Read Y.N x Shoto part 1 and 2 first to understand!
The day after Thanksgiving, Shoto Todoroki struggled to shake off the irritation that lingered in the back of his mind like a persistent shadow. Thanksgiving had been a smorgasbord of awkward family dynamics, with his father, Enji Todoroki, steering the conversation into that familiar territory—training, legacy, and his singular fixation on preserving the Todoroki bloodline. Shoto's earlier excitement for the holiday had been extinguished when Enji suggested he should settle down with Y/N, his girlfriend since the start of high school. Settling down did not translate into their current reality; they were both only third years. There was no rush.
After they'd returned from Thanksgiving dinner, Shoto walked Y/N home, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration swirl within him. He'd apologized for his father's insensitive comments, yet Y/N merely brushed it off as something he shouldn't worry about. "That's just your dad being your dad," she had said with a smile, but it did little to ease the gnawing in his chest.
Lost deep in thought, Shoto barely noticed when a familiar knock echoed from his door. His elder brother, Dabi, had shown up—an unexpected presence that still caught Shoto by surprise sometimes. The last few years had been fraught with tension and stolen moments of familial joy, especially considering Dabi's status as a villain. However, in his own twisted way, Dabi seemed to care, checking in on Shoto at least.
"What's got you in a twist?" Dabi asked nonchalantly, leaning against the door frame.
"Just... thinking about Dad," Shoto replied, allowing a hint of his irritation to seep into his voice. Dabi nodded, understanding the ongoing strain between the two brothers and their father.
Before either could say more, their sister Fuyumi breezed into the room, her face glowing with a mixture of excitement and determination. "Hey, both of you! We're decorating for Christmas today! Mom really wants to get into the spirit of things."
Both brothers exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison. "No thanks."
But their mother, Rei, joined them at that moment, her soft voice cutting through their resolve. "Please? It would mean a lot to me."
In a rare act of surrender, they gave in. "Fine," Shoto muttered, a reluctant agreement that left him feeling a bit more resentful as they gathered supplies.
Hours later, Shoto had largely lost himself in the mundane rhythm of stringing lights and hanging ornaments. However, a chore necessitated him heading to his parents' room to find batteries for a decoration that had decided to go dark. It was a routine task—one that took an unexpected turn when Enji's phone buzzed loudly from the bedside table.
Curiosity gnawed at Shoto, pulling him toward the device. Without thinking, he picked it up, and the screen blinked to life with numerous messages from someone named "Maya." Dread filled him as he scrolled through the texts—pictures, flirty exchanges, promises of secrecy. The realization crashed over him like a wave—his father was cheating on their mother.
His flames flickered dangerously in response to the surge of anger bubbling inside him, and he could feel his control slipping. Just as he processed this betrayal, Dabi walked in, that familiar curiosity in his eyes quickly shifting to concern upon seeing Shoto's face.
"What took so long?" Dabi asked, but his voice faltered as he saw the rage radiating from his brother, nearly visible in the air around him.
Shoto thrust the phone into Dabi's hands, his voice low and trembling with emotion. "Look at this."
Dabi, irritated but intrigued, glanced at the screen, and his eyes quickly hardened into a furious glare. The same messages, the same betrayal stared back at them menacingly. Dabi's flames flared sharply, mirroring Shoto's in intensity.
"Mom…" Shoto's voice broke, the thought of their mother's heartbreak tightening around his throat. "What do we even do? This will destroy her."
The room swelled with tension as both brothers wrestled with the conflicting desire for revenge against the man who had hurt them and the protective instinct to shield their mother from the pain of betrayal.
Dabi's rage simmered, battling with pragmatism. "We can't just let him get away with this. He needs to know what he's done."
"And what good will that do?" Shoto snapped back, his frustration mounting. "Hurting him isn't going to make her hurt less! We need to think this through before we act."
The two brothers, once at odds, now found themselves united by an unbreakable bond forged in shared pain. Accepting the reality of their family dynamics was no easy feat, but they both understood something that connected them more than Enji's expectations ever could. They had each other, and for now, that would have to be enough.
With the simultaneous resolve to protect their mother and the tempest of anger simmering beneath, the brothers began to plot—a mix of caution and strategy, determined that whatever they decided to do, they would do it together. Together, as brothers should be.