Switcheroo \BnHA Various x Reincarnated!OC\

500 votes special - The Courage to Move On [1]

Although Flame Hero Endeavor was said to be second to All Might, he had fame comparable to the top hero. Uncountable people owed their lives to him and he had a solid fanbase that liked his candidness, determination and flashy Quirk.

Unfortunately, being a good hero did not equate to being a good father. To the people who should have been closest to him, he was an abuser and a symbol of terror. No amount of heroic activities done outside the house could erase the wounds he inflicted inside it.

There were 4 children in the Todoroki family. While none of them had affection for their father, the same could not be said for their mother.

For every bit of abuse Endeavor dished on the family, their mother Rei poured out love. Her love was warm but like pouring water into a cracked cup, it wasn't enough to keep a broken family intact. She knew that, and knowing that ate at her. Although she didn't marry out of love, the children she carried in her body and watched grow up are precious and she would do anything to protect them. So it hurt even more that her husband was turning into a monster and she couldn't defend the kids from him. Anxiety, fear, guilt and helplessness spiraled out of control and she harmed the youngest with her own hands.

Rei thought that would be the last day she'd see him.

Whether it was to distance a danger factor from his perfect creation or for some other reason, Endeavor sent her to a psychiatric ward. Away from the youngest. She never fought that decision because she, too, was horrified by the monster she became.

As her hysteria faded, the second and third children visited from time to time but the youngest, understandably, never came. Until his first year in U.A., after a match in the Sports Festival. A new visitor found his way into Rei's isolated ward.

The child she met after many long years was no different from whom she remembered. His cheekbones became more prominent and his body became more robust but his essence remained. He gave Rei the forgiveness she couldn't give herself. And the heterochromatic eyes that looked at her held no blame and only worry.

Just as they did after the kettle of boiling water she threw hit the small child who didn't even reach her waist.

She realized once again how foolish she was to think that his left side resembled Endeavor.

Shouto, her little darling. Rei felt sorry for missing out on some of his best years. Fuyumi, Natsuo, Shouto and the deceased firstborn were precious children she didn't deserve. But, if Shouto would permit this ugly mother, she wanted to watch over his growth and that of his siblings.

Rei believed she finally found the courage to do so.

※※※

"I'm here, mum."

Shouto opens the ward door gently, so as not to startle the woman inside.

"Oh Shouto, have you come?" Rei turns away from the window with a faint smile. "Is that a friend behind you?"

The young woman next to Rei raises her eyebrows, "What, did you bring your girlfriend?" Of course, she's just teasing him. Although her baby brother's quite the looker—she was quite popular in her school days herself—U.A.'s notorious for its busy schedule and all he does outside of school is training so he hasn't got the time to date.

"Didn't you have class?" Shouto shoots back at his older sister. Fuyumi teaches at an elementary school nearby. Knowing her, she must have chosen that school out of the many options so she can visit their mother frequently.

Fuyumi gasps exaggeratedly, slender fingers coming together and covering her mouth. "Mum, heard that? This is why they say it's no use raising children. Their family comes second the moment they find a lover!"

"NO! We're just classmates! Right, Todoroki-san?" It doesn't seem like Shouto will clear up the misunderstanding so Renka decides to step out.

"..." Shouto doesn't say a word but he's a little hurt. Weren't they friends?

Is it my imagination or does he look sullen...? OH! The bluenette belatedly remembers her mission.

....

....

....

The weekend after internships. Renka receives a mystifying message from Shouto.

〖 Todoroki: Good morning, this is Shouto. Are you free tomorrow? 〗

"?" Renka tilts her head but types an affirmative reply.

〖 Todoroki: Come with me to see my mum. 〗

"???"

Renka's puzzled but Shouto's not one to mess around and she's been a pretty awful seatmate so there's no hesitation in agreeing. Besides, he once saved her from choking so she owes him her life (?).

They arrange to meet the day after but that's when the problem comes in. They can meet directly at the hospital but he insists on fetching her in a cab. However, she lives nowhere near the hospital in question so the fee would be tremendous, she argues. Of course, he had no intention of making her pay but she had no intention of being paid for either. After much back and forth, they compromise and decide to take public transport.

Shouto looks around like it's novel.

"Why are you acting like it's your first time at the metro?"

"Because it is."

"WHAT?!" Some of the people entering the station turn to Renka. Oops. She lowers her voice, "How do you usually get around?"

"There's a family driver but I don't want to sit in that man's car as much as possible so I take the cab."

His vehement tone saying "that man" shows he wasn't referring to the driver but she pretends not to notice.

"Damn you rich people..."

To be fair, her father has no background but the maternal side of Renka's family is fairly well-to-do. Their wealth, though, has no relation to the family since her mother cut off ties. It's not that her current family is poor either; her father's doing decent as a self-made man. But too much splurging will make things difficult in the long run.

Chatting as they walk to the platform, Renka realizes that Shouto isn't the stone she thinks he is. He just doesn't speak because there was no need to. In school, he tends to be in silent mode unless someone talks to him first so she never had a long conversation with him. He's straightforward and doesn't speak in circles. And it's cute that he tries to crack jokes that don't seem like jokes.

It's non-peak hours so they manage to settle in 2 of the few face-to-face seats. When she hugs her bag, it takes up most of her lap space so she puts the basket in her other hand on top of the bag.

From Shouto's point of view across Renka, only her small forehead behind the basket is visible.

"..."

An angular hand grabs the woven basket. "I'll hold that," Shouto acts before he's rejected. A deep valley forms between his brows. It's heavier than he thought. It didn't occur to him that she'd bring something for his mother. Come to think of it, his siblings, Fuyu and Natsu, rarely go empty-handed too. He's been thoughtless...

Renka's about to snatch it back but Shouto doesn't look like he'll relent so she thanks him sheepishly. The knees that bumped into Shouto's edge away. She's only seen him in the U.A. uniforms and his hero costume so it's kind of strange seeing his casual clothes. The boy's wearing an unbuttoned navy top with a loose white shirt beneath and khaki pants. It's an unassuming outfit but those proportions make him look effortlessly cool. Is that why people have been staring at them? Or maybe they recognize him from the broadcast of U.A.'s Sports Festival.

Or... it could be the warming up of that perpetual arctic aura that makes him easier to approach. His expression has softened a lot since the start of school and he's no longer the boy she found scary.

It's a nice change.