Todoroki Family Dinner
Chapter 3: Trying your Best.
"You had to take care of kids as part of your licensing exam,"Fuyumi asked in bewilderment before taking a spoon full of her soup.
"Yeah, me, Bakugo, Caime, and Yoarashi all had to," Shoto replied taking a sip of water, whilst Momo had just sat and listened.
"Wow, so how well did that go," Fuyumi giggled, trying to picture her stoic younger brother looking after children.
"Well most of them got pretty rowdy, one almost took Bakugo's eye out, but it only got his mask, most of the boys gathered around Caime, Yoarashi got beat up by most of them because he was distracted."
'Huh, wasn't it that kid who punched himself in the face,' Endeavor wondered as they continued.
"What about you," Momo asked her boyfriend, curious about the class since he rarely spoke of it.
"Well the girl's all thought I was handsome and crowded around me."
'Cannot blame them there,' Yaoyorozu thought to herself, her face flushing a little.
"And the boys kept calling me wiener man because of the cylinders that hang off of my belt."
"That must have been fun," Fuyumi laughed.
"It wasn't, but not as bad as when they got one of Bakugo's gauntlets," Shoto replied.
"They what," Momo gasped, remembering their first ever training exercise when the hot head used one of them against Midoriya, nearly destroying the building they were in.
"Yeah, they got ahold of both of them."
"Did they pull the pin on it," Momo asked in urgency.
"No, thankfully they didn't, I don't think Bakugo's pride would allow it."
"Th-that's not the bigger issue," Momo sighed but still smiled at his unconventional way of thinking.
"Are they that bad," Fuyumi asked curiously.
"Well uh…they can level the floor of a building if the pin on them is pulled," Momo explained, causing Fuyumi's stomach to drop, being a teacher herself, picturing such a dangerous weapon in the hands of children made her very uneasy.
"…And UA just lets him walk around with those," Fuyumi asked.
"Mr. Aizawa keeps a tight leash on him during exercises and training," Momo clarified, taking a sip of her tea, "Well, he tries to…"
"Glad he isn't in my class," Fuyumi joked, causing both her and the ponytailed girl to laugh, Shoto merely smiled, happy that the two girls were getting along, while Endeavor just kinda sat there, sure he was content seeing his family have a pleasant time, he just wasn't sure what to add, social gatherings not exactly being his forte, made all too apparent when the laughter ended.
"So how was your day dad," Fuyumi asked him, as she ate some more of her soup.
"Oh, well I uh," Endeavor went through his daily events, most of it being boring paperwork, and a few criminal detainments, overall not a very interesting day, so he decided to blurt out the most interesting…and very vulgar detainment of the day.
"I beat up a serial flasher in a mall."
…
…
You could've heard a pin drop on mars, the silence that fell over the room being that prominent, Fuyumi almost chocked on her food, Momo flustered over the very unpleasant image of the new #1 fighting a flasher, and Shoto stopped slurping his noodles about halfway, giving his father a look that basically said 'Of all things you could've said,' coincidentally his sister thought the same thing.
"Uh…ah, v-very interesting," Fuyumi nervously replied trying to catch her breath.
"Not as interesting as this one weird freckle he had on his-"
"OKAY WHO WANTS DESERT," Fuyumi loudly asked, cutting off her father before she would need to pay for therapy sessions…for all three of them, "Hey dad do you want dessert, I think you want dessert, come with me to get that would you?"
"Actually I haven't really finished my dinner and plus I had a big lunch today so-oof," Endeavor rubbed his side, his precious daughter jabbing him to cue him into exiting, "Oh, uh, yes I would quite like dessert dear."
"Greeeeeaaaaaat come help me order it outside," Fuyumi stood up and made her way over the front door of the residence.
"But, we can just order it in here," Enji looked at her confusingly.
"OUT-SIDE!"
"Okay."
Outside
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…what?"
"What do you mean what, of all things to bring up at dinner, you choose the one thing that would make us vomit!"
"Well it was either that, paperwork, or when I fought toxic chainsaw today."
"EVERYONE, LITERALLY EVERYONE WOULD CHOSE THE OTHER TWO!"
"Heh, I wouldn't, coward went down in two hits, at least the flasher was a challenge since he was slippery."
"Oh my god please stop," Fuyumi face palmed and tried to keep her food in her stomacher face turning green.
"Do you need a bag or-…"
"I'll be fine, I'll be fine, just please stop talking about it."
"Alright, so what would you have me talk about then?"
"Hmmm," Fuyumi gripped her chin, thinking of what he could speak about in a civil manner, eventually raising her gaze and snapping, an idea popping up to her, "I got it, haven't you been doing some social work lately over at the children's center in Kyushu?"
"Yes."
"Well just talk about that I'm sure you have some wonderful stories about that, especially since you're trying to change yourself as a person!"
"Hmm, you have a point there, I guess it could work."
"I'm sure it will."
Meanwhile, Shoto and Momo continued to eat their dinner, well Momo at least since Shoto rested his elbows on the dinner table, his head lowered so his fingers could rub his temples in frustration and minor embarrassment.
"Well," Momo swallowed her food, followed by wiping her mouth with a napkin, "He seems very uh…"
"Awful?"
"Noooo."
"Inept?"
"Not that either."
"The worst father imaginable?"
"I was going to say intriguing."
"That's putting it nicely."
"Even so, at least he's trying," she gave him a smile before placing a hand on his back, rubbing it to comfort him.
"I wouldn't call that trying."
"Then what would you call it?"
"Incompetence."
"Shoto."
"What? I mean who brings THAT up at dinner."
"A father not knowing how to connect with his family."
"Or one trying to drive them away further."
"…"
"I'm sorry," he sighed raising his hands up and away from the table, then proceeding to lay on her shoulder, her arm wrapping around his head, brushing some of his hair back to kiss his forehead, "I just want to make this enjoyable for you."
"It already is, your sister is a delightful person and a wonderful cook."
"She'd love to hear that," Shoto found his smile again.
"I'll make sure to let her know, and even though your father is a little awkward."
"Little?"
"Okay, very awkward, he's done his best to make me feel welcomed, and trying to be as pleasant as he possibly can, he's just having a few missteps that's all."
"*Sigh* I guess you're right."
"There we go," she replied warmly as she rose his head up from her shoulder, cupping both of her hands on his face, "Besides, didn't you have a few missteps when our first year at UA started."
"Yeah, I guess I was a little rude."
"You did almost beat up your best friend to get back at your dad."
"F-fair enough."
"Just give him a chance, I'm sure he'll do better," she reassured him, before planting a quick kiss on his lips, a sure fire way to make him more at ease with the situation, "You gonna be okay?"
He nodded.
"Good," she placed her hands at her side again, he really was grateful to have someone so sweet in his life, as he continued to look at her warmly even after her gaze returned to the table, "Now let's enjoy the rest of the evening."
"Without thinking about how my dad beat up a flasher."
"W-was that a joke," she laughed.
"Maybe," his own social skills improving a bit since they started dating, catching Momo off guard, but it was a welcomed surprise, the two then returning to the food, as they waited for the other's to return.
Luckily, they didn't have to wait long since the door slid open a couple seconds after their interaction, Fuyumi stepping first, her father right behind her after shutting the door.
"The delivery guys will be bringing a chocolate cake over in about twenty minutes, so I hope you guys are still hungry," Fuyumi informed them as she made her way back to her seat.
"That sounds wonderful actually," Momo replied smiling at the elder sister, Shoto nodding before returning to his soba noodles.
"Glad to hear it, now while we wait, dad has a few things he wants to talk about."
'Oh boy,' Shoto thought with minor dread but kept his optimism for the girl's sake.
"Uh yes, I've actually been doing some social work over at the children's center in Kyushu."
"Oh, I actually saw a couple articles on that," the raven haired girl spoke up to the man, trying to make conversation with him, "How did that go?"
"Well at first it was a bit of a challenge."
'Meaning he doesn't know how to talk to kids,' Shoto kept the comment to himself.
"But slowly it got easier, and I'm sure I gave those kids a memorable experience."
"Aw that sounds really nice," Momo replied, Fuyumi gave her father a grin, thankful that he was able to actually tell a pleasant tale.
"It was indeed…"
…
Buuuuuuuuut
"And by the end I only made a few of them cry."
'And there it is,' Shoto thought as he stopped slurping his soba again, Momo tried her best to keep a fake smile on her face as to not make it more uncomfortable.
'D-D-Damnit to hell dad,' Fuyumi thought as her eye twitched, doing everything in her power not to nudge him again, only harder this time.
Quickly reading the room, Endeavor tried to think up a way to salvage the conversation, and eventually found a way to steer back in his favor, "I was kidding, hehehahahaha."
…At least he thought it was going more in his favor, his laugh making them more uncomfortable, yet the girl's tried joining in on his laugh, it was fake but better than silence.
"Hehehehaha, yeah of course," Momo said.
"Yeah dad, you're a real jokester," Fuyumi faked laughed.
"Hahaha yeah, I know, hahahahahaahaha ah," the laughing stopped after a few seconds, as they returned to eating…and then, "I actually made them scream and cry."
"Oh my god," Fuyumi whispered under her breath, dropping her utensils to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"Hm," Momo went wide eyed, but still kept a forced grin, Shoto on the other hand just kept eating, he was very annoyed at what had just transpired but he wanted to be on his best behavior, besides he didn't have to take a dig at his father, his father was perfectly good at doing that himself.
"Sorry for lying," Endeavor apologized.
"N-no it's quite alright."
'No it's not,' the siblings thought in unison.
"At the very least you told the truth, not many would do that, it's uh…admirable" Momo replied trying to return a pleasant atmosphere.
'Shoto, your girlfriend is a ray of sunshine,' Fuyumi thought smiling at the pony tailed girl.
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Endeavor smiled, before returning to his dinner, Fuyumi feeling relieved that didn't say anything else about it-
"I accidentally stepped on their toes," Endeavor clarified.
'MOTHER F-,' Fuyumi mentally screamed.
"Oh my," Momo mumbled.
'Better than getting their face burned,' a comment Shoto almost said aloud.
"S-sorry."
"HEY DAD I THINK THE DELIVERY GUYS ARE OUTSIDE!"
"I uh…think so to," the red haired man somberly stood up from his seat, beginning to walk toward the door, "I'll just wait for them, you all can continue eating, I should be back in a few minutes."
"W-wait dad I," Fuyumi almost stood up, feeling a little guilty about shouting at him.
"No, it's fine, I need a minute anyway."
"As long as you're sure."
"I am, see you in a minute," with that he shit the door behind him, leaving his family to continue their evening without his ineptness, Momo then reached over, placing her hand on Fuyumi's trying to comfort her as they waited for his return.
Endeavor did not make this exit without a plan though, having quickly pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts and eventually landing on the 'H' category, and with a sigh dialing the only number he has in that section, the phone rang for a little bit.
Eventually Hawks picked up.
"Yooooo! Big E, what's up?"
"Quit calling me that."
"Whatever you say Flaming Hot Cheetos."
"Grrrrrrrr."
"Oh you love me and you know it."
"Keep telling yourself that."
"I will, so what's up?"
"I need you to do me favor…"
"…"
"Did you drop your phone?"
"No, just processing that you actually said that."
"Don't get used to it."
"Oh I won't, so what do ya need?"
"I need you to pick up a book for me, I'll pay you back when I go back on duty tomorrow."
"You got it, so…what book?"
Author's Note: CLIFFHANGER! I hate doing this to you guys especially after taking so long to return to this story, quick summary i just got done moving and finally got to settle in after a hectic few months of planning and getting over some depression issues as always, and i'm hopefully back to more frequent releases since I do wanna go forward with some stories and return to other's as well.
Also quick side note, awkward dad Endeavor is so fun to write, I had a blast writing his interactions in this one in particular, and I hope they made you laugh to.
I really hope you guys enjoyed this one as always.
And i hope you have had a wonderful and hopefully a great upcoming holiday season.
See you guys in the next one, which may or may not be the finale.
-T.L.C
