Chapter Text
Touya sighed as he took in the scene. There was ice everywhere and several people were injured. This is why he hated responding to Pro Hero Iceman’s scenes. Unfortunately, his medically licensed fire quirk ensured he was always the EMT chosen to be sent out to assist. He pitied his partner, who was shivering inside his jacket. His lizard mutation quirk did not take kindly to the cold.
“I’ll warm up those who need it, you treat any other injuries.” Touya instructed and Iguchi headed off to treat one of the sidekick’s bleeding leg.
The villain of the day was encased in a block of ice from the neck down and shivering.
“Iceman!” Touya yelled. “Unfreeze him before he gets frostbite!” If he didn’t have it already.
“He’ll try to attack. Or run.” Iceman turned to the villain with a sneer. “Besides, maybe a little frostbite will teach him a lesson.”
“Unfreeze his hands and cuff him then.” Touya replied, annoyed. Why he hadn't done that after the villain was first restrained was beyond him. Though, Iceman probably got off on having that sort of power over others.
Huffing, Iceman did as he asked. The villain flinched as the cuffs locked into place around his wrist. The technology was designed to administer painful shocks to the wearer if they resisted. If a person’s quirk was considered dangerous enough they were also given quirk suppressing drugs. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was the technology they had.
“He’s your problem now.” Iceman spat, then stomped away. The drama queen.
Touya rolled his eyes. Now that Iceman was gone he could get a proper look at his patient. Touya frowned at the sight of the villains’ raw red fingertips, but at least they weren’t black.
“I’m gonna use my quirk to warm you up, okay?” Touya told the shivering villain.
“Ok-kay.” The man nodded, his teeth chattering.
“I’ll start with your hands.” Touya found it best to talk people through what he was doing, especially when it came to jumpy criminals. He wasn’t too worried since the guy was cuffed, but he’d had people take swings at him before.
He took his hands and started to slowly push warmth through them.
“So, how’s your day going?” Touya asked. The warming process had to be done at a steady pace, too fast and he risked making things worse. He tended to strike up conversations to pass the time — and because silent staring was awkward.
“B-been bet-tter. Damn her-roes.”
Touya snorted. “Yeah, Iceman’s a piece of work.”
He always went overkill when it came to takedowns, not only using excessive force on villains, but also uncaring of property damage. People could lose their homes or cars — caught in the crossfire between heroes and villains.
“Ass.” The villain hissed, his words coming out clearly this time and Touya chuckled. At least he could always use Iceman’s shitty personality to build rapport with his criminal patients. It made his job both easier and harder.
“I’m Touya, by the way. What’s your name?”
“K-Kenji.” He replied. Touya was relieved he hadn’t given him a villain name. Those types of criminals were always harder to deal with. Once a criminal had told him his name was “skull crusher.”
“You’re gonna be okay, Kenji.” Touya reassured him. “No missing fingers.”
“Yay…” He said with a sarcastic lack of cheer and Touya held back a snicker.
Once he’d sufficiently warmed up the villain, and gotten him a blanket for the road, the police took him away. Touya moved onto the next person, a civilian who’d slipped on the ice and hurt their wrist. Luckily, it turned out to be a sprain rather than a break.
Just as he was finishing up, his radio crackled to life. “Two GSW victims on Willow Street.”
Touya sighed. This was gonna be a long night. He headed back to the ambulance, sliding into the passenger seat as Iguchi took the wheel. God save him.
“Ambulance fifty-seven responding.” He radioed in.
The sirens sounded and they drove off to the next emergency.
— — —
Touya was awoken by the sound of his doorbell ringing. He groaned as he sat up, his body aching. He was starting to regret getting a Ring Doorbell installed on his apartment door. It was easier to ignore knocks.
He threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. He blinked blearily at his alarm clock that pronounced it was ten in the morning. An ungodly hour for him, given that he’d just finished a brutal twelve hour shift the night before.
Touya frowned to himself as he tried to figure out who would have cause to be at his door this early. It couldn’t be any of his friends — or they’d be hollering at him through the door by now. Was it his landlord? Fuck, Touya hoped not. The man had it out for him ever since Touya had accidentally set off the sprinklers with his quirk.
Touya approached the door with trepidation. The doorbell sounded again and he sighed, then opened the door. The man on the other side was not his landlord. It was a plain looking man in a trenchcoat, hat, and tie. He didn’t recognize him in the slightest.
He raised his eyebrow in silent question.
The man smiled politely. “Hello, are you Todoroki Touya?”
“Yes...” Touya answered warily, his eyes narrowed. What did this man want with him?
”I’m Detective Tsukauchi and I’m here regarding Endeavor—“
Touya slammed the door shut. The “detective” part already had him wary as lots of cops tried to get him to violate privacy laws with his patients, but the second the word “Endeavor” came out of the guy’s mouth he was done.
How had Endeavor found his address? He’d already had to change his phone number because of his harassment. The last thing Touya needed was him showing up at his home. His lease wasn’t up for another six months and if he had to move…
Fuyumi better not have given the old man his address. She’d given Endeavor his phone number before and Touya had been pissed. He’d immediately changed it, alongside reading his sister the riot act. However, this might not be Fuyumi’s fault. Endeavor could have used his connections to find Touya’s address since his name was on the lease. It would be a small abuse of power compared to all the other shit he’d pulled. There was a reason he’d gotten a camera installed on his door, after all.
“Sir!” The detective was knocking at the door again, but Touya ignored him. “Please, it’s important!”
Oh, he’s sure it was if Endeavor had sent a detective to do his bidding. Touya couldn’t think of anything he’d done to piss him off recently, but Endeavor could easily find grievances when it came to Touya. Touya was already enough of a disappointment with his defective quirk, but he was working as an EMT as well — an inferior type of first responder compared to pro heroes. Not to mention his rebellious appearance with his tattoos, piercings, and dyed black hair. He was the black sheep of the family and he looked the part.
The knocking continued and Touya growled in frustration, whirling towards the door.
“Tell Endeavor that whatever he wants, he can shove it up his ass!” He yelled through the door, refusing to open it lest the detective try to push his way inside. “He doesn’t own me! And I’ll be damned if I let him push me around! Now leave before I make you!”
The knocking stopped. When Touya peered out the peephole a few minutes later, the detective was gone. Good riddance. Touya had practice dealing with his fathers’ lackeys. Sidekicks, cops, HPSC agents, and more. Touya had bashed heads with them since he was a preteen. Now that he was an independent adult, Endeavor couldn’t control him anymore. He didn’t live with him, he didn’t rely on him financially, he was his own person and there was nothing his father could do about it.
— — —
Detective Tsukauchi walked away from Todoroki Touya’s residence, his phone to his ear as it dialed a number.
“How’d it go?” Eraserhead’s scratchy voice questioned, cutting through any potential greetings.
“It didn’t.” Detective Tsukauchi answered, tightly. He’d dealt with reluctant witnesses before, but Touya’s vitriol had surprised him, as had his assumptions. “He assumed I was sent by Endeavor and slammed the door in my face before I could properly explain myself.”
Eraserhead sighed. “I don’t like what that reaction implies.”
“Me neither.”
Endeavor was a powerful man and he had the resources to cover up his domestic abuse. But it was disturbing to think just how deep this corruption went based on Touya’s negative reaction. They only knew about the abuse in the first place because when Todoroki Shouto had returned to UA after the Sports Festival, his injuries had been noticed by his classmates in the locker room, then reported to the teachers. The poor boy had assumed they wouldn’t believe him, much less do something about his father’s crimes.
But Tsukauchi knew he was telling the truth, even without his quirk the evidence was clear. Shouto’s refusal to use his fire quirk, Endeavor’s yelling at the Sports Festival, plus Shouto losing the finals — it didn’t paint a pretty picture. Not to mention the fact that Recovery Girl had healed all his injuries from the Sports Festival. For Shouto to show up to school covered in bruises and burns…
Eraserhead had been furious with Endeavor — and beating himself up for not recognizing the signs of abuse. All Might had called in Tsukauchi to ensure no one could accuse Shouto of lying.
All Might’s retirement was looming, and Endeavor would likely take his place when that retirement happened. Such a reprehensible man could not be Japan’s new symbol of peace. The fact that he was currently Japan’s Number Two Hero was bad enough. Tsukauchi felt sick just thinking about it. Heroes were supposed to protect others, they were supposed to be good. Japan had put its trust in Endeavor, all while the man had been abusing his family behind closed doors.
“I’ll ask Shouto to talk to his brother.” Eraserhead said, the rustling of fabric indicating he was on the move. “Then we can try again once he knows we’re on his side, not his father’s.”
“Should I wait here? Or try to contact the other family members?”
“I’d hold off. We don’t want Endeavor to find out we’re making moves against him. We have to handle this discreetly.“
Todoroki Rei was in the hospital, and Todoroki Fuyumi still lived with her father, so it’s possible that could tip off Endeavor. Todoroki Natsuo was a college student who would likely be in class, so they’d sought out Todoroki Touya first. Shouto had informed them of his estrangement from Endeavor, so he’d been their best bet.
Tsukauchi nodded in agreement, even though Eraserhead couldn’t see it. “We can use the upcoming internships to keep Shouto away from him for a while. But we need to get a custody removal order signed by a judge, or else we’ll have to send Shouto back to Endeavor.”
It was the law. As much as Tsukauchi hated it. They couldn’t take Shouto away from his father without evidence of abuse and signed judicial orders. Especially when the father was someone as powerful as Endeavor. They’d need all the evidence they could get.
“I have intel that Endeavor is going to Hosu to hunt the Hero Killer. We can make our moves then.” Eraserhead replied.
The Hero Killer. Another thorn in their side. Not only had he killed dozens of pro heroes, and recently crippled Ingenium, but he was growing in popularity. Tsukauchi had been starting to see Stain merch in windows. The idolization was troubling.
“Understood.” It was a good plan to strike while Endeavor was out of town. If someone tipped him off, he’d be too far away to properly intervene.
Abuse cases were always tricky. Victims often recanted and family members were reluctant to come forward. Not to mention the social stigma associated with it. If they wanted to keep Shouto safe, they’d need to corroborate his story. If his mother and siblings spoke up about the abuse as well, they’d have a much stronger case.
He could only hope that Todoroki Touya would help them.
— — —
Shouto sat on the couch in the teacher's lounge, his fingertips digging into his pants as he waited for Aizawa to return. The longer his absence stretched, the more anxious Shouto became. He never should’ve told them. Midoriya had encouraged him to tell the teachers the truth, but now… he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision. There would be a big fallout and it would disrupt his life. It could have devastating impacts on hero society and his family. He should’ve put up more of a fight with Bakugou. He should’ve known giving up like that would infuriate his father — that he’d be determined to beat that weakness out of his “creation”.
The door opened and Shouto’s head snapped up. Aizawa walked into the room, looking even more tired than normal.
“I just got off the phone with Detective Tsukauchi. He visited your brother, but he refused to speak to him.” Aizawa explained. He took a seat on a heavy lounge chair, giving Shouto space while still being nearby.
“Oh...” Shouto should’ve guessed that his siblings wouldn’t want to talk about their father. It was very uncomfortable for Shouto, and likely would be for them as well.
“Touya assumed he was sent by your father. We were hoping you could clear that up.” Aizawa said. “Has your father paid off police officers before?”
Shouto shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him do it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.”
Shouto had been very isolated before coming to UA. His father had pulled him out of school after Shouto was injured and his mother was sent away. After that his education came from hired private tutors, so Shouto rarely had cause to leave the house. The tutors never asked questions about his family. Neither did Endeavor’s private doctor. Their careers were bankrolled by his father, after all. It wouldn’t be a stretch for him to have paid off police officers as well.
“Can you inform your brother about the current situation? So, he knows that we’re trying to help your family, not protect Endeavor.”
Shouto nodded and pulled out his phone. He stared at Touya’s contact, unsure. Touya and Shouto didn’t really talk. Fuyumi had added him to the sibling group chat once Shouto got his own phone, but their communication had been sparse. The only time they’d spoken one on one was when Touya had told Shouto that if he ever needed an escape from Endeavor, his door was open. Shouto had never taken him up on it — he didn’t want to drag Touya back into Endeavor’s range of fire — but the offer was comforting.
Shouto took a deep breath and clicked the call icon, bringing the phone up to his ear. His heart beated in his chest alongside the dial tone. Why was a simple conversation with his brother so nerve wracking?
“Shouto? Are you okay?” Touya asked as soon as he answered.
“I’m fine.” Shouto replied automatically. To the side, Aizawa lifted an eyebrow at the lie. “Actually, there is a… problem.”
To put it lightly.
“A problem? Is it dad?” Touya’s voice had gone dark and cold.
Shouto winced. “Mostly?”
Touya sighed. “Shouto, I’m gonna need you to be less vague.”
“Sorry. I… my teacher found out about dad’s training.” Shouto swallowed thickly. “After the Sports Festival, he… he wasn’t happy that I came in second.”
Touya sucked in a breath. “Fuck, I didn’t realize— I’m sorry, Shouto, I should’ve paid more attention. I should’ve known he’d be pissed.”
“It’s okay.” Shouto reassured him. “You wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
Touya made a noise of disagreement. “I could’ve picked you up and had you crash at my place until he cooled off or got busy with work.”
“He probably would’ve accused you of kidnapping.” Shouto replied dryly.
“Only if he knew where you were. And I’m not a snitch.” Touya replied, and despite himself, Shouto cracked a smile. “What about Fuyumi? Where was she during all this? I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”
“Fuyumi wasn’t home. She’d gone to visit Grandmother.”
Shouto was glad Fuyumi hadn’t been home. He didn’t want her to get caught in the middle — like all the times his mother had. Fuyumi couldn’t stand up to Endeavor, she’d just get hurt if she tried to intervene.
“Are you hurt? Wait, why am I even asking that?” Touya interrupted himself before Shouto could answer. “Of course you are. How bad is it?”
“Some burns and bruises. A concussion and a sprained ankle. But Recovery Girl saw to that.”
After Detective Tsukauchi had taken photos of them, which had been a little humiliating. He’d felt so weak and helpless. Like he was a five year old child all over again.
“What are your teachers doing about it? Do they…” Touya trailed off, but Shouto knew what he was going to say.
Do they care?
After all, Endeavor was the Number Two Hero. He was more important than Shouto. It wouldn’t have surprised Shouto if they’d averted their eyes for the sake of the greater good. But they hadn’t done that. Aizawa had believed him and called his father a criminal. No one had ever said that about his father before. He was always Endeavor, a hero, and thus any transgressions could be overlooked. Some might call him an asshole or a bad father, but no one had ever dared to call him a criminal .
“They’re on my side. They said what fath— what Endeavor was doing was wrong and against the law. Aizawa-sensei he… he said he’d protect me.” Shouto’s voice shook, emotion choking him up.
His mother had tried to protect him, but she couldn’t win against Endeavor. Aizawa, however, was a trained pro hero who could cancel quirks. UA was an extremely prestigious school with lots of influence. They actually had a shot at taking Endeavor down.
“… they did?” Touya’s voice was soft and disbelieving, just like Shouto’s had been when Aizawa had promised to help him.
“They did.” Shouto confirmed, then remembered why he’d called Touya in the first place. “Aizawa-sensei said they sent a detective to your house, but that you thought he was there on behalf of Endeavor? They wanted me to clear that up.”
“Oh… well, shit.” Touya swore. “I really shot myself in the foot there, huh?”
Shouto snorted. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
Aizawa signaled for the phone.
“Aizawa-sensei wants to talk to you? Is that okay?” Shouto asked.
“Sure.” Touya sighed. “Pass him the phone.”
Shouto frowned at the lackluster response, but passed the phone over anyway. He didn’t really know Touya, so he couldn’t tell what Touya was thinking. Had he not wanted to be dragged into this mess? Touya was estranged from their father, after all. He might not want anything to do with him, period. Even if it was for a legal case against him.
Both Touya and Natsuo had distanced themselves from the family. Touya had completely cut himself off from their father and Natsuo had chosen to go to college in another prefecture. Fuyumi was the only one who’d stayed, but even she was like a ghost in the home, quiet and careful.
Off to the side, Aizawa was discussing arranging a meeting with Touya.
“We need to get your side of the story, independent from Shouto for legal reasons.” Aizawa explained. “But after that, we can make arrangements for Shouto.”
Arrangements?
“We can come to your apartment. If that makes you more comfortable.” Aizawa paused as Touya responded. “Yes, that’s fine. We will be recording it as well.”
Shouto didn’t like not being privy to conversations about himself. He wanted to know what was going on. His hands twisted in the fabric of the couch cushions as he watched Aizawa talk to his brother.
Eventually he handed the phone back to Shouto.
“What’s going to happen now?” Shouto asked, hating how small his voice came out.
“Detective Tsukauchi and Eraserhead are dropping by my place to get my testimony.” Touya explained. “You’ll crash with me tonight and the rest we’ll figure out later.”
“What if Endeavor notices I’m gone?” He asked, worriedly.
“We lie.” Touya said simply. “Your classmates leave for internships tomorrow, so that's our cover story while we collect evidence and get the courts involved. Endeavor will be told that your supposed “internship” is further away so you had to leave a day early to travel.”
Internally, Shouto sighed in relief. It was reassuring to know the plan. Adults tended to handle things themselves and rarely kept Shouto in the loop — they just told him what to do. It was nice to have the next steps explained to him.
“I gotta run now Shouto, but I’m in your corner, okay? I’ll speak out against Endeavor.” Touya reassured him.
“Okay. Bye, Touya-nii.”
Touya paused, and for a second Shouto wondered if he’d made a mistake. “Bye, Shouto.” Touya said quickly, then hung up.
Shouto stared down at the phone clutched in his hands. That was the first real conversation he’d ever had with his brother. He vaguely remembered speaking to him when he was younger, but those memories were murky. In the past decade, they’d never said anything to each other beyond quick texts. He wouldn’t have recognized his own brother’s voice if not for the contact information telling him who was on the other side.
Aizawa sat down again and explained that another teacher would stay with Shouto while he visited Touya with the detective, once they were done Shouto would be driven to Touya’s place. Everything else would be figured out later — once they had more information.
Shouto nodded along mutely. Honestly, he wished he could just go back to class. He could explain away the injuries they’d glimpsed in the locker room. After all, only Midoriya knew the truth. He could just say he’d tried to train his fire quirk on his own and gotten hurt, and the teachers had lectured him about it. They’d believe that, right? Honestly, Iida might give a lecture of his own.
Maybe he could sneak back to class after Aizawa left? Or convince the teacher assigned to babysit him to let him return to class?
The door clicked open and a skinny man with blond hair walked in. Behind him a head of green curls popped out. Midoriya .
Something like relief swept over Shouto at the sight. Midoriya sat down next to Shouto, eyes wide with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“I… I don’t know.” Shouto said, being honest this time instead of reflexively insisting he was fine.
“Can I… can I give you a hug?” Midoriya asked hesitantly, his voice soft.
Shouto nodded and Midoriya wrapped his arms around him. The touch was strange and foreign, but not bad. He didn’t think he’d hugged anyone since his mother had been hospitalized. Fuyumi had tried originally, but he’d flinched away from the touch and she’d never done it again.
Everything was so overwhelming. The stares, the questions, the anxiety of the unknown… A tear slipped down Shouto’s cheek and he hugged Midoriya back, clinging tight.
All his life, Shouto had felt so alone. But now he had people who would fight for him. Midoriya, Aizawa, and Touya. He wasn’t a child facing down a monster by himself anymore. He had help and that was what finally caused the tears to flow.
“It’s okay, Todoroki-kun.” Midoriya whispered. “I am here.”