You Are My Stars - Tododeku

Day 25: Sun, Moon, and Stars

December 25th

Scents of cinnamon and sweet syrup curled into Izuku's nose as he stared intently at the waffles seated on his plate. His fork was nearly bending into a crumpled twig because he was gripping onto its metal handle so tightly.  Staying with the Todorokis sure was stressful. Midoriya felt like he had to constantly impress their family, being the number one hero within U.A. Plus, Midoriya was sure that Endeavor held a rock solid grudge against him. He surpassed even Todoroki, after all of his hard work to become powerful.

'How in the world did you stay this calm with my mom?' Midoriya shrieked on the inside, watching Todoroki with question.

Todoroki was eating cold soba for breakfast once again. He lifted his eyes to meet Midoriya's, the ends of the noodles disappearing behind his lips as they unraveled from his chopsticks. He looked like a deer caught in the center of bright headlights.

 Cute..

Midoriya chuckled quietly, and rewarded him with a kiss to the bridge of his nose. At least Todoroki was there to ease his nerves.

They were both seated on the couch, watching Todoroki's family members tensely unwrap presents. The air felt a lot different when Endeavor was around. It was similar to the feeling of waiting for a bomb to burst. Unfortunately, Dabi had to leave for the night, so he wasn't going to be included with his family on Christmas. Midoriya couldn't help but to feel a pang of sympathy, even if Dabi was a villain.

Fuyumi wasn't her cheerful self, but she was clearly doing her best to please her father. She didn't want to upset Endeavor.

"This is great. Thank you," Fuyumi chirped, but no exclamation shadowed her tone. She jammed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and did her best to make eye contact with Endeavor's fierce eyes, but she couldn't do it. She was uncomfortable, but she was also admiring what she had gotten from her father. After all of these years, she couldn't forgive him for what he had done to Shouto, despite how wonderful her gift was.

A beautiful bird was singing beside her, glossy and eloquent turquoise feathers coating its body. It was protected inside of a golden cage. Endeavor was clearly trying to repair their family, despite how menacing he appeared.

The bird cooed in approval as Fuyumi ran a finger along its head, and she finally gave a genuine chuckle.

"My class is going to love this.. I've never had a class pet before."

Midoriya perked up. "Oh, right! You're a teacher! I almost forgot!"

"I am," Fuyumi confirmed, smiling up at Midoriya. "Hey, want to pet her?" She scooped up the cage and stood up on her knees to stretch the cage towards his direction.

"Sure! I'd love to.." Midoriya looked like he was being held at gunpoint again, breaking into a cold sweat. He didn't even need to look at Endeavor to know that his eyes were pinned to him. Putting his finger past the bars of the cage, he stroked it along the bird's smooth back. It closed its eyes and made purring noises, which made him laugh.

"Hmm, this seems to be a cat, not a bird!" Midoriya joked.

"You're right. Maybe I should name her Peko. You know, since it rhymes with 'neko'." Fuyumi's eyes glimmered at her own brilliant idea.

"I like that. Peko would be cute," Midoriya agreed, giving the bird one more pet before passing the cage back to Fuyumi.

"Then Peko it is!" Fuyumi cheered.

No one else noticed, but Todoroki did. His father had tears building up in his eyes. That seemed to be just the reaction he wanted. Approval from Fuyumi, after all of these years of trying. It was odd, seeing his dad crying. After eighteen years of knowing him, he had never shed a single tear, as far as he knew.