Until the World's End

by u n d o (ctrl_zie)

Summary:

Life was unexpected.

Being the illegitimate son of the 'Number Two Pro-Hero', he didn't expect much.

He didn't expect to be favored by the hero's parents.

He didn't expect those grandparents to lie.

He didn't expect them to pretend.

And when the only compromise was to leave, he didn't expect their shadows to follow.

To be a granddaughter. To be a mother. To be a trophy.

To be their doll.

He didn't expect it at all.

═╬═

After he finished his (first ever) quirk demonstration, he signed a, 'Thank you for your time! - Prince ♛'

Adding the little footnote at his classmates' requests.

His flames zipped past the window before it danced between his fingers as he laid his head back down.

Sitting still until he was alone, he put on some soft music, straightened up, placed his chin on one palm, and looked out the window toward the sunset.

He answered a call.

...

Well, a meeting had been overdue...

This just wasn't how he expected it at all.

But life had always been full of surprises, hadn't it?

Chapter 1: Life hadn't been Kind

⌜                                       ⌝

Certificate of Birth

[Name of Child Born]
轟 残火
Todoroki Zanka

[Place of Birth]
結田府 総合 病院
Musutafu General Hospital

[Parents]
父 : 轟 炎司
Father : Todoroki Enji
母 : 輝く 引子
Mother : Kagayaku Inko

⌞                                       ⌟

 

Todoroki Enji was widely known as a prideful man. Ten years(and counting) of having been the second-highest ranking pro-hero did much to boost his already inflated ego, but not even his parents' insistence of becoming the number one could have hindered the amount of pride he radiated when his tiny bundle of joy opened his eyes.

 

Mismatched eyes shaped like that of a cat's blinked languidly, they were big and rounded but tapered off to a high and sharp point, a striking mixture of his mother's owl-like shape and Enji's angular ones. His right eye was a softer turquoise and the left a lighter shade of emerald green— but those weren't as captivating as the ember-like flakes swirling in both irises, making certain parts glow. Enji tried not to, he really did, but he still cried.

 

Kagayaku Inko was a simple woman. While falling in love with a pro-hero-in-training, being forbidden to marry the new pro-hero, and having a child with the said pro was never an item on her bucket list, the happy memories they shared were never unwanted.

 

So when their son proudly showed off small tufts of white hair(not unlike her own) but fading into a familiar red at the tips, creating beautiful waves instead of her messy curls, she couldn't help but cry too.

 

Todoroki Rei never broke down whenever things got rough, from being forced to marry Enji, to giving birth to four of his children, to hiding his 'mistress' for a while(a person she had started to love too), she always bore a gentle smile, keeping as relaxed as she could be. But she shed her tears when she saw him, too little to be noticeable at first glance, and could be seen as a sign of sadness to other people, but she was happy—

 

She was happy and curious about the newest addition to their family, the one who smiled when she accidentally made the room snow, the one born with gold and white freckles, the one who shined like stars.

 

The one born from love.

 

 

★

 

But love had always been a fickle thing,
had it not?

 

★

 

 

As his little boy grew up, Enji noticed how his parents seemed to dress him on the feminine side, there would have been nothing wrong with it, except they forbade him from having any masculine things— his clothes, his toys, his room, his hair, his name, and so many more were never themed for boys.

 

But no matter how much Enji, Rei, or Inko pushed to let the child explore his options more, they never wavered, claiming that his beauty was to be wasted if he were a boy("A beautiful face fit for a female Todoroki— not a male, never a male!")  or he would be nothing but a flaw to their bloodline.

 

Even if most of his preferences were controlled, Rei and Inko made it a mission to let their youngest pick a name for himself. It started out by listing off baby names(boy, girl, and unisex) with fire themes, but most of them only received a small 'blah' and an expectant face.

 

So they moved onto stars, his reactions were more smiley but it seemed like he was only encouraging them to say something similar, not outright picking the names.

 

Right when both women were moving onto suns, Enji busted through the door with a booming, "Mix it! KASEI!!!"

 

The baby clapped and laughed, which made both women pout and the flaming pro to puff his chest out smugly. Nobody but his grandparents called him Zanka after that.

 

His parents never kept the knowledge of his half-siblings from him, constantly shown pictures and told stories from his Mama Rei, he learned everything about his three older brothers and his older sister from both her and his father.

 

Touya and Fuyumi were Irish twins and three years older than him, Natsuo was two years older, and Shouto was five months older. He had never met them, and he knew that they didn't know he existed. But Enji told him he'd meet them on his seventh when they were old enough to understand— hopefully.

 

 

★

 

 

When he got his quirk— small embers flickering between his fingers— he squealed and immediately jumped into the fireplace, causing all adults to scream.

 

But instead of a cooked child, all they could smell was burning fabric, so they took their time and calmly asked him if he was okay, but got no response.

 

They hurriedly turned off the gas and waited, growing more concerned as time passed by, when the fire died down, he was found curled into a ball on the coal—

 

Sleeping.

 

After safer tests and a visit to the quirk specialist, they found out that he could control and produce little flames on his fingertips, and that he was completely fireproof(Enji's blue flames could not hurt him).

 

He heard about how his Shou-nii got his own quirk too, and that he could make fire and ice, he thought it was so cool!

 

But that was when he also understood that people couldn't have two mothers. They explained that while Mama Rei was like a mother to him, only Okaa-san was his real mother— it was really confusing, but he still got it eventually.

 

As he got his quirk, his grandparents deemed him 'old enough' and became harsher in disciplining how he should behave, constantly berating him for slouching or not crossing his legs, always making him wear skirts and frilly clothes, and never letting him cut his hair.

 

He wondered if he was born wrong— if having the thing between his legs made him a mistake.

 

They sent him to preschool in the girls' uniform.

 

 

★

 

 

Nearing his sixth birthday, his grandparents found a person whose quirk could change an individual's sex permanently and hired them for a hefty sum of money, before forcing Kasei to become a girl— Enji was out for a mission during that time, but Rei and Inko stood firmly and told them no.

 

As a compromise, they proposed an idea where they would let him stay a male, provide funds for them, and pay for his classes, but Inko was never to see Enji and Rei again(a threat they used often before they deemed him 'their beautiful granddaughter') while he would be checked randomly if he were found 'insulting the Todoroki bloodline'.

 

Rei encouraged Inko to take it, seeing as how acting like a girl made him feel defective, much less be 'fixed' permanently when he was never broken.

 

Inko was hesitant, she loved Enji and came to love Rei just as much, she didn't want to leave them—

 

But they agreed that their children needed to always be their first priority, so even as much as it hurt, they packed up and left.

 

Not long after, Rei told the siblings about their father having an illegitimate child, the children having demanded answers to why she had been distant for quite some time.

 

The twins quickly understood that she was sad due to them leaving, but the other two thought she was upset that their father had an affair— all of them felt betrayed, naturally, but Shouto was angry.

 

Angry at himself, angry at seeing her so down, angry at Enji for hurting their mother.

 

So he put out the flames.

 

 

★

 

 

His grandparents took them far away before they gave them green wigs, a seemingly infinite supply of washable green hair dye("Fourever-Dye fades with four washes~!"), green contacts, and told them to cover his freckles.

 

Enji's parents created new identities for both of them, his Okaa-san became a housewife and a small-time lawyer, and he became Midoriya Izuku, a green boy with a firebreathing quirk and the weird obsession of being a girl.

 

They made him practice being a 'good housewife' by forcing him to do chores like cleaning, shopping, cooking, and baking, always making sure Inko wouldn't take any of his chores every time they checked.

 

He was also forced to take many classes such as ballet, etiquette, gymnastics, acting, and dance.

 

With hip-length green hair that dropped straight down but created beautiful waves near the end, green contacts which covered his burning embers, and stars nowhere on his cheeks,

 

'Izuku' started grade school in another girls' uniform.

 

 

★

 

 

And life went on— they would check on him during random times on random days, but always found him acting prim and proper, taking all the classes they told him to, dressing as they want him to, and being what they told him to be.

 

But he hid.

 

He hid taking many types of martial arts classes, he hid meditating to better understand his quirk, and he hid that he could sense the heat of the people who checked on him.

 

He was constantly hiding discoveries about his quirk as he went along.

 

At nine he found out he could change the temperature of his flames from accidentally incinerating a marshmallow in less than one second, having said that it took too long to toast normally.

 

At ten he mastered sensing people through heat alone, automatically straightening when familiar heat signatures would near, enabling him to wear boys' sleepwear for the first time, not needing to worry about getting caught.

 

At eleven he started taking parkour classes and found out he could somewhat solidify his flames to use as footholds—

 

 

★

 

 

At eleven, his grandparents' funds stopped.

 

They were immediately weary and decided to stay vigilant for a while, but nobody checked on him for six months when the longest they've gone without checks was one.

 

So they moved houses and schools, playing it safe in a neighborhood where nobody knew them, ending up in the not-so-nice environment of Aldera Junior High.

 

His newly cut chin-length hair(still green to be safe) always tied into a low ponytail, the bangs covering his forehead now slightly parted on one side, two bigger clumps on either side framing his face. His eyes and cheeks were still covered, but he was happier than he had ever been since they took them away.

 

At twelve, 'Midoriya Izuku' started Middle School wearing the boys' uniform.

 

 

★

 

 

By the time he reached thirteen, he had already mastered controlling the temperature of his flames, which ranged from red, orange, yellow, blue, violet, and ultraviolet.

 

While the ultraviolet flames would normally burn people's retinas when looked at, his 'highly mutated' body's eyes were completely safe.

 

He was starting to practice changing into lower temperatures too, having already created a pale lavender flame capable of spreading a very thin layer of frost.

 

He mastered the solidifying aspect of his flames, realizing that he could practically change their phase of matter, easily creating gas, solid, or liquid fire aside from the normal plasma.

 

His Okaa-san commented how a not-plasma-fire was always weird, especially when she could actually touch them, "They feel slimy but incredibly dry while feeling like they could phase through your hand but solid... I don't even..."

 

He also made his own fighting style. Due to the classes his grandparents made him take, his body was slender but with defined muscle from having trained harder since the funds stopped.

 

His body was clearly built for speed, so he refined his fighting style to rely more on wit, speed, and agility than brute force.

 

 

★

 

 

People treated him like a celebrity at school, and not just because he was his year's smartest student.

 

Even with most of his eye-catching aspects covered, he was by no means just 'decent looking', he always caught the eyes of his peers and random people that passed by, charming them unintentionally with his collar–bone-length hair(still always in his ponytail), bright smile, angular-but-not-too-much face, and selfless nature—

 

He was the complete opposite of the other class's star student, Bakugou Katsuki. He was rumored to be brash and unkind, but strong and intelligent, always the top of his class, had a massive following(too), and massive inferiority complex, they said he saw himself as the main character in his origin story with everybody else being the 'extras'.

 

Some students and teachers mentioned that if Midoriya Izuku should be their 'Prince Charming', Bakugou Katsuki would be their 'Shining Knight', and they all agreed.

 

They had never even seen each other, but both have heard the bets. Bets on who had the prettier girlfriend("There's no way they're single, right?"), on who wore their pe uniforms better("Bulky or Lean?"), on how well they'll do in a test("They both got perfect marks last time!"), on speed in gym class("Midoriya won by a landsli—) basically everything.

 

Though, they were always neck-to-neck, if one won on a bet, the other would win the next.

 

 

★

 

There wouldn't be any good things without any bad,
just as how there wouldn't be bad things if not for the good.

 

★

 

 

He finalized his fighting style by 14, already having his quirk ingrained into it. His moves focused more on defense and restraining than offense due to him not knowing how hot his flames need be before a person gets injured.

 

While being fireproof and not having the risk of overheating was a good thing, he didn't have a limit or the restraint needed not to accidentally burn because he didn't get burnt.

 

When he spent most— if not all— his free time focused on academics, training, and sometimes updating himself on pro-hero Endeavor's family life, his Okaa-san was given a big case, one she was very close to finishing.

 

But once she did, she didn't expect what happened at all.

 

 

★

 

 

Izuku wasn't having an... ideal day.

 

He didn't expect for his phone to die sometime during the night, making him wake up an hour later than when his alarm would've had gone off, he accidentally mixed up his liquid body soap and hair shampoo, lost his school belt, broke the stove, ate an expired granola bar, grabbed the wrong hoodie(a black and white cinched hem rabbit hoodie), missed the train, and almost got arrested for running on rooftops, but at least he arrived on time.

 

People laughed away his frenzied state, shoelaces untied, long white fashion belt('psycho♛psycho♛psycho' around its middle in Gothic black font) buckled but hanging("Keep it that way for today!"), black bunny ears flopping around with each movement, and armpit-length hair tied into a messy bun instead of his neat low pony—

 

Thankfully, his miraculous Fourever-Dye re-dye was two days ago, having used three of the four washes— which barely enabled his hair to cover most of the stars he failed to conceal properly, as well as one ember-swirled green eye.

 

They continued classes normally— with his phone charging secretly— until the second homeroom period at the end of the day, where the teacher announced how both he and the brute were applying to Yuuei.

 

"Will you be able to handle Yuuei with your quirk, Midoriya?"

 

He raised his head from where he was laying it sideways on his bicep, an eyebrow raised as if silently asking a question.

 

"Go ahead. Just a little demonstration."

 

He nodded in thanks before allowing a massive wave of flame build up inside, when he deemed it to be enough, he smirked before flames left his mouth and encased the entire inside of the school.

 

Students and teachers of all levels panicked, exclamations were heard, loud exclamations(oops). They looked around and found everything supposedly on fire, but was replaced with pale lavender flames before they reached anything flammable.

 

After a few seconds of heating the flames from red to violet, he condensed it into balls of fire in the front of the classrooms, quickly spelling a 'Sorry for the scare, Ryuu-sensei told me to demonstrate a little bit of my quirk...'

 

Excited murmurs echoed throughout the school before he changed the words.

 

'I know some people are scared of fire, so I told them to shut their eyes before I did this. But if you have any classmates with their eyes closed, could you tell them to open for me? Tell them to do it slowly, I have a small surprise! <3'

 

When he sensed all the specified people looking around, he smiled softly before shaping his flames to their favorite animals, some having butterflies, cats, hamsters, and more.

 

'You can touch them, they won't burn you, and you can keep them too. Thank you for your time, I'm very sorry for scaring any of you! - Prince ♛' He added the little footnote at his classmates' request.

 

The balls of flame shot out of their windows, combining together as he zipped it through his window to dance between his fingers before laying his head down again.

 

One of his classmates gulped before patting his head softly, "That was... a small demonstration?"

 

He nodded as the teacher dismissed them from classes, sitting still until he was the only one left in the room. He played soft music before sitting up properly and propping his chin on one palm, looking out the window toward the sunset.

 

He answered a call.

 

 

★

 

 

Bakugou Katsuki was angry.

 

It started with those— it started with himself, it always did— fuckin' requests.

 

The worthless extras thought they could steal some of his food today, they thought they could smoke while he was around, they thought they could leech off his homework answers.

 

Having had enough after they accidentally spilled food on his desk, he threateningly released a few explosions, "Stupid, shitty, bastard-looking motherfuckers should know their fucking places, shouldn't they? Or do I have to show them?"

 

They behaved quickly after that.

 

And that Princey-boy applied to Yuuei, probably thought he was as strong as Katsuki, probably thought they were on the same level, probably thought he was better than him! That son of a bitch—

 

The school was on fire.

 

It happened in a second, he was spouting disgusting slurs about the Prince to his class when everything went up in flames.

 

But nothing burned, their color would turn into a pale lavender before going near anything flammable. The fire fucking changed colors, making it hot as fuck, the violet flame was the hottest, it was the hardest to look at too.

 

Then the flames... moved?

 

It formed words on the board about how it was a 'little demonstration' of a student's quirk, about how people were scared of fire— he had five classmates with their eyes closed, and he felt a small amount of guilt as he knew those were his fault, but he quickly squashed it down—

 

And now the fuckin' firebender or some shit had a surprise for them, so they looked around before some parts of the flame broke off and were shaped into their favorite animals.

 

The words changed again which told them that they could keep the fire animals and that this was the work of that '- Prince♛'

 

Katsuki silently fumed in his seat, having decided that he would have a few words with that shitty-ass Prince.

 

When the last bell rang, he told his lackeys to leave without him and leaned next to the doorway of the Prince's class. He waited for ten minutes, but the Prince was still inside like some goddamn hermit.

 

"Listen here you knock-off firebender motherfucker," He slammed the door open, "I'm the only one from this shitty ass school—"

 

The words died in his throat. Whatever he expected from a person nicknamed the 'Prince', it wasn't for the guy to literally be the fucking embodiment of charming.

 

What he didn't expect was to step inside and hear the Prince singing softly(beautifully).

 

What he didn't expect was to see him twirling one clump of his green hair around his finger(He saw white underneath, temporary dye?).

 

What he didn't expect was to see him leaning back with his 'normally' neat hair in a messy bun and his bangs pushed up carelessly(a third wavy from the bottom, he noticed belatedly).

 

What he did not expect was to see two green eyes looking into his ruby red ones, with one looking like it was fucking burning inside(like embers floating freely).

 

What he did not expect was to see gold and white freckles dotted on his concealer covered cheeks(like stars, constellations).

 

"So this is the Knight that I had always rivaled... I apologize for not looking my finest at the moment, I take it you'll keep what I truly look like a secret?"

 

Katsuki swallowed as the Prince spoke calmly, gaze now looking out the window. He steeled himself before stomping over, standing slightly in front of him, "Why the fuck should I?"

 

"I was disposed of by my grandparents due to it."

 

Disposed?

 

"The fuck you mean?"

 

"They demanded me to consent to the change of my gender, to put it simply. 'No male should have such a feminine face in this family! Oh, what a waste. You're such a flaw, the only flaw, in our bloodline.' were some phrases they said. But I refused, so they expelled me and my mother from the estate."

 

"Isn't that better than having your dick removed?"

 

Both were standing up now, Katsuki noticed how they were basically the same height, "They also sent stalkers to confirm I wore the dresses they incessantly assigned me, find times scheduled to behave prettily for rather older men with 'powerful' quirks, and flaunt me as their blood's budding female. Is it really?"

 

Katsuki had nothing to say to that. Fuck, what the fuck is wrong with having a goddamn dick?

 

"They wished I deliver an alluring, healthy, powerful child, all from their beautiful mother. They groomed me for it, I saw their facilities, heard their plans. They held biddings for me."

 

They were sitting on the windowsill, speaking softly like they were afraid the winds would carry their words.

 

"They received the cash, offered me to the bidders for a day, then stole me back. I had questioned why, and they informed me my marriage had already been arranged. I was so young and happy— happy that maybe I'd have somebody who would let me be me."

 

The blonde exhaled slowly before asking, "Did you meet them?"

 

Prince shook his head, "No, but they told me who it was."

 

"You knew them, then. So... You fuckin'— didn't like them?"

 

"It was my half-brother's name."

 

What the fuck.

 

"That's how I realized why they had never let me meet them— my half-siblings— because they deemed me his bride. They demanded me to carry my half-brother's child, Knight."

 

What. The. Fuck.

 

"It went on for eleven years before it abruptly stopped. If they were to find me now, I'd lose my... genitalia, forcibly. Through rape. My true description is very unique and there are many who'd kill for it."

 

He looked over, trying desperately to change the topic, catching sight of the beginnings of tears, "Why are you telling me this, dumbass?"

 

The Prince laughed, the sound so broken and heart-wrenching, running a hand through his already messy hair. That burning eye caught the sinking sunlight, "I apologize, really. I just... I received a call two minutes before you arrived. Telling me,"

 

"That my mother died."

 

Tears stained the winds as both boys sat beside the other silently until the Prince's Sun was gone.

 

Katsuki looked over the Prince's serene face illuminated by the moonlight, and he knew—

 

The stars took her place.

 

 

★

 

 

Enji was livid.

 

If only he'd been faster.

 

If only he'd been stronger.

 

If only he'd been better.

 

She wouldn't have had to take the pain.

 

She wouldn't have had to cry.

 

She wouldn't have died.

 

It wasn't like she expected to be sought out by the guilty's family and killed before Endeavor arrived as revenge.

 

 

★

 

It wasn't expected,
but life had always been full of surprises.

 

★

 

 

The burial was grander than most, having been paid by the number two hero himself.

 

Inko's coworkers, people from stores, bakeries, and supermarkets she frequented were there, most of his teachers attended too, with his classmates and the Bakugou's.

 

The Todoroki Family stood in the front rows while he stood at the very back with a beanie and hoodie covering his face. Inko's body as pristine as they could get with her curly white hair and pale skin.

 

Todoroki Fuyumi stood up and walked to the back, accepting the cookies he silently offered her.

 

Fuyumi took a bite before lighting up, "Oh my goodness! These are amazing, do you know where they could have got them?"

 

"I made them myself." He smiled softly.

 

"Oh, how wonderful, they taste really good! Tell me your recipe, and I'll tell you some of mine. Deal?"

 

"Deal."

 

They conversed quietly for most of the event, bonding over baking recipes and experiences in the kitchen, Fuyumi leaving after Rei had called her over, "Thank you for chatting with me."

 

Everybody left after a while, only leaving him and the Todoroki family.

 

He walked over to the front and stared at his Okaa-san's gravestone, whispering soft apologies and 'thank you's.

 

He took the hood off first, revealing his angular-but-soft face shape and features before taking off the beanie. His white-to-red bangs fell over his face, and a high ponytail flopped on the back of his head.

 

Rei blindly reached for Enji's hand.

 

He wiped off the concealer next, Enji stepped back abruptly and Rei inhaled sharply as gold and white freckles(stars) became prominent.

 

He took out the lens covering his green eye— the grass crunched as Katsuki's footsteps grew near, searching for his father's keys— and dropped it haphazardly before he took out the other one.

 

Rei choked on her sobs while Enji stood frozen.

 

Burning heterochromatic eyes flicked over from Inko to Katsuki, mesmerizing the blonde.

 

Izuku nodded once as a greeting before he looked over, smiling softly at the Todoroki family, "Touchdown on the moon. How's everything there, Houston?"

 

Enji took a step forward to stabilize himself, eyes wide and disbelieving, "Kasei?"

 

He nodded as Rei ran forward and caught him in a hug, mumbling disbelieving thoughts.

 

♛

 

When does love prevail?
(Always???)

Does it really?

 

Notes:

Kasei
火星 - Mars/Fire Star

Zanka
残火 - Embers

Kagayaku
輝く - Shining

Chapter 2: The 'You' in the Mirror

It had been more than half an hour, Izuku's arms were starting to numb, but his Mama Rei still hadn't seemed too keen on letting go.

 

"This isn't how it was supposed to go..."

 

Going through his life's timeline, again and again, he was bitter of how it had been, bitter of how much better it could have gone, bitter for missing out on so much. His conversation with Fuyumi replayed for the fourth time.

 

How much more of those conversations could he have had?

 

He gingerly hugged Rei tighter, unused to the feeling of home from another person apart from his Okaa-san, "It's not, Ma. But it never seems to go our way, does it?"

 

"Don't expect anything from anyone; you want to be a hero, don't you? Let us expect for you, baby...! Others will be expecting big things from you... So be good, okay? You will? Oh, you're my hero, such a perfect granddau—"

 

Shaking himself from the memories, he tried thinking of the times he had his way with anything— pain, so much painpainpa—

 

Rei laughed wetly— stopping the pain— before pulling away, cupping his face, "Oh, how you've grown— I'm so sorry we couldn't be there..." she was looking him over like he was worth something?

 

"You're only worth what you show, so make sure you're worth a beautiful amount~ This will make us so happy, hero. Go on, out on the stage you go!"

 

"Oh— Oh no, please don't cry... It was her choice, are you really saying she made the wrong one?"

 

"No! No, she never does," She moved her gaze to the name engraved somewhere behind them, "She never does..."

 

Okaa-san never does... She even brought him another family, gave him one, given herself up. But is it really right?

 

A firm voice spoke up, unfriendly, dismissive, powerful, "Pack your things—"

 

"Okaa-san does every time she sees it a bigger case." He answered without fear, making the man stutter from being cut off and his nostrils flare— reminding him of the brute, in all honesty.

 

"You're staying with us, then. Do what you need and meet me in the car."

 

He raised an eyebrow inquisitively at Rei, only to get a sad smile and a small shake of the head. His gaze followed hers as she spoke quietly, "I'll— we’ll take care of him. You don't have to worry anymore, just keep us safe from up there. Okay, love? You were always our angel on land... We both love you, until the world's end."

 

She squeezed him in a hug once more before letting go heading to the car, the children following her.

 

He looked at the direction they went in, but didn't expect to see Shouto staying behind with him, "You okay there, Shou-nii—?"

 

"What makes you think you can waltz into our lives? Are you that full of yourself? Are you happy to be picked up by a hero? You're nothing but the son of a succubus. Do not speak to me or my siblings; you have no part in our family."

 

What— "What?"

 

"You disgust me."

 

"Oh, baby those are for boys! Those disgusting little brats— you don't want to disappoint us, don't you babygirl?"

 

"...Why?"

 

"You're tainted. A half-blood. If your mother hadn't seduced my father, my mom wouldn't have been so upset, you— don’t ever call me your brother. You don't deserve a family if all you do is lie."

 

Did— was he serious?

 

"If you hadn't existed, our father wouldn't hit—" Shouto cut himself off, expression looking betrayed like he couldn't believe he said—

 

Hit?

 

Before he got a chance to ask what that statement meant, Shouto shot him one last glare and briskly walked away, leaving him to his Okaa-san's gravestone.

 

What a friendly family.

 

He shrugged, sat, and talked quietly about his week since the day, "'Kaa-san? You're listening from somewhere, I know you are. I— Somehow I had one of the most stressful mornings that day, nothing went my way and it all just built up. I used my quirk on impulse, it was scary but they looked— Ryuu-sensei looked at me like I was weak just because I never showed them my quirk? I only showed them a little bit but..."

 

"I got the call after that... Do you know the Knight people talk about? He... He probably heard me singing or something because he barged in and just started screaming— maybe I irritated him by it? I don't know. But he saw my eye and I just... spilled everything out. I don't know what he'll be doing with the amount of information I told him but I haven't talked to him since then. I cried...? When was the last time I cried without anybody telling me to? It was embarrassing to apologize, but I jumped out of the window before he could reply— which made him scream by the way!"

 

"This past week without you has been so lonely, Okaa-san...! What was I supposed to do? What am I expected to do now? I don't know what to do, what do they expect from me? Shou-nii said 'hit', does he... I'm scared. I'm so scared."

 

"You... I hope you're right about this again, I really do. I'll trust you. Look over me, okay? Until the world's end, I love you. I love you so much."

 

Recalling his acting lessons, clearing his mind from anything but the present crunch of the grass underneath him, he sighed heavily and walked to the car with a composed air.

 

Sitting quietly, he paid no mind to Shouto's scornful stares.

 

If he wished to bring hurt, feeble frowns hold no power.

 

Nobody spoke on the entire drive to the Todoroki household. Everybody was torn on what to do, everything was moving too fast.

 

He observed. Noticing how all of them still held the same smooth and dewy skin, he tried searching deeper. Nothing showed blearing signs of abuse, but being part of such an influential family would teach people how to hide— no scars, not even small ones, though they all wore long sleeves due to it being early April.

 

Shouto's smile was gone, Natsuo's eyes were full of hate, Fuyumi's hair was longer but her outgoing personality was replaced by the signs of a skittish animal, and Touya's hair was more white instead of his fiery red.

 

He filed all of those for later.

 

Once they arrived, he took in the decor, noting how it seemed to be a traditional Japanese house— almost too traditional for the era of quirks, especially fire quirks...

 

The house felt stale. Fake coziness emitted from different places where people stopped halfway through cleaning.

 

Unread books, magazines, hair ties, sunglasses, caps, and many other knick-knacks were strewn about— but the cushions, carpets, curtains, and shelves were immaculate.

 

It was either the people there weighed nothing, phased through appliances, or often stayed in their rooms.

 

They started walking in suffocating silence to the living room, none of the siblings made any move to approach him— they probably felt the same way his Shou-nii did.

 

Rei broke off from the group to prepare dinner, "I'm in the kitchen if you need me."

 

"Sit." The flaming pro gestured to a single couch-chair while he sat on the other and the siblings were pushed onto the family couch.

 

"Why is he here? We're not about to bend over and accept being his family like some desperate lapdogs, so why invite such disgusting filth inside?" Shouto spat.

 

Ouch. Okay, a great welcome to the family.

 

He closed off his emotions, putting on the same blank face Shouto had. His mother often told him he acted like a person with anything other than a fire quirk whenever he tried it on her, but she always broke down laughing right after.

 

He barely bowed, glazed eyes stared ahead, and spoke hollowly, "My birth name is Todoroki Zanka, but due to some complications I had been renamed to Midoriya Izuku."

 

No 'nice to meet you', 'please take care of me', or a simple 'hello' given.

 

He straightened up before looking at each one of them in turn, pinning them with a dead stare, "I am not one to assess people through first meetings alone, but Shouto-san had already expressed your distaste to my presence, and while I am not to press you to think me otherwise,"

 

"My Okaa-san was no succubus."

 

With that, he stood up and left the room. Completely unprompted.

 

"Remember to always wait for instructions; you'll be our hero in no time! If you go against what we expect... you know what happens, hmm?"

 

His steps faltered slightly.

 

Gathering himself, he knocked on the kitchen's doorway, having found the way around by following Rei's heat, "Mama...? May I assist you with dinner preparations? I'm... My presence is unwanted, currently."

 

She twisted around, grey eyes trailing over him as if she searched for... something before her gaze softened, she tucked one clump of her straight white hair behind her ear, "You don't have to talk to me like that, 'Sei. Be casual but respectful, that's all I ask— aside from chopping these vegetables, come along!"

 

Chuckling, he walked over and hugged her briefly— Don't touch without permission; you got slapped for it last time! Do you not learn, babygi— before picking up a knife. The vegetables were chopped evenly while both chatted light-heartedly, finding himself updating her of his life after they left, "Yeah I took some classes, but..."

 

He didn't tell her about the things he did Bakugou, opting to bring it up when the mood was set.

 

Once he finished cutting up the vegetables, Rei had him watch the pot as they continued chatting through topics, though he stood clear of family life, seeing it a strained topic within the household.

 

They finished cooking with thirty minutes to spare, plated the food with fifteen, and carried all of it to the table with five.

 

The dining room was huge compared to the one in his Okaa-san's flat, their rickety foldable plastic table and noisy steel stools would have been dwarfed by the long birch wood rectangle and thick chiseled legs complemented with ten heavy, tall, dark wood chairs.

 

After asking who sat on which seat, he carefully sat down on the farthest one from Shouto— placing him one side of Rei's end of the table, Touya's right side, and across Fuyumi.

 

He decided not to mention anything about the small blisters peeking out his Tou-nii's sleeves, his Fuyu-nee's poorly hidden fear, his Natsu-nii's apathetic but bitter aura, and tiny hints of a limp on Shouto. Collecting the little parts of the puzzle to piece together later, already making a... less-than-attractive image.

 

Dinner was a quiet affair; he tried to make himself as detached as possible, focusing on the facts of his week and picking apart the emotions instead.

 

The case. Excitement, Anticipation, Curiousity.

 

Charged the guilty. Pride, Happiness, Relief.

 

Bad day. Irritated, Angry, Tired.

 

The call. Panic, Dread, Regret.

 

Revenge by death. Anger, Frustration, Hate.

 

First on the scene, Endeavor, too late. Shock, Dread, Guilt.

 

The brute. Helplessness, Sorrow, Defeat.

 

The week alone. Loneliness, Grief, Longing.

 

The funeral. Sorrow, Apprehension, Numb.

 

Shouto— disgust them, tainted, disgrace, half-blood, succubus, half-blood, tainted, half-blood, halfbloodhalfbloo—

 

He placed his utensils down gently, took a deep breath in, flexed his hand, and continued to eat, casually avoiding the Todoroki's concerned gazes.

 

"Stay here once you've finished eating, I need to speak to you. Everyone else can get out." A booming voice bellowed heavily, uncaring of the immensely tense atmosphere.

 

Did Endeavor always have to speak in 'boom'?

 

Finishing up quickly, Rei and Fuyumi collected the dishes and cleaned the table before walking out of the room. Both of them gave him tight smiles whenever they caught his eye.

 

He moved to sit on Rei's seat, staring unwaveringly at pro-hero Endeavor's cold, cold eyes.

 

They sat there staring, dissecting, observing.

 

The man spoke first, volume indicating that he couldn't sense four huddled up presences—

 

"You're going to Yuuei."

 

"I already applied."

 

"Good, I'll be recommending you."

 

No. "No, you will not. I'm not some pet project for you to display, you don't get to decide my life for me, not after all these years of—!"

 

"I searched for both of you— believe me, I did! But I've only had so much luck from the faces I knew so long ago, faces that changed so much."

 

"The 'Number Two' should have had enough informants to find similar quirks, shouldn't he?"

 

What was he doing? Was he supposed to reply? Where was the line drawn?

 

"You covered your stars, your hair and eyes were green, you changed your name, and you unregistered your quirk! If you were hoping to be found, why did you hide so much, Zanka?"

 

"Zankaaa~" A female voice sing-songed, the rasp indicating that the owner was aged, "Come here babygirl~! Your Jiji and Baba just want to show you some pretty princesses, come. See? They wear such elegant dresses, you should too Zanka-chan!"

 

Zanka fought to kick out of their hold, but 'her' Baba spoke again, "Aww... Zanka-chan, you're making us sad! We're so sad now! We thought our granddaughter knew how to listen, don't you want to make us happy?"

 

The child stilled, blue and green burning eyes wide and disbelieving as her head shook frantically, running over and hugging the grandmother's legs.

 

"Oh, so good! You're such a good girl, Zanka-chan! Now, let's make you the prettiest princess, okay?"

 

So they started.

 

And it took everything in the child not to scream.

 

"Don't call me that—!" a growl, "Your parents gave me that name."

 

"Kasei, then."

 

"You—!"

 

"Are you afraid of my quirk in you, even after all this time?"

 

"Never use his quirk, do you understand?" Her Jiji reprimanded harshly, "It's unsightly! Puny embers but enough to burn me alive, honestly... Do you want me to buy a shot that can erase it?"

 

She yelped a 'No!' as he gripped her long hair, immediately backtracking after, "No, Jiji I won't use it again! I promise! I'm so sorry; I just thought they were pretty so I put on a show for you to be happy! Don't take my quirk, please!"

 

"Good. Do you see it? Bad girls get punished. But our little Zanka-chan is such a good girl, isn't she? Stay perfect for me and your Baba, all pretty to make us and other people happy."

 

"Yes, Jiji."

 

"It's weaker than Enji's, but his nonetheless. We don't want you to be like him, Zanka... So weak, so pitiful, just stay pretty and people will love you already!"

 

Zanka learned how to hide.

 

"I may have a fire quirk, and it may be from you, but I learned to control it, and I made it mine. It's my fire."

 

"Ah, so you're still scared of using it on people."

 

"Fire burns people, people who aren't me; Mama Rei and Okaa-san were never people of violence."

 

"But you'll fight villains—"

 

"Villains are people too! Look in the mirror." He cut him off, "Even I can see what you've been doing."

 

Endeavor clicked his tongue, "Fire quirks are the most prominent among villains, there are only so many pyrokinetic heroes who can diffuse those situations without much violence, child!"

 

He scoffed, "Then stop yourself, you hypocrite."

 

Four siblings gulped from where they were crouched near the doorway, hiding.

 

"Why you—!"

 

"You insolent brat—! A disgrace—! Should have done this from the start, ooh you could have—! LISTEN TO ME—!"

 

A slap. A burn. A laugh. A coo. Say sorry, Zanka-chan—

 

"If you ever raise a hand at me outside of training, you lose me, if you ever raise your voice at me by way of hostility any time after today, you lose me, if you ever hurt Mama Rei and her children after this conversation, you lose me, and if you lose me, you lose Okaa-san. Yet, you seem to be forgetting your morals... Have you already, Endeavor-san?"

 

"How dare you ask such questions of idiocy, child—!"

 

"Or have you gone mad from being stuck as 'The Number One's Shadow' for so long?"

 

"I am not some crazy lunatic! You have her wits, do you not!? Then you know I can't beat him, child. I've already tried so hard, all I wanted was to make my parents proud."

 

"Proud...? Make them proud!? Your parents forced both you and Mama Rei to marry and for— to create publicity to become the number one, it always had been about the rankings for them, not you! You're delusional!"

 

"I am not—!"

 

"If those four ever surpass you, it's their name to be remembered, it's their spot to claim, not yours! It wouldn't make them proud; you should know that they'll never be proud. So why did you project their ideals on your children, Endeavor-san?"

 

Endeavor was silent; staring at his finger as he absentmindedly drew repetitive designs on the dinner table.

 

"You hoped, but you couldn't do it. So you felt useless, you needed something to do, and once you realized what you were doing, it already became normal. When people create a normal, they don't know how to do anything else, I understand that. But human emotions don't justify people's actions!"

 

Having averted his eyes, the designs began to burn onto the table, "...I was just so angry that I didn't see how I took my self-hatred on— on Rei's family. Those four loved my parents so much, but I hate how they just threw you and your mother away!"

 

Rei's family?

 

"I met my siblings. And while they dislike me, we share the privilege of having you as our— our patriarch. You would know this if you cared enough, but just as you hate your parents for throwing us away, your children are starting to hate you for throwing them around!"

 

"I'm raising them how I was raised! But..."

 

"But your actions hurt you too? Because you're afraid it meant something different to your parents? Because you don't understand!?"

 

The adult gave an affirmative grunt, looking back at the table.

 

"That's because you care for them, I see how much regret you carry whenever they're not with you, and regret's proof that you care. It's saddening, really, that from the four of them, only Fuyu-nee—" He coughs, "Fuyumi-san has faith in a happy family, however tiny her sliver of hope."

 

The thought was clear, 'You care for them, but your parents didn't care for you.'

 

Endeavor hummed, "They ripped me of you— of my family, and gave me a new one! Like you were... Like you were something of no importance, some worthless pawns to replace... You're not, never were. But Rei... Rei didn't have a choice; she did her best when my best is to destroy."

 

"You don't have to fix everything, you can be wrong sometimes too, you're human and mistakes are natural. But your children— yours, not just Mama Rei's— they deserve more than to be broken down, more than to be thrown around."

 

"I love your mother, you know that, and being handed a family felt so wrong... Loving them felt like replacing both of you, it hurts to see them happy when you—! It still feels wrong sometimes, and I hate myself for it, I hate my parents for it, I can hate the world for it, but it's all I do! I hate, I hate, I hate, and I just can't stop hating—"

 

"I do not wish to fight with you after her death, I'm sure she wouldn't like this either..." He breathed in deeply, "I just lost Okaa-san from my very short list of people who care for the real me and who I can care for in return, I only hope that one day I'll be proud enough to place your name on that list again. And if you're stuck as that glorified gorilla-in-spandex's shadow, then stop messing around and be the best goddamn number two there is."

 

Endeavor blinked twice before snorting.

 

"I can see your mother's spunk in you now."

 

"I am not my mother, Endeavor."

 

"I know—"

 

"And your children shouldn't be you, you bullheaded idiot."

 

"I don't— oh."

 

"Yeah, oh. Mama... Mama told me that your parents died three years ago, did they not? Why were their deaths not public? We could've gone to you, Okaa-san..."

 

The pro ran a hand through his red spiked up hair, "I'm... I'm sorry. You were almost six when my parents had you gone, they didn't tell me at all. When I came back from the mission— I didn't expect you to be gone. I had informants search every city in Japan for every child with ember or fire quirks, for your hair, for your stars, for your eyes, they were intercepted with my parents' agents before they could go further than that. And when one came back with a news article, your hair, and ashes, Rei thought both of you were dead."

 

"So you just... Gave up?"

 

"We knew you always wanted to attend Yuuei, so that was one of our last chances. I couldn't get away from my parents' hold, any admission of how much power they had over me to the public would have dropped me from my spot— what do you think would happen to those four, to Rei? My parents would just find ways to have custody over them, spewing lies about Rei. I would have been seen weak; I'd lose so much power. The power I needed to search for you, the power I'd lose as a hero if it got out I had your mother, the power I need to be Endeavor. We weren't ever going to stop searching for you, but how could we have continued when we didn't know what we were looking for anymore?"

 

He started to get mad, "So you were giving up!? I wouldn't care if you gave up searching for me, but you gave up on Okaa-san! You... You made her hope— she prayed every day just to ask someone if she could ever see you and Mama Rei again but you just decided to give up on her!? You're a Pro-Hero who arrived at the scene too late, but before she died, you— you were no hero."

 

"You—! That's enough...!"

 

Endeavor slammed his hands down the dining table and stood to leave, "You will not put any words in my mouth! Not after we tried so hard, not after how much we grieved, not after the last time I could have seen her was in her coffin."

 

"Okay." He sighed, placing that train of thought in his 'pick apart later' box, "Well, what are your plans?"

 

"I'll place you in the regular exams and I'll ask Shouto if—"

 

This idiot—

 

"No, not those plans, I meant parenthood. Or will you continue as things are now?"

 

"I don't... How do you— I don't know anything else! I'm just doing what I was taught to do as a child, how can I be a father when I don't know what that is?"

 

Honestly, this mess was too much. To lighten the air, he chuckled, "I know that you know all your children— all except me. So if you were to talk to them one-on-one, think of how you would go about it. What would you need to do to get your point across? What can make them connect with you? Who are they?"

 

It was silent for a few seconds, the pro back to repeatedly tracing patterns on the table.

 

"Tou..." Endeavor cleared his throat, "Touya understands with actions and expresses through anger so... A rage room, some baseball, or a gun range, maybe? Natsuo is sassy and would never take me seriously unless I do things he knows I absolutely hate—"

 

"That's a long list—"

 

"So hugs and..." Endeavor glared at the table before sneering, "And affection."

 

That made him let out an amused huff, the brute's ugly scowl flashed through the haze in his mind briefly.

 

"If some fuckers told you what to be— I don't know, shit— Was it really you?" The brute scowled at the ground beneath their hanging legs, as if the words were almost painful to speak. Looking away, he continued quietly, "Was it you? Or was it them through you?"

 

Nobody mentioned how it didn't seem like he was asking about the past.

 

"Shouto needs Rei, and Fuyumi would probably settle for chats in cat cafes— Is... Is this what being a father is? Oh, it's so stressful."

 

He chuckled, quickly dismissing the memory.

 

He had no answer.

 

"If I was part of your PR team, I'd be constantly releasing statements of you apologizing for your frigidness and emotional constipation from the billboards. Honestly, how they managed your image still amazes me. Start by getting therapy for all of you, join father counseling groups, just listen to them."

 

"I... I'll try."

 

"I'm giving you a chance, not a chance to redeem— but a chance to renew; I'm not doing this for you, not for those four, not for me, but for Okaa-san and Mama Rei."

 

"Thank you."

 

"Okaa-san worked in a law firm while we were in hiding, I know every loophole within the rules, and I'm very good at exploiting them. I could have you stripped of your license, be labeled a villain, and arrested in the span of a day. Do not test me, Endeavor."

 

Endeavor chuckled fondly, "Of course."

 

Inko knocked on his door as he sensed her familiar heat, slithering on the ground to unlock it, she smiled, "I'm heading off to work early tomorrow, so make sure you'll be okay. Your belt and your phoenix hoodie are in the wash, they should be ready by the morning, don't use the stove because we have a tiny gas leak, you rearranged your toiletries today, and make sure to charge your phone."

 

He groggily nodded his head and kissed her cheek goodnight, "Night 'Kaa-san, Love you."

 

She chuckled fondly, "Goodnight, Kasei. Until the world's end."

 

Coffin. Burial. Grave. Tears. Murder. Revenge. Alone. Alonealonealone—

 

He stood to leave before pausing in front of the man, "Before I forget, do I have permission to swear in your presence, oh dear sir?"

 

"That depends on the setting. Do you need to be grieving with me or Rei?"

 

"If we could... Could we train, me and you?"

 

"You... You'd train with me, after what I've done to your sibli—?"

 

He passed by Endeavor and stepped outside the doorway, glancing briefly at Shouto before turning back to the pro, "They've made it very clear that I'm not their brother."

 

Fuyumi covered her mouth as tears stained her sweater silently.

 

Natsuo had a dazed expression, nobody had the guts to talk back to their father aside from him, and Izuku just called him a 'bullheaded idiot'.

 

Touya was smirking as he thought about the gun range.

 

Shouto still had his blank mask on, though his eyes were angrier(and a bit confused) than before.

 

Izuku shrugged once, "Besides,"

 

He smirked.

 

"My embers can beat you any day, Enji."

 

Enji sniffed before coughing wetly, "Training room, four in the morning, wear clothes that won't burn. I don't appreciate tardiness, Kasei."

 

Enji sniffed again and turned around, his back facing the doorway.

 

"She loves you too, you know." The boy spoke softly, "Until the world's end, is what she said."

 

Enji slid down the wall next to the doorway, the siblings hearing his surprisingly quiet 'THUMP' from the other side.

 

He closed the door and breathed deeply, the walls barely muffling Enji's broken sobs. He tilted his head up, tears rolling across gold and white freckles, "Let him grieve."

 

"Izuku—"

 

"Stop. If you judged my character from his blood alone, you're no different from that flaming buffoon. Give it time— give him time. I'll get out of your hair soon enough."

 

He walked away.

 

Once again, he followed Rei's heat as he explored the many hallways, ending up behind a slightly open door.

 

Rei was fixing up a bedroom, it was small and felt cozier than any of the others, with six sliding doors apart from the one as the entrance(all of which a plain fusuma), a small fireplace in the middle of the room, and a mural on the ceiling depicting a burning sakura tree.

 

"The rooms closest to yours are Fuyumi and Natsuo, breakfast is at six-thirty, there's a bathroom up this hall so make sure you wash up after training, the stuff Ink— she packed you are in bags on the desk. We didn't look inside, so we don't know what to prepare..."

 

She led him inside before sliding open the doors across from the entrance, "These doors open to a low table, there's a floor chair, a lamp, and some notebooks and pens. Your bags are in here too."

 

Pointing at the doors to the right of the entrance, "Those doors have a bunch of drawers inside; you can put your clothes and extra stuff there. It already has toiletries, extra pillows, extra blankets, extra floor cushions, and a bamboo rug on the bottom rows."

 

Walking over to the left, "Your futon is laid in here, just leave the doors open if you want to see the fireplace. Light switches are on the wall."

 

He calmly approached the floor-embedded fireplace, noticing the barely hidden trapdoor in the corner, he pulled it open.

 

Inside were big, solid blocks of Anthracite coal, all neatly arranged.

 

"These are Anthracite. It burns better than the others, we'll be keeping some in a titanium box under your bed so you can get some whenever you'd like. Please be careful?"

 

"Of course, 'Kaa-san! Thank you! I'll make sure to hide from Jiji and Baba too!" The seven-year-old smiled brightly before running off, he didn't see his mother's sad smile.

 

"This is the only bedroom that has a fireplace, so please don't hold back on the coal... There are other rooms with fireplaces though. There's the living room, the balcony, the library— the shelves are quirked to not burn, along with the books— the fireplace room, and outside."

 

Fireplace room?

 

He picked up three blocks before placing them in the pit. Letting small embers flicker between his fingertips, he calmly lit a piece of twine he took from the box and placed it underneath the blocks.

 

He stepped back and sat on the floor, patting the spot next to him for Rei to join him, "How are you, Ma? Not how you were since we were gone, but now."

 

"I'm... dealing. You know I'm not good at breaking, but it feels like it was taken— a part of me was taken away, not broken off. It feels empty, has been for quite some time, but now that... now that she..."

 

A tear slipped down her cheek, shining against her pale skin, she hastily wiped it off while coughing slightly.

 

She's gone. Now that she's really gone. What hope could they hold on to?

 

Izuku nudged her with his elbow gently before nodding his head towards the fireplace. Once she got over her confusion and directed her gaze at it, he shaped it into his most recent happy memories of Inko.

 

Rei gasped excitedly as a mini-Inko danced around in the middle of the room, before laughing lightly at how she was balancing a carrot on her nose while cooking.

 

They sat for a while, him growing content as she smiled.

 

♛

 

Maybe Okaa-san was right.
(Maybe she was happier.)

She never made the wrong choices, after all.

 

Chapter 3: Chapter Length/Frequency???

Summary:

[5k words once a month] or [2.5k words every 2-3 weeks]?

[AUTHOR'S NOTE]

 

Hi! First of all, thank you so much for giving your support and reading this fic(and my other fics), it means so much to me!!!

I've only recently started trying the writing realm of media, and I love it so much so that I tend to get lost in worldbuilding and making fiction way too complicated, so expect this story to be very... sneaky. All scenes will be relevant, little items or phrases may mean more than they seem!

This story's writing status is currently on the concept stage, setting the feel for every chapter, so the plotline/timeline is already finished with its planning stage.

 

Secondly, I'm so very sorry for the delay! I've had personal complications with my family life here that brought home some heavy news and most of us have been having a hard time coping...

My academics have also dipped a bit due to this 'news' but I'll power through it and come back stronger!!!

Again, thank you so much for the support even though updates have not been regular, it means so much to me that there are other people everywhere in the world; and while I might not know you personally, I do know that you're strong! You're alive, you're breathing, you are here.

Sure, you have difficult times too, and problems may show themselves, but you're powering through it right now!

Thank you!!!

 

And last, I have been wondering if you readers enjoy chapters in the length of Chapter 2[The 'You' in the Mirror], it being 5.3k words, once a month,

or

shorter chapters, ranging from 2.5k to 2.8k words, every two-to-three weeks?

 

♛

 

Thank you for your support!
(You're valid.)

If you feel alone, the world will be there for you.

 

Notes:

[5k words once a month]
or
[2.5k words every 2-3 weeks]?

Comment below!!!

<3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Ruby Tinged Locks, Ember Freckled Eyes, and Star Specked Cheeks