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Truth be told, Rei hadn’t expected Enji to be a good father. When he explained to her why he wanted to marry her and have children, he had used terms like “produce” and “masterpiece” and “perfect quirk”. At least he had been upfront about his intentions. He didn’t want children to be a father; he wanted children so he could create the perfect hero.
She was half in mind to point out it would not make him the number one hero if a child of theirs unseated All Might, but then he made a very generous offer to convince her and her parents for her to marry him. In another world, Rei would’ve said no and went on her way to live her own life, but in the one where she felt like she respected her parents and wanted them to live peacefully, she said yes.
Sure, it wasn’t romantic by any means and she knew her role would be little more than bearing kids, but she’d always wanted to be a mom. At least now she knew she would never have to want for anything material wise and her children would grow up with whatever money could give them. She had to be shrewd about it. If Enji was never going to love her or their children, then she would have to love them twice as hard in his place. It wouldn’t be perfect, but she’d never been an idealistic person.
Her entire first pregnancy, Enji watched her like a hawk. It was a bit unsettling, but she knew he was eager for their progeny to be born. It would take a few years for their child’s quirk to manifest (if they had one), but she wasn’t about to remind him that. By the time she was six months pregnant, he’d already drawn up plans for training. How he expected to train a toddler was beyond her. As incredible of a hero he was, he was kind of...clueless about obvious things.
The whole thing made her wary. Enji was acting like their unborn child was his ticket to the top. When he wasn’t home, she leafed through his training plans and found herself gawking in horror. This wasn’t a program meant for a child. It was meant for a hero student in high school. However, when he came home that evening, she didn’t have it in her to talk to him about it. She’d wait until their child was born and closer to the age where the regiment applied.
It turned out she didn’t have to worry. The moment Touya was born and Enji held their firstborn son in his arms for the first time, Rei groggily watched something come over her husband that she’d never seen before. It wasn’t softness - she didn’t know if he was capable of such behavior - but he held that tiny baby in his arms so carefully like he was the most precious and fragile thing in the world.
Having been born a full month early, Touya was so small. She didn’t think humans could possibly be that tiny, but they were. In Enji’s arms, he looked more like a toy than a baby. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him without at least one flame going, but in the hospital with a surgical mask covering his face and in casual clothes he’d hastily changed into before rushing from his agency, he looked, well, normal. Like a father would when holding their son for the first time.
The change was slow. Enji was still eager for Touya’s quirk to appear, but he wasn’t as...fanatical as he had been before about his plan. He worked while she stayed at home and took care of their son, but she noticed that he was home more than before. He found excuses to not work as late or come home during the day for lunch. They actually had lunch together - almost like a date. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. She’d figured Enji would ignore any children they had until their quirks appeared, but he held Touya if she needed to eat or shower.
One time, when she left to use the restroom, she came back to find Enji listing the Top Ten pro heroes as they sat in front of the computer. Touya had only been eight months at the time, so he couldn’t possibly understand what his father was saying, but neither of them seemed to care. It was almost...cute, even if the lesson had ended with Enji cursing All Might to hell and back.
The second pregnancy was something of a surprise. She had thought he might prefer to wait to try for another child until after Touya’s quirk manifested, in case it was the one he was looking for, but… Things had a way of happening. Life had a way of happening, especially when her parents agreed to watch Touya for a night while she and Enji actually spent time together alone. She’d spent time with him alone before Touya was born, but this was much different.
It didn’t feel like a chore or an obligation. Enji could’ve gone to work and left her to her own devices, which would’ve surely meant a few glasses of wine and trashy television that she couldn’t watch around Touya without feeling guilty. Instead, it was dinner at a nice restaurant, a few glasses of wine, and a walk through the park. It might’ve been night, but it wasn’t like anyone was going to bother them. She kind of thought it would be amusing if a crook tried to mug them, but Enji hadn’t thought as much.
Such a spoilsport.
She’d only seen him in action on television and in clips online, but he was an incredible hero. It was no wonder he’d made it to number two at such a young age. Had he become a hero at any other time than when All Might was a pro, he would’ve undoubtedly been at the top. His frustration became more evident with every day and sometimes he eyed Touya in a way that she didn’t like, but he didn’t act the same way when she became pregnant again. He wasn’t expectant of her to produce the proper results. Maybe it was because Touya could still be the creation he wanted, but…
By the time Fuyumi was born around the time Touya turned two, Rei knew it wasn’t the case. Touya was behind on every growth chart no matter what they did. Enji would come home for lunch with a massive amount of take-out, but it was like all the calories burned right through him. He struggled to pick up weight and he was short despite Enji’s build. Maybe he’d taken after her more, but she’d also noticed his temperature was warmer than usual. It was like he was running a constant fever, but no, it was simply how his body was behaved.
Fuyumi was one when Touya’s quirk manifested: powerful, beautiful flames - and a patchwork of ice resistance. The quirk specialist was absolutely fascinated by the way Touya’s quirk worked. Parts of his body were fire resistant - such as his hands and maybe a few other places - but it varied in the strangest of ways. His firepower was hotter and stronger than Enji’s as well. Because his body didn’t suit his fire, even though it hadn’t manifested fully, the quirk kept him from growing properly.
Rei expected rage from Enji. She sat tersely in the passenger seat of the car while Enji drove them home in utter silence. Touya was quiet by nature, but she caught him staring blankly out the window without a peep while Fuyumi babbled in her carseat. It was hard to tell if he understood what was going on - he was only three - but his father’s silence since the doctor’s examination must have made him uneasy. He was a sensitive boy. She wondered if maybe it had to do with her coddling him, but he always loved it.
The next few weeks were uncomfortable at best. Enji stayed at work later and often worked multiple days at a time, like he had before Touya was born. A few times she didn’t hear from him at all, and then he would come home without a word. She ate lunch without him and spent most of her days with the nanny more than him. Touya never asked about him. That hurt her more than anything. She found him nervously lighting fire at his fingertips and running to his bedroom if Enji came home early.
It stung more than she expected.
When Enji came home late in the night, he often went to his separate bedroom. It was odd. She didn’t want to say that she missed his presence when he’d always been more like a statue, but still, the change and distance unsettled her. She’d anticipated sleeping in separate bedrooms throughout their marriage, but she had kind of liked the nights when they shared a bed, even if he was uncomfortably warm in the summer and she shoved him out.
Touya’s fourth birthday arrived without fanfare. They didn’t do a lot for birthdays, but Rei wanted to do something special for him. He’d been so down since finding out the truth about his quirk and Enji’s growing distance with him. Touya had always kind of been a mama’s boy from the start, but she could tell how much he admired his father and tried to emulate him. He had been so excited to find out that he had a fire quirk too. Even Enji had originally been pleased even if it wasn’t the perfect split that he wanted.
After getting Touya dressed, she sent him downstairs to play or watch television while she got Fuyumi ready. At two, her daughter was quite rambunctious, but she was fairly mild-mannered. Once she made sure the diaper bag was packed with everything she might need for two kids, she picked up Fuyumi and carried her down the stairs. Maybe taking two young children to the park on her own was ambitious, but she had to get them out of the house. It wasn’t every day your firstborn turned four.
Rei stepped into the living room and called out, “Touya, are you-?” only to freeze when she saw that he wasn’t alone. Touya was rummaging through a large box and pulling out multiple hero figurines while Enji sat on the ground next to him. Still in his hero costume, he looked a little odd without any of his flames going on, but he couldn’t have them on constantly while around Touya. It was too dangerous when they weren’t sure what parts of him were fire resistant and what were ice resistant.
“This is so cool!” Touya exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Most boys your age have toys like these,” Enji explained.
Touya leaned over to dig deeper through the packing material and would’ve toppled in face first had Enji not caught him by the back of the shirt and pulled him back to his feet. Their son seemed unphased by the near accident, but there was a confused look on his face. “Where’s yours?”
Enji furrowed his brow. “My what?”
“Your action figure!” Touya pointed to the handful that he’d set on the ground. “You’ve got lots of merch. I’ve seen it in the stores.”
“Ah, well…” An uncomfortable expression crossed Enji’s face, and he averted his gaze to the toys. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want one.”
“Why not?” Touya asked innocently. “You’re my dad.”
Of course Touya wanted an Endeavor action figure. Maybe he didn’t seem like it because of how shy he was around Enji most of the time, especially after his quirk revelation, but Touya adored his dad. He watched clips of him online fighting villains, watched his terribly gruff interviews, and had her read newspaper articles about him. He wanted to be just like him, which was why his quirk and Enji’s subsequent abandonment hit him so hard.
Endeavor was his favorite hero.
With her poor, idiot husband rendered incapable of responding to such a forward statement from their son, Rei set Fuyumi down on her feet and stepped forward. “I have an idea.” Enji turned to her, and Touya lit up, running to wrap his arms around her legs. He was so small. If he didn’t start growing more, Fuyumi was likely to catch up with him. “Why don’t we go to the mall and get one? We can get ramen after.”
“Yay! Ramen!” Touya bounced excitedly on his feet and Fuyumi followed in an attempt to copy him. He loved to eat. “Can I have two bowls and extra pork chashu?”
“Of course.” Rei smiled warmly and ruffled his wild, red hair. “It’s your birthday.”
Touya turned to peer at Enji, who had returned to his feet, but didn’t let go of her. “Can Dad come?”
Rei looked at her husband. “I don’t know. Can you?”
Enji looked at the clock on his phone and then back to Touya, who was watching him with wary eyes. Fuyumi had made her way over to him and was trying to climb up his leg. “I think…” He bent down and picked up Fuyumi. “I can take a few hours off. It’s your day.”
Touya beamed and finally let go of her so he could rush to hug his dad. He never did that. Even though he admired his father and wanted to be like him, he kept his distance from Enji too, either out of politeness or because he was shy. Maybe he sensed Enji’s awkwardness around him. After all, Enji hadn’t planned on actually being a father in practice, just in blood. Still, he easily picked up Touya with his other arm and stood back up to connect eyes with Rei.
Warmth filled her, but for once, it was pleasant. She didn’t mind it at all.