Third person pov

Rei Todoroki gazed out the window with sad eyes, pondering to herself. There wasn't all that much else for her to do. Sometimes she liked to knit, and the orderlies offered her books from time to time, but they were sorry ways to pass time. She missed all the things she used to do. She yearned to cook a meal for her kids, or run an errand that really didn't matter all that much. She wished there was music for her to dance too. A rink for her to skate on again. A place for her to use her quirk to create eccentric sculptures of fine ice.

A knock on her door drew her attention. Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shoto only came on weekends. Other than that, it was just nurses coming in to check on her. Sometimes they'd keep her company for small amounts of time before they were forced to go off to their other duties. She didn't blame them. They were paid workers... she missed having a job, really. It kept her busy. Now all she could do was... write letters to her children. And while doing so was something she adored, there was only so much to say when you were so isolated. Nothing exciting, nothing new. Her kids were her only visitors. 

"Come in!" Rei chimed tiredly, putting a smile on her face. She expected her doctor or maybe a nurse on lunch break, here to tell her of the world outside and the interesting inner workings of their life. It was quite the opposite.

It had been a long time since she'd last seen such a burst of color so bright. A man in tan khaki shorts and rainbow suspenders bounced into the room with clear joy. His shirt was such a bright yellow she almost wanted to squint, and his socks were mismatched, one neon green, and one hot pink. His shoes were covered in multi-colored cubes, and his brown hair was a mess littered with hair clips shaped like cupcakes, some like cats, and others like various fruits. It was quite the sight.

"Rei Todoroki?" The man chirped cheerfully. Carefully, she nodded. He beamed.

"I thought so! It's an honor to finally meet you, ma'am." He closed the door softly behind him, pulling a folder out from behind his back. His arms were covered in rubber bracelets of every shade. She had to pry her eyes from them to look into his sparking green irises, distracted by the vibrancy. 

"It's... nice to meet you as well. Can I ask who you are?" Rei took it in stride, trying not to look too much at the pins clipped to his shirt. He was just such a curious fellow. He seemed like a nice young man. She just... wasn't sure why he was here to see her of all people. Rei would have remembered meeting someone like this.

"My name is Takashi Todoroki. I'm actually your son-in-law. Your oldest son is my soulmate." Takashi gave a half-smile, and her jaw dropped, eyes going wide in surprise. Why hadn't anyone told her? Why had she never met him before? Takashi... Todoroki... she had a son-in-law? When was the wedding?! She didn't... this didn't make sense. Had Natsuo just now eloped to this man? Her little boy was still so young, just nineteen. Surely he would have told her if he'd found his soulmate.

"N-Natsuo never mentioned you." She managed to sputter out, eyes wide and stunned. Takashi looked perplexed or a moment before giving a bright laugh. Rei had never met someone so bright.

"No, not Natsuo, ma'am. Touya." Takashi chuckled. Rei froze, grey eyes still wide. Touya... was alive?

She remembered her dear little Touya. It had been so long since she'd last heard his name spoken. Enji had claimed him to be dead right after she was carted off the hospital, and she was absolutely heartbroken. She'd always struggled with Touya. Between his bright red hair and shining turquoise eyes, he took after his father a terrifying amount, which led to herself and him avoiding one another. It was something she'd always regretted. She mourned him every day. Her son... her first baby boy...

"He's okay and healthy, I assure you. He got mixed up in some trouble and is at UA for reform, but he's a good man and didn't mean to get sucked into such a thing." Takashi pulled out his wallet, sliding out a picture. "He looks a... a lot different, Mrs. Todoroki. The quirk accident he was involved in was very real and left him pretty scarred." 

"Please... call me Rei..." The woman said distantly as she took the photo. Takashi beamed.

Rei brought a hand up to cover her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. Though he was indeed covered in scars, his hair black as night, this was without a doubt her son. His eyes shone in a way she hadn't ever seen before, and he beamed a grin she hadn't seen in years. It made her heart soar and sink and beat incredibly fast. Next to him was very clearly Takashi, peace sign up and eyes alight. Rei looked up.

"Y-You're... he's alive... A-And he found his soulmate!" Rei gasped out joyfully, leaning forward before she could stop herself. Takashi opened his arms and accepted her very willingly, giving her a warm squeeze as she cried. The picture crinkled in her hand, but Takashi didn't mind. He had fifteen copies anyway! And Rei... she could cry all she wanted. She could scream and rage and trash the room and Takashi would understand.

"He's very happy and concerned about you and his siblings. He's sorry he didn't come back sooner. Touya was... is very afraid of what Endeavor will do once he realized Touya is alive." Takashi said as the woman pulled back, sniffling. Touya was alive. He was alive and he had a husband. A healthy marriage.

"I'm just so glad he's okay." Rei sniffled, wiping her eyes. Just knowing he was alright was enough. He could leave to another country and she wouldn't mind, so long as he was happy and safe. But... what was Takashi doing here? If he knew his son was not only gay, but had gotten himself into trouble with the law... that he was even just alive... she was terrified for him and Takashi. Endeavor was powerful. She knew that better than anyone.

"I did come here for a reason, however. I'm sure you've guessed that by now." Takashi smiled. Rei felt her brows furrow.

"Why... Why are you here, then? Are you and Touya going somewhere?" Rei asked. Maybe Takashi simply wanted to meet her before they left. To tell her that her son was okay, and to put her mind at ease at last.

"We aren't, but you are." Takashi beamed, opening the folder. "I'm in control of your medical care now, and I just signed you out! Fun!" 

Rei froze, gazing down at the papers with wide eyes. What? 

"You can stay in Touya and I's apartment since we're staying at UA at the moment. Or maybe you can come to UA... it would be nice to have someone helping with the cooking, now that I think about it. It's your preference!" Takashi chirped, sitting back and allowing to woman to process. She stared down at the folder with shaking hands, in disbelief over the two documents. The one proclaiming Takashi her new health care proxy, and the other saying she was discharged. 

"Y...You're going up against Endeavor?" She whispered, looking into his eyes with her own teary ones. Takashi's smile became lopsided.

"I'm aiming for custody of Shoto, and I've already had the police open a case against him. Fuyumi provided a lot of admissible evidence that I think will be viable in the court of law. He's done a lot wrong, and it's not just to your family. There's property damage, and even some deaths that could be filed as murder. Detectives are working to uncover some of the things his reps have swept under the rug using money. In fact, there's a detective that actually wants to question you whenever you feel up to it, if you want to be involved in the case. It isn't required." Takashi softly closed the file. Rei stared at him in a stunned silence.

This young man... was doing it. He was taking on the challenge that was Endeavor and his crimes. It would shake the foundation of hero society and change everyone's world views. With All Might retired, Japan was off kilter. Villain activity had spiked severely with the fall of Symbol of Peace, and Endeavor was struggling to pick up the pieces, as were the other top ten. 

"I...I see." Rei composed herself and put a smile on her face. "I'll do everything in my power to help you bring him down. That man... was never my husband. And Shoto... my babies, they..." Rei choked a bit. Takashi smiled.

"I understand. The orderlies will pack up your things to be picked up later. In the meantime, I was thinking I could take you to UA to see Touya, since he can't leave. He would have been here if could." Takashi said. Rei's breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she had no words.

"I-I- yes! Of course!" She blurted out, standing up. Takashi let out a laugh. 

"There's just one thing I need you to do first." Takashi admitted. He was a bit shorter than Rei was, but not by much. She sniffled, wiping at her cheeks. He sheepishly offered her a pen and packet of paper. "Sign these divorce papers?"

Rei promptly burst into tears, deciding that she loved her son-in-law more than she could ever put into words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is an absolutely horrible idea." Touya seemed to decide immediately. Takashi had gone off to do god know's what. He'd said it was a surprise before all but throwing Touya at Aizawa, who seemed less than pleased. It worked out, though. They had hero training today, and he was going to be getting his cuffs temporarily so he could try his hand at quirk training. Takashi really wasn't needed for such a thing, even though he'd probably help in controlling Touya were he to lose his temper. Nezu and Aizawa didn't see that happening in a million years, so they'd shrugged and told Takashi to go ahead. Aizawa would just erase the quirk. 

"I agree with him, Mr. Aizawa!" Mineta lisped. Class 1-A watched nervously as their homeroom teacher removed the redhead's quirk suppressant cuffs. Sero and Kirishima seemed to be the only one's unconcerned, barring Shoto and Izuku, of course. They both knew Takashi was far, far more dangerous than the scarred man could ever hope to be. Considering Takashi was adored by everyone in 1-A, it left little room for worry. 

"I'm sure Touya has no intention to harm us in any way. He's been nothing but civil this entire time, and has gone out of his way to prevent us from being uncomfortable." Momo said formally. "He showers at different times than everyone else, stays out of the common room despite the TV being there, and tries not to be in the kitchen too often unless Takashi is there. Cut him some slack."

A few people looked guilty, but Kirishima and Sero just clapped. The sharp-toothed teen actually stepped forward. Touya blinked in surprise.

"Touya's a chill guy! You guys should totally give him a chance." Kirishima encouraged. Touya couldn't help but light up, and Sero sent him a supportive thumbs up. Shoto and Izuku both smiled at the scarred man, who looked sort of like an excited puppy who was trying too hard to appear calm. It made a few people relax as the second cuff was clicked off.

"Yeah, he's not that bad. Could be a better cook, I guess." Shoto shrugged. Touya paused.

"You cooked eggs on your abs, Shoto." Touya reminded. Shoto raised an eyebrow.

"And they turned out amazing. Your point?" 

"No arguing." Aizawa grumbled. "Todoroki, come shoot some ice at your brother. Touya, try to melt it without killing anyone or getting impaled."

"Wait, what?" Touya asked, but Shoto was already moving to the other side of the field. Everyone backed up immediately, heavy unease settling over them. Touya glanced nervously between them and his younger brother, who let out a frosty breath of air that made him genuinely fear for his life. Aizawa didn't react to his class's clear nervousness as frost shot from beneath Shoto's right foot, shooting forward before spiking up into a large shelf of ice that raced towards Touya, who really wished Takashi was here.

Blue flames danced across is skin, singing happily at the freedom. In a panic, he shoved his flaming hand forward and let the aqua flames spew towards the rapidly growing ice. A few people gasped in shock, or maybe it was horror, at the monstrous power of the heated flames. Hot air washed over them all, pushing back their hair and replacing the coolness Shoto's ice side had produced. Aizawa squinted as a large bout of steam exploded from before him, wondering idly if maybe having him try to blow up ice was the best idea.

Touya shook out his hands as the steam cleared, revealing that the glacier was gone. It hadn't just melted. The heat of his quirk had evaporated completely, leaving most of 1-A in awe. Izuku was writing rapidly, and Shoto blinked in surprise at his ice. It was as though it had vanished into thin air, no sign of it save for a small amount of dampness near his feet, where the blistering heat hand reached. Touya grinned.

"Alright!" He cheered, more to himself. That felt good. His quirk being bottled up hadn't seemed like it had much of an effect, but he could now feel his power thrumming to get out. It hadn't enjoyed being boxed away. "Again?"

"Sure, go for it." Aizawa sighed. Shoto's ice was bigger this time, but so was Touya's flame.

While Touya didn't have the most control over his fire, it was clear he was trying, and had some amount of practice under his belt. The way his eyes danced with joy made them realize that maybe he wasn't some sadist looking to incinerate the brother he seemed to love and adore, and maybe he was like them, excited to get control and to learn. Kirishima and Sero cheered as Shoto sent more and more ice. Touya swiped flames at them with a ferocious grin, the power of his blasts messing up his hair and whipping at his clothes. 

"He's a beast." Ojiro shook his head as Touya thrust both hands forward, sending a wall of flames at a glacier that gave Sero shivers as the tape-quirk user recalled the sports festival. "We're lucky he's not a villain."

"B-But he attacked the camp." Hagakure recalled, a frown evident in her voice.

"He didn't meant to get caught up in that." Izuku said with a bit more snap that he'd meant. A few people turned towards him. "If you just listened to him, you'd know that. Seriously! It was a huge misunderstanding."

"Besides, Touya has a wife. Momo said he was married." Jiro added. 

"Villains can be married too." Shoji pointed out.

"Yeah, but marriage plus his personality? He's totally the doting type. Let's just face it. He's harmless and we're all being idiots ostracizing him." Jiro scoffed, gesturing towards the man shooting his blue flames at Shoto's ice. "He's Todoroki's brother, too. Todoroki wouldn't hang out with him so much if he wasn't actually a good person."

"You have a point..." Ochako trailed off.

"What a mad banquet of darkness." Tokoyami joined in. "But Jiro presents a fair point. Touya has so far shown no ill will towards us. Though he does not appear approachable, he has also shown kindness to anyone who does interact with him thus far."

"Yeah, exactly. He's just a dude-bro." Kirishima grinned sharply, earning their attention. "Sero and I talked to him in the kitchen the other day after Kaminari accidentally shocked him! He was pretty funny."

"Wear's Crocs too, and I can't really imagine a villain in those. And when Takashi ran off to bust Todoroki for using his fire to cook eggs, he screamed something about it being illegal before chasing him, so he's not trying to shake the guy or anything." Sero shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. His classmates looked thoughtful at this.

"Todoroki, don't push yourself!" Aizawa barked at Shoto. 

"I'm not!" Both Touya and Shoto called back before flame met ice once again. Izuku deadpanned.

The side door to the gym slammed open. "Honey, I'm home!" Takashi called with a grin. His hand was clasped around another woman's. She was just an inch or two taller than him, with long, white hair and steely grey eyes. Touya's head whipped towards them, and Shoto dropped his frosted over hand, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. Rei brought a hand up to her mouth.

"T-Touya?" She whispered. Touya felt his heart skip a beat, eyes locked on his mother. He briefly glanced at his beaming husband, an overwhelming feeling of love swelling in him as his turquoise eyes welled with tears. He smiled, his staples stretching in protest as his tense shoulders slouched, his fists uncurling. 

"Mom." He breathed. The sound seemed to echo in the large gym like a gunshot. Squeezing Rei's hand, Takashi urged her forward with a small nudge. Rei glanced back at him with clear hesitance. The brunette gave an encouraging grin and a nod.

That's all it took to send her off and running, right into her son's waiting arms. And if Touya broke down into sobs holding his mother in the middle of the singed gym, no one would ever tell. It was a moment meant to be personal. One that even Shoto didn't join in. Villain or not, good or bad, everyone could recognize that.