Chapter Text
Shoto Todoroki was born on January 11th. He came 3 days before he was thought to. Shoto was born quiet. Not a pip from the moment he could take a breath. It wasn’t really a concern, some babies were quiet. But the second Shoto was in his mother’s oh so tired but overjoyed arms, he was the opposite of the quiet baby he was believed to be.
He giggled and burbled, cooed and cawed. It was a heart warming sight. He was loud while also being quiet, a parallel that rivaled his ‘split in two’ appearance.
Shoto had been playing ‘Get the Finger’ with his mother, when that all came shattering to the ground. Large hands had grabbed him and lifted him up, turning his body to be cradled in another’s arms. Shoto looked up. And the bubble of happiness and peace burst in the blink of an eye.
Shoto wailed a sound that could be heard and felt by not only the hospital, but the surrounding block, as the ground trembled beneath peoples’ feet. Not a second later, the remaining Todoroki’s burst into the room, staring at their baby brother balling in their father’s arms.
Enji ‘Endeavor’ Todoroki had been the one to pick up Shoto, been the one to cause this earthquake of a cry. Everyone in the room (besides Shoto) was struck silent. Touya Todoroki was the first to act. Coming to his brother’s rescue, in the form of snatching him from his father’s clutches.
In an instant, the wails -that you would guess someone calling bloody murder would let out, and not a newborn baby- were gone. The shock in the already silent air only intensified. It was quickly broken by Enji’s angry attempts to grab his youngest from his eldest. In retaliation, Touya cradled his brother protectively, and moved his arms away from the fiery man. This only increased his father’s anger.
Touya was mad. Touya, who always had emotions to big his body. Touya, whose emotions only got stronger when it involved his family. Touya, who had always not had the best quirk control, only getting worse with his emotions.
Touya promptly burst into flames, lining his arms, shoulders, ears, and hair. The flames only worsened in Touya’s panic, not helped by the room's volume increasing ten-fold. And then, the shocked silence returned.
Shoto Todoroki, still cradled in his eldest brother’s arms, had lifted his little hand, causing a thin coat of frost to coat the entirety of Touya’s skin, putting out his flames in the process.
“Wha-What?” Was the eloquent response of one Touya Todoroki. The room’s shock only grew, as a small voice responded.
“Touuuya… Toooya… Toouuya… Touya. Touya! Touya!!” It uttered, staring off slurred, and having its owner stick his tiny tongue out in the effort, rejoicing by lifting his arms in the air, once getting it correct.
Shoto, not even three hours old, had completed two -three if you counted his first cry- impossible feats. After looking around, the baby promptly burst into giggles at all the awestruck faces. Touya, still in shock and glistening with ice, followed suit, slightly hysterical beads of tears flowing to the tips of his eyes.
The moment (Once Again) was ruined by Endeavor reaching his hands out to grab Shoto. This time, however, he slipped easily into his father’s arms, Touya’s grip having loosened in shock and from the ice.
“No!” Touya cried, as Enji lifted Shoto higher so Touya -the shortest Todoroki boy- couldn’t reach him.
Shoto, instead of letting out that monsterish cry, simply copied his brother, and burst into flame. Enji, surprised by the heat, dropped Shoto. Luckily, Touya caught him.
“What is wrong with you!” Touya shouted at his father, cradling his brother in an even more protective grip than before.
“Touya! Give me Shoto!” Endeavor replied in his booming voice.
“No!” Touya roared back, taking a few steps back.
“Yeah! Leave them alone!” Natsuo stepped in, moving to be in front of his older and younger brothers.
“We shouldn’t be fighting…” Mumbled Fuyumi.
“Stop!” Came the quiet but loud yell of the Todoroki Matriarch. All heads snapped to the small woman on the hospital bed. “We shouldn’t be fighting,” Rei said, continuing with, “You're making Shoto upset.”
All eyes turned to where she pointed. In Touya’s slightly shaking arms, Shoto’s small form had tears forming in his mitch-matched eyes.
“Maaama… Maaama,” He mumbled, pitifully. Touya quickly crossed the room, and gave his baby brother to his mother -not without booping him on his tiny nose first (Shoto would complain about that for years to come). Shoto let out a small noise at that, before settling in his mom’s arms, dosing off almost instantly.
“Well, this day has been… something,” The, very much too upbeat for her job, doctor said after a long stretch of silence. She clapped her hands together, ignoring the many incredulous glazes poised her way. “You’ll need to stay to rest for a few more hours, ma’am! While your family can wait at home,” She ended cheerily.
“I.. Ok. I-I’ll do that,” Rei answered shakily, the fact that she had yelled at Enji just settling in.