Winds of Destiny: Rising
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Full Circle
Their arrival at the venue where the press conference was to be held had been a zoo. The reporters who hadn't gotten there in time to secure a spot in the conference room were all huddled together in mass at the gates of the building, hoping to get some kind of scoop from the arriving heroes. Luckily, the state-of-the-art tinting on the windows of Jeanist's car kept the flash photography and the video cameras at bay, but it had taken a veritable army of police and security guards to hold back the crowd so that they could get through. They'd been able to avoid being ambushed at the entrance to the building by coming in through a service elevator located in the underground parking garage. Exiting the elevator and making their way to the prep room, however, had not been as smooth sailing.
The heroes had been very professional about refusing to comment and assuring the flocking reporters that their questions would be answered after they'd given their statements. Misaki had studiously kept her head down until they had gotten to the prep room, walking a few paces behind the others and quickly slipping through the door when Hawks held it open for her before any of the reporters had a chance to question who she was or what she was doing there. The last thing she needed was for someone to recognize her and start questioning her about the status of the Hero Public Safety Commission. She had gotten the subtle impression when they were speaking at the hospital that addressing the media in any capacity would be frowned upon by her new employer.
Endeavor's family had already been waiting in the prep room when they'd walked inside. Misaki had been a little surprised to see them there, but Hawks had told her that their presence would help send a message to the public that the family had accepted Endeavor's desire to atone for his sins and they were supportive of his efforts to better himself. She'd questioned if that was the truth or just an act for the press, but he'd assured her that they were all on board with the plan. He hadn't exactly answered her question, but she'd let the issue slide; it wasn't really any of her business how the family decided to handle their personal affairs after all, and she agreed that presenting a united front would probably gain them more support than ridicule after the announcement Endeavor was about to make.
The immediate reaction from the reporters and on social media was a mixture of shock, disappointment, and outrage. Many people were criticizing Endeavor's decision to come clean, saying that it would have been better for him to deny the allegations in order to reassure everyone that their faith in their number one hero hadn't been misplaced. She had expected most people to feel that way. They'd been coddled by the mainstream idealism of the hero industry for so long that they didn't even care anymore what was real or fake, they just wanted the heroes to make them feel safe. It was probably going to take a lot of time and effort on the parts of all heroes to give the people a new reason to put their faith in them, starting with getting the current villain outbreak situation under control. They had a very long road ahead of them to get back to some semblance of normal.
"Torimodo-san?" A female voice suddenly addressed her from the left.
Misaki turned her head to look over at the two people standing next to her and replied, "Yes?"
The pale haired, bespeckled woman placed a hand on top of her chest and smiled. "Sorry for not coming over to introduce ourselves earlier, we weren't really sure it was you at first. I'm Todoroki Fuyumi." She reached out to pull the tall, pale haired man standing next to her closer as she said, "And this is my little brother Natsuo, who's been a big fan of yours ever since your press conference with the Hero Public Safety Commission."
Misaki blinked at them in surprise. "Really?"
"Nee-san!" Natsuo exclaimed, his ears flaming as he raised his hands and asserted, "That's not—! I mean, I am a fan, but," turning to his sister, he barked out, "I have a girlfriend!"
Fuyumi stared up at him innocently. "What? I was just saying that you were a fan of her work." Turning her attention back to Misaki, she explained, "Natsuo is studying for a health and welfare degree at the university. He actually wrote a paper about your appointment for his public affairs class."
Glancing up at Natsuo, Misaki asked, "Is that so?"
"It was more about the work you were doing for the Hero Public Safety Commission, not really about you as a person or anything," he emphatically insisted before raising a hand to rub the back of his head and sheepishly lowering his eyes. "My girlfriend actually did most of the research, she's an even bigger fan of you than I am."
Misaki smiled demurely and replied, "I'm flattered."
"Fuyumi, Natsuo," the woman whom Misaki assumed to be their mother called out from across the room.
"Oh! We better go," Fuyumi hastily remarked. "It was nice meeting you, Torimodo-san! Let's go, Natsu!"
"Don't push, Nee-san!" Natsuo exclaimed as his sister hurriedly ushered him back across the room to where their mother and brother were waiting to walk out and make their appearance as a family.
They wouldn't be taking any questions, but they would be seen by the media receiving Endeavor back into the room together, making for a brief, but convenient photo op for the press. Misaki couldn't say she was comfortable with the whole situation, but she understood the kind of scrutiny that came with the job of being a hero. Hawks had managed to protect her from it by keeping their relationship a carefully guarded secret the entire time they'd been dating, something she was very grateful for. The Todoroki family didn't have the luxury of keeping anything a secret anymore; not since their eldest son had gone and aired all of their dirty laundry for the entire country to see. She couldn't condone Endeavor's actions, but she could respect his desire to atone for them; she was just sorry that his family now had to go through all of that with him so publicly.
After the doors had closed once they'd all made it back into the room, Misaki walked up to Hawks and held out a bottle of water to him.
He took it from her, thanking her with a grateful grin. He must have noticed her reticent mood as he capped the bottle after he'd taken a drink and asked her, "Everything okay?"
She smiled back at him reassuringly, nodding as she softly replied, "I'm just glad that's all over."
"Yeah, me too," Hawks admitted with a bit of relief in his scratchy voice.
She didn't miss the hint of regret in there as well. Thankfully, the media had been more focused on Endeavor and hadn't spent much time questioning Hawks about his background or the act of killing Twice, but she could tell that it was weighing on him. It was more than just the act itself that haunted him. From the way he'd spoken about it to the press, it had sounded like he viewed the entire situation as a personal failure, which was probably partly true, but she knew there was more to it than that. He was the type to take his failures in stride, to learn from them and improve, not dwell on them in regret. Something else was eating him about what had happened. She just hoped he would open up to her about it later and not keep it all bottled up like he'd done in the past.
"How's your throat?" She inquired in muted concern.
He reached up to loosen his tie a bit as he said, "A little sore, but not too bad."
She reached down into her handbag as she asked, "Do you want to use more of the spray?"
He immediately cringed, backing away slightly while saying, "I'd rather enjoy the taste of my dinner later, thanks."
"Speaking of dinner," the inquiring voice of Todoroki Fuyumi spoke up suddenly. "We'd be happy to have you all over to our house after this."
Hawks stiffly held up his hands and ardently told her, "I'm grateful for the offer, but—!"
Todoroki Rei formally bowed deeply at the waist and remarked in a cool-toned voice, "We would very much appreciate it if you could join us."
"Ah..." Hawks shot a nervous glance toward Best Jeanist in an obvious cry for help.
Misaki almost snorted out a laugh. She could practically see the inner struggle warring within him between wanting to accept the offer and not wanting to take the time away from work to enjoy it. She was aware that the Todoroki's felt slightly responsible for Hawks's injuries at the hands of their eldest son too, and she was sure he didn't want to make them feel any worse by turning down their hospitality.
"I'm afraid there's no shortage of work to catch up on at the moment. We'll have to respectfully decline this time," Best Jeanist politely replied.
Plastering on a professional smile, Hawks dropped his hands into his pockets and hastily followed up, "Another time, for sure!"
"Well, why don't we just come over to the agency and make dinner then? There's a fully stocked kitchen there, right Dad?" Fuyumi suggested before glancing over at her father.
Endeavor, who was standing slightly off from the group and obviously attempting to be discreet while glancing over his youngest son's shoulder at the screen of the phone in his hand, suddenly shifted his attention their way when he heard Fuyumi address him before tersely responding, "Uh, yeah, sure."
Fuyumi clapped her hands together and excitedly exclaimed, "Great! Then it's settled!"
Hawks widened his eyes and held out a hand to her as he anxiously said, "Wait, that's not really—"
"You'll be joining us as well, won't you Torimodo-san?" Fuyumi suddenly turned to her and asked, completely ignoring Hawks's protests.
"Huh?" Misaki answered, slightly taken aback at becoming the sudden focus of the exuberant young woman's attentions. She held her hands up in front of her as she hastily replied, "Oh, I don't want to impose—"
Fuyumi smiled brightly and emphatically assured her, "Not at all! To be honest it'll be nice to have another girl around."
Misaki shot a nervous glance toward Hawks who sheepishly reached up to scratch his cheek with his index finger and simply offered her a crooked grimace and a small, resigned shrug in response.
She turned her attention back to Fuyumi and timidly smiled at the woman as she replied, "Well, I guess if it's not too much trouble..."
Fuyumi clapped her hands together and her eyes lit up with excitement. "Great! It's been a while since I've been able to cook for so many people! I better go get started on the menu!"
"Uh, I should probably go help her! It was very nice to meet you!" Natsuo anxiously announced before bowing deeply and hurriedly running off after his departed sister with a bright blush spread across his face.
"What was that about?" Hawks curiously inquired, turning his head to watch the excited teenager hurry away.
"Apparently, Natsuo-kun and his girlfriend are admirers of the work I did with the Hero Public Safety Commission," Misaki replied somewhat sheepishly.
He turned his gaze back to her, his expressive eyes wide with shock, "You have fans?"
"No need to sound so surprised," Misaki sarcastically groused.
"Impressed is more like it," he said, slipping his hands back into his pockets and tilting his head back as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Kid's got good taste."
Unable to keep the bashful grin from spreading across her face at the sly sort of praise, Misaki ducked her head and gave it a small shake as she hooked her arm through his and began guiding him toward the exit doors. As they stepped out into the hallway, her mirth gave way to solemnity and she timidly asked, "Are you sure this is okay? Everyone coming over to the agency for dinner, I mean."
Hawks shrugged resignedly and shot her a crooked grin. "People gotta eat, right?"
She chuckled softly and shook her head. "I guess I can use the opportunity to set up the tracking software at your command center."
"Have you guys talked about where you'll be setting up your base of operations?" Hawks asked as he reached out and pressed the button to call the elevator to take them down to the parking garage.
"Hebisawa-san and I are supposed to be having lunch together tomorrow to discuss those kinds of details," Misaki hesitantly mentioned, stepping to the side to make room for the Todoroki's to enter the elevator ahead of them.
It wasn't quite big enough for all of them to fit comfortably inside, so they let the family go first while she and the heroes waited for the next one. The second elevator dinged its arrival a moment later and the doors slid open. Misaki entered first, followed by Hawks, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist.
As the lanky Fiber Hero reached out to press the button for the lower level, she heard Hawks quietly ask, "Nowhere too public, I hope?"
Misaki softly shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I doubt Hebisawa-san would put us in any unnecessary danger."
"It probably wouldn't hurt to take a hero or two along with you," he suggested, averting his gaze downward as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator.
She gently knocked her shoulder against his and shot him a playful glance as she coyly asked, "Are you volunteering?"
He let out a soft chuckle before glancing over at her from the corner of his eye with a wry grin. "I would, but I'm not exactly equipped for that kind of protection detail at the moment."
She caught the quick reticent look he shot over his shoulder to where his wings usually were, and she winced at the sudden flash of pity that sharply lanced through her. Quickly shaking off the uncomfortable emotion, she placed her hand on his arm and smiled at him reassuringly as she firmly told him, "I'll be fine, Keigo."
A small smile tilted up the edge of his lips and he reached out to take her hand in his, holding her gaze as he sincerely replied, "I know. I trust you."
Those three simple words spoke volumes to her. He was putting his trust in her to protect herself in his place, to acknowledge and accept his feelings for her if, heaven forbid, she were to find herself in a life-threatening situation. He'd always known what kind of person she was deep down where it really mattered. And although he was trusting her to keep herself safe, he knew that she wouldn't do so at the expense of others. It felt like, in that moment, that they had finally become equals.
Misaki tightly squeezed his hand in response and thickly whispered, "Thank you."
Hawks's thumb flew across the onscreen keyboard on the smartphone in his hand, typing out a response to the message he'd received from Detective Tsukauchi. He'd tracked down a lead on a possible supplier for the enhancement drugs that Dabi had given to the villains he'd sent after Endeavor, but it seemed like the guy had skipped town right after the broadcast had aired. They were hoping to find some kind of clue that would tell them how Dabi had gotten in contact with him, which might, in turn, lead to where he was prior to his team-up with the League. It was a bit of a long shot, but it was the only thing they really had to go on at the moment.
As far as they were able to tell, Toya hadn't had any friends at school who he would have gone to for help after the accident. The family hadn't known of anyone he may have been in contact with who would have treated him and helped to hide him after either. Since they couldn't start at the point of origin, they were having to work their way backward instead, starting with the enhancement drugs. So far, all that they'd turned up had been a slew of dead ends. It seemed like Dabi had been extra cautious to cover his tracks while setting up his plan. It was kinda surprising actually; the guy hadn't seemed like that much of a forward thinker.
Hawks smelled a rat. Someone else lurking in the shadows who was helping to facilitate his plan. Perhaps the same person who had given him shelter while he'd been developing his Dabi persona for the past eleven years. From what Hawks had been able to gather during his time playing double agent, Dabi hadn't spent much time at the League's hideouts with them. He'd spent most of his time out recruiting, or so he'd said. As Dabi had told him during their fight at the villa, he'd never cared about Shigaraki or the League, he was merely using them as a steppingstone toward carrying out his ultimate goal of bringing down the fake hero society. Perhaps they would have better luck looking into known Stain supporters, people who shared Dabi's vision; "true believers", as he called them.
The sound of a familiar, chiming laugh broke him out of his musings and he lifted his eyes to gaze across the room at Misaki. She was currently engaged in conversation with Endeavor's middle son and one of the Flaming Sidekickers, a wide, genuine smile stretched across her face as she laughed at something one of them had said. He felt his own lips begin to turn up at the sides as he watched her, looking so cheerful and relaxed. It was a side of her he didn't get to see very often, but one he greatly admired. It also greatly affected his perception of his surroundings apparently, seeing as he hadn't noticed Endeavor walk over until the man was already standing next to him.
He jerked away slightly in shock. "Endeavor-san! Please don't sneak up on me like that... I'm not as sharp without my feathers!"
Endeavor cast him a knowing glance from the corner of his eye. "Are you sure it's not just because you were distracted?"
Hawks raised a hand to rub the back of his head as he shifted his sheepish gaze down and away, commenting under his breath guiltily, "You noticed, huh...?"
"She seems like a fine woman," the man evenly observed of the woman who had held him so captivated a moment ago.
Hawks stared back across the room fondly as he pragmatically replied, "She is."
"If you're serious about her, you should ask her to marry you," Endeavor told him frankly.
The bluntness was less unexpected than the statement had been, but both caught Hawks by surprise. He blinked a couple of times before glancing up at Endeavor and letting out a half nervous, half-amused laugh. "Are you playing matchmaker, Endeavor-san?"
"Must you make everything into a joke?" He irately replied.
Hawks held his hands up in front of him and hastily replied with an affable tone, "Sorry, sorry! You just kinda caught me off guard there."
Endeavor's countenance became pensive suddenly. He appeared to be in deep contemplation about something before he broodingly remarked, "Take my advice, kid. Don't waste your life just chasing after some pipe dream. If you don't cherish what's right in front of you while you can, you'll only live to regret it."
Hawks dropped his hands into his pockets and compassionately replied, "You don't have it so bad. Did you ever think you'd be having dinner with your wife and kids again? Things might not have worked out so well with your oldest, but as you said, you should cherish what you have with the time you've got, right?"
"Sorry about that," Endeavor's muted voice said after a moment.
"Hm?" Hawks hummed, shooting the veteran hero a curious glance.
Endeavor's gaze slid toward his back. "Your wings. Will they grow back?"
An almost melancholy grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he replied, "Yeah. It's hard to tell right now because of all the fire damage, but the doc said I should eventually make a full recovery."
"I see. That's good then," Endeavor awkwardly replied as he shifted his gaze away.
Hawks shot him a pliant smirk. "You don't have to sound so guilty, Endeavor-san. My injuries are my own responsibility after all."
He couldn't help but laugh at the man's sudden and intense display of irritation as he turned to storm off while shooting back, "Cheeky bird!"
Misaki reached out to turn the faucet off after drying her hands on a hand towel hanging next to the sink. She'd excused herself from her conversation with Natsuo and the sidekick called Burnin several minutes ago to use the toilet, something that had taken an embarrassingly long amount of time for her to find within the massive building. Burnin had offered to accompany her, but she'd politely declined, just asking for some general directions instead. She had managed to find her way there before her need had become too dire, but not before she had begun feeling a bit of regret for not taking the woman up on her offer.
Turning off the light as she exited the restroom, Misaki began making her way back in the direction of the main office area when the sound of voices and the delicious smell of cooking food drew her toward the kitchen instead. She peeked around the corner of the open doorway to find Fuyumi standing at the counter with her back to her, chopping up some vegetables while Rei appeared to be stuffing and folding a tray of gyoza at the table to the right. She flashed back in her mind suddenly to a time long ago when she and her own mother had been in a similar position while preparing meals for their family. Quickly shaking off that memory, she cleared her throat softly to announce herself and they both turned to look at her.
She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. "Can I help with anything?"
Fuyumi's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Torimodo-san?!" Waving her hands in front of her, she quickly assured her, "That's not necessary!"
"Honestly, it would be nice to have something to do," Misaki sheepishly replied.
She'd already finished setting up the tracking app on the agency server, and although she'd been enjoying her conversation with Natsuo and Burnin, she'd never exactly been comfortable amidst large social gatherings like that.
Todoroki Rei offered Misaki a pleasant smile and offered, "You're welcome to help me make the gyoza."
"Thank you," Misaki replied, returning the woman's smile as she made her way over to the table.
"Well, if you say so..." Fuyumi reached up to scratch the back of her head with an unsure expression on her face before returning to her task.
Misaki sat down at the table across from Rei and the woman handed her a plate with a stack of gyoza wrappers and a small bowl of water on it. She picked up a spoon for the stuffing and they quietly went to work on filling the wrappers with the pork mixture. Misaki candidly watched the other woman as she peacefully worked on her task. It was a little hard to believe that she'd been a permanent resident of the hospital psychiatric ward for the last eleven years. She appeared to be quite tranquil and reserved, the epitome of the traditional Japanese woman. Considering everything Endeavor had detailed about his mistreatment of their family, she supposed it wasn't that surprising that she'd eventually reached a breaking point.
"Is something on your mind?" Rei suddenly asked, glancing up to meet Misaki's keen stare.
She widened her eyes and gasped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at being caught so blatantly staring. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's alright. Was there something you wanted to say?" The woman calmly asked, never halting in her task of filling the gyoza wrappers.
"I was just wondering how you were fairing through all of this. As a mother, I mean," Misaki tentatively replied. She'd only just met the woman and she didn't want to seem like she was prying.
She dropped her eyes and her hands slowed to a stop. After a moment, she resumed her task as she replied in a subdued tone, "I sometimes wonder if I can even call myself that anymore. I've spent so much time away from my children, it amazes me that they can still call me mother."
Misaki dropped her own eyes. She could kind of relate to the sentiment, just from the other side. When she'd discovered that her mother had used her childhood nickname as the password into her personal computer, she'd felt much the same.
"I doubt they know any different," she softly muttered.
At the sight of Rei's quizzical glance, Misaki explained, "I was separated from my parents when I was ten years old."
"Were you close?" Rei asked in a sympathetic tone.
"Sometimes. Others not," Misaki honestly replied. "I was much closer with my father than I was with my mother. I wasn't able to see him very often because of his job, but when he came home, it was like there was only the two of us in the entire world." Her fondly reminiscent countenance suddenly turned regretful. "But that wasn't right. I didn't understand at the time that we were neglecting my mother's happiness by getting lost in our own. She wasn't a very strong woman, emotionally. She began to grow resentful and closed off until eventually, we just became strangers in our own home."
"That must have been difficult." Rei's compassionate remark sounded a bit uncomfortable to her and she quickly shook herself out of her reminiscence, focusing back on the point she'd been trying to make instead.
She smiled softly as she admitted. "It was. But even through all of that, I never stopped thinking of her as my mother. When I was making meals for myself or trying to figure out how to set the laundry and handle the vacuum, I'd always remember how my mother did it. I'd like to believe that she never stopped thinking of me as her daughter too."
Rei spoke with a quiet conviction when she replied. "I'm sure she did. No matter how our children view us, or who they eventually grow up into, they will always be a part of us."
"I think the same is true for parents too," Misaki remarked with compassion. "Even though you may have handled things badly in the past, it's never too late to atone. You're lucky to have a family who is willing to take that journey together with you."
She saw the woman glance over at her daughter, though there was a hint of pain in her stormy eyes as she said, "Yes, I am very fortunate." Setting her utensils down, Rei turned her attention back to Misaki and asked, "Would you please excuse me?"
"Of course," Misaki immediately replied, watching the woman lift herself from her seat warily. She immediately felt guilty for pushing the conversation with her too far.
Fuyumi, noticing her mother's sudden retreat, asked her in open concern, "Are you okay, mother?"
Rei smiled at her calmly and assured her, "I'm fine, Fuyumi. I'm just going to rest for a moment."
Fuyumi appeared crestfallen but she smiled a bit reluctantly and acquiesced, "Oh, well alright. I'll come to get you when dinner is ready."
Rei nodded to her daughter before turning and shallowly bowing to Misaki before leisurely shuffling out of the room.
Misaki turned to Fuyumi with a remorseful grimace and said, "I apologize if I overstepped."
The smile fell from Fuyumi's face and was quickly replaced by an expression of forlorn distress. "It's not your fault, Torimodo-san. It's hard for her to show her emotions to us, I think. I've tried to tell her that we don't blame her, and she doesn't have to feel responsible for what happened, but she always just smiles and changes the subject."
Misaki could understand Fuyumi's desire to absolve her mother of any wrongdoing, but she could also understand Rei's reluctance to accept her daughter's sentiment. Misaki herself had been dealing with the same kind of feelings for years following what had happened with her parents. She hadn't been looking for absolution, like Shira had mentioned to her in the hospital yesterday, what she'd really been seeking for so long was atonement. Everyone's sense of accountability in response to trauma was different, but Misaki could relate a bit to Rei's.
She picked up the tray of finished gyoza and carried them over to set them on the counter next to the cooktop and began placing them in the prepared frying pan as she began to speak. "It's hard to share your feelings with your loved ones when they don't understand them. Even though you don't blame her, rejecting her desire to accept responsibility for her part in what happened is just as painful. I think she probably avoids the subject because she doesn't want to try and justify her feelings to you and make you uncomfortable. And you don't have to accept them. I know it can be hard, but it might help to try and understand things from her perspective a little bit." Speaking from a place of personal experience, Misaki empathetically stated, "Forgiveness is not so much an admission of blame as it is an acknowledgment of someone's effort to improve and grow."
Luckily, she had just finished placing all of the gyoza she could fit in the frying pan when Fuyumi suddenly threw her arms around her with tears in her eyes and exclaimed, "Torimodo-san!"
"Oh!" Misaki stiffened and blinked in shock.
"Thank you!" Fuyumi said as she pulled back. "All this time, I've avoided talking about it because I didn't want to bring up any bad memories for anyone. Mom especially, because of her condition. I've just been trying to put it all behind me and move on instead of acknowledging what we all went through."
Misaki reached up to pat the top of her head and offered her a compassionate smile. "You just wanted your family to be together and happy again, right?" Fuyumi sniffled and nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Fuyumi threw her arms back around her and cried out, "You're so nice!"
Misaki let out a nervous laugh and awkwardly patted the exuberant woman on the back in an attempt to soothe her, just before she noticed the clay pot at the back of the stove begin to boil over. "Um, Fuyumi-san—"
She pointed at the pot and Fuyumi immediately rushed over to turn down the flame as she exclaimed, "Oh no! The rice!"
Misaki grabbed the hand towel that was hanging from the handle of the oven and moved to clean up the spilled water on the counter. "I'll help."
"Thanks...!" Fuyumi smiled and sighed in relief.
"Dinner is ready, everyone!" Fuyumi announced to the congregation in the main office area as she carried a tray of food into the break room.
"This looks great!" Hawks commented as he took his seat next to Endeavor at the head of the table, surveying the spread of traditional Japanese dishes littered across it appraisingly.
"Help yourself!" Fuyumi enthusiastically replied while taking her seat next to Rei at the other end of the table.
"Careful what you tell this glutton," Endeavor grumbled.
Hawks reached up to rub the back of his head and grimaced. "Come on, Endeavor-san, cut me some slack. I always give everyone a chance to eat their fill first."
"Don't worry, there's plenty to go around," Misaki remarked while setting a plate full of yakitori skewers on the table and taking her seat between Fuyumi and Hawks.
Shoto walked into the room and took his seat next to Natsuo while Best Jeanist and the remaining sidekicks who had also been invited to dine with them all gathered around one of the other dining tables. Everyone collectively announced their appreciation for the meal before beginning to serve themselves.
While she was handling portioning out the rice, Fuyumi asked Shoto, "Is everything alright at the school?"
The high schooler had been on a call with some of his classmates since shortly after they'd arrived at the agency. He'd been released from the hospital a little early in order to attend the press conference, but he would be returning to the school the following morning.
Shoto accepted the bowl of rice Natsuo handed to him and nodded. "Everyone has been helping their families move into the dorms. Classes won't resume until next week it seems."
"You all should start preparing as well," Endeavor abruptly announced.
"Ha?" Natsuo immediately scoffed in response. "What are you talking about? How are we supposed to help find Toya-nii if we're all huddled together in a shelter? Don't think just because we've agreed to work together that we're just going to do whatever you say now."
"Natsu—!" Fuyumi called out to him in a chastising tone in response to the condescending way he was speaking to their father.
"Dad's right," Shoto coolly remarked.
Natsuo turned to his brother in alarm. "Not you too!"
"None of you are trained to fight against villains. You'll just be sitting ducks out here," Shoto calmly explained before taking a sip of his soup.
"So teach us!" Natsuo stubbornly griped.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
Shoto glanced over at him and frankly replied, "I have class."
Natsu threw his arm out to the side and shouted, "Finding our brother is more important than that right now!"
"Natsuo," the calm voice of Todoroki Rei addressed the riled teenager. "Your father and brother are right. We should move into the shelter at UA as soon as possible."
Natsuo's head whipped around to his mother. "But—!"
As a last-ditch effort, Natsuo looked to his older sister for support, but Fuyumi just ducked her head and told him, "I agree with mom, Natsu."
Misaki could only watch the whole uncomfortable exchange in silence, much like all of the other non-members of the Todoroki family who were unfortunate enough to be in attendance at the moment. There was clear animosity between Natsuo and Endeavor, and his fiery display of temper didn't appear to be anything new. She could clearly see an abundant resemblance between the two of them, both physically and emotionally. From what she'd seen in the Hero Public Safety Commission's archives while she'd been working there, Natsuo was practically a carbon copy of how Endeavor had been in his youth. She hoped that he wouldn't give in to his obsessive traits as his father had done for so many years. Unfortunately, one usually had to acknowledge the undesirable traits they had inherited from their parents before they could learn from their mistakes, something she didn't see the teenager reconciling within himself anytime soon.
"There are still things you can do from inside the shelter," Hawks interjected pragmatically.
"Like getting some proper training from the instructors there on how to defend yourself against villains, for starters. Let us handle finding Dabi. You should focus on preparing yourself to face him when the time comes."
Natsuo reluctantly backed down from his stance on the issue. "Fine. Have it your way. For now."
Thankfully, they managed to make it through the rest of dinner without any more awkward outbursts.
~ Preview of the Next Chapter ~
Misaki finished unfastening her dress and pulled it up over her head before hanging it up on the hook inside one of the lockers. Realizing that she was the only one undressing at the moment, she stopped in the process of removing her undergarments and glanced over at Hawks, only to find him standing there staring at her like a deer in the headlights.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked, feeling more than a little bit concerned with his overly conspicuous staring.
He took a deep breath and leaned back, looking her up and down with wide eyes as he told her, "If you go in there with me looking like that… I'm not confident that I'm gonna be able to keep my hands to myself."
Misaki almost laughed at his honest admission, coupled with the expression of dubious anticipation etched across his face as he stared at her mostly uncovered body. Regaining a bit of her feminine confidence, she stepped into his personal space and reached out to unbutton his shirt, replying in a slightly husky sounding voice, "Then don't. Once we get you cleaned up," she raised her eyes to his as she flipped the claps on his pants open. "You can touch me as much as you want."
She felt his left palm slide over the bare skin of her waist as his right hand cupped her neck and he tilted her chin up with his thumb as he eyed her mouth with an almost predatory gleam in his golden irises. He leaned in with clear intent to kiss her and she opened her mouth slightly while calmly lifting her index finger to press against his lips as she crooned, "Shower first."
~ Author's Note ~
🚨🚨 OMG IT'S HAPPENING 🚨🚨
Prepare for some spicy spice in next week's chapter (it's a chonky boi...)! 😉
As always, thank you SO much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ❤️
XOXO
L0LSAT