Chapter Text
“And they’ve done it again, folks! Pro hero Endeavor and his sidekick Dragonbreath have saved the day!” the announcer on the TV said gleefully, punching the air. “Now on the scene is reporter Karasu Giichi, with an update on the-” Click. The TV winked out with a small burst of static, making Inko startle.
“Turn that off, honey. Why listen to a boring old reporter when you can get the full story from me?” Hisashi Midoriya said, smiling into his wife’s shoulder.
“Hisashi! Don’t scare me like that! I didn’t even hear you come in,” Inko laughed, leaning into the touch. “Besides, I know better than to trust your storytelling skills, Mr. Cool Guy.”
“Come on, that was once!” Hisashi laughed back, kissing Inko on the cheek. His joking grin transformed into a softer smirk as he placed a gentle hand on Inko’s stomach. “How’s our little guy doing in there?”
“Izuku is doing fine,” Inko replied, resting the hand not held by her husband on her swollen belly. “He was kicking an awful lot when I was watching the fight on TV earlier! I bet he’ll be a hero otaku just like you.”
“It’s not called being an otaku when they’re your colleagues~” Hisashi chuckled as he pulled away, meandering to the kitchen. “Oh, this smells good! What is it?”
“Just some curry. I put it on simmer a while ago, it should be done by now,” Inko called, beginning to push herself up. In a flash, her husband was by her side, supporting her by the arm. “Thanks, darling.”
“No problem!” Hisashi chirped, leading her to the kitchen table. He buzzed around the small room, grabbing bowls and spoons with an easy grace that always made Inko melt. Within a minute or so, the table was set and the two of them had settled down.
“I hope it’ll stay like this.” Hisashi’s quiet words startled Inko out of her thoughts.
“Like what?”
“When we have a kid. I hope it’ll be like this. Sitting down together, eating dinner together, being a family.” Inko smiled, meeting her husband’s eyes.
“I hope so too.”
Hisashi gathered his courage, nervously ringing the doorbell. He clutched the stack of paperwork in one hand and fidgeted with his ring with the other, tapping his foot with impatience. There was a quick patter of footsteps behind the door, and a harrowed-looking woman with white hair opened the door. Behind her, Hisashi could see two kids with white hair like hers peeking around a corner. They must be shy. Adorable, though.
“Mrs. Todoroki, right? I’m just here to get some paperwork to your husband.”
“Oh, you must be Dragonbreath. No worries, wait upstairs in his study and he’ll be up in a minute. He’s training right now,” Mrs. Todoroki replied, ushering him in. Hisashi stepped inside, looking around as he did. Not many of Endeavor’s sidekicks had visited his house, and even Hisashi wasn’t really supposed to be here.
A loud wail sounded from upstairs, catching them both off guard. “Fuyumi! Natsuo! I told you two to keep an eye on Shouto!” Mrs. Todoroki sighed exasperatedly, rubbing their heads fondly.
“Sorry, Mom…” the two said in unison, bowing their heads sheepishly. Hisashi couldn’t help but be a little curious, trying to subtly peek upstairs. He never was good at stealth, though, because Mrs. Todoroki clearly noticed.
“You know what, my husband won’t get up here for a few more minutes, we have time. Would you like to meet Shouto?” Hisashi nodded eagerly, following her up the stairs. The white-haired woman led him down the hallway, opening the door to a room near the end.
Quickly, she walked over to the crib inside, lifting out a small baby inside and Hisashi thought he might just pass out, because this baby was so fucking cute . The most striking thing about him was his hair, half white and half red. Do genetics work that way? I mean, I failed high school science, but I still don’t think that’s how it works. She picked Shouto up, shushing him until his cries quieted. Her eyes shone with a quiet pride as she looked up at Hisashi.
“He’s adorable,” Hisashi said, not quite sure what else to say. “How old is he?”
“Almost two years old,” Mrs. Todoroki replied, shifting her grip to hold him better.
“Really? My son’s second birthday is this week! They must be about the same age,” Hisashi exclaimed, quickly quieting his voice when Shouto began to squirm again. Mrs. Todoroki smiled, but it was clear her mind was elsewhere as her face shifted to a frown. The lines around the corners of her eyes suddenly made her seem much older than she probably was. “What’s wrong?”
“If I tell you something, do you swear not to tell my husband about it?” Her eyes flashed with a sudden seriousness.
“I swear on my life,” he replied, not sure what he was getting into. Heroes listened to people, right?
“Shouto… we don’t know anything about his quirk right now, but we think he’ll have a combination of ours. Half-hot, half-cold.” Hisashi opened his mouth in a question when she took a deep breath and locked eyes with him, seemingly staring into his soul. “My husband… he doesn’t see Shouto- or any of our children, for that matter- as children. He sees them as-” Mrs. Todoroki shuddered, hugging Shouto closer to her chest. “-as opportunities. As successors.”
Hisashi sucked in a breath through his teeth as suddenly, all the dots connected. “You’re not here because you ever loved him, are you? You’re here because-” An old conversation with an old friend flashed through his mind. What do you know about quirk marriages?
Mrs. Todoroki nodded sadly. “Touya’s not taking it too well. He’s our firstborn, with a fire Quirk even more powerful than his father’s. But… Enji still wanted his ‘money’s worth’ out of this marriage.” Hisashi felt vomit(or was it rage?) welling up in his throat and had to push it back down.
“Mrs. Todoroki, I’m so sorry- I can’t even imagine-” he stuttered.
“Please,” Mrs. Todoroki interrupted. “Call me Rei.” Hisashi shook her extended hand. (She had a very firm grip.)
“In that case, call me Hisashi. I promise, I will help any way I can.” Rei smiled, clearly relieved.
“Not telling my husband about this would help a great deal.”
“Mrs- Rei, I swore on my life. I want you to know I meant it.” Hisashi put his hand over his heart seriously, surprising even himself with his sincerity. They stood in silence for a second, Shouto’s small sighs filling the air between them. Rei looked down the hallway at a closed door. At Hisashi’s questioning gaze, she explained.
“That’s Touya’s room. Not that he’s ever in it anymore. He’s either training with Enji or out in the woods. Even I don’t know where he goes, and it worries me,” she admitted with a sad sigh. Wiping her tired eyes with the corner of her shirt, she looked back up at Hisashi. “But you don’t need to hear a mother’s worryings. Come on, he’ll be up soon. His office is right down the hall.”
As if in a daze, Hisashi walked into Endeavor’s office and sat down, staring blankly at the stack of papers still clutched in his hand. Why do I feel so helpless? Downstairs, he could hear Rei bustling around, muttering to Shouto about getting groceries. How could she still have so much strength when the man she’d married was so terrible?
While Hisashi tried to puzzle through the events of the past few minutes, Endeavor himself stomped into the room, beard and mustache aflame. (As much as Hisashi respected, or used to respect, his employer, he’d always found his insistence on keeping that mustache on fire stupid. Come on, dude. You’re at home, not fighting the damn yakuza. ) With a few thunderous footsteps, Endeavor was on the other side of the desk, glaring at him with a stare that made most grown men wilt.
“Why are you at my house.” It wasn’t a question.
“O-oh, sorry, sir! There’s some paperwork I needed to deliver, it’s about the villain attack last Thursday. The surrounding buildings are asking for compensation about the collateral damage your agency did during the fight, and they want you to look over it.” He pushed the paperwork forwards. Endeavor asked him a few more brief questions and he answered them, but his mind was elsewhere. Thankfully, the pro hero didn’t seem to notice, dismissing him with a wave of the hand and a ‘close the door on your way out.’
Maybe he just had naturally good hearing, or maybe it was his training that made him more sensitive. Whatever it was, as Hisashi made to leave, he heard a soft noise coming from the room Rei had pointed out earlier. She’d mentioned Touya trained with Endeavor, but what exactly did that entail… Before he knew it, his feet were moving towards the closed door of their own accord. His hand was knocking, then falling to his side awkwardly as he waited for a response. Inside, the noise stopped completely.
Hisashi’s heart began to race.. Oh god is that really Touya in there if it is he hurt is that why he stopped is he passed out is he ok- He knocked more frantically on the door, trying to see through the haze of panic that threatened to cloud his vision.
“Dad, please, Touya’s- oh.” The girl from earlier opened the door, looking worriedly up at him through a pair of navy blue glasses. Behind her, a boy with spiky red hair(Touya?) sat with his back to the door, the white-haired boy from earlier holding a gentle hand to his face. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dragonbreath, your father’s... sidekick,” Hisashi said nervously, internally wondering whether he even wanted that position anymore. “I heard something from in here and I got worried. Are you kids alright?”
“We’re…” The girl sighed, squirming nervously. “Touya, can I let him in? Dad’s gonna see him if he keeps standing out in the hall.”
“He works for Dad, Fuyumi. Of course we can’t let him in.” the red-haired boy scoffed. (It sounded like he had been crying. Hisashi tried not to let his heart break.)
“Whatever happens here stays here. I swear on my life,” Hisashi cut in. I need to make sure these kids are okay. Fuyumi kept looking back and forth between them, torn with indecision.
“It’s Dragonbreath, Touya. You trust him, right? Mom’s not home right now, and-” Her voice broke. “Please.”
“Fine, let him in.” Touya said, still facing away from him. Fuyumi ushered him in, quickly closing and locking the door behind him. Hisashi turned slowly, taking in the room. It was sparsely furnished, containing only a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a bookshelf. The desk seemed to be the only frequently used part of the room, covered in stacks of paper, notebooks, various hero figurines (Endeavor was noticeably not one of them), and a few books. Other than that, the room was unnaturally clean. (Given how strict about order Endeavor was, though, Hisashi wasn’t surprised.)
“Who’s this dude?” the white-haired boy asked petulantly. Before he could answer, Touya cut in.
“He’s Dragonbreath, you idiot. Remember? The only hero I actually like ?”
“Don’t call me an idiot, you idiot! Who’s the one icing your face right now?” The brothers kept sniping at each other, although their tones were dulled by the air of solemnity in the room. Fuyumi leaned over to him, grabbing his shirt sleeve with her tiny hand.
“I’m Fuyumi, by the way. In case you didn’t know.”
“Nice to meet you, Fuyumi,” Hisashi shook her hand as she extended it, trying to surpress a squeal at how adorable this child was. Not the time, Hisashi. She smiled, then looked back at her brothers.
“The one with the white hair is Natsuo. He’s younger than me, although he’ll never tell you that. The one with the red hair is Touya. He’s the oldest,” she continued.
“Oy, don’t go talking about me like I’m not here,” Touya said, turning around-
Oh god.
This kid…
However bad Hisashi thought “training” got, this was worse. Burn marks and bruises littered his chest and abdomen, and a trickle of blood seeped from his nose.
I’m going to kill Endeavor.
He sucked in a breath through his teeth “Touya, what-” He sighed, then straightened up, rescue training kicking into action. “How long has your nose been bleeding? Do you have any tissues?”
For a while, he helped Fuyumi and Natsuo take care of their brother, all the while fighting back tears at the look in Touya’s eyes. They’re kids. They should be playing outside and eating way too many taiyaki, not nursing their brother back to health!
Eventually, he stood up, doing a double take when he saw the time. “I need to get back home, kids.” As he made to stand up, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked back, Touya was standing there, an embarrassed look on his face. He mumbled something, but Hisashi couldn’t hear it.
“What was that, Touya? I can’t hear you, sorry.”
“I said thanks,” Touya muttered defensively. “I said it earlier, but… you’re basically the only hero I’ve actually respected. Ever. Dunno why you chose to work with my shithead of a dad, but I’m…” He reddened, clearly reluctant to push the next words out. “I’m glad you met us.”
Hisashi smiled softly, quickly stooping down to envelop the boy in a hug. “I’m glad I met you guys too.”
Inko Midoriya was cooking curry when her husband draped himself over her shoulders, sighing. She smiled into his cheek, stepping away from the stove to kiss him. “How was your day, honey?” Hisashi didn’t answer. “Hisashi?” Inko put a hand on his cheek, guiding his face down to lock eyes with her. “I know something’s wrong. You don’t have to tell me, but I’m here for you, all right?”
Hisashi flopped into the kitchen chair, burying his head in his hands. “Inko, if I told you something, could you promise not to tell anyone else?” Inko was taken aback at her husband’s seriousness. She put the wooden spoon she’d been using back on top of the stove, turned the flame off, and sat down in front of him.
“You know you can trust me no matter what, Hisashi. What is it?”
“Well… I had to drop off some paperwork at Endeavor’s house today, and I met his wife. They’re… Fuck, how do I phrase this… Inko, have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?”
Over the next few minutes, Hisashi recounted his time at the Todorokis’ house, eventually stopping when finally looked up from the table in front of him and saw his wife’s face. Inko was crying silently, teardrops hitting the wood surface between them. Hisashi quickly moved up to embrace his wife, holding her tight.
“They’re children,” Inko sobbed into his shoulder. “What can we even do? The youngest is Izuku’s age, for god’s sake! I can’t even imagine-” Her voice broke, and she clutched his shirt tighter.
“I know, Inko. I know,” Hisashi replied, letting the tears he’d been holding back flow out.
“What the hell are these?” Endeavor looked up from the papers on the desk in front of him.
“Exactly what they look like,” Hisashi replied. “My resignation.”
“Why on earth do you want to resign? I offer you a job and now you’re just throwing it away?” Endeavor scoffed, his beard’s flames blazing.
“Well, Inko just started her job and Izuku’s only two. Someone needs to take care of him,” Hisashi lied. in reality, Izuku would be perfectly fine at the Bakugous’ house. It had taken a lot of deliberation, but Hisashi didn’t want to work for someone who treated his family so terribly.
Endeavor leaned closer. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”
“Yes, sir,” Hisashi replied, a bead of sweat on his forehead praying the bead of sweat rolling down his forehead wasn’t visible.
Endeavor leaned back in his seat. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. There was a new hero I wanted to get in my agency anyway. Now that you’re gone, it’ll leave a space for me to hire him.”
“What, is it your son?” Hisashi muttered before he could think about it, immediately regretting his words as Endeavor’s head snapped up to meet him.
“What was that?”
“What?”
Endeavor leaned in, the flames on his face making Hisashi’s eyes water. “Boy, you will repeat what you just said-”
“Your son, ” Hisashi hissed, leaning forwards. No backing down now. “Touya. I… I know about him, Endeavor. And as a father, I can’t in good consciousness work for someone who treats his family like that.”
“Who the hell told you something like that?” Hisashi thought of a red-haired boy with tears spilling down his face, a pair of siblings with white hair and opposite personalities. He thought of a boy with a double-sided quirk that he hadn’t even discovered yet. I can’t pin this on them. This was all my fault.
“Nobody you know, and I won’t tell you. I promised to keep them safe.”
“How noble,” Endeavor scoffed. “In any case, why not just sue me? Try to get me arrested? You’re a smart man, I’m sure you could at least get partway there.”
“Partway wouldn’t be enough,” Hisashi said, shaking with righteous anger. “I’m not an idiot, Endeavor. I know how powerful you are, and taking you on directly would only hurt my career, me, and my family. So I’m quitting. Maybe then, one day, I’ll be in a position where I can help your family, too.”
The two glared at each other, Endeavor looking positively murderous.
“You’re a fool if you think you can-”
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
A loud alarm sounded through the building, setting Hisashi’s nerves aflame with anxiety.
“Sir! There’s a villain attack downtown, a bad one. All hands are needed!” A young intern appeared in the doorway, looking panicked.
“Get my gauntlets, I’m going,” Endeavor said, stomping towards the door.
“I’m coming too,” Hisashi chimed in, running past his boss into the hallway. . Endeavor looked at him, eyebrow quirked with superiority.
“Really? I thought you weren’t my sidekick anymore, Dragonbreath. ”
“I’m going because I want to help people.” Turning back toward turning back towards the exit, Hisashi muttered, “Something you’ve never cared about.”
Arriving at the crime scene, everything was in chaos. At least one building had been reduced to rubble, and several more weren’t in good shape. Large cracks criscrossed the street, and it looked like at least one water main had erupted. (On the plus side, at least it had put out most of the fires?) In the center of it all was a man in a silvery costume. (Name unknown, basic but powerful telekinesis quirk- that was all the police had been able to give them before leaping back into action.)
When they said all hands on deck, they really weren’t kidding. From his vantage point, Hisashi could see Best Jeanist, Air Jet, Water Hose, Crimson Riot, and Cementoss. Darting into the fray, he passed Thirteen excavating the building that had collapsed.
The villain didn’t notice him right off, as he was more concerned with the bolts of flame Endeavor sent at him. One went wide, collapsing part of a building. Shrieks filled the air, particularly one from a bystander fleeing the scene- “All Might was in there!” All Might? Hisashi began to run towards the scene when the hero himself emerged from the pile of rubble, carrying a mound of people on his back.
“You really need to be more careful, my friend!” All Might sounded carefree, but his underlying tone was scolding. “That could’ve hurt someone!” Turning towards the ever-present cameras(damn, those guys were persistent) he laughed.
“Never fear, citizens! For I am here!”
Hisashi smiled despite himself, rushing to take down the villain with renewed tenacity. Somehow, he ended up next to Endeavor, the two fighting in tandem like they had for years. Old habits die hard, I guess. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as the villain laughed maniacally,Chunks of concrete, metal rebars, Quirk blasts, and more flew around them, creating a storm of deadly materials Hisashi kept dodging.
His height(he wasn’t that short, excuse you) had always been a sore spot, but in this case it helped, letting him slip through smaller and smaller openings until he reached the eye of the storm. Hisashi emerged behind the villain, who seemed too absorbed in keeping the countless objects afloat to notice him. Silently, he approached, unclipping a pair of quirk-supressing handcuffs from his belt when-
Of course , Hisashi thought as his face approached the ground. Of course now’s when I trip. The villain spotted him immediately, sending several metal bars straight for his chest. He dodged all but one, which ripped a deep gash in his side. Hissing with pain, he opened his mouth and breathed a huge jet of fire at the villain, striking him in the abdomen.
When the smoke cleared, the villain was on the ground, a large scorch mark reaching his knees and neck. The objects he’d been controlling were on the ground now, creating a large circle of rubble around them that blocked them from the outside world. Hisashi worriedly approached him, checking for a pulse, and sighed with relief when he found one. The villain would pull through okay, as long as he got to a doctor in time. He opened his mouth to send up a beacon when-
A piece of concrete clattered to the ground behind him, and Endeavor emerged.
“Endeavor! Is your communicator still working? He’s still alive, we just need to get a medic-”
“You know, hero work is rather dangerous.”
“...Yeah, it is. Why do you say so-”
“Accidents happen all the time, especially with villains.”
“Dude, I don’t have time for this, call a fucking medic-”
If Hisashi wasn’t wounded, out of breath, shaking with adrenaline, and nearly unconscious himself, he would’ve noticed the red flags in their conversation. He would’ve noticed how Endeavor didn’t have a com on at all.
He would’ve noticed the heavy steel beam Endeavor was holding behind his back.
Inko Midoriya shook with tears, looking on with horror as the announcer on the TV confirmed what she’d been fearing ever since two body bags had been taken from the scene.
“It is with a deep sorrow that we here at Musutafu TV must announce that the Firebreathing Hero, Dragonbreath, was killed during the villain attack earlier today. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, apparently delivered during the final stages of the fight. Endeavor took down the villain, Naya Tsuruki, himself, but Tsuruki’s injuries were too grave and he, too, perished before medics could reach them. We grieve the loss of Dragonbreath, who was a great inspiration to the community, a great person, and a great hero. Next-” CLICK.
Inko couldn’t take it anymore, turning off the TV to sob into a pillow. On her lap, two-year-old Izuku Midoriya was asleep. He dreamed of a world where he still had a father, a world where everything was alright, and a world where Touya Todoroki had not just run away from home.