Beautifully Broken [BNHA]

Chapter Fifteen

Tamaki waited nervously outside the gate surrounding the large traditional Japanese mansion like home, where Ridley was residing under the care of her mentor and the number two hero, Endeavor. He looked down at the small bouquet of brightly colored flowers in his hand and felt his face begin to burn hot, he'd picked them out because they were so bright and vibrant, they reminded him of Ridley.

Natsuo and Shoto returned home from a trip to the convenience store and spotted the pointy eared teen with the dark unruly hair. It appeared to the siblings the boy was having some kind of nervous breakdown as he kept looking from the flowers in his hand to the gate and pacing. Any time someone on the street glanced his way he'd hide behind the flowers. At some point, he finally snapped and ended up pressing his face against the wall of the gate admitting defeat.

"So, I'm guessing he's either Ridley's boyfriend OR a nervous serial killer." Natsuo chuckled and looked to his younger brother to see if he'd cracked a smile.

"I'm going with the latter." Shoto shrugged and shoved past without a word.

Natsuo sighed, his brother was still standoffish but at least he could now spend some time with him and hold a small conversation. Taking pity on the teen pressed against the gate, Natsuo called over to him, "Ridley's not home yet, she took the trash panda out for a walk, but you're welcome to wait for her inside." He extended a hand in greeting to the nervous teen, "I'm Natsuo."

Tamaki nearly jumped out of his skin at being noticed and addressed by one of the Todoroki children. He bowed his head embarrassed. He didn't like this; he felt uncomfortable in the older teen's presence and was having a hard time looking him in the eye or accepting the hand he extended to him in greeting. He glanced at the white-haired boy a year or two his senior and reluctantly accepted the hand he offered him. "T-Tamaki Amajiki." He stammered nervously and released his hand right away.

"Come on in." Natsuo offered him a smile and steered him through the gate. He led him inside and into the main sitting room.

Tamaki paled as he spotted Endeavor, though he wasn't in his hero costume and Tamaki suddenly panicked as he realized he had no idea what his actual name was. He was sitting in one of the reclining chairs reading through a stack of newspapers. His aquamarine eyes flicked upward as Natsuo and Tamaki stepped through the front door before narrowing slightly fixing him with a scrutinizing look. Tamaki desperately tried to envision them all as potatoes as he used to do when he was a child to try and help with his nervousness but that didn't seem to be helping now.

"Who's this?" Endeavor looked to Natsuo curiously before sighing as Natsuo simply walked away, he still wasn't speaking to him.

Tamaki paled as he realized there was internal conflict within the household which meant he might actually have to speak more. Just as he was about to break into a panic attack, he heard a faint pop that instantly filled him with relief. A fat squashy racoon wearing a ridiculous jogging outfit complete with sweatbands appeared in the air above the youngest Todoroki sibling.

Shoto caught the flustered raccoon with a sigh and set it on the ground wondering how in the world the crazy girl always managed to target him with the raccoon. Another moment later there was a second pop and a giggling Ridley appeared in the air above the coffee table wearing workout attire to match Ryland. She crashed onto the coffee table and everyone winced sympathetically as she cracked her skull on the corner of it.

"Ow." Ridley rubbed her head that she'd just cracked against the coffee table and sat up with a giggle, "I'm okay!" She glanced around the sitting room and spotted Tamaki. Her eyes lit up and she nearly tackled him to the floor in a hug, "Tama-tan!"