Disclaimer: Why would you think I own anything? Because I don't. Other than a Shoto wig.

Warning: Major Spoilers for Chapter 290 in the Manga and Episode 124 of the Anime. You've been warned. ;)

Author's Note: I am well aware that I have another fan fiction I should be writing, but I'm in the depths of the darkness that resides in the past of the Todoroki family currently, so leave me alone please…. but you know, there might be a number of these coming your way from me now, haha….

Writing anime/manga fan fiction has always been a little tricky for me these days. English is my native language, but I know Japanese as well. So while I write fiction in English, I want to write what characters say in Japanese if the story takes place in Japan, because that's how I hear them in my mind. Additionally, the word choice I hear in Japanese often has different connotations and thus implications. But that doesn't really work all that well when you're writing for an English speaking audience, does it?

So for this, and future stories, I think I came up with a good middle ground, which lets me incorporate both languages using a translated format (you'll see what I mean). Don't worry, not everything is written in Japanese, just the pieces that as I was writing, I could hear the most prominently in my mind. Additionally, what is in Japanese is always written out in English directly following it, and the Japanese is written in romaji, so you can read it phonetically too. I also noticed while editing this that I used a number of Japanese words and phrases as well (oops?). But again, it painted a more vibrant picture in my mind, so for those, I decided to opt to leave them in as well and define them or explain them a bit at the top here for your convenience, as I have in past stories. ;)

I know that this might be a little frustrating for some though, and hopefully it's not too annoying, but… I always write with the idea that whatever I write, I write it so that if no one else would want to read it, at least I'd want to re-read it. I think that keeps my writing standard high for myself in general so I'm not putting out anything really poorly written and hard to read or subpar. And for that reason, I wanted to keep it as is. So hopefully this system that I've come up with is all okay with you and you enjoy it! (And just saying, thank you again in advance for your patience with me and this system as well!) I always appreciate anyone who reads what I write and hope that it takes you out of any misery or hardships you may be experiencing during your day to just someplace else. So please, do enjoy!

-MHA-

Japanese Terms:

En - Yen, Japan's currency (JYP).

Irrashaimase - "Welcome"; Commonly said to customers entering a store.

Konbini - A Convenience Store

Meronpan - Also known as Melon-pan or Melon-bread; a sweet pastry made by placing sugar cookie dough over a sweet bread dough, and creating a crosshatch pattern over it before baking it. When it is done, it looks like a "Melon" on the top, hence the name.

"Hyaku en… Go ju en… go en… another three go en… kyu en" - Literally "100 yen… 50 yen… 5 yen… three 5 yen coins, nine 1 yen coins…"

Sen en - 1,000 yen.

Tabako - Tobacco products, most commonly cigarettes.

Tenin - A Store Employee, Clerk, or Worker. In this case, the person working at the convenience store behind the counter.

Notes on Japanese Language Used:

"Shitakunai. Not Yaritakunai" - Young children often use "Yaritakunai" when they mean to say "I don't want to do something". "Shitakunai" on the other hand is a more formal way of saying the same thing, more often used by adults. It's odd if an adult were to say "Yaritakunai", as it would sound almost whiny and childish. A child by contrast using "Shitakunai" would almost indicate they're trying to be on their best behavior.

Cho - Another way of saying the Japanese word "Totemo" or, in English, "Very" or "So", such as "That's so/very yummy!". Typically it's used in the Japanese Osaka-ben dialect. Here, the user of this word is saying it to sound "Cool" or "Tough," while also using it to try to help mask who they are. But as they are not from Osaka or the Kansai region of Japan, their accent would also make it sound a little odd and out of place, possibly even suspicious.

And now that all of that is out of the way, may I present to you all, "Meronpan Runaways"!

-MHA-

Meronpan Runaways

It was on the chilly side that day, so no one batted an eye when they saw the nine year old walking alone on the street, a blue backpack over his shoulders, which was covered in a jacket that was just slightly too big for him. He was growing, so the thinking had been that he'd fit in it eventually. He was okay with it though, because it had a hood, so he could cover his signature look – his red and white head of hair and the baseball cap that covered it.

Shoto's eyes darted around the area, hoping he wasn't too suspicious looking. He was probably fine. Kids walked to school and day care alone all the time. Maybe the face mask and sunglasses were overdoing it though, just a tad… but if anyone saw him, if any hero or sidekick noticed him, they'd be sure to recognize him and alert his father or his father's hero agency. Then it would be all over and his plan to run away would be ruined. That's when a growl rumbled from the depths of his stomach and he realized an error in his thinking as he had packed away all he had had into his bookbag.

He'd forgotten food.

Shoto looked around, pouting beneath the mask when he spotted it – a konbini across the way. That was it! Natsuo and Fuyumi often came home with food from the local Lawsons, and it always looked delicious. Maybe this time he could finally try some himself. He had some money saved up. Surely it would be enough. Scampering over to the crosswalk, he waited for the light to turn green and, with a giant huff, made his way over to the store where the sliding glass entryway parted for him.

It was incredibly bright and well lit, even as the worker inside called out "Irrashaimase!", though they didn't even bother looking over at him as they unloaded a box of new bentos for the day. There were maybe 5 small aisles in the store, but each of them towered over the little runaway as his eyes dazzled , as they darted around the store, enamored with everything he saw. It all looked so delicious and yummy and good and—

Shoto felt himself hit something and trip over his shoelaces, falling to the ground, his overstuffed backpack pulling him down faster than expected. He shut his eyes as though that would stop the impact from coming, but it didn't and he felt his hood, cap, and glasses fall off his face when his head stopped above the ground, having been saved by his giant backpack, while the momentum kept the other three items going.

"Oh!" He heard himself say out loud, though it was just as quiet as the "-Ita…- Ow…" That escaped his mouth after as well.

What had he hit… blinking a few times, he glanced up to see another person, taller than him – maybe the same height as his brother Natsuo, towering over him, who had turned to see him. The individual was wearing a large oversized hoodie, with the hood up and a mask covering his face as well. The only noticeable facial feature that Shoto could see peaking out were flecks of spiky black hair by the sides of the person's face. But before he could take in more of the person, the realization hit him that his own cleverly planned disguise had fallen from his own features.

Shoto gasped and quickly rolled over, grabbing the hat and glasses before scuffling up to his feet and replacing them. He quickly bowed to the person whom he had not noticed and had clearly inconvenienced.

"-Honto ni sumimasen!- I'm really very sorry, mister!" He said, pulling his arms straight to the side and bowing fervently in apology, just like he had always been taught to at home.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, the individual's head tilted, watching as the 9 year old stayed in a tight bow. Shoto waited for some kind of acknowledgment of what he had said, but none came. Did he have to do something else? Was he waiting for something else? Shoto bit his lip. He couldn't wait for that. He had to quickly get something to eat and leave. What if his dad was already on his way? The nervousness overtook him and he bowed again deeply, quickly adding in one more "-Shitsureishimasu! Sumimasen!- I'm sorry for being rude! I'm sorry!" before turning and running off to the next aisle of the store to go find something to eat.

Once out of sight of the person he had hit, Shoto, despite the urgency that had gripped him just a moment ago, once more quickly became enamored with all of the options, particularly as he had just found himself staring at multiple shelves of wrapped baked goods that looked like a child's dream. From the end of the aisle, the individual he had just run into slowly peaked around to see the kid's eyes practically sparkle through the ridiculous set of sunglasses on his face. The person watched him mouth "Me—meronpan…" as though it was his first time seeing the sugar cookie covered pastry.

The thought came to him - It probably was, and in spite of himself, a memory from not long ago crawled its way into his mind and came back to him.

Smoke covering the room he had taken cover in. He had not had permission to be there, so no one knew he was in the basement of the building. But the young teen, now technically a runaway, had been desperate for some place to crash, his head pounding with a headache from the lack of sleep… and food. But now the building was coming down, for once, not because of something he had done. He found himself trapped as the structure began to fall, when out of nowhere, he heard it.

"Wait, there's someone inside. I can hear them–!"

"How–?"

The beams above him began to collapse, when suddenly, they stopped. He pressed himself up against the concrete wall behind him, when he saw it. A bright smile, pushing the debris aside, standing tall.

"Not to worry! I am here!"

Before he could even do anything, he felt himself being lifted up by the person and being taken to safety. It was the first time he'd been touched by anyone in several months… no, it had been much longer than that really. At least… not like that. Not like he was human. Breaking through to daylight, he caught a breath of fresh air and coughed. A crowd began to cheer as the person, someone large and muscular…

He panicked and fought his way down and out of the individual's arms, fighting to hide his face as cameras began to snap away. What if– he couldn't, didn't want to be–

No one seemed to follow him as he ran off and out of sight. Good. But then, the adrenaline began to fade and his lightheadedness returned to him… The whole reason he had been hiding in the building, his fatigue, began to hit him again. The cheers from the crowd behind him began to fade, but perhaps… not due to distance… but rather… his own ears… ringing…

He felt his knees buckle and give way… and he fully expected to hit the concrete, scrapping them up, blood easily oozing out when…

"Whoa there son!" Someone caught him. Through blurred vision, he looked up to see that smile again… When it hit him. This person… this was…

"All Might?"

It was… that meant… was he… safe? All Might had not been the person he had been trying to avoid. That man never smiled. But it was still odd to the youth that it was All Might who was here, a person he'd… well, that was neither here nor there now, wasn't it… right? More importantly, regardless of all of that, All Might was still a hero… what if he recognized him…

Then again, could anyone recognize him?

Would anyone care to recognize him?

"You seem to be lightheaded, have you eaten?" All Might asked him.

The teen felt sudden discomfort and pushed himself away and out of the arms of his rescuer. It didn't matter that All Might wasn't him. Anyone noticing him, anyone good noticing him at all, would call the authorities, tell them about some child with clear scarring all over his face. And then he'd soon be back in that dark fortress of a house he so desperately never wanted to see again… as the broken one again. But this time, it would be worse…

He suddenly felt a tear in his skin at his side where the tissue was too thin and had still been healing… He had to leave, he thought, even as he felt himself back up into a wall and hit his head. Above him, All Might watched him with a slight confusion. The young man looked up at the muscular hero, who turned their head and suddenly sped off and out of sight, but he returned a moment later with something in his hand.

"You seem to be in need of sustenance! Here! Eat this. It is one of my favorites!"

All Might handed him a pastry wrapped in plastic. Turning it over, he read the word, "Meronpan." A jolt of nostalgia hit him and he remembered tearing off the wrapping of several meronpan pastries and handing them over to his siblings, who fought over the various flavors, while he bit into his own, still warm from the store.

He glanced up at the hero, who was between him and the sun, making it so he couldn't see his features. Abruptly, All Might seemed to become alert to something else needing his attention, but he looked down at the teenager, still concerned.

"Young man, I am needed by others elsewhere. Please eat this and seek assistance from the authorities. They will help you if you let them. I must be off!"

And suddenly, he was alone, the meronpan still in his hand. He watched after Japan's number one hero, who seemed to streak out of sight in the blink of an eye, before he looked back down at the pastry. His eyes locked onto it for a moment, before he greedily bit into it. It was good. So good… maybe there were still "good", no "true" heroes out there. But still… He would need to disappoint All Might this time. There was no way he would be hightailing it to 'the authorities'... That wasn't an option for him anymore.

In the here and now, Shoto gazed at the meronpan through the clear plastic, the large pieces of sugar appealing to him like sparkling crystals of ice. He picked it up gingerly with two hands and read the price. 108 en. He could probably afford that! With that, he turned as quickly as his two feet could carry him to the aisle with the refrigerators where he picked out a bottle of water, after which, he made his way up to the register.

He looked up over and around the counter on his tiptoes. Where was the cashier? He glanced around innocently, when he saw a gentleman behind the counter on the ground unpacking boxes of tabako. Shoto swallowed before speaking up a bit.

"-Eh.. eto… sumimasen?- Uh… um… excuse me?" He said cautiously, hoping not to be a bother. The man with the head of a spider looked up and around, startling Shoto slightly, though the man seemed not to notice.

"Oh, oh! -Sumimasen!- Sorry about that! I apologize for the delay," He quickly began to ring Shoto up, "That will be 216 en."

Shoto looked between the register where the numbers appeared and the man, his brain partially freezing up with a familiar yell blasting in his ears from many memories.

"HELL SPIDER!"

"That will be 216 en," the man repeated, startling Shoto back into the present.

"Oh uh, uh, yeah, um…" Shoto turned to his pocket, where he pulled out a tiny light blue coin purse, with royal blue flowers decorating it, that he had found in his mother's room. Fuyumi had been packing a box with items of their mother's in it once and she had placed it in a box labeled 'donate', where Shoto had found it. It reminded him at the time of his mom, so he had carefully taken it out and asked if he could have it. Though surprised at the request, Fuyumi had quietly nodded and had continued to pack. Since then, Shoto had kept whatever little savings he had inside the purse and now it was time to use it.

Carefully, he began pulling out the coins he had. Hyaku en… Go ju en… go en… another three go en… kyu en… a sense of panic began to overtake him. He didn't have enough. He could get one thing or the other. Was he hungrier? Or thirstier? Maybe thirstier… but wait, maybe he shouldn't get anything. Maybe he should try to wait. He had to make this money last after all… but now that the thought of his thirst had overtaken him he suddenly really wanted the water. But wait, he could use his quirk to make snow and snow could turn to water, right? His eyes landed back on the sparkling meron-pan and he bit his lip again. Oh what to do, what to do, what to…

Out of nowhere, he saw a sen en bill land in the money tray from above him along with a bag of spicy pizza chips, his favorite, and a bag of blueberry jellies, another of his favorites.

"-Kore ga ii?- This enough for it all?" He glanced up to see the man he had bumped into from before speaking.

The tenin behind the counter nodded, ringing up the extra items before exchanging the bill for change. He picked up the items, placed them in a plastic bag and handed it to the man in the hoodie, who turned to Shoto and held the bag out for him. Shoto's shoulders became tight, showing his awkwardness. He'd been taught from home his whole life and his interactions with strangers were extremely limited. What was he supposed to…

"Take it."

He looked up at the man surprised, but the person could see the slight curiousness in Shoto's masked expression too. It wasn't that hard though. His bright blue eye shone through the dinky sunglasses brilliantly. For a moment, he didn't move and the tenin, sensing the stiffness of the situation, shuffled away, leaving the only other two people in the konbini alone. The corner of Shoto's mouth twitched, not sure exactly what to say, when the man let out a sigh that was tempered by the mask and hunched over, grabbing Shoto's hand and placing the plastic bag in it.

It was in the moment that the person stretched to move down and hand Shoto the bag that he noticed that the edges of the man's hand, right by his wrist, were revealed ever so slightly. They were gnarled and near black, almost crusted, and it made the hair on Shoto's neck stand on edge. But the skin unmarked by the discoloration and abnormality indicated youth, and Shoto suddenly realized this must not be a man, but a teenager. Maybe someone close to being an adult at best, and that made him relax just a bit… but maybe he shouldn't have, because maybe this was one of those delinquents his father was always going on about that made his father's sidekicks have to work extra hard, which in turn meant his father had to deal with more as well. And then, so would Shoto because his father would come home mad.

Shoto's mind didn't get the time to process the thought much further than that however, as the teen then grabbed his other hand, which was still holding the open coin purse, and placed the change inside.

"Get yourself a better allowance, kid," He said, as though exhausted, before standing up to his full height once again and moving towards the exit. Shoto watched as the teen turned to the left to round the corner. Again, he couldn't make out any other discernible features, but he could have sworn he maybe caught the corner of their eye, maybe could make out a blu-ish eye color… maybe. But it was so brief and quick that he couldn't be sure. He looked down at the bag of food and then up at the tenin, who shrugged as though to try to distance himself from what had just happened.

Again, he looked down at the food and his stomach growled.

Might as well eat.

Pulling his jacket over his shoulders a bit tighter, Shoto exited the store and headed to the right, all the while peering around to try to spot a place to sit and eat.

There really wasn't a good place to eat. And he knew it was rude to walk and eat. But there wasn't really a great spot… He eventually spotted a bench made up of two bars. It was a little tall for him to get up on to, but with a bit of a jump, he managed it and leaned his butt right between the two bars. He felt odd doing so though and decided he was too out in the open by sitting there for him to be comfortable with it anyway. So instead he hopped off and kept looking. Finally, he found a little alley between a restaurant and the train tracks where a crate was still sitting.

Perfect. He glanced around. There wasn't as much foot traffic here and in all likelihood he wouldn't be bothering anyone if they spotted him. Sitting on the little crate, he opened the bag and began to pull out the contents, with the mysterious meronpan being the first thing to come on out. Tugging on the sides of the plastic bag the pastry had come in, he pulled, and with a 'pop' it opened, startling him slightly, revealing a sweet scent from within. He pulled his mask down just below his chin and licked his lips before daring to bite into it, at which point, the runaway felt as though he had died and gone to heaven.

'-Oishiiiiiiii!'-'So goodddddd!' Shoto thought and he quickly stuffed another bite into his mouth, becoming immersed in the yumminess of his new found favorite treat. The meronpan, though big, didn't last long and Shoto quickly devoured it, the chips, and the gummies, all between sips of water. The sun began to go down and foot traffic started to increase, but Shoto didn't care. He was starving and blissfully unaware of those around him, even as the restaurant owner opened up his shop next door. Finally, Shoto finished and smiled, relieved of his hunger.

Glancing into the bag, he realized he was once again with nothing. Not that he needed it now, but… maybe he should have saved some. There was nothing he could do about it now though, and so he carefully folded up the bag with his trash still inside and stuffed it in his backpack. Just as he shut the side pocket of his bag though, that's when he heard it, a 'fwipping' sound of fire above him. He gasped and immediately hid behind the crate that had been his seat, peaking out only to see a familiar face – the face of one of his father's sidekicks on patrol. It was… Burnin… wasn't it?

Immediately, Shoto tugged his mask back up to hide his face, but as he did so, he realized his error. The sunglasses were not quite big enough to hide all of the burn on his face. Had anyone seen it? Had anyone noticed? Was that why Burnin was here? He had to get out of there.

Turning on his heel and making sure his hood was pulled over his cap incredibly, deliberately so, Shoto ran into the alleyway that divided the restaurant and the tracks. He could hide back there probably, right? Soon he found himself at the crossroads of the back alley, which was getting dark. He could see the next street over from where he was and his dinner spot was no longer in sight now. Burnin hadn't followed him so he was probably in the clear, right? Hopefully? Maybe he should just lie low back here…

It was then that Shoto heard a roaring rush of flames, like that coming out of a rocket, tensed, and spun around to see the exact person he didn't want to see, lowering himself down into the alleyway, his face alight with his signature flaming mustache and beard. Shoto felt his whole body begin to involuntarily shake as he began backing away from the silent, but clearly irritated and angry face of his father who was glaring down at him as though Shoto had caused him a great inconvenience.

"Shoto…" Endeavor began as he landed, his voice rich in a tempered anger.

"You found him?" Came a voice from a radio in his father's ear.

Endeavor looked down at Shoto, tilting his head to the side before rolling his eyes and answering back on the comms, "Yes, it's him."

The disguise did nothing. He'd bought Shoto that backpack, jacket, and even those shoes after all. And the sunglasses looked like an old pair of Fuyumi's from her early pre-teen years.

"Good, thought that might be him. And the restaurant owner said he was worried about a kid with a reddish mark on his face—"

"Keep the alleyway clear," Endeavor interrupted before turning off the comms device on Burnin to focus on his youngest son who was clearly shaking in fear. He knew he'd been disobedient.

He hadn't even been gone a few hours. Just a few hours. And now… Shoto made a move to turn and dash away, when he felt Endeavor grab his forearm, stopping him. His hood fell off, pulling the cap off of his head once again, the poorly fitting sunglasses also falling to the ground, cracking.

"Shoto, come here," Endeavor began, but it didn't really matter what he said, Shoto wasn't paying much attention as immediately, tears started to form as the panic now cleared through from his chest, up to his head, and overwhelmed him.

"No, let go!"

"What were you thinking—"

"No! Let go!"

"No, we're going home. Now!" Endeavor snapped. They were not doing this here.

"-Shitakunai! Yamete! Hanashite!-" Shoto screamed, "I don't want to! Stop! Let go!"

The formality of Shoto's word choice irked the only onlooker. Shitakunai. Not Yaritakunai. This kid…

"Do you have any idea how worried—" Endeavor attempted to interject as he picked Shoto up, wrapping one of his massive arms around Shoto who continued to attempt to escape from his father's grasp, squirming and wriggling, trying to get away.

But he didn't use his quirks.

Interesting.

"-Iya da! Kaeritakunai!- No, I don't want to go home!" Shoto screamed, tears threatening to fall even faster.

Why his father wasn't unleashing his anger, which Shoto was sure was welling up under his father's well composed expression, Shoto wasn't sure. But he knew it would come out at home and that his father would impose upon him a week's work of grueling 'training' as a result. Somehow, the shame of even getting caught felt like a failure on his part and somehow, somehow, he knew his father would use it as an excuse for more training, which Shoto hated. What little desire he had to learn how to control his quirks was often quashed by these sessions. All the while, one of them had frankly begun to scare him and make him feel sick every time he used it. Because every time he did, he didn't like how his father looked at him. Like he was eyeing every move he made, critiquing him, but also exuding some sort of perverse pride in his very existence.

"Shoto, be quiet—" Endeavor hissed.

"-Mo yada-!-" Shoto sobbed back, and the observer noticed the slip in formalities, "No, no more! I don't want-!"

Endeavor covered Shoto's mouth to stop him from screaming. It was easy considering how he dwarfed his son in size. But that didn't stop their keen observer from noticing what else Endeavor had done. His eyes narrowed at the movement, noticing how one of Endeavor's fingers, one that wasn't over the little one's mouth to silence him, had traveled to a spot on the child's neck… an area by a key artery and nerve…

Suddenly, Shoto's actions became stilted and slowed. He looked sleepy and his balled up little fists which he had been using to punch at his father's shoulder became limp, even as he continued to push himself away, even if only a bit. But that too began to wane. Almost as though he was dizzy, he began to slump forward against his father's chest while his little tears now fell swift and unimpeded, but too small for most to see.

A hand came to the back of Shoto's head to force him to relax on Endeavor's shoulder, allowing him to speak again… but it was softer now, "-Onegai… mo… yada… kaeri…- Plea… No… more… I don't wanna… go home…"

His father's eyes narrowed, clearly, thoroughly annoyed at his runaway son causing him to halt everything to find him. His patience had run very thin over this. If a villain had gotten a hold of him, there was no telling how that would impact his agency and his image, not to mention his chances at surpassing All Might… And of course all of this was just compounding with the fact that the idea of losing—

"Oi oi! It's Endeavor!"

Endeavor turned to see a crowd beginning to form and gawk from the edge of the alleyway. Suddenly, Burnin flew down between the crowd and Endeavor with a smile. "Sorry, sorry! Endeavor's son got himself lost, but he's found now! He's safe! Father of the year, am I right?"

Suddenly, the crowd began to "Ohh" and "Aww", before beginning to clap. In the darkness of the alley, the only thing giving off light was Endeavor himself. Little Shoto however was still mostly in the dark, his face turned away from the crowd. Phones came out as pedestrians held them up to take photos.

Great.

He hadn't wanted any news to really get out about Shoto's little excursion, but at least the newbie Burnin was proving her worth for something. Finding a lost child was better than finding a misbehaving, naughty one who had run away from home to try to defy their parent's rules. Over her shoulder, Burnin glanced at Endeavor, raising her eyebrows just a bit as if to encourage her new employer to show the crowd what a worried parent he was.

What would they want from a concerned parent? His mind consumed with a million other things, it was hard to even think of the answer. Oh… Right.

Gently, Endeavor moved to awkwardly give Shoto a brief kiss on the head. Shoto didn't stir, but not because he was asleep, but because he felt too lightheaded to resist his father's firm grip.

The onlookers began to let out a chorus of "Aw"s. All save for one, who couldn't take the disgusting display anymore…

"-Cho kimochiwarui, naaa?-"

"Ugh, you're too disgusting, aren't you?"

Endeavor's eyes whipped around to see the first observer, who had until that point alluded everyone's notice, even his own. Just past the fallen backpack, Endeavor made out a person of shorter stature than he, just out of sight of the crowd on an escape railing one floor up. He halted his movements, attempting to not cause alarm to any onlookers by looking as though he was focusing on Shoto and Shoto's backpack that had fallen to the street. However, his eyes never left the… odd newcomer. Something about him felt off…

He let his flames block the movement of his lips from the crowd as he spoke softly and out of earshot.

"What business do you have here?"

The observer inwardly scoffed and almost rolled his eyes, but still, he remained focused. 'Do this right,' He thought, a sense of loathing pushing him, motivating him to confront the "hero". Time to do this.

The observer shrugged, jumping down from the emergency escape railing above, still out of sight of the crowd. The teenager in the hoodie stopped just short of the shadow separating himself from the line of vision of the onlookers. He swallowed before getting ready to speak, rolled his shoulders back, and hoped his voice didn't waver as he spoke and instead exuded confidence and his posture didn't indicate any kind of potential intimidation. After all, he wouldn't be intimidated. Not anymore. Not with the anger and revulsion coursing through him right now, especially after what he just saw. Things were different now.

"Just calling it like I see it. That kid doesn't want to go with you," He said coolly, his words icy with truth that Endeavor knew and recognized. Time for some damage control.

"He's going through a bit of a rebellious phase right now. Nothing more," He said, his tone rich in vibrato, but quiet, near a pure silence.

"Kids don't cry like that because they're rebellious," The teen shot back. Nor do rebellious kids use formal ways of saying "I don't want to" like "Shitakunai". Kids scared into politeness and formalities do though, "He's afraid of you."

Endeavor's eyes narrowed and he took a couple of steps forward towards the backpack, "I think you're reading too much into it, stranger. Might be best if you stay out of things that don't concern you."

Things that don't concern him?

Dabi resisted the urge to tilt his head up and roll his eyes, revealing the now messed up face of Endeavor's first son to the "number two" hero. But instead, he resisted the urge and kept his head down, out of Endeavor's field of view. It wasn't time to play that card. Not yet.

Besides, as a bitter feeling made its way into the center of his chest emanating from not-yet-old, childhood memories, he wasn't sure if he wanted to play that one for Shoto. At least, maybe not right now. Maybe…

Instead, Dabi scoffed, "Whatever. You can't hide what you are forever."

"What I am?" Endeavor said slowly, bending down and picking up the backpack before gently rubbing Shoto on the back to keep up appearances for the crowd still gawking a ways away, "And what might that be?"

Dabi felt his own eyes narrow, almost reflecting his father's. But he didn't pull his face up out of the shadows. He resisted, though he felt an immense amount of anger as he eyed his father's hold on his little brother. Perhaps he was considering it… For all that Shoto was and represented to Dabi, it wasn't Shoto's fault that their father was an abusive psychopath. The kid didn't deserve to have to deal with that.

Dead to the world, Touya Todoroki sighed and turned around, "Not a hero, that's for sure."

He shrugged and began walking off, taking every ounce of his self control to not tense up his shoulders, but to walk away with a gait of confidence and non-chalantness to continue to mask who he was to his father.

Not yet. Not today. It isn't worth it to reveal the truth today. Just walk, walk away like you know something he doesn't. Cause you do. You do. Make him nervous about all he's done. Just say nothing. He's not going to attack you or anything with people watching. He can't. Heroes don't attack strangers for no reason. You've got this. You've got this.

From his father's shoulder, Shoto's barely open eyes watched the teenager from the konbini walk off.

Wait… come back… please….

But he couldn't get his lips to move. He was so sleepy. So tired… Why was he so tired? He felt a sudden burst of force beneath him as his father launched them both into the air and they flew off. He tried to keep an eye on the teen in the hoodie who had given him the gummies, but his father was too fast and he quickly got cold in the wind. So in spite of himself, he held onto his father tighter for warmth, still dreading what was to come when he got home.

Below, Dabi watched as his father and brother flew out of sight.

The coward.

He rolled his eyes and by his feet, he noticed an empty wrapper for a meronpan. Angrily, he kicked the piece of trash away.

Trash. That's what this all was. Simply, simply, trash… Just like their father. Everything he ever touched…

It all just turned to trash.

-MHA-

A/N: Sooooo for my first MHA fan fic, hopefully that was okay! Honestly, I absolutely adore these three characters. There's so much richness to each of them and I think depending on what's going on in your life you can relate to each of them in different ways and have differing views on all of their behaviors, especially Dabi and Endeavor's. If you'd like more of my thoughts on this fic, I will be posting an insight blog article on my SkywingKnights homepage website linked in my profile.

Anyway, let me know what you thought. Hope you enjoyed it! (Especially since there is likely more coming down the line lol). Till next time!

Later,

~Rena