Hello everyone! I have not written a story in many years, so I'm very rusty. But I still hope you enjoy this, and please be gentle with the criticism, haha!
Enji Todoroki, also known as Endeavor, sat impatiently in the hospital chair with his arms crossed over his chest, resisting the urge to bounce his leg in agitation. Beside him sat Keigo, also known as Hawks, playing some game on his phone and every so often adjusting his seating position. The number two hero had to go on patrol soon but decided to stop by the hospital when Enji told him the news to offer some 'moral support' as he called it, and despite his feigned annoyance, the number one hero couldn't help but feel... comforted by his friend being there. Though he would rather die than admit it, especially the friend part.
He glanced once more at the clock and sighed, he was beginning to worry.
"Relax big guy. These things take time, you know that," Keigo said, still looking at his phone.
"Yes, but complications can always occur, especially for first time mothers," Enji replied, fixing his gaze on the wall ahead of him once more.
"Yeah but Fuyumi's a strong girl, and she's got the best doctors imaginable taking care of her. Just have some faith."
To be honest, Enji was surprised that Fuyumi even wanted him there at all. He had done all he could to atone for his past mistakes, but he knew that some of his family members would probably never forgive him, and even he doubted at times if he could change and come back from all of the harm he had caused. But out of all his children, Fuyumi was always the most forgiving. When she had told him that she had gone into labor, he immediately ran to the hospital as soon as his hero duties were over.
That was over six hours ago, and it was now four o'clock in the morning. Shouto and Natsuo were there before him to support their sister, but eventually went home to their respective dorms to get some rest after he promised to inform them if anything happened.
A grandfather. The concept felt foreign to him, he never imagined his children wanting offspring of their own. Not after what he put them through, and though Fuyumi seemed like the most obvious one, she spent most of her life taking care of others, so when she told him of her pregnancy so soon after her marriage, it was quite a shock.
Footsteps echoed across the hall and him and Keigo looked to see his ex-wife Rei walking towards them. She sat two chairs away and crossed her legs gracefully. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come see how Fuyumi is doing."
Enji's gaze flicked to her and away again. "No news yet, she's still in labor." Despite divorcing on rather amicable terms, there was still an air of awkwardness surrounding the former married couple, neither quite sure how to talk to the other and avoiding each other as much as possible, and even though she doesn't fear him like she used to, Rei kept her distance as much as she could.
Apparently Keigo found Rei's company far more enjoyable, immediately sitting closer to converse with her. Whether this was to stave off any awkward silence or simply a cause of the winged hero's extraverted nature, Enji wasn't sure, but grateful nonetheless.
The silent chatter provided a surprisingly soothing background noise, and the pro hero found himself slowly drifting off, the events of the last twenty-four hours finally taking its toll. But before he could reach blissful rest, the doctor came in with a soft smile.
With a newfound energy, he stood up quickly and attempted to keep his voice neutral. "How is she?"
The doctor looked at him and Rei and said, "your daughter gave birth to a healthy baby girl and is doing perfectly fine. Congratulations!"
The scarred man let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, the muscles in his body relaxing after being tensed up for hours. Rei thanked the doctor and wiped a few tears from her eyes.
"You should go first, I'll text the boys," said Rei.
Enji shook his head after finally getting his bearings, taking out his phone. "No, you go first, she'll want to see you."
She gawked at him. "Enji, you've been here all night. Don't you want to meet your granddaughter?"
"Yes, but..." he trailed off, the phone in his hand feeling heavy. Letting out a shaky breath, he said, "Go, I'll inform the boys. I'll be in there soon. Besides, I promised I'd tell them."
With one last doubtful look, Rei followed the doctor to their daughter's room. He hurriedly texted his sons and tried to ignore the trembling of his hand.
"Congrats, Endeavor! You're a grandpa." Keigo elbowed him good-naturedly while he finished, nearly making him drop his phone due to the nerves. "You should go see her, I'll tell Shouto and Natsuo what room she's in."
As much as he wanted to avoid another awkward interaction with his sons, the number one hero couldn't will his feet to move from their spot. Placing his phone back in his pocket, he cleared his throat and said, "No, I'll wait here for them, you should go home and get some rest before your patrol starts."
"What's the deal, man?" He asked. "You've been staring at the wall all tensed up like a statue ever since I got here. I mean, I know your history with them isn't great and all, but she asked you to come, didn't she? That's gotta count for something." Suddenly his phone buzzed. After checking it he pats Enji's shoulder and says, "Aw crap, gotta go, my patrol is starting early. See ya, Endeavor."
As he watched his friend walk away, the large man sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his sons, trying his best to fight off his troubling thoughts.
Thankfully, they both arrived much quicker than he expected, looking tired and weary from sleep. As expected, Natsuo avoided looking at him, choosing to let Shouto speak instead. Enji was slowly starting to accept the fact that he may never gain Natsuos forgiveness, no matter what he did or how much he tried.
"How is she," the youngest Todoroki asked.
"She's well, the doctor said the baby is healthy."
"You haven't seen her yet?"
"No. I... I wanted to make sure you two got here safe," he replied.
Natsuo let out a soft scoff and entered the room where Enji pointed. Shouto, however, didn't follow his brother and instead stood still and gazed at his father with a questioning look in his eyes. Shouto always did have such intense eyes, and while they didn't stare at him with resentment anymore, he had a way of making Enji feel so vulnerable at times.
"What is it, Shouto?" Enji asked.
"We're here now. Aren't you going to come and see the baby with us?"
"I..." He wanted to make some other excuse, maybe some paperwork had to be taken care of, a villain that needed to be tracked, preparing to train some new recruits, but nothing came out. His throat felt dry and he closed his eyes and sighed for the millionth time that night. He supposed it was time to admit it. He was scared. How could Fuyumi possibly want him in her life, much less her daughter's, after everything he's done? What if he ends up falling back into old ways and hurts her daughter? What will happen once her quirk manifests?
"I don't deserve to be here, to be in there."
"No you don't," Shouto bluntly agreed, making his father look down in defeat. "But she wants you here for some reason," he continued, "you could at least do that. Maybe you could be a better grandfather than you were a father."
And with that, he disappeared into the other room, leaving his father to ponder over his words.
When Enji finally gained the courage, he walked in the delivery room and was hit with the sight of his family standing around his daughter and her daughter, and thought of how perfect everything could be if only Dabi-no... if Toya could be here with them all. If he were here, then this would be an absolutely perfect picture.
Fuyumi's husband was standing attentively by her side with Shouto and Natsuo near him. Rei was standing on the other side with a soft smile on her face. When Fuyumi finally noticed him, she smiled and gestured for him to come to her and held the tiny bundle in her arms out.
Enji, guessing her meaning, shakes his head and steps back. "N-no, that's alright-"
"Just get over here," mutters an unlikely voice. Everyone turns their heads to Natsuo in question and he only looks away with a scowl on his face.
That was all he needed. Enji swallows down his hesitation and doubts and decides to approach the bed. With shaking hands, he accepts the baby from Fuyumi's arms and stares at the tiny, new life. Her little hands were curled into fists near her head which was covered by soft red hair, obviously inherited from him. He couldn't see what color her eyes were because they were closed, but he would later discover that they were a mint green like her father's.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had held a baby. He stopped helping with the children after the incident with Touya and left it all to Rei, so holding a baby felt so foreign to him after all these years.
"What's her name?" He asks softly, not taking his eyes off her.
"We decided to name her Usagi," Fuyumi replies, smiling at his already obvious fondness for her.
The baby scrunched her nose and snuggled closer to him, probably seeking more heat, and as a side effect of his quirk, Enji emitted a lot of it. The action caused the stoic man's eyes to soften and his arms tightened ever so slightly around her. He could already tell that this little girl was going to be a problem for him, she had him wrapped around her finger without even realizing.
For a moment he forgot everyone else in the room and just stared at the infant in his arms. Shouto's words from earlier repeated in his mind, and suddenly a new goal was set for his future. He could never undo the damage he caused his family and the trauma he gave them, but maybe he could attempt to start anew with this life in his arms. A new beginning with him and his family.
In that moment, Enji Todoroki silently vowed to protect and cherish Usagi, and to always be there for her and her parents whenever they needed him. He would be her hero for as long as she lived.
I plan on making this a series of oneshots detailing Endeavors life as a grandpa, but the updates may take a while. I hope you guys liked it!