𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 - Endeavor X Male Reader

Chapter 10: On Fire

"Did you pay visit to your son already, boss?"
His eyes grew irritated. Guess it was a yes.
We were on our reserved seats on the stands, people around us were kinda visibly intimidated by that big living sun that was Endeavor. Not only because all around him the temperature was oven-like, but he also seemed pissed as hell.

I sat beside him lending him a drink.
He let some seconds pass before accepting it reluctant. 
I sighed. At times it felt like being a babysitter.

"All these kids with powerful quirks make me quite envious... I kinda understood the boy with blue sparky hair."

Endeavor sideglanced me.

The match between Shoto and Deku began.
Their young spirits collided in a fiery dance.
Between the shattered ice I saw, beauty, once again.
My eyes dazzled as the fight became more and more intense, while Endeavor was silent and inamovible. 

Suddenly, a flame. Like a candle light up in the dark.

Endeavor rose from his seat.

The left side of Shoto was burning, like his father's quirk.

"Boss-"
"SHOOOOTOOOOO!!!"

He just lost it.
With the finesse of an elephant he walked down the stands, his flames erupting like a geyser.

"With my blood pulping through your veins you will surpass me!! You will fulfill my ambitions!!"

His face contorted in a greedy smile.
I never saw him like that.

He looked like a villain.

And the words he was shouting - made it all the more revolting.

Eventually, Shoto won.
In the aftermath his father ran at the entrance of the arena, meeting him with a proposal, to come at his agency to teach him control over his flame quirk.

I was watching from the sidelines.

His son refused.
... And I felt relief.

Endeavor's grin quickly dropped in his usual frown. The two had nothing else to say, and went into opposing directions.

As I crossed Shoto, I just said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm sorry, kid."

I just felt that way. Of course the boy watched me confused.

"Y/N."
"Coming, boss."

I was behind the wheel, with my last task for the day to escort Endeavor at the Todoroki household.
Silence laid stagnant in the car.
It was 9.00 PM, and neither of us had dinner.
Just little treats that came once in a while in the stands.

For once, Endeavor was the first to talk.

"Why did you say sorry?"
"Oh... So you heard."

He kept his eyes on me, not saying anything else and expecting a sound explanation and probably even some apologies.

"I guess... I just wanted to apologize for your awful behavior."
"What."

I stopped the car in a rest area.
Endeavor glared at me, and I glared right back at him.
My work place was at risk.
But If I didn't tell him, I simply couldn't have lived with myself.

"Boss. Do you love your son?"
"... "
"People usually respond with a yes immediately."

He growled.

"I love him. So what?"
"Then how can you say such things? Treating him like he's an extension of your body and nothing more. It's a horrifying sight."

Another pause.

"Did it look that way?"
"Don't lie to either of us, boss. You know it did."

He bit his lip, his flames slowly fading, till his defeated face was right before me.

"I said worse. I've done worse... probably, if you knew all of it, you'd quit being my secretary."

It's not like I had a choice.

So, I sinned too.
I didn't indulge further.
Not because I was afraid of knowing.
I was afraid of hating him.

I watched him, but his gaze didn't have the same vigor he had in that photo, the one picturing a long lost family.
He was a tired man, desensibilized by his own cruelty by being used to it.
His beauty on the verge to wither -

I pitied him, really.
So, once again, my tongue was faster than my brain.

"Why don't we do something together? It's been such a shitty day. I know! Let's go to the cinema. You need to focus your mind on something else."

He was about to say no, but something clicked in. Maybe he too thought that distracting himself for once was the way.

"..."
He murmured something with his gruffy voice, keeping it for himself.
"Uhm?"
"I said okay!"

His flames returned, blazing for a moment.
Such a hothead.

"Okay. You won't regret this boss, If I remember correctly, today they screen something nice and easygoing."
I started the car thinking of a precise movie in mind.
Endeavor was reticent and uncertain about this exotic choice.

We approached the cinema.

"Isn't cinema just the best? You can both eat and watch at the same time. The food is junk and it's quite pricey though - I guess you eat a lot of fibers right? ... What is your favorite movie genre?"

I tried to open various topics, but the man would just gaze me with a stoic look and that's it. If not, he nodded awkardly. Cute.

"Oh no, what's this?"

The movie poster left a bad taste in my mouth, I thought they were screening The Devil wears Prada, it would've been a fun joke... maybe.

"Portrait of a Lady on Fire."

He said swiftly.

"That's quite a title."

He added.

"I never saw it. You?"

The man shaked his head.

"Well, at this point."

-

"Two for Portrait of a Lady on Fire."

"Ok- What! You're Endeavor! That's-"
"Ehy, spare my boss. He had a rough day. Will you keep this quiet please?"
"Of course, sorry."

In the end the ticket office lady was very polite.

We entered in the movie room loaded with lots of popcorns and drinks. We were almost alone, probably because of the time.

The big screen lit up, gently delining our silhouettes, in stark contrast with each other.
A bizzare duo.
Me, with delicate bug attributes, like my frail,  complex antennae, and him, an unit of a man, a mountain of scorching muscles with -
a beautiful face.

The movie began.

It was wonderfully crafted, and I enjoyed all my way trough, I felt like I wasn't the target audience but nonetheless, when something is made with heart, it's hard not to appreciate.

We were reaching the last minutes of the movie. An unusual but powerful scene, a focus on the co-protagonist's face while Vivaldi's Summer played on screen.
That's when I realized, me and Endeavor didn't talk for the whole length of the movie.

The string instruments became louder and louder, as the character's suffering became so stinging it almost felt real.

I turned around.

Tears were quietly coming down his cheeks.

His profile, lightened only by the blue light, was broken up crying.
It was composed and silent, as if it was rain kindly falling on his face.

That's when I realized.

I love him.