A/N: Thought I updated last night but I forgot to hit publish lmao, here's 5k. Oh, and I don't know Rei's maiden name so I made one up. Enjoy. Angst and trigger warning for mentions of domestic abuse and violence.

Endure. 

Sit still. Look down. Do as you're told. Be silent unless you are told to speak.

Kneel. 

Serve. 

Kneel. 

Submit. 

Kneel. 

Endure. 

That is how Enji survived twelve long and miserable years of marriage with Rei Fujiwara.

He wishes that he could say that it hasn't always been that way. He wishes that he could at least recall some sort memory of ever being happy before he'd met Keigo but even those brief moments of joy that he'd been able to experience---able to bask in the love and adoration of his younger children---had been tainted by the trauma that Rei had dragged him through. She stripped him of his self-assurance. Of his peace of mind. Of any love or value he'd held for himself. Of his trust. 

And before Fuyumi was born, she'd also robbed him of three precious pups. 

It had taken years for him to stop being afraid that she'd come back and take the rest of them from him---that she'd come back and try to drown his baby again. It took years for him to stop sleeping in the bathtub with his pups and barricading the door shut because he was afraid that she'd come back and start beating the absolute shit out of him again. It took years for him to stop ducking and flinching and crying whenever Keigo had made any sudden movements. 

He is damaged. 

But thanks to Keigo's love and patience...thanks to his own strength and his courage, Enji was able to be normal again. He was able to find happiness and while he was still anxious and worrisome mess, he had learned to feel safe in the presence of his lover. It's taken so long. He's come so far. 

But now, forced to share a table with the very alpha that shattered him into a million pieces every single chance she'd gotten? He's petrified. Why is she here? What does she want? And why now, of all times? It doesn't make any sense. 

He's scared. 

But Shouto looks so happy. 

He's seated right next to her, chatting away a mile a minute with such a beautiful smile on his face. Enji never wants to see that smile fade, endure whatever agony might come from it so long as his Shouto is happy. 

Even if it means he has to put up with a monster like her. 

"Touya. Your brother tells me that he's earning his degree in social work. That he wants to help people. What are you majoring in? What are your plans after graduation?" She asks casually, artfully ignoring the nasty glare that Touya casts from over the rim of his glass. 

"...Business." He answers curtly and she hums, head tilted curiously. 

"What about business?" 

"That you should mind yours." He counters, voice growing tight. Shouto glares at him with a hiss. "Touya! Stop it, don't be so rude! She's still our father, you know." He chides and Touya snorts with a roll of his eyes. "Nope. I've only got one annoying ass dad; I don't claim deadbeats." 

Rei actually laughs at that, seemingly startling Shouto a bit but the omega's smile returns ten fold upon seeing it. 

"That's alright, baby. I expected your brother to have quite the bone to pick with me. Allow him his frustrations. He's got every right. After all, I haven't seen him since he was a pup." She defends him, much to Enji's surprise. She hums, taking a sip from her own drink as her eyes flicker in Katsuki's direction. 

"Katsuki, was it? You're quite a lovely thing. How old are you, love?" 

Katsuki doesn't make eye contact or answer right away, hesitantly looking to his alpha for assistance. He knows that he's supposed to be pretending that everything is fine but Katsuki is almost as frightened as Enji---if not more worried. Touya gives his thigh a reassuring squeeze beneath the table.

"He's nineteen." 

Rei's eyes narrow. 

"I see. He doesn't talk?" 

"O-Oh, well, Katsuki is just very shy. He startles easily and is really delicate so talking to strangers isn't something he enjoys. He hasn't had very many positive experiences with alphas, either." Shouto explains. 

"It happens. Though I'm sure it wouldn't have if Touya would simply mark the boy already." 

"Daddy. That's not okay. You're starting to sound like grandpa." Shouto scolds her as well. Rei doesn't apologize, scoffing at him instead but the look in Keigo's eyes tells her quite clearly that speaking out of pocket with Shouto in any way will result in her immediate removal from their home. 

Whether it's on her feet or in a body bag is completely up to her. 

"By the time I was your age, your mother and I were already married. We've known each other since we were children---betrothed by the will of our fathers." She says and Touya is unsure of the point she's trying to make. "You mean your fathers who saw omegas as little more than property and livestock? The fathers that treated omegas like slaves and not partners?" He points, shoving a spoon in her direction accusingly. "Oh, oh, no, wait! The same father of yours who used money to buy our mother so that you could breed him like some sort of dog? Remind me why the fuck you'd think they were the type of role models that I needed. I don't claim those fuckers, either." 

"Touya---" 

"Oh, come the fuck on, Sho! She didn't even want us---we were all just part of some sort of contract between our grandparents. Thoroughbred grandchildren for thoroughbred alphas to keep their shitty bloodline strong." 

"We can't punish her for their evil!" 

"She left us!" 

"But she's here now!"

"Fuckin' whatever! She flies you to Venice every few months so you can do photo ops together and she can throw her money at you to make up for the fact that she's a shitty father. How much time do you guys actually spend together on those trips, Sho? Do you even know?" 

From the conflicted and doubtful look on Shouto's face, it's clear to tell that there isn't much time spent together at all. 

"I'm not impressed by your money or your cameras or your fame. For fuck's sake, dad's an actual movie star. He's on fuckin' talk shows every week. If you ever had a chance at earning any bit of respect or forgiveness from me, you wouldn't have been able to fucking buy it. And unlike my unfortunate siblings, I have no desire to win your affection." He continues. "You and I don't have anything to talk about, Rei. And Katsuki doesn't have anything to say to you either so do us a favor and leave us alone, would you?" 

By Touya's standards, he's being as polite as he can. Rei seems to take the hint this time, at least. There's an awkward silence that follows, the sound of spoons tapping against the glass of their bowls. Shouto seems rather upset, brows pinched together as he stares into his bowl with the undoubted expression of someone who is questioning everything that they believe in. Touya said he'd keep a lot shit a secret---for the sake of his mother and for the sake of his little brother's sanity, if nothing else. 

But he's not gonna sit there and play nice. Rei Fujiwara can burn right in hell. 

In fact, he'll meet her there. 

Touya, for one, is grateful for the silence. The longer he has to sit there and listen to Rei drone on about her stupid interviews and runway features, the more annoyed he becomes. She hasn't stopped staring at Katsuki all night and it's rather infuriating. If she's smart, she'll keep her perversions to herself. She looks like the type to prey on the young and fragile ones. Groom them. It's what she did with their mother, after all. 

Rei didn't need mental help. She needed to be in prison. 

Touya wonders how her fans would feel if they knew how disgusting she actually was. 

"Bakugou." 

Dinner comes to an abrupt end with the very sound of Katsuki's surname passing Rei's lips. 

"...what?" Shouto breathes out, confused. He'd never told Rei about any of this; he hadn't even mentioned Katsuki to his father before but she seems fairly confident in whatever she's going on about, gaze sharp as she takes it over the tiny blonde once more. 

"The little one's name. He's of the Bakugous, isn't he?" 

"...how did you know?" 

An even better question would be why she doesn't seem surprised. Katsuki was declared deceased to the public, on national television, and held captive for seventeen years and she doesn't seem the slightest bit shocked or confused. 

She smiles. 

"I've known the Bakugous for quite a long time. They are world renowned fashion designers; we've worked together for quite some time over the years. Lovely people, really." She says, smile widening as she leans forward to rest her arms on the table. "I haven't seen little Katsuki since he was a tiny, tiny little baby." 

She knew him??? 

"I was with your parents the night you went missing. I suppose I should say congratulations for surviving so long." 

Maybe Touya's brain is just working overtime---maybe he's thinking way too fucking hard about it but the nonchalant, casual tone she uses is unsettling. It's almost like she was expecting it. But why would she even care? She doesn't have any reason to be concerned about Katsuki. Maybe she just hadn't cared that he was missing to begin with. While the world was going into a frenzy, she was probably much too busy shoving her face into a camera to care at all about a bunch of children going missing. She didn't even give a shit about her own children, how ridiculous would it be for Touya to assume she'd have given a fuck about Katsuki just because she had known his parents? 

Though, the fact that she was with Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugou that night seventeen years ago raises a lot of questions for him. There's a chance they could get some clarity on Katsuki's case. Maybe a step closer to figuring this thing out. That means he'd have to force himself to be casual with his father---which he'd much rather swallow a live fucking grenade than do. 

But for Katsuki, he'd do anything. 

No one says anything else---hell, Touya doubts anyone would know what to say after something like that. 

"You keep this on the hush. No one's supposed to know." Keigo finally says, standing up from the table and taking his and Enji's dishes to the sink. The poor thing hasn't touched any of his dinner at all, not even a sip of his tea. Rei mentioning that he'd known Katsuki before only seems to worsen his condition. He looks absolutely mortified. 

Rei, unsurprisingly, is unbothered. 

"Who would I possibly tell?" She says, though the sarcasm dripping from her tone leads Touya to believe that she's going to have to be further persuaded to keep quiet. She smirks at him from over her glass. "I'm assuming you've just recently been found, yes? That would explain why the Bakugous came all the way back to a trash heap like Sapporo. You haven't been touched yet, have you? Are those heats treating you well? I'm assuming that you haven't had one yet but I expect you'd be spending it alone---" 

"Why the fuck are we talking about my boyfriend's cunt at the fucking dinner table? Why are we talking about his cunt at all?" Touya growls, standing from the table so quickly that he knocks his chair down onto the floor and startles both Katsuki and his mother. "And what the fuck are you so concerned about his heats for?!" 

"...how do you know that he hasn't had one…?" Enji finally speaks up and Touya freezes right where he stands. Rei's sharp gaze cuts coldly into him and Enji visibly scoots back in his chair as if he's afraid she's going to strike him. 

"What are you insinuating, Enji? And to think you were doing so well at being proper---you've so quiet and compliant, sitting still and looking pretty---and the first thing to come out of your mouth all evening is some sort of half-baked accusation?" 

"Except he hasn't accused you of anything." Keigo points, standing at Enji's side. Even Shouto is eyeing his father skeptically, as if he's waiting for an explanation. She's cornered, eyes darting around the room at the lot of them.

And then she laughs. 

It's loud and hearty, hand on her gut and head thrown back. 

The fuck is she doing? 

"Would you all relax? For Christ's  sake, you're all so paranoid! I've just told you that I'm friends with his parents, haven't I? Obviously we keep in touch; when they told me they'd be in Sapporo, I obviously had to ask why. They're in the middle of designing my next gala piece, after all. I wanted to know what was so important that they'd rush away from a million dollar contract." 

Shouto relaxes with a sigh of relief and a hand on his chest. It's a logical answer, sufficient and acceptable. 

She's still weird and fucking creepy but whatever. 

"Well, it's been an absolute nightmare having you over for dinner but it's getting late so you should take your leave. I've gotta be on set by six in the morning." Keigo says as cordially as he can, not even trying to hide the fact that he's rushing her. He doesn't have the capacity to deal with her any longer and he's not going to force Enji to sit there and deal with her all night. 

This is the first and last time he's going to allow this to happen. He knows that Enji doesn't want to but he's going to have to tell Shouto the truth eventually. The longer he waits to tell him, the worse it's going to be when he finally finds out. He can't protect Shouto from this forever. 

Rei doesn't object, standing and gathering her things wordlessly. Shouto scrambles up from his seat with the offer to walk her out, though he does seem a bit out of it at this point. Keigo hopes that Shouto doesn't feel at all responsible or guilty about how much of a shit show this was tonight. They can't blame the child for wanting to spend time with his father. 

Even if she is a piece of shit. 

The blonde alpha leans down to press a kiss onto Enji's jaw. "I'm gonna handle the kitchen, yeah? You go on up and get ready for bed. I'll be up to take care of you in a bit, okay?" He whispers and Enji, away from Rei's condescending gaze, is finally able to relax. He nods, hand going up to rest on Keigo's own as it rests on his shoulder. "O-Okay but...I don't want to be alone right now. Can't I just sit here with you?" 

"I actually need to talk to dad about something important. Why don't you take Katsuki up with you? I get the feeling it'll be a minute before Shouto comes in to help him out; he still has trouble working the shower." Touya suggests and Katsuki, still nervous and a little shaky, smiles as best he can and offers Enji his hand. Enji smiles back, taking it as he stands and leads Katsuki upstairs and leaves their two alphas to their own business. 

Touya waits until they're well out of earshot before he begins. 

"What the fuck was that?" 

"Tell me about it. I don't believe a fucking word she says." Keigo replies as he starts to fill the sink with hot dishwater. Touya leans against the counter. "She was acting suspicious, sure, but the story checks out. I think she's just fucking weird." 

"Of course the story checks out; it wouldn't be a good alibi if it didn't. I knew it was some bullshit when she showed up here out of the blue. She's up to something, I just don't know what. But I need to talk to Yagi." 

Touya doesn't like the implications of what his father is saying. 

"...Dad, what are you talking about?" 

"You mean to tell me that nothing else set off any red flags for you, Tou?" Keigo questions, pausing in his rinsing to give his son a quirk of his brow. "Your mother and I have known each other for eight years. I've seen your mother practically beg her to come here and see you kids and Rei told him to go fuck himself. That the only way she'd see you kids was if he sent you to her instead. That's why your siblings have had to go out to Venice to visit with her. That's why she's never come here before." 

Touya huffs, hand tugging through his hair. "Okay, yeah, I get it. She's fucking horrible. But what does that have to do with this?" 

Keigo pauses in cleaning with a heavy, exasperated sigh. 

"Lord, for such a fuckin' genius, you're incredibly slow on the uptake." 

"Quit your shit, I'm being serious." 

"So am I." 

"Dad." 

"Look. Katsuki was found about a month and three weeks ago, right? As far as we know, the only people who even know about all of this up until this point would be the Yagi's and us. No one outside of our two families knew. No one outside of our two families was supposed to know. But then they found Katsuki's parents and so now, Katsuki's parents know." 

"...okay, yeah, and?" 

"So let's say Rei isn't a complete fucking liar and Katsuki's parents did tell her. That means they also probably told her that they met you. Which would mean that Rei knew that Katsuki would be here when she arrived---or that you'd be together, if not here at home. 

"And she just so happened to decide that she wants to come back to Sapporo after ten years right after the Bakugous tell her that their son has been found? None of that seems even the slightest bit fishy to you, son?" 

Keigo had just completely unloaded on Touya and while it's a lot to process, Touya is starting to think that his father is actually beginning to make quite a lot of sense. 

#

Looking after Katsuki has proven to be quite therapeutic for Enji. It reminds him of when Shouto was younger, how he'd be stuck to Enji's hip at every moment of the day. He misses those days when his kids still needed him. He wishes they hadn't grown up so fast. 

"Lean your head back for me a bit, sweetie?" He says gently, taking the shower head to rinse the shampoo from Katsuki's hair. Katsuki blinks up at him and Enji can't help but smile, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead before he tells him to sit back up again. He's sure to be gentle, checking to see how his injury is healing. 

"Have you had any pain or discomfort lately?" 

"J-Just a headache sometimes. I think that I will be alright, though." The blonde responds, humming as Enji gently massages his scalp with his fingers. "That's good, love. I'm happy that you're feeling better; you had us worried." Enji steps out of the tub to grab a fluffy towel from the shelf. A good soak after a shower is always relaxing for him and, to be honest, he and Katsuki both desperately needed to relax after tonight. 

"Alright, sweetie, let's get you out, hm?" He hums, smile falling from his face when he turns to see the sorrowful look in Katsuki's eyes. "Katsuki? What's the matter, angel?" He presses and Katsuki casts his eyes back down to his feet from where he's seated in the tub. 

"Y-You have marks on your tummy like me. But yours are much bigger. It makes me sad because I know they must have hurt so much. Mine did." He murmurs and Enji looks down at his own lower belly before he turns his gaze back to Katsuki with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But you don't have to be sad for me. It was such a long time ago. I don't feel sad about them anymore. I'm proud of myself because I survived and even after all of it, I was still able to have four beautiful pups." 

"...what happened to your tummy before that? Did someone poison you, too?" 

Ah. 

"No, love, I wasn't poisoned. I got these marks from a knife." He admits and Katsuki nearly gives himself whiplash, whipping his head around to face Enji again with mortification. 

"A-A...knife?" 

"Mhm. That's how I lost my first pup. She tried to cut it out of me. Said she didn't want me to carry her seed. And I tried again and again after that but every time I'd get pregnant again, my womb wouldn't be strong enough to carry them. So I lost two more babies. But on the fourth try, I got my oldest pup, Fuyumi. I can remember being so happy and so terrified at the same time. She turned out to be one of the greatest achievements I've had in my life. And then Natsuo came and...they've always meant so much to me. You'll meet them some day; they'd absolutely adore you." He says, smiling down at Katsuki even as he sees tears begin to well up in his eyes. He sits on the edge of the tub with a sigh. 

"Honey. You really don't have to be sad." 

"I am sorry. I am just...very sad that someone who was supposed to love you would do such a thing to you. It is so unfair that you have spent your life in such misery; you deserve to be happy more than anyone else!" 

Enji used to feel the same way. He grew weary of being beaten. Of having Rei force herself on him whenever he'd said no. Of having to spread his legs and allow her to climb on top of him whenever she wanted simply because that was what was expected of him---to fulfill his duty as an obedient mate. 

But that isn't his life anymore. And he's learned to take his blessings where he can get them. He is happy now, married to a man who wants nothing more than to love and cherish him. He's mended his relationship with his son. Not to mention that their family is growing. Compared to the life he once lived, Enji is living in paradise. 

Which is why he refuses to be sad about the past anymore. 

"You're so sweet, honey. Come here." He says and Katsuki sits up to hug Enji. "I am happy. I promise you that I am. We can't live our lives being sad about things that we can't go back and change, especially when the universe is trying to show us the path to happier days. Sometimes we have to look at our scars as trophies. Carry them and know that we are strong because we survived. No matter how tiny or fragile we are. We are so strong. Don't you ever forget that okay?" 

Katsuki nods, sniffling into Enji's collarbone. 

"O-Okay. M-Mr. Enji?" 

"Yes, baby?" 

"You are the best mama ever." 

Enji's breath catches in his throat and he hugs Katsuki tighter, feeling tears stinging at his own eyes. 

"Thank you, honey. Come on, let's get you out of the tub before you turn into a prune."

Touya had better marry this boy someday or Enji will have his father kick his ass.

#

Touya's having a hard time piecing together why his father's suspicions would be even the slightest bit accurate. They make sense, sure, but what other than that? There isn't any motive. No reason for Rei to be so interested in Katsuki. Keigo can't seem to figure one put either, but he's still got quite the gut feeling that she's not to be trusted. 

"She's been eyeing him all night too, making weird little comments and remarks." Keigo points from where he's sitting at the kitchen table, dishes done and put away. Touya grunts his agreement as he sits next to him, arms folded over his chest. "Yeah. Talking about breeding him young and asking about his heats and shit. She asked if he was a virgin, too. Like she was worried I'd been fucking him. Or that someone else has been fuckin' em…" 

"...but he is a virgin still, right?" 

"Dad." 

"Just checking, just checking. You're not ready for kids yet." 

"I can police my own dick, thanks." 

"I'm not policing you---"

"You're getting sidetracked, dad." 

"Right, right, sorry. So, this could be a stretch but do you think she's planning to try and...I dunno...get him pregnant?" 

"If she even fuckin' breathes in his direction, I will break her fucking spine." 

"I mean, she refers to omegas as exotic toys. I dunno if she did all that to be a fucking creep or if she was just tryna get under your mom's skin but---" 

The front door opening and shutting again pauses their conversation and Shouto walks back into the kitchen a moment later, pulling out a chair at the table to sit down as well. 

"Hey." 

"Hey, princess." Keigo says, a tiny smile pulling at his lips and the nickname has Shouto smiling right back. "Where's mom and Kat?" 

"Upstairs getting ready for bed. They're pretty exhausted." 

"...Is it because of dad?"

"...Sho, honey…" 

"I mean, mom didn't even eat. He just sat there all night looking sick. If I had known that he would be so disgusted, I would never have asked if she could---" 

"Sho. Mommy's not upset with you, okay? Nobody's upset that you wanted to spend time with your sire. Don't feel bad about that, okay?" Keigo assures him and Shouto snaps his mouth shut with a deep and shaky inhale, tears prickling at his eyes. 

"O-Okay." 

"Come here, baby boy. Give Papa a hug." 

Shouto doesn't hesitate to throw himself into Keigo's arms and the alpha settles the tearful boy on his leg to hold him better. He kisses his crown, rocking him back and forth as he assures him that everything is fine and that he's got nothing to be sad about. 

Touya can't believe he ever thought Keigo was a bad father. 

"I-I told her not to come back to the house anymore so mom doesn't have to worry about that anymore. I told her if she wanted to see me while she was here that I'd meet her somewhere. She said she wants to have lunch with me tomorrow…" 

It sounds almost like he's asking for Keigo's permission. 

"That's fine, sweetheart, thank you. Why don't you go up and give your mom some of these cuddles and kisses, hm? I'm sure he and Katsuki would appreciate them." He says, tone soft and comforting. Shouto nods, sliding out of Keigo's lap and gathering his bag from the floor on his way up. 

"Love you, Papa." 

"Love you more, baby." 

"O-Oh, um." Shouto pauses, turning towards his brother. "I already told her no but...dad is going to try and convince Katsuki to try modeling. Just a heads up." He says, quickly moving up the stairs to avoid potentially becoming an object of his brother's wrath. Touya snorts out a laugh. "Persistent bastard, isn't she. She can kiss my ass, Katsuki isn't getting involved with her at all." 

"Mm. We need to keep a closer eye on him with her around." 

"I'll talk to Yagi when I take Kitty home tomorrow. Just to be safe." 

He's kind of hoping for a reason to beat the shit out of Rei, anyway.