Echoes of the Multiverse

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 12:42 pm**

If someone were to say that living in the Todoroki household was 'turbulent' then this person either had a talent for understating or is oblivious to just how broken their family was. As the firstborn ( and for quite some time only) fire user in the family, Touya had it rough at the best of times. Though his father seemed to have been pleased that he'd gotten his fire quirk, this hadn't lasted long. Little Touya didn't seem to have gotten any of the ice quirk his father had hoped he would get to help regulate his body temperature. Such an ability would have given him the potential to push his quirk past the limits his father's own presented. He would have been able to achieve the goal the man had fought so hard and failed to obtain. Instead, all he got from his mother was an extreme resistance to cold and her weak constitution... The two combined resulted in his quirk searing his skin. He could never be the hero he'd dreamed he would be...

No. No he couldn't give up! He was the son of Endeavor, of course he would be a great hero! What's more, his fire quirk was even stronger than his father's! He just had to try harder! He did his best, he really had. He pushed and pushed himself, through all the pain, all the grueling training he forced on himself, all to please the man he most idolized in his life and make real that man's dream. Sure it was hard and it hurt, but it would all be worth it, in the end, to see the stoic man swell with pride. He'd honestly thought that back then... While he'd continued to throw himself into his training, that bastard just kept right on breeding their poor mother. Each child was tested then tossed aside. Because of his weak body and delicate skin, his training had to be broken up so that he could consistently train without hurting himself too badly. This gave him the chance to play with his little brother and sister. The little breaks were nice and they helped him find the strength to keep on fighting! Already he dreamed of how powerful he would become, of how he would go to Yuuei, and become the great hero he was destined to be! Dad would be happy with him then!

Then the perfect child he'd been breeding his mother over and over for was finally born. A beautiful little boy, half his hair white and half of it red. Even his eyes were mismatched! He was so cute! He wondered if he would get the half and half quirk his father so desperately wanted... But... But did that mean...? He was being replaced. He wasn't needed anymore... No. No, everything would be okay! They would be able to train together then! Yeah! Fight as a team and complement each other! They would be unstoppable! He could still be a great hero! He just had to train harder!

Shouto was only two when his quirk manifested, just like he had been, and as expected, his training began, like his had. It was just as harsh as he remembered it being, but it seemed little Shouto wasn't as delicate as he'd been. That's good. It would be sad if he suffered the same way. But... They didn't train together.

His father still wouldn't train him so he had to continued training on his own. That's okay... He was used to it! Besides, Shouto was so little! He had to catch up! He'd been looking forward to playing with him when he needed to rest, but Shouto was not allowed to play with them. The stress and trauma started to really take a toll on him then... It manifested visibly as his hair started to turn white instead of his father's signature red. It mocked him in the mirror, a reminder of his weak genes... He needed to train harder!!

The pain was intense, but he just needed to show his father how good he'd gotten! Surely he would see his potential then and train him too! He just needed to show him! But... But he'd been waiting so long here... Father'll come for sure though. He has to! Dammit...! He needed to train harder!!!

Brilliant blue eyes snapped open, staples pulling painfully on pale skin as a gasp fills his lungs. His breathing was ragged as he stared up at the same dirty ceiling. He could still feel the flames licking layers of skin off his long since nerve dead patches. He reached up to rest his hands on his face, resisting the urge to rub. When your face was covered in staples, scrubbing your face with her hands is... Ill-advised. Another deep, mildly painful breath to bring it all back under control and he sat up and forced himself out of bed. Big day today, wouldn't due to be late...

They had teamed up with another group, one that wanted to form an allyship with the league. Shigaraki had no interest in absorbing them into his inner circle, but gathering allies would help them in the long run, particularly if some of them had particularly unique and beneficial quirks. That was the very reason he agreed, in fact, the leader of the gang had a very interesting quirk. The woman had the ability to turn back the clock on a person. She could choose till what age and how long they would remain that way. During this time, she could alter their behavior and when they snapped back to the age they should be, they would be completely different people. Apparently only big changes affected the end result, but it was surprisingly effective. She had built up her entire gang that way. She had secured an audience by having 'reprogrammed' a small-time hero she'd managed to catch. They would be testing her today to see if she would be worth keeping around.

Things went surprisingly smoothly to start. They all showed up on time at the right places and the bait they'd set was taken. The fight that followed played out on a grand scale, the chaos thrilling. From time to time he checked on his friends, Toga and Twice having come with him. The fact Shigaraki had been willing to spare three of them very telling. They had high hopes. The trouble with working with someone new for the first time though, is you don't know each other very well. Something as intimate as fighting style or even a general idea of how they might react to a given situation simply wasn't there. It was particularly dangerous in the sort of chaos they were creating now. Inevitably, something went wrong and in that very chaos, no one noticed.

Dabi on the other hand was very well aware of it. More correctly, Touya was. A moment of gut-wrenching vertigo and the tiny red-headed boy with white streaks in his hair was looking around fearfully at the battle around him, heart hammering in his chest. He'd just been sleeping in his bed! How had he gotten here all of a sudden?! Was this a nightmare?! Nightmare or no, he was scrambling to his bare feet and taking off at a run. He ran down into an alley, but found his way blocked by a wall. Too tall to climb and too afraid to leave and try to find another place to hide, he curled up behind a garbage bin, hugged his legs to his chest, and cried.

It was this crying that got him noticed and not by any of his allies. A hero he didn't know had come to investigate after the fight had been over and found him. He gently coaxed the poor boy out of hiding, tiny hands worrying at the hem of his now dirty Endeavor pajamas. He'd been quick to accept the comfort of being held and picked up, carried out of the alley and over to the police where he was gently handed off. When asked, he told them his name was Touya, but what had them falling silent was when he'd answered who his parents were. One was quick to try and get the 'truth' out of him, but thankfully one of the senior officers actually recognized him. He should have been significantly older... He looked as young as the last time he'd seen him all those years ago. Though the squad was stunned, Endeavor was contacted and the boy brought to him.

Upon arrival, the family gathered and quickly realized they didn't know what to do with him. It didn't take long for an unexpected decision to be made. They watched on as the small boy, covered in self-inflicted burns, gushed about the battle he'd seen and how excited he was to be one of those heroes someday. He didn't even look at anyone other than a guilt-stricken Enji. Shouto had, had enough. Without warning, he scooped the startled boy up in his arms. "He's coming with me and he will get the training he needs." His icy glare met with his father's and the protest died on the man's lips. Permission was granted and he promptly left with the boy.

While he felt good about his choice, he quickly realized that he didn't actually know what he was going to do with him. They'd been informed before his now little brother was brought into the room about the situation and Endeavor had agreed to handle it without hesitation. It seemed the whole, 'now what do I do' ran in the family. Still, he refused to allow that man to harm his brother again, regardless of who he grew up to be. This was their chance. Their chance to fix all the damage that had been caused and if he was lucky, save his brother. At least they had enough information about the quirk of the villain to know what to expect, though their time frame was very much up in the air. What was he getting himself into...?

"It's so weird to see you all big like this! I'm supposed to be the big brother! Just this morning you were just an ity bity baby! Did you mean it? Will you help me train? You promise?" The boy gushed, incredibly excited at the prospect.

Shouto hesitated, not because he refused to follow through with his promise so much as he was very much aware of why he wanted that training and not sure he could promise that part of it. "Yeah... I told you I would help you and I fully intend on doing so. I'm going to take you back to my dorm room and we will figure things out from there." He assured as he walked hoping beyond hope that he wasn't making a mistake and ruining everything. He was fairly certain that being around his father wouldn't be healthy for him, however. Admitting he was going to Yuuei resulted in a barrage of excited questions which he did his best to answer, but it was a bit overwhelming... Things like what the school was like, if the training was hard, what his classmates were like, what quirks they all had, had Shouto himself grown strong, and so on. It was an interesting trip back to the school, needless to say...

It was tricky to sneak the boy into the dorm without being seen, but he'd gotten very lucky in that the few that were in the commons were very absorbed by the movie they were watching and Touya had thought it was fun to sneak in and so hadn't given them away. Once in his room, he relaxed, watching as the boy look around the very traditional room, almost bursting with excitement. Then, the question he'd been absolutely dreading finally came up...

"This is so cool! It's like a little piece of home! All the rooms are different though, right? You can decorate how you want? Man, I can't believe I'm actually inside Yuuei right now!! You said your hero name is Shouto though? That's so lame! We need to come up with something better than that. Don't worry, I'll help you. My hero name is gonna be Firestorm! Really cool huh? Hey... If this is the future, then I would have already graduated! What's my ranking?" Those ever so familiar blue eyes gazed up at him, all hope and innocent.

[He moistened his suddenly dry lips, kneeling politely on the floor and urging the boy to take up a cushion. He took a steadying breath before forcing himself to start. "Touya... I... It's... Complicated." The look of confusion hurt and the growing anxiety he could see under the surface was not helping. "Father... He wasn't good to you, was he...?"

What seemed to be a change of subject caused the redhead to wilt, loosely hugging his hurt arms. "No, but... It's okay. I trained by myself really hard! I didn't need him to help me be a great hero, I'm gonna prove to him how great of a hero I can be. I'm gonna get even stronger than All Might and be the number one hero, just like he wanted! I'll be so proud of me..." There was something seriously wrong with the way the boy smiled, like he knew he was lying, but refused to believe the truth.

"Touya... Father did really horrible things to us. All of us. He expected more than anyone should and---"

"But I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna! Is my ranking low? It's okay! I just have to work harder is all, I'll get there!" Insisted the boy, slowly growing more frantic.

Ugh, he'd never been good at talking to people in this state... "He hurt you really bad... You... Touya, you ran away from home."

The boy's forced smile slowly fell. "What...?"

"You ran away from home. You... You didn't grow up to be a good person, but---"

"I'm a bad person? I don't understand. I..." The realization, the very second it clicked in his mind was visible. Tears welled up in his eyes and started to trickle freely down his cheeks. "I... I'm a villain...? Am I a villain?! No! No that can't be true! You're lying! You have to be! Y-you're just jealous because my fire is stronger than yours, is that it?! I-I...! I'm not...! I can't...! I-I-I'm not a... A-a...!!" And then came the first wail, quickly broken up by hysterical sobbing.

He really wasn't good with children... Not knowing what else to do, he panicked, scooped the boy up again, and fled the room. He used his ice to speed his way down the stairwell to the second floor, using his foot to kick the familiar door he'd stopped in front of. "Midoriya!! Open the door! Please!!" As soon as the door opened, the greenette would find a very upset child sobbing uncontrollably shoved in his face, held up by the armpits like a child might hold a puppy. "Help, I don't know what I'm doing!" The fact that Shouto himself looked fairly panicked was telling, given his usual visible emotional range.

The boy himself was a mess, dressed in dirty pajamas, tears and snot streaking his face. His eyes were the same blue as one of Shouto's and both of Enji's and the hair was unmistakably the same red. It was streaked in white, a familiar site as Fuyumi's hair had little red streaks, though these were more pronounced. But... Izuku had met Shouto's siblings... Was this a little brother he hadn't been told about? Regardless, why was he here and why was he so upset?!

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 4:02 pm**

Izuku had heard about the chaotic exchange between the league and some of their new allies and the heroes in the nearby area, but what he didn't know was that there was an unintended casualty among the bigger faces he knew too well. All he knew was that there was someone loose that could rewrite people's past by raising and training them differently, and used that ability to turn heroes into villains. The concept made Izuku sick, honestly-- he couldn't imagine how many villains could have been turned into heroes instead, find what their quirks were better suited for!! But of course, that quirk user was a villain themselves, so naturally the woman would choose her path, even if it was dark and cruel.

Izuku had been studying both for his classes and what he knew about the skirmish that happened that day when he heard that kick to his door, almost causing him to leap out of his chair in fright. He quickly came to the door, and the moment he saw poor, panicked Shoto holding a rather upset child that looked hauntingly familiar, something clicked in him before his dearest friend could get everything out. He can ask proper questions later-- there was a baby boy needing to be consoled and cleaned up.

"First, you're holding the poor boy wrong--" he carefully scooped the poor thing into his arms, holding him close to his chest, holding him securely under his rear with his forearm, and gently rubbing Touya's back with his other hand gently. "And too, he's all dirty-- do you have a change of clothes for him?" Izuku asked, while having almost a scolding, motherly tone, it was also gentle, soft as he began to gently sway back and forth, like his mom had done for him.

"Its going to be okay, little guy, I don't know what Shouto said or did, but I know he isn't mean. He just has a hard time with people. He's getting better, though." He assured into the little boy's multi-colored hair, before wandering smoothly over to his closet. "I don't have any Endeavor merch, but I do still have a golden age All Might kigu from when I was your size! Will that be okay to wear until we can get you something new?" He asked gently, opening his closet to find what he was looking for. "I also have some normal and silly shirts if you don't wanna wear the kigu-- I'll just have to safety pin it so it won't be too big to be safe." A Tupperware tote in his previously consoling hand, he brought it up onto his bed-- previously scattered with notes-- and opened it up.

"Oh, are you hungry, too? If you want, while Shoto gives you a proper bath, I can make us something to eat!! Have you tried pork katsudon before? I also know a few different hotspots that my mom taught me how to make!" He offered, hoping to get the little boy's mind off of whatever had upset him. "If you don't want to try something new, that's perfectly fine! Do you have a favorite food? Shoto likes cold soba!" He giggled softly, glancing over to his bi-colored friend. "Do you like cold soba? Or do you prefer it hot?" Izuku then asked to the little boy. "Say, what's your name, hmm? I'm Izuku Midoriya, but most of my closest friends call me Deku!" He grinned, before blushing faintly, "B-but don't worry, it's not to be mean!! My friend Uraraka told me it could also mean 'you can do it', and it's stuck since!! It's going to be my hero name someday!" He grinned, unaware of who he was holding so securely in his arms.

"What name do you wanna go by as a hero one day? I bet it would be super cool!! With a big brother like Shoto, I bet you have a really cool quirk, too!! Do you have ice, or fire, little guy?" He asked, before grabbing up his hero analysis journal. "I write about heroes and their quirks in here, though I've also written about my friends, and also some villains too so I can learn how to fight better, save more people. There's a few fire users in here already, if you'd like to look at them after you're all cleaned up and full? So far I only have Shoto in here for ice, but because he's your big brother, he shouldn't be too different if you use ice too, right?" He asked, his mind already cranking out possible ways to help the boy grow big and strong, hopefully without too much damage like he'd done to himself. No kid should ever have to endure the backlash of their quirk if they could avoid it. "I bet you'll be big and strong someday, and with big brother Shoto and my help, I'm sure you'll be one of the best heroes out there!! And with how cute you are, I bet you'll have even more fans when you're bigger, too!" He giggled, gently nudging Touya's cheek, then swiping his thumb over the other's tears to wipe them away. "So, let's get you cleaned up and fed, okay? Then I'll show you my journal, and maybe you can help me make a page for you in it, too? How does that sound? Maybe I can help you design your hero costume for when you're all big and strong?"

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 4:54 pm**

"Oh. I know. I panicked." Muttered the obviously panicked teen. It was so strange to see Shouto so emotive. It's not like he hadn't dealt with crying children before, but he was clearly very upset by this instance. It wasn't too hard to imagine as the boy's features screamed of the classic Todoroki genes. It was one thing for a child he didn't know to be crying, but this was family. What's more, the poor boy's crying was so extreme... "I don't have any clothes for him." He admitted, not having even thought about the fact that they would have to get the boy a full wardrobe as they didn't know when he would be turning back. That was fine, he had the card his father had given him, he could just use that in the morning.

When the child was taken and then cradled close properly, even swayed, he snuggled up with the stranger, but sadly his crying didn't ease. His body temperature was feverishly high, but given his relations, it was hard to tell if he was sick or his body's natural temperature was high. When offered the kigu he shook his head sharply, his heart twisting bitterly at even the sound of the retired number one's name. Not that he knew he was retired, but that was irrelevant at the moment. When asked if he was hungry, he just kept right on crying. The poor boy... Question after question went unanswered, the child inconsolable.

Swallowing the knot in his throat, he finally entered and closed the door behind himself. He didn't feel like he deserved to be in the same room with the boy after what he'd unintentionally done. As the boy continued to cry, Shouto took it upon himself to start answering some of the questions. "His name is Touya..." Wait. Wasn't that his eldest brother's name? "He is virtually immune to cold, but can't make any ice. That's not why his hair is white. He can produce flames hotter than our father's. He... He did grow up to be strong. Very strong." He muttered, looking at the still upset voice with pain audible in his voice. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued to speak. "Touya was involved in a quirk accident in that big altercation with the League earlier so he's actually my eldest brother." He hesitated for a moment before letting the other shoe drop. "You've already met him from our perspective. Midoriya... This is Dabi."

"Firestorm." Cut in a broken little whimper, though the boy wasn't done crying just yet. "My hero name is Firestorm. Dabi sounds stupid! That's not my name!" Insisted the boy, his body temperature spiking threateningly. That answered the question of if his body temperature was naturally high or not. His skin had been hot to the touch before, now it was hot enough to be a little painful to touch. "I... I'm gonna be the number one hero like Dad wants me to! I-I'm not a villain! I'm not!! I'm gonna be a hero, I don't care how much it hurts, I'm gonna do it!" Wailed on the boy in despair as his delicate world crumbled to rubble around him.

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 7:57 pm**

"Alright, Shoto, then we'll do with what we can here until we get him properly settled." He replied in a more assuring tone, feeling his heart sting even more at seeing how shaken up his dear friend was. Shoto really cared about his little brother, huh? "We'll have to make sure he has a comfy place to sleep, any accommodations for his quirk, and toys too! Maybe we can make a date of it tomorrow?" He proposed, a sweet smile on his face as he glanced to Shoto again, before looking back to Touya with just as much care as before. "His temperature is really high.... can you get me one of my cold packs? It should be in the top drawer by my bed." He'd do it himself, but the damn thing sticks sometimes, and jolting this poor child will probably upset him more.

Poor thing.... at least he had enough sensibility to shake his head no at the offer of the kigu, but considering the Todoroki family's tensions stemming from their father, he could make an easy guess as to why the little boy didn't want anything to do with his mentor. Though, as Shoto began to answer Izuku's questions, he looked puzzled at first, but held Touya no differently, didn't stop his soothing touches. Even as the little boy's identity was revealed, even as Izuku's blood ran cold for a few moments, he didn't stop holding him. Though poor little Touya began to grow almost too hot to hold, Izuku was so, so determined to not let the little boy go until he wasn't so upset. Before he could clarify with Shoto what this situation may entail, Touya gave up a hero name, and mocked the identity he used to be, which earned a soft bubble of laughter and hope in the greenette.

Though, as Touya continued his sobbing wails, revealed what was troubling him so, Izuku hugged him closer, despite how it hurt. He held Eri, and this was nothing compared to being at the risk of being reversed into nothingness. "Firestorm is a strong, cool name!! And you're not a villain, Touya...." Izuku shushed gently into the other's ear, even as he, too, began to tear up. "My friends and I can help you grow big and strong, I promise! And one day, I bet your dad will be real proud of the hero you'll become!" He was careful of his words-- a hero he could help make, but he couldn't speak for Enji, and really, right now, Izuku was more than tempted to confront the bastard, rip him a new one. Enji had made a monster, and if Shoto hadn't been set on the right path with Izuku's help.... would Shoto have ended up the same?

He shook those thoughts aside, and gently bounced the boy to resituate him on his arm. "Tell you what-- after we get you cleaned and fed, would you like to show me what you know so far? Maybe I can give you some tips on how to be a great hero one day?" He offered, hoping that the promise of power display and possible praise and education would help center the little boy once more. "You're also getting really, really warm, and I'm worried you'll get hurt, or sick. Maybe we can get you some ice cream for dessert? Unless you wanna eat that first?" He proposed, scooping up a cool blue shirt out of the tote, and a clean towel before draping them over his free shoulder. He looked to Shoto to follow him to the bathroom, hoping to get the poor thing cooled off before he gets hurt, or worse.

Posted: **Tue May 11, 2021 10:54 am**

The two quirked teen nodded as his boyfriend rolled with the stressful situation he'd literally thrust into his face. He was glad that Miroriya was so quick to take control, he was so very afraid of making things any worse than he already had. He still felt that it was better for the boy to know the truth as it was bound to come up at some point, but this was not the way to do it, he was sure. He listened as basic needs were listed off and a part of him felt both shame and concern with himself when he realized that he would never have thought to get the poor boy toys. He could remember seeing his siblings playing together without him, of course, he would need toys. "Tomorrow is fine. We also need to inform Aizawa and Nezu. I... May have failed to tell the school that I was bringing my brother here. Or seek their permission for that matter..." He really was a mess...

"That's normal. Just like my hot side has a higher body temperature than average, his whole body is like that. More so than mine, in fact, given the extreme temperature of his quirk." Soon enough, Izuku would have all the information he needed to understand exactly why he was saying that. Shouto probably shouldn't have been surprised by the little outburst that followed his information dump, but with how hard the kid was crying he hadn't thought he would get more of a reaction than what was already happening.

The snowcapped redhead sniffled when his hero name was complimented, finally opening those stunningly blue eyes Enji's side of the family was known for. The same blue that Midoriya had seen looking back at him as Bakugou was kidnapped. There was a key difference between those eyes and these, however. It was like Dabi had been drained of much of his emotions. He was virtually hollow, a cold, dark void swallowing him up from the inside. This boy... This boy still had a brilliant fire behind his, even if it was sputtering fitfully. Already it was clear he was fighting to keep himself together, to keep that firey passion burning brightly, but in his efforts, he was already getting burned, the edges of his psyche already charred black.

He wasn't a villain. "I'm not..." He whimpered in agreement, finally starting to come down, though he was still hiccuping. He listened on as the greenette went on and on about how he would be a hero and how they would help him. He sniffled once again, but finally, finally smiled. It was painfully shy, but the feeble hope he'd so desperately been clinging to had finally been fed and it couldn't have been sweeter nor more soothing to his tormented soul. He was so young and children were so resilient... What horrors had this boy seen to already be this broken? What horrors had Shouto seen, for that matter?

"The quirk he was hit by functions in a very particular way. The victim is snapped back to an earlier point in their lives, they can then be influenced by the world around them till the quirk expires. When it does, they snap back to their original age. If the influence was great enough, they are changed, reflecting what they would have grown up to be like if the new treatment had continued up to that point. In short, we'll help you train to be the hero you want to be and when you grow up, you will be that hero." Shouto felt leagues better as the boy looked at him in growing awe as he explained the situation fully, watching as that shy smile grew into a wide and truly excited one. He may have screwed things up before, but he seems to have fixed his mistake.

"Yeah!! I'm gonna be a hero! I promise I'll train as hard as I can! I'll do anything you guys want, promise, promise!" Thankfully as he felt better, his body temp settled back down again to his natural feverish level. "It's okay! I'm always kinda hot." He assured rubbing the last of the tears away with a final sniff. "I'm not really hungry, but I can have ice cream?!" Oh, that got him excited. Worryingly excited, honestly. Even for a kid, ice cream shouldn't be that exciting...

Shouto opened the door for them and stepped out only to find one of the other dorm room doors cracked open and through the crack was half of a face staring eerily at them. Startled, he snapped his head around to look only for the half-French blond to yelp and snap his door shut again. He was so strange... While the dorms were wonderfully soundproofed, they had their limits, and Touya wailing like a child possessed seemed like it would be enough to overcome it. Shrugging it off, he leads the way to the elevator and pressed the button to go down. He missed the little pout the boy gave at not getting to press the button himself. For shame, Shou. Always let the child press the elevator button, have you no manners?

Posted: **Wed May 12, 2021 2:00 am**

"You know well that I'll be damned if I let them tell us no. Besides-- we can argue that this is like training!! A little different from what we went through at the Provisional License exam, but still! You never know if we'd need to be made temporary caretakers, or even guardians after a disaster!" Izuku replied, before looking to Touya. "And our sweet boy is no different-- he must be protected and cared for." He smiled, even as the poor little boy cried into him. At the explanation for the feverish, now almost burning heat, he nodded, but was no less concerned. "Still, this is so much-- do you constantly fight heat exhaustion?" He asked, a little more concerned in tone than he had meant. After all-- a basic fever for an average child could be dangerous to their brain, and with how hot Touya was becoming. It wasn't hard to understand Izuku's worries.

Though Touya wasn't his, he still wanted to protect him as a proper parent would. His mother had raised him right, for as best she could on her own, at least.

Izuku was stunned by the little boy's eyes when they finally opened, peering up at him, but all the same, his heart was pained by the fact that Dabi had lost hope, and was full of spite and malice because of what he had gone through. Meanwhile, already it seemed, that little Touya was already so broken, burnt by his father's shitty parenting ability, or rather, lack thereof. "That's right, and you won't be-- I'll make sure of it, okay? You'll be a strong, admirable hero, I know you will!!" He smiled, before softly nuzzling into the other's snowcapped locks. "I don't doubt that you'll make so many people proud, Touya!! Firestorm will be a big, dependable name people will call out for!" He grinned brightly, and even moreso as his boyfriend explained the situation better, and earning an even bigger, hopeful smile on the little boy's face.

As Touya made excited promises, Izuku felt a little guilty, hoping he wasn't about to make things difficult, "Even if it means resting when we ask you to? Taking breaks when we see you hurting too much?" He asked gently, before gently finger combing through the little boy's hair. "This isn't a race, okay? It took me a long while in order for me to get as strong as I did-- but, I also went too fast in some places, and ended up hurting myself really, really bad." Izuku looked to the scars on his hand and arm, before smiling sadly, remembering the painful-looking scarring on Dabi's face and arms. God knows where else he had such damage, and how far. "We want you big and strong, just like you do, but we have to do it right, okay? We don't want to see you get hurt by being too hard on yourself, okay?" He asked, tone ever patient and gentle.

"Of course we can get ice cream!! I have mint chip and cookies and cream downstairs in the freezer!! " he replied, though he was admittedly a bit worried about how excited the little boy was. "And then tomorrow, if you see something yummy you'd like as a treat while we're out shopping, we can get some, okay?" Izuku remembered being quite food motivated, as well as being a soft mama's boy as a tyke, and wondered if Touya would be similar or not. Hopefully he won't be tempted to spoil the little guy too much, even if they were using Enji's money. Though, Izuku hadn't missed how nosy Aoyama could be, and was sure to be accosted with questions and cheese later. He did put at Shoto for not letting Touya press the elevator buttons, but he didn't say a thing. On their way up, Izuku would make sure the little boy was able to press the button for them to go back up. Izuku would also gently let Shoto know of other tiny but important things held dearly by children as well. Shoto was the youngest, after all-- and, with his upbringing, it was certain that he missed out on a lot of things himself, too.

Posted: **Wed May 12, 2021 8:06 am**

Shouto smiled softly at his boyfriend's determination. He didn't curse very often, he must feel very strongly about all this. Good. This was important. "It... Wasn't that different for Bakugou and I. We had to work with children for part of it. I wasn't very good at it then either." He admitted honestly, very much remembering how difficult it had been for him to connect with that class. Ironically, this might actually help him with that a little in a very real sense. From time to time he had to work with children, but this would force him to do so a whole lot more for an extended period of time. He just hoped his bumbling attempts at child care weren't as horrible as he was afraid they would be.

Strangely, the boy looked away when called sweet. Another cause for concern was how he didn't so much look embarrassed as he did guilty or ashamed. What could have possibly happened to make him react like that? He snapped back to attention when questioned about his temperature and shrugged. "I'm used to it." That wasn't the most reassuring answer... "It's always been this way, no big deal." He assured on, but again there was no reassurance that he wasn't uncomfortable. Though there were mixed feelings among the class as to how they should feel about villains as people, Izuku was being forced to face the reality of it. Though it wasn't true that all villains were just children that had gotten lost along the way, an example of it was now seated on his arm. Dabi hadn't just lost hope, the poor bastard had gone insane and the first signs were already showing even at such a young age. Though the boy was clearly capable of feeling a kind of happiness Dabi hadn't shown, there was something clearly and seriously wrong with his behavior.

At the very least, the boy looked happy for the moment and very excited. How were they ever going to get him to sleep later? The next worrisome reaction was how his smile fell when asked if he would rest if asked to, breaking eye contact and fiddling with the hem of his grimy PJs. "I do rest..." He muttered, shyly turning to Shouto then. "Hey, Shou-chan? Does it hurt you too? Your quirk I mean." So it did hurt him...

"Yeah... My ice hurts more than my fire usually though." Admitted the two toned teen, casually revealing to his boyfriend for the first time that his quirk actually hurt him to use. It was no secret that he was at risk of freezing or overheating if he didn't balance his quirk properly, but he'd never actually expressed pain from using it in general. On a more adorable note, he didn't seem the slightest bit bothered that at the cute way he was addressed.

The boy nodded unable to look at his brother then. "So... You really did get both." He muttered, both shame and frustration coloring his voice. His father really had managed to breed the perfect child he'd wanted so badly...

"We need to gauge his quirk, but we should really inform the school before that. We'll need space for that and I feel like Aizawa sensei would be a better judge of his potential than we would be. I didn't get to see him train growing up, but I heard a few stories. Even if we took him out into the courtyard, the buildings might be too close to be safe, let alone the plants. Gym Gamma would probably be best as it's all concrete so it's fireproof." He mused, distracted a little by these plans.

It was ice cream to the rescue then, the sad boy very suddenly not sad again. At least he still had a child's ability to snap back like that. "I've never had mint ice cream before!" And so his pick was made, already eager to give something new a try. When given the choice though... "Sakura mizu shingen mochi?" He looked a mix of excited and anxious about making the request and it wasn't hard to guess the reason. It was a mix between fear of being scolded for the request and excitement at pushing a boundary he normally couldn't push. He was quickly gaining confidence that Izuku wouldn't hurt him which left more wiggle room to do stuff he might normally get in trouble for or at least have brushed off.

And so they got going, the elevator swiftly taking them down. When the elevator doors opened, he inwardly cursed. Some of their classmates had filtered to their rooms for the night, but few of the night owls were still lingering. Mostly Bakugou's friends, though the blond himself had surely long since gone to bed. Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, Ashido, Jirou, and Tokoyami all still quietly talked as the movie seemed to be over. This fact made it worse, honestly, as that meant there was even less to distract them from their arrival.

Posted: **Thu May 13, 2021 6:45 am**

"Then all the more reason for us to practice more!! Besides-- if there ever comes a time where we have kids, I want us to be ready, or at least know we have a good base to work off of!" He grinned, ever the sweet optimist. The sweet bean easily saw them having a family, either adopted, or with the help of someone with a surrogate quirk. How pretty would their little ones be? "And don't forget-- you have me to help you!!" Izuku smiled, before coming over to give him a sweet peck on the cheek. "You won't be alone." Izuku would make sure of it.

Izuku felt great concern at Touya's reaction to being called sweet, as well as his responses regarding the heat he naturally let off. Izuku wanted to work on Touya's self image-- show him it's okay to be sweet-- how, sometimes, it's strong to be soft, despite everything. After all-- he was a baby-faced menace with a heart of gold, and he's won so many important battles thus far!! Izuku idly wondered how Eri and Koda would react if they met Touya. Maybe a play date would be good for all three of them!! It was important to surround Touya with good people, show him that life wasn't just about the unrealistic, unfair expectations that had been put on his too small shoulders. Izuku wanted Touya to value being a kid, as well as his growth towards being a strong hero. Though it wasn't the same, Izuku could have gone down a dark path himself, thiugh.... it would have ended abruptly, if not for his unending kindness.

Izuku frowned gently at Touya's response about taking proper rest, but he didn't get the chance to try to gently encourage the little boy to take care of himself, as the little boy revealed that, yes, that excess heat was detrimental. However, hearing Shoto admit that his ice hurt him more than his flames was concerning, and a part of Izuku had felt guilty for not asking sooner, made an attempt to ease his boyfriend's pain, discomfort. Izuku will talk to Shoto about it later, but.... At least the brothers had common ground-- maybe it will help Touya be more willing to be careful with his still growing body, lessen as much damage as possible. "Even if he did get both, it's not easy to use, at least from what your brother's told me!" Izuku gently lifted Touya's chin, "The most important thing about him is that he's strong of heart, determined, even if he can be a little awkward at times." Izuku gently teased his boyfriend, before continuing, "He's a sweet, loving young man in his own quiet ways, and he's dependable. I hope you'll grow up to be like him, but strong in your unique way!" He grinned, before carefully adjusting Touya in his arms again.

"That sounds like a plan-- and with Aizawa present, he can help if things get a little too hot to handle, too." He recalled how the man had saved him from becoming only a memory as a result of Eri's quirk running wild. "And who knows-- maybe we can see if we get a few others to come along to help?" Izuku mused, Katsuki's AP shot coming to mind. Would Touya be able to do something similar, or would he remain as a pyrokinetic of sorts, more on a mage-like battle style? It was worth looking into-- but only at a step at a time.

"Then we'll have the mint chip!! But not too much-- we dont want you to have a sore tummy, okay? And afterwards, we'll make sure you brush your teeth real good!! It's hard to be a hero with a cavity!" Izuku grinned, recalling his mother's methods of spurring good habits. Though, at his request, Izuku hummed softly. "If we see it while we're out, yes! It's been a while since I've had some myself.... berry crepes sound really good, too...." Izuku almost drooled at the thought as they all walked together, the greenette already excited for the 'family' outing he'd get to share with Shoti and Touya. "If we can find the mochi, we'll get you something equally yummy of your choice, okay?" He's remembered his poor luck when he was little, being taken out to get one treat in particular, only for it to be sold out.

When they got down to the common area, Izuku was a bit worried, bringing Touya a bit closer as if to comfort him preemptively should anything happen to upset him again. Shockingly, Izuku's footsteps became quiet as he made a beeline for the kitchen area, so far not having been noticed. Why was he so quiet on his feet all of a sudden? Even when opening the cupboards and getting what they needed was fairly silent-- the faintest taps of the bowls meeting the counter, and the tiniest clicks of the spoons as they were laid beside them. "Shoto, would you like to serve the ice cream, or hold Touya while I serve it?" He asked in a whisper to his boyfriend, a sweet smile on his lips. For a moment, one would think he was the picture of the ideal maternal parent in some saccharine tv plot-- all he was missing was a frilly apron and, well, perhaps more softness like his mother had.

Posted: **Sun Aug 29, 2021 2:35 pm**

The mismatched teen blinked lightly at his boyfriend's words, feeling his own cheeks heat up. Midoriya wanted to have children with him? That thought made him equal parts giddy and terrified. He was so horrible with children, why would Izuku want to risk something like that? He was sure that he wouldn't be outright abusive towards any kids they might have, but... What if he was neglectful...? Or even unintentionally emotionally abusive? He'd been in charge of Touya for, what, like an hour? Already he'd made he'd crushed his dreams and made him cry uncontrollably and if Izuku wasn't there to fix it, he was fairly sure he wouldn't be able to do it on his own. How could he ever be expected to raise a child...? Sure, Izuku was assuring him that he would be there with him to help, but he couldn't be there all the time and what's more, didn't that in of itself suggest he was a bad parent if he needed help constantly to be a good one?

He was pulled from his thoughts as Midoriya continued to speak only for his chest to feel tight. He thought so very highly of him... He wasn't sure if it was deserved, but it felt absolutely wonderful to hear and he'd needed a little cheering up after his thoughts had put him through the wringer like that. "I think that would be for the best. We should probably tell him tonight so we can have something arranged for tomorrow. It's a bit late to try anything tonight I think. We also have to figure out how we're going to present things to our classmates. While I'm sure Nezu and Sensei should know who Touya is, I'm not sure what to do about everyone else."

Meanwhile, Touya was strangely quiet for as talkative as he'd been so far. He was clearly deep in thought, seemingly contemplating one of his hands. He'd trained so hard and it still wasn't enough... But maybe it would be now. Yeah. Yeah, having someone help train him would surely make all the difference! Up till now, he'd been forced to work all on his own and learn just from watching when he could manage, but actually having proper training would definitely give him the boost he needed! There was that excited smile again, his determination renewed. "Yeah! This is gonna be fun! Let's celebrate with ice cream!" Cheered the little boy, already hyped for his new future as well as trying new things.

One they were down in the common area, the two Todorokis were silent and for the first time that might register as something worrisome. Even Touya, young and excited as he'd been, had lost his smile. He watched the people contently talking at the couches, fixated and silent. This was a child that was very well acquainted with sneaking around on a level children shouldn't be. If that weren't enough, Shouto's behavior matched perfectly. "Give him here. I'll take him to the bath and start getting him washed up. No one should be in the baths this late anyway." Even as he whispered, he didn't look away from the group. He watched them right up till he moved for the boy which wordlessly reached back and let himself be transferred without a sound.

With a final look back at the group, Shouto carried his brother out of the room and thankfully out of sight. He felt much better once he'd gotten to the communal bath, setting the boy down so that he could get undressed, peeking down to make sure that Touya didn't need help. Did they need help with their clothes at this age? Apparently not as the boy had no trouble undressing and once he'd placed their clothes aside and grabbed them clean towels, they walked together to the tiled shower area. "Do you need help...?" Why did he know so little about children...?

When Touya was finally set down, he undressed and while his brother handled their things, he looked around. Yuuei had its own bath? Amazing... It looked so nice too! Following the currently older Todoroki, he shimmied up onto a stool and took up soap and a shower. "Nah, I'm good, Shou-chan. This is really nice! Hey, I don't think we've ever bathed together, have we?" Questioned the boy, not looking the slightest bit bothered by the cold water. Indeed, like Shouto himself, he was perfectly comfortable as he got himself wet and then soaped up.

"Yeah, it is nice. Um, and no, we never did. I've never bathed with anyone in our family, actually." He frowned, not sure if that was normal or not. Considering the question, he suspected it wasn't. Sure enough, Touya confirmed it a moment later.

"Really?! I've had a bath with Natsuo and Fuyumi and Mom too! Dad really didn't let you spend time with anyone, did he...?" He hadn't really thought about how lonely Shouto might have been growing up. He'd been so focused on getting even a smidge of their father's approval that it was hard to notice much else. The guilt was starting to eat at him pretty bad, but he tried not to think about it too much. Once he was rinsed off, he went over to the bath and hesitated. The seats were too deep, they were meant for high school students.

Shouto to the rescue then as he finished up and rinsed off, coming over and getting in motioning to the shallower bench that people like Mineta depended on. "Yes, really. I was always by myself for as long as I could remember. We only just recently started having family dinners together and they're... Awkward at best. You can sit here..."

Problem solved, the boy hurried over and settled into the water with a content sigh. The warmth felt nice, even if it wasn't even remotely close to his limits. "Hey, Shou-chan...? Thanks for bringing me here..." Murmured the boy, still looking incredibly guilty and idly playing with his own fingers so he didn't have to look at his brother.

Posted: **Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:47 am**

Izuku nodded at Shoto's suggestions with a smile, "Definitely, especially with how eager little Touya is to work on his quirk. As far as telling everyone about Touya.... I think we should keep his other name a secret, for now. While I have good faith in everyone, I cant help but worry that they may not be 100% about this like we are." Izuku admitted, recalling how everyone had been affected by the forest training camp ambush, and the smaller group involved with saving Katsuki shortly afterwards. "But, if the time comes, we'll tell everyone. I hate keeping secrets all the time, but what's one more, especially when he's super important?" Izuku asked before nosing gently at the side of Touya's head with a gentle squeeze. "We gotta make sure he grows up right-- Grows up to be the hero he wants to be, regardless of what stinky fire-beards think!!" He giggled softly, hoping to at least earn a tiny smile from the brothers.

Izuku nodded as Shoto took Touya, and quietly waved them good-bye before setting to work on getting the ice creams ready for the trio. Izuku knew that Shoto may be a bit awkward right now, but he was sure with time that his boyfriend will make for a great caretaker, even if kids weren't in the stars for them. Once the bowls were all set, he began his silent trek back to the elevators, and heading towards Shoto's room, since he had a decently sized mini freezer and mini fridge in a neat little corner. Once there, he set about putting the ice cream in the freezer before working on making sure Touya's futon was ready and comfortable when he'd get back from his bath, before doing the same for Shoto's. Once satisfied, he picked out some pajamas for his boyfriend as well as a spare shirt for Touya to use as pj's for the time being. He was much too small for anything else, really, but hopefully until they can get some shopping done, they'll be able to ask Momo for at least enough clothes for a week's time.

Once all of his fussing and muttering came to a stop, he picked up the clothes he'd picked for Shoto and Touya, and headed to the baths, humming a soft tune his mother used to sing when he was little at bath time. It's a shame he couldn't remember the words, though. He came in carefully, and looked around to see where fresh steam was billowing, before heading over. "There you two are!! I brought some clothes over-- we don't have pj's in your size yet. Touya, but I think your big little brother's shirt will work for now, right?" He asked, hoping that Touya wasn't an opportunistic nudist at this age. He'd probably faint!! Though, that would serve him right, having been that way until he was six. It's a wonder how his mother didn't have more grey in her hair, honestly. Then again, Touya may be a different bundle of adorable trouble for Izuku and Shoto.

Echoes of the Multiverse

From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]

Re: From a nest of ash... [Touya/Shouto x Izuku]