enji felt grateful for the little kids' presence. It would certainly distract them all from... the past. The past that was looking at him peacefully in the form of Rei, who came with Natsuo and with her wife. He had last seen Rei at Fuyumi's wedding, more than a decade ago. Now she, of course, looked older, but she emanated the same confidence and peace he remembered from the time he had seen her when she had left the asylum, when she had signed the divorce papers, when they had met before and after the battle with All for One. She no longer was the fragile, nervous, timid, hurt girl he had married. She no longer was a person that would let anyone abuse her. Good. ...though of course she was meeting her abuser now and Enji knew this would be no sweet reunion. And that was also good; it would definitely be Stockholm syndrome if she forgave him and seeked reestablishing any kind of friendly relation with him. He was a part of her horrible past and that she had put it completely behind her was a sign she truly was mentally healthy now. Though it was not going to change the fact he would be having dinner with her now, the weight of his atrocities fairly burdening his shoulders.

The past never goes away. Not really.

They exchanged greetings politely, Rei smiling serenely, but with a distance visible in her demeanor and eyes reminding him the smile wasn't exactly friendly; her wife as cold towards him as he remembered from Fuyumi's wedding, though not saying a single hostile word. On his part he did not even try to pretend he didn't feel guilty and pained, it was only fair to Rei, even if it probably meant nothing to her now.

He went to greet Natsuo, whose face was clouded, brows furrowed, eyes in some sort of internal dispute. ...and did he look guilty?

"Hello, Natsuo. Thank you for inviting us."

Natsuo shrugged lightly. "This is Mirei's day. We all are her guests."

There was a beat of uncomfortable silence, so Enji broke it. "Your kids as usual look so merry."

Natsuo just hummed, again seeming deep in some thoughts, not really paying all that much attention to Enji. Enji sighed. Whatever problems Natsuo's family might have he knew he wasn't welcome to interfere in any way.

His attention went back to Inko who was exchanging most conventional greetings and pleasantries with Rei. Was Rei a little less distant and cold than a moment ago? He remembered well that time when the both women had met, in the hospital so long ago; he remembered how stiff and reserved Rei was. Now her smile seemed a little more genuine? Definitely more genuine than what she gave him. He started to wonder about it, but got a kick in the ankle from Katsuki.

"Congratulate Mirei, idiot," murmured the most polite hero in Japan, Dynamight. In an alternate universe, that is. "You can drown in your past later."

The man knew him by now as well as Enji knew Katsuki. Perhaps even better than he knew and understood his own kids. They were so similar in many ways after all.

"You were amazing, Mirei. You're going to be the student Nezu will be boasting about."

Mirei smiled warmly. She used to be cold towards him, but years of him helping with her training finally dispelled the grudge she had held as a kid for not supporting her in her fight with Natsuo over her future.

"I don't know if he ever stops boasting about uncle Deku, though, Ji."

He tried not to show in front of others how this nickname always absolutely melted him. He immediately got distracted though by Hawks who, as usual, had no fear of God or Devil, as he shamelessly started to flirt with Rei and her wife as a means of, who the hell knew what, lightening the atmosphere? Starting a goddamn fire definitely was one way of lightening. Rei's wife was staring at Hawks as if no one had told her there was going to be a mentally ill person taking part in the dinner, while Rei just looked questioningly at Shouto, who rolled his eyes and waved the hand in a dismissive get-used-to-this manner.

"Hawks!" he growled. Hawks grinned innocently. "Behave yourself!"

"You should have warned me beforehand they're so beautiful!"

"You're gay."

"So? Does that make me immune to natural beauty?"

"Sorry," he mumbled to both women. Rei's wife did not seem amused, but Rei after initial confusion actually did. That made Enji immediately forgive Hawks. Apparently the bird knew what he was doing.

"So, Mirei, how are you feeling now that you're just about to enter U.A.?" asked Fuyumi as they all finally settled around the big table. Right, it was Mirei's day, Fuyumi always knew how to remind them what was most important.

So the discussion went onto the heroics, Mirei telling them about her future classmates with whom she already had connected via Facebook, his boys reminiscing funny situations from their own times and commenting on Mirei's future teachers, most of them the same that had been teaching them, younger children whining with jealousy and arguing between each other who is the best U.A.'s graduate (it was a Deku vs All Might war, to both men's grins, and Katsuki's theatrical feigned irritation). Just as Enji hoped, the whole focus on Mirei and kids took the edge off the atmosphere, as they all concentrated on commenting and praising various accomplishments of their youngest generation.

"You see, told you," murmured Izuku, grinning.

Yeah, it wasn't a disaster. It was even nice. But even if Enji was very happy the mood wasn't grim or hostile of course it wasn't lost to him there practically was no interaction between both adult sides of the family, maybe with exception of Fuyumi, always in good relation with everyone, and Toshinori who was unanimously respected and loved by every sane person in this country. But this was to be expected.

What was not to be expected was the fact that he had been approached by Natsuo when he went to the bathroom. His son had been making some attempts at showing his acceptance and even praising Mirei's success during the dinner, but it really did not come across as sincere and convincing, especially to the girl, Enji could see. But what mattered was that he came round and tried to repair what damage had been done. Enji knew these things weren't easy to fix. But he knew what Natsuo had done wasn't near as bad as what Enji had done to his family so he was sure his son would be able to reconcile with Mirei.

"Does she hate me?" Natsuo asked with no preamble. Enji wasn't sure why he was asking him, not Shouto, who was closest with the girl.

"No, Natsuo. You're a great dad and she knows you love her."

"I need no kind words, I need the truth."

"I mean it. Don't underestimate a child's love towards their parents. And you are a good parent, Natsuo."

"How can you know that? You know nothing about our family." It stung, even if true.

"I know you. You're incapable of being a bad father." Enji really was sure of that. "It is not the end of the world that you initially did not approve of her career for the fear of losing her. You both have many years ahead of you to fix it, you have years to show your approval from now on."

Natsuo hung his head. Enji's heart was pulling him towards his son, his son who for the first time ever came to him with a problem, with pain and sadness that was weighing him down, but he kept his distance. This moment was a long awaited step towards a better future for their relationship, hopefully, but not an erasure of everything that had happened between them so far.

"It's not... It wasn't only about the danger, though of course it horrifies me... But you've been always saying how taxing, stressful, dismal that job is. I know it can get to your head. I was afraid..."

"...she'll turn into me."

Natsuo did not deny.

"Natsuo, I am the way I am because of my parents, not because of my hero job."

That made Natsuo look even more guilty.

"Natsuo, you are a good father. You are. But no one is a perfect parent. It's impossible. It is much too difficult a task. It is impossible to never make any mistakes. Don't beat yourself up over not achieving impossible. Show Mirei your love and she'll appreciate it. If not now, then later. She is a teenager, it's a difficult age..."

Natsuo was quiet and Enji truly doubted his words convinced him. After all he never was a person whose opinion mattered to this son, not that he could blame him. But Natsuo nodded weakly, with a sigh.

"Thank you," he replied, simple words moving Enji to his core. When did he hear a thank you from Natsuo? Never. "If you could- Maybe you could mention, to her-"

"I will talk to her, Natsuo. But I'm sure that deep inside she knows."

888

Izuku was sitting on the engawa, finishing the urgent conversation with a Polish hero that needed his advice on some tricky case they had there. His family was all in the garden, celebrating Mum's release from the hospital after a very severe heart attack. Thankfully, Mum had sustained no brain damage, and the surgery she had had made sure her heart was going to be doing better from now on. One could say she was very lucky, considering the attack had happened when she had been alone at home.

But Izuku knew better. He reached out.

He immediately felt his presence.

"Thank you," he said, not turning his head.

"I am man of my word."

"I've been thinking."

"Oh?" A chuckle.

"There were so many situations in theirs and my life, when someone should have died, even before we've met. Back then, before the war."

"Is that so?" The voice was amused.

"I thought so." So Izuku was right. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. I do what I want. And, besides, I'm not doing this exactly for free, right? I expect you'll keep your end of the promise too."

"I will," said Izuku and meant it. It was no price at all. No price for seeing his family happy and safe, alive until they die of old age. Everyone, including All Might, despite his injuries, despite Mirai's prediction.

"Good. I'll be waiting."

"I'll be there for you. I will," answered Izuku serenely. He was a hero after all. What hero he'd be if he wasn't there for those who needed him?

"Izuku?"

"Ah, Kacchan." The presence was gone.

"Was that him?"

Izuku smiled.

"Everything is fine, Kacchan." He got up, closed the distance between them and laid a long and strong kiss on Kacchan's lips. "Let's go back to others."