Somehow, my charger arrived earlier than anticipated and after a thorough wipedown with Lysol wipes, I was able to plug in my laptop and get back to work! Soooo new chapter for you!
Hands clenched against her lap, Kairi kept her eyes down as a bowl of vegetables passed across the table. She flattened her hands against her folding legs, examining the lines on her palms.
"It's unfortunate Dad couldn't make it," Shoto's sister said as she politely set the bowl down and finished filling her own plate. Sitting beside her, Shoto looked over at the empty spot where Enji Todoroki was meant to be.
"Unfortunate?" growled Natsuo Todoroki, waving a pair of chopsticks in front of his face. "You think this dinner would even be happening if he agreed to come?"
"I know you wanted a chance for the whole family to get to know Kairi, but do you want to invite that kind of stress onto Kairi, Fuyumi?" Shoto asked just before he bit off a piece of pork.
"I..." Fuyumi looked at her plate sadly before prodding the rice with her chopsticks. "I suppose that's correct. It might be too much at once."
"Besides that, we're already aware of his opinion of Kairi. Do you think he would have approved of who Shoto is dating?"
"He didn't care when I brought someone home," Fuyumi said.
"Yeah, that's because you aren't the child he bred to be powerful," Natsuo sneered. Tension coiled in Kairi. Shoto paused to cast a glance her direction before clenching his jaw.
"Could we please stop discussing our father? It's upsetting Kairi." To assure her, he reached forward, taking her fingers in his grip. Briefly, a portion of the awkwardness eased away. She found a smile for him.
"Yes, I would very much like to not speak of him at all, it doesn't make for good dinner conversation," Natsuo said, before swallowing a large piece of pork. For reasons that were clearly complicated and it wasn't hard for Kairi to deduce what the division in the family was, Enji Todoroki refused to join the family dinner and so Shoto's brother Natsuo happily agreed to be there. However, he did request to see Shoto and Kairi at his office after the dinner. It was hard to feel comfortable dining with his family knowing they were to be visiting Endeavor afterwards. He had already made clear his feelings towards Kairi before and they weren't friendly. Now, it was unclear just how furious he would be regarding the new information regarding Shoto and Kairi being a couple.
"So, erm... may we call you Kairi?" Fuyumi began. Kairi wordlessly nodded, picking at her rice. The heaviness in the air hadn't changed one way or another and she felt held in place by an invisible vise. Unable to move, she sat stiffly and pushing her chopsticks around her plate, legs folded under her in the traditional Todoroki Japanese dining room. "You have an emotional quirk. That's interesting."
"Yeah..." You can probably tell how awkward this is for me right now. "People feel what I feel. It was really difficult to get control of but with my friends' help and Shoto's, I'm beginning to get control of it. It's helped me advise or calm people down though."
"It's really powerful and effective," Shoto said, face filling with the strength of his smile. "But that isn't all. Kairi's abilities are not limited to just what her quirk can do. She's also very wise and careful with her words, and her compassion is enhanced by her quirk. She's also great at climbing and can move fast and is rather stealthy. Many of the abilities that are making her a hero are enhanced by her quirk by aren't the bulk of it, which is really fascinating." The bursting pride in Shoto's voice shrunk Kairi as she wanted to slip under the table cloth. In the corner of her mouth, a humble beam could be seen shining from her flattered grin. Fuyumi seemed to notice this, looking warmly between her and her youngest brother. Natsuo made an approving noise and leaned back from the table.
"Well, isn't that something," he chuckled. "It really is true, isn't it?"
"I was aware you and Kairi were close, best friends even but... when did this happen anyway?" Fuyumi asked.
"To be fair we were trying to hide it from the press. We knew they would would harass us and... well... Dad," Shoto winced before he silenced himself with more food.
"You didn't do a very good job," Natsuo teased, smile still bright.
"The press doesn't like to leave UA alone," Kairi quietly said, pushing a sprout around. "It's unavoidable. Unless we want to stay in one of our bedrooms and never leave, we could never really have any private peace."
"Staying in your bedroom all day doesn't sound too bad if I- OW, Fuyumi!" Her elbow collided against Natsuo who cast him a threatening look. Shoto dropped his head over his meal, using a hand to shield the bright red glow that conquered his cheeks.
"They're sixteen," she hissed.
"Technically, I'm not quite-" Kairi began, but dropped the point completely.
"So? At that age that's exactly the kind of thing you're thinking about! I'll be impressed if they make it a year before they decide to-"
"Stop, stop, stop, we are not having this kind of talk at the table!" Fuyumi said quickly, holding up a set of hands in surrendering defeat. "Kairi! Your dad, he's a police officer, right?" Her chest relaxed, thankful for a normal question and veering away from whatever conversation was previously occurring.
"Yeah. He was out for a bit because he was injured but he's in full force at it now. And the work is piling up too. He has a mind reading quirk which is very useful in getting confessions but is only used in special cases in certain circumstances because of the ethics of it. It's really fascinating, many with that quirk would easily let it fall to corruption and use it to their own power and benefit, but my Dad never has once. He's let it slip on accident from time to time but he's never done anything horrible with it. Because of that other departments ask to use him for their high profile cases so he gets paid incredibly well and has a lot of work."
"Well, it seems like his grounded morals and ethics has seeped into you," Fuyumi said with a kind smile. Kairi's heart jolt, appalled by how striking her appearance was to their mother, Rei. She had the same eyes and face. The only indication of her being Endeavor's daughter was the red tips to her snow white hair. Kairi sunk away from the compliment as Shoto looked on proudly, not surprised by the remark. She nibbled on the pork to avoid saying anything in response.
"It's about time something good happened to this kid," Natsuo said, slapping an encouraging hand against Shoto's shoulder. "He's far deserving of it. And you seem like a warm-hearted girl from all angles."
"Mom loves her," Shoto said. The butterflies flew inside of Kairi.
"Then that's all the endorsement I need," Natsuo said. "If Dad ends up hating her, then that makes her perfect."
"He already made me hear it at the hospital after QuirKey," Kairi scoffed. "Trust me, I'm sure this news has pushed him even further from being my fan."
"Do you have any siblings, Kairi?" Fuyumi interrupted, probably looking to shift the conversation from Enji Todoroki. Shoto paused mid swallow, and then slowly finished before shifting his weight automatically to Kairi. He blinked, waiting for an answer. Kairi's torso rippled with freezing tension. She held herself straight and placed her hands back into her lap, her fingers running over each other with thought. She swallowed, finding it painful.
"Yes but I've never met them. I actually found out very recently that they even exist. My mother is... not really a part of my life. She lives in Keswick, England and works a desk job at the police department there. Her kids are between her and her new husband."
"You have baggage with her, don't you?" Natsuo said, detecting the change in her voice.
"She couldn't handle my quirk, verbally abused me, and just left to go have a new life. I suppose in a way it's easier than what you had to deal with." Her heart clenched. "I suppose I should be grateful."
"Are you serious? No, there's no need for that. It doesn't matter how 'bad' you believed it was or how you were treated. It affected you negatively, it was abuse and there's no comparing or gratitude to be had from comparing," Natsuo said, surprising the rest of the dinner table. "Your pain is pain no matter what it is. There's no such thing as easier, better, or any of that. You suffered and that's that, and there's no excuse or lesson for any of it." Briefly, her chest swelled with relaxed tension and gratefulness for his words. She turned to look at Shoto, expressing her relief for his brother's words.
"I don't want to see her but... I want to see my siblings. And I have to do that by maintaining contact with her because they're so young."
"You do what you need to, but don't let her manipulate you into doing so," Natsuo said.
"Shoto said that you're interested in being a rescue hero and are seeking advanced training in first response, is that true?" Her ears pricked, drawn in by the change of the conversation. The discomfort began to set aside and exuberance rose in its place, fascinated by the subject.
"Yes, I am looking to further my rescue tactics as much as I can. I want to do more than just pulling heroes from rubble. I want to have some nursing experience so I can help pull to save even those who are badly injured on the field, take care as much as I can before they even get to the hospital," Kairi told them brightly.
"That's not an avenue that's often explored," Natsuo said, finishing the rest of his food on your plate. "Most of the attention seems to go into fighting against villains, but that's incredibly honorable work. That's amazing really."
"What are you studying at University?" Quickly diverting the attention from herself, she listening intently as Natsuo spoke about his own experiences with classes. It switched to Fuyumi's stories from the classroom and some of the more bizarre and silly occurrences with her own students. As stressful as it seemed, in the end she seemed to adore her job and it was rewarding to listen to someone be passionate about their career. As dinner drew to an end, the conversation grew lighter. By the end, they were laughing and Kairi had her head against the table while Shoto relived their survival training mission and once more shared what he thought to be the highlight of the trip - Kairi's insistence on wanting a funnel. She glared at him, giving him a "you'll never let that go" eyes before he proudly continued.
"Well, that's that Shoto, you have successfully ensured that your girlfriend is never going to step foot into this house again," Natsuo teased before a guffaw followed. Shoto rolled his eyes as she reached to help clean up supper. Her spirit bloomed once again at the reminder of that word. Girlfriend. It was silly and dramatic, but it was impossible to deny something about it felt magical and ethereal. Seemed unlikely and forever unobtainable. "It's weird, isn't? Didn't think I would see you dating anyone for a long while and here you are."
"Why because you thought I was always so cold hearted?" Shoto said, moving the dishes off the table and rising to help Fuyumi carry them to the sink.
"Less that and more concern that you didn't know what to do with a girl, or that they even existed."
"That's just ridiculous," Shoto laughed. Kairi spun her head, watching the Todorokis casually clean up around her and prod each other with jokes. Slowly, over time, the unease lifted and they began to appear like any other silly family. Healthy, joking. Much like she and her father did. The fondness among them grew in the atmosphere and made her feelings dance in their contentedness. "I have received many praises about the way I kiss and touch." His mischievous expression sought out Kairi for confirmation. Instead, he was met with bulging horrified eyes and a stiff form ready to scurry under the table.
"Oh ho! Does Shoto have the moves then? That's surprising!" Natsuo cackled heavily while Fuyumi began to fill the sink to wash the dishes.
"Natsuo! Seriously, do not ask him for details and Shoto, you don't owe him anything! That poor girl is probably mortified!" Fuyumi scolded.
"Mortified and dead!" she clarified, slamming her head against the now empty table.
"There's no need for them to take this; Shoto, you can take Kairi and leave. Natsuo, you are helping me with the dishes and we are not discussing any details about Shoto's private life!" It was fascinating, and a little sad at how easily Fuyumi fell into the role of a responsible and scolding mother. Shoto had hinted as much but even if he hadn't, it had been clear who had done the raising and nurturing in Rei's absence. Shoto left his siblings' sides and extended a hand to Kairi, pulling her up from the floor. His hand tingled as it pressed against the center of her back, leading her towards the front of the house. In a very old fashioned manner, Shoto reached for her coat first and held out the arms, waiting for her to slip into it. As the two prepared to head outside, the other two Todoroki children appeared in the entryway, smiling at Kairi warmly.
"We're so very glad you could make," Fuyumi said, holding her hands in front of her with sincerity. "It was very nice to formally meet you, we enjoyed having you over."
"Yeah, you've tamed this one, a feat we thought was impossible," Natsuo said. "Must have some kind of special power if you did that."
"You act like I'm insufferable," Shoto said.
"Give it time, Kairi, you'll see." Natsuo winked, with pulled a laugh from Kairi's chest cavity. Natsuo frowned as he looked at the two teenagers in their coats. "Time to face the beast then?"
"Yeah... grin and bear it, I guess," Shoto mumbled, looking at his feet.
"Kinda rude to do that to you on Valentine's Day, isn't it? He couldn't let you two just be out and be you know... alone? Be a couple?" Kairi's shoulders shrunk, feeling the small paper box in her pocket.
"Would it be him if it wasn't actively looking for ways to squash other's happiness?" Shoto snarled.
"Stop," Fuyumi said, being met with an eye roll from Natsuo.
"Well, you're dating the daughter of a cop so I guess he would be pretty stupid to do anything reckless."
"He can't hurt me anymore and he knows that. He knows that I am exactly what he intended me to be and that will stop him more than anything. Which is exactly why he wouldn't dare be rude to Kairi." Awkwardly, she wound her hands together and remained staring at the floor, clicking her feet together.
"Please, you're welcome to come back any time, Kairi," Fuyumi happily said. "Have a good night you two."
"Yeah make sure after you're done at the office you two get as wild as possible!" Natsuo shouted out the door just as the couple slipped out the front.
"Natsuo!"
Kairi waved back at them, watching them disappear as they made their way down the drive. Her other hand remained clamped around the box in her pocket, clinging to it as if it were a driving force.
It was impossible to look him in the eye. He stood with arms crossed, waves of fire brushed around his shoulders and arms. Enji glowered down at them, standing behind his desk. Shoto met his eyes, refusing to be intimidated. Kairi on the other hand, shrunk into herself and fell small in his presence. This was a man who knew how people reacted when they looked upon him and relished in it. He didn't flinch while Kairi inwardly gave way, remaining quiet.
"Do you understand how foolish it is to flaunt your relationship in front of the press?"
"Flaunt?" Shoto scoffed. His heart steeled itself against his father's intentional demeanor. He hardened before his scowl, finding a calm anger invigorate him as he waited for that inevitable remark to Kairi's character. He equipped his spirit, twitching fingers ready to lash should he slander Kairi in any form. Now and then, he cast a look to the girl beside him, a reminder to her trembling form that he was there, wouldn't abandon her, and he was ready to jump to her defense if need be. "We've stood close to each other. I guess you could say that at this point you can easily correctly assume we are more than friends, but you'd be hard pressed to find a picture of us even holding hands or kissing in public." Endeavor raised one brow, as if it surprised him they had kissed at all. "Kairi's private and doesn't enjoy doing so in public anyway."
"It doesn't matter. You are aware of how the media reacts? Any picture out of context, and many have no issues with editing a picture to appear scandalous. Do you know what that could do to your reputation, Shoto?"
"My reputation?" he scoffed. "Is this really about my reputation or about your disapproval in my choice of a partner? Because she doesn't meet your quirk specifications or doesn't have any physical power behind it?"
"I never once said that you couldn't choose who you dated."
"Perhaps not, but we both knew this day was to come. I could theoretically choose who I wanted to date but you first wanted to condition me to believe that I needed to be looking out for someone who was powerful in quirk, in status, and met the exact specifications you tried to demonstrate not in your words, but your action. We always knew that my girlfriend was going to come down to your ultimate approval and you would never be okay with anything less than your ideal. Regardless of her having the greatest personality and the most caring heart I have seen. Regardless of how she jumps to the defense of others or how she forgets her own struggles in order to jump to someone in need. Regardless of her being the greatest person I could ever meet. I don't care about your approval and I don't need it. Kairi is the one I want to be with."
Both the Todorokis beheld each other, holding still in their stares as they waited for the other to do something. To Kairi, it was as if they played chicken with their eyes, looking to out scowl the other. Cramped by the aggressive atmosphere, she stepped to the side to escape from the anger umbrella that formed over them. A simple heavy exhale seemed to be the only indication of any give from Endeavor, though he kept his glare.
"Very well. If you have no need of my approval then there is no point of you even being here. If she gets you in trouble with the press, do not look to me to bail you out."
"That is never going to happen."
"It already did. QuirKey."
"That was my choice. I will never blame her for something I did out of my own choice."
"Just know that who you involve yourself with also influences your hero status, Shoto. Don't let your future waver just because you couldn't control your hormones." The words slicked from Endeavor like they were poison he was dispelling from his mouth. Kairi's pit tightened, squeezing her full of anxiety as she rocked in place. The soles of her feet burned with a desire to leave, looking at the window with longing.
Leaving him a trace of a snarl to show how he felt, Shoto took Kairi's hand and pulled her towards the direction of the door. Excited to flee as soon as possible, she followed and was the first to slip out the door. When it had entirely closed, she paused to look over at Shoto. He wore an unreadable expression and her concern flared.
"What exactly... happened?" she asked, finding the whole exchange cryptic.
"Well, he isn't a fan," Shoto said, guiding her towards the elevator.
"That much was obvious."
"His whole legacy has always been more powerful quirks, and his plan, while unspoken, was to encourage me into a quirk marriage. Some woman from a respectable family with a powerful quirk is what he hoped I would want. Unfortunately for him, I don't choose my partner based on their quirk. I prefer them to be sweet and cute." He touched her nose affectionately just at the elevator doors shut. She giggled as lightness swirled away the clenching in her insides.
"But we're in high school, why should marriage even come into this?"
"Because in his eyes, there's not point in dating if that's my destiny anyway. Besides that, if I marry as young as I can, that leaves more time for more opportunities to produce powerful children. It took him four tries to produce a child with a quirk more powerful than his own and if it took me more times than that? Genetics are unpredictable, so I would need to marry and start producing children while young." The elevator began to whir as he pressed the button for the bottom floor, the ugly fluorescent lights basked them in unflattering light. Shoto's description of the type of partner his father expected was... sickening. It felt as if someone toyed, kneaded her intestines as she let his words sit. She shifted in her discomfort.
"That's... the kind of stuff sick religious puritan zealots make their children too. And isn't that like... a form of eugenics? Oh my god that's all the awful shit you hear about depraved organizations and cults doing..." Kairi pressed a hand to her stomach, the jostling of the elevator not mixing with her reaction to Shoto's news.
"Yeah, exactly. Besides that, it's not like I would want to marry someone who wasn't first a wonderful person and that I didn't care deeply for. That's just common sense and really the reason most of the world marries anymore so I don't know how he expects me to be anything else. Especially considering my mother. The most loving and compassion woman I have known, next to you. And she would be so disappointed if I followed through with that. Well I'm not like him and I never have been, so he's just going to have to expect that I'm not going to have relationships like he did." He startled her as he raised a fist and slapped it against the STOP button. The elevator shook first, and then whirred down. freezing somewhere between floors six and five. "The thing that pisses me off the most is him trying to target you like this. He didn't say it, but I know him and I saw it all in his eyes. He finds you unworthy and despicable. He thinks you'll make a weak hero, and goddamn he is so fucking wrong. Strength isn't just measured in power. I might be able to physicallly take down enemies in a way you can't but he hasn't seen you and he doesn't know you. He hasn't seen the strength of your heart, the strength of your mind, the strength of your will. In so many ways, you are so much stronger than me. He's wrong. He's never been more wrong about anything in his life, except maybe for the way he treated my mother. And it..." Shoto's fist shook as he held it up, scowling at his curled fingers. Anxious uncertainly quaked through Kairi, pulsing her nerves.
"Shoto?" she asked quietly.
"He asked us to come here on Valentine's Day on purpose. Just another one of his fuck yous, I suppose. Well, that doesn't matter. He thinks he can intimidate me to end things with you, but I really don't give a shit. The only person who has that power is you, making you more powerful than him in this case. God, I bet he hates that."
"Can we just...?" she began, but then her hand hit the side of her pocket. She gasped, feeling around for the paper box. Kairi pulled out the handmade red box, holding to him in the hopes of calming him down. "I'm sorry this upset you and your dad's a dick but I... I made these." He raised a brow with interest. "It's not very good and I had some help because I'm not a baker as you know. But I worked hard on it. They're hearts and flowers and some silly emoji faces which is dumb but I thought they would make you laugh at least..."
Shoto wordlessly took the box from her and pulled at the tab excitedly. Sparks sputtered and burst wildly as he turned over the chocolates; some milk, some dark. The anger that recently displayed on his face was replaced by a boyish joy, tickled by the presence of the homemade chocolate. They were very homemade looking in their imperfections, making them far more perfect. He popped on in his mouth quickly surprised by the subtle hint of cherry flavoring. He ate another one, tasting orange flavoring before flying back over to Kairi and sweeping her up in his embrace.
"This is just a silly social convention. This isn't something you needed to do, dear," he said, a gentle purr to his voice that made Kairi's chest flip.
"But I wanted to... I wanted to make sure I was being a good girlfriend. That I'm good enough."
"You've always been more than good enough, Riri." he brushed aside a piece of her hair.
"I never thought I would ever even be with someone, much less someone as wonderful as you," she breathed. "I'm nervous I'm not doing enough to make sure you know that I'm here beside you, your partner on and off the field. I'm just... I just want to be good and I guess... I get uncertain."
"You are as perfect as you ever need to be. I'm sorry we had to come see my father today but we needed to get it out of the way and he was insistent on..." With his arms still holding her, Shoto's eyes swept up to the camera lingering in the corner of the still stopped elevator. A devilish grin swept across his lips and he looked back at the girl in his arms. "He tried to send a pretty despicable message by making us come here on Valentine's Day, but I think there's a way we can also send him a pretty aggressive fuck you. If you're willing, and with nothing more than your enthusiastic permission of course."
"What is that?"
"For a million obvious reasons, I don't intend to get obscene about it but no matter what, it would still be pretty aggravating for my father - who is probably watching us leave the building and talk right this moment - to watch us kiss for several moments in an elevator in his building."
Without another word, Kairi was already pulling Shoto to herself, her lips held firmly against his with her impatient passion. In the perfect fusion of desire and defiance, she wrapped her arms around him, raising one hand for a perfectly visible raise of a single middle finger to the camera.
Once more, I hope you are being safe. Much love to you as always, thank you so much for your readership! I adore every one of you!
