Shoto Todoroki was many things. A professional hero, an advocate for villain reform, a businessman, a giver of charity, a husband and recently, a father. What he was not however, was a degenerate. Sure he liked a good lay as much as the next man, his wife could testify that without a doubt, but there were realms of perversion that boggled his mind. Never in his life had he been enthralled by the idea of harming his object of affection nor receiving such treatment from her so it brought a strong twing of disgust at what he heard back at that woman's lair.
Of course he was dedicated to helping her reform and to her credit, she was a model student with not even a minor infraction in the six years after her release. It didn't change what she did however and those pictures still haunt his dreams after so long, yet to willingly join into a relationship with such a person as Himiko Toga made him wonder what kind of trauma had befallen her partner in early life to make him such.
Granted, this Midoriya appeared to be the most stable and normal person she paired up with in those six years. Shoto recalled how they had to relocate the woman over four times due to her horrible taste in partners which only drew an annoyed anger to him. Yet looking at the quirkless man as he had, his intentions seemed genuine and very few, even if they were perverts, would defend such a monster as her unless there was a deeper love.
But, try as he might, the hero couldn't stop wondering what the hell happened to Uraraka in the past three months for this situation to happen where she had filed paperwork claiming she was now in a relationship with her charge, a villainess who wanted nothing more then to torture her, drink her blood and wear her skin at one point. Then again the woman had almost married Katsuki Bakugou of all people, so maybe she and the vampire had similar things in common there. Pushing it aside, Shoto mused on how he'd handle being the primary officer for To- Ito's program.
She wasn't a particularly difficult subject and handled herself well enough compared to other reform participants he helped in the past, at least she didn't blame them for everything wrong in her life. Though, aside from the paperwork it needed, there was still the matter of privately interviewing her every few months which could be a hassle. Still, it was of little matter in the grand scheme of things and he only concerned himself with getting home, so he leaned back in the seat of his VW beetle and continued up the road as his home loomed in the distance.
It was a rather humble dwelling for the absurd amount of wealth they both had personally and through their families, being a three story high manor of alabaster white surrounded by a mile of private land resting far out in the country which was contained by a rod iron fence. It wasn't lowborn, but neither did it match the opulence of his father's old home before it burned down. Pulling into the gate as it swung open at the arrival of the sensors in his car, Shoto went up the winding path of his driveway, only to pause and park at the fork in the road. Stepping out he gave a small sigh at what he had to do, but it had to be done so off he went to visit his family.
It had taken ten minutes to reach the sight and it still bothered him deep down when he saw them. Resting in the trimmed grass were five plots of land, each coincided with a iron wrought cage over them that stuck out from the soil, were his family laid to rest in concrete graves as only their headstones marked them. Father, Mother, Fuyumi, Natsuo, even Toya all rested in a row with nothing to bother them now.
He stood over the graves with those old emotions still rolling and shut his eyes as he knelt to pray for their well being, wherever they may be looking upon him from. He could still see the flames as his childhood home was burned, how his father was reduced to little more than a charred corpse as the rest of his family was given to the same fate before his eyes. All while Toya mocked him and cried and laughed as the final body fell and his quirk began to consume him in his final release of all the held in emotions. He still recalled how his brother sobbed and laughed in his madness before sparing a single silent glance at him and how the last words Toya ever uttered was an apology right as he was burned to death by his own power.
It still enraged him that he was never able to recover his body after that monster who led the League appeared out of the sky and snatched up his corpse, but what could you do at that point? Though Shoto froze as the memory placed him back under the gaze of the Decaying King and how his red eyed stare promised death and pain beyond measure, only to soften before the villain hoisted Toya's body up, tapped his forehead against the corpse and flew away, leaving Shoto in the ashes of what was his life.
Opening his eyes, the last Todoroki left his family graveyard and continued on his way to his home, driving all the way until at last he reached the garage. A weight came off his shoulders when he took those first steps inside and was greeted by the smell of cooking food and the sound of pop music coming from above. A smile found his lips and once he slipped off his shoes, went up the stairs to the second floor and followed the noise where he saw a sight that brought an endless joy to his heart.
Standing over the counter with a mixing bowl in hand that was filled with cookie dough, was Momo in all her beauty, singing her heart out to some quirky song Mina likely showed her. She was just as lovely as when they first met, only she was a tad heavier now as befitted a new mother. Her raven hair was long, her skin pale and clear while her breasts were larger, more succulent and her belly still plump from giving birth. Though Shoto was amazed how none of it transferred over to her rear at all, it didn't matter to him.
She was still as loving and kind and full of life as when they first met and that's all he wanted. He paused however when he saw his child, a baby boy no older than five months with fierce blue eyes that screamed with energy, sitting in a highchair by the dining table. Instantly the child giggled at seeing him and Shoto walked over and greeted his son with a few silly waves of his hand. The music stopped and Momo turned to him with a sincere smile.
"Good to see you're back Shoto, we missed you."
She handed him a cup of warm green tea that had been made only a few minutes ago, which he sipped with thanks.
"I missed you both too. Things have been rather strange lately and...let's just say it's good to be back."
Continuing to mix the dough, Momo raised an eyebrow at her husband.
"How so?"
The tea went down easy, but the topic was a different story. Momo was, as befitted a lady of her standing, rather innocent. She had never even seen a man's body until they consummated after the wedding and despite her appearance, was rather lacking in her drive, which suited him perfectly since he never had too much of a sex drive either. So needless to say, having to explain the degeneracy he was proxy to wasn't his grandest idea. Yet she was still a person whose opinions he valued almost as much as his own and she was beyond intelligent. He pursed his lips and decided that maybe she could see something he wasn't in all this.
"I went to go review one of my clients for the safety commission and...she's doing fine and everything, without a single breach of terms and all that, but...I met her boyfriend today and he seems like a normal man, without anything mentally wrong with him while this woman was charged with violent crimes. Granted, it was primarily due to her quirk being a level eight on the Lindsay Scale, but...this guy knows everything she did and is still with her, to an almost devoted degree and it confuses me as to why."
Momo listened intently as she turned to lay the cookies on the baking sheet and placed it inside the oven before lifting up their child and regarded him with a half hearted glance as she played with her son.
"Maybe there's something you don't see in this situation. I mean we all were baffled as to why Urakaka was engaged to Bakugou for so long and they worked well as a couple for years until he cracked. Besides, nobody ever said love was logical."
At the mention of their class angel Shoto flinched. There was the instant urge to tell how she had gotten involved with those two through some insane means, but he was unsure if he should, seeing as how it was the brunette's personal business. However the same could have been said about his home life back in his teens and Kirishima made it his business the second he caught a whiff of it. That had inadvertently saved his life when he managed to work through the trauma with their help and got mentally healthy enough to refuse Toya's invitation when the war started, instead of joining the villains to get even with his father like he thought about for years.
Who could say worse things could happen to Uraraka in this circumstance? Yes, it was consensual, but that certainly didn't mean it was good for her health or safety, especially considering who were her so-called "partners". He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her, he had seen enough deaths already. Sipping his tea and gathering himself, Shoto tried to ease this as best he could.
"About that...It would seem that Uraraka has entered into a relationship with these two. As for why, I have no idea and it worries me."
The expression on Momo's face changed from serene to shocked in a heartbeat as she began to clutch their child protectively to her bosom. It lingered in her voice as a tone filled with disbelief came.
"What? That can't be right, to have her become entangled with a woman and a man at the same time is just...unthinkable. Uraraka has always held herself to the highest honor a lady can possess, there has to be something else going on."
Shoto nodded in agreement as he took the baby from her arms and hefted the most important thing in their lives, careful to gently pat him on the back.
"I know, she hasn't been the same since Bakugo had his breakdown and frankly, I'm worried about her, but my hands are bound because of how there's no rule against what she's doing. The commission even encourages this stuff since it gives people more of a reason to reform, so there's not much I can do."
He eyed his wife conspicuously as he slowly rocked their child in his arms and added a meaningful edge to his voice.
"Which is I'm thinking that perhaps you and the girls can check on her, you know be subtle and make her understand she's among friends and see if there's anything we should be worried about."
Momo returned his gaze with that assured, powerful eye that only a person born and bred into power could have, looking everything like the daughter of a conglomerate owner should with that immovable stubbornness refined by elegance.
"Not a problem, I'll call Mina up later on tonight and have her gather the others. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."
Adversely, Shoto sucked in air through his teeth at how forceful that sounded. The last thing he wanted was to shame the poor woman or even worse, have who she was engaged with be common knowledge. That would be a disaster of unknowable degrees, so he dialed it back somewhat.
"That's fine and all, but...don't harass her. She hasn't done anything wrong and we just want to make sure she's in the right frame of mind."
Momo glared at him with those overbearing eyes which weighed on him like stone, she hadn't changed a day since High School. It was still her being able to break his will since he never learned how to bend in the face of conflict, only to remain rigid like a mountain until a downpour of emotion makes him collapse. She had always been the one to force him into things, making him interact with the class while Kirishima helped him grow, having him go out on dates with her which she stubbornly insisted on paying for every time.
It was even because of her that he finally learned how to use his fire after he broke down about his father's treatment of him and she built him back up, literally helping overcome that mental block. It was crowned off however when she cornered him in the hallway of their third year and plopped a ring into his hand and told him to take a knee, of course there was little else he could do, so he did and here they were.
Finding himself in one of those situations Shoto merely shrugged and listened as Momo's razor thin voice cut through the air with a quiet, commanding meaning.
"We'll do what we need to for our friend Shoto, ensuring she's not in some kind of mental hell is the highest responsibility after all the pain Bakugou put her through. Now, leave that for me to worry about and just relax, okay?"
Shoto relented and leaned in to kiss her, hoping that would get her to calm down. Yet when he turned around with the baby still in his arms, she let out a loud clearing of her throat while glaring expectantly at him. With a bit of reluctance he handed their son over, only to then be greeted by Momo ramming her tongue down his throat. Pulling away, he saw a shine in her eyes and knew he wasn't going to get much solitude today. His thoughts were interrupted by a cry from the baby and without an ounce of shame, Momo reached into her shirt and began to breastfeed their son.
Shoto glanced at her for a moment, finding how well she was adapting to her role as a mother to be...reassuring. He never had much faith in himself when it came to social things, much less as a proper father when his dad was such a bastard. Thankfully she was a natural as a leader and a nurturer at heart, he had no idea what he'd do if she wasn't around and he gave gratitude to the universe that he was so blessed with such a wonderful wife. Taking another moment to peck her on the forehead, Shoto left the kitchen and made his way to the den on the first floor where he placed his jacket on the hook by the door and shut it, all the while a baby monitor by the far wall let him know if there was a need for his help.
The carpet was a nice a blond tan that complimented the white walls surrounding him as Shoto collapsed into his black leather recliner at the end of the room and looked over the absurd amount of records and novels lining the walls before he shut his eyes and let out a groan as his muscles relaxed for the first time today. He hated his job, even if he saw the point of it. He always had since the very first time his father pushed him and pushed him to be better than All Might. Ironically the Symbol of Peace was weaker than the Hellfire Hero for years with that injury and was also more of a father to him then Enji ever was.
Then was the fact that his job hadn't gotten any easier. Yes, he'd become a force to be reckoned with and was only matched by Bakugou or Mirio, but the villains kept popping up everywhere he looked. Whether it be young punks looking for fame and money or old hands from the war who made a career out of crime or even those few insane souls who draped themselves with severed hands and worshiped Shigaraki like some satanic god, it was all the same. Hell, if anything things were more peaceful in the build up to the war in his youth. Yet, economic depression will drive most people to do crazy stuff and the market was still reeling from the chaos even after so long.
He was stoic as he always had been, doing what others needed of him since it was the right thing to do, but more and more, he just wanted to hang up his cape and seclude himself away with Momo and their child and live a quiet life with his fortune. Thinking about it, he really wanted to not put up with the bullshit anymore. He was happy to be a symbol and help those in need, but it was dealing with the public that grated on him, and he included villains as the public. It was always the same with people who were plagued with a chronic victim complex that let them blame everyone except themselves for their problems and more often than not they swatted the hand that reached out to help them. Shoto knew it didn't matter right now, but he merely wanted to vent to someone, even if it was only himself.
Looking up to the bookshelves he scanned the bounty before him and reached out to grab a copy of HG Wells "The Time Machine" and began to read. Yet he found himself unable to concentrate as his mind drifted to that strange quirkless man who managed to seduce one of the most virtuous people he knew, along with the most disgusting and horrible monster of their era. Needless to say it was an unlikely pairing, muchless when it actually made Ochako willing to undergo...things he'd rather not picture, knowing what that blonde demoness was like. He mused on the man, finding him a better distraction from his troubles than one of his favorite novels.
He wondered what had to happen for such a regular and...as much as it shamed him to admit, weak man, to become engaged with someone like Himiko Ito. Perhaps the man was a deviant, but he had more passion for that leech then Shoto had for his own wife most of the time. In fact he was fairly certain that man was willing to kill him if he said the wrong thing about her, which brought so many questions. However, Midoriya didn't seem like a bad person at heart and he'd been alive enough to read such things in the hearts of people, the woman herself regarded him with an odd reverence that almost bordered on dependence. Then there was the notion that this man was a registered sidekick, to Riki of all people who was one of the most upstanding men he'd ever met.
There was more to Midoriya than he thought and for some reason it made him rather entertained. He had always loved character studies and to see someone who might have a spark of nobility while also loving a monster more so than most men loved anything, was beyond interesting. Still, Shoto had an obligation to help the woman get better and she was one of the few not to swat the hand of reform away so he'd keep helping. After all it was the least he could do to perhaps make amends for how his family abandoned Toya. A knock came at the door and it opened before he ushered a word, right as Momo walked in holding their baby.
She looked mildly upset as she usually did when he was away from her for too long a time. She stared at him with those commanding eyes and with a slight sigh from him at the knowledge he'd never get to start his book, Shoto followed after. It was a strict, silent type of walk as they walked up the stairs to the bedroom on the third floor, but he rarely complained and was greeted with the oddly Victorian style decor of the master bedroom. Where Momo settled herself and the baby down on the massive california queen sized bed before tapping the empty space impatiently. He laughed a bit as he climbed up to his wife and cradled her and his son, quietly glad for the contact as Momo stared at him with those intense, loving eyes and held him while a giggle came from the baby.
It was moments like these where he was truly happy to be alive, where nothing could hurt him or the woman he cherished and be secure in the knowledge of his strength and wealth that his life was free of suffering. He also wondered if his parents ever had moments like this, if his father ever really loved his mother or just saw her as a breeding stock. He didn't want to think about it too hard and sour his mood, but it was gone in an instant as his child gripped his index finger.
Shoto smiled constantly as he looked down and saw that happy face, one he never had as a boy, and saw it copied by Momo as she scooped him up. Cradled in her arms, he held the woman and enjoyed the moment as she began to speak.
"I love you, you know that?"
He smirked with an uncharacteristic satisfaction as he heard her.
"Of course, why else would I have married you?"
She shrugged sarcastically and tapped the baby on the cheek.
"I don't know, maybe my money."
A raised eyebrow greeted her as he got closer.
"I'm rich enough, if anything I'm surprised you hadn't suggested I married you for how big your-"
She shot him a glare that shut him up as he remembered the baby in the room and carefully moved him into his arms. Momo went on with a resigned sigh and smiled all the same as she snuggled up against him.
"You know, at this rate I'm just glad you still find me attractive with how chubby I've gotten."
He grinned once more and shot right with his own brand of flattery.
"Your weight doesn't bother me all that much, your singing on the other hand could get a tad better."
She laughed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, I could always take up opera lessons again. As for you Mister, I think you need to start spending more time at home. We keep missing you too much."
Shoto shrugged as he found himself cradling their child, finding that the poor thing had fallen asleep.
"I'll see what I can do. I know we don't really need the money, but I'm still one of the best fighters in the country and what's more is that people look up to me. Without me around then it'd fall to Bakugou, Uraraka and Nejire and they all aren't the picture of perfect virtue in any case."
The creation user pouted at his words, taking the baby from his arms and gently setting it in the crib a few feet from their bed before settling back to invade Shoto's personal space.
"They can handle it well enough and if they can't then the new bloods can fill in. We already did our part Sweetie, our monsters are dead. We don't need to keep fighting when the deed is done, I retired alongside Jiro and Tsuyu because I had enough of it. The fairy tale is over and the dark lords are defeated, let's just ride off into the sunset already. I know you're practically invincible, but even you can't keep doing this forever."
The Elemental Hero gave no reaction to her words and instead mused on them as he held her close. Yes he hated his job and he certainly was financially secured beyond measure, but...what exactly would he do with himself? His entire reason for existing, the whole point he was even conceived, was to be the greatest hero in history. Of course it was to emflam his father's inhuman ego, but that man was long dead and his son, the last remaining Todoroki of that age, had been so marked by that ambition. They all had, it was the sole reason the eldest son went mad since he was reduced to shit in the eyes of that cold, absent father who abandoned him. Frankly, when his mother told him about the time Toya tried to kill him when he was a baby, Shoto found it hard to blame his brother.
"Anything for Dad" as it goes. He found himself thinking back to that time before Kirishima and Momo found out about his home life, more specifically that one night which dictated who he would have been. His father had returned home late one night with the smell of the red light district on his skin, the sour perfume, the reek of old beer and more strange things he couldn't name. The bastard was drunk off his ass and was laughing and giggling nonsense for minutes before falling asleep on the living room sofa. It was just the two of them since Natsuo was away at university and Fuyumi was living by herself in Tokyo, leaving him to deal with the bastard, when he was even home at all.
He remembered staring at that couch with more fury than he ever had in his life, how his heart pounded and his face drew back in an ugly snarl as he stared from the darkness of the kitchen. He hated the old man, hated him more than anything else and yet loved him in a sick and twisted way. He wanted his father to love him as a proper father should, for being his son and not some genetic lottery winning to help him be number one like some stupid jock. There were times he wanted his father to hug him and say he was good enough, for his mother to come back and everything to be okay, even if it was never like that in reality.
It was a fantasy, one he always resented the man for not making real and it was this night when he realized it would never get any better. His family couldn't be fixed, his mother wouldn't get well, Toya would never come back from the dead, Natsuo would never laugh again, and Fuyumi would always be crying. That was the reality of his life and he'd have to carry it for as long as he lived. The world was cold and harsh and brutal and the only thing which gave him any comfort was the fact he was strong. Strong enough to be valued as the weapon his father wanted to make and so people would pay him for existing, but there'd never be any love.
He'd be dejected and alone from everyone. That was his fate and it was all this bastard's fault. These thoughts had chipped away at him for years by that point, even as he won glory and honor during his first year at UA, which only made it worse. He recalled how All Might's hug practically shattered him since it was the first time anyone had hugged him. It was that which tipped him over the edge since it showed him how lacking his own life was and broke him.
Shoto grimaced as the memory went on and he continued to stare at his passed out father. He continued to do that for minutes as every slight and hurt over his life at the hands of that monster came back and almost made him see red. Instead it caused him to open the bottom sink drawer and take out that claw hammer, before marching to behind the couch. His father's head had drooped down as he fell asleep sitting up which made it easy to know where to strike and in that moment, Shoto had cocked his arm back and knew deep in his heart he was ready to take his vengeance.
Yet as if by some divine intervention, he was interrupted before he could swing. A jingle came from upstairs and he knew it was his phone, more specifically it was Momo's ringtone. She had called him at the right time and that was enough to snap him out of it. If it wasn't for her then his entire life would have been incredibly different. In fact he could have been the criminal being interviewed today and decided on whether or not he would spend his entire life behind bars, instead of the civil servant with a house, a fortune and a woman who was the love of his life.
It was funny how such little things can define a person's life in a permanent way. Perhaps Momo was right and he should just retire all together. Such, he'd still be a sponsor for reforming villains, but it'd be much less of the stuff that put him in the spotlight. He relented his thoughts and kissed his wife, glad to simply be where he was.
"We'll talk about it later on, for now let's just get some sleep."
The Everything Heroine knew her husband's emotional exhaustion when she saw it, doubtlessly he was reliving some traumatic event his demon of a father had put him through. So she did her best to comfort him and nestle his head on her bosom, hoping that would ease him to a better place. All the while she drew an eye to the crib and listened to the soft snoring of their pride and joy. Even if everyone, herself included, balked at the name Shoto gave him, Momo knew her son was destined for greatness.
All they needed to do was raise their little Toya correctly and he'd be a man worth remembering.