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"Congratulations, Mr. Todoroki. You're a free man."
He stared at the officer, his scowl twisting into something akin to a grimace.
Then the gates closed and he was on his own with nothing but the clothes they provided and an empty wallet. He summoned a small flame, watching it sputter for a second before extinguishing. He'd grown weak.
He clenched his fist and something snapped. He could still picture them in the courtroom, how composed they all looked as they spoke of their past. Sosuke had returned from another country with a new name and told a tale of training that ended in bloodshed. Fuyumi cast aside her timid nature and described a scenario in which she and her mother suffered physical and verbal blows. Ryou couldn't be tracked down to testify but photos of his heavily scarred skin were more than sufficient as evidence. Even his masterpiece chose them over him. Shouto spoke of his mother as well, and the events leading up to his scar.
He still didn't know which one had initially confessed. Even after seven years he couldn't figure it out. What he did know was how to draw them out and find out for himself.
But first he needed to get his strength back.
The green icon was blinking, indicating a voicemail. The problem was in the fact that he didn't recognize the number. All calls were to be forwarded to his agency's office and only Fuyumi and his mother's hospital had his personal number, as far as he knew. Who was this stranger?
Curiosity eventually outweighed cautiousness and he pressed play.
"He got released today and everything's a mess and– gah, let me start over."
Even laced with panic the voice was familiar and he felt his blood run cold.
"It's me, Sosuke. Well, I don't go by that anymore. It's not important. I got your number from Fuyumi to warn you that Enji Todoroki was released from prison today. It's a given that he's going to come after us. Stay out of the spotlight. Take a break from hero work. Just keep a low profile. I've told Fuyumi the same thing and... nobody knows where Ryou is. No matter what happens I'm the oldest and I have to watch out for you guys, so for once please just listen to me. Please. Shit, I'm at the airport. I'll try to keep in touch. Yes, I'm hanging up the phone! Get off my–!"
In the span of a single phone call time seemed to stop. He felt like he was sixteen again, having just been called to the witness stand. Hundreds of eyes were upon him and he could barely think, let alone give testimony. Only a nod from Sosuke gave him the courage he needed.
Except nobody knew where his brother was now. They hadn't spoken for seven years. Suddenly he was in the front of his mind because of that man.
"Ingenium!" he barked into his radio. "There's a personal emergency. I need someone to take this side of the city."
"We've got you covered, Frostfire. I'm sure Deku and Uravity will want to hear about everything later. Stay safe."
"Of course."
He was halfway to the hospital when he hesitated. His mother had already suffered so much by the man's hand. Shouto didn't want to hurt her by telling her he was free again.
The only other person he could think of was his sister, and he didn't even know if she'd be home after receiving Sosuke's message. The terror he'd been suppressing finally burst forth and he felt as though he were suffocating.
He could be anywhere. What if he's nearby? What will he do to us? To me?
"Shouto!"
He cried out and looked for the hulking form of the man he was used to, all senses on high alert. Instead he found a young man with white hair and wide eyes.
"Shouto," he whispered, dropping his suitcase and running to him.
Sosuke hit him like a ton of bricks and he stumbled, gradually returning the hug. "You–"
"What the hell are you doing in your hero costume in public? I told you to lay low!"
"I just got your message."
He checked his watch and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I did call while you would've been asleep. Time zones are a mess."
Shouto swallowed thickly. He hadn't been hugged like that... ever. Not by his siblings.
He couldn't allow himself to be distracted by such things. Not when they had other problems.
"I've already texted Fuyumi," he explained. "Was about to do the same to you. We're meeting at the café mom loved. It seems like the least likely place for him to find us."
He stared at his costume. "My apartment is nearby–"
"Go change into civilian clothes. It's better if we don't walk in as a group anyway."
Fifteen minutes later they were clustered around a table. Fuyumi was a wreck, unable to stop trembling. Even the mention of their father was enough to send her into a panic. Combined with the fact that they were being reunited with their brother for the first time in seven years, it was a recipe for disaster.
She reached for her coffee but Sosuke gently moved it out of her reach. "We need to hide. I don't want to split up again but staying together is dangerous."
"Where's Ryou?" she asked, her voice shaking. "He wasn't even in court that day. I'm so scared. What if he's... gone?"
"...He's not. I've been keeping tabs on obituaries for awhile now," the older boy admitted. "No one bearing those scars has shown up."
"I might be a rookie but I'm still a pro hero," Shouto offered. "I have connections all over the place. If necessary I can arrange something."
"That can be a last resort. No matter what you do you'll leave tracks, so to speak. He's used to hurting and exploiting whoever he needs to get what he wants. Besides, I don't want to drag others into this."
Shouto nibbled on his pastry but it tasted like cardboard. "Now what?" he said at last.
That was the real question, the one nobody had an answer to.
They all kept their gazes down as the bell over the door rang and someone entered. He had the best view and immediately noticed the newcomer had a considerable limp. He allowed himself to glance up and took in the ugly burns on his neck and face.
It can't be–
The stranger lurched over to their table, leaning in close. He stunk of death and rot and Shouto noticed how the roots of his hair were a deep red.
"I thought I might find you here."
They left the café as soon as they realized who it was and made their way to Shouto's apartment. Ryou was immediately guided to the shower while Sosuke tried to calm Fuyumi. It took twenty minutes for her to stop crying.
They were finally all together.
"Now what?" Shouto asked again.
Ryou seemed fascinated by the material of the shirt he'd been given. Judging by his other outfit, he'd been living a rough life after he left.
"Now we lay low," Sosuke said firmly. "I won't separate us now that we're all together but we can't let him know where we are or what we're up to."
"You're still calling all the shots, huh?"
"Ryou," Fuyumi warned.
"No," he snapped. "It's been eleven years since I've seen you and you haven't changed at all. You still think you're so great 'cause you're the oldest."
"I'm simply thinking of the family–"
"Like hell this is a family! You're just trying to show off to make up for all that lost time. Well I'm not having it!"
"Ryou!"
He got up suddenly, the chair crashing to the floor. "I'm not gonna just take this again! All you've ever done is tell me I'm wrong!"
"Ryou, wait!"
The door slammed and Sosuke got up to go after him but an arm across his chest halted him.
"There's no reasoning with him. I could tell he'd been itching for a fight and you don't want to give him one. He was behaving how other villains do."
"Shouto!" she cried. "He's still your brother!"
"Maybe you two got some bonding in over the years but not me."
There was an unspoken extension of I don't have any siblings.
"That's enough!"
Sosuke slammed a hand on the table and Shouto flinched.
"We have to work together. This is exactly what he's done to us our entire lives. He can't be allowed to have control when he's not here!"
"...Fine."
"Thank you. Now we need a plan."
Fuyumi kept staring at the door. How had they lost their brother after just getting him back?
The weeks passed slowly as he trained. Every day he couldn't control his fire was another day wasted. Surely they knew what had happened to him and were hiding.
Perhaps it could work in his favor. He could strike just when they figured it was safe to come out again.
He tried to ignite his hand once more, grinning wolfishly as the flames finally obeyed him.
As he tried to increase the temperature they turned blue before sputtering out. He cursed under his breath, still not back to his old condition.
Enough time had been wasted. He had to track them down before they disappeared forever. It was time to go hunting for information, regardless of the state his quirk was in.
Three people living in what was supposed to be a two person apartment became cramped rather quickly. Arguments broke out regularly, not even the looming danger enough to sate them completely. As time went on the three of them adopted areas for themselves. Sosuke claimed the kitchen table when it wasn't in use, setting up his laptop and watching the news for any traces of their father. He got his sign three weeks later as a picture of a building on fire became the focal point.
"You two need to come see this."
The three of them crowded around the small screen. "That's–!"
"A man wielding a fire quirk has appeared in front of the hero Frostfire's agency. The hero himself doesn't appear to be inside, but several workers seem to be trapped."
Shouto's breath caught and the camera cut to a hazy video of a man who could only be their father. The smoke was thick in the air and the others didn't pick up on it, but Shouto knew his quirk wasn't in its usual shape. Smoke made cover for the enemy. He was being careless.
"Come out, Frostfire! Isn't a true hero supposed to save those in trouble and defeat the evil that threatens the city? Why aren't you helping those in need?"
His nails dug into the table and Sosuke watched his gaze linger on the door.
"Absolutely not," he warned.
"He's going to kill them!"
"We can't fight him."
"There are women and children in there! Are you really okay with just letting them die?!"
"Sacrifices have to be made sometimes."
"Sosuke, look at him! He may have been insane when we were younger but he still cared about his pride and his status above all else. The thought of purposefully destroying a rival agency would never cross his mind. He didn't even go after All Might directly! He's been stripped of his title and has nothing to live for anymore. He'd probably be okay with dying in the process of it meant he could take me down with him."
"You just listed all the reasons you can't fight him. He'll kill you."
"So you're okay with him killing innocents?"
The older boy hesitated and he pushed past, already halfway down the hall by the time he heard the footsteps behind him.
I won't let him hurt anyone else. That's what I promised on that day. No one will suffer the way I did!
The smoke began to choke him as he got closer. I can use this. Hide and ambush him.
People streamed past him and he helped a woman to her feet as she stumbled. Where was he? The video showed the north side of the building but the flames seemed to be coming from everywhere at one. It was as though his father had no control and just intended to burn things. He had no real target.
That was when he heard the furious roar. He barely had time to summon an ice barrier before the blow connected and he felt all oxygen leave his body.
The heat was overwhelming and stung his eyes and throat as he gasped for breath. He's not holding back at all, he realized. This is nothing like our old training sessions.
A smoking grip clamped itself around his throat and time seemed to slow down. "I'll burn you just like I did your wretched brother," Enji hissed.
He knew he was going to pass out but couldn't even summon the strength to ignite himself in an attempt to get the man to drop him.
Right as his vision began to fade the pressure around his windpipe vanished. He dropped to the ground and coughed violently, feeling the now rough texture of his skin. That was too close.
He looked up to find someone with spiky black and red hair in front of him. "Get out of here!" Ryou yelled. "This isn't your fight!"
"He's targeting me! You don't have to do this!"
He watched as the older boy summoned a wall of dark flames and their father went down. "I've been waiting to do this for more than ten years."
"You think your pathetic flames can stop me?!"
Ryou cursed under his breath as Enji got to his feet.
"I gave you those burns as a reminder of how weak you are! Nothing has changed!"
"Oh yeah, nothing's changed. You're still just a rambling old man who can't accomplish his goals on his own. You have to turn to flashy shows of power like this and that damn hero costume of yours!"
Someone grabbed Shouto's arm and before he could scream a hand was pressed over his mouth.
"You never listen to me!" Sosuke hissed. "I'm the eldest. Why can't you just accept that I have more experience and do as I say for once?"
They watched as Ryou was thrown backwards, slamming into a wall.
"When did he get here?"
"Few minutes ago."
"Now I have two people to watch out for. Wonderful."
He stood tall and disappeared in the smoke. Shouto could only watch in terror as the crackling flames grew louder and brighter.
I can't just let him fight on his own... but he's so much stronger than us!
The temperature seemed to drop and Fuyumi appeared beside him, trying to drag him away. "We have to get out of here," she pleaded.
Her stress levels must've been rampant if her quirk was activating on its own.
The pieces finally fell into place. "Look at him," Shouto growled. "He thinks he's strong but he's not."
"Shouto, what are you doing? Stop it! Get back here!"
His father trained him to be stronger than All Might, and by extension Endeavor as well. He was relying on intimidation tactics and ambushes because he knew he couldn't last in a real fight against them.
Ryou had gotten back up and rushed into the fight while Sosuke used his ice from afar. Both their styles were too sloppy to do much on their own but together...
"Fuyumi!" he called. "I need your help!"
The girl appeared a moment later, her eyes wide and heart practically jumping out of her chest.
"None of us can take him down on our own. We have to work together."
"But–!"
"Please just trust me. I've been fighting him for years and analyzing villains for just as long. He melts Sosuke's ice as fast as he creates it and Ryou's fire does little against his near immunity. If we combine all our quirks then we stand a chance and can limit the casualties."
Her gaze lingered on a charred arm sticking out of the rubble and he forced her to look at him. "Do you trust me?"
"Y-Yes."
He took her hand and an ice pillar propelled them up to the roof where Sosuke was. He was in the middle of explaining the plan when Fuyumi screamed and shot ice down below. They glanced over the edge to find Enji's foot stuck, the ice too thick to melt easily.
"Nice shot," Sosuke said. "Think you can do it again?"
"No time to find out," Shouto interrupted. "Lets go."
They slid back down to the ground and kept their distance as he broke out of the ice.
"So you've all teamed up... No, not all. The outcast among outcasts keeps his distance."
"Shut up!" Ryou yelled. "What the hell do you know? You couldn't be bothered to look at me once you deemed me to be worthless!"
He shot a blast of dark blue flames the man easily avoided. "Oh Ryou..."
He froze where he was and Shouto felt sick. "Don't listen to him," he warned. "He's trying to mess with your head!"
"Quiet, Shouto," and that tone made him feel like he was a disobedient child again. "Ryou, you ran away and joined the villains because you thought I wasn't a real hero."
He slowly dropped his fighting stance and Enji drew closer.
"You can't call yourself a hero either when you've hurt so many. Look at this mess around you. Not all these flames are mine."
"I..."
"You're still so weak and have no control over your quirk. Such a shame you were the one born with it when Shouto could've benefited from it much more than you."
"Shouto," he murmured, as if in a trance. "It's... his fault."
"Yes, he's the one who sent your mother away and stole the spotlight from you." He reached out a hand. "Join me in taking down your accursed brother. He's not a real hero either."
"I... I could..."
"You're weak!" Shouto shouted. "Having to play mind games with your own son to get him to do your bidding... but he's stronger than that. You're not the one in charge anymore!"
Before Enji could even react to the statement he found himself encased in ice, all three of his children standing before him. They dared defy him–!
"I'm... I'm not weak," Ryou said suddenly. "I'm not worthless." He closed the gap between them, dark flames lapping at him.
There was a hand around his throat and Enji felt the calloused skin heat up.
"Ryou!" Fuyumi cried.
He grinned, the sutures warping it into something sinister. "And unlike you, I have a sense of human decency."
Shouto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Sirens could be heard in the distance and they all allowed themselves to relax. Detective Tsukauchi ran up, visibly out of breath.
"We saw the fire... and got here as fast... as we could," he panted.
"A long run from the precinct?" Sosuke teased. His brother's elbow connected with his ribs a second later.
"I apologize for his inconsiderate behavior, detective. We've captured the villain."
"Very well. Wait, you captured Dabi–!?"
"Wrong villain," Ryou snorted, seeing the man draw back. "You can deal with me later. If you can catch me. Hey!"
"You're both idiots," Shouto grumbled, rubbing his knuckles.
The detective finally turned to face the captured Enji. He simply sighed. "Former hero Endeavor... it's been too long."
"You dare mock me," he snarled. "I am the number one hero!"
"The number one hero is Deku," Shouto interjected harshly. "You're nothing but a criminal."
"Shouto–!"
"I'm the hero Frostfire. You are to address me as such."
"We've got him from here," Tsukauchi assured him.
He bowed and joined his siblings. Sosuke was rubbing Fuyumi's back, the girl choking back sobs. They looked at him expectantly and he rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's finally over."
Ryou sneered. "The cops keep eyeing me. Why can't they focus on the real villain at hand?"
"You are a real villain," his older brother said, ruffling his hair.
"Don't touch the hair! And so what if I killed a few guys here and there? The other guys in the League are way worse!"
"If you could refrain from such talk around a pro," Shouto said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No wonder the police are staring."
Fuyumi sniffled. "...I want to see Mom."
Silence.
"Are you insane?" came the simultaneous reply.
"It's over, isn't it? What's stopping us?"
"The fact that her husband just assaulted us after being released from prison."
"The fact that I'm a wanted criminal."
"The fact that she poured boiling water on my face as a child because I reminded her of her husband."
"Honestly, all three of you can just stop it! We defeated the villain!"
"Technically Shouto defeated the– sure, we defeated the villain."
Shouto sighed. "Why not?" he said at last. "She'll probably be more shocked we're all together. We might not even have to bring him up."
"You're so incredibly naive," Ryou said, the permanent smile seeming genuine for once.
They found themselves standing outside the door far too soon. An unspoken question hung in the air. Who goes in first?
"Ladies first?"
Shouto made a disgusted noise and pushed through. "Mom."
"Shouto! Oh, it's been so long. I've been hearing all about you on TV. I'm so proud of you!"
Ryou took a deep breath and knocked. "May I come in?"
"–the way you stopped that villain when he–!"
She noticed him and trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes. "...What happened?" she whispered.
Sosuke and Fuyumi entered then, and that drab little hospital room was filled with more life than ever before.
"He's finally gone," Shouto explained. "He won't be able to hurt any of us ever again. I'll make sure of it."
"You've all been so strong... What did I do to deserve such perfect children?"
Ryou opened his mouth to say something but two fists collided with his arm. The message was clear: Don't.
"Since he's gone," Fuyumi ventured, "does that mean you can leave this place?"
Everyone was suddenly silent and she wiped her tears away. "I... I think it does."
"He never had you take your maiden name so the house is in your name now!" she cried. "Oh, this is wonderful!"
"Not just the house," Sosuke interrupted. "Most everything of his. After seven years it isn't as much as it was but it's still incredible!"
"Imagine the interest at the bank," Ryou echoed.
Shouto sighed. "You're all unbelievable. Let's first work on the release forms."
"As usual, your brother is the levelheaded one."
Two protests arose and Fuyumi rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
In that moment they finally felt like a real family.