My Hero Academia: Aspirations

Chapter 21

A/N: This chapter will contain direct spoilers for Season Five, Episode 2.

Aspirations

Chapter 21

You gave a little wave to Natsuo when the frosty haired young man looked up from his spot at the table in surprise. Unlike you, Todoroki had no hesitation in sitting down at the table. You lingered at the dining room door awkwardly until you decided to help Fuyumi with dinner. Not that you needed to cook anything, she'd already done that, but you helped her carry everything to the table. Only then did you take a seat next to Candy Cane. It seemed less presumptuous compared to sitting at the head of the table. Thank goodness you'd had plenty of practice sitting in seiza because otherwise sitting at the low table would have been uncomfortable.

"Soba?" Natsuo asked as he looked at the arrangement. "What happened to the tuna you had me pick up at the market this morning?"

Fuyumi shifted nervously in her position. "I—wasn't sure if Shoto was going to be allowed to come when I told you to pick up the tuna. When he told me that UA agreed, I decided to make Soba instead."

"Yeah...but why?"

"He asked if we were going to have it."

Todoroki nodded beside you when Natsuo looked towards him. "I like soba."

That seemed to surprise the older Todoroki sibling. You couldn't help but wonder why. Though the revolution seemed to surprise Natsuo for some reason, Todoroki didn't seem to notice. That or he didn't care. You didn't know him well enough to decide which one his casual attitude came from. You did notice that he frowned as he served himself some of the steaming noodles; something that Fuyumi picked up right away.

"What's wrong, Shoto?"

"They're still hot."

"You like your soba cold?" She asked with wide eyes, as though she'd just made a horrible mistake.

Todoroki nodded. You blinked in surprise when he simply started eating them regardless of their steaming state. If he liked them cold, why didn't he just make them that way with his quirk?

"Why don't you just cool down your bowl then?" You asked, feeling like that was at least one mystery you could get solved today.

Suddenly it wasn't just Fuyumi that felt like they'd done something wrong. You shifted in your spot nervously as three Todoroki siblings stared at you like you'd grown a new head.

"What?" You asked quietly.

"I don't have my license," Todoroki said simply.

"So?" You prompted. "It's a bowl of soup and noodles, Todoroki, not a person. I don't think cooling down your bowl is going to trigger a Hero randomly showing up to scold you."

You may have been teasing him by the end. He seemed so formal at what was supposed to be a family dinner. Like he was just a guest in his own house and was trying to be on his best behavior. It was an odd juxtaposition. You had no way of knowing that sitting with his siblings at dinner like this was fairly new for him. Or that Todoroki was trying to be kind by not showing off his quirk. As far as he was aware, his two siblings hadn't trained their own quirks as their father had been disappointed that they'd been born "imperfect".

"Here, let me," Fuyumi said as she reached over the top as an indication for Todoroki to pass her his bowl.

"No need," Shoto said dispassionately.