The swing set creaked a mournful tune as I pushed Hato higher, his blue wings fluttering slightly to help. Haru and Taru were arguing over a shared ice cream cone nearby, streaks of blue and blonde hair flashing in the afternoon sun. A normal scene, a happy scene, the kind I desperately clung to. But beneath the surface, a gnawing emptiness always threatened to swallow me whole.
Being a single dad was hard enough, balancing hero work with PTA meetings and homework help. But being a single dad knowing the woman I loved, the mother of my children, was actively working against everything I stood for… that was a whole different brand of hell.
It had been three years since Y/N left. Three years since she stood on that rooftop, the All For One emblem gleaming on her chest, and told me she was going home. Home to the League of Villains, home to her father. The betrayal had been a physical blow, stealing not just my love but a piece of my faith in humanity.
I focused on Hato's joyful shouts, forcing myself to smile. "Higher, Dad! Higher!"
He inherited my love for the sky, that boy. And his love for birds, too, though his quirk manifested in a far more impressive way than my own. He could command flocks with a whistle, summon them to his aid with a thought. Haru, with her weather-controlling abilities, was just as formidable. And Taru… Taru was a walking, talking Swiss Army knife. Her bird control was terrifying in its precision. She could mimic any bird's traits - a falcon's eyesight, an owl's silent flight, a hawk's talons.
Lost in thought, I almost missed the familiar figure approaching us. White hair gleamed under the harsh light, and the air around him shimmered with an almost palpable heat.
"Hawks," Touya Todoroki, now the pro hero Inferno, greeted me with a curt nod. He was still as reserved as he had been in high school, but there was a kindness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Inferno," I replied, offering a tired smile. "Taking the kids for a bit of fresh air. You?"
He shifted his weight, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Just patrolling. Thought I'd say hello."
The kids, momentarily forgetting their ice cream squabble, stared at him in awe. Inferno was one of the top heroes now, a powerhouse with a fiery quirk.
"Inferno! Can you make fire birds?" Hato blurted out, his wings flapping excitedly.
Touya's lips twitched in a rare smile. "Maybe later, kid. Don't want to set the park on fire."
And that was it. A brief exchange, a casual hello. But something felt different after that day. Touya started showing up more often, seemingly by chance. He'd offer to spar with me, which I usually welcomed as a much-needed distraction. He'd bring the kids small gifts – simple things like bird-shaped candies for Hato, or miniature weather vanes for Haru and Taru. He even helped Hato build a birdhouse once, offering quiet, practical advice while I awkwardly hammered nails.
He never mentioned Y/N. He never pressed me about my past, or my pain. He just… showed up. He became a constant, a steady presence in a life that felt increasingly chaotic.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues that mirrored Touya's own abilities, he sat on the park bench beside me. The kids were playing tag, their laughter echoing in the twilight.
"They're good kids, Hawks," he said, his voice low.
"They are," I agreed, my throat tightening. "I just… I worry about them. Especially now. With… everything."
He understood. He knew about Y/N, about her betrayal. Everyone did.
"They're strong," he said, his gaze fixed on the playing children. "Stronger than you think. And they have you. That's what matters."
His words were simple, but their weight settled heavily on my heart. He was right. I had to be strong for them. I had to protect them, not just from villains, but from the shadow cast by their mother's choices.
Weeks turned into months, and Touya became a regular fixture in our lives. He would help Haru with her quirk training, teaching her how to control the wind currents with precision. He would practice combat maneuvers with Taru, helping her hone her deadly bird-mimicry skills. He'd even sit with Hato, patiently teaching him about different bird species, fostering the boy's already deep connection with the avian world.
One day, while Touya was helping Taru refine her peregrine falcon dive, I noticed something odd. She had launched into the air, wings beating powerfully, and was hurtling towards a target dummy with incredible speed. But as she neared, she faltered, her movements becoming jerky and uncoordinated. She crashed into the dummy, landing in a heap of feathers and frustration.
"Taru, are you alright?" I rushed over, concerned.
She shook her head, her face pale. "I don't know what happened, Dad. I just… lost control."
Touya approached, his brow furrowed. "Show me again," he instructed gently.
Taru hesitated, then nodded. She took a deep breath, focused, and launched herself into the air again. The same thing happened. Just before reaching the dummy, her movements became erratic, and she lost control.
"Something's interfering with her quirk," Touya said, his voice grim. "It's subtle, but definitely there."
We spent the next few days trying to figure out what was going on. We tested Taru's abilities in different environments, at different times of day, but the interference persisted. It was always the same – a sudden, inexplicable loss of control.
Then, one night, as I was reviewing security footage from the park, I saw it. A flicker, a brief distortion in the air, almost imperceptible. It happened just as Taru launched her dive. And it happened every single time.
"That's it," I muttered, zooming in on the footage. "Some kind of electromagnetic pulse. Focused and localized."
"Someone is deliberately targeting Taru's quirk," Touya said, his voice laced with anger.
We knew what this meant. Someone was after my family. Someone who knew about Taru's abilities, and who wanted to neutralize her. Someone connected to the League.
The realization sent a chill down my spine. Y/N. Could she be behind this? Was she trying to hurt her own daughter? The thought was unbearable.
I turned to Touya, my heart pounding. "We need to find out who's doing this. And we need to protect Taru."
He nodded, his eyes blazing with determination. "We will. I promise you, Hawks. They won't get away with this."
For the first time in years, a flicker of hope ignited within me. I wasn't alone in this fight. I had my children, and I had Touya. And together, we would face whatever came our way. The hunt was on. And I knew, deep down, that this was just the beginning. The mystery was just starting to unravel.