•Manipulation• [BNHA × Male!OC]

Chapter 142: Son Issues

Endeavor was rooted to the spot.

A sickening mix of anger and disgust rising in his throat.

Mixed with fear.

The fear that he'd not be able to protect his family once again.

And just then, a commotion from behind.

The three interns had leapt from the car.

The driver ejected their hero costumes, which Deku caught and launched at the respective heroes.

They donned their support items, ready to back up their mentor.

They were a few paces back when a flurry of those road markings flew at them, clearly trying to keep them from interfering with the villain's grand plans.

It was then that Endeavor's words echoed in their heads.

'Store it up and fire. Condense your power.'

Katsuki burst past his restraints with a large explosion.

'Be able to release your maximum output in an instant.'

A sea of flames cleared Shoto's path.

'Keep trying until you can do one of those things without thinking.'

A flick of Midoriya's finger send a wave of air pressure tearing through the markings.

The villain cursed at the interns, leaping back.

Taking the chance while the villain was off-balance, Endeavor charges forward.

And just as the villain was in arms length, he flings Natsuo back between the two once more.

Faced with the terrified eyes of his own child, Endeavor once again came to a screeching halt.

As the harsh words of his children played back in his mind, the villain drifted further and further away.

It was in this moment that the interns were finally able to surpass Endeavor.

The ran forward, past the motionless man.

First, Shoto burnt through a wave of those road markings that were attempting to capture him.

This makes the villain panic more.

He uses his quirk to throw nearby cars from traffic into the air.

"BECAUSE YOU CAN'T KILL ME, MORE PEOPLE ARE GONNA DIE!" the villain screeched, his last move being to hold a captive Natsuo in the path of an oncoming train.

Katsuki focused his power, condensing it before releasing it all at once.

He shot across the scene, grabbing hold of Natsuo just in time to fly out of harms way.

His next defeat came with the help of Midoriya, who had successfully used his Black Whip to stop the cars from falling to the ground. He safely lowered the vehicles to the ground.

Endeavor watched on in amazement.

In just one short week, his students had improved so much.

 Shoto was the one to deal the final blow. Armed with both side of his quirk, he charged forward, knocking the villain backwards and encasing him in ice.

In the immediate aftermath, Katsuki was trying to get Natsuo coherent again when thunderous footsteps sounded from behind him.

In a move unexpected from the flame hero, he wrapped his son in a tight embrace.

"Are you injured?!" Enji asked his son.

"NO!" Yelled a rather annoyed Katsuki.

Unfortunately, as he had been beside the boy, the blonde was collateral damage in the hug.

As Enji leaned in to check on his son, Katsuki quickly dropped to the floor to escape what he described as 'old man smell'.

He took a few good paces away before shouting, "WHAT ABOUT WHITE LINE CHUMP?!"

Shoto gestured over to the large block of ice, the villain's limbs and head sticking out of it haphazardly.

"He's been secured."

Satisfied, Katsuki turned and yelled at Midoriya.

"SHITTY DEKU, WHAT ABOUT THE MOB?"

The boy yelled back happily, "if you're talking about the people in the cars, they're safe!"

It was a complete victory.

One accomplished without the help of Endeavor.

The nastiest shit-eating grin spread across Katsuki's face.

"What was that old man? 'This winter'? 'Just once'? 'Faster than me'?" he mocked, raising his hands to the sky, basking in the accomplishment.

"'Show me that you can capture a villain'?!"

-

It was silence for a few beats, then in a soft voice.

"Yeah. You all did great." Endeavor praised them.

Katsuki's grin faltered.

"Wha...?"

"You guys covered for my mistake as quickly as possible." the hero added.

It was so unpretentious that even Katsuki felt ill-fitted to continue gloating.

"Suddenly he's all modest and crap..." He muttered under his breath.

"Let go of me!" Natsuo shouted once he was back to his sense, scrambling away from Endeavor.

"I'm sorry," the hero spoke to his child.

"For a second it crossed my mind, that if I rescued you..." he grit his teeth before forcing out his words. 

"That you wouldn't have anything to say to me ever again."

Natsuo looked at him incredulously.

"Natsuo, it's okay if you don't believe me. It's not that I was shunning you guys, but I ran away, leaving you with the responsibility." the mighty hero cast his eyes to the floor.

"I as good as killed Toya too."

Natsuo seethed.

"You weren't shunning us? What then? It's what Toya always told me you were doing..." he muttered bitterly.

"The day I forgive you... will never come...!" he spat, eyes brimming with tears.

"Because I'm not kind like Shoto...!"

Shoto flinched, watching the scene play out while his emotions shook inside him like a soda bottle on the verge of bursting.

"Even so," Endeavor continued, "Don't you still show up for Fuyumi's and Rei's sakes?"

"You do it so they don't lose the hope of going back to being a normal family."

His voice wavered, "You're kind too, Natsuo."

Finally, it seemed Enji had broken through to his son, who now just sat there and listened.

"You don't have to forgive me. I don't want your forgiveness, I want to atone," he seemed to almost be pleading Natsuo.

Tears were now rolling down Natsuo's face in rivulets.

"Sis seemed so happy... but when I see your face, I end up remembering..." 

"Why should I have to change?! 'Atone'? What the hell can you do?!" he sobbed.

Endeavor paused before replying.

"I have something in mind."