Seeing The Sun

Saturday evening was the ideal time for children to watch their favourite anime, play games or run free at the neighbourhood play park.

Yet little Shouto sat at his desk that evening, reading another passage from his comprehension book, for studying was the only thing besides training that Shouto was allowed to do.

Clunk Clunk. Shouto flinched at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching his room.

Enji stomped inside the bedroom with an outfit in hand, tossing it on Shouto's desk. "Put that on, we leave in 10 minutes."

Gritting his teeth, Shouto tore his gaze away from the man he loathed and studied the sleek grey shirt and white dress shorts.

He lamented the fact that he was powerless to choose his own clothes, far less do anything that a child his own age could do; this was simply his fate as the Number Two Hero's prized son.

Thus, he grudgingly washed his face, changed into the new clothes and brushed his hair before Enji could chew him out for tardiness.

# # #

After the chauffeur parked in the driveway of a restaurant, Shouto climbed out of the car, only to be cornered by a swarm of persistent photographers.

Striding towards Shouto, Enji placed a hand on Shouto's shoulder. "Smile for the cameras."

Don't touch me. Shouto shrugged off the contact in disgust. There was no way he would play along with the charade of Enji being a good parent, considering the damage Enji did to him and Shouto's mother.

Trailing past the water gardens after the annoying photo shoot, Shouto followed the stonework pathway, with a wistful look on his face, wishing he had come here with his mother instead but it was simply an impossible wish, his mother was beyond his reach.

The boy stepped into the foyer in a depressed state and was about to take off his shoes when the most unlikely person broke his train of thought.

"Why isn't it, Endeavour and young Todoroki!" The unmistakable voice of the number one hero boomed, prompting both Todoroki's to face their rival.

"Out to dinner with your son too." Endeavour's nostrils flared.

All Might has a son? Shouto's gaze flickered to a green-haired boy with a face full of freckles, clad in a hoodie and denim shorts.

"Yes, let's dine together, Japan's top heroes sharing a meal off duty." All Might beamed with that signature smile but his son tensed up, staring wide-eyed at Shouto.

Great, he's scared of me too. Shouto looked away, remorse for his scar roiled through his stomach.

Be that as it may, All Might managed to persuade Endeavour to dine with them and they soon followed the host to a room which was the epitome of tranquillity, with a woven tapestry covering the walls, tatami mats lining the floor and a stunning view of the lush gardens from the balcony door, yet it did nothing to dispel the tension in the air.

Hands folded, Endeavour scowled in his seat opposite a grinning All Might, while the green-haired boy fidgeted in front of Shouto who kept his head down.

Fortunately, All Might lightened the mood, shocking Shouto by what he said next. "Aren't you going to say hello to young Todoroki?"

Squeezing Izuku's shoulder in a way that Endeavour was incapable of, All Might encouraged his son. "Izuku here is your biggest fan. He's always looking at the projection of you from the magazine."

"D-d-dad!" Waving his hands around, Izuku chanced a glance at Shouto before staring down at his lap, face red. "You looked re-really cool."

Pride elevated Endeavour's chin a few notches. "Of course he did, Shouto is my successor."

Shouto's head snapped up and he looked at Izuku in surprise, slowly absorbing the fact that Izuku was not scared of him but was Shouto's fan? Moreover, this was the first time anyone told Shouto that he looked cool with his scar.

Sipping sake, both fathers discussed their sons but neither boy listened to them, they stole glances at each other between bites of tempura until Endeavour's obnoxious ring tone marred the ambiance.

Number one, I'm the number one, number one .

Shoving the phone in his pocket after taking the call, Enji pushed back the chair. "I need to get back to the office, come, Shouto."

A pang of remorse shot through Shouto as he stood up, schooling his features into a mask of indifference. More than anything he wanted to stay longer and get to know the strange boy who was not afraid of him; such an opportunity might never come again, given how unlucky Shouto was.

Somehow, All Might read his mind. "Surely Shouto can stay for dinner?"

Endeavour gave All Might a hard glare but All Might pressed on, unfazed. "I will take young Todoroki home, he is safe in my care, I can't call myself the Number One Hero if I cannot manage that."

Izuku shifted in his seat and Shouto held his breath, praying for his luck to change.

Turning away, Endeavour grunted. "Have him home by six. So long."

Izuku leaned back in his seat, letting out a sigh of relief. "Phew, he's gone, he's sooo scary."

"Izuku." All Might chided Izuku who tossed Shouto a sheepish look.

Savouring the moment of someone admitting that Endeavour was scary, Shouto too leaned back in his chair, appreciating Izuku's honesty.

"Do you like Sukiyaki, son?" All Might spread beef slices over the leek on the steaming skillet.

Glancing down at the platter of meat strips, vegetables and noodles on the table, Shouto frowned, wary of trying a new food that he might not like and upsetting All Might with Shouto's particular taste in food. "I never tried it before."

"It's real yummy, I eat it all the time." Izuku smiled. "Dad will buy you whatever you want if you don't like it!"

"Izuku's right." All Might placed a small portion of the cooked meat into Shouto's bowl, ladled broth over it, then he added vegetables. "Here. Just say the word, it won't be a problem if you don't like it, son."

Nodding with gratitude, Shouto let the tension lease out in his body, picked up his chopsticks to sample the dish and chewed with a thoughtful expression on his face. "It's good."

Both father and son flashed him dazzling grins.

"My-my turn!" An eager Izuku cooked the next round of Sukiyaki, showed Shouto how to do so, serving Shouto himself.

And Shouto soon discovered that All Might ate a tonne and Izuku was a messy eater who loved to talk about heroes and did his best to include Shouto in the conversation about upcoming heroes.

As strange as it may seem, Shouto was more relaxed at the restaurant with All Might and Izuku than he ever felt at home since his mother was taken away.

# # #

The sun was low in the sky when Shouto and Izuku walked side by side on the pavement, slurping ice cream that All Might bought for them.

Shouto watched Izuku out of the corner of his eyes, thinking that Izuku seemingly ate the ice cream with a smile on his face.

Never had he imagined that someone would enjoy his company, given how quiet and awkward he was. Yet this did not matter to Izuku, warming Shouto's heart. "What's your quirk?"

Pushing the last bit of the cone in his mouth, Izuku's face lit up and he curled his fingers into a fist, lightening coursing through his hand. "It's a-a strengthening quirk just like my dad's!"

"Oh." Shouto's face softened when he noted the pride leaking from Izuku's voice and flashes of watching All Might specials with his mother filled Shouto's mind next, therefore Shouto created a ball of ice with his right side, before making a tiny flame in his left palm.

Izuku's jaw dropped open and he choked. "S-s-so cool, I can't believe it, Shoucchan's quirk, I'm seeing it for real, it's way better than the projection from the magazine."

Shoucchan? Lifting a brow, Shouto listened to Izuku's raving and mumbling before Izuku ran off to All Might, returning with a notebook and pen.

Curious, Shouto peered into the notebook, cheeks heating up upon noticing a sketch of himself and notes about his quirk; Izuku had drawn him, complete with scar.

Blushing too, Izuku confessed. "I like writing about heroes and I'm your biggest fan."

The boys were soon engrossed in quirk discussion, failing to notice where they were headed until All Might said. "We're here boys, run free, children should be children!"

Sucking in a shallow breath, Shouto stared at the bright colours of the play park, complete with a giant slider, tunnels, swings and other apparatus that he always longed to try.

"Come on, Shoucchan." Izuku grabbed his hand, leading him past the gates and towards the swing set.

Plopping down on the swing next to Izuku, Shouto gripped the chains, imitating Izuku who rocked back and forth on the seat, giggling.

Shouto's hair flailed as Shouto lifted up higher in the air, body light, lips curving in satisfaction. And once more, he forgot about his problems and just played to his heart's content with Izuku, chasing him on the monkey bars and up the ladder to the giant slider, trying everything that play park had to offer.

"Did you boys have fun?" All Might asked the children near the hour's end.

Izuku nodded and a happy Shouto answered, "yes."

Grinning, All Might scooped up both boys into his arms, warning Shouto next. "Don't open your mouth until you get home, young Todoroki."

"You gotta do it, Shoucchan."

Before Shouto could ask why, All Might leapt into the air with a whoosh. He gaped at the rare view of the roof tops, alleys and backyards and the sensation of wind striking his face, causing him to understand the hero's warning.

Glancing at Izuku who giggled behind his hands, Shouto did likewise and continued to gaze down in wonder until All Might landed in front of the Todoroki mansion with a thwomp.

"Thank you for today, All Might, Izuku." Shouto bowed his head.

All Might ruffled Shouto's hair and Izuku wrapped his arms around Shouto, causing an unfamiliar feeling to sweep through Shouto.

Pulling back, Izuku wiped away the tears staining his own cheeks. "I'm re-really happy I got to meet Shoucchan."

"I'm glad I met you too, Izuku." Shouto earned himself the brightest smile he had ever seen and more than ever, Shouto wished he could get to know this friendly boy better; Shouto too enjoyed Izuku's company.

"Wait, Shoucchan!" Izuku ran off to his father, scribbled something down before handing Shouto a sheet of paper with Izuku's phone number and email address. "I want to talk to Shoucchan again."

Clutching the piece of paper as if it were precious, Shouto marvelled at the fact that Izuku shared the same thought as him. "Thank you."

"Until next time, young Todoroki." All Might bade him farewell.

Turning away, Izuku waved at him until All Might soared into the air. "Bye, bye, Shoucchan!"

Shouto leaned against the gate with a tiny smile on his face, reflecting on the amazing evening spent with his rival and new friend, Izuku.

The End

A/N: This was loosely based on an Otpprompt on Tumblr. I couldn't resist the idea of little Shouto playing like a child and I thought Dad Might and Midoriya were the perfect people to make it a reality. Thank you for reading!