Is There A Deku X Endeavor Fanfiction Worth Reading?

I’ve got to say, Endeavor and Midoriya is a pairing I never expected to click for me, but some writers have pulled off this dynamic in ways that make the friction absolutely magnetic. A recurring storyline that works surprisingly well centers on the idea of ‘atonement through mentorship’. Endeavor, post-character development, sees something in Deku’s reckless self-sacrifice that mirrors his own destructive pursuit of power, but with a pure-hearted intent he never had. Stories following this thread often have Endeavor taking a more direct, albeit gruff, role in training Deku, focusing on control and precision to counteract All Might’s more inspirational but sometimes careless ‘smash first’ method. One specific fic I keep recommending is ‘Scorched Path’, where Endeavor essentially strong-arms his way into being a supplemental trainer after the war arc. The plot isn’t just about firepower; it digs into the psychological weight of inheriting a legacy. Endeavor sees Nana Shimura in Deku’s desperation and grapples with his own failure to save a successor. The best moments are the quiet ones—Endeavor analyzing Deku’s fighting footage with a critical eye, not to belittle, but to deconstruct the tactical flaws All Might’s emotional training missed. It turns their dynamic into a practical, gritty counterpoint to the main series’ shonen optimism. Another angle I’ve seen gain traction is a ‘reluctant custody’ scenario following a hypothetical disaster that leaves Deku temporarily in the Todoroki household. The forced proximity lets writers explore Endeavor’s awkward attempts at domesticity and his observational skills. He notices things others don’t about Deku’s physical strain and mental fatigue, leading to surprisingly protective, albeit stern, interventions. It’s less about big battles and more about the quiet, accumulated pressure of being a symbol, which Endeavor understands better than anyone. The endings in these fics rarely tie things up neatly; they leave you with a sense of an ongoing, complicated understanding, which feels true to both characters.

AO3 hands down, but I guess that depends on what you’re looking for. I’ve wasted way too much time sifting through FFN and Wattpad for good Endeavor & Izuku fics, and it’s mostly either bad revenge tropes or weirdly OOC fluff. AO3’s tagging system lets you actually find the weird, specific stuff I’m into—like mentor-ish dynamics where Endeavor is trying to be better but is still a massive jerk about it, or fics that explore the whole ‘generational trauma and inherited power’ angle. There’s this one series by ‘GutterBall’ that’s basically a slow-burn character study of Enji realizing his own failings through watching Midoriya’s self-destructive habits. You wouldn’t get that rec easily anywhere else. Sometimes I’ll poke around Tumblr or Discord for links, but they all lead back to AO3 posts anyway. The collections aren’t even that big, honestly, maybe a few hundred fics tops if you filter rigorously, but the quality is so much higher because writers there seem more willing to dig into the uncomfortable, non-shippy aspects. I tried Quotev once on a whim and found, like, two decent ones before hitting a wall of poorly formatted My Hero AU crossovers. So yeah, my vote’s solidly on Archive of Our Own. The kudos system isn’t perfect, but it usually surfaces the good stuff.

Man, that's such a specific mashup, and honestly? It feels weirdly underserved. I've seen way more Endeavor and Shoto stuff, obviously, or Deku with All Might. But mixing the angry flaming dad with the cinnamon roll green bean? It's a fascinating dynamic just sitting there, ripe for 'what-if' scenarios about mentorship gone wrong (or maybe right?), legacy, and the pressure of expectations. When I've hunted for it, I've had the most luck on Archive of Our Own by using the 'Endeavor Todoroki Enji/Midoriya Izuku' relationship tag and then adding 'Crossover' and 'My Hero Academia' as additional filters. Sometimes you have to get creative and look for 'Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Enji' for gen fics, too. Beyond AO3, you sometimes get crossover stories that are more like 'characters from My Hero Academia land in universe X' and Endeavor and Deku might be key players. On FanFiction.Net, searching for 'My Hero Academia Crossover' and then scanning summaries for mentions of Endeavor or Deku is a bit of a slog, but I've found a couple that way. I'd also recommend checking Tumblr blogs dedicated to Endeavor or rarepair hell—some writers will post links or snippets there for their niche crossover projects that might not get a lot of traction on the big sites.

Can’t believe I’m the first one in this thread—I've spent way too much time digging through this tag. Honestly, most Endeavor & Izuku fics lean heavily on the ‘angry mentor’ trope, but the ones that really get the emotional growth right are the ones that ditch the action for a while and just let them talk. There’s this one called 'Burn the Ashes' where Deku starts visiting Enji after the war, not as a hero but just… offering to help clean up the agency. It’s painfully slow, full of awkward silences and burned tea, but you see Endeavor’s guilt morph from something loud and explosive into this quiet, weary thing he actually has to live with. Deku’s growth isn’t about getting stronger either. He’s way past that. It’s about him learning how to extend forgiveness without being a doormat, questioning All Might’s legacy in a way he never dared to in canon. The redemption feels earned because it’s so damn messy. Enji backslides, says the wrong thing, and Izuku calls him out on it without screaming. It’s less about grand gestures and more about showing up every week to sort files, which sounds boring but somehow isn’t. I actually stopped reading a few high-kudos fics because they had Endeavor ‘redeemed’ in like three chapters through a single big sacrifice—that’s not how people work.

Man, digging into Endeavor and Deku dynamics feels like walking a razor's edge. Everyone's writing them as mentor-protege redemption arcs, but I keep clicking away from those. The tension completely evaporates. The most gripping ones I've found hinge on Endeavor seeing Izuku not as a successor or a victim, but as a manifestation of everything his ideology failed to produce: raw, self-sacrificing power granted by chance, not breeding, and wielded with a compassion Endeavor literally burned out of his own family. I read this one story where Izuku, post-war, ends up interning at Endeavor's agency under some political pressure. Endeavor isn't trying to be nice. He's analyzing Midoriya like a flawed weapon, constantly testing his limits and criticizing his 'sentimental' tactics, while Izuku is just quietly, stubbornly trying to understand the man who hurt his friend so deeply. The plot was less about big fights and more about these brutal, silent training sessions and awkward shared meals in the agency canteen. The rivalry wasn't about who was stronger, but whose worldview would crack first under the sheer, uncomfortable weight of the other's existence. It made me see both characters in a completely different light.

Spicy take, but I think the most interesting Endeavor x Deku stuff often happens in the spaces where the official series stops. Sure, 'My Hero Academia' shows us the shadow of All Might's legacy, but what about the shadow Todoroki Enji casts? Fics that pit Deku's relentless idealism against Endeavor's brutal pragmatism force both characters into corners the canon avoids. You see Endeavor confronted not with his own flawed son, but with someone whose spirit is eerily similar to the man he could never surpass. It's less about romance for me and more about a brutal, almost forensic examination of legacy, ambition, and what 'saving people' really costs. Some writers use the ship to deconstruct hero worship entirely. Deku's notebook-obsessed analysis meets Endeavor's data-driven, victory-focused methods, and the friction isn't just ideological—it's deeply personal. When Endeavor looks at Deku, does he see the ghost of All Might, or a raw resource to be molded into his own image of a 'perfect' hero? That tension is where the best stories live, exploring a mentorship devoid of the inherent warmth Deku got from All Might, replaced with something colder, more transactional, and weirdly more honest in its dysfunctions.

Man, I've been down this rabbit hole. That's a super specific request because most 'Deku x Deku' stuff leans into crack territory or power-exploration AUs. You're hunting for something with weight, which is tricky but not impossible. I'd suggest filtering by the 'Angst' and 'Introspection' tags on AO3—look for stories tagged 'Midoriya Izuku & Midoriya Izuku' or 'Selfcest' but with a serious tone. I found one called 'Twin Mirrors' that wasn't about literal clones but explored his different possible selves from the OFA vestige world, full of guilt and 'what if I'd been born quirkless but evil' musings. It got really philosophical. Another route is time-travel fics where he meets his younger self; those often get heavy with regret and hope. Honestly, sometimes you gotta wade through a lot of weird fluff to find the good angst, but it's out there.