Chapter Text
“I am a great father.” Hisashi uttered to himself, scrubbing his haggard face with cold water, he felt the weight of the last few months upon his shoulders.
Hisashi was a great father, so naturally, when he noticed his six-year-old son come home from school with bruises he investigated.
Quirkless discrimination and the threat of a lawsuit later, Izuku was pulled from that retched school. Izuku cried, Hisashi stood his ground, and the boy was relocated to a private school. It was expensive, the uniforms stuffy and colorless, but Hisashi paid a pretty penny to keep his son safe. Something the school was willing to accommodate with the right price tag.
With Izuku’s protection assured, Hisashi thought he could rest easy, grossly underestimating his son’s penchant for troublemaking.
Izuku, being the little leader he was, made a friend. It was a small boy with red and white hair, a child Hisashi truly couldn’t remember the name of. The only remarkable characteristic of this new friend was his quirk, fire and ice, it was unique, causing both him and Izuku to grin widely at the prospects of such an ability.
He was proud, his son was already creating an army, so much sooner than Hisashi ever did.
It was grand, heartwarming, and perfectly peaceful.
Until Izuku ran into Hisashi’s arms after a playdate with his friends family, sobbing. Things changed then.
Izuku’s friend was covered in bruises, marks and scratches that Izuku hadn’t caught onto yet, until he did. And Hisashi sighed as Izuku learned early, that not every Papa was a good one.
The child had confided in Izuku, and the boy responded with tears but a fire so mighty it could melt any ice, Hisashi was sure of it.
“We need to help them, Papa!” Izuku had announced, rubbing the last remaining tears from his cheeks.
“We’ve just gotta do something.” He repeated, quieter.
Warm fingers carded through the boys curls, shushing him.
And...
He was a great father, Hisashi told himself as the light blue glow of the television illuminated the small apartment.
Inko sat beside him, stock still, as the newscaster relayed the heart retching news.
“Number two hero: Endeavor, found dead this afternoon during his patrol of downtown Musutafu.” The newscaster explained, “It’s unsure what villain could have been responsible, but Pro heroes are currently looking into it.” She drawled, but Hisashi could barely pay attention, feeling Inko’s eyes carve into his face.
“That’s terrible.” Inko uttered, hands folded in her lap. Hisashi knew there was no genuine grief behind her statement, not with the biting edge of her voice. He smiled back then, grinning ear to ear, knowing she only regretted not getting her hands on Endeavor first.
He was a great father... Peace was restored, Inko and Izuku could be happy yet again. He was satisfied until finally, the dreaded words tumbled from his wife’s lips.
“We have to do something for them...” Inko uttered and Hisashi sputtered on his warm tea.
“What could we possibly do to help them?” He laughed.
Hisashi, wished he didn’t laugh.
Now, bracing his hands against the marble sink, fingers pressing into the surface, teetering on cracking it. He sighed, glancing at himself in the mirror. The yellowed lights contouring his features, giving him the impression of an evil mastermind. He snorted, before glancing at the bathroom door cautiously.
“We’ll invite them to dinner.” Inko had stated, not allowing Hisashi a say before rushing to the phone.
He gripped the door handle, letting his hand rest against the cold metal before sighing and throwing the door open.
The Todoroki’s, (Inko had scolded him when she found he didn't know their names,) were standing in the middle of their cramped living room.
The children were in varying degrees of unease, not sure how to hold themselves in a foreign environment. Their mother, Rei, stood in the middle, smiling as Inko welcomed them, offering beverages and snacks like they were Gods.
Hisashi would have snorted if not for the own displeasure in his own stomach.
Strangers stood in the middle of his home, his oasis, his sanctuary. They stood, with their potential diseases and misdeeds, amongst his family where they could attack at any moment.
Hisashi Midoriya was a great father, he knew that, but he wasn’t a great person. He took a step forward, closing the door behind him, alerting the occupants of his entrance. Rei glanced in his direction as if she were not truly seeing him.
Her eyes widened, faux smile dropping in an open expression of fear. Her hands moved to grab her children, ready to pull them away at any moment. Hisashi took a step forward, and Inko turned to smile at him.
“This is my husband, Hisashi.” Inko introduced, and Rei glanced at her again, blinking at the two of them before relaxing.
A hesitant smile curling her lips as she regarded Hisashi for the first time.
“I-I’m sorry, I’m Rei. Thank you two for having us.” She rushed out, reaching her hand out, shaking his wife’s hand gingerly. She hesitated, hand in the air before extending it out to Hisashi.
He shook her hand, suppressing a longwinded sigh as he kept his grip light.
‘I’m a great father!’ He’d shout across every rooftop in Japan, and it’d be true every time, he was confident. But that never meant it wasn’t exhausting. As he watched his lovely family befriend the family of the man he just murdered, he learned a new level of complication associated with fatherhood.
Hisashi only hoped he wouldn’t have to murder any of them, it’d surely break Izuku’s heart.