PYROMANIA (Endeavor X Male Reader)

Chapter 23 - RIDICULOUS

You were somewhat surprised by the lack of acknowledgement of Endeavor's birthday.

You didn't expect them to celebrate it, but nobody had even mentioned it. Natsuo didn't even bitch about it.

Endeavor himself seemed to be as he always was. Grumpy, full of shit and dumping half a bottle of hot sauce on his scrambled eggs.

You smiled, knowing that your present would likely be received pretty well.

"What are you smiling about?" Endeavor asked. It came across as annoyed and frankly rude, but you could tell that he was genuinely curious by the calculating look he was giving you. It had happened a few times before. You thinking of something stupid and having it show on your face. Obviously Endeavor hardly let it go. Your answer was always the same.

"I'm just happy, Sir."

His reaction was always the same. A particularly tense nod.

"You want something to drink, Sir?" You asked, before turning back to the table. "Kids?"

"Coffee," Endeavor muttered.

"Same for me," Natsuo said.

"Green tea," Shouto said, staring at his phone. He wasn't usually particularly invested in his phone, so you were curious as to what he was doing. You didn't ask, though. The kid deserved privacy.

When you returned with the drinks, you took a moment to look at Endeavor's appreciative face as he took the first sip of his steaming coffee. It wasn't very different for his usually expression but his eyes would close and the corners of his lips would quirk upward very slightly.

You averted your eyes as soon as it dissappeared and allowed yourself to eat your own breakfast.

~~~

That afternoon, you had to take Shouto to the agency again. This time with a birthday cake and present secretly stashed in the trunk.

Your mind wandered back to this morning, and then to Shouto having his eyes glued to his phone screen for the majority of the morning.

"Hey, Shouto. You don't have to tell me but I'm sort of curious about what you were looking at on your phone this morning. You were super focused," you chuckled. He recognized it as a request and not an order and his tense posture vanished. He took his phone out, opened a tab and shoved the thing in your face.

You features contorted in horror.

"Oh my fucking God. No. Why would someone write that?" You bemoaned,  gaining a sympathetic nod from the teen.

"And why did you read that?" You proceeded to ask.

"Morbid curiosity."

"Morbid curiosity made you read fanfiction about your dad getting boinked by All Might?"

"Didn't say I'm proud of it," he muttered."

"Please filter your searches properly, Shouto. Avoid smut involving your father. Geez," you lectured him.

"You should be telling me not to read smut in the first place,"

"Well clearly you're self aware and doing it anyway. Why should I think you'd listen to me?"

"Fair enough," he mumbled.

"What were you searching for anyway?"

"Muscular characters."

"Filters, Shouto. Filters."

"Yeah. Yeah. I get it," he said non-committally. "By the way, it was All Might getting boinked."

You snorted. "Yeah right."

Shouto nodded resolutely. "That's what I'm saying."

~~~

While Shouto was busy training with his father, you snuck into the man's office, placing the cake and present on the desk. You figured he'd take more kindly to just being given the stuff instead of confronted with it.

You laughed as you realized you were treating him like a horse with a low startle point.

Out of curiosity, you decided to watch the two train. It was...rough. More than a thirteen year old should have to be subjected to. Though the most shocking part of the training was that Shouto refused to use his fire quirk. All these months, you figured that he was simply reluctant to - just to spite his dad - but he outright refused to.

It was like he saw accepting either quirk as paying homage to the respective parent. As if he saw the quirks as theirs instead of his own.

It saddened you but it also made sense. He'd been treated like a tool by his father. His father seeing Shouto as an extension of himself. Someone capable of achieving his ultimate goal.

You mentally punched yourself. You'd been pussyfooting around the issue. Knowing that Endeavor was forcing unrealistic expectations on his son. No wonder Shouto figured you didn't really care about him.

Because nobody cared enough to stand up against Endeavor. To save him from the pressure that he'd lived with since he was little.

You pushed away the self-loathing, determination taking its place. You'd talk to Shouto first and then his father. You'd at least try to do something. Plant a seed of reason in his father's mind maybe.

You hoped it would work.

~~~

You sat next to Shouto on a bench. Handing him a bottle of water. He gave you a concerned look. You're sure your apprehension didn't show on your face but he noticed anyway.

"(Y/N)?"

"Listen, Shouto. I'm saying this for your benefit, not your father's. That quirk," you tapped his red hair. "That quirk is yours. Not your father's."

His shoulders tensed and he slowly brought his gaze to yours.

"Just like how that quirk," you tapped his white hair. "Is your quirk. Not your mother's."

He opened his mouth but didn't manage to say anything. "Shouto. You exist for no one but yourself. Which means those quirks are no one's but yours."

His eyes glossed over. You continued. "I didn't understand quite how radical your father is. I've been blissfully ignorant. And that ends now. If you become a hero, Shouto, it'll be because you want to be one. Not because your father wants you to surpass him and All Might."

Tears were streaming down his cheeks now and you pulled his head to your chest. "From now on, I'm going to fight your father every step of the way. You are not a tool. You are Shouto and that's more than enough."

~~~

Endeavor paused when he entered his office. He hesitantly approached his desk, his suspicions being confirmed hen he saw the cake.

Strawberry cream.

"(Y/N)."

He reluctantly looked into the gift bag, finding a cardboard box without any labels. Attached to the box was a note.

To Todoroki-san,

Happy Birthday, Sir. I had no clue what to get you so I bought this. You might not use it but I figured it was better than nothing.

He opened the box and let out a huff. No. A laugh.

He closed it, handling the box as if it was precious.

He looked out of the window, seeing your car pull away from the building.

'Ridiculous. But better than nothing,' he mused.