He's only seen pictures of them, like a legend he was never sure was true. Truthfully, it's a miracle Endeavor had slipped enough to allow for any evidence of their existence. All any detectives were able to find, though, is a single childhood picture of Endeavor's other three children, and a few old news articles on Rei, speculating how far into a relationship she and Endeavor were.

They look much older, in person, but he guesses it has been nearly a decade since that picture was taken. Growth is only normal.

"It's so nice to finally meet," Tsukauchi smiles, holding his hand out. Fuyumi is the first to shake it, smiling despite knowing why they're there. Natsuo and Rei follow suit, shaking Aizawa's hand, too.

He's not sure exactly how Tsukauchi pulled this, how he even figured out how to contact Endeavor's family with only little leads like a picture. But, apparently Rei Todoroki is taking up residence in a mental hospital, he was hesitant to meet her at all, once he learned why.

Because no mother should scar her son like that, no human should hurt another human like that. What might've been a mental breakdown and getting help for years and years, for her, is a permanent lesson to stop trusting, on Shouto's face. And now he lives half blind because of it.

But he tries to keep his anger in, for Shouto's sake. If they can't get answers from these people, the courts can overrule it all and decide they're lying. Worse, Endeavor might try blackmailing them and using them to lie.

As they all sit in Tsukauchi's office, Fuyumi seems to make sure her mother and brother are comfortable, scanning their faces and asking if they want to switch seats or anything like that. Tsukauchi's setting up his recorder, clearing his throat and such.

"I'm sorry to ask you here so close to a big holiday, whether you celebrate or not." He presses a button and a beep sounds. "I know how traffic can be, so close to Christmas."

"Oh, it was hardly anything. Natsuo loves driving, even if he does have road rage," she laughs, Natsuo crosses his arms and keeps his gaze steel.

"Well, that certainly makes me feel better," Tsukauchi laughs, sitting straight and tapping a blunt fingernail on his desk. "Did you three need anything? We've got water and vending machines down the hall, one of our interns can bring you-"

"Get on with it," Natsuo demands, voice tight. "We know we're here because Endeavor's finally gonna get what he deserves," there's a little lift to his voice, there, like joy. "And you guys need us to answer questions. Let's not act like this is just some meet and greet with Endeavor's secret family."

"Natsuo," Fuyumi scolds, but there are no repercussions.

Tsukauchi turns serious, "Alright, let's start then."

They go through introductions when the recording starts, each stating their name and connection to Endeavor. Then, Tsukauchi states what they're there for, how it will work, and officially starts the questioning.

"We'd like to know what age Shouto was when Enji first started to abuse him. If you have any details on the abuse, that would be great, too."

Fuyumi and Natsuo both look to their mother, for that. They must've been too young to remember.

So, Rei starts. "Enji always knew what kind of quirk Shouto would have, so he kept a close eye on how I fed him and how his health was. He started training Shouto in martial arts as soon as he turned three. But he first really acknowledged Shouto when he was four, and his quirk manifested as ice and fire."

"That's when the quirk training started, I'm not sure what the definition of abuse is, or if this falls under it, but Shouto was just four, fighting a grown man. Enji didn't take it easy on him. Shouto would come back to me late at night with bruises and burns, and... on bad days he'd get frostbite from his own quirk."

Tsukauchi writes it all down, flipping between sheets on his desk. "And was it clear at all what Enji expected from this quirk training?" He looks up to Rei, "An end goal?"

Rei hesitates, opening her mouth to answer but the words are stalled.

Natsuo answers for her. "The only reason he had all of us kids was the same reason he was training Shouto like that." Aizawa doesn't know much of Natsuo, next to nothing. But when he gets worked up like he is, he looks a lot like Endeavor.

"Dad married mom through a quirk marriage," Fuyumi fills in. "He wanted an ice quirk to accompany his fire quirk in a child that would grow up to be his heir." She rubs her cheek, sighing. "Our older brother didn't manifest ice in his quirk, so dad stopped training him after a while. After that, me and Natsuo were born and neither of us has fire quirks."

"And then Shouto came," Natsuo takes over again, voice low. "And that sick bastard finally had what he wanted."

Endeavor literally created his children with a goal in mind. And he didn't stop until he had the perfect quirk. The man selective breeds and expects to get away with it.

Tsukauchi shares a look with Rei, "Was this all consensual?"

She nods, "I've wanted every last one of my children, I thought they could help each other through it where I failed to."

He nods, writing it down.

"When we were questioning Shouto, he told us that he didn't remember anything before 'the dark room'. He later confirmed that he was talking about the dojo in Enji's home, where Enji would lock him and turn off the lights." All three seem to just be hearing this news. "Do any of you know when Enji first started this treatment?"

"What the hell," Natsuo mutters, holding his mouth closed with his hand. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Shouto was always just training, when I lived with him," Rei starts, face one of horror. "That, or being punished by Enji. Never... never being locked anywhere. He always came to me afterward."

Tsukauchi looks to Fuyumi, "You two were there after the incident which caused Shouto's scar, correct?" Rei practically flinches, but Fuyumi nods.

"Dad always just kept us from that part of the house. We had a maid that helped us cook and buy groceries, so he never really interacted with us. Of course," she looks to Natsuo reluctantly. "We've heard what he was doing, with the training and punishments, at least. But... neither of us knew about that."

"And when did you first leave the Todoroki estate?"

Natsuo clenches a fist. "I was nine, when Fuyumi told me that he was paying for us to move away. We went to live with an old woman who hardly raised us."

"So none of you knew about Enji's 'solitary confinement' plan?"

Everyone stills, even Aizawa.

He sits up a little, "Hey, what are you talking about?"

Tsukauchi turns to his computer, clicking a few things as he explains. "Hawks caught a confession with some recording devices. Unfortunately, we still need more witness accounts that confirm this, since Enji was drunk, at the time." He hits play.

Rei does flinch, this time, when Endeavor's voice plays lowly on Tsukauchi's computer. There's a little background noise from the barkeeper, presumably, telling them that he's closing.

Endeavor sure does talk a lot, when he's drunk. Hawks baited him, sure, but the words come out of his mouth like vomit. Telling about solitary confinement, how Shouto was given an hour twice a week to study and eat. Aizawa already knew this, but hearing it all again is just as terrifying. Especially now that he knows just how good of a kid Shouto is, how he's trying his best to do better, and how Togata scared him and he flinched, but protected Shinsou's sleeping body, instead of his own. He's selfless and Aizawa isn't even sure who he learned it from.

"When he was six, that started. After the fourth week he said it felt like he was floating, begged me not to put him in there again. Years later, being in there has managed to reprogram him. He doesn't know how to do anything but follow orders, now. He doesn't fight back, he just knows to protect the vital places on his body. Every word I say is law."

He didn't know it started when he was six.

The revelation twists his insides into knots.

Tsukauchi stops the recording, turning back to the Todoroki family. "None of you were aware of this plan? Of the schedule or anything?"

Fuyumi's grasping onto Rei's hand tightly, Natsuo looks sick to his stomach, the same as Aizawa. "Reprogramming," he mutters, eyes wide in disbelief.

"No," Fuyumi's voice is shaky. "None of us knew about that. If we did maybe, he wouldn't let us see him but maybe we could've... I did try when we left but he was... I've never even met Shouto. I never even knew him before dad started to... to reprogram him."

"You never met Shouto, is it safe to assume you haven't, either?" Tsukauchi looks to Natsuo, who nods quickly. "Okay, let's move on for now," Aizawa assumes he says it because Rei looks empty.

She looks a lot like Shouto.

They don't reveal much, just confirm a few things. Endeavor did this on purpose, he's sure. Kept them at a distance from Shouto so they could never truthfully testify to anything. Rei retells the story of how she burned Shouto, adding horrifying details as if she were truly in the moment. "He was screaming so loud,"she'd said, which won't help her case if they have to go to court with this. "I didn't know what to do, or what was happening so I tried to fix it..." Aizawa holds a good amount of anger for Rei, as well as her husband. He can't bring himself to justify the action just because it was an accident, or she was having a mental breakdown.

She should have gotten out of there before things turned worse, since Endeavor had given her an out before and she refused.

Afterward, he sits in the office with them alone, Tsukauchi gone to speak with one of his partners. He hasn't talked to them personally, yet, though he plans to. He just doesn't know how to start, after the things he and Tsukauchi made them revisit.

The short temper that apparently runs in Todoroki blood, saves him from having to start.

"Do you really plan on going against him?" Natsuo's arms are crossed and his face is scrunched in anger. "What if just makes things worse for us?"

Aizawa takes a deep breath. "We're all doing our best to keep you as far away from this issue as we can. This questioning was a necessary feat, I'm afraid. Otherwise, we really wouldn't have asked you here."

Natsuo softens, if only partially. "Why are you doing this? Aren't you just a teacher? What kind of teacher goes to police stations and questions victim families?"

He shakes his head, "I'm here because I'm Shouto's primary caregiver."

Rei and Fuyumi's eyes both lock on him in surprise. Natsuo gawks, "What? Why didn't you bring him here? Don't we deserve to see him, too?"

"Do you?"

Natsuo looks about ready to burst, but  Fuyumi places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Natsuo, calm down. Mr. Aizawa hasn't done anything bad to us. You don't have to be so defensive."

"That's bullshit, we always have to be defensive. Otherwise, people will use us and get rid of us and throw us away without any plans for our actual safety!" He turns to Aizawa, "Do you know how hard it was trying come back from being kicked out at nine? Even if that old bastard was paying for us, we had to make our own reputations with nobody there to tell us how, and a shit nanny-"

"How is he?"

Everyone turns to her, Rei's eyes are soft, gently glowing, set on Aizawa.

Aizawa swallows, "He's better. Trying."

Natsuo's struck speechless, Fuyumi too. The latter seems to find solace in Aizawa's response.

Rei gives him the softest of smiles. "I'm so glad."

Fuyumi perks up, seeing her mother's expression. "Does he ask about us? Does he want to see us?" Her smile is too happy and too forgetful of all Shouto's been through.

Aizawa, reluctantly, shakes his head. "I'm sorry, he... he's had a difficult life. The psychological effects of what Endeavor did..." He takes a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves. "He doesn't remember you all."

Silence ensues.

Aizawa points to Rei, "I think he remembers you, but not as...you. He referred to you as 'The white haired woman' in his notebook for therapy." Rei angles her head downward, her bangs hanging in front of her eyes. He clears his throat, "But he has that name grouped in with snow, and some of his friends, and he really likes snow, so I bet he has fond memories of you."

He knows she doesn't deserve assurance like that, Aizawa shouldn't even be telling her about the name he saw.

But when he looks at Rei, he sees a mother who has lost two of her children to a man who refuses to stop coming into her life.

"Can we see him," the tip of Fuyumi's thumb has taken refuge between her teeth, she chews lightly at her nail. "I'd really like to meet him."

Aizawa sighs, "I'm not sure. Someday, hopefully. I don't plan on keeping him away from you all, but I don't want to force all of this knowledge on him at once." Fuyumi nods, sullen. "If he remembers you, somehow, and asks to see you, I'll set it up."

Fuyumi smiles, tears flooding her eyes. "Thank you."

Tsukauchi comes in with such impeccable timing, it's no doubt that he was listening by the doorway. "Okay, guys, I just wrapped up." Everyone stands, Aizawa's leg is asleep. Tsukauchi shakes hands with everyone, Fuyumi first, just like before. "You all were a great help, we'll keep you updated on whatever we can."

"Thank you, detective," Rei bows, hands clasped tightly together around a hat. "Despite all of this, and the mistakes I've made, I wish Shouto can live a life untainted by his father. I'll help however I can."

Tsukauchi's smile is nearly contagious. "I'm glad to hear it, Mrs. Todoroki. I hope the three of you have a wonderful holiday."

Aizawa shakes Tsukauchi's hand, too, "Thanks for this."

"No problem," Tsukauchi pats his back in a friendly gesture. "Thanks for coming all this way, tell Shouto I say hi and Merry Christmas."

Aizawa nods, shrugging his coat up on his shoulders, "I will."

They leave his office, after that. Another officer shows them out. Aizawa takes one look out at the snow and traffic, and decides he'll stop for coffee before getting on the road. He wonders if there's a gas station not currently snowed in or blocked by a long line of cars.

"Hey," a voice calls, gruff and tired. Aizawa looks to his left, where Natsuo is approaching. Behind him, Rei and Fuyumi are getting settled in their car.

Aizawa straightens his posture, trying to match the intensity of the younger. He's taller than Aizawa, and he wears his height just as intimidatingly as Endeavor does.

"What's your goal, here?"

Aizawa blinks. "I don't understand your question."

Natsuo looks back to his mother and sister, before groaning and turning away from them. "With Shouto. Are you trying to be his new dad? Are you gonna let him go live with some random after the case is settled? What's the deal?"

Aizawa breathes deeply. "I plan on taking custody from Endeavor." Natsuo stills. "What I am to Shouto is his choice, but I'll be there to help him as long as he'll let me."

Natsuo looks distraught, now, rather than angry. "Can you really protect him? Would you die for him?"

Air catches in his throat, he makes to ask why Natsuo would ask something like that, where does he get off on harassing Aizawa when he's never even met the subject of his anger?

Instead, Aizawa nods, "I would. If it meant keeping him safe, I would not hesitate to choose his life over mine."

Natsuo hugs him, after that, whispering a quick thank you and a small apology for his behavior, truly in a 'little kid' fashion.

On the drive back, Aizawa realizes that Natsuo probably asked those questions because he thinks it might come to that. He thinks Aizawa might one day have to protect his little brother for the last time.

Aizawa doesn't plan on dying, because leaving Shouto might be just as detrimental as letting him die.

Endeavor sends a vague email to Aizawa and Tsukauchi, late at night. He asks to meet, and agrees to sign whatever they need.

The only condition: Shouto must accompany.

——————

"Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Shouto resists the urge to cover his ears. Iida is not usually this loud in the morning. Bakugo is just as loud, ironically, because he is yelling for Iida to shut up.

Shouto's socked feet are rooted to the ground, trying to figure out what to do, where to go. Everyone seems to know, like it's easy to decide. With so many people, so many places to be- the couches, or the kitchen, or near the tree, or back in his dorm- how can it come so naturally to everyone else, but not him? Is he supposed to know? Did he drift while Aizawa explained it to him? Is there assigned seating?

"Hey, idiot," Shouto snaps out of the haze of questions stealing his thoughts. Bakugo reaches forward, he doesn't touch Shouto. A few of his fingers pinch Shouto's sleeve, tugging him along. "Come sit with me."

Shouto follows easily, letting Bakugo lead him to an empty spot on the couch. Bakugo shoves him down onto the end of the couch, then sits next to him. Bakugo scoots so their thighs don't touch. It makes it so he is squished against Kirishima, but Shouto is not touching anyone. (Why?) He doesn't comment on it.

He tried to stay awake all of last night, but then he started to imagine that father was there, and so he texted Shinsou. He said that he wouldn't be here today, that he's celebrating with his own class and might come by in the afternoon. He'd texted Shouto to try and sleep, and if he has a nightmare, Shinsou can come over and stay with him until morning. It made Shouto feel like a little kid, like Shinsou really cared for him.

He did not have a nightmare.

He is handed a long piece of tape, one that tangles with the rest of the pieces of tape. Iida explains to him that he pulls it when he says go, and the present that comes to him is his to keep. Ashido interrupts the entire thing by handing out red and green outfits to everyone. Bakugo yells at her to sit back down.

When they pull the presents in, Shouto's gets stuck on someone else's. They pull hard enough to rip the tape from Shouto's hands, but he catches it and pulls even harder. He reels his present in, and questions what it is and if he's allowed to open it.

"What's the holdup?" Bakugo's present is already torn open, a pair of glasses held in his hand that look especially like Iida's. "I wanna see what you got, it can't be worse than mine," he huffs, cringing at the glasses.

Shouto picks at the corner of the paper, "Does Aizawa know we're doing this?" Bakugo fixes him with a look that Shouto can't decipher. "He won't be angry, right?"

It being Bakugo's he's asking, he expects some kind of aggressive retort. He's learned that this is just how Bakugo talks, that he's not really ever angry, just loud.

But, calmly, Bakugo shakes his head. "No, he won't be angry. Promise, IcyHot." Kirishima moves next to him, bringing him back into his regular persona. "Now hurry and open it!"

Shouto takes the corner he's been picking at and copies everyone around him, though, Iida's been folding his and saving it next to him. Bakugo watches just as intently as he does as the item is slowly revealed, Shouto ripping it slower than Bakugo would like, but eventually revealing Shouto's first Christmas gift.

"What dumbass wrapped a jar?!"

Shouto brings it fully out of the box it's in, inspecting the glass. Bakugo is seething, next to him, but he's not angry at Shouto. Bakugo doesn't hurt people when he's angry. He just yells. Shouto can handle it, even finds it comforting, knowing Bakugo is nearby. The same way Father's calls mean violence, Bakugo's calls mean safety.

Nobody even hears him, though, so he leans back and sighs. "What a shitty first Christmas present."

Shouto taps the glass once, "It's okay."

"If I were you, I'd be seething."

Kirishima laughs, next to him, "You are seething." He leans forward and meets Shouto's eyes. "Look, I think it's pretty cool. You can make jelly or something in it."

"It's a random jar," Bakugo reiterates, as if exhausted by the mere thought of someone thinking a jar was a good idea.

"Hey, you could plant something in it," Uraraka's on the floor in front of them, dangling an All Might keychain plush in her hand. "My mom has a bunch of old jars holding succulents and herbs and stuff like that. They look really pretty if you take care of them."

Shouto tries to imagine the jar filled with soil and a plant, he thinks he likes that better than jelly making. He nods.

"Yay! I can help you? We'll probably have to wait until the weather gets warmer, but it'll be fun!" Wide brown eyes search for approval in his, and he nods, not knowing what else to do. She smiles. "Great!"

The day is a blur, after that. The good kind of blur, when everything happens so naturally and so unimportantly that you can't recall most of what you've been doing all day. Satou brings out an entire feast, at some point, and Bakugo eats right next to Shouto, shoving away any arms that come too close for comfort, on their journey for the salt, or dipping sauce. Yaoyorozu ends up asking for help getting dishes back, Shouto helps with that, too. Then, Satou hands him a plate filled with food, tells him to set it on the table. The little tasks keep him present, keep his mind off of the fact that this is the first time he's ever done any of this.

It keeps him from being able to think about how this has always been happening, and father kept it from him. Every year, this happened, and Shouto keeps trying to look back to his time in the dark room, tries to find a time he can remember where it might've been Christmas, everywhere else. And he was stuck locked in the dark room, because he was bad? he deserved it? why?

Shinsou arrives with Eri and Aizawa, holding two presents. He hands one to Kaminari, who absolutely melts. The other, he hands to Shouto, telling him not to make a big deal out of it.

When he opens it, it's a case for his phone. A deep arctic blue with clear accents. Shouto puts it on his phone right away, thanking Shinsou.

"Yea, well, since you know how Christmas works now, I expect a present next year."

"I promise," Shouto urges, nodding. And he can't wait for next year.

Next, Aizawa pulls an unwrapped box out of his pocket. It's the size of his hand, plain white with no words. Shouto unboxes it and finds a plastic oval. Aizawa reaches over and flips it open, two little earbuds sit in it, LEDs turning on as the case is opened. "For working out, or just for listening to music. They connect to your phone, I'll show you later." He smiles, awaiting a reaction.

Shouto nods, "Thank you." He doesn't have any other words he thinks can fit his emotions. They're too big for his body, too big for him. They make his heart pump tears to his eyes, instead of blood to his veins.

Shouto remembers hugging the white haired woman, when he thanked her or promised her something. but he doesn't like being touched He can't bring himself to try, he keeps imagining Aizawa holding him there  against his chest, not letting him go, or breathe, or anything. Crushing him until his ribs break and shatter inside, until they pierce his heart and kill him.

But Aizawa held him before, right? None of that happened.

(But it could.)

Shouto raises his hand above his head, and Aizawa is ready, this time. (He thinks he scared him, the first time.) He high-fives Shouto with a smile, and Shouto thinks it displays how thankful he really is.