All Might's POV
One more day, just one more day and my boys will be home. They already boarded the plane and it's a direct flight to Japan. We should take them out after they have had time to rest. I can feel the pep in my step now just from knowing they'll be home soon but I also know that once I see them with their injuries I will probably be devastated.
"All Might?" I looked up to see who was calling my name so loud from so close only to see Young Todoroki standing in front of me.
"Yes, my boy?" I smiled at him, the way his eyes widened at the fact that I called him my boy didn't escape me. Lately he has been staying later and later in class, after the others have left but eventually he still leaves without saying a word to either Aizawa or I.
"Do I have to go home this weekend?" He asked, his voice low again but he has all of my attention now.
"Not at all, you can choose to stay at the dorms if you'd like. I believe Young Kirishima plans to do so as well as a few others. Is there anything wrong?" I answered and I saw his shoulders relax giving me an idea. "You know, Dabi applied for a few vacation days this weekend. Hush, no I'm not supposed to tell you that, anyway maybe you should give him a call? I'm sure he would love for you to spend the extended weekend with him."
If nothing else Dabi will tell me if there is anything going on that shouldn't. I am well aware of how Endeavor tortured his eldest, and it's how I was able to free him before he could run away. To save him from a life of villainy.
"I'll text him, thank you," he gave a small bow before stopping, seeming to think of something and turned back to me again.
"When will they come back?" The way he worded that made me feel a bit uncomfortable but I can't place why.
"They are already on a plane coming home, they should be here early in the morning," I smiled, relaxing at the thought. "Their mother has been trying her best to be calm but I think we will all feel much better when they are home again."
"I don't understand something," he hesitated but I nodded for him to go ahead anyway. "Why are you worried?" That made me stop, how do I explain this?
"I guess because I'm not there to protect them," I frowned at the thought but it was really the best way for me to put it. "Is there a reason you ask?"
"The reason you're worried is because you aren't there to protect them? But aren't they fully licensed heroes?" He looks so confused but I nod anyway.
"That won't stop me from worrying about them. Even when they are old and gray, long after I've gone from this world, I will always worry about my children." I smile at him. "Because I love them." Again he paused, not really understanding what I mean but I wait to see what question he will ask next.
"Do you ever worry about me?" His eyes lowered as if afraid of the answer that he'll get.
"Young Todoroki? Would you mind going with me somewhere?" I ask instead, not sure if my bad feeling was correct or not but regardless I need at least a second set of ears to make sure I'm not jumping to conclusions. He nodded and I held out my hand letting him lead the way after telling him we were just going to my office and I pulled out my phone to text the two people that I could think of that could help because I really need their help right now.
I can't kill Endeavor. I really can't. But I might. I really just might.
This is far from the first time Todoroki has set off red flags and the thought that he could be suffering the same kind of abuse as Dabi had makes my blood boil and that's being kind.
"I personally like tea but I love the smell of coffee. I can't stand the taste though, isn't that odd?" I chuckled as I walked to my coffee maker. "Which would you like? I also have cocoa; regular, peppermint or spicy?"
"I'm fine," he answered while just standing in the room. I motioned towards the couch and told him to make himself comfortable before I started making the peppermint cocoa. I saw how his eyes lit up when I mentioned it.
"I know it's spring now but I still get a chill in my bones, I need something hot to drink and cocoa just sounds amazing. Are you sure? I'd hate to make a whole pot of peppermint cocoa only for half of it to go to waste," I tempted him and he paused before nodding, that small gleam in his eyes was back. Note to self, he really likes peppermint cocoa. I don't think I've ever seen him show much interest in anything except his cold soba and then it didn't seem like so much interest as ease.
"Great! I'm always making coffee when I'm stuck in here for paperwork and things but thankfully your teacher, Aizawa, is always drinking it, I would hate to let any of it go to waste when it smells so good," I chuckled mostly to myself while he smiled.
I brought out a small plate of cookies and set them down before pouring us each a large mug of the sweet cocoa and handed him one.
"So," I sighed, sitting down and getting comfortable. I took a sip and watched as Young Todoroki started to relax in front of me. "As for your question, the short answer is yes. Yes I worry about you a lot actually."
He jolted not at all expecting my answer but I just took another sip of my drink while I waited for him to process what I said.
"Why?" He finally asked and I saw his hands shaking. I didn't close my office door, leaving it wide open for when the other two would arrive. It took a while for me to decide how to answer him, as simple as the question was, it was just as difficult to answer.
"Do you know how it is that your brother came to work for me?" I asked instead of answering. It would probably be easier to answer this way. He shook his head no and I can't help wondering what Endeavor told his family when Dabi left so I asked.
"Endeavor said that he disappeared. He even had detectives show up and tell him in front of us that they couldn't find him," he answered, his voice lowered and I felt the vein in my forehead twitch.
"You would think he would have learned the first time," I grumbled to myself but I took a deep breath before looking at the young man in front of me again. "Young Todoroki please understand that I really thought you were safe but if he went that far to lie to you all then I'm afraid of just how bad the abuse must have been."
"I had arrived at your home when you were still a toddler, I don't know if you had manifested your quirk yet or not but your brother was 'training' with your father," I took a deep breath looking into my coffee mug, watching the cocoa swirl around as I talked.
"I-," I hesitated and I don't know if it was to try and calm myself or something else but eventually I continued after all I needed too. "Endeavor was basically beating your brother, he was covered in bruises and there was once that when he coughed that he spit out blood. I lost my temper. No parent should ever treat their child like that, not even while training." I put my mug down and flexed my fingers, trying not to break anything at the same time.
"I punched your father, he was sent flying away and Dabi told me about how he treated you all. Your brother and sister seemed to be safe and how hopeful your father was about you made him think that you would be safe but he was 'trained' everyday multiple times a day. Dabi was old enough to sign an internship contract without his father's consent thanks to Endeavor forcing him to mature far faster than he should have so when I heard everything I held out my hand and offered for him to come with me," I chuckled at the memory, the look on young Dabi's face right before he took my hand. How he collapsed in my arms crying begging for it not to be a dream.
I flexed my fingers again as I braced myself to ask, "Young Todoroki, has Endeavor abused you in the same way?"
"I don't understand," he tilted his head at me but the fact that I could see hope in his eyes only made me want to strangle Endeavor more.
"Has Endeavor ever 'trained' you to the point that you needed medical treatment? If so, can you tell me how?" I tried again.
He nodded and told me of a few instances and if it wasn't for the fact that my hands were clasped together I'm pretty sure I would have broken something. I let him talk, he didn't stop at two or three examples and it wasn't until his cocoa was mostly gone that he seemed to understand that I was upset.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" He asked, his head bowing down as if waiting to be yelled at. He reminds me so much of how Hitoshi was when I first brought him home. Infuriating me much more.
I stood up and stood next to him, he put his mug down probably thinking I was kicking him out or something but instead I apologized, but the fact he was still so confused only broke my heart more. I hugged him. His rigid body froze for a long time but when he realized that that was all I was doing he relaxed and slowly hugged me back.
"Young man, you should have never had to go through any of that. I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you," his hands that were now on my back clutching handfuls of my shirt and I felt him starting to tremble, even without looking I already knew why. He was crying.
"It's okay, cry as much as you want, nobody can hurt you now," I whispered and the dam that must have been holding back his tears for far too long seemed to burst. He sobbed in my arms and it was only now that I saw Aizawa and Detective Naomasa standing by the door. Aizawa was standing there shocked with his mouth open and Naomasa was on his phone, he met my eyes and he nodded before leaving the room again. If anyone could get the evidence needed to safely remove Young Todoroki from Endeavor's abuse it would be him. The fact that we had hired a private investigator to keep watch on him just in case, after Dabi meant that Endeavor had gotten to him and either bribed him or threatened him but I'm sure there's still evidence.
I might not kill him physically but I can still murder his career.