A/n

Hey! So I have no idea how old Rei is since dabi/touya is the oldest. She looks youngish so I'll put her around the age of bakugo's mom at 38.

Also, I just wanna ask the question what as readers got you guys into fanfiction?

Well Enjoy, and I don't own anything!

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Sometimes pain is all we know. It defines us to who we are and how we develop later on. Most either known it through strife or abuse. Abuse has many categories that fit under this from physically, emotional, sexual and psychological. So in layman's terms it could either strengthen you as a person or break you.

For Rei Todoroki, It broke her as a person.

The woman had been pressed under the thumb of her abusive husband for 20 long years. Years of biding and facing the wrath of man who only used her to make a so called "perfect creation", between their quirks.

Quirk marriage wasn't uncommon, but it mostly used by clans trying to strengthen their quirks or extend the image that had to upheld. Her family held generations of powerful Ice quirks so to keep it going her father offered her up for marriage.

That's how she had lost her freedom.

From the moment her father auctioned her off as an object of status is when she realized she'd never know what freedom would be like every again.

It was when she met Enji that she learned what true enslavement was.

At first, he was nice in the beginning. He took the time to learn about her. To court her in simple gestures of romance and simple devotion. Though it didn't last past the first night after their wedding.

She remembered it well because she had cried for hours afterwards. The man that was suppose to be gentle and kind became rough and aggressive. She recalled ever bruise, burn, and scar from that first night they had spent together. The pain that racked over her body from hours upon hours worth of aggressive sexual intercourse. The cries of pain and pleading falling on deaf ears as he used her body however he pleased. That first night she knew she just a slave and she would never escape from this life of pain. A numb feel setting deep into her core.

Nine months later and their first Touya Todoroki was born.

The child bearing all of his features from the red hair to his deep blue eyes. At first she felt content that a child born from the man's aggressive nature would only lead her to more suffering.

Though as she held the baby in her arms as it stared at her with such love and wonder she had broken down and cried.

She vowed to protect the child with all her life. Though the vow became an empty promise after that day for the pain would only come from the cruel tyrant known as her husband.

[]

"20 years..." She thought ruefully as she stared out the window of her small bedroom. The design simple as it only had a bed, closet, a desk and a small bathroom. The hospital she was in providing her with care right after...the incident.

4 childern.

In those 20 years she had given birth to 4 beautifully children. She had loved each one dearly and tried as she might protected them from the violence of the uncaring man that was her husband.

It was when shoto was born that she broke completely. Shoto had been the perfect unison of both their quirks. The cruel smile that he gave the child frightened her to no end for he finally got what he asked for.

She had raised him best she could with as much love and nurturing motherly affection as she could. For when he recieved his quirk he would be subjected to the cruel training as the other were taught.

When he turned 4 is when her mental stability finally collapsed. The years of abuse finally catching up to her as she remembered the moment clear as day. The fear she felt when she saw his left side.

She cried everytime she thought about that moment. The cries of pain from her youngest as scalding hot water was poured upon his left side scarring him not just physically, but emotionally as well.

Years later he came to visit her at the hospital. The little boy she remembered now a teenager and almost taller than her. The tears that she shed apologizing for all the pain she caused him and the years she regretted not being there for him.

That day she had reconnected with the son she had hurt long ago. A small step in recovery as she tried reconnecting the broke pieces of her family once again.

[]

After that shoto had spent as much of his free time as he could with her. Telling her stories of school life and his hero training mostly.

She had smiled as she discovered her son had made many friends and that he had developed a geniune smile that he carried instead of his usual neutral expression.

A knock at her door pulled her out of her musing.

"Rei-san you have a visitor." A nurse spoke through the door.

"Funny the only visitors I get are my children..."

Cautiously she got up from her bed as the door opened to reveal the unknown visitor.

The first thing she noticed was the unruly mess of green hair. The visitor was a young boy probably as old as Shoto. He had green eyes and a face adorned with freckles. The shy smile on his face as he stood there nervously by the door.

The boy was no other than Izuku Midoriya. The stories that shoto told her made it clear that this was him. The nervousness and green hair being a dead give away.

"G-good evening Rei-san!" He stuttered nervously. The boy looked around everywhere,but her.

"It's kinda cute."

Calming down she gave the boy a gentle smile.

"You must be Midoriya-san. Shoto talks alot about you." She chuckled light as the young man before her blushed uncontrollably.

"Though it brings the question what are you doing here?" She questioned. She never got any visitors outside her children and nurses so seeing someone new made her slightly antsy. Though she wasn't feeling any of that as she looked at the boy.

In fact she felt...tranquil.

"W-well my mom works in a different section of the hospital and shoto couldn't make a visit today saying he had his intern ship. So I decide to kill teo birds with one stone basically." He explained awkwardly looking off to the side.

"True he had said that his internship would take up alot his time..."

"Well thank you for coming in his stead. I don't get many visitors so it's nice. Also it's good to finally meet one of his friends." She spoke coolly as a small smile graced her lip.

Shoto does talk about his friends alot. The person who he spoke highly of though was Midoriya himself. The young man before her was the reason her son was even seeing her. He had made her son realize that he was his own person and broke him from his spell of anger he held in his hear. That his quirk was his power and not his fathers.

"I-it's no problem! Umm..I also brought umm these for you." Now noticing the small box he held he carefully removed the top to reveal a small assortment of pastries.

"F-for me?" She questioned shyly.

"Yes he said you liked sweets,but wasn't specific so..." He said scratching cheek with a smile.

It was indeed thoughtful. The food wasn't bad here,but they never really gave her many choices. Peaking inside the box she gazed upon each beautiful created pastrie.

"I hadn't had any of these...in well years..."

Most of her life she was on a strict diet with only the rare occurrence of something sweet or even the occasional soba.

"I...thank you.." She didn't really know what else to say. Their first meeting and he had brought her a gift. It was genuinely nice for a change.

"...Would you like to eat with me? I couldn't possibly eat these all by myself?" She questioned gesturing towrds the pastries. At the question he gave her a rather heart warming smile.

"Yes! I'd love too!"

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Before she knew it they had talked for hours on end. True to what shoto said of the boy he was fascinated with quirks and all things related to heroes. He had asked her dozens of questions about her quirk and she happily explained everything to him as he had a look of excitement on his face.

This was the first time that someone was generally curious about her. The way his eyes brightened in curious and wonder filled her with a emotion she couldn't explain.

She intern asked him questions about him as well. She had discovered his dad was over seas most of his life and was raised mostly by his mom. That he was first diagnosed quirkless ,but was a rare late bloomer. The boy even told her his favorite hero was All Might just like Shoto.

She laughed when he did the perfect Impersonation of All Might shouting the catch phase,"I AM HERE!"

She laughed.

She hadn't laughed that hard in ages. It even came to the point she was snorting from how hard she was laughing.

"That's so hahaha spot on!" She laughed with the biggest smile she ever had.

A small knock of the door alerted them that visiting hours were almost over.

Calming down she looked at the rather blushing boy im front of her now.

"Thank you for spending the day with Midoriya-san I haven't had that much fun in a while." She hadn't had fun since she was a kid and the boy had brought that feeling back to her in less than one day.

"I did too! It was really good to meet you!" That same genuine smile appeared again and her chest tightened again.

Picking himself he dusted off his form before reaching the door as gentle tug was felt on the back of his shirt. Turning he saw the form of Rei with a conflicted expression on her face.

"...Would you mind visiting me again?" She asked. The boy had made her feel emotions she hadn't felt in years, but there was one thing she knew being near him caused.

She felt safe.

"Yes I'll visit you again." A gentle smile as emerald eyes stared into her steele grey ones.

Leaving he waved good bye before exiting through the door. Alone she put a tentative hand against her chest to quill her rapid racing heart as a full smile spread across her face.

For the first time in a while she felt no tension in her being instead she felt calm and more relaxed than she's ever been before.

The boy that saved her son now made her feel like the safest person in the world.

And she was happy about that.

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A/n

Thoughts?

Thank you for reading!